Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The memory of that kiss, of being held tightly by the golden-haired youth and swimming upwards, danced like a musical note in a dream. Lan Yexing, in his coma, felt his entire vision filled with the ethereal blue of the sea and the brilliant gold of the sun.

He only remembered gripping the other's lapel tightly.

When he groggily opened his eyes, his nose caught the strong scent of disinfectant.

Lan Yexing soon realized he was lying on a hospital bed. He turned his head slightly and saw the faces of Yang Qing and Zhou Yanqiu by the bedside.

Zhou Yanqiu, wearing a hospital gown, looked pale. He let out a heavy sigh of relief, slumped into the chair, and said, red-eyed and smiling, "You're finally awake."

This person had saved his life twice. If anything happened to him because of this, he truly wouldn't know how he could go on living.

Yang Qing also breathed a sigh of relief, smiling, "Although the test results show you're fine, seeing you not wake up, I still couldn't shake the worry."

Lan Yexing nodded, then remembered something and asked, "Where's Qiao You?" A hint of coldness entered his expression. "And that Qi Zhong, has he been caught?"

Yang Qing: "Ah, Qiao You carried you up and settled you down, then went to the police to give a statement. As for Qi Zhong, the police later sent professionals down and pulled him out of that seaweed patch. He was already unconscious and has been sent to a larger hospital outside for treatment—"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a knock sounded at the door.

Then, Qiao You entered with two police officers in uniform.

He stood where light and shadow met, gazing deeply at the pale but now awake youth, before turning with that flawless smile to the officers. "Officers, these are the other two victims. One was likely kidnapped there by the suspect using his abilities, and the other is my junior, who had something to do at the hospital. When he left through the back door, like me, he accidentally stumbled in there."

Lan Yexing was stunned: Qiao You had directly helped him conceal his motive for entering the dimension behind the door...

Yang Qing quickly added, "Yes, Lan Yexing had a blood test here two days ago. He came this evening to ask for the results, and I told him that his pheromone allergy is so rare it requires a special blood testing machine, which isn't that fast. Who would have thought he'd get caught up in something like this?"

He wasn't stupid; Lan Yexing's earlier anxiety to find Qiao You at the hospital made it highly probable he had willingly gone in there because of Qiao You.

But it was better if Lan Yexing wasn't too deeply involved in such matters.

The officer nodded, looking at Lan Yexing. "Is that so?"

Lan Yexing did not disappoint Qiao You and Yang Qing's kindness, quietly nodding.

The police then shifted their focus for the statement to Zhou Yanqiu, moving towards him.

Qiao You followed the officers but stood by the hospital bed, next to Lan Yexing. The light cast his shadow onto the bed, and Lan Yexing was entirely enveloped by that shadow.

He smelled the crisp lime scent again, mixed with the faint, briny tang of seawater. The golden-haired youth's large, bandaged hand hung by his side, visible to Lan Yexing with a slight turn of his head.

Because it had been submerged in water, the wound, which had begun to heal, had likely worsened again. Fresh red blood slowly seeped through the gauze.

Perhaps sensing the other's gaze, the tall golden-haired youth slightly lowered his head and turned, casting a faint glance at Lan Yexing, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Lan Yexing averted his gaze as if burned. "No, nothing."

Zhou Yanqiu then began to recount his experience: "Before, I was dating Qi Zhong's friend, Duan Chen. I'm a student in the College of Engineering, and Qi Zhong is a lecturer in the same college. With Duan Chen serving as a link between us, we gradually started interacting."

"Duan Chen always had a dismissive attitude towards my major, but Qi Zhong was very interested in some of my designs. As you know, the Qi family's main industry is in the field of air transportation, but currently, neither the aircraft themselves nor the routes are well-developed. Routes are only short-haul, and planes often have accidents. Not to mention, ideas about space travel beyond the atmosphere haven't even taken off."

Hearing this, Lan Yexing was startled: No wonder Library No. 1 had no books on aerospace engineering.

It wasn't that they didn't exist, but rather that the relevant field in this world had barely developed.

But how could that be?

Humans naturally possess a curiosity and desire for conquest regarding the sky. The technology in this world is considered quite advanced, so how could this field be so underdeveloped?

It sounded so incongruous, as if someone had deliberately interfered with this field...

Noticing Lan Yexing's unusual reaction, Qiao You glanced at him thoughtfully but remained silent.

Zhou Yanqiu continued, "I always wanted to improve the current aircraft, so I drew many designs. Qi Zhong always tried to snatch them, and he once said something very strange."

