Chapter 51
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What is going on?
Su Ran fell into confusion.
Did he drink too much tonight? No, he only had two drinks. How did he have hallucinations?
If it was a hallucination, he could just slap himself awake. Without any exaggeration, Su Ran gave himself two slaps.
The two slaps were crisp and loud, especially in the midst of the clinking glasses and lively conversations. The people around Su Ran were extremely puzzled, thinking that Su Ran might have gone crazy from drinking too much.
But Su Ran seemed oblivious to other people’s eyes.
He touched his left cheek absentmindedly.
This feeling was exactly the same as when Rong Qiu punched him in school five years ago – painful and swollen, like he had applied chili pepper paste.
It really hurt.
So, he wasn’t blind, didn’t dream it, and wasn’t intoxicated to the point of blurred consciousness.
What Ah Ye said in the phone was all true.
Qin Muye had already consciously classified himself as a 0?!
From a top to a bottom for no reason, this was too terrifying.
In Su Ran’s cognitive world, no one could suppress Qin Muye. Even though there were examples of alphas attacking each other in the Federation, those alphas weren’t pure 0s.
For someone like Ah Ye, who was an aggressive top, to be subdued one day, Su Ran felt a sense of disillusionment.
He would rather believe he drank too much.
Forget it, he thought, he’ll drink a bit more when he gets back, and consider himself drunk.
***
Although a certain S-rank alpha thought Su Ran’s sent files were ridiculous, Qin Muye still kept each one. He spent three nights carefully reading through these “teaching guides,” making serious reflections and summaries.
- “How to Be a Perfect No. 1 Lover”: The best way to please your rich sugar mommy is to be obedient, docile, and not ask too many questions. (Key words: obedient, docile, not asking too many questions)
Obedient and docile seemed easy to achieve, but the last point… not asking too many questions.
Qin Muye paused.
Seemed a bit difficult. Now, he wanted to see Rong Qiu 24/7. If anything happened to Rong Qiu, he found it hard to resist asking.
But he had to change.
He would try to restrain himself a bit and not let his subordinates inquire about Director Qian Rong’s condition regularly from tomorrow.
- “Guide to Developing Excellent Pao Friends”: Pao friends should be about the body, not the heart. Never let your pao friends feel your intentions because such intentions are unnecessary burdens for your pao friends.
Qin Muye frowned.
He seemed to have stepped on a landmine.
Because he had already told Rong Qiu, more than once, from love at first sight to earnestly begging Rong Qiu to leave him a bed partner position. He knew Rong Qiu would resist, but he didn’t realize he added such a big burden to Rong Qiu.
How could he change this?
This seemed impossible to change.
Qin Muye chose to delete the file.
- “Blushing, These are the Positions You Should Secretly Watch with the Lights Off”: Aside from listing eight positions, there were also ten places suitable for lovemaking.
Qin Muye carefully read this file because he was not well-versed in this area. All his experiences in this aspect were brought to him by Rong Qiu. He thought Rong Qiu at that time was open and enthusiastic enough, but the positions in this file opened his eyes. Standing without touching the ground, various fun costumes, no fixed arrangements in a No. 1 angle, so the content was very rich.
He couldn’t imagine what Rong Qiu would look like as a cat.
Qin Muye searched online.
Five minutes later, he forcefully resisted from placing an order.
Because even if he bought it, it would be useless.
The position was wrong; now he was the bottom.
He didn’t want Rong Qiu to see him wearing a black cat-themed costume.
Just thinking about it, he would break down…
***
At this moment, Rong Qiu had indeed broken down.
The experimental instruments in the mecha research institute were privately adjusted, resulting in seven days of data being all incorrect. This part of the data couldn’t be obtained, and the subsequent research couldn’t proceed on schedule. Rong Qiu could only choose to compress the seven days of experiments into a new three-day plan by working overtime.
He had been working for three consecutive nights.
Eating and living were basically done at the research institute. Apart from going home to take a shower, Rong Qiu practically treated the institute as his home.
Today was the last night, and it was already 9 PM.
In an estimated five minutes, his data will be available.
Rong Qiu has set the timer, and now he supported his forehead with one hand while holding a black electronic pen on the light brain with the other. While waiting for the final results, he recorded his inspirations for the mech modifications.
However, at this critical moment, the power in the mech research institute unexpectedly went out.
