Chapter 65
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The night was cool as water, but Rong Qiu’s eyes were clearer than the snowy night.
Seeing Rong Qiu appear in front of him, Qin Muye was very surprised.
To be precise, Qin Muye didn’t expect Rong Qiu to still be awake at this hour. He had come over hoping that Rong Qiu would be asleep by now. When he came over last night, he found that the small plants here seemed to be struggling to survive, so he took a photo of them, identified their species when he got back, and had his subordinates immediately find similar plants.
He had intended to replace them quietly, but he was caught by Rong Qiu.
He was afraid that Rong Qiu would misunderstand his intentions.
After all, in Rong Qiu’s heart, he was a downright villain.
Qin Muye was completely immersed in hesitation.
He shrank back the hand holding the small plant, his expression appearing indifferent on the surface, as if he didn’t feel embarrassed after being caught. In reality, his heart was pounding. He knew it was inappropriate for him to appear outside Rong Qiu’s villa in the middle of the night, but he hadn’t thought of a reasonable excuse yet.
He gently placed the small green plant behind him, changing from a crouching position to a straight one. Even so, Rong Qiu, with the advantage of the higher terrace, still stood half a head taller than him.
But Qin Muye didn’t think there was anything wrong with meeting such an unfriendly gaze.
In the moonlight, he greeted Rong Qiu gently.
“Qiuqiu, good evening.”
“…”
As the alpha spoke, the attractive Adam’s apple rolled gently up and down, strands of hair casually falling down to cover the man’s smooth and full forehead, forming a thick and noticeable shadow between his eyebrows. There was a hint of fatigue on his face, but Qin Muye’s eyes were extremely bright, as dark as an inkstone touched by water droplets. Amidst the moonlight and snow, they sparkled particularly brightly.
Rong Qiu had been waiting for Qin Muye’s explanation, but instead of getting one, all he received was an irrelevant greeting.
“I didn’t mean any harm, I just saw these flowers dying…” Qin Muye’s voice was low.
“What?” Rong Qiu raised an eyebrow.
The villa was heated, and even the terrace was warm. But the terrace windows were tightly closed, so although Rong Qiu could clearly see Qin Muye’s appearance, his words sounded somewhat muffled.
Rong Qiu didn’t hear clearly.
He opened the window.
A rush of cold air hit his face, and under the huge temperature difference, Rong Qiu’s nose instantly turned red. With a shiver, all his drowsiness disappeared.
He immediately closed the window again.
Qin Muye watched Rong Qiu’s actions, his heart suddenly jumping.
Soon, he was filled with a sense of loss.
Rong Qiu had indeed misunderstood.
He had crossed the line.
He shouldn’t have intruded into Rong Qiu’s private territory without his consent.
With the hand behind his back tightly gripping the still unplanted seedling, the delicate thorns inadvertently pricked Qin Muye’s palm, like Rong Qiu poking him with a thin needle. The small moon on the terrace was nowhere to be seen, and Qin Muye’s loss turned into a surging sea, instantly engulfing him.
Qin Muye tensed up all over. He put the hand behind his back back in place. Rong Qiu didn’t want to see him, so he would plant these seedlings and leave.
Rong Qiu’s movements were quick. After closing the terrace window, he immediately put down the cup of hot water in his hand, grabbed the down jacket on the first-floor sofa, put it on, and walked out. When he opened the door and turned to look at the small garden on the right, he didn’t see Qin Muye at first.
Rubbing his hands together, he took two tentative steps forward. Rong Qiu then noticed that a tall pile of snow blocked the person.
The tall alpha had squatted down again at some point, his knees bent, his back straight, and in his hand was a not particularly large but especially sturdy little green seedling.
Qin Muye carefully placed the seedling into the pit he had just dug out, slowly filling the surrounding soil with a small shovel. He lightly patted the soil pile that had been gently tamped down, wanting to press the soil more firmly; after planting this seedling, there were other seedlings that needed to be replaced.
Rong Qiu finally understood why Qin Muye had appeared in his garden tonight.
He wanted to replace the dying seedlings in his garden with healthy ones…
But why did he do it?
Rong Qiu’s heart stirred slightly.
He couldn’t think of a reason, and didn’t want to think about it, or rather, he was avoiding thinking about it.
The wind outside was strong.
