Chapter 70
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The Thirteenth Military District, the storm is coming.
This was reflected in the increasingly frequent military district meetings, with more profound themes. The petty issues that were previously discussed were no longer mentioned in the meetings. What could be discussed in the meetings were the issues of sea pirate battles on the Thirteenth Military District’s affiliated stars.
Because of the winter cold wave that had struck, the main star of the Thirteenth Military District suffered the most severe disaster. The unranked affiliated stars also suffered considerable persecution, not from the extreme cold of the cold wave but from the increasingly rampant sea pirates brought about by it.
Coincidentally, the sea pirate headquarters of the Thirteenth Military District was also severely damaged. In stark contrast to the orderly disaster preparedness and timely relief efforts of the Thirteenth Military District, the sea pirates, due to their inadequate resistance to the cold and improper rescue attitude, had caused the planet where they were stationed to be almost completely barren. With no food to eat and frozen roads, the sea pirates began to flee in their starships, beginning a new round of invasion schedule.
Therefore, urgent action to expel and exterminate the sea pirates was imperative. The Thirteenth Military District once again sent troops to the affiliated stars being invaded by sea pirates.
Rong Qiu was very familiar with such arrangements.
When he first arrived at the Thirteenth Military District, he had participated in several similar missions. He even received the “Trinity Medal” because of these missions. But such tug-of-war was obviously useless. Once the main force of the Thirteenth Military District left the affiliated stars, those fleeing sea pirates would once again gather on the affiliated stars and occupy them.
The sea pirate headquarters was inherently easy to defend and difficult to attack. Outside the planet was a dangerous asteroid belt, where billions of huge meteoroids orbited the planet at super-high speeds. Once the main fleet of the Thirteenth Military District entered, they would suffer heavy losses at the entrance gate of the asteroid belt.
Unlike the sea pirates of the Thirteenth Military District, the official army couldn’t desperately go out and plunder resources. The official army had families, bonds; the Thirteenth Military District wouldn’t allow them to risk their lives in a battle they couldn’t guarantee a hundred percent victory in.
So the Thirteenth Military District would only ambush those sea pirates who left the planet.
This feeling was like using a cannon to ambush someone armed with only a knife and a pitchfork. No matter how many people were sent out, the number of sea pirates that could be ambushed was only a few dozen.
So the big issue for the Thirteenth Military District had always been how to completely exterminate these tangled sea pirates.
It was against this backdrop that Rong Qin’s volunteer army was about to set off.
Before Rong Qin departed, Rong Qiu was very nervous every day.
He worked hard to modify mechs for Rong Qin and shared his insights about mechs with the mechanics. Three days before departure, Rong Qiu’s nerves became even more taut.
He stared at Rong Qin during breakfast, followed him closely when Rong Qin returned in the evening, and even stuffed three large suitcases full of clothes for Rong Qin when he was packing for departure.
“Qiu Qiu… the star system we’re going to this time is a tropical star. These thick long sleeves and coats shouldn’t be necessary.”
“Tropical stars have large temperature differences between day and night. Hot during the day, cold at night.”
“…”
After Rong Qiu finished speaking, he patted his head. “I almost forgot, I haven’t brought the thermos.”
Saying that, he went to get the thermos. When he returned, Rong Qiu even brought a sealed jar. Under Rong Qin’s astonished gaze, Rong Qiu even found a sixteen-inch suitcase and filled it with boxes of oat milk for Rong Qin.
After filling the suitcase, Rong Qiu quickly zipped it up and finally secured it with the metal latch on the outside to ensure the suitcase wouldn’t burst open midway.
He brought this small suitcase to Rong Qin, and they looked at each other. With a slightly pleading tone, he asked, “Is it enough, Brother Rong Qin?”
Rong Qin: “…”
Rong Qiu: “~”
Rong Qin covered his lips with one hand and coughed softly, “Enough.”
It was more than enough. When he traveled before or when he was with Assistant in earlier years, every time he only brought a small suitcase, half of which was still empty. Now with big and small suitcases stacked together, it was a bit cumbersome, but he couldn’t refuse Rong Qiu’s kindness.
If it wasn’t possible, he and his assistant would make two more trips on the day of departure.
Finally, on the day of Rong Qin’s departure.