Even though the backup generator quickly restores power, those few minutes of darkness and silence ignited Rong Qiu’s irritation.
The instruments were offline, and the metal had started to cool.
Rong Qiu coldly looked at the semi-finished product in the instrument panel. His fingers rested on the light brain, exerting such force that it slightly depressed the sturdy screen.
Although he knew he shouldn’t blame the institute, he can’t help but be dissatisfied with this power outage. In the two-plus years he has been here, there has never been a power outage. Why did it happen just when he was about to obtain the most crucial data?
What’s the point of all this?
Even in extreme anger and restlessness, Rong Qiu still systematically organized the instruments in the laboratory.
These three days had been a waste.
Before locking the door of the lab, Rong Qiu checked once again the two hidden cameras he added.
The cameras he previously added captured people manipulating his equipment, but it couldn’t identify who. However, the key to his lab is only in his possession, and another copy is held by the institute. It won’t be lent out unless it’s him borrowing it, so it should be impossible for anyone else to have it.
This person must have some connection with the higher-ups at the institute.
If not for the week of time Director Qian gave the institute to provide him with an answer and not wanting to cause trouble for Director Qian, he would have reported this to the authorities already.
He just wants to focus on his research.
Yet, he got stuck twice during the most critical experiment. Once, someone manipulated the data, and the other time, there was an unexpected power outage. Since entering the mech research institute, he has never been frustrated like this, and it’s not because his abilities led to the experiment failures.
Frustrated, Rong Qiu drove back home. He was so irritated that when he received a call from Qin Muye, his tone wasn’t pleasant.
“Commander Qin, what’s the matter so late?”
Qin Muye was taken aback by his tone and took a while before finally saying, “Are you free tomorrow night? I want to invite you to dinner.”
Rong Qiu was straightforward, “No.”
Tomorrow night, he had to continue working overtime, repeating this experiment.
Qin Muye hesitated, thinking he might still be rejecting him, “What about the day after tomorrow?”
While typing out complaints to Rong Qin on the light brain, Rong Qiu responded to Qin Muye on the phone, “No time the day after tomorrow, and no time the day after that. I’m busy these three days.”
Rong Qiu’s tone was somewhat harsh.
Qin Muye hesitated, thinking he might still be rejecting him.
In fact, Rong Qiu was already restraining himself.
If it were Rong Qin calling him, he would have displayed 70% of Rong Qin’s explosive temper.
Qin Muye didn’t say anything.
Rong Qiu was complaining to Rong Qin in writing about what happened today. He not only shared Rong Qin’s temperament but also picked up some personal quirks, which were quite evident in the two hundred words he had written. While observing the neatly arranged square characters appearing in the chat box, Rong Qiu’s bad mood was slightly reduced, but only by a small fraction.
He continued to explain the details of today’s incident to Rong Qin while responding to the silent Qin Muye on the phone.
“Besides dinner, Commander Qin, do you have anything else?”
“Nothing else. Are you very busy right now?”
Even though Rong Qiu was forcefully suppressing his displeasure and irritation, Qin Muye on the other end of the phone sensed it keenly. Moreover, he hears the sound of rapid and forceful keyboard typing, as if someone was dismantling a keyboard.
Qin Muye assumes Rong Qiu was currently busy with official business.
He replied with a simple “Nothing, you continue with your work” and hung up the phone.
Rong Qiu was stunned when he suddenly hung up, and his response of “Not too busy” was left unsaid.
But there was indeed a clear busy tone from the phone.
Qin Muye called him just to invite him to dinner?
Because he declined, the call was abruptly ended?
Such a simple phone call, neither painful nor itchy.
Rong Qiu was not very sure.
He’s afraid he missed some important information.
Rong Qiu stopped his fingers from tapping the keyboard, opened the call recording in his phone, and back when he first arrived in District 13, he learned countless ways. Now, he was proficient at recording phone calls.
The call with Qin Muye was extremely short.
No trimming, no cutting, not even three minutes.
And there was a long period of silence in the middle.
Nothing else was said.
It seemed like just a dinner invitation.
Rong Qiu thought that Qin Muye hung up because he thought Rong Qiu was busy working, so he let go of his own matters. However, what Rong Qiu doesn’t know was that there was a printed draft of about a hundred pages in front of Qin Muye right now. He flipped to one of the pages with the title “How to Be a Perfect No. 1 Lover.”