Qin Muye didn’t realize that Rong Qiu was already standing behind him. He silently planted these seedlings, treating each one with the same care as handling extremely important military documents. But at this moment, his mind was particularly heavy. After finishing with the last seedling, Qin Muye gathered the nearly lifeless seedlings nearby, put them together in the bag that originally held the new seedlings, and also collected all the planting tools he brought.
Qin Muye’s movements were slow throughout, and Rong Qiu’s face outside was getting colder and colder. Rong Qiu let out a breath, warming his sore nose.
“Qin Muye.”
“?!”
Qin Muye, who had not yet turned around, was suddenly startled. He turned around woodenly, his breath catching in his throat.
The small moon, which had originally been separated by the terrace glass, suddenly appeared in front of him.
The moon’s hands were rubbing its cheeks, revealing a face as white as fine porcelain, and its eyes were particularly clear and gentle. The blue-amber color was especially deep under the moonlit night, staring directly at him.
“It’s you who has been taking care of my little garden.”
It wasn’t a question, but an affirmation.
But Qin Muye thought Rong Qiu was going to be angry, so he immediately wanted to explain, but at a critical moment, he stuttered.
“I just happened to, happened to pass by…”
“When did it start?”
Rong Qiu actually knew, but he still wanted to ask. He wanted to hear the man say it himself.
This time Qin Muye didn’t hide it from him, and there was no need to lie: “During the worst days of the cold snowstorm…”
Seeing Rong Qiu speaking, Qin Muye immediately added, “I came back from your apartment that time, and when I passed by your villa, I saw the garden collapsed, so I came over to rebuild it. I didn’t mean to intrude into your house.”
“En.”
Rong Qiu responded with a vague sound, meaning unclear.
From some point on, the right to speak and take the initiative in the conversation was in Rong Qiu’s hands.
This was particularly obvious to Rong Qiu, but Qin Muye hadn’t realized it yet. He hadn’t noticed that he was always anxious and overthinking because of Rong Qiu’s incomprehensible language and expression. He hadn’t realized that all his emotions were already being controlled by the clear and gentle little moon in front of him. What he knew was that he didn’t want Rong Qiu to be angry, and he didn’t want Rong Qiu to misunderstand him.
Although his position in Rong Qiu’s heart had plummeted, he still didn’t want Rong Qiu’s impression of him among his friends and family to deepen.
In fact, Rong Qiu already believed Qin Muye’s words.
He was just shocked by Qin Muye’s repeated concessions, which didn’t require any explanation.
What reason did an alpha need to do anything? So far, Qin Muye was the second calm and composed alpha that Rong Qiu had encountered, the first being his instructor in the First Military District, and also his first and only mentor in life.
Qin Muye wasn’t always like this.
Five or six years ago, the proud and arrogant alpha would never have been so nervous as to start stuttering over such trivial matters. Even when Qin Muye gave public speeches in the Thirteenth Military District, he wouldn’t be as out of control as he was now in front of him.
Rong Qiu’s gaze wandered over the man’s back. Qin Muye wasn’t wearing military uniform; inside, he had on a thick sweater, and outside, he was wrapped in a long black down jacket that Rong Qiu was very familiar with, so long that it reached Qin Muye’s calves. Qin Muye’s hands were tightly behind his back, but even without Rong Qiu carefully observing, he knew that the man’s hands must have been frozen red by now.
As an S-class alpha like Qin Muye, he didn’t need to do these things…
Since Rong Qiu didn’t want to think, he suppressed himself from thinking about it.
But he still couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander.
Qin Muye had entered Rong Qiu’s garden several times, and Rong Qiu hadn’t said anything.
Rong Qiu looked at the moon in the sky and the pile of snow next to them, both cold in their colors.
“It’s so late, you should go back quickly, and there’s no need to come here again in the future.”
“Qiuqiu…” Qin Muye couldn’t understand the meaning in Rong Qiu’s words, thinking that he was being driven away, or even not allowed to approach.
However, Rong Qiu’s sneeze interrupted his words.
Rong Qiu rubbed his itchy nose. “It’s too cold. Let’s talk about it when it’s warm and sunny during the day. Let’s go back to sleep now.”
***
Qin Muye’s clever brain was momentarily stunned.
