HS Chapter 4

His eyes were like black ink, dark and unreadable.

The curtains in the VIP ward were tightly drawn, letting in only a sliver of light, making it hard for Xin Hexue to clearly see and judge the emotions in Pei Guangji’s eyes.

Xin Hexue vaguely felt that the look Pei Guangji just gave him stirred a strange sense of familiarity, as if someone had looked at him like that before.

But before he could recall anything, that gaze had already vanished without a trace.

The special assistant knocked on the door of the ward, and after receiving permission, walked in.

He carried a portable insulated food container in his hand. “Young Master, the meal you requested…”

Before the word “nutritional meal” could even leave his mouth, Pei Guangji interrupted him, “Just leave it there.”

Following the instruction, the assistant placed the food container on the table beside the bed and dutifully asked the patient, “The room is a bit dim, Mr. Xin. Would you like the curtains opened?”

Xin Hexue was a little surprised.

He was asking him?

Xin Hexue thought that with the protagonist gong’s personality, the people around him would be completely obedient to Pei Guangji’s orders, treating his word as law.

So when the assistant went around Pei Guangji to ask for his opinion, Xin Hexue found it a little odd.

He nodded and said softly, “Thank you.”

Pei Guangji said nothing, and the assistant quietly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had made the right call.

He adjusted the electric curtain controls in the room according to Xin Hexue’s request. The floor-length gauze curtains slid along the tracks, quietly gathering to the ends of the wall.

The assistant said respectfully, “Young Master, I’ll take my leave now.”

Pei Guangji spoke up, “Inform the person in charge of the West City pharmaceutical factory to bring the investigation results and see me tomorrow. If they can’t do it, replace them.”

The assistant: “Yes, Young Master. Is there anything else?”

Pei Guangji’s gaze fell on Xin Hexue. The bruising on the back of that hand was such an eyesore. “Call another doctor to treat the injury.”

The assistant asked with concern, “Young Master, your injury…?”

Pei Guangji interrupted, “It’s not mine.”

He didn’t want to hear the assistant babble on any further and ordered bluntly, “Go.”

The assistant left the ward. When he closed the door behind him, he took a few deep breaths, feeling the thunderous beating of his heart in his chest.

It wasn’t because of the boss’s intimidating aura. He had been working under Pei Guangji for years and was already familiar with the job.

It was because of the young man he had just interacted with…

Originally, the assistant thought phrases like “too beautiful” would sound strange when used on a Beta, especially when referring to a man.

But now he felt it couldn’t be more accurate.

He was the one who compiled and delivered the data on this person to the Young Master.

The real person was far more stunning than the photos.

The assistant had drafted the contract, found a private chef from a local restaurant to make a special nutritional meal for the patient as per Pei Guangji’s instructions.

Now he was even asked to call a doctor for the patient. No matter how you looked at it, the Young Master seemed particularly attentive to this young man named Xin Hexue.

Only…

The assistant thought of the contract he had drafted according to Pei Guangji’s orders and suddenly couldn’t make sense of it.

………

The doctor rushed in, looked at the bruise on the back of Xin Hexue’s hand, which would fade on its own in a few days, and felt speechless.

But because of Pei Guangji’s attitude, the doctor had no choice but to nervously apply a bruise-reducing and swelling-relief medicinal oil on Xin Hexue’s hand, then wrap it up tightly with gauze like a dumpling.

Xin Hexue: “…”

What did that mean, was Pei Guangji planning to have him sign with his left hand?

Pei Guangji stood up. The Alpha’s figure was tall and powerful. When he looked down at the patient on the bed, there was a natural pressure that came with it.

His features were sharply defined, and when his face was serious, his brows and eyes appeared cold and stern.

“You can read the contract carefully.”

“The period of fulfilling the obligation is one year. In exchange for Xin Bao’s life, I think this is a worthwhile deal.”

Before leaving, Pei Guangji added one last sentence, “I’ll give you half a day to consider.”

Once the person left, the spacious hospital room suddenly felt empty.

Only then did Xin Hexue quickly browse through the contents of the contract.

It didn’t differ much from the “lover contract” in the plot.

It was a contract that demanded Party B’s body and even the mind be unconditionally and entirely attached to Party A.

Party B must obey any arrangements made by Party A, be on call at any time, and is obligated to use any effective method to soothe Party A during their rut period.

In the end, after the one-year contract period was completed and the agreement was automatically terminated, Party B must “leave with nothing” and must not develop any unnecessary personal feelings toward Party A or use that as a reason to entangle.

Xin Hexue unconsciously rubbed the paper with his knuckles.

The arrogance revealed by the contract was also within his expectations.

The only discrepancy was probably that the script provided by the system never mentioned a one-year time limit.

In the version provided by the system, “Xin Hexue” was used to the fullest by Pei Guangji and his childhood Alpha friends, and in the end, was abandoned and driven away by Pei Guangji.