Nodding, Qin Muye looked at the notes he wrote down earlier.
According to “How to Be a Perfect No. 1 Lover,” he should be obedient and docile, and regarding Rong Qiu’s affairs, he should ask and intervene less.
He thought he could do it and had been doing well before. Three days ago, he had his beta officer inform Director Qian not to report Rong Qiu’s daily activities at the institute to him.
But at the moment he sensed Rong Qiu’s displeasure, he wanted to find out the reason.
Qin Muye’s gaze withdrew from the printed draft, and he looked at the only pinned contact in his phone book.
After a fierce struggle.
He still couldn’t hold back.
Gently asking—Do you have any recent troubles?
At this moment, Rong Qiu has already edited five hundred words in the text box and sent them to Rong Qin. Coincidentally, Rong Qin was also free at this time. After reading the message, they both vent their frustrations together. They even engaged in some conspiracy theories, suggesting that it might be the work of the higher-ups in the research institute.
Whether Rong Qiu was clear about the higher-ups, he doesn’t know.
In any case, Director Qian has to provide him with an explanation in four days.
If there is no satisfactory explanation by then, he doesn’t mind making a big deal out of it. However, it’s too early to say all this now. Everything is uncertain, and Rong Qiu doesn’t know how the institute will respond.
Rong Qin typed even faster than Rong Qiu.
Urgent and hasty.
In the time it takes for Rong Qiu to drink a sip of water, he received thirty more messages.
Rong Qiu doesn’t need to read carefully to know what Rong Qin is saying. But what about the person right below Rong Qin’s communication ID?
This person was none other than Qin Muye.
Wasn’t he the one who just finished a call with him? The call ended, and now he’s asking about Rong Qiu’s recent troubles. If that’s the case, why didn’t he ask during the previous call?
But Rong Qiu’s mood had become much better now.
He took a sip of tea, and his fingers danced lightly on the keyboard.
“No troubles, just enjoying my meals.”
No troubles because his mind is occupied with experiments.
Enjoying meals because time is squeezed for experiments, and it naturally tastes good when eaten after seven or eight hours.
Qin Muye became more certain that something is bothering Rong Qiu, but he can’t figure out what.
Not sure how to respond.
Qin Muye replies with a period.
[Commander Qin (Qin Muye): .]
[Rong Qiu: What does that mean?]
[Commander Qin (Qin Muye): Just enjoy your meals.]
[Rong Qiu: ……..]
[Commander Qin (Qin Muye): What does that mean, Qiu Qiu?]
[Rong Qiu: Hopes Commander Qin enjoys his meals more than I do. Smile.jpg]
Qin Muye frowned.
Instinctively, he felt that Rong Qiu’s words were not pleasant.
Especially with the smiley face afterward, but he’s not a young person who constantly follows online trends. Even though the smiling face gives him a chilly feeling, he reluctantly interpreted it as a signal from Rong Qiu to ease their relationship.
But he felt Rong Qiu was hiding something from him.
Or in other words, Rong Qiu doesn’t want to bother him.
Rong Qiu was no longer the same as before. He won’t enthusiastically share every little thing like what he eats or sees. The current Rong Qiu has high defenses, like a clam tightly closing its shell, not easily pried open.
Qin Muye was anxious, but he couldn’t do anything.
Just like now, even if he wanted to ask, he won’t get any answers.
***
Rong Qiu’s third experiment still took three days.
Fortunately, this time, nothing went wrong. Rong Qiu successfully obtained the data he wanted. Just as he was about to leave work, Director Qian called him into the office.
Rong Qiu didn’t even take off his lab coat.
Having endured for six days, he had become much thinner. Despite good sleep at night, there were faint shadows under his eyes.
Qin Muye sat in a chair in Director Qian’s office.
Director Qian’s expression was hesitant. Rong Qiu had known him for two years, and even when they argued with other institute directors over funding before, he didn’t look as weary as he does now.
The recent issue that prompted Director Qian to personally find him is the intrusion into his lab.
It seems that there was a result in this matter, but judging by Director Qian’s current appearance, Rong Qiu instinctively felt that it’s not the result he wanted.
Sure enough.
This time, Director Qian actually personally requested him to let that person go.
