Chapter 55: Husband Died

Chapter 55: Widowed

Qi Zhengqing: "Got a moment?"

T-T: "Swamped lately, no time."

Qi Zhengqing: "Understood."

The three quickly plunged into work. Song Yuqing had once again begun his long absences from the dorm, returning only every two or three days for a full night's rest.

Most of Song Yuqing's time was spent in the lab, running code simulations and models on multiple computers.

Once the project truly began, both Ye Siling and Song Yuqing realized its immense difficulty.

Theoretically achievable, yet the binary algorithm for psychic power alone would result in a 70% loss of linear cognition, making it incredibly hard for the robot to interpret psychic commands.

After over half a month of work, Song Yuqing was still tirelessly tweaking the algorithm.

It only highlighted the immense effort that went into even the failed robots in the competition.

Song Yuqing had grown noticeably quieter.

Pei Huai came to find Song Yuqing and happened to spot Qi Zhengqing downstairs. He'd been seeing that "old fellow" there quite often lately.

But Pei Huai kept this to himself, simply ignoring Qi Zhengqing.

Song Yuqing had told him not to provoke Qi Zhengqing, so he'd hold off for now. Sooner or later, Qi Zhengqing would have to yield to him.

If Song Yuqing himself didn't even want to see him, what was there for Pei Huai to fear?

He went upstairs and drew the curtains, preventing Song Yuqing from looking outside, lest he soften. They were both alphas—who couldn't see through Qi Zhengqing's pathetic act?

Pei Huai: "When are you heading back?"

Song Yuqing didn't even lift his eyes, responding, "Not going back today."

Pei Huai helped Song Yuqing organize his materials, arranging everything according to Song Yuqing’s meticulous habits.

Song Yuqing was like a messy yet fastidious kitten.

Every time he went through his materials, he'd leave them in disarray. The lab was strewn with papers he’d been reading, left open to the pages he needed.

But once he'd made a mess, he'd look up and start tidying up with a hint of displeasure.

Song Yuqing was better suited to leading a lab, with many people assisting him—even someone dedicated to organizing his books. He was more fit to be the "brain" of a team rather than doing everything himself, Pei Huai mused.

Pei Huai: "How about I find some people to help you? You can just direct them."

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing: "Who do you think would be willing to help a high school student like me, with no accomplishments to show?"

Anyone who did would probably think he was delusional.

Without like-minded individuals, working together would be exhausting. Even with financial incentives, differing agendas would only create obstacles. Song Yuqing wasn't keen on adding to his own troubles.

Once he achieved results, he would definitely establish his own lab, selecting researchers who were willing to follow him and who at least believed in his project.

For now, with almost no credentials, he could only dream big.

Pei Huai: "I want to follow you."

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing thought for a moment, then decided to take a walk while the code was running. He stood up and walked toward the window.

Pei Huai grabbed Song Yuqing’s hand. "Is the code done running?"

Song Yuqing: "It's still running."

Pei Huai: "Then try sensing the psychic power again?"

Song Yuqing: "I finished that a few days ago."

"...Do you still want this?" Pei Huai, seeing Song Yuqing heading toward the window again, tugged at him, nearly pulling him into an embrace.

Song Yuqing braced himself against the desk to avoid falling, a slight frown on his face as he looked at Pei Huai in confusion.

Pei Huai hadn’t expected to pull Song Yuqing so close. He gently squeezed Song Yuqing’s hand, his voice low. "You’ve lost weight, Qingqing."

The alpha looked down at Song Yuqing, standing very close. He could see Song Yuqing’s slightly fluttering eyelashes and gently pressed lips.

Song Yuqing: "What's over by the window that you don't want me to see?"

"Nothing," Pei Huai said, tightly holding Song Yuqing’s wrist. "I just want to talk to you, want you to look at me."

Song Yuqing coldly elbowed him. "Are you that good-looking? Why should I look at you?"

Pei Huai: "..."

"What part of me isn't good-looking?" Pei Huai suddenly chuckled, his tone bold and clearly confident in his appearance. "Feel my nose, eyes, ears—thick eyebrows, bright eyes. What's not good-looking?"

A peacock preening.