Based on the later development of the plot…

K noticed a sly smile flash across Xin Hexue’s lips, but he couldn’t guess what his host was planning at the moment.

A cat’s thoughts were always hard to guess.

K was not discouraged because of this.

Xin Hexue set the contract aside and opened the insulated food container brought by the special assistant. He probably didn’t know what Xin Hexue liked to eat, so even the soup came in two types: morel mushroom abalone chicken soup and astragalus pigeon soup. When the lids were lifted, the soups rippled with rich aroma and warmth.

Xin Hexue suddenly remembered something and asked the system: [That person just now mentioned Pei Guangji’s injury?]

K: [When the protagonist gong went to inspect the West City pharmaceutical factory today, a fire happened to break out there. A falling beam burned him when it collapsed.]

That explained why Pei Guangji was at West City Second Hospital. He definitely wasn’t there specifically to see him, just receiving treatment nearby.

Xin Hexue concluded.

However, judging from Pei Guangji’s condition just now, you wouldn’t be able to tell he had just gone through a fire accident.

K answered his doubt, [Pei Guangji’s genes are different from ordinary people’s.]

The Pei family controlled the Shennong Pharmaceutical Company. The mass-market gene-modifying drugs were obviously not the highest-quality or most effective batches. The truly effective ones came directly from the lab and were likely already used internally by the Pei family and other conglomerates in the Core Zone.

Genes that had been significantly enhanced showed visible advantages…such as giving the body the ability to rapidly heal wounds.

While using his left hand to hold the spoon, Xin Hexue carefully scooped up the tender, boneless chicken from the soup, thinking with great interest that compared to the people in the Core Zone, he was just a “low-quality pure-blooded human and his citizen ID even had [D-class – Beta] printed on it. His physical condition couldn’t even withstand the intense side effects caused by gene modification drugs.

With a plop, the chicken meat fell back into the soup from the spoon.

Golden soup oil splashed up, making Xin Hexue frown with disgust.

He looked troubled. On one side was the right hand wrapped like a dumpling, and on the other, his slightly clumsy left hand.

[Pei Guangji love value +2]

?

Xin Hexue lifted his eyelids and glanced through the glass window of the hospital room door. The Alpha had already turned around and walked away, leaving only a cold, indifferent back view.

He couldn’t help asking strangely: [How is the love value calculated?]

K: [Love value: A value measuring special emotional fluctuations like infatuation, fondness, pity, possessiveness, and destructive desire that the target character feels toward the host’s character.]

Xin Hexue sensed something off: [Why does destructive desire count too?]

K: [This is part of the preset calculation range in the rules.]

K: [The rule-maker is human. Humans are complex creatures.]

As a program creation, K could only simulate human behavior and emotions but couldn’t truly understand them.

So he couldn’t provide a reasonable answer to the host.

Xin Hexue didn’t pursue the previous question further. [What about heartbreak value?]

K: [Heartbreak value: A value measuring emotional fluctuations such as guilt, self-blame, regret, jealousy, and sadness caused in the target character due to the host’s character.]

The scope covered by both value types was fairly broad.

Xin Hexue lowered his eyes, and K waited on standby for his next question.

Even if the contract wasn’t signed now, it would have to be signed eventually.

K had said that the target characters included not just Pei Guangji but also the childhood friends appearing in the plot.

However, before heading to the core zone, Xin Hexue had one more thing to take care of.

[Where’s Xin Bao?]

K explained Xin Bao’s situation to him: [Last night he joined a gambling game and fell into a trap set up by Black Snake.]

[He’s currently hiding in your apartment,] K had small-world permissions and could look up the character’s location, [but Black Snake’s people have already found out where he’s hiding and are now five hundred meters away from the apartment.]

[Out of respect for Pei Guangji, Black Snake’s people won’t deal with him immediately. They’ll likely detain him for now and then ask Pei Guangji for a sum of money.]

[Got it.] Xin Hexue smiled, [Thanks, gege.]

………

Pei Guangji returned to the VIP ward in the evening, intending to ask Xin Hexue how he had considered it.

Left on the table were only the cleaned food container, with a note pressed underneath.

The handwriting was strong and powerful, the strokes flowing like dragons and snakes, elegant and unrestrained like drifting clouds and flowing water.

Completely different from the young man’s outward appearance that was as fragile as porcelain.

“I’m sorry, I can’t accept it. I’ll find a way to repay you.”

The contents of the note made Pei Guangji somewhat irritable.

His rut period was approaching, and his temples throbbed with frequent pain.

Pei Guangji had originally thought the other person was particularly obedient, an impression he had gotten from the data.

But now, Xin Hexue’s behavior had repeatedly contradicted Pei Guangji’s expectations.

He couldn’t tell exactly what it was about Xin Hexue that attracted him.

Maybe it was the green sandalwood scent on his body, or maybe it was that the head massage technique from last night had indeed been effective.

Pei Guangji had approved an eighty million star coin budget for the lab, with a one-year deadline to develop a treatment or restriction method for the rut period.

