Chapter 19 Peeping

Chapter 19: Intrusion

For the next two days, Samuel maintained his afternoon writing routine, though online readers gradually noticed the update speed had slowed considerably.

Some asked in the comments, but Samuel didn't respond. He was currently restless and anxious—the female hadn't returned home for two days, and the messages he sent remained unread.

Samuel didn't know if Idris was too busy or intentionally avoiding him. Of course, he hoped it wasn't the latter, but the female had suddenly gone silent.

On the first night without any news, he wanted to go to the military headquarters, but it was late, and he worried about being a bother to Idris, so he had to ask Bulan instead.

Bulan was evasive, only saying Idris had indeed been quite busy these past few days and wasn't in any danger. When pressed for more details, he claimed not to know.

That night, Samuel sat on the living room sofa, staring at the door, zoned out until the early hours. He wondered if the hug that evening had overstepped, causing the female to stay away.

But whether that was truly the reason, Samuel wasn't sure.

The female was too good at disguising himself; beneath one mask was another. Often, Samuel couldn't tell which part was the real him.

Perhaps the anger and unwillingness to see him were fake, and the indifference was real.

Indeed, to the female, he was just a detestable, boundary-less lodger—and clearly with ulterior motives. Seen that way, it indeed seemed unnecessary to give him a second thought.

Samuel pursed his lips, his eyelashes trembling slightly, his fingertips almost digging into his flesh. Facing this truth again, he let out a bitter laugh. It seemed no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't earn even a shred of liking from others.

He was always so annoying.

Idris didn't know the male had missed his instructions and was now spiraling into intense self-criticism. By the time he hurriedly finished the arrest operation and returned home, it was already late at night. The villa was silent. He opened the door and entered without turning on the lights.

Females had excellent night vision, able to see as clearly in the dark as during the day. The male wasn't in the living room, and Idris breathed a sigh of relief.

His mental strength had been severely depleted these past few days, and his mental storms were becoming more frequent. If he suddenly lost control and hurt the male, the consequences would be unthinkable.

After quickly returning to his room to inject an inhibitor, Idris finally relaxed completely. He stood up and paused outside the guest room door. The male's breathing inside was steady, confirming he was sound asleep. Only then did Idris turn and go downstairs.

At the corner of the first floor, 99 was in sleep mode on its charging dock. Idris had deliberately lightened his steps when entering, avoiding the defense system, so 99 still didn't know his Master had returned home.

"99, how has His Excellency been these past two days?"

Forced to boot up, 99 seemed a bit dazed. Seeing his Master, it lacked its usual enthusiasm. "His spirits are low, his appetite is poor. He's mostly shut himself in his room, often spacing out, frowning, and looking very unhappy."

Idris frowned. "Why wasn't this reported?"

99 was quite aggrieved. "Couldn't contact the Master."

He forgot—the Stellar Ring was temporarily shielded during missions. Now that the male was asleep, it wasn't convenient to call a doctor for a check-up. It would have to wait until tomorrow.

"It's fine. Go back to sleep mode." After saying this, Idris took a pack of nutrient solution and returned to his bedroom.

99 scratched its head, thinking his Master was a bit odd. Suddenly awakened and now wide awake, the little bot dutifully made its rounds before returning to its charging dock.

In the guest room, Samuel wasn't resting as peacefully as Idris assumed.

"Mingxi..."

"Mingxi..."

In the darkness, a long, drawn-out call came from afar. Samuel stumbled through dense woods, pushing aside branches and thorns, struggling forward.

"Brother! Brother, where are you!"

His urgent shouts received no response. The voice still called his name, sometimes near, sometimes far. Lifting his blood-stained pant leg and wiping the blood from his face, Samuel endured the pain and continued towards the source of the sound.

After an unknown length of time, in a hazy moonlight, a familiar figure flickered faintly amidst the mist.

"Brother!"

Overjoyed, Samuel, tears in his eyes, quickly ran to the figure. He raised his hand to hug the other, but the figure collapsed just as he reached out.

By the faint light, Samuel saw the person's white hair was almost stained crimson. The gray robe was covered in whip marks, and dark bloodstains spread along the wounds like a spreading stain. The densest concentration was over the heart.

Right where the heart should be, there was a bloody hole. The kind left by a bullet.

Trembling, Samuel fixed his gaze on the person's face.

"Brother!!"

Samuel jolted upright violently. Beads of sweat slid from his forehead as he panted, his eyes filled with terror and helplessness.

He trembled, hugging himself tightly, biting his fingers nervously, muttering to himself, "It's a dream... just a dream... Brother is fine... definitely fine..."

"Yes, the letter!" Samuel turned over to feel under his pillow, but it was empty. Throwing aside the pillow, pushing away the blanket and the neatly stacked drawings, he knelt on the bed, murmuring, "The letter... my letter, where is it..."

Stiffly staring at the bed for a long moment, Samuel looked up. On the nightstand, the West Wind Lotus brooch lay on the surface. Thinking of the gift's owner, he slowly realized he was no longer in that world.

Here, he was utterly alone.

The night was silent, the starry sky outside brilliant.

The treasured letter was gone, the photo was gone. Samuel had no desire to sleep. Resting his head on his knees, he stared blankly at the scattered sketches—some with long hair, some with short—strewn on the floor, sitting in a daze for half the night.

As dawn began to break, Samuel slowly sat up. After staring at the door for a moment, he walked barefoot out of the bedroom.

With practiced ease, he used a mental thread to pick the lock and stepped into the master bedroom. Samuel stopped. The master bed wasn't empty as before. Under the covers, the female was sound asleep. In sleep, his features seemed less stern, more gentle than usual.

