Chapter 57
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——Ah Ye, don’t bother me anymore. You’re an S-class alpha, the youngest son of the Qin family, destined to marry an S-class omega. How could you take a mysterious beta like me seriously… Even the thought of me being your bed companion is undeserving.
These words sounded very familiar to Qin Muye because he had said similar words to Rong Qiu five years ago. At that time, in a bar in the western part of the capital, Rong Qiu who looked for him tirelessly and he heartlessly said these premeditated words to make Rong Qiu completely give up on him.
Back then, he just wanted Rong Qiu to give up on him completely, and now Rong Qiu had indeed given up on him. He even threw back these words at him.
Knowing today, why did he do it back then?
Qin Muye had no strength to argue. His heart had long been torn apart.
The sea breeze was originally salty, but between Qin Muye’s lips, tongue, and nostrils, there surged a taste of rust. His Adam’s apple rolled up and down, and when Rong Qiu stopped looking at him, he fiercely swallowed the inexplicable surge of blood.
He wanted to say something, but in the end, he could only weakly utter the two words, “Qiu Qiu.”
The sorrow was too heavy.
So heavy that even Rong Qiu couldn’t help but look up at the man in front of him.
Why was this alpha so sad, and why did he come back to find him even though he was so sad? They were supposed to be two lines that had intersected but were gradually diverging. Qin Muye was ascending all the way in the 13th military district, while he only needed to guard his own mech research institute and live his own life.
Having no intersection would be the best explanation for both of them.
Rong Qiu had already stepped back.
He had never understood the man in front of him.
Five years ago, he was kept in the dark like a blind fool, and now, five years later, how could he be so foolish again? Rong Qiu’s half-step back was sincere. The footprints he had just left were quickly buried by the sand blown by the sea breeze. Rong Qiu quietly looked at the endless coastline in the distance. His heart, like being dredged from the deep sea, was not active and was extremely heavy.
“Commander Qin, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first.”
Rong Qiu nodded farewell, and the man didn’t stop him.
The alpha didn’t dare to stop him, nor did he know that he couldn’t stop him. What kind of face did he have standing in front of Rong Qiu now?
Soon, Rong Qiu walked away.
And Qin Muye stood there for a long time.
The alpha watched Rong Qiu’s departing figure, tall like a lighthouse standing by the coast for a long time, only to illuminate the ship that belonged to him and had no return date.
***
Qin Muye returned to his villa very late. Since Rong Qiu’s birthday until now, he had not closed his eyes.
But he currently felt okay, without the obvious shadow in his eyes like Rong Qiu. Moreover, Qin Muye, who often stayed up for three to five nights during his sensitive period, tortured by pheromones, didn’t feel much about staying up all night now.
But his exhaustion was overwhelming, all because his heart was filled with thoughts of Rong Qiu.
Rong Qiu had recovered his memory.
Rong Qiu wanted to sever contact with him.
Qin Muye didn’t know how to win back Rong Qiu. He felt like he was trapped in a dead end, but as he changed his shoes at the entrance, he found out that he wasn’t the only one feeling sad and upset.
His brother’s reaction was even more intense than his.
This was his villa, where he had been living for several months. Although all the decorations were not designed by him, seeing the villa being destroyed like this, in a mess, Qin Muye couldn’t help but frown. The last time such a big scene was caused, it was because his brother was nearing his sensitive period. Alphas were restless before their sensitive periods, and even a little stimulation could change their temperament drastically.
But his brother’s sensitive period was still a month away.
Why was his brother going crazy now?
And he was going crazy in his house.
Qin Zexi smashed the vases, ornaments, tea cups, and tea sets in Qin Muye’s house. If it weren’t for the TV screen being tucked under the curtain, it would have been shattered by Qin Zexi long ago. Qin Zexi, who started it all, hadn’t noticed that Qin Muye had already returned. He was holding the remote control of the air conditioner tightly in his hand, and the hard plastic shell had already deformed. Even Qin Zexi’s palms had fresh red bloodstains.”
Watching the drop of blood from his brother’s palm drip onto the carpet, Qin Muye helplessly relaxed his brows.
“What’s going on again?”
Hearing Qin Muye’s voice, Qin Zexi clenched his teeth, his voice tight.
“Nothing.”
Qin Zexi didn’t want Qin Muye to know that he had been dumped by that beta, Rong Qin. His concealment stemmed from both his alpha pride and his brotherly demeanor.