Rong Qin didn’t leave with the volunteer army; they had already chartered a starship to depart tomorrow. Rong Qin left a day early. As for the mech weapons, the military department was responsible for transporting them, and they naturally charged a hefty transportation fee.
To see Rong Qin off, Rong Qiu got up early.
His car couldn’t fit so much luggage, so Rong Qin had his assistant bring out a car from the garage in advance. Seeing this business car, which could carry so much, appear in front of him, Rong Qiu’s blue eyes suddenly widened. The inquiry in his eyes was evident. He was surprised that Rong Qin even had this kind of car.
As Rong Qin looked at the familiar car, he also recognized it after a few seconds.
It wasn’t this one.
The one he had his assistant drive out was from the garage, and this car was given to him by Qin Zexi when he was with Qin Zexi. At that time, Qin Zexi was particularly muddled, and he followed Qin Zexi around in this car.
The assistant parked the car in front of Rong Qin, looking at Rong Qin’s furrowed brows, the assistant nervously rolled down the window and asked, “Brother Rong, did I bring the wrong car…”
Rong Qiu also turned to look at Rong Qin.
“…That’s right.”
From Rong Qiu’s villa to the starship port, the driving time wasn’t long. Rong Qiu wasn’t as nervous as before on the way, nor did he repeatedly remind Rong Qin to pay attention to this and that. He just occasionally took out pen and paper to jot down something. Rong Qin thought Rong Qiu had got inspiration since Rong Qiu always grabbed pen and paper whenever he had a design idea.
But as Rong Qin was about to board, Rong Qiu suddenly handed him a full page of paper.
“What’s this?”
A thin sheet of paper, filled with numbered items from one to thirty-seven from top to bottom. The ink on the last two, thirty-six and thirty-seven, was still wet, and Rong Qin could see the ink shining.
“Some things Brother Rong Qin needs to pay attention to while traveling.”
Having lived with Rong Qin for so many days, Rong Qiu knew well that Rong Qin was very nitpicky in life, often getting upset over small things, which in turn would upset himself.
So Rong Qiu had listed out so many reminders.
Unfortunately, Rong Qin didn’t bring a life assistant this time, otherwise he could have copied a set of reminders for the assistant.
But Rong Qin kept looking at these, and Rong Qiu couldn’t discern Rong Qin’s emotions from his expression.
“Brother…” Rong Qiu asked softly, “Is there something wrong?”
Since Rong Qin and Rong Qiu met, Rong Qin’s heart had often gone from being hard as steel to soft and mushy in an instant.
How could there be such a good brother? He wished he could take him away in his pocket.
But he knew that was absolutely impossible.
Rong Qin sighed heavily, as if he had exhaled the entire atmosphere of a planet.
“Qiu Qiu.”
“Yeah?”
“You don’t need to worry.”
“Mmm…”
“I will call Qiu Qiu every day to report my safety. When I’m not busy, I will video call Rong Qiu to let him see how I’m doing. For Rong Qiu, I will definitely take good care of myself outside; but Rong Qiu, you also need to take care of yourself on Planet U, and don’t slack off at work, okay?”
Rong Qin’s urging for Rong Qiu to work well was just to use work to fill Rong Qiu’s empty heart. When a person has free time, their mind tends to wander.
But Rong Qiu couldn’t help feeling embarrassed.
No one had cared about his studies from childhood to adulthood because he had always been excellent. Now, being reminded by Rong Qin, Rong Qiu only thought that Rong Qin felt he had been slacking off at the mech research institute recently.
He nodded repeatedly following Rong Qin’s words, wishing he could sign a guarantee.
***
After sending Rong Qin off, Rong Qiu returned home before ten o’clock.
Rong Qiu planned to order takeout and then continue working on the mechs at the institute in the afternoon, as he had fallen behind in his mech research due to helping Rong Qin modify the mechs for the volunteer army. However, just as he was about to order takeout, someone knocked on the door.
Surprisingly, it was Qin Zexi, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Qin Zexi was enveloped in a dark cloud, and the marks and scratches on his alpha body were no longer visible, restored to his former tall and handsome appearance. But the black pheromone inhibitor collar around his neck indicated that this alpha was not simple.
Sure enough, Qin Zexi had come with a purpose.
“Is Rong Qin here?”
Rong Qiu crossed his arms, looking at Qin Zexi on the screen. Even though he was not calm inside, he remained calm in his speech: “My brother isn’t home, so there’s no need for you to come looking for him.”
