Chapter 64

Chapter 64

As Bai Luming emerged from his shower, he immediately felt a gaze settle upon him.

He Yilan had completely put away his virtual screen and wasn't reading. Staring straight at him like this, it seemed as if he had been waiting specifically for him.

Bai Luming: "...Why do I feel like you're particularly impatient?"

"Hmm, indeed a bit impatient," He Yilan responded. "So, can we start now? Let me see your mechanical heart."

"Sure." Bai Luming didn't hesitate. He walked over to his bedside and sat down, swiftly took off his top and tossed it onto the bed. Then, crossing his legs and propping himself up with both hands, he declared with complete candor, "Go ahead."

What should have been a very ambiguous atmosphere, with his concise words, somehow took on the gravitas of a courtroom trial.

"..." He Yilan rose and walked to Bai Luming's bedside. As he looked down, his gaze inadvertently swept over the powerful and fluid lines of Bai Luming's physique, pausing subtly for an instant.

Although Bai Luming had spent years in the military, he wasn't the burly type.

When he usually wore his uniform, one could only sense his tall stature and long legs. Probably because of the mechanical heart, even during their previous days living together, he had never exposed his upper body so directly in front of He Yilan.

Now, with his top off, Bai Luming's bare body appeared remarkably solid, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his overall proportions almost perfectly aligned with the ideal human form. The thin layer of moisture from his recent shower still clung to his skin, adding an extra touch of distinct sensuality to the V-line around his abs.

Most importantly, the posture he was presenting now felt undeniably like an invitation. His grayish-white hair fell slightly, his well-defined eyes held a faint smile, and when he looked up at He Yilan, his relaxed, languid demeanor was captured with extreme precision, almost unconsciously.

He Yilan's Adam's apple bobbed.

He was always very self-controlled in everything he did, but he had to admit that in that fleeting glance, his thoughts did wander momentarily.

Bai Luming waited for a moment, seeing that He Yilan was still standing there motionless, and couldn't help but speak up: "Are you going to—"

The final word "look" got stuck in his throat as He Yilan approached.

"Don't speak." He Yilan seemed to finally snap back to reality, slowly bending down.

One of his hands rested right beside Bai Luming's waist, while the fingers of his other hand, guided by his gaze, traced slowly along the edges of the mechanical heart.

He Yilan's fingertips were somewhat cold, their touch on the skin unmistakably clear. As they slowly glided over, one could distinctly feel the subtle tremors that seemed to be a physical response from Bai Luming.

On Bai Luming's chest, the interface of the mechanical heart had fully integrated, looking as if it had formed a perfectly smooth connection with the specialized metal. Tiny points of light pulsed silently with the rhythm of his heartbeat—the same light signals He Yilan had noticed back at the repair shop.

Now, these flickering lights still drew attention, making the whole atmosphere feel subtly charged.

He Yilan observed the mechanical heart with extreme care. At such close proximity, Bai Luming could even feel his breath gently brushing against his chest, amplifying the sensation of the tracing fingertips several times over.

When he agreed to let He Yilan see the mechanical heart, Bai Luming never imagined it would be such an unbearably tantalizing process.

He considered himself a person with high tolerance, but sometimes, physical reactions were instinctive and not something one could control just by wanting to.

He never realized before that this man could be so provocative!

Unconsciously, Bai Luming felt his body tense up slightly, and his breathing grew heavier.

He reasonably suspected that He Yilan was deliberately engaging in this overly provocative physical contact. Some very unusual sensations arose, and finally, in this silent yet extremely ambiguous atmosphere, he couldn't stand it any longer and seized He Yilan's hand.

Bai Luming looked down, just as he met He Yilan's upward gaze. He slowly let out a breath, his lips moving slightly: "...Are you done?"

He Yilan didn't pull his hand away. Instead, under Bai Luming's gaze, he answered with a question of his own: "You agreed to let someone see it, and there's a time limit?"

Bai Luming paused: "Not really."

Both of them could actually feel that their voices had grown slightly husky.

The dorm room fell into a brief silence, and for a moment, neither spoke.

Finally, Bai Luming slowly released his grip on He Yilan's hand: "...It's fine if you're not done, continue, but no touching."

A faint, barely noticeable smile flashed in He Yilan's eyes: "The structure of your mechanical heart is quite complex. Since it can't be fully opened, I need to observe more design details from the outside."

Bai Luming complained inwardly: *Then use your eyes to look; why put your hands on me?*

He glanced at He Yilan and said: "I never noticed before that you were interested in the medical industry too."

He Yilan: "Zhong Sheng Machinery operates across various fields and is also involved in the medical sector. Nowadays, the market for mechanical prosthetics is growing rapidly. At this rate, the differences between humans and machines will become increasingly blurred. One day, bio-machines might become the main labor force in society."

Bai Luming used their conversation to distract himself a bit: "Seems like your corporation is destined to create a complete mechanical empire sooner or later."

He Yilan let out a light chuckle without confirming or denying, his gaze fixed on a flickering signal. After a brief thought, he asked: "Do you know what energy structure this mechanical heart uses?"