In any case, outside of that, to resolve the problems the rut period would bring within the year, Pei Guangji had to get him.

Get Xin Hexue.

The arrogant way of thinking typical of Alphas naturally led to an arrogant conclusion.

………

A private aircraft, the kind only seen in District One, was rarely parked in the densely populated residential area of the West City.

It was a rainy night.

The neon lights cast layers of purple and red on the buildings, the colors from the holographic ads chaotic and almost burning to the eyes.

Management in this area was terrible.

Stray cats and dogs passed by with rats in their mouths, dragging faint trails of blood on the ground.

In the lights, the purple rain fell steadily.

The assistant remained in the driver’s seat.

Pei Guangji stepped out holding an umbrella.

Rain splattered onto the mud, splashing over the surface of his pitch-black leather shoes.

He saw Xin Hexue on the first floor of the apartment, in front of the door.

The young man was squatting by the entrance with his arms wrapped around his knees. The wide-open door revealed the paint marks Black Snake had left behind as a warning.

The glaring paint was everywhere, filled with vulgar slurs.

It made the young man under the doorway look even more lonely and skinny.

The continuous rain had already chilled him to the point that his face looked sickly pale.

Pei Guangji silently stepped forward, tilting the umbrella to completely cover him.

The young man stood up in a daze, his voice so soft Pei Guangji could barely catch it.

“I have no home anymore…”

Black Snake wouldn’t let Xin Bao go, and that included him, too.

Pei Guangji furrowed his brows tightly.

[Pei Guangji love value +1]

[Pei Guangji love value +1]

[Pei Guangji love value +1]

[Pei Guangji love value +1]

[…]After the tenth repetition, Xin Hexue finally couldn’t hold back and said to K, [Gege, can’t you turn off the notification sound? It’s really messing with my performance ^-^]

The annoying and relentless notification sound finally stopped.

Pei Guangji truly hadn’t expected that just Black Snake alone would dare to be so presumptuous, setting another trap to capture Xin Bao, and using him as leverage to demand more value from him?

Even splashing paint had become one of their methods of provocation.

It seemed that after moving away from the core zone, this underground organization had found immense confidence while contending with the incompetent District Six government.

He felt a light downward tug.

It was Xin Hexue pulling at his sleeve.

“Help me.”

The young man was already too exhausted to have much strength left, and his rain-dampened eyelashes trembled faintly.

Pei Guangji’s jaw was tight, his Adam’s apple rolling, “I’ll take care of it. Let’s get back to the aircraft first.”

Unknowingly, the umbrella tilted too far, and rainwater soaked Pei Guangji’s back and left side.

But in the cold rain, the nerve endings on his skin felt an intensely burning sensation, and his heartbeat roared.

He had picked up a stray cat wandering the streets of the human world.

Just as they sat down inside the aircraft, Xin Hexue suddenly said, “I forgot something…”

As he spoke, he was about to jump back down to the ground but Pei Guangji stopped him. “What is it? You stay here.”

The rain was still falling. He noticed the tip of Xin Hexue’s nose was red, possibly a sign of catching a cold.

Pei Guangji raised the umbrella again.

The assistant asked, “Young Master, should I go get it?”

Pei Guangji: “No need.”

Xin Hexue sat quietly in place.

He told Pei Guangji that it was his citizen ID, left in the first drawer of the bedside table in the first room.

But that was just an excuse.

The ID was in the second drawer.

What Xin Hexue really wanted him to find was the evidence of Xin Bao’s crimes in the first drawer.

Xin Bao, besides gambling, had also repeatedly molested Omegas.

He had proudly developed photos of his victims and his own crimes, printing them out for his own enjoyment.

Xin Bao absolutely couldn’t be allowed to fall into Black Snake’s hands.

However, if Pei Guangji could understand his meaning, the chaotic federal prison system would be enough for Xin Bao to spend the rest of his life.

………

Before Pei Guangji returned, Xin Hexue had already signed the contract in a fairly good mood.

[Danger.]

K had just spoken when Xin Hexue was pinned down by the tall Alpha onto the row of seats.

The assistant urgently raised the partition between the cockpit and the back row.

“Uh…!”

Xin Hexue felt like his lower back had just hit something hard and he sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

His overly sensitive pain perception made his eyes uncontrollably blur with mist.

K: [Pei Guangji’s rut period has come early.]

The so-called Class-A citizens and Alphas of the Core Zone were no different from beasts when in their rut period.

Pei Guangji’s rationality had likely already been lost and he was licking at Xin Hexue’s neck.

Xin Hexue let out a suppressed low groan.

The other person bit his Adam’s apple.

Xin Hexue’s expression turned cold. He grabbed the Alpha’s black hair until his long fingers turned white, forcing the other to raise his head.

“You’re hurting me.”

As he said this, his eyes blinked, and the mist inside condensed into tears, which slid down his cheeks.