The alpha in the camera stiffened noticeably. He tried to look at the camera but missed the mark, looking particularly ridiculous and funny. “Has he already left?”
“Yes.”
“I’m here to give him something.”
“Anything between you two that should be divided as property has already been settled. If my brother didn’t want what’s left, it means he doesn’t want it.”
The alpha’s face remained cold. “I’ll leave it here.”
“No need.”
“He’ll want it.”
Before Rong Qiu could respond, Qin Zexi turned and left. His burly figure had long disappeared, leaving only a slender frame.
When Qin Zexi’s figure had completely disappeared from the camera, Rong Qiu opened the door slightly, peering outside. Sure enough, where Qin Zexi had been standing, he saw a square box.
Something for Brother Rong Qin…
Could he bring it in?
Rong Qiu wasn’t sure, so he only brought the box into the storage room without opening it privately. Because he was worried, he even sprayed disinfectant alcohol on the box before returning to wash his hands and have dinner.
In the afternoon, Rong Qiu went to the mech research institute.
He worked for a full eight hours before returning home. When he arrived home, Rong Qiu was exhausted. This kind of tiredness was from his brain and eyes. He had spent the whole afternoon working on the mech wings, and now, he didn’t even feel like eating dinner. He laid down on the sofa and took a short nap for thirty minutes.
It was already dark outside, but the lights were on in the house. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the bright light on the ceiling, which was dazzling.
It was even noisy.
Rong Qiu thought it was his imagination. He seemed to hear a knocking sound.
He glanced at his watch. It was almost nine o’clock now. Since Rong Qin and Zhao Nanchen had both left with the volunteer army, who else would come to find him?
Rong Qiu adjusted his slightly wrinkled shirt and looked at the screen. Outside, surprisingly, was Qin Muye.
What’s going on with these brothers?
One came during the day, and one came at night.
But because it was Qin Muye outside, Rong Qiu didn’t guard against him like he did with Qin Zexi. Rong Qiu simply opened the door, his exhaustion and impatience evident on his face.
But Qin Muye looked even more exhausted than him.
He was so tall that he blocked the moonlight outside, making it seem like a towering mountain stood in front of Rong Qiu. Rong Qiu instinctively held his breath, but soon he felt that this behavior was unnecessary.
Rong Qiu licked the slightly chapped corners of his lips, leaning against the door frame, and then made room for Qin Muye: “If you have something to say, come in.”
He also wanted to ask Qin Muye about the box that Qin Zexi had brought earlier in the day.
Rong Qiu sat back on the sofa, took out his phone from the table intending to order food, but as he looked at the man standing three meters away, he raised an eyebrow. “Do you want some tea? I’ll pour you some water, or you can have some alcohol.”
Coincidentally, the beta boss had sent him a batch of alcohol last week, saying it had a low alcohol content and could be drunk as a beverage.
After saying that, Rong Qiu took out two bottles of alcohol from the refrigerator.
He gently placed them on the coffee table in front of Qin Muye, and with a “clink,” the water droplets condensed on the cold drinks dripped down Rong Qiu’s porcelain-like fingertips, as if white jade beads were flowing, exceptionally beautiful.
Then Rong Qiu sat back down, opened the can effortlessly, and drank a sip of the cold beer. All his fatigue vanished, and he was no longer the beta who would easily get drunk after a few sips of alcohol. Under Rong Qin’s nightly training, his alcohol tolerance had already improved. With low-alcohol alcohol like this, he could finish a bottle without blushing.
But Qin Muye looked slightly worried as he watched Rong Qiu drink so freely.
“Did my brother bother you today?”
“I was just about to ask you about that.” Rong Qiu put down the beer in his hand. “Your brother came early this morning and brought a box, saying my brother would take it. I put the box away, but I hope there’s nothing terrifying inside.”
Rong Qiu had already sent a message to Rong Qin.
The remote star Rong Qin was going to this time was very far away, taking two days even at light speed. And in the middle, there were often signal interruptions due to meteor showers, so Rong Qin hadn’t responded yet.
“It’s not anything terrifying, it’s something from your brother before. My brother has been wanting to give it to him, but we didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t send it to you guys before. We just found out this morning that your brother was leaving, but we were still late.”
“Fortunately, my brother didn’t see yours, otherwise he wouldn’t have left with peace of mind.”