Rong Qiu didn’t lift his eyes to look at Director Qian. He silently gripped the silver ring on his hand, his expression cold. He waited until Director Qian finished speaking before suddenly raising his gaze. However, those clear blue-amber eyes showed no emotions.
“I refuse.”
Rong Qiu tilted his head slightly, “He had harmed my interests. Why shouldn’t he be punished?”
Director Qian was also troubled inside.
The one who committed this mistake was the first student he personally brought up. Now forty-five years old and holding a significant position in the Mech Research Institute, when Director Qian found him at his home last night, he was shocked.
The student who had been with him the longest committed such a mistake.
“He already knows he’s wrong. I’ll have him apologize to you.”
“I won’t accept the apology.”
Rong Qiu was most annoyed by misunderstandings.
Back in the Fourth Military District, when his mech exploded and fell into the sea, the military blamed him for the fault. He was even banned from driving a mech for nearly half a year for outside missions.
A hard-learned lesson that Rong Qiu remembered vividly.
Rong Qiu stated plainly, “If it weren’t for the cameras installed in my lab, would I have to accept this silent loss?”
By saying this, he also saw what Director Qian was implying.
Wanting to settle it privately, just apologize, and declare nothing happened?
The other party seemed to have a rather beautiful imagination.
Director Qian’s face changed dramatically.
Rong Qiu’s words undoubtedly forced him to make a choice.
On one side was a student he has known for more than ten years, and on the other side was a promising talent he personally picked out. Regardless of which side he abandoned, Director Qian felt extremely distressed.
He was still trying to make up for that student, “I’ll have him apologize to you in person. Also, I’ll deduct his next project. Little Qiu, what do you think? He’s almost fifty years old. If I punish him further, I’m afraid he won’t be able to bear it…”
“That’s his problem, not mine.”
Rong Qiu stood up, his whole demeanor like a bamboo straightened by a harsh beating, upright and unyielding, “I won’t accept a private settlement.”
“Little Qiu, if we settle this privately, he can compensate you more.”
“Director Qian, haven’t I made it clear enough? I won’t accept a private settlement, and I need the institute to give me a public and clear explanation.”
***
After leaving Director Qian’s office, Rong Qiu felt quite weary.
It wasn’t physical fatigue but rather mental exhaustion.
Changing out of his lab coat, Rong Qiu stared at the clothes he had been wearing for over two years.
Suddenly, he felt that what he had told Qin Muye earlier was a bit ridiculous.
-I just want to purely pilot mechs and design mechs.
Who can be that pure, only thinking about mechs and not considering anything else? Even if he doesn’t consider anything else, there are always others pushing him to do so.
For him now, staying in the Mech Research Institute, is it really a long-term plan?
Rong Qiu didn’t even have dinner; he changed out of the lab coat and went to the Beta Bar.
The bar had been renovated, with new tables and chairs at the bar. However, the small bartender at the bar still had a faint scar on his face, not very noticeable. It was from the night when Alpha had scratched him with broken glass. Although the injury wasn’t severe, it left a mark. The Beta boss turned out to be a good one; he covered all medical expenses and even provided a large amount of compensation.
So, the bartender who had worked there for two years didn’t resign.
Now Beta Bar had returned to its former lively atmosphere. However, among the Beta crowd, Rong Qiu sat alone.
“Brother Qiu! Why did you come alone today? Where’s the other big brother?” The Beta boss personally welcomed him, looking behind him and seeing only Rong Qiu.
Knowing the Beta boss was referring to Rong Qin, Rong Qiu casually explained, “He’s still busy with work.”
Finding a relatively quiet spot to sit down, Rong Qiu began ordering drinks.
His expression while ordering was calm, but the choice of drinks was bold.
The Beta boss was alarmed by the high alcohol content in the drinks.
Although the alcohol content wasn’t high for ordinary Betas, it was high for Rong Qiu. Rong Qiu was the type of Beta who turns red after drinking a 5% alcohol solution.
The Beta boss had the urge to advise him, but seeing Rong Qiu’s icy brows and eyes, the comforting words slipped back.
Forget it.
Who comes to a bar without having some troubles?
Although the Beta boss wasn’t strong physically, he had high emotional intelligence; otherwise, he wouldn’t have run this Beta Bar so successfully. Seeing that Rong Qiu was unhappy, he refrained from asking the questions he shouldn’t and silently accompanied him with drinks.
