Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Meeting his reddened eyes, Yan Zhuo couldn't help but freeze. Forgetting everything else, he leaned down and pulled him close, rubbing his trembling shoulders and back.

"Are you feeling unwell? Or did you hear some bad news? Tell me about it, I'll help you solve it. Don't be afraid."

Ruan Yunchu pressed his lips tightly together, trying to suppress the surging tears. But somehow, hearing Yan Zhuo's gentle, worried tone, he couldn't hold them back any longer.

The tears fell heavily, landing on Yan Zhuo's shoulder. Feeling embarrassed, he buried his face against the other's shoulder, trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

Feeling the moisture on his shoulder, Yan Zhuo frowned, instinctively tightening his arms, holding him firmly in his embrace, and asked no more questions.

Ruan Yunchu was usually quiet, and even when he cried, it was silent. Only his body trembled uncontrollably due to the intense emotional fluctuation.

Yan Zhuo held his thin shoulders, his heart pierced as if by a blade made of tears. He couldn't stop worrying.

But all he could do was wait.

After an unknown amount of time, the person in his arms finally calmed down.

Yan Zhuo patted his back, then couldn't resist leaning in to kiss the damp corner of his forehead.

"It's okay now. I'm here."

Ruan Yunchu didn't speak. He just took a deep breath, lifted his head from Yan Zhuo's shoulder, and wiped the wetness from his face with his hand.

"Don't use your sleeve, it's too rough." Yan Zhuo grabbed a tissue and gently wiped his face, his fingertips inadvertently brushing the flushed corner of his eye. Seeing the thin eyelids also red, his heart softened with tenderness and pain.

After cleaning his face, he asked again, "What exactly happened?"

Ruan Yunchu turned away awkwardly and silently tried to get off his lap, but Yan Zhuo held his waist tightly.

"Thinking of running away now? I won't allow it."

When Ruan Yunchu lost control of his emotions, Yan Zhuo had already carried him into the driver's seat, closed the door, and activated the privacy mode.

Ruan Yunchu couldn't take it anymore. Once the heat in his eyes faded, he glared coldly at him. "Let me go."

"No."

Yan Zhuo had always been a rogue in front of him, and at this moment, he didn't care about his image.

He reached out and gently touched the reddened corner of his eye, feeling pained inside. "Did you go see Ruan Jing? Did he say something nasty to upset you on purpose?"

Ruan Yunchu didn't confirm or deny it.

Looking at his expressionless face, Yan Zhuo felt a deep pang of sympathy. "He can't say anything good. Don't pay him any attention. He's been beaten up by the Alliance lately, so he's probably desperate to make you unhappy. Taking words from someone like that to heart is just too hard on yourself."

He didn't know how much Ruan Yunchu had taken in, but at least the person in his arms had stopped struggling. That brought him great relief, and the intense rage triggered by those tears subsided somewhat.

Just being able to stay quietly with Ruan Yunchu like this was the greatest satisfaction for him at that moment.

But the peace didn't last long. Ruan Yunchu suddenly turned to him with a cold stare.

"Yan Zhuo, back at the hospital, did you see me?"

Yan Zhuo's heart skipped a beat. "Of course. Otherwise, how would I have chased you to your office?"

He was still pretending.

Ruan Yunchu felt an unprecedented exhaustion. He let out a slow sigh and said, "Is this fun for you? Why do you have to hide it from me? Or do you think I'm too stupid to investigate these things?"

Yan Zhuo realized he could no longer hide it. After a moment's thought, he had to admit, "Yes, but I had no other intentions. I just knew it would hurt you, so I didn't want to tell you."

"What if one day I have to face 'myself' directly?"

"..."

"Save your hypocritical excuses. From the past until now, you have never truly respected me."

Ruan Yunchu pushed him away and got up to leave.

As the car door opened and his foot had barely touched the ground, he was pulled back into a tight embrace from behind.

"No." Yan Zhuo buried his face in his shoulder, his whole body radiating burning heat and a strong presence, but his words carried a serious sincerity. "I do respect you. I just wanted to investigate everything thoroughly before telling you. Otherwise... your reaction would only be just like this."

He couldn't quite explain why. Of course, it would have been more appropriate to tell Ruan Yunchu directly. But just like the complicated feeling that arose when he saw the boy's tears earlier, he knew all too well how Ruan Yunchu would react to the news, and that made him increasingly reluctant to let him know sooner.

Ruan Yunchu didn't turn back. He closed his eyes, feeling weary.