Song Yuqing inexplicably thought of this phrase. Pei Huai had a tough, youthful look—wild and confident.

Song Yuqing looked up. Pei Huai had been preening, but under Song Yuqing’s chilly glance, he couldn’t help reaching out to touch Song Yuqing’s face.

He boldly pinched Song Yuqing’s cheek, leaving a mark on his snow-white skin. Song Yuqing’s eyes were like glass beads sprinkled with snowflakes. "How do you stay so pretty even staying up every night? How are you so perfectly formed?"

"It's like..."

Pei Huai spoke without thinking, blurting out his thoughts: "Qingqing, you’re like a seductive ghost who lost her husband."

Pale face, faint lip color, lacking the healthy glow of a living person—only his eyelashes were thick and dark, yet he was extremely gorgeous, both eerie and enchanting.

A beauty that took one's breath away.

"Get lost."

In less than half an hour, Pei Huai was kicked out by Song Yuqing. Several books thumped against the alpha’s back, leaving him aching.

Quite the fighter—that was today’s workout.

If he didn't provoke Song Yuqing, Song Yuqing wouldn't budge all day.

Seeing that Song Yuqing wasn’t heading toward the window anymore, Pei Huai called out, "I left the blanket on the desk. If you get tired, don’t sleep directly on the desk—you’ll get sick."

Song Yuqing ignored him but placed the folded blanket within arm's reach.

Time was tight, and Song Yuqing didn't want to catch a cold.

Pei Huai still had training to get to, so he didn't stay long. Song Yuqing frowned slightly, thinking Pei Huai had been especially annoying lately—he always had to provoke him every day and only seemed happy after getting hit.

Song Yuqing suspected that Pei Huai might have a masochistic streak.

Thinking back to how evasive Pei Huai had been earlier, Song Yuqing walked to the window and looked down. Just then, he happened to see Pei Huai leaving. As Pei Huai passed by someone standing downstairs, he snorted scornfully.

Qi Zhengqing.

88: "He's been down there for a while."

Song Yuqing: "I know."

Song Yuqing still didn't want to see Qi Zhengqing. Remembering Qi Zhengqing always made him feel like his life was ruined.

Perhaps it wasn't Qi Zhengqing's fault, but he just didn't want to see him.

Song Yuqing walked back to his computer and got back to his other work.

Around 1 a.m., Song Yuqing went to the window again. Qi Zhengqing was still there.

Song Yuqing couldn't understand Qi Zhengqing. His own time was valuable—what was Qi Zhengqing doing, camping out there every day?

Song Yuqing never felt that there was anything between him and Qi Zhengqing, except for what happened that one night.

Song Yuqing had initially thought Qi Zhengqing would leave after a while, but by 3 a.m., he was still there. After that, Song Yuqing didn't know—he'd fallen asleep.

What Song Yuqing didn't know was that Qi Zhengqing had gone upstairs to put a blanket over him.

Song Yuqing didn't give it much thought and never considered that it might have been Qi Zhengqing who did it.

Only when he didn't see Qi Zhengqing standing downstairs the next morning did Song Yuqing breathe easier.

But to his surprise, over the next few days, Qi Zhengqing kept showing up every day.

On the second day, Song Yuqing discovered that the half-done calculations he had been working on were finished. On the third day, he noticed some additional ideas and real-world examples written beside the concepts on his discarded draft paper.

At 1 a.m. on the fourth day, Qi Zhengqing was still standing downstairs.

T-T: "Come on up."

Qi Zhengqing: "Okay."

Qi Zhengqing quickly appeared in the lab.

Song Yuqing: "What are you doing here?"

Qi Zhengqing: "You said you didn't have time. I had some free time, so I came to find you."

Song Yuqing looked down and responded, "Okay."

Qi Zhengqing looked at Song Yuqing. "I think there are some things we should clear up. I was wrong before—we should've dealt with the issue instead of letting it distract you."

In reality, Song Yuqing had almost forgotten the things he'd rather not remember.

"Okay."

Song Yuqing went to get water, not looking directly at Qi Zhengqing. His heart felt pretty much dead. Clarify things? Like a public execution, right?

Fine.

Everyone has to die someday.