Qin Muye didn’t want to ask more, but he already had some guesses in his heart. When Qin Zexi turned his head, Qin Muye saw the very obvious palm print on his brother’s face.
The only one who could leave a palm print on his brother’s face and make him infuriated was Rong Qin, that beta.
Sensing that Rong Qin had slapped his brother, Qin Muye wasn’t surprised.
In fact, considering Rong Qin’s character, which was stubborn and sharp, it was already rare that he had been able to tolerate his brother for so many years. After all, his brother’s mouth, sometimes, was unbearable even for him.
But the person who was beaten was still his own brother, so Qin Muye retrieved the first aid kit from the cabinet.
He didn’t have this habit because as an S-class alpha highly valued by the Federation, if he were injured, someone would come to treat him immediately with just a phone call. He had this medical kit because he saw Rong Qin had one when he was injured at Rong Qiu’s house before. He didn’t know what mentality he had, so he prepared one himself.
Qin Muye silently applied medicine to his brother’s injured hand. As for the injuries on his face, he ignored them, pretending not to know that his brother had been beaten. After applying the medicine, Qin Zexi’s mood seemed to have eased a bit.
Finally, he could talk to Qin Muye properly.
As expected, the conversation was all about Rong Qin.
His brother said that he went to find Rong Qin today, but Rong Qin pushed him out after a few urgings. His brother also said that Rong Qin took three months off from his company to not come to his company, but during this time, he was busy with things unrelated to him. Qin Zexi hid the part where he was slapped and became angry again as he spoke.
Why was Rong Qin suddenly so indifferent to him?
Indifferent to the point of actually hitting his face.
Since childhood, he had been a proud son of heaven. When had he ever been slapped by anyone? The scars on his body were all medals left behind after going to battle. The pain and swelling on his cheek made him feel ignored by Rong Qin.
Why couldn’t this beta live well with him?
Clearly, as long as he was obedient, listened, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to him, they could live a very harmonious life. But Rong Qin refused to enjoy the good days, diving into the volunteer army’s business instead.
Simply unreasonable.
But no matter how unreasonable, Rong Qin was the one he valued.
They had been together for so many years, and Qin Zexi would never let go of Rong Qin’s hand, even if it meant death, he would take Rong Qin with him.
Seeing his brother’s obsession, Qin Muye was completely numb.
His brother was always like this, seemingly never considering Rong Qin’s thoughts and plans. Although he didn’t like Rong Qin at first, he also disapproved of his brother taking Rong Qin to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get married. He could see Rong Qin’s reluctance, yet his brother still went ahead with it.
His brief sympathy for Rong Qin quickly disappeared due to Rong Qin’s unfavorable attitude towards his brother.
Because he had never seen a beta with such a sour face and a harsh tone. Every time he saw his brother’s alpha friends, they never looked pleased.
Becoming the trash bin for his brother’s emotions, Qin Muye silently tidied up everything in the house. Fortunately, he placed the pot of roses, which had already sprouted leaves, in his own room. If it had been placed in the living room or on the terrace, it might have been smashed clean by his brother by now.
Thinking that this was the third time his brother had destroyed his villa since coming to the Thirteenth Military District, Qin Muye finally couldn’t bear it anymore. He emphasized to his brother that if he wanted to smash things, he could go smash things at his own villa.
It was troublesome for him to keep repurchasing everything.
At this point, Qin Zexi was already looking down at his phone. After the bad mood passed, he was still the handsome and tall alpha who seemed naturally superior. If not for being told, no one would know that such a refined and cultured alpha would have such a bad habit.
“I’m not going back.”
“Brother, if you’re not going back, don’t smash up my house. If you’re in a bad mood, go to the military area and smash sandbags, or your house is so big, just pick any room and smash it.”
Qin Zexi chuckled, “What am I going back for now? To stay home alone?”
When it came to “staying home alone,” Qin Zexi even despised himself.
Qin Zexi had no intention of returning to his own villa because Rong Qin wasn’t there. That villa was purchased many years ago when he and Rong Qin both worked in the Thirteenth Military District. Initially, they had several dates there, and later it became their shared home in the Thirteenth Military District. The furnishings inside and the traces of life were all created by him and Rong Qin over the years.
He wouldn’t destroy that home with his own hands.
Unable to persuade his brother, Qin Muye just wanted to change the lock on the villa after his brother left. He shouldn’t have softened his heart and given his brother the keys in the first place.
