Chapter 3: Retaliation
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Song Youji accompanied Cheng Yuan to a commercial street. After strolling around and buying some clothes for Song Lan and Song Shan, Cheng Yuan took him to a beauty salon.
In a world where the average lifespan exceeded 150 years, beauty salons were quite common. Many people, even in their hundreds, could maintain their appearance in their twenties or thirties. Apart from genetic factors, these beauty salons played a significant role. Cheng Yuan used to visit beauty salons occasionally. She was already beautiful, but no one minded having more charm.
“Ms Cheng, this is your…”
“He’s my son.”
The receptionist was a cute-faced girl with a round face, carrying a faint fragrance of grass and wood. She smiled, revealing two dimples, and glanced at Song Youji when registering, stealing glances at him.
Song Youji, resembling Cheng Yuan the most among the children, possessed a unique charm due to his reserved and quiet nature. Like a white rose adrift in the sea, a casual glance from his light eyes could stir a desire in people to protect him.
The girl stole several glances at him, hesitating whether to approach and leave her contact information. But considering Cheng Yuan was an important client of their director, she suppressed the thought, reluctantly watching Song Youji enter the inner room.
“That girl seems to like you a lot,” Cheng Yuan teased.
Song Youji rarely experienced his mother’s playful teasing and blushed instantly. “Really….”
“After all, you’re my son.” Cheng Yuan laughed brightly, opening a white wooden door with the sign “Director’s Office.”
“Ms. Cheng, long time no see.” The man inside was probably in his forties or fifties, with deep facial features and golden-colored hair, looking like a mixed-race. Holding a cup of coffee, the fragrance filled the room. Although he said it had been a long time, there was no surprise on his face, as if he had known they were coming.
Cheng Yuan chatted with him intimately, and Song Youji sat on the sofa, unable to understand any of the names of those beauty products, feeling a bit bored.
“Yes, he’s my second son, very much like me, isn’t he?” When they somehow talked about him, the man’s profound gaze turned towards Song Youji. He sat up straight, politely smiling.
“Twenty-one years old and still not differentiated?” There was a hint of surprise in the man’s voice.
Hearing those words, Song Youji’s nerves immediately tensed. He began to suspect Cheng Yuan’s intentions in bringing him here.
But they quickly moved past that topic. Cheng Yuan and the staff left for skincare, and the director went out after receiving a call, leaving Song Youji alone. He relaxed a bit, took out his phone, and replied to Sister Jia’s message.
Sister Jia, named Jia Suiyu, was in her early forties. Song Youji knew her when she was already the president of the association. She was decisive and serious, rarely smiling, but with a tough exterior and a soft heart. Even now, Song Youji was grateful for her taking him in. Their relationship was more like siblings. Since joining the association, Jia Suiyu treated him like a younger brother, never caring about what happened in his family.
He mentioned that he would be a bit late to help his mom at the beauty salon. Jia Suiyu told him to accompany his mom well. She was not usually curious and was rarely concerned about other people’s affairs, but this time, she unprecedentedly asked which hospital he was at.Song Youji scanned the office, found the hospital’s name on a poster on the wall, and sent it over.
【Jia Suiyu: I got it. Come back soon.】
Forty minutes later, Cheng Yuan, with a radiant face, returned with the hospital director. Holding a light blue bag, she asked Song Youji with one hand supporting her face if there were any changes. Song Youji couldn’t tell by looking left and right, so he smiled and said her skin looked better.
Cheng Yuan smiled charmingly, hooked her arm around his, and walked out of the beauty salon. The director accompanied them to the door, advising, “Remember to take the medicine on time.”
On the way back, Song Youji finally asked her, “What medicine is it?”
Cheng Yuan appeared nonchalant, “Just some vitamins, for beauty.”
It was already two in the afternoon, and Song Youji had to go back to help Sister Jia. He bid farewell to Cheng Yuan, who didn’t say much, only asking him to bring back Song Lan and Song Shan in the evening. “You’re busy with work, and I’ll take care of these two.”
After a moment of hesitation, Song Youji said, “I’ll move back to live. I can stay in the same room as Song Lan.”
Cheng Yuan, who had experienced a significant shock just yesterday, didn’t want two kids preparing for the college entrance exam to stay with her. Song Youji was concerned.
Seeing Song Youji’s message in the afternoon, Song Jing immediately called him. After carefully inquiring about their whereabouts, he felt relieved. He didn’t tell Song Youji about Zhao Jiu’s situation—better to avoid unnecessary troubles.