Qi Zhengqing standing downstairs every day was just making sure he couldn't avoid what's coming, wasn't it?

Song Yuqing didn't even notice how stiff his movements had become or the expression of utter despair on his face.

Qi Zhengqing's gaze lingered on Song Yuqing, watching him barely holding it together, feeling as if he might break down any second.

Qi Zhengqing: "I was wrong that night."

Song Yuqing didn't speak.

His mind replayed what 88 had said about the situation, and 88 was trying hard to comfort him: "It's okay, just treat it like being bitten by a dog—only the place it bit is kind of unusual."

Song Yuqing: "..."

88: "It's just being bitten by one dog in front of three others."

Song Yuqing: "..."

88: "It's just that it might have ended up in his mouth. Why can't a straight guy let his husband help with oral—"

Song Yuqing, not realizing when he had opened the window, said despairingly, "Just stop. Do you want me to jump out this window and die right here?"

88 fell silent, but then Qi Zhengqing started speaking again.

Qi Zhengqing: "I shouldn't have..."

Song Yuqing closed his eyes tightly, his ears already flushed red, making the red mole on his earlobe stand out even more vividly.

Qi Zhengqing looked down at him, wound up like a stressed-out cat, and said, "I shouldn't have misunderstood you."

Song Yuqing: "?"

Misunderstood what about me?

Although Song Yuqing didn't know what Qi Zhengqing had misunderstood, he pretended to know everything, trying to look calm. "Okay, it was your fault."

At this point, Song Yuqing no longer wanted to know what had happened between him and Qi Zhengqing that night. He just wanted to get past it as quickly as possible.

Qi Zhengqing: "And I shouldn't have let you bite..."

Song Yuqing smiled, though a closer look would reveal him digging his fingertips into his palms—a small sign that he wasn't as calm as he seemed.

Qi Zhengqing's heart sank. It seemed Song Yuqing was really struggling with this.

"...my neck."

Song Yuqing: "?"

Qi Zhengqing's gaze remained fixed on Song Yuqing, naturally noticing the flash of confusion in his eyes and how he relaxed just a little.

Qi Zhengqing's feelings changed depending on Song Yuqing's reactions.

Song Yuqing: "Okay, you should've stopped me. That's on you too."

Qi Zhengqing replied calmly, "Yes."

Song Yuqing: "Finished? If you're done, you should head back first."

If not, there's no need to continue—I'm not really interested in hearing the rest of the explicit details.

"No." Qi Zhengqing lowered his gaze to Song Yuqing, warning him to prevent him from getting too emotional. "What I'm about to say next might be even harder for you to accept—probably the hardest part for you. Brace yourself."

"Stop clenching your fists." Qi Zhengqing gently separated Song Yuqing's hands, and Song Yuqing pulled his hand back.

"Just say it."

The winter night wind was bitingly cold, sharp as a blade. It brushed past the leaves, tearing them from the branches and sending them swirling through the air as they fell.

Qi Zhengqing's narrow, faintly vulnerable eyes hid a trace of lingering sadness. He reached out as if to touch Song Yuqing but, in the end, only gently smoothed a strand of his hair.

The wind lifted a lock of hair, tangling it around the alpha's fingers.

Qi Zhengqing's fingers lingered, caressing wistfully with Song Yuqing's hair.

His pale face, dark hair, and faintly pink lips held an inexplicable allure under the light.

"I embraced you, I kissed you." Qi Zhengqing had never felt such a sense of loss before, as though saying these words would mean losing Song Yuqing forever.

Song Yuqing, about to bolt like a startled cat, his slender frame trembling slightly: "?"

"That's it?"

The little cat, who had been ready to puff up and flee, suddenly froze, his expression one of unbelievable disbelief...

And a hint of relief, as if he'd narrowly escaped disaster.

It was the first time Qi Zhengqing had seen such a vivid expression on Song Yuqing's face. The corners of his lips curled into a slight smile. "Yes, that's it. What else did you think happened?"

It seemed Song Yuqing didn't reject him as strongly as he'd thought.

Author's Note:

Song Qingqing: The broken windows theory holds true. Bye-bye, where's the promised R-rated plot?