"Whatever. If you don't want to talk, I can't force you. It's your freedom."

"..."

Ruan Yunchu was taken back to the Ruan residence. Yan Zhuo saw him to the door and left on his own.

He returned to the house alone, recalling everything that had happened that day, feeling only a profound sense of helplessness.

But as he closed his eyes late at night, Yan Zhuo's deep voice still echoed in his mind.

He said, "Ruan Yunchu, no matter what, you are unique and irreplaceable. No one will ever be your substitute."

With these words, he fell into a deep sleep, and no other sounds lingered in his mind.

-

Half a month later, Ruan Yunchu's application to leave the planet submitted to the Alliance was approved. He would be able to board a starship in ten days and leave Planet A to return to Planet T for school.

When Chen Quan learned that he was leaving again, he just sighed.

"Planet T is far too remote. After you graduate, will you consider returning to Planet A?"

At that moment, Ruan Yunchu was replying to Xiao Nan's messages. He looked up and said naturally, "Of course. Everything I'm doing now is for the development of Jiaxie."

He paused for a moment and added, "I met a kid with good potential over there. I can bring him back later and hand him over to you."

Chen Quan couldn't help but show surprise and smiled, "If someone catches your eye, they must be excellent."

"He's quite smart, but still young and a bit mischievous. Once we get to Planet T, I'll test his pheromone differentiation trend." Ruan Yunchu paused, then looked up at him again. "You've worked for the Ruan family for decades. Have you never considered your personal life?"

Chen Quan was stunned, and the smile slowly faded from his lips.

He sighed. "Young master, you might not know this. When I first came to work for the Ruan family, I signed a contract with the old master. I am to serve the Ruan family for life and cannot have a private life."

"Those were the old rules. Now, I'm the one in charge of the Ruan family." Ruan Yunchu was calm. "You can do whatever you want."

A complex mix of emotions—touched and speechless—welled up in Chen Quan's eyes, making his heart ache with bitterness.

"Young master, I am truly grateful. But at my age, I have no such intentions. I just want to see you find the right person to marry, make Jiaxie bigger and stronger. As long as I can follow you, that's enough for me."

At these words, Ruan Yunchu paused for a moment but said nothing more.

Guessing what was on his mind, Chen Quan couldn't help asking, "Does Yan Zhuo know you're leaving A Star?"

"Where I go has nothing to do with him," Ruan Yunchu said coldly.

But he was also well aware that since the formalities went through the Alliance, Yan Zhuo must have had a hand in them. Although he was surprised that Yan Zhuo allowed him to leave, he didn't intend to dwell on it.

In any case, he had achieved his goals.

Chen Quan hesitated as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

A few days later, news came that the Alliance planned to take Ruan Jing to B Star for comprehensive surveillance.

After the news broke, the Star Net was abuzz with speculation. Some guessed what had happened to Ruan Jing during the two years he was taken by the rebels, while others questioned the Ruan family's affairs.

With people constantly monitoring the outside of Jiaxie, Ruan Yunchu stopped going to the hospital every day.

He was busy with many things and had no time to care about the rumors outside.

The day before his departure, Uncle Chen packed his luggage for him. After washing up, not wanting to stay indoors, Ruan Yunchu put on a jacket and stepped out onto the terrace. Looking up through the shade of the trees, he could faintly see the stars dotting the inky blue sky.

This scene felt familiar to him, reminiscent of when he was young, tied up in a ship's cabin, being dragged out by the collar, and seeing the sky after the blindfold was removed.

At that time, amidst the noisy rescue, he could barely catch much, only vaguely feeling the soldier holding him tightly and whispering reassurances that he was safe.

Not knowing how long he stood there lost in thought, he slowly lowered his head, but caught a glimpse in the corner of his eye of someone leaning against a hovercar by a flowery wall far away, looking up in his direction.

From such a distance, Ruan Yunchu couldn't be sure if their eyes met.

After some time, the person still hadn't moved. He turned around and went back into the warm room.

"..."

The dew was heavy and the night deep. Yan Zhuo, wearing only a thin windbreaker, didn't feel cold at all.

An Enigma's vision was exceptionally sharp; he could clearly see the slender figure on the terrace disappear from view, yet he couldn't stop lingering over those eyes that had been looking in his direction moments ago.

Calm and indifferent, matching Ruan Yunchu's temperament perfectly, never out of place.