Bai Luming replied: "Lao Lu told me about this. It's a self-regenerating energy system. After each high-intensity consumption, it can replenish its energy during subsequent stable periods on its own. It's quite convenient; at least there's no need to find ways to recharge it separately."

"Cyclical energy structure," He Yilan repeated thoughtfully, then asked in a low voice: "So, this heart was installed after that dimensional jump accident."

Bai Luming recalled the situation at the time: "Hmm, just got lucky that Lao Lu managed to save me. Apparently, the situation was pretty dire back then. The old heart couldn't be used, time was critical, so Lao Lu just did an emergency fix with the tools he had on hand. But his skills are truly impeccable. I looked into it later—none of the models in hospitals now are as good as the one he handcrafted."

Bai Luming spoke rather lightly, but He Yilan's gaze lingered on his chest, his eyes lowering slightly.

It was now certain that this mechanical heart was a structure he had never seen before, clearly specially crafted for Bai Luming by Lu Wuchen.

Judging from the interface, although the integration was fairly good, Lu Wuchen's expertise wasn't in the medical field. The edge lines were uneven and not very neat. From these permanent marks, it wasn't hard to guess that the situation back then was probably far worse than what Bai Luming described in those few words.

*The old heart couldn't be used.*

Behind that simple description lay untold amounts of trauma from back then.

Bai Luming noticed He Yilan's sudden silence: "Why did you suddenly stop talking? Is there a problem with the mechanical heart Lao Lu made?"

"No problem." He Yilan finally let out a slow breath, uncertain if he should comment that this person was indeed resilient. Even he himself didn't notice the slight tension in his voice.

He Yilan didn't stand up but instead moved closer without a word, supported by the hand he had placed beside them.

His fingertips pressed down gently on the edge of the heart, and after a few caresses, he asked softly: "Does it hurt?"

Bai Luming smiled: "You think I'm that fragile? It healed long ago. Even if you touch it like this, nothing will happen even if you pound on it."

He Yilan looked up and met his gaze, correcting him: "I wasn't asking about now."

Bai Luming: "Huh?"

"When they replaced your heart, did it hurt?"

Bai Luming had been trying hard to control his heartbeat under He Yilan's actions, but upon hearing this, his expression subtly froze.

When their eyes met, he seemed to finally catch a glimpse of the emotion deep in He Yilan's eyes. He slowly opened his mouth and finally uttered two words: "...It was manageable."

Bai Luming joined the military in his teenage years and worked his way up to marshal, with countless brush-with-death experiences alone.

For someone like him to say "manageable," one could imagine what it must have been like back then.

He Yilan gave a soft "hmm" and said nothing more.

Bai Luming noticed his silence: "...What does 'Hmm' mean?"

"'Hmm' means, understood," He Yilan's fingers, resting on Bai Luming's chest, lifted gently, then settled back down. Without continuing the previous topic, he suddenly spoke up, "Your heartbeat—is it a bit fast?"

The topic shifted so abruptly that Bai Luming's heart actually raced for a couple of beats the moment the words were spoken. The words escaped him before he could think: "Isn't your heartbeat fast too?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, both of them fell silent.

He Yilan gazed intensely at Bai Luming for a long while before replying with unusually frank candor: "Indeed, my heartbeat is also quite fast."

Whether from the conversation or not, when neither spoke further, both seemed to genuinely feel the rhythm of their chests beating, unknowingly synchronizing with the breaths around them.

A strangely intimate atmosphere rose with a deep warmth from within their bodies.

The beating of their hearts became more pronounced in the silence.

After what felt like an eternity, He Yilan pushed himself up using both hands and finally rose from the bedside.

The intimate space between them seemed to break free from its confines as the previously separated light fell upon both of them once more.

"Thank you for allowing me to see your mechanical heart," He Yilan said. "However, just looking at it doesn't tell me much. If the opportunity arises in the future, would you be willing to come back to the corporation with me for further research?"

The formal phrasing, as if he had just concluded a highly satisfactory academic study.

For a moment, it was still the identity of Mr. He.

Bai Luming was baffled by the sudden change in topic but also grew somewhat curious: "Why do I get the feeling you're particularly interested in my mechanical heart?"

He Yilan met his gaze directly: "Perhaps you could also interpret it as me being particularly interested in you."

Bai Luming: "...If you keep talking like that, I'll think you're making a pass at me."

He Yilan responded to this with a light chuckle, speaking slowly: "Compared to other mechanical prosthetics, the importance of a mechanical heart is self-evident. Although it was crafted by a top-tier mecha master, allowing such an unregistered product to bear the body's daily load long-term means it's never a bad idea to fully understand its structure and mechanical principles. Don't you think?"

Reasonable, evidence-based, and objectively correct—from this argument alone, Bai Luming truly had no grounds for rebuttal: "You're right."

Their examination of the mechanical heart was over.

Both returned to their respective beds to rest.

Bai Luming put his jacket back on.

Just as he pulled up the covers and closed his eyes to sleep, they snapped open again.

Wait.

When he said he suspected He Yilan was confessing to him earlier, did that man actually not deny it?