Chapter 71
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Rong Qiu cursed fiercely in his heart.
The password lock on the gate of his villa broke last month, the fingerprint password couldn’t be used, so he had to use the key; he and Rong Qin made do with that lock, but he didn’t expect the keys to be gone this month.
This was a very important set of keys, with the keys to his house and car on them. Now that he had thrown them down, it meant he couldn’t go back home. Moreover, he didn’t have his ID card with him. Even if he wanted to stay in a hotel, it wouldn’t work. Finding someone to unlock the door also required identification, and without identification, trying to find someone to unlock the door in the strict order of the Thirteenth Military District would surely result in him being labeled as a criminal.
He could go to the research institute, but he couldn’t stay there anymore. In order to motivate himself, he didn’t set up a resting area in the research institute. Even the benches he usually worked on were hard.
Rong Qiu was instantly in a dilemma.
He was just feeding the fish, how did he manage to throw the keys down as well?
Would it be okay for him to go down and search for them now in this pond?
But the pond was bottomless, with lush summer lotus flowers growing on top, and countless koi swimming beneath the lotus leaves and flowers. As soon as the fish food and keys he threw in fell into the water, they immediately disappeared among the dense foliage of the lotus and the various colored koi.
Even if Rong Qiu looked until he was blind, he wouldn’t know where the keys fell at the bottom of the pond.
It would require professional help to find them. Qin Muye had already contacted the restaurant staff, explained the current dilemma, and the restaurant manager was very troubled.
Surprised even.
With technology so advanced, there were still people not using password locks or fingerprint locks.
“Although this pond is less than two meters deep, the bottom is full of nutrient-rich lotus mud, the soil is very thick, and there’s also a timed water flow system that makes it difficult to search underwater.”
It was like finding a needle in a haystack, almost.
The restaurant manager deliberated, “Sir, do you remember which direction you threw the keys?”
Rong Qiu tightly pressed his lips together. “I don’t remember.”
If he did remember, he would have gone down to retrieve them himself.
Rong Qiu wished he could give himself a punch in the head.
The restaurant manager’s attitude was very good. “Alright, sir, our restaurant will arrange for someone to search for you. Please leave us your contact information here, and we’ll notify you if we find your keys.”
“Okay, thank you.”
It was an unavoidable solution.
Rong Qiu left his contact information.
The restaurant manager escorted them to the parking lot, but Rong Qiu, looking at his car again, became annoyed. He had a car but couldn’t drive because he didn’t have the keys.
He even had a house and a research institute, but he couldn’t go back now.
Rong Qiu tried calling Rong Qin, but the background noise on Rong Qin’s side was too loud, the kind of bustling noise when volunteers gathered to eat together, very loud. Even if the volunteers didn’t drink, they could create the atmosphere of a drinking party just by drinking soup from their bowls.
Rong Qin shouted and spoke to him, “Qiu Qiu, weren’t you supposed to have dinner with Su Ran to sign the contract at this time? Why do you have time to call me?”
Rong Qiu explained carefully.
When Rong Qin heard that Rong Qiu had thrown the car keys into the pond along with the fish food, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
But soon Rong Qin regained his composure. “I have spare keys here, but they’re with me. Let me ask Zhao Nanchen for you.”
A minute later, Rong Qin continued, “He also has his keys with him.”
Rong Qiu felt a bit frustrated.
Rong Qin said, “If you can’t go home and can’t stay in a hotel… why don’t you stay at my place for a few days? I’ll send you the keys right away. You could receive them in three days if it’s fast.”
“Okay,” Rong Qiu was about to say he was going to stay at the beta boss’s place for a couple of days to pass the time.
Finally, Qin Muye, who had been silent beside him all this time, spoke up, “Rong Qiu can come stay at my place first.”
“Who’s talking? Qin Muye?”
Rong Qin, on the phone, heard Qin Muye’s voice. “Are you saying Rong Qiu can stay at your place?”