Though it’s said to accompany with drinks, the Beta boss drank two bottles with no reaction, while Rong Qiu turned red after just one bottle.
However, even in this state, he maintained a tough posture, standing straight with a stiff back and a straight face, like an unyielding stone.
The stone doesn’t utter a word for a long time.
When he finished the second bottle, a faint desire to speak can be vaguely seen, but what he said was not very pleasant.
“Are you selling fake alcohol here?”
“?”
“Why am I still so annoyed after drinking this?”
“…”
Now the Beta boss can truly see Rong Qiu’s frustration, “Brother Qiu, what are you annoyed about? Let me comfort you.”
Rong Qiu raised an eyebrow and looked at him; the alcohol fumes reddened his eyes, “Why are people so bad? You can’t trust anyone.”
He was just stabbed by Chu Ming not long ago, and now Director Qian’s actions in this matter have disappointed him.
Such a serious matter.
The other party just apologizes, and it’s over.
Even the institute hadn’t publicly punished that person.
Rong Qiu hated being wrongly accused.
Before, he had no evidence and had no choice but to accept the accusation.
Now he had evidence, yet the institute shamelessly covered it up.
Rong Qiu’s heart was cold.
The Beta boss, upon hearing this, smiled and said, “I’m annoyed too. My ex was the mastermind behind hiring those Alphas to vandalize the store. I really liked him at the time and even planned to give him half the shares of this store. Fortunately, I think it’s better that he vandalized the store early; otherwise, I would have suffered a lot.”
The reason Beta boss and his ex-parted ways was straightforward.
Simply because the Beta boss didn’t earn enough, and the ex found a new sugar daddy, avoiding more troubles, came to vandalize the boss’s store as a demonstration.
Listening to his story, Rong Qiu was strangely comforted.
Indeed, when you feel very sad, just listen to sadder stories.
Rong Qiu patted the Beta boss sympathetically, “You deserve better.”
“Sigh, I don’t expect anything better. I just want to play while I’m still young.”
“Play more?”
“Just find a clean partner, arrange meetings only in bed, not seeing each other elsewhere.”
Rong Qiu understood this, “Bed companion.”
Rong Qiu’s knowledge of such matters was not insignificant now.
He even once saw a report.
It stated that in the Federal population of trillions, only a few billion people truly settle down into marriage. Especially in the last ten years, the marriage rate has dropped significantly. Most of the newcomers to the Federation were unwilling or did not want to get married, mainly due to the constraints that come with marriage. The prevalence of bar culture was one of the reasons for this.
But the Beta boss gave him a more explicit explanation: “Where does it count as a bed companion, at most, it’s just a sex friend. If you like each other, after checking the medical report, you can spend a night together.”
The Beta boss thought well, “After all, I’ve been disgusted by my ex to the point where I don’t want to get married anymore in my life. So, I might as well enjoy today’s wine while I’m young. If you like someone, just pull them over to spend the night together. You can’t leave the other half of such a big bed empty forever. Brother Qiu, don’t you agree?”
Rong Qiu drank in silence, not sure if he was drunk or if he really thought the Beta boss was right.
In any case, he nodded like pounding garlic.
After drinking a lot tonight, the Beta boss arranged a room for him on the second floor.
Midway through, Rong Qiu went out to smoke.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he left, the phone left on the table started ringing.
And it kept ringing.
It was unclear when Rong Qiu would come back.
The boss was peeling chestnuts, and his hands were busy, so he let the small bartender who answer the phone.
The small bartender held Rong Qiu’s phone as if it were a hot potato.
“What’s wrong? Just answer or hang up, such a simple thing, do I need to teach you?”
The small bartender felt like crying without tears, and the small scar on his face was trembling slightly. “Or, should you do it, Boss?”
“If I have to do it, then I’ll do it. It’s just answering a call; why are you so afraid? I’ve seen all kinds of important people,” the Beta boss said, giving the small bartender a disdainful look, patting the nonexistent chestnut dust off his hands. Rong Qiu’s illuminated phone interface quickly appeared in front of the Beta boss.
The small bartender could see it clearly.
His boss’s eyes widened like copper bells instantly.
Because the contact name on the phone showed: Commander Qin (Qin Muye).
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