The ventilation duct was narrow and dimly lit, and the butler uniform on Number One was covered in dust.
He stared at the door without blinking.
There was more than one person approaching, and their hurried footsteps overlapped.
Number One had locked the door from the inside upon entering, so even when the person outside forcefully twisted the doorknob, it was to no avail.
A restrained, calm voice said, “The key.”
A large bunch of keys clinked against the brass ring, making clear, fragmented sounds.
The follower finally found the corresponding key for the room.
The visitor inserted the key, and after trying to turn it clockwise twice, opened the door.
It was Xi Zhengqing.
Number One saw the man’s face. To avoid being discovered, he retreated a little, ensuring he was in a position where he could observe the other party without exposing himself.
When Xi Zhengqing saw the scene on the sofa, his face instantly became gloomy, like storm clouds rolling with such blackness they seemed ready to unleash cold rain.
He suddenly slammed the door shut behind him, shutting the deputy butler out.
Number One watched as the Alpha surveyed the entire room, seemingly trying to find the culprit responsible for the marks covering the young man’s body.
The culprit retreated into the dark ventilation duct unwillingly.
The search was fruitless.
Without a word, Xi Zhengqing picked up the unconscious young man from the sofa. His jaw was tense, and the veins at his temples throbbed violently, a sign that his emotions were far from calm.
After a brief cleanup in the bathroom, Xi Zhengqing ensured no other person’s bodily fluids were inside the young man. He withdrew his fingers from the soft, damp place, and heard a low groan from the unconscious young man.
After cleaning with warm water and drying with a towel, he grabbed the hanging bathrobe and wrapped Xin Hexue tightly, concealing all ambiguous traces underneath so nothing was exposed to the cool air.
Facing the deputy butler’s shocked gaze as he stepped out of the room, Xi Zhengqing said coldly, “Call an ambulance from Shenglan Hospital.”
Pei Ying arrived with his people a step too late. He realized later than Xi Zhengqing that Xin Hexue might have gone to his brother’s room.
Seeing the current situation, the young Alpha’s eyes turned bloodshot with rage, and he gritted his teeth. “You did this?! How dare you..?!”
If Xin Hexue hadn’t been in Xi Zhengqing’s arms at the moment, Pei Ying would’ve already rushed over and punched him hard, then fought like a mad dog, biting until he took off a layer of skin.
“Are you an idiot?”
Xi Zhengqing retorted subconsciously.
But he immediately stopped himself then gave Pei Ying a mocking smile. “Yeah, I did it. So what?”
The Pei family prided itself on its century-old heritage, and had not installed any surveillance equipment in the old manor.
Xi Zhengqing was certain that the one who assaulted Xin Hexue in Pei Guangji’s room was definitely not an Alpha or an Omega, as he hadn’t sensed any lingering pheromones. And whether Alpha or Omega, once aroused, they would inevitably release pheromones uncontrollably.
Among the invited guests, there were no Betas either.
That left either the Pei family’s servants, or…
A mutant species.
Xi Zhengqing’s gaze darkened.
He remembered the suit jacket the young man had left in the washroom, and the traces of destruction there indicating the presence of a mutant species.
As the deputy butler called the ambulance from Shenglan Hospital, the Pei household had already descended into chaos.
After giving a welcome speech at the beginning of the banquet, Old Master Pei had gone to rest due to his age.
The captain of the security team found Pei Ying and reported nervously, “Second Young Master, Mr. Gerald was killed by a mutant species in the lounge. He was already dead when we found him.”
The Pei family manor, located in the core zone, had actually allowed a mutant species to come and go freely. An entire security team armed with cutting-edge light weapons was helpless against what was practically a declaration of war from the invader.
They had gravely underestimated the power of the mutant.
If this news was to get out, it would surely throw Anle City’s upper circles into a state of panic.
Thinking of that damned mutant, Xi Zhengqing tightened his grip and held the person in his arms even more firmly, striding away while leaving Pei Ying with a cold remark, “Second Young Master, you better take care of yourself and clean up the mess.”
………
Xin Hexue ended up in the hospital again.
The drug’s effect was too strong on his body, and he had overestimated his tolerance.
Xin Hexue said to K: [Gege, can you give me a luckier role in the next world?]
Though his own luck level was probably F, if there was a special character buff, things might be a bit better…at least he wouldn’t be so unlucky to be drugged twice.
K: […I’ll try my best.]
In the Big World, the internal system for script distribution within entertainment companies was handled by drawing from the script pool. Staff hosts of different ranks had access to different pools. The higher the rank, the better the scripts they could draw. Those of lower rank had to rely on the system’s luck and pull from a trash pool while hoping to pick out something not completely garbage.
Xin Hexue asked: [Who found me and brought me to the hospital?]
K: [Xi Zhengqing.]
That wasn’t good.
Xin Hexue frowned.
This meant Xi Zhengqing must’ve seen the marks on his body.
Even though he had repeatedly warned Number One not to leave any marks, the other party might’ve had programmed foreplay routines necessary before a human engaged in intercourse, and stubbornly kissed him.
Xin Hexue: [Where’s Number One?]
K didn’t know how to describe it…after hearing footsteps in the hallway, the bionic man had basically turned into a shady maintenance worker hiding in the ventilation ducts.
K was convinced this bionic man’s programming couldn’t have been designed by any proper engineer.
He could only explain to Xin Hexue: [Number One hid before Xi Zhengqing entered the room.]
Xin Hexue had a vague feeling that something was off with this bionic man.
He only followed orders mechanically. Once a command was completed, he should’ve stayed in place waiting for the next instruction.