Qin Muye actually agreed with Rong Qiu’s words, but he didn’t come today just because of his brother’s visit. He had brought a contract for Rong Qiu, and if they reached an agreement, Rong Qiu could directly profit from the mechs he had.
But his stomach didn’t give him face, it growled loudly.
Rong Qiu’s gaze shifted to him, and Qin Muye rarely showed an embarrassed expression.
“Alright, let’s talk about it over dinner.”
Because there was an extra person, Rong Qiu doubled the amount of food he originally ordered. He still remembered Qin Muye’s taste, so among the various light-flavored dishes, he added two spicy dishes.
When these dishes were delivered, Rong Qiu, who was already hungry enough to have his stomach stick to his back, could smell the fragrance inside the plastic bags. Even though he couldn’t eat spicy food, smelling the aroma of the peppers immediately stimulated his long-dormant salivary glands to produce saliva vigorously.
He unpacked the takeout quickly.
Before Qin Muye could come over to help, Rong Qiu had already arranged the dishes neatly. By the time Qin Muye sat down, Rong Qiu had already served himself half a bowl of rice.
With his cheeks bulging, Rong Qiu didn’t have time to talk to Qin Muye. His chopsticks fell like a storm, and although his eating manners couldn’t be described as elegant, they were not unattractive.
Even in Qin Muye’s eyes, Rong Qiu’s way of eating was quite cute.
If only he could capture this moment now. Unfortunately, he couldn’t. Qin Muye ate his meal seriously, and when Rong Qiu lowered his head to eat, a faint smile appeared on Qin Muye’s face as he secretly observed Rong Qiu.
Rong Qiu only managed to eat half-full before he found the opportunity to speak to Qin Muye.
He tried a bite of the spicy chicken, then asked, “You just mentioned that you brought me a contract, what kind of contract is it?”
A person who would ask Qin Muye to draft a contract definitely didn’t have a small request.
Could it be that the military district wanted to order his military mechs again? That would be great, he needed money now.
But it wasn’t.
After listening to Qin Muye, Rong Qiu choked on the spicy chicken. He coughed violently, feeling choked, even though the spiciness wasn’t strong, it was the choking sensation that irritated his throat, making him cough repeatedly, unable to cough anything out.
Rong Qiu’s eyes were red from coughing.
Qin Muye immediately handed him some water.
After drinking a few mouthfuls of water, Rong Qiu felt a bit better.
“If there’s oat milk, it would be better to soothe the spiciness.”
Actually, Qin Muye had wanted to stop Rong Qiu when he reached for the spicy chicken, and even when he first entered, Rong Qiu offered him low-alcohol drinks, he also wanted to stop him.
But it wasn’t appropriate.
What right did he have to say these things to Rong Qiu?
In Qiu Qiu’s eyes, he was not considered a friend at all, just a high-ranking officer from the military district who they saw once a year…
Rong Qiu had already recovered a lot.
He put down the empty water cup and saw Qin Muye visibly downcast.
What’s going on?
He clearly choked, why did Qin Muye look so absent-minded?
Could it be that this person despises him for coughing while eating, thinking it’s unclean and unsanitary…
Indeed, this was possible because Qin Muye was known for his cleanliness.
But when he was coughing just now, he already covered his lips and even turned away…
He couldn’t understand.
He had long stopped understanding this man in front of him.
But Rong Qiu could understand the contract Qin Muye brought for him.
The person who placed the order actually trusted him so much. His civilian mechs hadn’t even been fully test-flown yet, but he had already received such a large order. Although it couldn’t compare to the orders for tens of thousands of mechs from the military district, ordering five thousand mechs at once meant that the customer must be very wealthy.
Rong Qiu couldn’t help but think more: “Is there really someone placing an order? Could it be that you placed the order yourself…”
Rong Qiu really misunderstood Qin Muye. He did think about ordering Rong Qiu’s mechs, but he wouldn’t order so many. He just wanted to order one mech and keep it for himself as a collectible.
And he could also operate the mech…
Just not as gracefully as Rong Qiu.
Rong Qiu was still waiting for Qin Muye’s response. Qin Muye didn’t hide it from him: “It’s Su Ran who wants to place the order.”
Rong Qiu blinked inexplicably. He thought he had misheard: “Who wants to order my mechs? Su Ran? Isn’t he the one who looks down on me the most? Why would he want to order my beta mechs? And why didn’t he tell me if he wanted to order my mechs? I remember I’ve already added him on my contact list.”