As for feeling sorry for his brother?
He didn’t feel sorry for him at all.
His brother brought it upon himself, and they, as brothers, were responsible for their own downfall.
***
After the scene in Rong Qin’s office, Rong Qin himself couldn’t concentrate on work either. At 3:30 in the afternoon, half an hour before the end of work, he simply packed up the documents and drove back to Rong Qiu’s house.
Feeling bad all the way.
Thinking that he could see Rong Qiu, who was obedient and quiet, would make him feel better. However, when he opened the door, what he saw was a messy living room and Rong Qiu entangled with three to five large cardboard boxes in the center of the living room.
Rong Qin changed his shoes at the entrance, then had nowhere to step from the entrance to the entire living room, all of which urgently needed to be packed up.
“What’s going on? Are you moving?”
Rong Qin thought Rong Qiu would respond quickly, maybe even pop up from the cardboard boxes like a rabbit and start talking to him. But after a long silence, Rong Qiu acted as if he hadn’t seen him at all, not saying a word from beginning to end, not even lifting his head to look at him.
Rong Qin’s steps forward paused, his intuition telling him something was wrong.
Since when would Rong Qiu be so cold towards him?
Rong Qin didn’t know that Rong Qiu had regained his memories, so seeing Rong Qiu in such a different and depressed state, even looking as desolate as a withered tree branch, made him extremely worried.
He immediately pushed aside his own worries, walked over to Rong Qiu in three or five steps, intending to grab Rong Qiu’s arm and pull him away from the boxes, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move him. Rong Qiu’s arms were extremely thin, feeling heavy like unbalanced weights.
Rong Qin’s anxiety grew invisible.
Why did Qiu Qiu’s reaction feel like rejection?
Why would Qiu Qiu reject him?
Wasn’t he Rong Qiu’s closest Brother Rong Qin?
Rong Qin was at a loss, wondering what he had done recently to upset Rong Qiu.
Otherwise, why would Rong Qiu want to move?
The things Rong Qiu was packing in the cardboard boxes were all his personal belongings, while the tea sets and other items Rong Qin left here were quietly left in place by Rong Qiu, without any intention of packing them.
So Rong Qiu was moving out.
Without notifying him, he was moving out on his own.
Rong Qiu indeed seemed to be somewhat repelling Rong Qin.
He had always thought that Rong Qin sincerely helped him, but it turned out that Rong Qin had known about the complicated relationship between him and Qin Muye from the beginning.
Rong Qin’s partner was Qin Muye’s brother, Qin Zexi.
Rong Qin knew that he had been looking for Qin Muye for more than half a year, enduring half a year of cold violence from Qin Muye, yet he did nothing. Clearly, before he found the bar, Rong Qin had countless opportunities to explain the truth behind him, but he didn’t.
Rong Qiu felt abandoned by the world.
Nothing was real, everything he saw was fake.
In this cycle of new and old memories, he had been wandering for a long time, unable to see through people’s true nature, perhaps because he was foolish and had never seen through it.
Rong Qiu’s silence was particularly unbearable.
Rong Qin felt awkward circling around Rong Qiu, even though he was a few years older than Rong Qiu, he seemed much clumsier at the moment.
He wanted to coax Rong Qiu to explain what was going on, but Rong Qiu didn’t answer the reason. He just quietly asked Rong Qin one thing—
Did Brother Rong Qin know from the beginning about Qin Muye’s beta partner being him?
This question came too suddenly, Rong Qin hadn’t understood it in that moment, and he even misunderstood Rong Qiu’s meaning.
“No, Qin Muye is your bed partner, Qiu Qiu.”
Rong Qiu gently shook his head.
The sun, dyed orange, cast a halo of light, shining into the main hall from the terrace. The dust stirred up by Rong Qiu’s packing danced and spun in the light columns. In this afternoon silence, Rong Qiu sat in the middle of the light column, revealing a sickly paleness, as if any breath from Rong Qin could pierce through him.
Seeing Rong Qiu shaking his head, Rong Qin’s mind was a mess.
He tentatively asked Rong Qiu in a very slow voice, “Qiu Qiu, what do you… mean?”
Rong Qiu raised his head, his overly long hair almost covering his eyes. There was no emotional fluctuation in his exposed eyes, and even his tone was flat.
“About what happened five years ago, did Brother Rong Qin know from the beginning?”
Five years ago…
What could happen five years ago?