If it had been the previous Qin Muye who said that, Rong Qin would definitely not have agreed, but now he hesitated. If Rong Qiu didn’t find accommodation, he might really end up wandering outside for a few days. But this came from Rong Qin’s mistrust of Rong Qiu’s choice of friends. Rong Qiu had been able to hang out with an alpha like Chu Ming for so long. What if he found another unreliable friend this time… Then it would be better to go with Qin Muye.
He was relatively assured of the current Qin Muye. Just considering how Qin Muye managed to detain Qin Zexi for so long, he felt that Qin Muye was okay.
But whether to go or not still depended on Rong Qiu’s own decision.
Rong Qin threw the question back to Rong Qiu.
Rong Qiu also hesitated.
He had originally thought of finding beta boss, but then he remembered that the beta boss had gone out traveling a few days ago.
With that in mind, he really didn’t have any friends around him.
Qin Muye, who had been waiting earnestly for Rong Qiu’s response, was slightly nervous. After waiting for Rong Qiu to hesitate for a while, he finally nodded slightly. Qin Muye’s tense heart finally relaxed.
“Okay, let’s go home now.”
The man coughed softly, maintaining the posture of one hand in his pocket, while the other hand had already pressed the car button on the remote control, opening the car door so quickly that it seemed like he was afraid Rong Qiu would change his mind and run away.
The issue of where to stay was settled.
Rong Qiu digested the fact that he was about to stay at Qin Muye’s house, and once he had digested it, he rearranged his plans for the future. While waiting for the keys to arrive from Rong Qin and the response from the restaurant, he realized that ultimately, it was his fault. If he hadn’t been so careless and thrown the keys down, he wouldn’t be in this situation.
In the car, Rong Qiu kept reflecting on himself.
He looked at his phone’s low battery and didn’t dare to use it recklessly. His phone was still an old model from many years ago, and Qin Muye’s car charger didn’t match his.
Rong Qiu could only stare out of the car window and daydream.
Unexpectedly, when the car drove all the way, Rong Qiu didn’t see any residential areas, but instead saw a bustling shopping mall. Qin Muye skillfully drove the car into the underground parking lot, then opened Rong Qiu’s car door, gesturing for him to get out.
“No one has lived in the house for a long time, and a lot of things are missing.”
Rong Qiu had wanted to say he could buy things online, but when he remembered that he didn’t even have a phone charger, he had to yield.
Yielding once led to yielding a second time.
As Rong Qiu got out of the car and walked beside Qin Muye, he unconsciously put his hands in his pockets. “My phone is dead, can you pay for it, and I’ll pay you back later?”
Qin Muye didn’t refuse.
Looking at Rong Qiu’s face, he remembered something, and took out two black masks from the car’s trunk.
Rong Qiu took it and, like Qin Muye, put on the mask.
Rong Qiu originally thought that wearing a mask would make them less noticeable, but even with the masks on, their demeanor and gait still attracted attention. With broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, and a straight posture, they looked very energetic.
Sensing the gaze from left and right, Rong Qiu quickened his pace.
They first went to the phone store to find a charger. Since the model was too old, the store staff searched through the warehouse before finally finding one. Rong Qiu was smart enough to buy a power bank as well.
He immediately charged his phone, which was left with only five percent battery.
Qin Muye accompanied him throughout, feeling a bit regretful.
If Rong Qiu’s phone battery had been lower, he could have paid.
Rong Qiu became more active later on, buying toothpaste, toothbrushes, cups, towels, and even changing clothes. While he was adding items to the cart, Qin Muye’s hands were also busy, sometimes with large bath towels, sometimes with highly absorbent towels for drying hair, and when passing by the beverage section, he added two boxes of oat milk to the cart…
Rong Qiu had originally intended to buy just a few things, but ended up buying more and more. His cart was full, so Qin Muye got a new one along the way.