Rong Qiu said to wait until it was warm and sunny during the day to discuss matters, and after they parted ways, he waited in the car all night. Sitting in the car and waiting was uncomfortable, both mentally and physically. After a few hours, Qin Muye’s limbs had stiffened. Being tall, with long arms and legs, even if he deliberately pushed the seat back to the maximum, it was still awkward.
The moon disappeared, and the sun rose from the east, casting a soft warm light on the snowy ground. The snow blocks cleared by the snowplow looked like square yellow puddings, shimmering faintly under the light.
When Rong Qiu went out to buy breakfast, he saw the familiar car parked next to his courtyard.
Rong Qiu’s steps froze instantly.
Rong Qiu didn’t dare to approach and talk to him rashly. He couldn’t see the person in the car, but the license plate and the model of the car were Qin Muye’s.
Why so early.
It was only six o’clock now, and Qin Muye’s car was parked at his doorstep.
In hesitation, the person in the car opened the door.
Isn’t it Qin Muye.
The man stepped out into the morning light, the handsome silhouette on his face with a layer of sunrise, but the light still couldn’t hide the deep shadows in the man’s eyes. Fatigue overwhelmed him, so when Qin Muye greeted Rong Qiu, his voice was low, and even a little hoarse.
“Qiuqiu, morning.”
As the words came out, Qin Muye himself realized that his voice was unusually low, perhaps because he had been exposed to the cold wind for too long last night without any warm tea to soothe his throat. His voice today sounded a bit strained.
The man immediately stopped talking, his thin lips tightly pressed together, the lip line also tightly drawn.
“Morning.”
Rong Qiu’s hand was still in the pocket of his down jacket, which was loose and warm, wrapping him up tightly, only revealing a small, delicate head.
After seeing Qin Muye last night, he suddenly didn’t have the mood to continue working.
So he slept well enough.
Rong Qiu pulled out his hand and glanced at his wristwatch. “It’s six o’clock now. Aren’t you going to work?”
The man shook his head dully.
He couldn’t explain his current feelings clearly. He was happy to see Rong Qiu, but he didn’t know how to organize his words to say what he wanted to. So he brought up last night’s matter again.
“I wasn’t here to steal flowers last night. Your flowers may not survive, so I came to plant new seedlings for you.”
Rong Qiu didn’t expect Qin Muye to still be concerned about this matter.
If Qin Muye hadn’t mentioned it, Rong Qiu would have forgotten about it himself.
“If those flowers can’t survive, then they can’t survive. They were not sown according to the seasons anyway. I know.”
But Qin Muye shook his head.
Seeing him shake his head, Rong Qiu raised an eyebrow. “What does shaking your head mean?”
“…If you plant them, you hope they will bloom.”
“But if they can’t survive the winter and freeze to death, there’s nothing I can do. Not everything can be as one wishes.”
The man blinked extremely slowly. “Is Qiuqiu implying something else?”
“Did I?” Rong Qiu was surprised, then quickly added, “You can interpret it that way if you want.”
After saying that, Rong Qiu looked away, not looking at the man in front of him.
He found that Qin Muye had been doing seemingly insignificant things recently, not taking the initiative to talk to him, but gently touching his heart in invisible ways. Like returning the pen on Christmas Day, or Qin Muye coming to take care of his little garden several times without his knowledge.
“In any case, thank you.” Rong Qiu breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “Goodbye.”
Rong Qiu turned and left without hesitation.
But Qin Muye kept staring at Rong Qiu’s departing figure, watching the thin silhouette gradually disappear. The dark eyes in Qin Muye’s head stirred up a deep and incomprehensible sense of melancholy; he looked down at the frostbite on his palm, which was hot and itchy. This kind of strange itchiness was incomparable to the dejection and frustration he felt when watching Rong Qiu leave.
But this low mood dissipated slowly with the herbal-scented ointment he took out of the box, slowly drifting away with the wind.
He took it, but didn’t use it yet.
He first carefully wiped every corner of his swollen palm with disinfectant wipes. The ointment was prepared according to the prescription given by Rong Qiu. Whether it was psychological or not, he felt that the swollen patches and nodules on his hand were truly showing signs of improvement.
Qin Muye spread out his hand.
It still didn’t look as good as before.
Would Qiuqiu despise him?
What’s the use of thinking about this… Qiuqiu didn’t even want to talk to him anymore.
***
Rong Qin quickly resumed his work. Although he couldn’t go to the company, online meetings were held continuously, starting from seven in the morning until noon.