It brought back memories from many years ago, back when he was in the Alliance's emergency rescue unit. The teenager had been trapped in a dark ship cabin for a full 48 hours. When he was finally taken out, he was practically in a state of shock. He'd just put on the therapeutic blindfold to protect his eyes when he tore it off himself.

A pair of moist, dim eyes tinged with fear, a small face strikingly beautiful, showing a hint of withered despair yet burning with vibrant vitality.

Yan Zhuo used to remain silent during missions, but this time, for some reason, he learned from how his teammates had acted before and gently hugged the teenager, softly soothing him.

After all these years, those eyes hadn't changed at all, which was why when he went to the Ruan residence for a "secret mission," he recognized that familiar gaze at first sight.

If A Star weren't so chaotic right now... he wouldn't have let Ruan Yunchu leave so smoothly.

Yan Zhuo let out a long sigh, his emotions complicated.

He had always handled everything with ease. The first time he hit a wall was with Ruan Yunchu, and even now, he didn't know how to get along with this person. Loving someone was an unfamiliar emotion to him, yet it had come so overwhelmingly.

He admitted that he didn't know how to love.

Having lost both parents at a young age, he never experienced being close with family. Growing up, he joined the military and always kept to himself, with very few friends even. As for love... before meeting Ruan Yunchu, he had never even thought about it.

Everything he was used to was about control.

His teacher said that as an Enigma, he was born different from others, capable of handling many things, and when given an opportunity, he couldn't afford to be soft-hearted, or else he would waste his talent.

But none of these applied to Ruan Yunchu.

Ruan Yunchu didn't like it.

On the day he boarded the starship leaving A Star, Ming Yuan and Ming Ya came to see him off. Ruan Yunchu only exchanged a few casual words with them before leaving without looking back.

-

Ming Ya looked a bit aggrieved as the hatch slowly closed, feeling sad. "I feel like Yunchu isn't very warm toward me."

Ming Yuan couldn't help but laugh at his pouting. "You've known him this long, and you still can't accept his personality?"

"I know, but occasionally I'd like to hear him say he'll miss me."

Ming Yuan didn't know what to do with him and reached out to tousle his hair. As the starship lifted off, he turned and saw a man standing on a nearby tall tower, and couldn't help a light laugh.

"Maybe he treats the person he likes the same way. If you think about it like that, you probably feel better."

"How could that be?"

Ming Yuan smiled without saying a word.

The man in military uniform raised his head slightly. Beneath the brim of his cap was the vast sky, where a fleet of starships sped away.

The formalities were done. They had officially left A Star.

Ruan Yunchu closed the window blind and opened the gift box beside his seat. It was a gift from Ming Ya.

Inside were several translucent healing stones, deep blue mixed with verdant green, like the irises of some spirit beast, strikingly beautiful.

He held one in his palm, feeling a faint warmth spread through him, soothing the subtle discomfort in his heart.

But ever since boarding the starship, that vague unease hadn't diminished. He closed his eyes to rest, and when he opened them again, it was five hours later.

By then, red lights were flashing inside the starship, and his seat was shaking violently from a collision.

The vague premonition had come true. Frowning slightly, Ruan Yunchu reached out and grabbed the sleeve of a passing flight attendant.

"What's happening?"

The man's face was panicked. "I don't know either."

"Stop pretending. I've seen you near the Ruan residence before," Ruan Yunchu said expressionlessly. "You're one of Yan Zhuo's guards."

Upon hearing this, the man immediately calmed down and spoke rapidly. "The starship fleet has been attacked. But don't worry, support is on the way."

"Probably not that simple." Ruan Yunchu frowned slightly, then suddenly recalled something. "Was Ruan Jing sent to B Star the day before yesterday?"

Without hesitation, the man nodded. "Yes."

"Tell Yan Zhuo to check his whereabouts. If I'm not wrong... the rebels might be acting simultaneously."

The soldier was stunned for two seconds but ultimately chose to believe him. "Alright. Please stay safe and don't wander around. Someone will come to protect you shortly."

"Thank you." Ruan Yunchu released his grip on the man's sleeve and added, "Stay safe too."

"Yes."

After the man left, Ruan Yunchu took a deep breath. He tapped on his terminal—no incoming calls showed—stared at it for a moment without getting a response, then turned it off.

Trouble was erupting not far ahead. A strong current of air rushed into the cabin, hitting him with a face full of cold wind. As he stood up, he saw a few fully armed men in black entering the cabin.

The people around were screaming in fright. Ruan Yunchu frowned, but before he could react, a hand pressed gently on his shoulder, forcing him back into his seat.

"Stay calm. Don't move."