Chapter 19

Chapter 19

With those words, the whole room fell into a solemn silence. Only the plump little lark in the golden cage hopped around, chirping and wobbling its chubby body, seemingly complaining that neither Lanxiu nor Fu Han had come to feed it today.

Fu Han stared at Lanxiu, stunned into silence for a long time.

"You want me to go home?"

Lanxiu curled the corners of his mouth, as if he found the question utterly ridiculous.

"Why else would I give you a pass card? You can leave at the end of October. Since you don't seem too keen on it, consider the matter of joining the 16th Military Region as if I never mentioned it. You can take whatever you've used here. Make a list of anything you need, and have Eliza buy it. Take it all back to Noah City when you go."

Fu Han held the Noah City pass card, the warmth in his fingertips seemingly drained away by the cold surface of the card.

Lanxiu was actually letting him go? Wasn't this great news? Freedom—something he had always dreamed of—was falling right into his lap. But why didn't he feel any joy at all?

No, this wasn't right. Something had to be wrong.

He didn't know how long passed, but by the time the milk in his hand had gone cold, Fu Han finally mustered the courage to ask, "I'm a Breeder. Do you even have the right to set me free?"

It was too unbelievable. Letting a Breeder with a 99.99% breeding coefficient return to Noah City was an enormous waste for the Federation. Even if Lanxiu didn't want him, the Federation would just assign him to another Breeder Master's home. There was no reason to let him go.

But Lanxiu's tone was firm. "Maybe others don't, but I do. Just go without worry. I'll handle everything else. Go back and continue your studies properly. You won't have to worry about those White Ghosts causing you trouble anymore."

Fu Han looked at him. Lanxiu still wore that calm, breezy smile. His words betrayed no reluctance, no sadness—as if the person who had been so clingy and affectionate with him before wasn't even the same man.

Watching Lanxiu's retreating figure, the pass card slipped from Fu Han's hand and clattered onto the coffee table. He stood up, feeling a chill all over even in the sunlit living room.

...

When Eliza returned from the maintenance depot, she noticed that the household had undergone quite a change in her absence. Lord Lanxiu and Mr. Fu seemed to have swapped souls.

From her observations, it used to be Lord Lanxiu who secretly watched Mr. Fu, but now it was Mr. Fu who openly stared at Lord Lanxiu, while the latter acted as if he didn't notice at all.

Even when they ate breakfast face to face, they ate in complete silence without any exchange.

Although robots couldn't understand the complex emotions between humans, as a highly intelligent housekeeping robot, Eliza had studied many methods for resolving marital conflicts.

So she decided to first chat with Fu Han, hoping to find a breakthrough. But Mr. Fu was rather reserved, so coming straight to the point seemed inappropriate. So Eliza specially bought a large pile of snacks from the store before knocking on Fu Han's door.

Over the past few days, Fu Han had been cooped up in his room reading. In a place like White Radiance Capital, even though Lanxiu had set him free, he didn't dare wander the streets casually. Besides, Lanxiu couldn't be bothered with him now, so Fu Han kept to himself, not wanting to invite trouble.

Fu Han sat on the windowsill, a jacket slung carelessly over his shoulder, his messy hair casting shifting shadows across the pages. When he finished a page, he reached out to turn it, but just then a knock came at the door. Almost reflexively, he snapped the book shut.

He hurried to the door, but his fingers paused on the handle.

What should he say when they met?

Apologize first—yes, admit he was wrong. Then say he was willing to join the 16th Military Region. But staying here meant giving up Noah City? Could he truly abandon his family? His grandmother and sister needed him. He could also see Zhou Yunxuan again. So going back would certainly be good. But after going back, he would never see...

Who? Lanxiu, of course.

At that thought, Fu Han's heart jolted. Why him?

The more Fu Han thought, the more confused he became. Finally, he took a deep breath and opened the door. But the sight of Eliza standing outside with a huge pile of snacks made the faint hope in his heart sink again.

Right, Lanxiu was about to kick him out of the house. Why would he come looking for him?

"Please, come in." Suppressing his emotions, Fu Han quickly put on a polite smile. Even when facing a robot, he instinctively maintained his mask.

Eliza, carrying snacks heavier than herself, wobbled over to Fu Han's bed and scattered the items like snowflakes across the sheets.

"Ta-da! I just bought these from the store—every one is a limited edition! Mr. Fu, try them quick! Once you leave, you'll never get to eat these again!"

With that, Eliza tore open a bag and handed it to Fu Han.

Fu Han knew Eliza had noticed their unusual behavior and had come to talk to him. Honestly, he was touched.