Rong Qiu was worried about whether Rong Qin could handle it.
But Rong Qin was in high spirits.
He found his younger brother, resumed his voluntary work, and had just discussed the redistribution of the will with his lawyer. The portion originally intended for Qin Zexi was now all assigned to Rong Qiu, while the remaining part continued to be invested in welfare projects, accumulating blessings for their future lives together.
He temporarily kept the modification of the will a secret from Rong Qiu.
Rong Qiu was too obedient, too clever, and he didn’t ask for anything. This was the only way he could secretly give.
But the fact that he had contacted the lawyer was somehow discovered by Qin Zexi.
Qin Zexi’s injuries were far more severe now than his. The fall in the hospital caused Qin Zexi’s previously fixed thigh bone to break again, requiring another surgery to reattach it with steel nails and plaster. This time, Qin Zexi was ordered by Qin Muye not to get out of bed. Despite Qin Zexi’s resistance, after finally settling down for a few days, he had obtained a new phone number and was now bothering him again.
Even after blocking him, he still came to harass him.
Rong Qin was annoyed.
The call was already connected, and Qin Zexi on the other end of the line was hysterical. “Ah Qin, did you consult a lawyer? Are you really going to divorce me?”
Although Rong Qin had consulted a lawyer just to revise the will, he didn’t mind provoking Qin Zexi on this matter. Looking at the documents in his hand, Rong Qin’s face turned as cold as ice. “Yes, I said we were going to divorce.”
The voice on the other end of the phone was full of resentment. “Ah Qin, I know I was wrong. You can do whatever you want, can’t we stay married? As long as we don’t divorce, you can establish your voluntary army, stay in the same household register with Rong Qiu. You can still do whatever you want, I won’t stop you.”
Rong Qin smiled faintly, not taking it seriously. “Do you think I would believe you now? Zexi, I know exactly what kind of person you are.”
“Ah Qin…”
“Don’t try to appease me, deceive me, and then deal with me after you recover.” Rong Qin had figured out Qin Zexi’s intentions clearly. “I am getting a divorce. And I must get a divorce.”
“I won’t allow it!” Qin Zexi’s calm tone finally completely collapsed, with a hint of madness in his words. Then there was a crackling sound on the phone, as if something heavy had fallen. Rong Qin could hear it clearly, along with the stern voice of an unfamiliar caregiver coming from the phone—
“Mr. Qin, please don’t move around randomly, or your thigh bone won’t withstand another surgery.”
Chaos ensued on the other side.
Rong Qin hung up the phone with a complicated mood.
He knew that Qin Zexi couldn’t contact him during this time because Qin Muye had intervened, so he had to handle all the divorce matters before that alpha was discharged from the hospital. Thinking of Qin Zexi’s resolute and unreasonable actions, Rong Qin felt particularly frustrated. What could he do to make Qin Zexi completely let go of him?
Rong Qin intentionally kept this matter from him, so Rong Qiu didn’t know that Rong Qin had been harassed once.
Today, Rong Qiu had to spare some time to go to the research institute. The Alliance of Research Institutes had informed him that a chief mech designer had arrived at the Thirteenth Military District and specifically requested to see Rong Qiu.
Rong Qiu counted the names of several chief mech designers in his mind. There were quite a few chief mech designers in the First Military District, as many as thirteen. For a moment, he didn’t know who was coming to see him.
But when he arrived at the entrance of the research institute and saw the crowded group of people, his brows furrowed.
Before he even got out of the car, he was greeted by the tall alpha leading the group.
“Mr. Rong, hello. I am Fang Xunzhou, the chief mech designer of the First Military District.”
“…Hello.”
Rong Qiu politely led Fang Xunzhou inside, but he didn’t allow the others behind Fang Xunzhou to enter. Some were Fang Xunzhou’s assistants, and some were visitors from the Alliance of Research Institutes. There were too many people, and this was not an official research institute open to visitors. Moreover, many of them were not professionals.
Fang Xunzhou was enthusiastic all the way. At sixty-seven years old, he had devoted all his efforts to mech design, and he had never married. He had thought he would spend his whole life designing mechs in the First Military District, but he never expected to come to the cold Thirteenth Military District one day.
It was too cold that day, almost making him lose his mind.
Rong Qiu’s research institute didn’t have heating, so he only turned on the heater in his office in advance.