“…” Qin Muye paused for a moment. “He said you blocked him.”
Rong Qiu: “…”
“Alright.” Rong Qiu pretended to be nonchalant as he took another bite of food. “But will he come and play with me?”
“Play with you?”
“Meaning that he’ll pretend to sign the contract but end up not signing it.” Rong Qiu felt he was right in thinking so. “When we graduated, we didn’t part on good terms. There’s no reason for him to come to my mech research institute six years later to take care of it. Moreover, the First Military District is the largest of the thirteen military districts, with so many alpha mech racers, civilian mechs are far more developed than those in our military district. Su Ran hasn’t seen my mechs yet, so there’s no need for him to spend so much money.”
The more Rong Qiu thought about it, the more he felt that way. It must be Su Ran playing tricks on him.
He even fooled Qin Muye.
Qin Muye had zero social skills and was easily swayed back by Su Ran.
“So let’s forget it. It’s too early to discuss contracts when the physical samples of my mechs haven’t even been produced.”
Rong Qiu had a good sense of self-awareness.
Seeing him like this, Qin Muye didn’t press further.
Today, he just wanted to find a reason to meet Rong Qiu. After all, he and Rong Qiu hadn’t seen each other for several months. Since Rong Qiu wouldn’t come to him voluntarily, he had to rack his brains for a reason to meet. But there was none. That day, when Su Ran harassed him with an alternate account, he felt that this might be an opportunity.
Su Ran’s matter was not part of his plan anymore.
Today, being able to meet Rong Qiu and even have a harmonious meal with him at the same table far exceeded his expectations.
After discussing the contract, the conversation inevitably turned back to Qin Zexi, with Rong Qiu bringing it up.
“Your brother no longer has any stress response to omegas. What will he do next? Will the Federation arrange an omega for him to mate with, like before?”
Arranging over forty S-class omegas for pheromone matching, would Qin Zexi also “enjoy” this once?
But Rong Qiu’s choice of topic didn’t seem good. Since Qin Muye entered, he had maintained a calm and indifferent demeanor, as if all his facial features were firmly welded in place, unable to move. But now, Qin Muye’s expression suddenly changed because of Rong Qiu’s words.
The pitch-black pupils of the alpha widened slightly, like a threatened big cat, but Qin Muye didn’t bare his sharp claws. He quickly regained his usual calmness.
Rong Qiu couldn’t catch the change in his expression.
It seemed like the two seconds of astonishment and surprise just now were just his imagination.
Rong Qiu toned down: “Is it inconvenient to talk about your brother’s matter?”
The alpha felt somewhat melancholic: “Sorry.”
Rong Qiu shook his head, unperturbed.
He got up to refill the empty water glass. In the process, the keychain hanging from his waist flashed a silver light.
Qin Muye squinted.
The alpha was suddenly startled.
That ring that Rong Qiu had personally made—Rong Qiu had taken it off his finger a long time ago, he thought it had been lost. He didn’t expect to see it hanging from Rong Qiu’s waist…
This small discovery injected a dose of adrenaline into the alpha.
After Rong Qiu finished refilling the water, he noticed that the alpha seemed different from before.
His eyes were brighter, his posture more upright, and his gaze followed Rong Qiu’s movements as if he were a big dog looking at its owner.
Rong Qiu furrowed his brows.
He thought he was imagining things.
Who could tame someone like Qin Muye? He was more like a fierce wolf. When he saw his prey, he would devour it without leaving a bone behind.
***
Leaving Rong Qiu’s villa, Qin Muye was in a very good mood.
Indeed, something was different. His whole heart felt alive now. As he got into the car, he could vaguely see Rong Qiu tidying up the living room from the terrace. Rong Qiu’s slender figure was something he had personally measured years ago.
Although he couldn’t see his face, he could still picture every feature of Rong Qiu’s face in his mind.
Rong Qiu had large eyes, slightly rounded at the corners, somewhat like the eyes of a deer, but when he smiled, the corners of his eyes lifted, giving them a fox-like charm. Rong Qiu’s nose was straight and slightly upturned, not abruptly protruding, but a smooth line from the brow ridge to the bridge, ending at the tip of his nose.
The innocence of five years ago had diminished, replaced by the maturity brought about by time.