Rong Qiu hesitated, “Isn’t it enough?” They didn’t need a new cart.
Qin Muye blinked, looking at the cart that wasn’t yet full, and decisively shook his head. He took Rong Qiu to the fruit and vegetable section.
This alpha clearly wasn’t good at picking vegetables and fruits. Amidst various kinds of fruits and vegetables, Qin Muye implemented his philosophy well—only buy the expensive ones.
Rong Qiu shook his head as he watched from behind.
“Don’t buy so many types of vegetables. Get one portion of large lettuce, one portion of small lettuce, that’s enough.”
Later, Rong Qiu volunteered to help Qin Muye pick.
When it was time to check out, many people were discreetly observing Qin Muye and Rong Qiu. Although their faces couldn’t be seen clearly, their figures were very attractive—one was burly and tall, the other tall and slender. The taller one had a black pheromone combination ring on his neck, obviously an alpha, while the other had nothing on his neck, indicating he was a beta, but his facial features were exceptionally good-looking, with rare cobalt blue eyes.
A very rare AB combination, but the atmosphere between them was better than many AO couples.
Rong Qiu stood in front of the self-checkout machine, scanning one item after another. Qin Muye had disappeared at some point, but when he came back, he brought a pair of slippers.
“There are no spare slippers at home.”
The alpha also noticed the gazes of the people around them and lowered his voice as he spoke.
Although it was just a very ordinary sentence, Rong Qiu sensed a different meaning.
Was this alpha implying something to him?
Hinting that he had always lived alone at home?
The man’s tone of voice remained low and even, almost flat. If it weren’t for the man’s magnetic voice, the sentence would have sounded like a monologue spoken by a robot, very AI-like.
Could AI cleverly set hints?
This was a debate.
Without realizing that Rong Qiu had already regarded him as an AI robot, Qin Muye didn’t mean anything else by saying this. Since Qin Zexi wreaked havoc at his house last time, Qin Muye had changed the password lock on the villa and prohibited his brother from entering.
Rong Qiu tacitly acknowledged the existence of these slippers.
With all the items scanned, piled up on the floor, they needed seven extra eco-friendly bags.
As Rong Qiu was tying up the last bag, Qin Muye had already revealed his payment code.
Before Rong Qiu could stop him, Qin Muye had already paid the bill ahead of him.
Hearing the “payment successful” sound, Rong Qiu interrupted, “I should be the one paying.”
Maintaining the action of holding up his phone to scan, Qin Muye slightly widened his lips and made a low prompting sound before saying, “But your phone is dead.”
Looking at his bulging pockets and the long data cable exposed, Rong Qiu thought, he did have battery, as he was currently charging with the power bank…
Qin Muye had already paid, and with the purpose achieved, he calmly put his phone back in his pocket, his expression indicating that it was just an accident.
But whether it was an accident or not, only the alpha himself knew.
Rong Qiu didn’t pursue it further.
He packed up the last bag of items and tore off the long receipt.
It didn’t matter now that Qin Muye had paid this money; he could repay it when he left Qin Muye’s house as accommodation fees.
***
Rong Qiu sat in the car.
As he watched the villa getting closer and closer, he felt a sense of familiarity.
Qin Muye’s villa was very large and looked very delicate, with a structure similar to his own villa, two stories high with a small garden outside. Rong Qiu finally realized where this familiarity came from—the color tones of the walls and the spatial layout of the garden were very similar to his villa on the Capital Star, even more like an enlarged version.
Qin Muye parked the car in the private garage.
Then, with Rong Qiu carrying large and small bags, they returned to the villa.
It was slightly different from what Rong Qiu had expected—completely clean and spotless. He had thought that the home of the Commander of the Thirteenth Military District would be clean and tidy, with every surface cleaned, tables and chairs arranged neatly, and garbage properly disposed of, showcasing the cleanliness obsession of the owner. But in reality, it wasn’t like that. Qin Muye’s villa had a large living room, brightly lit, with not many pieces of furniture, but the few pieces were placed somewhat haphazardly.
