The aircraft under Pei Guangji’s name triggered the automatic alarm system inside the craft the moment the collision occurred.
The other party involved in the accident had been driving the cargo craft under the influence of alcohol, speeding across a restricted aerial lane, and crashed directly into the side of the aircraft whose brakes had failed. He was fully responsible for the accident.
In recent years, environmental problems in the Federation had become increasingly severe, and even District One was no exception. Media drones circled the accident site through the rain and snowflakes. The pattering acid rain continued all night long. The scene was a mess, with fine lines of rain reflecting the red flames and black smoke.
The wailing of ambulances and police vehicles echoed through the night.
It was a sufficiently tragic traffic accident, and one of the involved parties happened to be the heir of Shennong Pharmaceuticals. As a result, the accident made the news headlines almost immediately after it occurred.
However, the online uproar did not affect the mountainside villa.
As winter arrived, Xin Hexue tended to feel tired and drowsy. For the sake of his health, he went to sleep at exactly ten o’clock every night.
In addition, aside from communication apps, he had no entertainment software installed on his communicator. He also rarely went out, and his access to external information was very limited. Naturally, he was “completely in the dark” about the accident.
Anyway, Pei Guangji wouldn’t die, so Xin Hexue slept soundly.
It was the next day that Pei Ying seemed a bit off, distracted while eating breakfast.
Xin Hexue took a sip of milk from his cup and asked with concern, “What’s wrong with you?”
Pei Ying picked up two pieces of sandwich toast, slung his school bag over his back, and said hurriedly, “Nothing. I’m heading to school first.”
Just before stepping out of the villa, Pei Ying suddenly turned his head and said, “My brother told me he might be away on a business trip for a few more days. Things are busy, and he probably won’t have time to contact you.”
Xin Hexue nodded in confusion, “Okay.”
Pei Ying gave him another look or two. “Anyway, don’t overthink it.”
Then he quickly left the villa.
Pei Ying’s thoughts were a mess. The message he’d received late last night said the injuries were too severe and his brother had already been transferred to a hospital in the Core Zone for treatment. The prognosis didn’t look optimistic. He was afraid Xin Hexue would worry and be overwhelmed with sadness if he found out, so he had temporarily made up a white lie.
………
After school, Pei Ying received a call from the main family.
The butler of the Pei family’s old estate informed him to return.
Pei Ying had a stronger and stronger sense of foreboding and couldn’t help but ask about Pei Guangji’s condition.
“The young master…” the old butler sighed, “According to the hospital at present, the outlook isn’t good. Although his body is healing quickly, they’ve had difficulty detecting his brain activity. He’s still in a coma…”
The old butler stopped there.
His vague tone made Pei Ying realize–
Pei Guangji might never wake up again. The Pei family was very likely preparing a backup plan and might begin selecting a new heir to cultivate.
Pei Ying’s breathing quickened, and blood surged through his chest.
If his brother didn’t wake up, what would happen to Xin Hexue?
Xin Hexue wasn’t in good health. He absolutely needed a powerful Alpha to protect him. And that Alpha had to be young and powerful.
Pei Ying thought of that bunch of lovers and children the old man had raised, they were definitely eyeing the heir position like tigers watching their prey.
He clenched his teeth.
Besides his brother, he was also their mother’s child.
No matter what, the position of heir would never fall into those people’s hands.
With that thought, Pei Ying hurriedly sent a message to Xin Hexue.
[Pei Ying: Something happened at home. I’ll be staying at the main estate for a while. Take good care of yourself. If there’s anything urgent, call me.]
[Xin Hexue: Okay^^]
[Xin Hexue: You take care too. Remember to balance work and rest while studying.]
[Pei Ying love value +5]
After replying, Xin Hexue set his communicator aside.
With both brothers away, it gave him a bit of peace and quiet.
He decided to go to the pine trees behind the garden to observe the little squirrels there.
With that in mind, Xin Hexue wrapped a maroon scarf around himself.
………
Xi Zhengqing skimmed through the overwhelming reports and glanced at the group chat messages from last night.
Pei Guangji wasn’t joking?
Xi Zhengqing stood in front of the glass window of a high-rise building, overlooking the flickering neon lights below.
This massive structure in the center of the Core Zone resembled a tower piercing the heavens, soaring nine hundred stories high into the clouds. Blue-violet rays spiraled upward in opposite directions along its exterior. It was a gigantic complex that nearly encompassed the entire functionality of a city. Highly centralized and extremely efficient, its operations symbolized authoritarian control and monopoly.