At this point, what else did Rong Qin not understand? He widened his eyes, and his lips, which were similar to Rong Qiu’s, were dumbfounded. He wanted to say something, but the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
Rong Qiu knew!
Rong Qiu had regained his memories!
He felt that he had treated Rong Qiu very well, but the only thing he felt he owed Rong Qiu was not advising him to leave Qin Muye earlier, and even when he advised Qin Muye to break up with Rong Qiu back then, he did it with a mocking attitude.
Qin Muye dragged on and on, all the way to graduation, and he didn’t say much.
He thought Qin Muye knew what was going on, and he thought it was Qin Muye’s private matter. At that time, he and Rong Qiu hadn’t gotten close enough, so naturally he didn’t interfere much.
But this was unfair after all.
If he had advised Qin Muye earlier and explained it to Rong Qiu earlier, Rong Qiu wouldn’t have suffered such piercing pain.
How could he ignore his role in Rong Qiu’s unbearable suffering to the point of wanting to jump into the river?
Rong Qin wanted to explain, but his face was burning with pain. Now in Rong Qiu’s heart, he must be like a hypocrite. Being good to him on one hand, but hiding all the pain Rong Qiu had suffered from him on the other hand, he felt like a shameless spectator.
Rong Qin remained silent, and such silence undoubtedly affirmed Rong Qiu’s suspicions.
Rong Qiu blinked his eyes blankly, the lashes curling up and down gently.
His heart was in pain.
But at the same time, he was also conflicted.
So conflicted that Rong Qiu didn’t know how to deal with Rong Qin, and could only temporarily relieve this complex feeling by moving out. Because Rong Qin had been very good to him for the past five years, even treating him like a younger brother. He had received a lot of care from Rong Qin when he came to the 13th Military District, and Rong Qin’s unconditional kindness in the past five years was extremely rare in Rong Qiu’s short and barren life.
But he couldn’t forget that Rong Qin and Qin Muye had hidden things from him five years ago.
Rong Qiu seemed to be trapped in a strange dilemma. He began to distrust everyone, but his mind told him that Rong Qin was different, that Rong Qin had been really good to him in these five years.
The most uncertain is the most dangerous.
In the end, Rong Qiu still moved out of the villa.
***
Rong Qiu’s departure left Rong Qin in a state of turmoil.
Just like the state Rong Qin was in when he found out Rong Qiu had lost his memory with Qin Muye back then, Rong Qin’s heart throbbed slightly. If it were someone unimportant treating him like this, he definitely wouldn’t be in this state.
He was already in his thirties, always emotionally reserved in his earlier years.
He didn’t like alphas who were not ambitious, and he disliked betas who endured everything.
It was only after meeting Rong Qiu that he gained some semblance of human warmth apart from romantic love. He treated Rong Qiu like his own younger brother, but now, seeing his own younger brother treating him like an enemy, it cut Rong Qin deeply.
He remembered something and recalled the phone call Qin Muye made to him during the day.
Rong Qin trembled as he dialed Qin Muye’s number again.
The other party picked up quickly.
“What’s up?”
“The matter of Qiu Qiu recovering his memory, do you know about it?”
“…Yeah.”
“When did it happen?”
“Last night.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier!”
“I tried calling you several times, but you didn’t answer. And later, Qiu Qiu was present so it wasn’t in a convenient position to talk.”
Qin Muye told Rong Qin about Rong Qiu’s state last night and the abnormality when he powered up his mech today. Rong Qin also mentioned Rong Qiu moving out of the villa today to Qin Muye.
As the conversation came to an end, silence enveloped the phone call.
After hanging up, Qin Muye leaned heavily against his chair.
He had originally planned for Rong Qin to take care of these matters concerning Rong Qiu, but he hadn’t expected Rong Qin to be involved for so long. Perhaps, like him, the moment Rong Qiu regained his memory, Rong Qin had already occupied a position as the villain in Rong Qiu’s heart.
***
Rong Qiu’s new home wasn’t a two-story beautiful villa, but rather a one-story unit in a residential complex, less than sixty square meters in size. It was newly renovated and very close to his research institute, just a ten-minute walk away.
Rong Qiu unloaded the boxes from his car one by one—three large cardboard boxes and two suitcases. In fact, he hadn’t gathered all his belongings yet, but he didn’t want to stay with Rong Qin in that awkward situation.