The first time that Alpha helped Duan Chen imprison him, he said to him with a terrifying and eerie expression—'Anyway, you've been targeted since birth. No matter how much you struggle in this life, you'll never be able to establish yourself in this industry. These things might as well be mine.'

Hearing this, Yang Qing's face also showed an expression of utter bewilderment. Lan Yexing noticed and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Yang Qing lowered his voice and said to Lan Yexing, "That idiot Yuan Ping also said something similar to me, that strange nonsense."

Lan Yexing was startled: This was too bizarre...

He secretly made a mental note of this information.

Zhou Yanqiu's face then showed a pained and unwilling expression, and he continued, "He came to me again this evening for those designs. I refused, and he directly used his mental power in my hospital room to trap me in that cage at the bottom of the sea..."

"At the bottom of the sea, he allowed me a breath of oxygen and told me that the limit for untrained humans underwater is 3 minutes. He would return soon to hear my answer."

Qi Zhong's mental power manifested through the door. When he first came to his hospital room, he applied that power to the bathroom door, covered his mouth and pushed him through the door.

After saying those words at the bottom of the sea, Qi Zhong returned to the hospital room through that door, then withdrew his mental power and left the room.

Zhou Yanqiu: "After one minute underwater, my consciousness began to blur, and I could barely see anything. The desire and instinct to survive made me constantly hit the iron bars with seabed debris to call for help. When I regained some vague consciousness, I was being helped out and brought to safety by Lan Yexing..."

"That's all I know."

...

The officer listened and nodded, his face full of sympathy. He then elaborated on what happened next: "After Qi Zhong left your hospital room, he went to the hospital's back door with that bouquet of roses (we don't know why he brought roses yet, we'll have to wait until he wakes up to ask). He applied his mental power to the back door of the hospital lobby and went in through that door himself, possibly to get an answer from you."

Officer: "But almost immediately, Qiao You, who was about to leave the hospital, also pulled open the back door and accidentally stumbled in. However, both he and Qi Zhong were accidentally entangled by the dense seaweed behind the cage. After that, Lan Yexing also accidentally entered. He saved you but then fell down. Fortunately, Qiao You is an excellent diver. He broke free from the seaweed patch at that time and saved Lan Yexing, while Qi Zhong suffocated from being entangled in the seaweed for too long and is still in the hospital receiving emergency treatment."

"This is the information currently compiled from your statements. Do you see any omissions?"

Qiao You and Lan Yexing shook their heads, and Zhou Yanqiu also had nothing to add. The officer stood up, looked at them, and said, "You two rest well. I'll be leaving now. We'll notify you if there are any further updates."

Qiao You, like a good student, smiled elegantly and with propriety, about to see them out, but felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.

He was startled, slowly turning to look at Lan Yexing: The youth, wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown, sat halfway up in bed, his head slightly bowed, his eyebrows and eyes obscured by black hair. The fingers tugging at his sleeve were slender and fair, and looked endearing.

The officer then smiled at the golden-haired youth, "It seems your junior is scared. You don't have to see us out, just stay and keep him company."

Yang Qing immediately realized Lan Yexing wanted to speak with Qiao You alone. He quickly pulled Zhou Yanqiu up, smiling, "Officer, I'll see you out, and take Xiao Zhou back to his hospital room. He should rest too."

The officer smiled and agreed, and Zhou Yanqiu also obediently stood up.

They quickly left, leaving only Lan Yexing and Qiao You in the quiet hospital room. Lan Yexing released his hand.

Qiao You simply pulled a chair over, sat down by the bed, and smiled slightly, his voice calm and unruffled: "Junior, is there something you need?"

Lan Yexing looked up at him: Perhaps he hadn't had time to tidy himself after coming out of the sea. The youth's golden hair was slightly damp, and his white shirt had faint water stains, subtly revealing the broad frame of his bones and the beautifully sculpted lines of his chest muscles underneath.

His smile was also impeccably flawless, so much so that looking directly at him would instinctively make others feel a sense of pressure and an urge to flee.

Lan Yexing, however, was beyond caring. He stared intently at him and said, "Senior, you did something to Qi Zhong in the seaweed patch, didn't you?"

Qiao You still smiled at him but did not answer.

Lan Yexing continued, "What you did to him had a very bloody aspect that absolutely cannot be discovered by outsiders, didn't it?" The red bloodstains he had glimpsed in the sea at that time were definitely not an illusion.

The sheer bloody extent of that amount of bleeding was absolutely more unimaginable than Yuan Ping's three broken ribs or Duan Chen's bleeding from seven orifices on the surface.