As Rong Qiu took a few steps inside, he noticed the trash can in the living room still had toast bags from the morning.
Qin Muye was also somewhat surprised.
Having been to Rong Qiu’s house several times, he naturally knew that Rong Qiu’s house was very clean and tidy. Now, with everything piled up beside the sofa, he pinched the hem of his shirt and said, “I don’t like people coming to my house, so the cleaning lady comes every three days.”
Rong Qiu smiled.
He hadn’t said anything yet.
Although the alpha’s house was a bit messy, there was a lively atmosphere amidst the chaos, which was quite nice. After all, it was a home to live in, not a constantly tidy hotel.
Taking advantage of the moment when Qin Muye was pouring water for him, Rong Qiu’s gaze wandered around. He glanced at Qin Muye’s villa, which had relatively few items and exuded an extreme simplicity. Most notably, there were no decorations on the table, but something was fixed on the wall.
Squinting his eyes, Rong Qiu leaned closer to take a look.
Surprisingly, it was the bedmate contract he had signed with Qin Muye before!
The thin A4 paper bore their handwritten signatures, now elegantly framed with silver borders. Qin Muye immediately took down the contract, not allowing Rong Qiu to continue looking. At the same time, he handed a glass of water, almost half full, to Rong Qiu, masking his own embarrassment.
“Have some water.”
“…Alright.”
Without Qin Muye mentioning it, Rong Qiu didn’t bring it up either.
After all, it was Qin Muye who felt awkward, not him. While drinking from the glass, Rong Qiu watched as Qin Muye tidied up the bed for him. Qin Muye’s villa was much larger than Rong Qiu’s, with not only a master bedroom and a guest room on the second floor but also a study and a bathroom. Qin Muye had arranged for Rong Qiu to stay on the second floor, with a study and a bathroom separating his room from the master bedroom.
Rong Qiu had thought he would stay on the first floor, but being assigned to the second floor was fine too.
He went along with it.
He was the guest, and Qin Muye was the host. He just followed Qin Muye’s arrangements.
After drinking some water, he carried the remaining bags into the guest room. The guest room on the second floor was quite spacious, not inferior to the master bedroom in Rong Qiu’s own house.
Since it was summer and didn’t require thick blankets or quilts, Qin Muye had provided him with a clean black and white checkered blanket. Considering Rong Qiu’s habit of sleeping without a bedsheet, Qin Muye brought him some hypnotic aroma before his nap.
Rong Qiu suddenly felt a sense of convergence of timelines.
The same aroma, the same brand, and the same woody scent—he had received it when he was accompanying Rong Qiu in the hospital.
But back then, it was sent by Zhao Nanchen.
Now, Qin Muye had sent the same one…
Qin Muye seemed like a novice at giving gifts for the first time, holding the aroma in his hand, almost staring blankly at Rong Qiu, who was half-naked.
Because he was about to take a nap, Rong Qiu had just changed out of his shirt that he had worn all morning. His clothes were currently being washed in the washing machine, so he was bare-chested, with only his pants on. He hadn’t even put on shoes yet. Barefoot, his beta feet touched the floor, the curtains were already drawn, and the light coming in from outside made Rong Qiu’s skin appear exceptionally delicate, with those two spots of red looking even fresher.
Unconsciously, Qin Muye’s Adam’s apple rolled as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Immediately, he raised the aroma in his hand, “Hypnotic aroma, it might help with your nap.”
Seeing the aroma taller than himself, Rong Qiu, leaning against the door frame, didn’t know what to say. He reached out to take it, “Thank you.”
Qin Muye’s gaze suddenly fell on a fair arm.
The moment Rong Qiu took the aroma, Qin Muye took the initiative to close the door for him.
