Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Ye Lingxi was waiting for Meng Shijiu at the exit, the area around him still automatically cleared of people.

There was a sizable crowd nearby, most of them fuming, seemingly eager to find out who the owners of those two arrogant black mechas in the training ground were.

Jing Shu, the Director of the Confidentiality Bureau who had left early, kept his mouth shut and decisively called all the members of the Combat Department back.

Most of those lingering outside were students from St. Maria, giving off the vibe that they'd skip a meal just to catch and gang up on that guy.

The surroundings fell quiet for a moment when Meng Shijiu emerged.

He was like a white crane, gracefully emerging from a vast mist, the surrounding noise and crowd fading into a blurred, illusory backdrop.

Noticing that Meng Shijiu was no longer accompanied by his annoying younger brother, Ye Lingxi subtly suppressed the upward curve of his lips before walking up to Meng Shijiu.

The silver-haired Alpha glanced at the furious crowd. Seeing Ye Lingxi standing there like a block of wood, he quietly reached out and tugged at the corner of Ye Lingxi's clothes, urging softly, "...Let's go, let's go."

His voice was like a feather brushing against the ear.

Ye Lingxi leaned closer, following the pull of Meng Shijiu's hand like a kite tugged by its string. "Mm."

The two of them left together.

Unnoticed by Meng Shijiu, Ye Lingxi glanced back at the crowd—

Every face in the crowd annoyed him, especially those who dared to let their gazes fall directly on the silver-haired Alpha beside him.

Ye Lingxi curled his lips in a mocking smile, withdrawing his gaze with an indescribable expression. It was less disdain and more self-mockery.

They hadn't walked far when vague whispers began to spread around them, carrying ambiguous meanings:

"It's Ye Lingxi again."

"...So lucky."

...

"...So beautiful."

"...Is Crush about to enter his rut?"

"Seems like there's still some time; it hasn't been long since the last one..."

"Could it be... he was induced into a rut by some Omega..."

"—Shut up."

...

Ye Lingxi gently gathered the silver-haired Alpha's long hair and took out a hair tie he carried with him.

His wrist turned deftly; he was already very skilled at this. With three quick wraps, he neatly tied up the silver-haired Alpha's hair.

Meng Shijiu glanced at the white cup Ye Lingxi was holding and reached out his hand.

Ye Lingxi handed it over, about to say something, but saw that Meng Shijiu had already averted his eyes, lowering his head to bite the straw.

The silver-haired Alpha's Adam's apple bobbed slightly with each swallow, revealing a section of porcelain-white neckline, like finely crafted bone china. The shadow of his eyelashes fell on his cheeks.

Ye Lingxi's outstretched hand hung in mid-air before he silently withdrew it.

He lowered his eyelashes, no longer looking at him. "Wen Qiuyu came to see you earlier? I told him you didn't need to worry about these things..."

Meng Shijiu: "—What?"

Ye Lingxi thought he was upset and frowned. "I..."

Meng Shijiu: "No."

Only then did Ye Lingxi raise his eyelashes.

The silver-haired Alpha seemed somewhat puzzled. He wasn't looking at Ye Lingxi, as if he hadn't heard those words. His light-colored eyes narrowed slightly as he raised the cup and took another tentative sip. "What is this?"

He thought it was pomegranate juice, but realized it wasn't upon tasting it.

Ye Lingxi seemed to have found a legitimate reason to look at him, his gaze fixed on Meng Shijiu's profile. "Honeysuckle tea."

He added, "With rock sugar. Not good?"

Meng Shijiu: "It's okay."

"Ding—Current Correction Progress: 59%, Points +5"

Red text promptly surfaced in his mind.

Points always came to Meng Shijiu in unexpected ways.

Meng Shijiu paused slightly and casually checked the system interface.

"Current Correction Progress: 59%

Current Points: 201

Please proceed with worldline correction as soon as possible..."

Meng Shijiu thoughtfully took another sip.

At this rate, the correction would probably be completed very soon.

—

Meng Shijiu and his points-farming tool, Ye Lingxi, had a quiet meal before returning to the dorm. He was surprised to find everyone in the room present today, an unprecedented occurrence.

The moment Meng Shijiu pushed the door open, he almost collided head-on with Zong Geman, who was walking hurriedly with his head down—until a hand suddenly reached out, grabbing the back of Zong Geman's collar and firmly pulling him back.

The face of a blond Beta appeared from behind Zong Geman, looking somewhat impatient. "Can't you stand steady? Who are you bumping into?"

Zong Geman lowered his head and hurriedly muttered an apology before leaving through the doorway.

Qian Chunyan withdrew his hand with a look of disdain, only to see the silver-haired Alpha looking at him, a slight, curious arch to his brow.

Meng Shijiu: "How come you were completely unaware when he bumped into you?"

Qian Chunyan gave a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

What Meng Shijiu was referring to was actually that campus card—the one belonging to Qian Chunyan that Cui Suifu had helped him discreetly take from Zong Geman.

After investigating, Wen Qiuyu had sent him a video.