Qiao You's bandaged hand beneath him clenched, but the smile on his face deepened: Before stepping through that door, he indeed didn't know it was a trap. Qi Zhong was ambushing him in that seawater, waiting to launch a sneak attack.

However, in the end, it was Qi Zhong himself whose organs and blood were extracted.

Thinking about it this way, Lan Yexing was right. What he had done with his own hands was indeed incredibly bloody...

Qiao You's smile was utterly cold, devoid of warmth. His casual gaze subtly lingered on the youth's soft, beautiful lips, and he remarked with a seemingly mischievous tone, "How heartless, junior. After all, I did save you. So, are you afraid of me now—"

Lan Yexing suddenly leaned forward, looking at him more closely, his brows furrowed. He sharply interrupted him, "That's not the point at all. It's the diving equipment at the bottom of the sea. Those were Qi Zhong's, and you stripped them off and left them there, didn't you?"

"Did you dispose of those things?"

If they weren't disposed of and someone found them, Qiao You's earlier testimony wouldn't hold up—it was underwater, and Qi Zhong had no motive to voluntarily take off his diving equipment. As soon as they investigated who stripped Qi Zhong's diving equipment, Qiao You would be inextricably implicated.

Qiao You's pupils suddenly contracted. He was rarely stunned, staring fixedly at the youth. The storm that had brewed in his green eyes at the bottom of the sea gathered again, mixed with a hint of bewilderment he himself hadn't even noticed.

Why wasn't he afraid of him, but instead worried about him... now?

Qiao You felt his gaze was like a knife, intent on carving every detail of the youth into his memory.

Lan Yexing, seeing him remain silent, grew a little anxious: "Hey—"

Qiao You still looked directly at him, and only after he had seen enough did he shift his gaze, saying faintly, "I disposed of them."

That diving equipment was originally Qi Zhong's, always hanging on the back of that door for his own use.

He stripped them off Qi Zhong, controlling him with the seawater and the sensation of suffocation.

After giving the youth oxygen, he kicked them all into the deep abyss beyond the seaweed patch.

By the time the police found Qi Zhong and pulled him up, Qi Zhong was already in a deep coma, his mental power had failed. That sea area had long been untraceable.

Lan Yexing finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to thank the other person when he suddenly remembered something, gave a light cough and averted his gaze, saying, "Thank you for saving me in the sea."

Qiao You's lowered fingers were almost self-abusively toying with the bleeding wound on his palm. He stared at the faint blush on the youth's cheeks with a frivolous, casual air, and smiled slightly, "You're welcome."

With that, he elegantly stood up and said, "Get some rest. I'm leaving now."

Lan Yexing called out to him, "Your hand." It looked like it had gotten worse.

Lan Yexing: "And your phone, it's with Dr. Yang."

Qiao You raised an eyebrow and said faintly, "I'll get it re-bandaged. I'll also pick up my phone."

With that, he walked out of the room.

After closing the door, the golden-haired youth did not leave immediately. He lowered his gaze slightly, and under the corridor light, he expressionlessly looked at his bleeding palm. After a long moment, he thoughtfully raised his hand and touched his thin lips with cold, slender fingers.

Finally, he cast a faint glance at the closed hospital room door behind him, then turned and left.

...

Behind the door, Lan Yexing looked at the dial on his right wrist and said, "Sorry for making you worry."

System: "As long as the Host is fine."

Lan Yexing: "During my coma, were there any new missions?"

System: "..."

It was unusually hesitant to speak.

After this experience, it was afraid of assigning dangerous missions to the Host again, causing the Host harm.

This time was even more terrifying than the fires the Host faced after completing the previous two missions.

Lan Yexing smiled helplessly, "There, there, it's alright now."

The System then said, "Didn't the Host promise the professor to finish that elective course in the business school? The Host should remember that tomorrow, Friday, is class time."

"Before class in the morning, Omega Jian Si will go to that classroom to give Qiao You cookies. Please, Host... prevent this capture event from happening, considering your own safety."

Lan Yexing was startled: He almost forgot that Jian Si hadn't given out that box of cookies yet.

Simply preventing Jian Si from giving the cookies "tomorrow" was actually quite simple.

Because, even if they each had secrets, they were friends.

So he picked up his phone, opened the chat with Jian Si, and sent a message: "Do you have time tomorrow morning? Want to go boating on King's Lake after breakfast?"

King's Lake is connected to the River of Contemplation, which runs through the entire campus. The River of Contemplation, in turn, connects to the Xingdu River, which runs through the entire Xingdu District. However, there is a guarded gate where the River of Contemplation flows out of the campus, completing the last link in the school's closed management system.