Silently carrying the luggage, he made four trips to bring all his belongings upstairs.
By the time he had settled down completely, it was already dark outside.
Being close to the beach, his floor was quite high, allowing him to see through the dense trees and residential area to the distant coastline, illuminated by a reddish-orange glow. Standing on the high balcony, looking down from above, the people moving below seemed like tiny black ants.
The ants were carrying their essentials, some diligent, some tired, displaying various postures, but ultimately returning to their own little homes.
***
Moving was just the beginning, and Rong Qiu had already noticed that something was off with his state of mind. However, he wasn’t the same person he was five years ago, so fragile that he would sit on a high bridge over the river at the slightest incident, contemplating suicide.
He tried to maintain his emotions.
Even though his new home was only fifty square meters, he still managed it well.
When the weather was good, he would bask in the warmth of the bedding, the golden roses on the small coffee table. Rong Qiu also resumed his habit of writing daily in his journal.
He had started using a new journal for this.
Five days passed like this, during which Rong Qin and Qin Muye had tried to contact him. Phone calls, messages, various means were attempted.
Rong Qiu replied, but he chose selectively.
He didn’t bother replying to Qin Muye’s messages, only replying to Rong Qin’s.
He refused Rong Qin’s request to move back after rejecting his request to move out.
【Rong Qiu: No need, my house is already settled, and it’s close to the research institute here.】
【Rong Qin: Can you tell me where you live? I’ll come see you.】
Rong Qiu told him, and Rong Qin actually came. He brought a lot of things for Rong Qiu, everything for eating, drinking, using, and sleeping, but he brought too much and didn’t anticipate that Rong Qiu’s house would be so small.
The things he brought piled up in the living room, already filling half of it.
Rong Qiu sighed helplessly, only moving these things into the guest room. The guest room was originally intended to be used as a study, but now it seemed it could only be used as a storage room.
Originally, Rong Qin was anxious that Rong Qiu wouldn’t accept his gifts, but Rong Qiu did accept them, and Rong Qin’s tense heart finally eased slightly.
But it only eased slightly; he still felt somewhat nervous.
“Qiu Qiu, about what happened five years ago…”
“It’s all in the past.”
“?”
Rong Qiu lifted his head from a box of items. “I said it’s all in the past.”
Rong Qin couldn’t believe it; he actually heard such words from Rong Qiu’s mouth. Rong Qiu said it’s all in the past… Did that mean he didn’t hate him for what happened five years ago?
Seeing Rong Qin’s obvious surprise, Rong Qiu didn’t smile.
He just lowered his head, earnestly tinkering with the box, like a child playing with toys.
Seeing him bowing his head in silence, Rong Qin inexplicably softened.
He even hallucinated the image of Rong Qiu as a child. Little Rong Qiu must have been fair and soft, with big eyes and long eyelashes. His hair must have been like fine black silk, and he probably had a few stray hairs sticking up often because he couldn’t comb his hair properly.
Rong Qiu wasn’t a child anymore.
He was already an adult, just had his birthday, already twenty-six years old.
But after leaving Rong Qiu’s house this time, Rong Qin wanted to see Rong Qiu’s past, not to investigate, he was just curious about what Rong Qiu looked like as a child.
He still remembered the welfare home where Rong Qiu was, the one he had been sponsoring for the past few years. So he asked a friend who was still in the capital to inquire about it. It didn’t need to be investigated thoroughly, just to get a rough idea of Rong Qiu’s upbringing.
Because some years had passed, it was especially difficult to find out, especially since it was a welfare home where children came and went over the years. If Rong Qin asked someone to check, it wouldn’t be easy to get results quickly.
But he remembered that Qin Muye seemed to have checked before.
So he made another call to Qin Muye.
Qin Muye did indeed check on Rong Qiu, and he had done so six years ago. At that time, he needed a clean bedmate, so before he confirmed that he wanted to be with Rong Qiu, he checked very carefully. He checked from when Rong Qiu entered the orphanage until Rong Qiu got into A University.
Rong Qiu’s background was clean and spotless.
Sending the same information to Rong Qin, Qin Muye asked calmly.
“How is Qiu Qiu doing lately?”
He wasn’t unaware of where Rong Qiu was living now, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to disturb Rong Qiu face-to-face. He hadn’t sorted out his own thoughts yet, how he should face Rong Qiu now, or what he should do to minimize Rong Qiu’s rejection of him.