After leading Fang Xunzhou into the office, Rong Qiu already had a good understanding of the purpose of Fang Xunzhou’s visit.
Fang Xunzhou came for the new military mech Rong Qiu had designed last time. Rong Qiu’s mech was clearly different from the popular military mechs in the district. Judging from the military mech they had obtained from the Thirteenth Military District, the trial flight data of Rong Qiu’s mech was exceptionally outstanding.
Less fuel consumption, larger firing range, and a more agile and lightweight aircraft design.
There were too many things to study inside.
Even Fang Xunzhou couldn’t help but marvel. Such an excellent mech was actually designed by a beta designer who had just turned twenty-six this year.
It wasn’t that he discriminated against betas, but in the fields of mech design and mech piloting, the appearance of betas was as rare as a national treasure. These two fields had been monopolized by alphas, and even he thought that he wouldn’t see any new beta talents for another fifty years.
What surprised him even more now was that such important mech research data and design drawings were openly displayed to him by Rong Qiu.
Rong Qiu didn’t hide anything.
With these materials, anyone with intention could analyze the principles inside his mech given enough time.
Moreover, unlike the other chief mech designers in the First Military District, Fang Xunzhou was known for his fairness and rigorousness in research and study, highly praised by his former professors.
So Rong Qiu didn’t mind doing a favor.
But Fang Xunzhou obviously wasn’t so calm. He looked at the fifty or so pages of thesis in front of him, and even though his eyes were eager, he didn’t immediately pick them up.
“This is not appropriate. I just came to discuss some questions, how can I directly take someone else’s core data.”
“When this mech is operational in various military districts, it will eventually be researched.” Rong Qiu poured a cup of hot water for Fang Xunzhou, “Besides, I trust Professor Ren’s words.”
“Professor Ren… Do you know Ren Yuqing?”
Rong Qiu nodded. “Professor Ren was my main course teacher at A University.”
“But I remember Professor Yuqing teaching mech practical operation, aren’t you studying mech design…”
Fang Xunzhou was completely confused.
Rong Qiu smiled with pursed lips. He pushed the thesis in his hand forward again, subtly changing the subject, “Actually, I have many questions I want to discuss with Mr. Fang.”
The two chatted happily.
Although Rong Qiu was young, many of his views were particularly innovative and indeed feasible; the questions he raised were also worth pondering. However, as they continued, Fang Xunzhou frowned slightly. “If the mech is designed like this, wouldn’t the firepower be reduced to the minimum?”
“Yes. Not reduced to the minimum, but completely eliminated.”
“Completely eliminated? How can the firepower of a military mech be completely eliminated?”
“Oh… It’s not a military mech, it’s a civilian mech.”
When Fang Xunzhou heard that Rong Qiu’s next mech was not a military one but a civilian one, he was surprised for a few seconds before quickly understanding.
Young people like to research different things, which is good, very enterprising.
Fang Xunzhou’s impression of Rong Qiu became even better.
“It’s a good thing that the rumors about you online were clarified, otherwise, you would have had to endure a lot of unfounded accusations.”
It was because Rong Qiu’s name was on the headlines of StarNet that Fang Xunzhou noticed there was such a mech designer.
Hearing this, Rong Qiu curled his hand into a fist and lightly tapped his nose.
It wasn’t explained thoroughly.
Because he had just changed the subject.
He couldn’t imagine that an omega who had only met him once would have such great malice towards him, even going so far as to buy multiple trending topics on StarNet just to tarnish his reputation.
Speaking of which, this matter was also related to Qin Muye. Thanks to Qin Muye’s intervention, it was resolved smoothly.
But Rong Qiu was still feeling frustrated.
He remained frustrated even until he saw Fang Xunzhou off.
Looking at the snow outside the mech research institute, which had been cleaned up, Rong Qiu suddenly noticed something. The ground looked clean, without any dampness. Suddenly, the tall figure of a certain alpha flashed in his mind.
He asked a nearby cleaner, “Did someone specifically come to clear the snow outside this research institute after the blizzard?”
“A snowplow came the first day after the snow stopped.”
“Okay, thank you.”
The conversation with Fang Xunzhou had taken longer than expected, and Rong Qiu’s mind was slightly sluggish now.
Rong Qiu headed to the convenience store next door, intending to buy a cup of instant coffee.