With a “bang,” Qin Muye finally shut out that glimpse of white, unable to see Rong Qiu anymore. Qin Muye, who had been suppressing his emotions, could finally release them fully. His breathing became rapid, his ears turned red, and it was unclear what he was thinking—perhaps it was the beta’s pristine chest, or perhaps it was the beta’s arms thinly covered with muscles. In any case, Qin Muye leaned against the wall suddenly, his back bent like a shrimp, his two big hands still tightly covering his flushed cheeks.
In the midst of his rapid breaths, the residual aroma of sandalwood and his pheromones were quite similar.
He had ulterior motives.
He wanted this scent to accompany Rong Qiu to sleep.
***
It was unclear if this hypnosis aromatherapy really works for him.
That day, Rong Qiu’s nap and evening sleep were of high quality, without any dreams. He woke up refreshed, even breaking his habit and slept until his phone alarm went off.
At seven o’clock, Rong Qiu got up.
Since he had no car, he couldn’t go to the research institute.
His plan for today was to modify the details of the mecha in his room. When he went downstairs, he saw Qin Muye.
At seven in the morning, Qin Muye wasn’t at work yet. He had already changed into a white undershirt with an apron tied around his neck, giving off a contrast of a social elite cooking in the kitchen.
However, Qin Muye’s movements were already skilled. This was the first time Rong Qiu had seen Qin Muye cook something other than hangover soup.
Fried eggs, warm toast, and lukewarm milk.
This breakfast was almost the same as the one Rong Qiu prepared at home, even the taste was similar. Rong Qiu liked to sprinkle a little salt on top of the fried eggs, making them crispy and fragrant, which opened his appetite early in the morning.
He didn’t expect Qin Muye to sprinkle salt on the eggs he fried as well.
After eating two eggs, two slices of toast, and finishing a cup of heated oat milk, Rong Qiu inexplicably felt like he was being taken care of.
But this feeling wasn’t bad at all.
Seeing Rong Qiu finished his plate, Qin Muye across from him sped up his chewing. In less than three minutes, he finished this breakfast.
This toast with fried eggs was something he had seen on Rong Qin’s friend circle.
Rong Qin liked to show off everything related to Rong Qiu, including this toast with fried eggs. Qin Muye had replicated it many times at home before but never thought he would have the opportunity to make it for Rong Qiu.
However, seeing Rong Qiu eat the breakfast he made today, still in his own villa, gave him a sense of satisfaction far beyond the feeling he had when he delivered meals to patients in the hospital.
It was like his own villa finally had such a treasure.
Perhaps, it was his treasure.
***
Rong Qiu roughly calculated that he should stay at Qin Muye’s house for a maximum of three days.
In three days, even if the restaurant didn’t find his keys, the spare keys sent by Rong Qin from the remote star could reach him. As long as he got the keys to his villa, he would have the spare car keys too.
But he didn’t go to the mecha research institute for those three days.
His car was still in the restaurant’s garage, and it would take two hours to drive from Qin Muye’s villa to his research institute. Commuting back and forth every day would take four hours. With these four hours, Rong Qiu preferred to conduct simulated test flights on the light brain first.
So Rong Qiu stayed at Qin Muye’s house like this, and the two of them got along peacefully.
Mainly because he wouldn’t actively leave the room, and Qin Muye wouldn’t deliberately knock on his door. The only slight disturbance was when Qin Zexi came to knock on the door on the second day of his stay.
Alphas had strong strength, and the door was hammered with a “thud thud thud.” Rong Qiu, who was in the guest room on the second floor, peeked downstairs and saw a strange car parked at the entrance to the villa’s garden.
It was only four-thirty in the afternoon, and Qin Muye was still at the military district office. Who would come at this time?
Looking through the screen, it was Qin Zexi who had come.
Qin Zexi’s face appeared loudly on the screen, and his knocking on the door continued, causing the door in the guest room on the second floor to tremble even though there was a meter between Rong Qiu and the door.