During this time when he hadn’t figured it out, he was torn and gloomy.
He envied Rong Qin very much, that he could still be accepted by Rong Qiu.
And all the messages he sent out were like stones sinking into the sea. He didn’t block them, but he didn’t get any responses either.
He just stubbornly kept sending them.
Every day there were greetings and inquiries from him.
Now he finally understood how Rong Qiu must have felt during the time when he was being cold-shouldered.
You knew the other person might not respond to your messages, but you still sent them with hope.
But after seven days, he couldn’t bear it anymore.
Rong Qiu had endured his emotional neglect for half a year.
During that half year, he didn’t reply to Rong Qiu’s messages, and he even threw away the spare phone that was the only means of contact with Rong Qiu into the trash. He cut off the contact himself, and now he regretted it bitterly.
Qin Muye’s chest ached with sorrow as he looked at the blank screen.
On the neat and clean page, there were only the long, endless, one-sided disturbances he had made.
***
Rong Qin carefully read the documents Qin Muye sent over.
As he expected, Rong Qiu was also an outstanding child in the orphanage, but he didn’t seem particularly happy. Especially when he saw that Rong Qiu was finally adopted but was returned because he turned out to be a beta, Rong Qin clenched his fists in heartache at the pale record. If it were him, he would definitely beat up those foster parents who returned Qiu Qiu.
How could they not cherish such a good treasure and only see alphas in their eyes?
People with such thoughts deserved a good beating.
***
While Qin Muye and Rong Qin were investigating his past, Rong Qiu had already joined a tour group again.
He went on a trip.
This time, he traveled alone.
No one informed anyone, until three days later when Rong Qin brought things to Rong Qiu’s house and couldn’t get Rong Qiu to open the door no matter how hard he knocked. The neighbor next door was eventually disturbed enough to come out.
“Don’t knock anymore. The young man who just moved in hasn’t come back for a few days.”
“He hasn’t come back for a few days since he just moved in?”
“Yeah, he hasn’t been back for a few days.”
“Thank you.”
Carrying things from Rong Qiu’s house downstairs, the car downstairs belonged to Qin Muye. Qin Muye and Rong Qin came together today, but Qin Muye didn’t dare to go upstairs; he was afraid his presence would upset Rong Qiu again, so he just waited downstairs.
Seeing Rong Qin coming down so quickly, Qin Muye frowned. He thought Rong Qiu had rejected Rong Qin’s items, and Rong Qin had been rejected by Rong Qiu. But Rong Qin looked somewhat anxious.
“What’s wrong?”
Rong Qin dialed Rong Qiu’s number while responding to Qin Muye, “The neighbor said Qiu Qiu hasn’t come home in the past few days.”
Qin Muye’s expression immediately became serious.
If it were someone else who hadn’t come home for a few days, he might not have been so worried, but Rong Qiu was different. Rong Qiu had previously attempted suicide by jumping into the river.
Now that he hadn’t come home for so many days, Qin Muye was extremely anxious.
Before he could dial the phone to let his subordinates find out where Rong Qiu was, Rong Qin, who hadn’t dialed the phone yet, saw the latest update from Rong Qiu in his friend circle.
“Wait a minute, Qiu Qiu posted something.”
Rong Qiu’s post wasn’t blocked from anyone, so both Qin Muye and Rong Qin could see it.
It was a photo of him traveling, with an extremely bright and blue sky in the background, and a reddish-brown canyon.
Group photo, everyone had their own posture, but they were all lively, while Rong Qiu had nothing. Although Rong Qiu was standing in the middle of the tourists, he seemed very lonely, his indifferent expression contrasting sharply with the excited and upbeat expressions of the people around him. If it weren’t for the fact that the photo was posted by Rong Qiu, Qin Muye and Rong Qin would have thought it might have been photoshopped.
“Qiu Qiu didn’t have an accident, he just went on a trip?”
Qin Muye nodded gravely.
He engraved Rong Qiu’s appearance in the photo into his mind, his deep gaze passing over Rong Qiu’s features. Just when Rong Qin breathed a sigh of relief, the dimness in Qin Muye’s eyes deepened slightly.
“He looks thinner.”
“What?” Rong Qin looked up from the photo, then looked at the photo seriously again, “Rong Qiu looks thinner? I didn’t notice.”
But Qin Muye affirmed decisively, “He is thinner.”
His jawline has become sharper.
***
Rong Qiu hadn’t actually lost weight.