Forget it.
It was good that Xi Zhengqing didn’t discover him.
Xin Hexue’s lower back was sore. He propped himself up with his hands and sat up on the hospital bed.
It was a high-end private room, warmly decorated in soft white. There was a small green plant on the bedside table and a jar of aromatic diffuser.
Xin Hexue stared at the jar thoughtfully. The reed sticks diffused a faint fragrance, masking the scent of disinfectant in the hospital.
[How much is Xi Zhengqing’s love value now?]
K answered: [65.]
Xin Hexue lowered his eyes. [Got it.]
………
Xi Zhengqing stood outside the hospital room, but didn’t dare go in.
After the doctor finished examining Xin Hexue, he informed Xi Zhengqing that there was no residual drug in the young man’s body.
That left Xi Zhengqing unable to even deceive himself.
He had been regretting it since last night. Regretting leaving Xin Hexue alone, regretting not staying by his side in the banquet hall.
If he had stayed close, the young man wouldn’t have gotten hurt.
Xin Hexue had gone to Pei Guangji’s room then…he was probably looking for “Pei Guangji”.
Xi Zhengqing lowered his head, feeling like a stray dog. His organs seemed twisted together, and his hand rested on the doorknob, unmoving for a long time.
A passing nurse asked if he was there to visit the patient and whether the door was locked.
Xi Zhengqing politely declined her help.
Taking a deep breath, he decided to talk to Xin Hexue as himself, not as Pei Guangji.
When Xi Zhengqing entered, Xin Hexue was staring blankly at the white wall. His eyes seemed unfocused, and only when the door creaked open did he slowly turn his head toward the visitor.
Maybe it was Xi Zhengqing’s imagination, but he felt that Xin Hexue looked thinner after the ordeal. His jade white skin under the hospital gown gave him an air of fragility, like he would collapse from a light push.
The young man turned toward him.
His black hair fell obediently to his neck, faintly revealing snow-white skin.
Xi Zhengqing’s heart clenched as he stood at the bedside.
Xin Hexue asked in confusion, “Guangji…? No, Mr. Xi?”
From those gray eyes, he could tell this wasn’t his boyfriend, Pei Guangji.
Xi Zhengqing spoke, “I’ve dealt with the people responsible for drugging you. You… last night…”
He had just started when Xin Hexue seemed to recall something unpleasant. His expression turned conflicted and pained. “I don’t remember. My head hurts…”
Xi Zhengqing’s heart tightened. He touched the young man’s forehead with the back of his hand to feel his temperature. “Besides the headache, does anything else hurt?”
Xin Hexue shook his head.
‘Didn’t remember…?’Xi Zhengqing had intended to ask about the mutant species that had intercourse with him.
But if he didn’t remember…
A flash of realization struck Xi Zhengqing’s mind and he remembered the doctor’s tactful explanation.
“If the condition isn’t optimistic, the patient might experience memory loss upon waking. But don’t worry, he won’t lose all his memories. What might happen is selective amnesia. It’s a psychological defense mechanism. When faced with extreme trauma, the patient subconsciously forgets the memory to protect themselves.”
Xi Zhengqing’s heartbeat quickened.
He immediately sought out the doctor for further tests on Xin Hexue.
Outside the room, he anxiously waited.
The doctor came out and shut the door.
The private ward was soundproof enough that outside sounds wouldn’t enter.
Xi Zhengqing’s words came faster than he realized. “How is he?”
The doctor: “Aside from the patient’s naturally weak constitution, initial tests show no abnormalities in any indicators.”
Xi Zhengqing pressed on, “Then why can’t he remember last night?”
The doctor hesitated. His professionalism prevented him from prying into patient privacy, but he had seen the marks on the young man last night when he was brought over and knew about the aphrodisiac in his system.
Personally, he wanted to condemn this Alpha. But the man before him was the heir of the Xi family.
So he only said, “The patient experienced extreme trauma, which his mind couldn’t accept, thus triggering subconscious memory loss. On the surface, he seems to have completely forgotten the event. It won’t affect his daily life, but the psychological shadow might remain. If it worsens, it could turn into a subconscious mental block…”
Xi Zhengqing didn’t hear the latter half.
After hearing the first half, his suspicion was confirmed; Xin Hexue had indeed forgotten everything from last night, and he didn’t know who had been with him.
Xi Zhengqing asked, “How long will the selective amnesia last?”
The doctor hesitated. “That’s uncertain. For some people, it’s temporary. For others, they never remember for the rest of their lives.”
Xi Zhengqing: “How long is temporary?”
Doctor: “It’s usually measured in years.”
‘Years…’ Xi Zhengqing thought, by then the contract between Pei Guangji and Xin Hexue would have already expired.
………
Xi Zhengqing returned to the hospital room.
Xin Hexue was trying to figure out how to continue dodging questions or maybe just blame it on the mutant species he had hit on the head with the diffuser jar in the washroom.
He had overestimated his physical endurance and originally planned for a quick solution; detox the drug and return to the banquet hall normally.
But his foggy mind last night didn’t allow for such careful calculations.
When he looked up, he noticed that Xi Zhengqing’s expression was a bit ugly.
Did he discover something?
Xin Hexue watched him quietly.
Xi Zhengqing sat down by the bed. It was still early spring, and he held Xin Hexue’s cool hand. “I’m very sorry.”
“It was me last night.”
“It wasn’t anyone else.”
Xin Hexue: “…”
Well, although he had not expected this kind of development, Xi Zhengqing admitted it without hesitation.