The video was a surveillance clip, shot inside the St. Maria airship heading to Yanbei.

In the footage, the blond Beta stretched his arms, casually resting them behind his head. He resembled a golden lion at rest, exuding a lazy sort of menace.

Meanwhile, the black-haired, gray-eyed Beta passed by him from behind as usual, brushing past him smoothly during the shoulder-to-shoulder moment—

In the next second, Qian Chunyan's campus card vanished from the Beta's fingertips.

Yet Qian Chunyan remained smiling brightly, completely unaware.

Meng Shijiu said, "Hey."

Looking into Qian Chunyan's peach-blossom eyes that seemed to smile without smiling, Meng Shijiu suddenly fell silent.

"Thanks," he said, laughing lightly.

Qian Chunyan, finally receiving a friendly look from him, instantly felt refreshed and put on a show of being reserved, giving a dignified nod. "Don't mention it."

Qian Chunyan then realized something. "Your voice is back?"

Meng Shijiu brushed past him and walked back to his room. "Yeah, no chance for you to work your magic now. Quite a pity, isn't it?"

"More than just a pity," Qian Chunyan followed behind him, his gaze fixed intently on the silver-haired Alpha's back. "It's a real shame, you know?"

Meng Shijiu replied, "...Chairman Qian, you could run for the title of *Thickest Skin of the Year*."

Qian Chunyan grinned. "You saying that hurts my feelings. I was being sincere."

Meng Shijiu pushed away the hand Qian Chunyan had placed on his shoulder and smiled back. "So was I."

The silver-haired Alpha walked to the desk and sat down, taking out his terminal.

See came pouncing over like a black whirlwind.

See said, "Points have reached 200."

See added, "Host..."

Though See didn't explicitly say it, Meng Shijiu understood what it meant.

—In its system mall, for physical exchanges, the permanent exchange for a human form required exactly 200 points.

Meng Shijiu nimbly dodged the "black whirlwind" and gently pressed down on See's head as it landed on the desk.

Meng Shijiu said, "Aren't those my points?"

See remained silent.

Meng Shijiu picked it up, giving a half-hearted excuse. "Being a cat is fine too. A sudden transformation into a human might scare Qian Chunyan."

He casually opened the terminal.

See was still silent.

Meng Shijiu ignored it, simply rubbing its head again.

Yue Xuanli had only sent a message in reply, no video call request. Meng Shijiu guessed he wasn't available, so he backed out and replied to Cui Suifu.

His long, one-sided thread finally got a response.

[Photosynthesizing]: "."

Cui Suifu was very tactful, ignoring everything that had been said before. "Back at the dorm?"

Just as Meng Shijiu finished replying, a message from Shen Huaixu popped up.

Shen Huaixu: "I'm downstairs."

Seeing these words, Meng Shijiu instinctively glanced out the window, then realized from this angle it was impossible to see downstairs. He sighed.

[Photosynthesizing]: "What for?"

On the other end, after some typing and deleting, only two straightforward words were sent over.

[Shen Huaixu]: "Miss you."

[Photosynthesizing]: "Well, I don't miss you."

Quickly.

[Shen Huaixu]: [Voice 5"]

Meng Shijiu stared at the voice message for two seconds. The next moment, Shen Huaixu's video call request popped up.

Meng Shijiu declined.

He hesitated for a moment, then put on his earphones and played the voice message—

First came Shen Huaixu's light chuckle from the clip, followed by a gentle voice. "Are you free for a video call now?"

Meng Shijiu: ...

Meng Shijiu: I'm warning you, you'd better have brought me ten boxes of cupcakes, or else...

...Meng Shijiu went downstairs, face cold.

As soon as he reached the ground floor, he was swept into an embrace that smelled of the night air.

Warmth spread across the small of Meng Shijiu's back, and their shadows blurred together.

Shen Huaixu planted a kiss by the corner of the silver-haired Alpha's eye.

Shen Huaixu whispered, "Missed you so much."

He made sure to say it out loud first, then cupped Meng Shijiu's face and leaned in for a kiss.

Shen Huaixu's body heat seeped clearly through his clothes. Meng Shijiu looked up. "Change..." the location.

Shen Huaixu seemed to have installed surveillance in his mind. Without letting him finish, he drew Meng Shijiu back into the shadows.

The moonlight, smooth as satin and groomed by the night, hid within the shadows, slivering through Shen Huaixu's fingers.

Meng Shijiu fell silent, his hand, which had been clutching Shen Huaixu's shirt, fell and was gently pried open and held.

The night stars were sparse.

The stairwell was so quiet only breathing could be heard. Cold white light lay like a thin frost on the ground. Wen Yunye stood under the light, holding the cakes Meng Shijiu had been craving, his gaze fixed on the floor.

Wen Yunye's expression was blank.

But not far away, in the darkness where the streetlight didn't reach, the red-haired Alpha's face was just as blank.

His face had probably never been this cold before.

The red-haired Alpha stood statue-still, his sharp features reshaped by the darkness, making him seem almost unlike himself.

For as long as the two kissed, Cui Suifu watched.