Did this alpha want to punch Qin Muye’s villa? Rong Qiu opened the door and indeed saw that the villa’s door was slightly depressed.
Rong Qiu: …
Qin Zexi came today to discuss matters with Qin Muye.
He brought the key and tried the fingerprint lock, but the key couldn’t go in, and the fingerprint lock reminded him of incorrect fingerprints.
What’s going on?
Last time he came, the door opened as soon as he pushed it.
Qin Zexi angrily dialed Qin Muye’s phone number again, and the door suddenly opened a crack. Qin Zexi pushed the door wider with one arm, and he saw Rong Qiu holding a black mug, wearing white casual pants, and wearing slippers that obviously weren’t disposable.
The Beta was looking at him with narrowed eyes, like the owner of the villa.
“Why are you here?”
“Staying here.”
Qin Zexi sneered, about to say something, but Rong Qiu raised his eyebrows to stop him, “What’s the matter? If you’re looking for Qin Muye, he hasn’t finished work yet.”
The more Qin Zexi listened, the more he felt something was wrong.
The Beta’s demeanor was as if he had become his younger brother’s partner.
Qin Zexi frowned.
He didn’t bother with Rong Qiu; instead, he went straight into Qin Muye’s villa. He didn’t even change his shoes. Rong Qiu watched, his eyebrows furrowing even more than Qin Zexi’s.
But Rong Qiu ultimately didn’t say anything.
Qin Zexi and Qin Muye were brothers, and he had no right to interfere.
After letting Qin Zexi in, Rong Qiu went upstairs to continue working on the light brain, leaving Qin Zexi downstairs to do as he pleased. But Rong Qiu still sent a message to Qin Muye, reminding him that Qin Zexi had come over.
Qin Muye was supposed to work two extra hours today.
Lately, the affairs of the Thirteenth Military District had been very busy. With the volunteer army fighting outside, the regular army in the military district couldn’t fall behind. Planning and coordinating the action routes and policies of the major operations to drive away the pirates required Qin Muye’s careful consideration.
So working overtime recently was part of an alpha’s daily routine.
But after the meeting, when he saw so many missed calls from his brother and communication messages from Rong Qiu on his phone, Qin Muye rubbed his temples with a tired look and let the beta officer send all the unread documents to his online network. He would deal with them when he got home.
Wei Ming remained as efficient as ever, but before leaving work, he requested a month off.
“Half a month? Why are you taking such a long leave?”
Wei Ming smiled discreetly and handed Qin Muye a bright red invitation card, “I’m getting married next month, and I hope the Commander-in-Chief can grace us with your presence.”
Half a month wasn’t too long, and there would still be about a week of honeymoon time after the wedding.
Wei Ming had restrained himself. He eagerly wanted to spend several months alone with his lawful partner, but considering that the Commander-in-Chief was still in the humble pursuit stage, Wei Ming restrained himself a little and didn’t show off too obviously.
The beta officer gently pushed the joyful invitation card in front of Qin Muye and then left.
Leaving Qin Muye alone to look at the invitation card on the table.
Driving home, Qin Muye, in addition to his original tiredness, also felt a bit of envy.
He was just a tiny bit envious.
But it was just a tiny bit.
Putting the invitation card in his pocket, he returned home to face the more difficult person.
His brother, Qin Zexi.
Every time his brother came to find him, it was never good news. Because of Rong Qin’s affairs, he had kept his brother at bay for so long, but he didn’t know what tricks his brother had prepared for him.
Entering the password lock, Qin Muye looked inside and saw that his brother had once again familiarized himself with his house. He had drunk three cans of alcohol on the table, and when he arrived, Qin Zexi was drinking the fourth can, complaining that there wasn’t much alcohol here.
Qin Muye fell silent, and his expression had become quite ugly.
