Chapter 225

Chapter 225

Lab Building 3 housed a temporary special monitoring room for Gao Xuyang, set up in an equipment room—like a room-within-a-room setup.

The equipment room had a hidden door that opened into a several-meter-long passage. Gao Xuyang was in the room behind the alloy door at the end of the passage.

Yang Kai was currently crouched outside the door looking miserable, in repentance. Hearing footsteps, he turned and saw Jiang Nian, his eyes lighting up:

"Jiang Nian, perfect timing."

Jiang Nian teased:

"Better lucky than good."

Bro Kai was usually all business at work, decisive and authoritative—rare to see him like this.

Yang Kai stood up, dejected:

"Prof. Gao wants a divorce. Help me out here."

Then he turned back to knock on the door:

"Xuyang, Jiang Nian is here. Open the door."

His knocking was weak, like a pathetic, henpecked husband. There was still no response from inside.

"Divorce?"

Jiang Nian widened his eyes—now that's some hot gossip he'd stumbled upon! This is gold!

He didn’t ask for details, knowing it wouldn't go through. Suppressing a laugh, he offered serious advice:

"Tell him divorce isn't happening in the apocalypse. The civil affairs office got zombified."

Gao Xuyang was cutest when you mess with him like this—what a perfect chance! Bro Kai was totally failing!

Was it because of their age gap and "teacher-student" dynamic that he didn’t dare push too hard after ticking him off?

Yang Kai fidgeted anxiously:

"He’s holding both marriage certificates right now. I’m worried he’ll tear them up in anger."

He regretted ever suggesting Prof. Gao keep the certificates.

Jiang Nian’s lips twitched uncontrollably:

"Let him tear them. They’re bogus anyway. Once the civil affairs office is rebuilt, just haul him back to get new ones."

Seeing Yang Kai staring at him, he added:

"Right? Jing-ge said even if you and Prof. Gao had marriage certificates, they’d 100% be fake—most likely just for some op."

Yang Kai, seeing him barely containing himself, finally called him out:

"Just laugh if you want to. We’re brothers—enough already. Even if they’re fake, there’s no way to verify it now, and they’re our only memento."

"Hahaha…"

Jiang Nian laughed freely. After a moment, he cleared his throat and put on a serious face again.

"No offense, Bro Kai, but Teacher Gao is in such a gullible... I mean, so easy to coax state right now, and you still can't handle it. What possessed you to flirt with my Brother Jing back then?"

Couldn't pass up this chance to mess with him.

Yang Kai’s face was a picture:

"Back then, I just thought of giving it a try with your Brother Jing—no harm in trying. Just two sad sacks keeping each other warm or something... But Teacher Gao is different."

Jiang Nian said with a sweet smile:

"So, my Brother Jing was just some cheap stand-in, huh?"

Back then, when he saw the two pretending to be a couple, he thought it was Brother Jing leading some kind of cliché rebound scenario come to life. Turns out he was wrong.

"Jiang Nian,"

Yang Kai massaged his temples—just great, this guy was hell-bent on giving him shit today.

"Hehe, alright, alright, watch me."

Jiang Nian knew not to push it. He patted Yang Kai’s shoulder and stepped forward, but just as he was about to knock, his phone rang again.

It was Chu Yi calling. Worried something had happened to the soldiers who’d just undergone Purify treatment, he answered urgently:

"Bro Chu, what’s going on?"

"Jiang Nian, don’t go looking for Teacher Gao today. He’s on the warpath right now."

Chu Yi’s voice was drowned out by monitor beeps of medical equipment being adjusted in the background—he sounded busy.

"Why?"

Jiang Nian glanced at Yang Kai beside him and lowered his hand from the door.

Chu Yi chuckled:

"Yang Kai used Teacher Gao’s nails to scratch himself and get infected. You Purified him, and the antibodies produced were extremely strong. The lab professors accidentally let the test results slip, and Teacher Gao found out. Even Department Head Wang is furious."

"That bad, huh..."

Jiang Nian looked at Yang Kai, who was sighing nearby, and said decisively:

"Alright... It was Bro Kai who strong-armed me into helping him. Not on me. Him taking such a risk—of course Teacher Gao and Department Head Wang would be mad."

Chu Yi drawled:

"Mhm, Department Head Wang isn’t blaming you. He reamed Yang Kai a new one. Just giving you a heads-up—your call."

"Copy that, later."

Jiang Nian hung up, eyed the shut door, then at Yang Kai, and made to bail.

"Hey, Jiang Nian, don’t you dare!"

Yang Kai grabbed him:

"You can't leave me hanging!"

Jiang Nian cocked an eyebrow:

"How can I help you? If Brother Jing finds out about this, I'll be in trouble too."

He finally realized the severity of the situation.

"He probably already knows. My uncle must have told him... As brothers, teammates, and riding buddies, just help me out, okay? Just get Teacher Gao to open the door. I’ll apologize to him face-to-face."

Yang Kai put his hands together in prayer. Gao Xuyang spoke slowly, and when angry, he simply refused to talk. Only face-to-face could Yang Kai work his charm.

"......"

Feeling sorry for him, Jiang Nian thought for a moment before stepping forward to knock on the door:

"Teacher Gao, it’s Jiang Nian. Could you open the door?"

After a long pause, a cold, slow voice came from behind the door:

"No..."

Jiang Nian shrugged at Yang Kai helplessly before trying again:

"What’s done is done. Don’t be angry just yet. Bro Kai got infected through your nail, and his reaction is a bit different from those infected by ordinary zombies. Your level is too high—I’m not sure if I can completely purify the virus in his body..."

*Click.*

Before he could finish his half-baked excuse, the door opened. Gao Xuyang, now back in regular hospital garb, stood inside, giving them an icy stare:

"What... do you mean?"

Jiang Nian quickly changed tack:

"I mean, since it’s already happened, just forgive Bro Kai. He only did it because he loves you too much. If you ignore him, he might as well have been bitten by a zombie..."

Realizing how bad that sounded, he gave up on the explanation. Hopefully, Teacher Gao wouldn’t mind—making up lies on the spot wasn't his strong suit.

"......"

Gao Xuyang said nothing, turning to stare at Yang Kai instead.

"Teacher Gao, I was wrong."

Seizing the chance, Yang Kai slipped inside and pulled him along.

Jiang Nian knew better than to follow, stopping at the doorway:

"I’ll come back tomorrow to purify you, Teacher Gao. It’s late, so I’ll head back now. Bye."

With that, he helpfully closed the door after them.

Better to quit while he was ahead. Time to make himself scarce. Never again, he thought, would he go along with Bro Kai’s crazy plans.

Though Teacher Gao's face showed nothing, you could tell he was seriously pissed.

After texting Chu Yi that he was heading back, he went downstairs—only to see him and Cheng Jing discussing Yang Kai’s medical report in the first-floor visitor area.

Oh right. It was past midnight—Brother Jing’s shift had ended. Nice of him to come get me.