Because it's fully enclosed, many Xingdu University students love to go boating on the lake in their free time. They can spend a long time happily and peacefully, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the campus and cultivating their temperament.

Jian Si had already invited him to go boating, but he had been busy with mission-related matters and couldn't spare the time. Jian Si said he could contact him when he had time.

If Jian Si agrees, the mission is complete.

If Jian Si doesn't agree, he'll go to that classroom tomorrow and figure something out.

To be honest, he really didn't want to deceive Jian Si.

Inviting the other party to go boating was at least a promise they had genuinely made before.

At this moment, an emoji popped up in the chat box.

Jian Si: "Okay, then let's have breakfast together tomorrow morning and go boating!"

Lan Yexing curved his eyes: "Okay, see you tomorrow."

After sending the message, Lan Yexing thought for a moment, found the email address of the professor teaching that course on the Business School website, and sent an email apologizing and explaining that he couldn't attend the lecture tomorrow, and would catch up on the notes later.

After that, he pondered for a moment and still sent a message to Qiao You, who had been asked by the professor to supervise his attendance:

"Senior, I have something tomorrow, so I won't be attending class."

No reply.

Lan Yexing didn't take it to heart. He jumped out of bed and went to say goodbye to Yang Qing and complete the discharge procedures—he had to go back to see his cat.

...

It was late at night when he returned home. After taking care of his cat, he didn't go back to school—after all, he didn't often return to the dorm, and Jiang Xiaozhou covering for him had almost become a habit.

The next day, Lan Yexing woke up groggily in his own bed. He instinctively reached out and touched his lips, then turned to look at the clear blue autumn sky outside the window, feeling a moment of trance.

But he quickly sobered up, got up briskly to wash, left home, and climbed over the wall back to school.

After rushing to the restaurant and having breakfast with Jian Si, they went to King's Lake together.

The weather that day was excellent. The autumn sun illuminated the entire world, and the sky was a pure, flawless Klein blue, with a few dreamlike wisps of clouds floating above.

Lan Yexing stepped on the grassy bank mixed with small flowers, his soft bangs blown by the lake breeze. He looked at the vast lake in front of him, shimmering with ripples, and a rare, pure, relaxed smile appeared on his face.

Jian Si watched the youth intently and smiled, "Let's go rent a boat, or we'll miss our turn."

Lan Yexing nodded and walked towards the staff at the small wooden house by the lake.

...

They soon boarded the boat. The gondola-like pointed boat was slowly propelled by the staff, and the boat slowly moved away from the shore, heading towards the center of the lake. As it continued forward, it entered the River of Contemplation.

As they continued along the River of Contemplation, Lan Yexing looked at the beautiful Baroque buildings on both banks—most of which were academic buildings or faculty offices. The buildings on both sides were connected by enclosed bridge corridors of the same color as the buildings, adorned with beautiful reliefs. The entire river channel was exquisitely beautiful.

Lan Yexing was startled as he looked ahead at the river: This was very close to the Business School. Qiao You should be in class at the Starry Tower of the Business School now.

Jian Si sat opposite him, propping his chin with his hands, and asked curiously, "Xiao Xing, what are you thinking about?"

Lan Yexing came back to his senses, shook his head, and smiled, "Nothing."

Jian Si stretched his body and sighed comfortably, "Senior Qiao You should be in the building ahead. I was originally going to find him today."

Lan Yexing was startled.

Jian Si tilted his head and smiled, "But it's such a rare beautiful day, it's definitely better to tour the lake with Xiao Xing." This was his honest opinion.

Lan Yexing looked at him gently, stripping away all impurities, and asked him sincerely from a friend's perspective, "Why do something you don't like?"

Jian Si said helplessly, "My father demanded it." His father required him to attend this university and gain Qiao You's love.

Lan Yexing: "?"

Jian Si looked up at the third beautiful bridge corridor they were about to pass through, his azure pupils somewhat cold: "What's even more ironic is that I don't even know my father's motive for demanding this of me. He only said that this is what I, as an heir, should and must do."

"Once I fulfill his demands, he will solemnly hand me that reason."

At this point, Jian Si looked at the youth opposite him, whose body was reflected with the beautiful bridge's shadow. He said, "Xiao Xing, although I haven't investigated, I guess there might be someone like my father behind you, pushing you towards Qiao You." After all, this school has no shortage of people trying to get close to Qiao You.

But...