This alcohol was what he had drunk at Rong Qiu’s house back then. It wasn’t strong, and the brand was quite niche, so it was hard to find in the Thirteenth Military District. He had asked someone to help him find a box, a box of twelve cans, and his brother had drunk four cans as if they were water.
Qin Muye brought over the remaining bottles, “Brother, why did you come find me today?”
“Afraid. By the way, I want to entrust the company to you.”
Qin Muye’s expression became very ugly, “And then you want to go find Rong Qin?”
“Yes.”
Qin Muye disagreed, “You were so decisive when you broke up initially. Why do you want to stir things up again? You and him being together will not end well. Besides, do you think Rong Qin is willing to see you?”
Qin Zexi, near despair, said, “But how can I endure it? He’s getting along swimmingly with the volunteer army every day, getting so close to so many alphas. I couldn’t stand it long ago. I’ve given him enough freedom outside.”
“Brother.” Qin Muye suddenly interrupted Qin Zexi’s words, “You still haven’t thought it through. Rong Qin isn’t your accessory. His divorce from you was sincere, and after the divorce, you two have no ties. Brother, don’t delude yourself into thinking that Rong Qin will remember you.”
“I’m just going to find him.”
Qin Muye leaned back on the sofa in frustration. “Then what do you take me for, brother?”
“What?” Qin Zexi looked puzzled.
Qin Muye was already very tired. “Brother, the Qin family’s company is under your jurisdiction, not a responsibility I must accept; if you want to go find Rong Qin, please solve this matter yourself. I am not your accessory, nor am I a subordinate who must obey you. Brother, when you were looking for someone to take over and manage the company, did you ever consider how exhausted I am in the Thirteenth Military District?”
Qin Muye was annoyed.
He was really annoyed.
And his brother was even more annoyed than he was.
Qin Zexi slammed the aluminum cans on the table, leaving angrily. As he left, he glanced back at him, the meaning of mutual hurt was obvious.
“Now that you’ve caught someone, you’re starting to stop me from chasing someone. You’re really my good little brother.”
***
There was quite a commotion downstairs, and even Rong Qiu, who was studying the drawings seriously, couldn’t help but be disturbed.
He listened to the low hum of car engines outside and glanced at the half-full cup of water. He drank the remaining water in big gulps before taking the cup downstairs.
Sure enough, downstairs was a mess.
The aluminum cans were crushed fiercely, lying haphazardly on the floor. The scent of fruit mixed with the smell of alcohol. Rong Qiu bent down to pick up the crushed cans from the ground. He didn’t need to ask; he knew something had happened between Qin Zexi and Qin Muye.
Whatever happened, as long as it didn’t involve his brother, Rong Qin, it was fine.
But things didn’t go as planned.
After listening to Qin Muye’s explanation, Rong Qiu squeezed the already flattened aluminum cans even flatter. “He said he wants you to take over your family’s company, and then he’s going to find my brother?”
Rong Qiu really didn’t know how to describe his feelings at the moment.
How could there be someone like Qin Zexi?
They had broken up, and yet, even though his brother had closed all channels of communication with Qin Zexi, Qin Zexi still insisted on clinging unilaterally.
There were too many curses he wanted to say, but they all got stuck in his throat.
Because he noticed that Qin Muye’s condition wasn’t good. Although the alpha usually had a cold demeanor, the current coldness was mixed with an indescribable desolation, as if he had experienced a long and enduring battle, with both body and heart riddled with wounds. Rong Qiu couldn’t describe this feeling. If he had to, it might be like a patient who had been bedridden for a long time, carrying an illness and appearing especially fragile.
Rong Qiu had no intention of pulling out his breathing tube.
So Rong Qiu didn’t scold Qin Zexi for his behavior. He didn’t want to poke at Qin Muye’s wounds.
Rong Qiu neatly arranged all the aluminum cans on the table, but the last can was askew and couldn’t stay stable, swaying back and forth on the marble coffee table, making a “clatter clatter” sound in both their ears.