With the warm cup in his hand, Rong Qiu continued to lower his head, pondering over his mech design drawings. After the design drawings were completed, he would need to calculate the data repeatedly and then conduct experiments. Without reimbursement from the research institute, it was somewhat difficult for him to fund it all by himself. Fortunately, the batch of military mechs would soon be available for sale in the Thirteenth Military District.
It wouldn’t be long before his increasingly empty accounts were replenished.
Rong Qiu was very satisfied.
As he brought the coffee to his lips, he was interrupted by someone’s voice.
Turning around, Rong Qiu saw that it was the Director Qian of the mech research institute.
Long time no see, the director appeared even more weathered than before. His originally gray hair was now completely white, and his plump figure, like a deflated balloon, seemed somewhat shriveled.
“Director Qian?”
“You don’t need to call me Director Qian anymore.” Director Qian smiled bitterly.
He was no longer the director of the mech research institute because his misdeeds were discovered by the Alliance of Research Institutes. Since Rong Qiu had won the lawsuit against a certain incompetent alpha designer at the mech research institute, he had been forced to step down from his position as director. Although he could still conduct research at the institute in the future, he no longer had such great authority.
Rong Qiu was unaware of all this.
Leaving the mech research hospital felt like he had taken off a heavy burden.
But Director Qian saying that he was no longer the director didn’t matter. What mattered was, why was this person looking for him today?
Director Qian had come to persuade Rong Qiu to go back.
Rong Qiu thought he had misheard. He put down the coffee cup in his hand. “Go back? Go back where? Doesn’t the mech research institute not welcome me?”
Rong Qiu didn’t want to go back.
There were pests everywhere, and if one was removed from the mech research institute, there would be another, and another. Right now, he just wanted to ask one question: why did Director Qian prefer to protect that alpha designer who hadn’t achieved much, rather than value him?
It’s not that he didn’t understand modesty; in terms of achievements in mech design, he was not inferior to that alpha designer.
He just lost to time.
But if he had five to ten more years, his research results would not be limited to what they were now.
Now, Rong Qiu looked at Director Qian with keen eyes. Director Qian’s face flushed. How was he supposed to respond? To say that many years ago, he was bribed by that alpha, so he protected him in the mech research institute for so many years?
Knowing that Rong Qiu hated this kind of person the most, Director Qian finally fell silent, feeling guilty.
Rong Qiu didn’t care.
If he didn’t want to say, then he wouldn’t. There were many things he didn’t know, and this one didn’t make much difference.
But even after going back, Rong Qiu still felt upset.
Frustrated, really frustrated.
With something on his mind, and since Zhao Nanchen would come to take care of Rong Qin tonight, Rong Qiu decided to tidy up the mech research institute and then drive directly to the bar to drink.
Rong Qiu hadn’t been to the bar for a long time, and the appearance of the bar’s entrance had changed.
Fortunately, it was still open, but due to the cold weather, the bar was particularly deserted. When he arrived, the beta boss was wiping glasses, and all the employees had been sent home for vacation. Now, the beta boss slept upstairs during the day and was alone downstairs at night, taking care of the beta bar.
Seeing Rong Qiu, the beta boss’s eyes lit up.
“Brother Qiu! It’s been so long since you last came! Oh, you’ve turned so fair again so quickly.”
“What do you mean, ‘turned fair’?” Rong Qiu was puzzled.
The beta boss pointed to Rong Qiu’s flawless white skin. “Your complexion! I saw your travel photos before, you were so tanned, but now you’re back to your original color in just a few days.”
Rong Qiu smiled and ordered a bottle of sparkling water.
He didn’t order alcohol because he would have to take care of Rong Qin when he got home later, so it was better not to smell of alcohol.
As the beta boss prepared his sparkling water, he explained the reason for the drastic change in the bar’s appearance. It turned out that on the day of the heavy snowfall, an alpha fell asleep in his car, and when he woke up, his car was stuck in the snow and he couldn’t drive away. With no place to seek shelter, he ended up smashing the door of the beta boss’s bar.
The beta boss had to bear this unjustified disaster.
The alpha was detained by the police for half a month and later paid for the repair of the bar’s door.
After recounting this tragic incident during the cold wave, the beta boss asked how Rong Qiu had been doing. “You moved somewhere else before, so I couldn’t reach you about the incident where you were targeted. Your home phone was always busy.”