Zhao Jiu’s current condition involved difficulty controlling pheromones, which spread uncontrollably during sleep. It might be a side effect from forcibly traversing through a wormhole. Song Jing had heard about such cases, and he had studied related topics in college but hadn’t personally encountered them. So, for now, he prescribed some drugs to temporarily suppress it. Zhao Jiu refused to be hospitalized, and his condition would affect those around him. The monarch arranged a small independent villa for him, with both Song Jing and a military doctor jointly responsible for treatment in the future.
But Song Jing’s mind was already disturbed by Zhao Jiu’s mention of Song Youji. He didn’t want much contact with Zhao Jiu, partly because of his father’s situation, and partly because he was worried that Song Youji might get involved. They had a contentious relationship during their student days, and if Song Youji fell into the hands of that lunatic Zhao Jiu, who knew how he might be tortured.
Determined to withdraw from this treatment, Song Jing went to the director’s office.
Zhao Jiu’s treatment was conducted in secret. From the hospital to the villa assigned by the monarch, no one except his adjutant was aware of it. Zhao Jiu arranged the medicines prescribed by Song Jing on a tray. On the table was a cup of warm water. He frowned and swallowed all the medicine at once, grimacing, and complained to the handsome and dignified man on the screen in front of him wearing gold-rimmed glasses, “This medicine is so bitter. Song Jing must have done it on purpose. None of the Songs are good people.”
Monarch of Keya, Yuna Xavier, with his short light golden hair, had a radiant glow like the sun. His violet eyes were slightly narrowed, exuding an inviolable majesty. He glanced at Zhao Jiu and said, “Good medicine is bitter.”
Zhao Jiu clicked his tongue, “Have you made up your mind? When are you planning the wedding for me and Song Youji?”
“He hasn’t differentiated yet. Besides, the situation in the Song family is special. Your father has submitted a request to annul the engagement.”
“You agreed?”
“Not yet.”
“That’s good. Anyway, it’s my wedding, not my dad’s. I don’t care about him.”
Yuna put away the documents in his hands, sitting upright with a serious tone that sharply contrasted with Zhao Jiu’s casual demeanor. He asked, “Marriage is a lifelong matter. Are you sure you want to use this way to retaliate against Song Youji?”
“Of course. I’m happy just thinking that he’ll be tied to a lunatic for a lifetime.” Zhao Jiu didn’t care that his words also insulted himself. A smug look appeared on his face.
He and Song Youji didn’t have much interaction. He had been skipping grades since school, and later was directly admitted to the military academy. The time they were classmates was less than a year. However, during that year, Song Youji called him ‘lunatic’ five times and ‘pervert’ three times. There were several minor and major quarrels. Zhao Jiu had a wayward personality, causing a lot of trouble among teachers and classmates. Song Youji, as a disciplinary committee member, wrote his name the most on the disciplinary records.
“A gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late. Song Youji has finally fallen into my hands this time, and I certainly can’t let him off.”
Yuna fell silent for a moment. He couldn’t understand Zhao Jiu’s thought process. Turning marriage into a means of revenge was something he couldn’t comprehend. In his heart, he silently said it was childish. Then he saw a new message notification on the screen and ended the call with Zhao Jiu.
The message was from the director of the Capital First Hospital, mentioning that Song Jing intended to withdraw from Zhao Jiu’s treatment. Yuna didn’t hesitate to refuse. After completing these tasks, he picked up the documents on the table again.
In the Capital Prison, Song Youji and the team completed the physical examinations for all Omega prisoners. Sister Jia assigned tomorrow’s task to Song Youji, “Received a distress call today. A recently differentiated Omega in Area C is about to enter its first heat and is lacking suppressants.”
Song Youji asked, “Omega in Area C? Was it not reported during differentiation?”
Area C was a remnant of the industrial era, although it was in the capital, it had the worst public order in the entire Kingdom of Keya. The people living there were known as abandoned citizens of the era, rude and lawless, decadent and depraved. It was an area the country had focused on renovating in recent years.
Jia Suiyu said, “He’s an orphan. The association got the call from him, which he found in a pile of garbage. You take Tan Yi from Group A and Talina together. If possible, bring the person back. A lone Omega in that kind of place is not safe.”
“Okay.”
Author’s note:
Zhao Jiu (high-spirited): I’ll definitely teach you a lesson.
Song Youji: … Who?
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