Chapter 113 Not Planning Something, Are You?

Chapter 113: Is He Up to Something?

By the time they returned to the 55th floor, dusk had settled.

Given the high elevation, the setting sun could be seen dipping below the horizon through the corridor window.

A crimson sun was slowly sinking.

Fu Zhangzhou followed closely behind Fang Ran.

They hadn't dined in the restaurant, opting instead to pack some food back to the dorm.

Fang Ran turned to look; the Sentinel’s face was half-shrouded in shadow, half-illuminated by the twilight filtering through the window.

Both of them stopped.

Fang Ran stood amidst the interplay of light and shadow, watching him.

The lingering glow of the sunset softened the contours of Fu Zhangzhou’s profile.

Unlike his intense reaction during the meeting earlier, the Sentinel’s gaze now held a faint, almost bewildered emotion, yet his eyes were entirely fixed on Fang Ran.

A sudden tightness, a sour ache, constricted his chest, making him uncomfortable.

This person’s mood… was still quite low.

He sighed, pressed his fingerprint to the door lock, and turned to Fu Zhangzhou:

"Come in."

But the words had barely left his lips when Fang Ran paused.

He’d almost forgotten—this guy wasn’t in his Spiritual Body form right now. And he’d promised Zhong Wan…

"Fu Zhangzhou, wait a moment…"

Fang Ran intended to block his path, but the Sentinel moved faster, swiftly bypassing him, gently pushing the door open, and stepping inside.

This person… wasn’t he in a bad mood?

The room was dark and quiet, no lights on. Zhong Wan didn’t seem to be inside.

Fang Ran stood still, glancing in, then pulled out his terminal.

No messages.

Zhong Wan… must have gone out with Lu Wenchuan.

Never mind.

He could just have Fu Zhangzhou change back before Zhong Wan returned.

He lowered his head to type a message, asking his friend when he’d be back, but just then, he heard a faint click of the bathroom door closing.

He looked up.

Fu Zhangzhou… had apparently gone into the bathroom?

He quickly closed the room door and switched on the lights.

Fang Ran stood in the entryway for a moment, then slowly walked to the bathroom door.

The room was truly small—so small that many sounds were clearly audible. From inside the bathroom came the soft, steady trickle of water.

This person… probably just wanted to wash his face, right?

He couldn’t possibly be showering, could he? Why would he come to his room to shower?

Right.

It must just be washing his face…

After all, the Sentinel had exerted himself on the training ground today and had been so agitated in the meeting room earlier. Wasn’t it perfectly normal to wash his face to clear his head?

Fang Ran tried hard to convince himself, yet for some reason, he felt a strange unease.

He had originally thought that since Fu Zhangzhou was in a bad mood, having Zhong Wan and the others around would liven the atmosphere, which was why he had brought him back. But now, unexpectedly, it was just the two of them alone.

He tried to ignore the faint sounds of water reaching his ears and slowly walked to the room’s only long table, setting down the takeout bag and drinks.

Just as he pulled out a chair, his terminal buzzed on his wrist.

It was a message from Zhong Wan.

"Fang Ran, Lu Wenchuan and I are at the biggest night market in District 5!"

"This place is heaven!!!"

Below were pictures of a dazzling array of night market snacks—they seemed to be having a wonderful time.

Fang Ran couldn’t help but smile. Zhong Wan had always been a foodie; the sight of delicious food made him unable to move. Who would have thought that despite Lu Wenchuan’s somewhat cold personality, he was quite good at catering to others’ preferences.

After a moment’s thought, Fang Ran sent a reply to his friend.

"Have fun. Let me know before you come back."

Having done this, Fang Ran’s attention subconsciously drifted back to the bathroom.

The sound of water was still going.

Washing his face… should it take this long?

He sighed.

He couldn’t lie to himself, but going over to ask now would seem too ambiguous.

Never mind.

Might as well eat first.

Fang Ran sat down and opened the takeout bag on the table. The food was enough for several people, divided into six containers.

He took out one of them—a steak sandwich.

The steak was tender, but it was over-seasoned. The lettuce and tomato toppings were refreshing and crisp, nicely balancing the flavor.

Fang Ran chewed absentmindedly.

Even though it was something he usually liked, his mind was completely elsewhere at the moment.

What on earth… was he trying to do?

To distract himself, he turned on the smart projector in the room.

The screen displayed recent news from the Federation, and although the anchor spoke clearly, Fang Ran couldn’t process a single word.

Just as he was zoning out, the bathroom door swung open.

Fu Zhangzhou stepped out, still damp from his shower.

Perhaps because he had no change of clothes, he was still wearing his uniform from earlier in the day. But now it hung loosely on him, the zipper at the collar undone, losing its usual crispness and instead giving off a lazy, almost indolent air.

He smiled at Fang Ran.

"Sorry about that—I worked up quite a sweat today, so I took a quick shower. And… I accidentally used your towel."

"……"

Fang Ran stared at him, speechless.

The guy was clearly lying through his teeth.

How could it possibly be an accident? The towels were all hanging side by side—how "unintentional" did you have to be to grab the wrong one?

He knew, of course, that people in this world could somewhat sense his pheromones, but only this person…

Only this person had pinpointed it… as the scent of oranges.

Fang Ran had long known that Fu Zhangzhou was unusually sensitive to his pheromones, but he’d never confronted him about it—it wasn’t something easily explained.

Under his gaze, the Sentinel slowly walked over, and sure enough, the clean, steamy freshness mingling with the sweet fragrance of oranges.

Fang Ran suddenly felt his cheeks grow warm and had to avert his gaze slightly.

The central air conditioning was running in the room.

But as the steam from the bathroom diffused, the temperature seemed to spike almost instantly.

Was it just his imagination?

Fang Ran even felt a slight warmth at the back of his neck, at his scent gland.

An Omega's heat typically occurs every three months, and it had been almost two months since the last one.

No way…

Fu Zhangzhou acted as though nothing was unusual, casually pulling out another chair by the table and sitting down beside him.

"Fang Ran, is the sandwich not good?"

"Huh?" Fang Ran snapped out of his thoughts and realized the sandwich in his hand had been clenched into a mess without him realizing. The lettuce looked wilted, and mayonnaise had dripped onto his hand.

Somewhat embarrassed, he put the sandwich back into the takeout box.

"The seasoning… is a little heavy."

"Is it?" The Sentinel smiled, grabbing a napkin from the box and handing it to him. "If you don’t like it, try something else." With that, he opened another takeout box.

The scent of charred meat instantly wafted out.

Inside was a full set of skewers.

The surface of the meat was slightly charred and heavily seasoned with spices, giving off a rich, savory smell.

Not this again…

That ambiguous moment they’d shared in the square was still fresh in his mind, and he was sure he hadn't ordered this at the restaurant earlier.

Fang Ran glanced at Fu Zhangzhou. There was a faint smile in the man’s eyes, and the wounded look from before was gone. But for some reason…

He had this feeling… that this guy might be plotting something.