Rong Qiu assured the beta boss that he was fine, which eased the beta boss’s mind. The beta boss also had some inside information, somewhat scandalous and tinged with a bit of eroticism.
“I got some extraordinary things from a high-ranking friend in the military district.”
“Oh?” Rong Qiu perked up.
“The top person in our military district, the one who had some misunderstandings with you before, seems to have caused quite a stir in the military district because of the trending incident. They even focused on investigating an omega…”
The beta boss enjoyed all kinds of colorful gossip, speaking with great detail. “This omega tried to seduce them during their heat period, but it didn’t end well. Now, they’ve been sent back.”
If this matter had nothing to do with Rong Qiu, the beta boss wouldn’t have mentioned it to him.
But the beta boss always felt that there was something between Rong Qiu and that person—
“Do you think he likes you?”
“…”
Whether he likes him or not, it’s useless to the current Rong Qiu.
He had pursued once before.
And that time, he only ended up battered and bruised.
Having been through that, how could he easily repeat the same mistake? The present Rong Qiu just wanted to protect his small home and small research institute, and then live out his life peacefully without regrets.
***
Back at home, Zhao Nanchen and Rong Qin were having supper.
Since Zhao Nanchen had the next day off, he stubbornly stayed at Rong Qiu’s house tonight, and Rong Qiu accommodated him by leaving the sofa seat for him.
Zhao Nanchen was very satisfied.
He even boasted that he would make them a big breakfast tomorrow morning.
The pleasant atmosphere of ordering food was interrupted by a harsh knocking on the door.
At this hour, it was already ten o’clock at night.
How could someone be so impolite as to knock on the door at this time?
Rong Qiu became cautious and went to open the door with Zhao Nanchen. But instead of immediately opening the door, he first looked at the person outside through the nearby video intercom screen, and Rong Qiu’s beautiful brows furrowed as soon as he saw him.
Why was it him?
But Zhao Nanchen didn’t recognize this person.
Seeing the black pheromone ring on the alpha’s neck, Zhao Nanchen became slightly nervous. He nudged Rong Qiu with his elbow and whispered, “He’s an alpha…”
“Open the door! Ah Qin, I know you’re in there!”
As the two hesitated behind the door, Qin Zexi outside had already become impatient, and behind him were four tall alphas, whether they were bodyguards or attendants, with serious and fierce expressions. Their muscles were bulging even though they were wearing thick winter clothes.
Qin Zexi, the leader, continued to bang on the door.
“D*mn it! Why are they so aggressive!”
Zhao Nanchen was completely shocked, and immediately turned to go back and call the police.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to call the police! The alphas outside don’t look like good people.”
Rong Qiu sighed deeply and opened the video intercom, speaking in a cold tone, “Ah Qin is already asleep, whatever it is, come back tomorrow.”
“He’s asleep? He posted a story about having supper just five minutes ago!”
“…”
Qin Zexi’s voice was too loud. Rong Qin, who was holding a small bowl of sweet dumplings, wheeled over in his wheelchair. After seeing who was outside, his voice was even more ruthless and decisive than Rong Qiu’s.
“Zexi, I’ve told you, the matter of divorce is non-negotiable.”
“Ah Qin! Let’s talk face to face, don’t be impulsive.”
“I’m telling you, Qin Zexi, I’m very clear-headed now, I want a divorce from you.”
As Rong Qin spoke, he also opened his phone to contact Qin Muye, while using his eyes to reassure Rong Qiu.
“Is it still time to contact him?” Rong Qiu whispered.
“I don’t know if it’ll work or not. Anyway, let’s call for help first. When Qin Zexi goes crazy, we can’t control him. Qin Muye is at least an S-class alpha, maybe he can suppress this crazy beast Qin Zexi.”
But to Rong Qin’s surprise, Qin Muye, who had just replied “coming” to his message, appeared in the camera three minutes later, and in the blind spot of Qin Zexi’s unnoticed line of sight, he swiftly knocked out Qin Zexi with a palm strike.
The technique was skillful and practiced, obviously not his first time.
Throughout the whole incident, the security guards behind Qin Zexi did nothing until after he was knocked out by Qin Muye, they took over supporting Qin Zexi from Qin Muye.
Zhao Nanchen was stunned inside the house, and Rong Qiu was also very surprised.
Zhao Nanchen: “Is it that easy to knock him out?”