***
After sending Qin Muye off, Rong Qiu was alone, tidying up the trash on the coffee table.
They both had hearty appetites.
Despite the portions not being small, most of the dishes were finished. The only leftovers were the two spicy dishes, which he hadn’t eaten much of. But thinking back to the meal just now, it seemed that Qin Muye hadn’t touched these two dishes.
Could it be that as he got older, his taste had become more health-conscious?
Rong Qiu didn’t dwell on it.
He sorted the trash into different categories and threw it into the corresponding bins outside. The remaining pairs of bowls and chopsticks were easy to wash, and Rong Qiu didn’t even need to use the dishwasher. He finished washing the dishes and chopsticks in five minutes.
Then, Rong Qiu went upstairs to take a shower.
By the time he laid down on the bed, it was already ten o’clock in the evening.
He was already tired at this hour. Unless something significant happened, he would usually fall asleep by ten-thirty.
Half an hour left, Rong Qiu laid on the bed, brewing sleepiness.
After reading the posts from various military districts, Rong Qiu casually scrolled down to the commercial section. He rarely visited this section, and while he could barely understand the content, he did recognize the two words, Su Ran.
So Su Ran was really preparing to enter the mech industry.
The former real estate tycoon was shifting towards mechs, establishing mech construction factories, setting up mech specialty stores, selecting outstanding civilian mechs from various research institutes, signing contracts, transferring them to mech factories for mass production, and finally transporting them to Su’s mech exclusive stores…
The entire process seemed fine.
So Su Ran reached out to him because he really wanted to collaborate with his research institute?
Then, tonight he misunderstood Qin Muye…
But why didn’t Qin Muye explain?
Knowing how it felt to be misunderstood and becoming the one causing the misunderstanding, Rong Qiu felt uneasy at the moment.
Especially, the heavy image of Qin Muye at the dining table kept replaying in his mind. He knew Qin Muye to be confident and assertive, even if he didn’t show much expression, he always seemed like a proud figure among the crowd. But now, Qin Muye was like stagnant water, no matter how strong the wind blew, it wouldn’t ripple.
Had time changed Qin Muye?
Or was it something else?
Rong Qiu tossed and turned on the bed, and the more he forced himself not to think, the more prominent that figure became. It felt like he was trying to ignore a trace, but by adding two slashes, he made it even more conspicuous.
Fortunately, just before falling asleep, Rong Qin finally responded to him.
Rong Qin was still on the starship, with Rong Qiu’s luggage by his feet and starship meals on the table.
“I’m still on the starship. I slept through most of the jet lag. Has Rong Qiu already gone to bed?”
Rong Qiu sat up: “Not yet, already lying in bed.”
“That’s good. Remember to sleep early. Just help me keep Qin Zexi’s box for now, and I’ll unpack it when I get back.”
“It’s already put away.”
“Rong Qiu is so obedient~”
Rong Qiu couldn’t help but smile. He had something on his mind now, and he didn’t know who to talk to about it. Turning it over and over again, there was only Rong Qin at this time.
He explained in detail from beginning to end about having dinner with Qin Muye tonight, especially mentioning Su Ran’s intention to sign a contract for mech production cooperation.
“I know about this. Real estate in Area A is saturated, and the Su family has long wanted to expand into other areas. Following the footsteps of the Qin family, they couldn’t get into the fuel business, so it’s not surprising they’re eyeing mechs.”
Hearing Rong Qin’s words, Rong Qiu felt relieved.
But Rong Qin quickly changed the subject: “Did you still doubt Qin Muye tonight?”
Rong Qiu adjusted his sitting position: “Yeah.”
“He shouldn’t need to lie to you about these things. Today, when the Su family approached you to sign the contract, they probably didn’t intend to produce a large quantity of mechs. Five thousand mechs would already be a lot, and Qin Muye wouldn’t care about that amount of money.”
Rong Qiu hadn’t told him the current quantity, but Rong Qin guessed it accurately.
Rong Qin was very sharp in business dealings. He hadn’t spent all those years in the Qin family for nothing; he was naturally familiar with the Su family, backed by the Qin family.
Rong Qin’s side’s broadcast sounded, apparently reminding nearby passengers of a meteor shower and advising them to turn off their phones. Rong Qin and Rong Qiu exchanged a few more words before they were forced to hang up.