The entire tower operated under a flawless governing core, and at the heart of that control, stood the three great families. Here, all forces and interests had reached a delicate balance.
The ember in the glass tube went out.
A faint tobacco scent still lingered on Xi Zhengqing.
Someone knocked and entered. Xi Zhengqing turned his head and asked unhurriedly, “Is it confirmed?”
The secretary answered respectfully, “We privately inquired with that one’s attending physician. It’s confirmed.”
Xi Zhengqing smiled calmly. “Mm, good job. You may go.”
The news of the Pei family’s future heir falling into a coma, once released, would definitely cause Shennong Pharmaceuticals’ stock to plummet, possibly shaking the entire gene modification industry.
But what did it matter?
The Xi family’s business had always focused on bionic mechanical manufacturing. The Pei family’s decline would only benefit them.
Weak flesh should be abandoned in the tides of the new era.
Xi Zhengqing raised his hand and looked at the back. Pale blue currents flickered under the patterns of his skin, then faded away.
He was a bit curious about that young man in the mountainside villa. He had once seen the back of that person at Nancheng No.1 High School.
Just a Beta, utterly ordinary—what was so special about him?
Was he really worth Pei Guangji’s specific instructions at the edge of life and death?
………
With Pei Guangji’s message in the group chat as evidence, after a week of busy work, Xi Zhengqing easily obtained access to the mountainside villa from the secretary of Pei family’s eldest young master.
Compared to the ruined areas of the Federation and the highly technologized Core Zone, District One had preserved the natural scenery and urban landscape from before decades of environmental deterioration. Since the Core Zone had no intention of expanding outward, the beautifully maintained District One had become its back garden.
The location of the mountainside villa was quite nice.
It was surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the lush green was covered with white snow.
Xi Zhengqing scanned his iris before entering through the gate into the spacious, manor-like villa.
He wandered around twice before finally finding the canary Pei Guangji kept in a corner of the villa’s garden.
Cold wind stirred the wind chimes beneath the eaves, producing a faint tinkling like mountain whispers.
How could it be described?
The young man sat on a wooden bench, wrapped in a thick down jacket, a maroon scarf pressed beneath his chin. His lips were rose-colored, and when he breathed out, a faint white mist appeared. The exposed skin was cold and white, like the snow on the mountains.
A squirrel leapt down from a pine tree, nimbly climbed onto his knee, and offered a pine nut.
The young man slowly removed his gloves, revealing hands with distinct joints and slender wrists, like they were carved from warm white jade.
Altogether, he seemed as fragile as the colored-glass goblet Xi Zhengqing had once bought at a sky-high price at an auction.
Xi Zhengqing’s breathing grew heavier. Cold wind rushed down his throat, yet he didn’t seem to feel the biting chill. His pacemaker overloaded for those few seconds.
He removed his gold-rimmed glasses and placed them in his shirt pocket.
His gray artificial eye was no longer concealed, and its pupils shrank in excitement like a snake’s.
The artificial eye zoomed in, scanning the young man, and retrieved basic identity info from his citizen registration.
Xin Hexue.
Twenty years old.
Xi Zhengqing browsed the information and saw that Xin Hexue had appeared in a movie a few years ago, but he didn’t pay much attention to that.
Xi Zhengqing knew he had a certain psychological disorder.
He liked delicate porcelain, beautiful gemstones, and all other things that were lovely yet fragile. That fondness reached its peak the moment they shattered.
Since he was four, he had known he was a twisted, bad seed.
The roses his father carefully nurtured in the garden had once been crushed in his hand. The thorns pierced into his flesh, and the flower’s juice mixed with his blood, soaking his palm lines.
That was the first time in his life he felt pleasure, greater than any praise from a tutor or the acclaim of being called a genius.
He longed for that ultimate beauty, and the ultimate decay.
He wanted to see the other person cry, to see transparent tears soak that fair face, to see the young man sob and beg for mercy. And he would capture every scene with his eye. The printed film would be carefully preserved, just like every treasured item in a darkroom.
[Xi Zhengqing love value +5]
Xi Zhengqing’s Adam’s apple tightened.
His gray artificial eye instantly turned pitch-black.
Xin Hexue had face blindness, that was what Pei Guangji had revealed.
The faint crunching of snow startled the squirrel, and the little creature jumped back onto the pine tree alertly.
The young man stood up, followed the squirrel’s wary gaze, and called out in surprise and uncertainty, “Guangji?”
Xi Zhengqing was certain his voice and tone were somewhat different from Pei Guangji’s.
So, he merely nodded.
Xin Hexue stepped forward and lowered his eyes. “Pei Ying said you’d be away on business for a few more days. Is your work already finished?”