Jian Si tilted his head and smiled, "But you're different from us. You're too soft-hearted. If you can, get out as soon as possible. If you can't, then protect yourself as much as possible." After all, this place gathers all the people in this country who have noble and glamorous identities but vicious and beastly souls.

Lan Yexing looked at the curly-haired omega opposite him in surprise. After a long moment, he gently curved his eyes, "Thank you for the reminder."

...

At this moment, the small boat had reached an open grassy area, near the Business School buildings. Lan Yexing looked towards the Starry Tower in the distance. Its brick-red facade and ancient window frames shimmered in the sunlight.

That youth should be in class in one of those windows now.

Lan Yexing smiled, shifted his gaze, and looked with Jian Si towards the splendid maple forest they were about to pass.

...

Meanwhile, in a certain tiered classroom in the Starry Tower.

While the professor was writing on the blackboard, the sunny alpha took the opportunity to look out the window and daydream. As he watched, he let out an "eh?" and turned to look at the golden-haired youth behind him, who was typing furiously on his keyboard. The youth was wearing metal-rimmed glasses, his expression colder and sharper than usual, and his face was inexplicably pale, making him seem even more unapproachable.

The alpha, completely oblivious, pointed towards the River of Contemplation outside the window and said gossiping to his friend, "Hey Qiao You, look, isn't that your junior?"

"He seems to be boating with a student—is that an omega?"

Qiao You paused, turned slightly, and looked at the autumn scenery outside the window with a cold expression.

He only looked for a moment before retracting his gaze and continuing to type on the keyboard.

The alpha in the front row was about to tease his friend again when he suddenly rubbed his arms—he suddenly felt so cold!

It was then that he suddenly realized that his friend's face today was even more terrifying than a demon king!

So he had no choice but to turn back sullenly and continue listening to the lecture.

Qiao You's keyboard sounds, however, gradually stopped.

After a long moment, he expressionlessly opened the communication software on his computer.

...

At the same time.

"Achoo!"

Lan Yexing, who had just finished boating contentedly and disembarked from the boat, covered his mouth and nose.

Jian Si looked at him with concern, "A cold?"

Lan Yexing shook his head—besides that sneeze, he didn't feel unwell anywhere else.

Could someone be thinking of him or cursing him?

Jian Si felt relieved and said, "Then let's go to a nearby restaurant for lunch! I heard their roasted lamb chops are delicious."

Lan Yexing was about to agree when his phone suddenly rang. He quickly took it out to check:

"The professor requires you to make up the notes for this class. I need to continue lending you my notes. Waiting for you in the classroom, hurry."

"Junior, you don't want to waste other people's time, do you? (smile.jpg) by Qiao You"

Lan Yexing: "..." Was it an illusion? Why did that smiling emoji feel so terrifying today...

Jian Si then asked him, "Xiao Xing, what's wrong?"

Lan Yexing put away his phone, sighed softly, and said sincerely, "Sorry, Xiao Jian, I have something to do and need to leave first."

Jian Si was startled, then smiled brightly, "It's okay, go ahead and be busy. I'll ask Li Long to come and eat with me."

Lan Yexing gave Jian Si another apologetic look, then turned and strode away.

...

The school was truly too large, and Lan Yexing hadn't bought a bicycle yet. By the time he arrived at the Starry Tower, at least twenty minutes had passed.

He almost ran up the stairs. Upon reaching the correct floor, he pushed open the door to the tiered classroom, panting.

Class had been over for quite some time, and the classroom was now empty.

The tall, broad-shouldered golden-haired youth sat alone in the last row, wearing his uniform, looking out the window with a cold, handsome face.

The bright midday sun shone on him, making his handsome face dazzling like a prince from a fairy tale.

...

Lan Yexing resignedly walked over and said, "Senior, I'm here."

The golden-haired youth didn't even look at him, simply picked up the notes from the table, and handed them to him with a detached and cold demeanor.

Lan Yexing, after taking them: "?"

Is there something wrong with this person today?!

Lan Yexing stared directly at that handsome profile, observing in confusion: It really does feel like something's off...

Qiao You finally looked at the youth, he smiled slightly, his green pupils chilling: "Junior, is there anything else?"

Lan Yexing continued to stare at him with that strange look.

Qiao You: "..."

Suddenly, Lan Yexing let out an "Ah!" as if enlightened, then reached out his hand and, without explanation, moved it towards the youth's forehead—

Completely unprepared for the youth's action, Qiao You's eyes suddenly widened, and he was rarely stunned.

Lan Yexing's hand remained on the youth's forehead. He met the blank gaze of the youth and said helplessly yet gently, "You really have a fever, Senior."