After hanging up, Rong Qiu’s phone fell lightly back onto the pillow.
Rong Qin also felt that Qin Muye had no reason to lie to him.
In fact, when Rong Qiu thought about it carefully, what Qin Muye did would only benefit him. It was like directly helping him establish the reputation of his private research institute. Once he got involved with the Su family, with the Su family’s media influence in the capital, he wouldn’t have to worry about his mechs not selling.
The more civilian mechs sold, the better.
So the next day, Rong Qiu removed Su Ran from his blacklist.
Previously, he had unilaterally put Su Ran on the blacklist, but he still received messages from Su Ran now.
Su Ran sent him a message every day, each one discussing cooperation and praising the upcoming mech factory of the Su family to no end.
Rong Qiu didn’t believe any of it.
Sitting at the dining table, Rong Qiu took a sip of oat milk and a bite of toast sandwich, casually tapping on his phone with one hand, seemingly uninterested.
One minute later, Su Ran’s enthusiastic response came.
“Okay, I’ll wait for your mech to be successfully developed! We will definitely offer you the most suitable contract. Currently, we are considering following your rules if we cooperate.”
“My rules?”
“Yes. No buyout, and you’ll receive a certain percentage of the profits.”
“…”
Rong Qiu really didn’t know that signing a contract with the Thirteenth Military District once would have it become his rule. The Thirteenth Military District had spent so much money to keep him there, and what did the Su family want? There were countless other potential partners in the field of civilian mech design without him.
Yet Su Ran had singled him out.
“If your mech is successfully developed, you must notify me immediately, and I’ll fly over right away! Remember, you must consider our Su family! A win-win cooperation is the best outcome!”
“…Fine.”
Rong Qiu finished chewing the last bite of toast slowly. He took another sip of oat milk before holding up his phone with both hands, looking a bit more serious.
“But how can you be sure that the civilian mech I design will definitely benefit your company?”
Su Ran’s reply was straightforward and bright—
“Six years ago, you were still a combat-oriented student. At that time, the mechs you modified could outperform all civilian mechs on the market. How could you possibly regress after six years?”
Rong Qiu always felt that Su Ran was setting him up on a high pedestal.
But he had to admit that Su Ran’s attitude now was much better than six years ago. Where did this alpha learn to speak so nicely to him, a beta? In fact, it wasn’t just Su Ran; there was also Qin Muye. So these two, with their backs against him, had gone to train together…
Rong Qiu stopped overthinking.
The matter of cooperating with Su Ran was now a seed buried in his mind.
And the key to whether this seed would germinate lay in the results of his civilian mech design. If the mech he designed turned out to be garbage, then he wouldn’t need to cooperate with the outside world. If the mech turned out to be decent, then he could try cooperating with Su Ran.
As it turned out.
Rong Qiu’s seed was a good one.
And Rong Qiu had nurtured it well. By early summer, his mech had already taken shape.
During this time, Su Ran repeatedly asked him about it.
Rong Qiu found Su Ran’s questions annoying, so he only sent him external photos of the mech. Unexpectedly, Su Ran got even more excited, and he even flew overnight from the capital, taking several days to arrive at this desolate military district that he had always looked down upon.
He came just to see the mech.
Rong Qiu didn’t mind, so he brought him along.
All the parts of this pure black mech were made by Rong Qiu himself, and all the data on the materials used were carefully recorded by him, costing a lot.
Fortunately, Rong Qiu’s military mechs had long endurance.
Now, most of the mech soldiers in the Thirteenth Military District were using mechs designed by Rong Qiu. Not only did Rong Qiu immediately repay the money he had previously used to purchase mechs for Rong Qin’s volunteer army, but he also made a lot of extra money. Otherwise, with the cost of Rong Qiu’s test materials, it would have been a huge expense.
Su Ran was circling around this empty shell, inside of which the more important engine and operating systems hadn’t been put in by Rong Qiu yet; but even so, it was enough to surprise Su Ran.
He was vulgar, he just loved this kind of black and cool mech.
Look at the shell of the mech, as black as obsidian.
Rong Qiu didn’t expect Su Ran to get so excited just by seeing a mech shell. If Su Ran saw the private mech he kept in the Thirteenth Military District, he might immediately get excited to the sky.
He explained a few key points to Su Ran, but Su Ran was absent-minded.