So far, apart from Zhou Yunxuan and Lanxiu, no one had cared about him this much. With his grandmother and sister, he never wanted to show this negative side, so he usually kept it bottled up, letting it get buried under other, worse matters. This made the dark side of his heart grow like a snowball, rolling larger and larger until one day it would become too heavy for him to bear.

When that day came, what would he do? Die? Go mad? Or completely abandon his stubbornness and persistence, becoming as numb and mechanical as everyone else?

In countless dark nights, every moment before falling asleep, he eagerly anticipated that day's arrival. Sometimes, collapse was a form of relief.

Fu Han took a symbolic bite and then handed the snack back. Eliza paused, then shrugged with a smile. "I'm a robot, Mr. Fu."

Right, robots couldn't eat.

Fu Han apologized, took another bite, and realized his throat felt sour and tight. A robot knew to care for those around it, yet some flesh-and-blood humans were worse than emotionless machines. So why did heaven grant humans emotions?

"Thank you, Eliza. Thank you for the snacks."

Eliza sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing the wrinkles in her skirt. Mr. Fu was thanking her. Mr. Fu was smiling at her.

But why did his smile carry no joy at all?

Eliza smiled. "Actually, Lord Lanxiu cares about you very much too. If you can, please say that thank you to him as well. I think Lord Lanxiu would be much happier hearing it than I am."

Fu Han looked at the snacks in his hand and shook his head with a bitter smile. "He doesn't want to see me now."

Eliza immediately retorted, "No! You think Lord Lanxiu doesn't want to see you, but that's not what he actually thinks. That's just your subjective assumption, Mr. Fu. If you want to know what he thinks, why don't you go ask him face to face?"

"I..."

Fu Han never expected to be left speechless by a robot.

Eliza suddenly leaned over and touched Fu Han's head. The warmth from her simulated robotic hand brought him a different kind of comfort.

"Even though I'm a robot, I can distinguish like from dislike. Trust me, Lord Lanxiu has always liked you. Before, now, always. Before you leave, find a chance to talk to him quickly. Don't wait until everything is over before you start regretting."

Before Fu Han could say anything, she gave him a big bear hug.

Eliza's body was built based on the average measurements of female White Radiance Star residents, and women from White Radiance Star were generally taller and stronger than Blue Star women. Fu Han, sitting on the edge of the bed, almost couldn't breathe from this sudden hug.

Strangely, being hugged by Eliza didn't make him feel as awkward or unnatural as when Lanxiu hugged him.

Just as he was pondering the difference, the kettle in the kitchen downstairs suddenly let out a warning whistle. Eliza immediately let go of him, lifted her skirt, and scurried away like a clumsy squirrel, disappearing behind the door...

Over the next few months, Fu Han noticed that Lanxiu spent almost every day working overtime at the military base. He rarely came home even at night, and it was a rare occasion to see him even once every half month.

A few times, Fu Han mustered up the courage to talk to him, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Lanxiu responded with extreme indifference. This only tangled Fu Han's already complicated heart even more.

It really wasn't worth groveling. Was he so cheap? Being abandoned and still eagerly trying to get close—it felt like being a pathetic stray dog.

As the departure date on the calendar grew nearer, Fu Han flipped through the pages of his book in irritation, the sound of rustling paper even faster than wind.

In the past, whenever he felt restless, he would turn to books, and no matter how irritable his mood, it would calm the moment he opened a page.

But now, that method seemed to have failed him...

It rained lightly on October 31st.

When he left home that morning, the White Radiance Capital was still bright and sunny, but by the time he reached the hovercraft stop near Noah City, the sky had turned into large patches of black clouds.

Lanxiu handed over everything in his hands and patted Fu Han on the shoulder.

"Keep your pass card safe. Swipe it once to get on, and again to get off. If you lose it, they'll detain you at the transfer station."

Fu Han grunted in response, carrying the large bag on his back. He hadn't even given Eliza a shopping list, but she had still bought him a whole bag of stuff—he hadn't even opened it to see what was inside.

Before boarding the hovercraft, he took one last look at Lanxiu.

"Thank you," he suddenly said.

Lanxiu nodded without any other expression, only urging him to get on the vehicle quickly, his expression even carrying a hint of impatience.

By the time Fu Han found his seat and sat down, wanting to catch another glimpse of him through the window, he found that the figure etched indelibly in his mind had already vanished from outside the window.

Fu Han stared at the empty space, a strange smile slowly spreading across his face. In the end, he was the same. So, from the start, don't hope for anything, and you'll never be let down.

But strangely, he had always kept Lanxiu at arm's length, always refused all his affection and generosity—why was he still disappointed?

Was he smart or stupid? Fu Han could no longer tell...

Author's note: Doggy: hohoho~ Little cuties, are you crying yet~~ Next chapter will turn sweet again =^v^=

Thank you all very much for your support. I will keep working hard!