“So did you agree to your brother? You usually handle many affairs in the Thirteenth Military District, and now you have to take over your family’s company…” Rong Qiu felt more and more uneasy, “You don’t have that much time and energy.”
Rong Qiu’s questioning undoubtedly plunged a knife into Qin Muye’s heart.
What Rong Qiu understood was why his brother, as his blood relative, hadn’t considered him.
Even the words his brother said before leaving were still echoing in his mind.
Qin Muye just felt very tired, and his mind was unusually heavy.
He didn’t want to deal with Qin Zexi’s affairs anymore. If Qin Zexi wasn’t related to him by blood, he might really treat Qin Zexi as a stranger.
But there was no such “if”; he and Qin Zexi were full-blooded brothers.
***
The next day was the weekend in the Thirteenth Military District.
Because of Qin Zexi’s visit, Rong Qiu felt that Qin Muye was very wrong.
The whole alpha looked listless, not as spirited as before, and Qin Muye even burned his hand while frying eggs. A large blister appeared on the man’s fingertip, but he didn’t care at all, just kept running it under water.
The alpha was in a strange state.
Clearly still as taciturn as usual, but his current silence was an inherent silence, unlike before, where Rong Qiu could sense that he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to express it.
For Qin Muye’s abnormality, Rong Qiu tightly pressed his lips together, feeling a sense of unease in his heart.
Fortunately, the key sent by Rong Qin’s courier had arrived at his research institute. Rong Qiu would pick up the key this afternoon and could go home.
All morning, Rong Qiu was packing up his things.
The things he had used were still left at Qin Muye’s house, obviously not suitable.
When he finished packing, he knocked on the door of Qin Muye’s master bedroom, ready to say goodbye and leave.
Rong Qiu’s knuckles were slightly clenched. He tapped his fingers in groups of three, but after three or four rounds, there was still no response from Qin Muye’s door.
Rong Qiu paused for a moment. Just as he was about to continue knocking, the door finally opened.
Now Rong Qiu could be sure that something was wrong with Qin Muye.
The alpha’s breathing was heavy, and there was a heavy nasal tone in his speech. Even though there was no light in the corridor, Rong Qiu could clearly see the redness in the alpha’s phoenix eyes, and upon closer observation, Rong Qiu could even see the dense blood vessels at the bottom of the man’s eyes.
Even if the alpha tried his best not to show any signs of illness, his physical condition had already betrayed him.
“You have a fever,” Rong Qiu said unexpectedly, reaching out his hand.
Sure enough, the alpha’s forehead was scorching hot, enough to fry an egg.
Qin Muye didn’t have time to avoid it, so he could only let Rong Qiu’s cool hand rest on his forehead.
But as soon as he realized it, he quickly stepped back, “But I can handle it myself.”
“You can handle it?”
“Yeah.”
“Bullsh*t,” Rong Qiu sneered, trying hard to restrain himself but ultimately couldn’t, “Did you check your temperature? How many degrees is your temperature? Have you taken medicine for your illness? What medicine did you take? You don’t know, do you? You haven’t done anything and you’re still here saying ‘yeah’ to me?!”
Rong Qiu knew he would be like this.
And habits and memories were truly terrifying things.
Even though it had been six years since he last took care of Qin Muye, Rong Qiu still vividly remembered that every time Qin Muye fell ill, he would exhibit this kind of negative state. Actually, he had sensed it this morning, but he never thought that after several years, Qin Muye still wouldn’t take care of himself.
And now, with Qin Muye’s mind foggy, bombarded by Rong Qiu’s series of questions, the man’s not-so-intelligent brain became as mushy as porridge in an instant. He looked like a fool who had suddenly lost his senses, only staring wide-eyed at Rong Qiu in front of him, reluctant to even look away when scolded.
But.
Rong Qiu, you’re so fierce.
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