Su Ran was eager to transform into an engine and various operating systems to instantly perfect this mech. Finally, he reluctantly withdrew his hand: “Give me a definite answer, please, when will this mech be completely designed?”
He only knew that Rong Qiu’s mech design was good, but he didn’t expect Rong Qiu’s mech to be designed so well. He couldn’t wait to inhabit his future self and immediately take this mech for a spin.
Oh, no, to participate in mech racing competitions.
“Just wait a little longer.”
Rong Qiu’s “just wait a little longer” dragged on until the end of summer.
He finally signed the contract with Su Ran.
This time, Su Ran rushed over from the capital of the First Military District without stopping, and accompanying him to sign the contract was Qin Muye.
Su Ran had particularly sharp eyes, otherwise, he wouldn’t have successfully come off both of their blacklists. Now, Su Ran didn’t have to suffer the pain of seeing double exclamation marks anymore. He came to sign the contract with excitement.
He even booked a table at the best restaurant in the Thirteenth Military District, signed the contract, and had to give the other party a good treat.
At this point, his keenness returned. Before Qin Muye could signal, he smartly made an excuse to handle temporary business needs, successfully avoiding becoming a bright light bulb.
Only Qin Muye and Rong Qiu were left at the table in the restaurant.
Beta was calm, but Alpha was slightly nervous.
Qin Muye was nervous every time he saw Rong Qiu. He thought that over time, he would become less nervous.
But that was just what he thought.
The meal was unusually silent.
If it weren’t for the presence of such a tall Alpha in front of him, Rong Qiu would have thought he was dining alone in a restaurant.
After the meal, the two walked towards the parking lot.
Rong Qiu looked at the silent Alpha beside him and somehow remembered the last time he misunderstood him at his house. It still hadn’t been resolved, and it felt like a thorn stuck in his heart.
Itchy and uncomfortable.
Passing by a beautiful koi pond, Rong Qiu was forced to stop, and the little girl next to him intercepted him, giving him a free pack of fish food, saying that the koi in the restaurant brought good luck and feeding them more this year would bring prosperity.
Rong Qiu smiled and reached out to take it.
The little girl also wanted to give Qin Muye a bag, but seeing the silent and austere appearance of the Alpha, she suddenly didn’t dare to approach.
Rong Qiu smiled again and shook the fish food in his hand: “One bag is enough.”
Rong Qiu thought it would be nice to feed the fish. He was just thinking about finding a good opportunity to explain things to Qin Muye.
So the two of them stopped by the koi pond.
These koi were very large, as thick as a person’s thigh. After a small handful of fish food was thrown down, many koi gathered instantly.
Rong Qiu’s mood inexplicably became very good. Even though he was trying to be economical with the remaining fish food, he couldn’t help but throw down three or five at a time. His lips moved slightly: “I shouldn’t have misunderstood you last time.”
Rong Qiu suddenly said this, and Qin Muye didn’t understand.
“I thought no one would be so foolish as to sign a contract without seeing my complete mech.”
Three to five seconds later, Alpha finally loosened the fist he had been tightly clenched.
“It’s okay.”
“Really okay, or just pretending to be okay? Being misunderstood for no reason is as bad as being at a loss.” He had to swallow it himself.
“It’s really okay.” Qin Muye paused and sincerely added, “Whatever happens, I’ll always tell you the truth.”
“Yes, that’s the best.” Rong Qiu smiled.
Rong Qiu’s smile was very charming, his complexion was moist, and the sunlight hit his profile, as if casting a soft light on his jade-like face. His beautiful eyes danced with the late summer sunlight, and even his eyelashes were extremely charming.
The Alpha’s heart skipped a beat, and his Adam’s apple rolled up and down. He quickly looked away: “Mmm.”
Rong Qiu quickly finished feeding the remaining fish food. Even though Rong Qiu was being economical, there were only three or five pieces left in the end.
As he casually threw down these last few pieces of fish food, Rong Qiu suddenly felt something was wrong.
It seemed like he had thrown something else down along with it.
Rong Qiu opened his palm, empty-handed; he touched his pockets, which were also empty except for his phone and disinfectant wipes.
“Did I just throw my keys down?”
“…Yeah.”
Qin Muye watched Rong Qiu throw the keys, which were strung on his thumb, down, and he even remembered the arc of the keys falling into the water, as well as the silver ring flashing with light, all sinking into the water together.
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