Rong Qin replied with a hint of irritation, “He got off easy.” It was just one hit.
As he spoke, Rong Qin contacted the famous bodyguard team from the Thirteenth Military District.
Today’s incident couldn’t happen again.
Even if it meant paying a high price, he had to protect Rong Qiu and the safety of the villa.
Rong Qiu had no idea that his ordinary little villa was about to be heavily guarded.
At this moment, he looked at the monitor. Qin Zexi was silently lifted into the car by the security guards, Qin Muye still hadn’t left, the tall alpha stood outside the door, and the pixels of the visual door control camera were so clear that it seemed like this person was standing right in front of him.
Face to face across a door, it felt like they were in the same room.
Rong Qiu: “Do you have anything else?”
Qin Muye: “…No.”
Even though he said “no,” the man’s legs seemed rooted to the spot. Zhao Nanchen glanced at Rong Qiu, then at Qin Muye. Remembering what Qin Muye had said when he invited him to dinner last time, a light bulb lit up in Zhao Nanchen’s head.
The commander hadn’t left because he wanted to talk to Little Qiu!
But Little Qiu was so straightforward, he didn’t understand the intentions of the Commander at all.
He was anxious watching from the side.
But his anxiety as an outsider was of no use.
Rong Qiu remained as rigid as a steel wrench. “Then go back quickly.”
“Okay.”
One spoke casually, the other listened seriously.
Watching Qin Muye leave confidently, Rong Qiu, who had been standing by the entrance, returned to sit on the sofa.
After contacting the bodyguards, Rong Qin obviously had something to say and was sitting upright with a serious demeanor.
As an outsider, Zhao Nanchen didn’t dare to interrupt, so he obediently hugged a pillow on the side. When Rong Qiu returned and sat down, Rong Qin showed him a document that had just been printed out.
“What’s this?”
Rong Qiu looked down and realized it was a letter of employment.
“We’re hiring bodyguards to protect our villa?”
“More accurately, it’s to protect our personal safety.” Rong Qin always had bodyguards by his side, but these bodyguards were arranged for him by Qin Zexi before. How could he still keep this group of people around now? So, he needed to hire new bodyguards.
Protecting him also meant protecting Rong Qiu.
Understanding Rong Qin’s intentions, Rong Qiu didn’t refuse.
He signed his name on the document, successfully replacing himself with five experienced bodyguards.
He thought he would need to persuade Rong Qiu more, but he didn’t expect Rong Qiu to sign so easily. Holding the freshly printed contract, Rong Qin felt warm inside, and the frustration and annoyance caused by Qin Zexi’s interruption had completely dissipated.
“Don’t worry, Qiu Qiu, no one can disturb the lives of us brothers.”
Rong Qin said confidently.
***
Rong Qin thought he had everything arranged perfectly, but there was still a flaw. It wasn’t Qin Zexi coming back to harass him, but rather, he received an anonymous email.
Inside was a recorded phone call.
Rong Qin didn’t immediately open it. After thinking for a few minutes, he finally pressed the play button.
It was a recording of a phone call from Qin Zexi, but only Qin Zexi’s voice was recorded. Rong Qin could tell it was recorded secretly because the voice wasn’t as clear as a phone recording.
Qin Zexi sounded furious as usual.
It seemed this alpha had encountered something that displeased him.
Rong Qin subtly felt a sense of joy.
But the joy didn’t last more than a dozen seconds—
It turned out that Qin Zexi had suspected since his first visit to the A-Star Welfare Institute that Qiu Qiu might have some blood relation to him, yet this alpha knew all that and didn’t tell him, even arranging for someone to adopt Qiu Qiu early.
Rong Qin shivered and listened to it again.
This time, he tried to connect the dots in his memory.
Adopting someone. Adopting Qiu Qiu…
He finally remembered that Qiu Qiu had mentioned the unfortunate experience of being adopted before. If he remembered correctly, that experience of being adopted had caused deep psychological trauma to Qiu Qiu, making him believe that betas were useless, mediocre, and should unconditionally submit to being the lowest rung of society.
In just two short minutes of the phone call recording, Rong Qin was chilled to the bone.
His dental crown trembled violently.
The mastermind behind preventing him and Qiu Qiu from recognizing each other early, the one who shattered Qiu Qiu’s dignity, was his long-time companion.
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