His sharper jawline was simply due to the slimming feature used by the female tour guide who took their group photo.
On the contrary, Rong Qiu had a good appetite.
No one in this tour group knew him.
Not even the beta boss who had been with him all the time last time.
Because he was too silent, many members of the entire tour group criticized him as a “depressing person.”
Rong Qiu was indeed “depressing” and “independent.”
From the first day he entered this tour group, he had displayed the characteristics of being “depressing” very clearly. When the tour guide arranged for them to skydive in advance, while the other tourists were pushing and shoving, desperately trying to move back, Rong Qiu was the first one to get on the helicopter.
He expressionlessly put on various pieces of equipment, then warmed up under the guidance of the instructor.
No fear, no anticipation, as if skydiving was just another daily routine for him.
This made his alpha instructor, who was tandem jumping with him, feel somewhat powerless.
Why aren’t his legs trembling?
Why aren’t his eyes shining?
Why does this beta’s demeanor seem like he can go home for dinner right after skydiving?
Actually, Rong Qiu’s heart was slightly illuminated. The feeling of skydiving from high altitude was different from soaring in a mecha. When piloting a mecha, one is inside the cockpit and doesn’t feel the wind, but during skydiving, his features would be distorted by the wind.
It’s just that he was stimulated for a very short time. After landing, Rong Qiu remained calm for a long time. Rong Qiu’s temperament, which lacked worldly desires and emotions, made the fellow tourists secretly call him a “depressing fish”, which later evolved into “depressing person” because he repeated the jump five times with a despondent face before stopping because his face felt uncomfortable from being blown by the wind.
In fact, he was just accustomed to the feeling of free falling from high altitude.
Yes, this had become his habit.
Whether it was the real free fall of piloting a mecha, or countless simulations replayed in his mind, he had already fallen thousands of times.
But no one ever pulled him out of the sea.
When he posted his update, he was eating at the restaurant booked by the tour group. Because he needed to save money this time, he didn’t book the luxury tour group like last time, but just an ordinary one. However, even so, Rong Qiu still enjoyed the food in the restaurant very much.
While others gathered in groups of three or five, he occupied a whole table alone.
Rong Qiu wore a loose white windbreaker, with a soft white turtleneck sweater underneath. He looked extremely gentle and clean. His hair was somewhat long, soft and draped over his head. Each strand of hair shone with a deep brown luster in the light. Rong Qiu now was still the same as before, but it seemed like something was different, gentle yet powerful.
So eating alone was no big deal, and it didn’t matter if no one accompanied him.
Although this seemed like a manifestation of being depressing to others.
Rong Qiu didn’t mind.
He chewed every grain of rice in his mouth seriously. It seemed that the sweetness from the rice grains entering his mouth was more satisfying than any intimate conversation. After finishing this bowl of rice, it wasn’t enough. He ordered a second one, a bowl the size of a palm. He felt like he could eat four or five bowls.
It wasn’t until the end of the third bowl of rice that he took out his phone from the side of the table.
He had just posted an update.
He never thought there would be many likes and comments.
But there were quite a few.
[Beta Boss: Master Qiu actually went on a trip behind my back! Sob sob sob!]
Rong Qiu: Didn’t want to bother you since you’re busy.
[Zhao Nanchen: My older brother finally let me play with the phone! Little Qiu, take me next time! Take me next time! I’ll carry the bags, book hotels, fight hooligans, and I don’t eat much!]
Rong Qiu: Focus on your work and be more considerate to your brother.
[Brother Rong Qin: When are you coming back? Shall I come to pick you up?]
Rong Qiu hesitated for a moment…
Rong Qiu: Returning in ten days, no need to come pick me up.
Rong Qin’s comment was the last one. Just as Rong Qiu finished replying to Rong Qin, seeing that no one else was continuing to comment, Rong Qiu prepared to get up to refill his rice, but suddenly noticed that beneath that post, there was an additional heart and a comment.
Rong Qiu’s footsteps halted.
[Head Commander Qin (Qin Muye): You’ve gotten thinner. Eat more rice while you’re out there.]
Rong Qiu glanced at this comment for a moment, then looked at the delicate little porcelain bowl in his hand.
He suspected that Qin Muye had installed surveillance on him.
After a pause, Rong Qiu’s expression cooled slightly. But soon, he got up expressionlessly to refill his fourth bowl of rice, and casually added this redundant person to his blacklist.
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