At this moment, the female resembled the person from his dream perfectly.

Samuel was rooted to the spot by the sight before him. He gazed quietly at the female, like a green mountain contemplating the vast sea.

But gazing wasn't enough to soothe the anxiety accumulated from the dream and the past few days. Samuel stepped closer, leaning over right next to the bed edge. He slowly raised his hand, his fingers halting just before touching the female's brow, forcibly restraining himself from descending further.

He traced the outline of the female's brow bone through the air, inch by inch, over the bridge of the nose, past the lips, finally grasping the white hair that fell by the neck. Anxiety and longing finally found release in this moment.

Brother.

Samuel's lips moved slightly, but the two words never left his mouth—

He didn't deserve to.

Samuel thought, he was so despicable, using underhanded methods, scheming to live in this female's home. Taking advantage of his deep sleep, picking his bedroom lock, sitting by his bedside, trying to find the shadow of another person on him.

For his own selfish desires, he had hurt an innocent person... insect, even though that insect knew nothing.

But he didn't want to be like this either!

He just... missed Brother too much!

Samuel stubbornly thought, he hadn't come here voluntarily. The one who brought him here took him away from his family, shouldn't they compensate him with one? Idris looked so much like Brother, why couldn't he just go along with the mistake!

He thought, even if Idris hated him now, it didn't matter. There would always be a way to stay. Hadn't he succeeded before?

Samuel stroked the white hair in his hand, his gaze growing distant. Perhaps it was nearing morning, as the female shifted uncomfortably a couple of times, and the strand of white hair being held slipped away.

With his hand now empty, Samuel jolted awake from his thoughts—how could I think that way...

Samuel felt ashamed.

Idris was not anyone's possession, nor was he a substitute for anyone. He had his own independent soul and path—why should he be bound by him? That pain belonged to him; Idris had no obligation to help him relieve it.

Samuel slowly withdrew his hand, lowered his head, and clenched his fist, feeling a clammy dampness in the space between his thumb and forefinger. He paid it no mind, pursed his lips, stood up, took two steps back, and lowered his head, hiding those extreme thoughts in the shadows.

A few seconds later, he approached the bedside again and leaned down.

I'm sorry.

Outside the window, the night gradually faded—the sky was beginning to lighten.

The next morning, breakfast was still warm, but the male had not yet come downstairs. Idris reminded 99 to go get him, but after two or three attempts, there was still no movement from the second floor.

Idris checked the Stellar Ring—it was only eight o'clock, still early. So he called 99 back and took the opportunity to review the daily logs from the past two days.

The logs showed that the male had mostly stayed indoors over the past two days. During lunch on the first day, his condition seemed relatively normal, but by dinner, he had clearly grown increasingly anxious. On the second day, he spent almost the entire day in his bedroom, barely touching the food that was sent to him. Occasionally, he would stay in the living room but would just space out.

The male's mental state had deteriorated.

Something must have happened the night before last. Idris's brows furrowed into a deep crease, and a dull headache began to throb. Caring for a male properly was truly not easy—the slightest lack of attention could lead to problems.

Rubbing his temples wearily, Idris thought it over and put in for a day off with the military. More than an hour later, the male still hadn't come downstairs, so he got up and went to the second floor.

"Your Excellency, are you awake? Breakfast is ready." Idris gently knocked on the door and, while waiting, listened carefully for any movement inside. There was no sound of rustling bedding, only faint, shallow breathing.

The male seemed to still be asleep.

Idris waited for a moment, but there was still no response after asking again. He was too worried to leave it, so after some consideration, he took the key and entered the guest room.

The bedroom was dimly lit, with a few faint rays of light piercing through the almost stagnant air and falling beside the pillow. Nearby, the male lay quietly, pale-faced, with a slight frown between his brows, sleeping restlessly.

His body temperature was normal—he didn't seem to be sick.

Withdrawing his hand from the male's forehead, Idris's gaze naturally fell to the side of the pillow—beneath the male's forearm were scattered, flower-like stacks of white paper, with portraits drawn on them.

Idris's purple eyes narrowed slightly. Why was it him again?

Recalling the male's demands during the compensation discussion, Idris grew increasingly convinced that the male must have an agenda toward him. Otherwise, why would he have clung to him from their first meeting? Since then, he had repeatedly had episodes because of him, only to be calmed by him each time—it was too much of a coincidence.

But what exactly did the male want from him?

Money?

But if it was for money, why would he transfer accommodation fees and even go out of his way to swindle the MPA for a sum to give to him?

Was it for military intelligence?

That also seemed unlikely.

The male usually spent his time, aside from meals, glued to the Stellar Ring browsing the web. He had never approached the study or inquired about any military information.

Sorting through each possibility and eliminating them one by one, Idris finally arrived at the most absurd possibility—due to the suspension bridge effect, the male had fallen in love with him.

That was why the male intentionally sought closeness, drank the disgusting soup, waited for him at the door, drew his portraits, and repeatedly broke the rules to show goodwill.

But how could that be?

Idris lowered his gaze, staring at the male, the very idea seeming laughable to him.

How could a male possibly love a female? And after witnessing his mother's madness, if he were to tread that same pathetic old path, it would be the most tragic outcome of all.

He must never walk that path.

Never.

Idris admonished himself this way.

Author's Note:

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Xixi goes crazy when he can't see Idris—from start to finish, he's always feared being abandoned. What did you think of this chapter? [Let me see]

[Important Announcement]: My dears, there will be a one-day break tomorrow, just letting you all know! [Kiss] [Kiss]

PS: Please give it a bookmark, wuwuwuwuwuwu [bursts into tears]