Xi Zhengqing nodded again.
Xin Hexue hesitated and asked, “Guangji, why aren’t you saying anything? I’ve been really worried about you these past few days.”
Xi Zhengqing took out his communicator and typed on the memo.
[There was a minor accident during the business trip. I had surgery and my vocal cords are still in recovery. The doctor said I can’t speak for now.]
‘…Quite good at making up excuses.’ A flicker of sarcasm flashed in Xin Hexue’s eyes, then he pretended to be concerned. “How did that happen? Was it serious?”
Xi Zhengqing continued typing, showing it to Xin Hexue: [Don’t worry, just a minor accident.]
The young man still didn’t feel at ease. He carefully looked at his neck, and even kissed Xi Zhengqing’s Adam’s apple with heartache.
A gentle touch.
He had never experienced something like that before. The touch on his Adam’s apple was light and fleeting.
Xi Zhengqing’s pupils contracted, and his mind buzzed with madness.
Was his pacemaker broken?
Perhaps it needed maintenance after today.
[Xi Zhengqing love value +5]
Xin Hexue took the Alpha’s hand again. “Let’s go home first, it’s cold outside.”
It was only then that Xi Zhengqing noticed the mechanical cat following closely at the young man’s feet.
Looking closely, one could see the logo of Nuwa Mechanical Manufacturing engraved on the cat’s tail.
This cat…he probably liked it, right?
[Xi Zhengqing love value +3]
Indoors, the temperature was kept as warm as spring.
Xin Hexue took off his thick down jacket and scarf. Underneath, he wore a beige turtleneck sweater. He changed into fuzzy slippers, looking completely at home.
He took out a cake from the fridge.
“Yesterday was my birthday, but you were too busy with work to come back…” Xin Hexue lowered his lashes, then quickly smiled at Xi Zhengqing with understanding. “It’s okay, I made a cake myself and saved a piece for you. Do you want to try it now?”
Facing those eyes, Xi Zhengqing couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
He sat down in front of the cake on the dining table.
Xi Zhengqing typed: [Thank you.]
Xin Hexue smiled gently.
‘You’re welcome.’
‘Scumbag.’
‘It’s prepared just for you.’
It had already been sitting in the fridge for a week. The cream was guaranteed to have gone bad.
Of course, it wasn’t something Xin Hexue had made himself. He had just bought the cheapest flash-sale internet-famous cake from a grocery app.
Xi Zhengqing took a bite, and his gentle expression immediately twisted, showing a strange reaction.
Xin Hexue asked nervously, “Guangji, is it not good? It’s my first time making a cake, maybe it doesn’t suit your taste…”
Xi Zhengqing met his eyes.
[No, I really like it. It’s delicious. Thank you.]
Xin Hexue rested his chin on his hands, watching him happily. “As long as you like it.”
Xi Zhengqing typed nervously: [I forgot to bring your birthday gift back. It’s still on the aircraft.]
Xin Hexue replied, “It’s fine.”
While Xin Hexue wasn’t paying attention, Xi Zhengqing sent a message to his assistant, asking him to bring an appropriate birthday gift to this address.
Suddenly, the young man seemed to remember something. “Wait, I bought a gift for you. You’ll definitely like it.”
Xi Zhengqing raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He watched as Xin Hexue went back upstairs to the second floor, then came back down, placing a gift box tied with a bow in front of him with anticipation. “Open it and see?”
‘A gift for Pei Guangji…’
Xi Zhengqing’s gaze turned deep, then shifted into pleasure.
Since that was the case, he would gladly accept it on behalf of his unconscious, childhood friend who was unable to enjoy it.
But the moment Xi Zhengqing opened the gift, the smile in his eyes froze;
A black collar, with the word “Dog” engraved on the nameplate.
Xin Hexue asked softly and uneasily, “You don’t like it? Don’t you love this kind of game the most, Guangji?”
Xi Zhengqing had no idea his childhood friend and the canary played this dirty. And in such a situation, he was being led by the nose by Xin Hexue, stepping into a trap with no way back.
He shook his head stiffly, indicating he didn’t dislike it.
Xin Hexue put it on him. The size was a perfect fit.
From the angle Xi Zhengqing couldn’t see, Xin Hexue casually thought:
‘It was originally bought for the “Little Dog”, but I forgot to check the size. After buying it, I found it didn’t fit, so I might as well make use of the waste.’
Anyway…
This kind of cheap, crudely made product was just right for this heir.
When dealing with a perverted opponent, using unconventional countermeasures was perfectly normal, right?!
