Limited Ambiguity Chapter 31 Part 1

Chapter 31.1

Qi Yan woke up and asked in a hoarse voice with eyes closed, “What time is it?”

The electronic voice of the personal terminal announced, “It’s now 10:41 AM.”

After a while, Qi Yan buried half of his face in the pillow and slowly opened his eyes.

His vision focused. Near his right wrist, there was a neatly tied bowknot. For a moment, Qi Yan suspected his memory was confused again, but then he looked at his left hand—

It was there too.

Both hands had it?

Qi Yan sat up in bed, the collar of his nightgown falling open, revealing most of his shoulders. Against the black fabric, his skin seemed even paler. He raised his arm, looking at it from left to right, his eyes gradually filling with a smile.

It was raining outside, the sound of drizzle incessant. Qi Yan put on a long-sleeved shirt, the cuffs covering his wrists, revealing only the edge of the bandage.

Putting the Set A meal on the table, Lu Fenghan glanced at Qi Yan, his expression carefully neutral.

He felt restless all morning, wondering if it was due to his idleness on Leto that made him hyper-aware of Qi Yan. So, he simply extended his morning workout, emptied his mind, and did a few more sets of strength training.

Lu Fenghan must have just taken a shower, his hair slightly damp, still carrying the strong scent of masculinity that had not completely dissipated.

Enveloped in this scent, Qi Yan subconsciously felt very comfortable. “Is Set A meal running out soon?” He pondered as he held the spoon. “I remember there were plenty when I checked yesterday, but there shouldn’t be much left by now.”

Lu Fenghan corrected him, “You didn’t enter the kitchen yesterday. I just checked, there are still two sets left.”

“Hmm, I think I must have remembered it wrong.”

This was one of Qi Yan’s methods for determining the authenticity of his memories — bycross-referencing them with logical inferences.

But this method wasn’t always reliable. In this case, for instance, he couldn’t be certain whether he’d visited the kitchen yesterday, or if his memory of the “purchase time” was accurate.

However, Qi Yan tried his best to avoid delving into this issue, because it did nothing but bring him more confusion.

Lu Fenghan had always been a fast eater. Even now, off the front lines, his speed hadn’t slowed. In contrast, Qi Yan had only eaten less than ten spoonfuls, while Lu Fenghan was already finished.

As Qi Yan’s fingertips brushed against the spoon, Lu Fenghan asked bluntly, “Not angry anymore?”

Qi Yan shook his head. “Not angry anymore.”

Adopting the same seriousness he used in strategic meetings on the Expeditionary Force’s command ship, Lu Fenghan asked Qi Yan, “Why were you angry yesterday?”

He replayed yesterday’s conversation in his mind. Qi Yan had only said, “That bandage is mine.” Where did the emphasis lie in that sentence? On “mine” or on “bandage”?

Lu Fenghan felt it necessary to identify specific factors to avoid the same problem in the future.

Qi Yan was very cooperative.

“My bandage. You can’t tie a bowknot on it for someone else.”

This time, Lu Fenghan grasped the key point. He leaned back, his whole body relaxing, a smile playing on his lips. “I get it. I can only tie a bowknot for Little Scatterbrain.”

Qi Yan did not refute it.

A deeper smile curled at the corners of Lu Fenghan’s lips. He thought about how Qi Yan’s small tantrums could be so easily soothed. When faced with those clear and innocent eyes, it was simply impossible to say no.

So, it was no wonder he always indulged Qi Yan.

Ye Pei and Mondrian were still in ISOC, so Qi Yan didn’t attend classes at Turan. Instead, he stayed home to continue studying the basic architecture of “Pojun”.

The next day, when they met in the classroom for the public lecture, both Ye Pei and Mondrian had dark circles under their eyes.

Xia Zhiyang saw them and sighed with emotion. “This is probably why I like being a mediocre student. I just scrape by every semester, and I don’t have to worry about the professors paying attention to me or staying up late to work on projects!”

Ye Pei gestured in agreement. “Exactly. Whenever I’m so exhausted I feel like vomiting, I just want to let go and not care about anything.”

Seeing Ye Pei, who usually floated through life, looking like she was about to collapse, Xia Zhiyang quickly offered his snacks. “Take care of yourself!”

Ye Pei hadn’t expected such a perk. Thanking profusely, she opened the package, taking in the aroma, instantly feeling revitalized.

The holographic projection was off. Mondrian and Ye Pei stood by Qi Yan’s desk. Ye Pei began, “Our progress is faster than other groups. Professor Fu gave us a week, but we’ve finished everything in just two days. The research group’s tasks haven’t been assigned yet, meaning we have five days free!”

Xia Zhiyang was once again taken aback. With such a heavy workload every day, if he didn’t understand the content of the previous class, he would sit through the next class feeling completely lost. Yet, in Ye Pei’s mouth, such a frantic pace translated to—free time?

Perhaps, this was the difference between people.

With yesterday’s completion of the basic structure design for “Pojun,” the remaining tasks could be managed alongside other responsibilities. No separate time allocation was necessary. Qi Yan nodded in agreement.

Mondrian: “Have you heard of the ‘Roentgen Award’?”

Seeing Qi Yan shake his head, he explained, “The ‘Roentgen Award’ is established by the Roentgen Foundation and is open to all first to fourth-year students in Leto. Starting from mid to late September each year until October 10th, the judging panel selects one first prize, two second prizes, and two third prizes from the submissions received during this period. The first, second, and third prizes come with cash rewards of 500,000, 400,000, and 300,000 star coins, respectively.”

Xia Zhiyang glanced between Mondrian and Ye Pei, then asked, “Are you planning to participate in the Roentgen Award?”

Holding onto her snacks, Ye Pei spoke with a bit more vigor, “We didn’t consider it before. There were too many responsibilities with the research group, leaving no spare time. So, both Mondrian and I had initially given up. But now, it’s different. We have five days of free time, and the Roentgen Award’s deadline is still on the 10th. Just perfect!”

“So, you didn’t even prepare before, and now you plan to finish your work in just five days?” Xia Zhiyang turned to Qi Yan, “Qi Yan, they’re so unreliable! Who enters the Roentgen Award without preparing months in advance? Five days? How could they possibly compete?”

Ye Pei: “We’re aiming for the first prize.”

Xia Zhiyang: “Dream on!”

Mondrian continued to persuade Qi Yan, “While we were waiting for the data sequences to be imported into the artificial chips last night, we already decided on a topic. But the Roentgen Award requires a team of at least three and at most five people. Those who intend to participate have already formed teams. We’re still short on people.”

Ye Pei’s gaze was burning as she added, “So, we thought of you.”

Fearing Qi Yan might not agree, Mondrian elaborated, “It’s not just about the topic. We’ve also planned out the structure. If you decide to join, you’ll only be responsible for the basic data aspect. When we win the prize of 500,000 star coins, we’ll split it evenly.”

However, Qi Yan’s focus wasn’t on the responsibilities or the prize money. “Is this award very important to you?”

Ye Pei swallowed the snack in her mouth before responding, “It’s quite significant. Both Mondrian and I plan to pursue research after graduation. If I want to work in space research stations in the future, awards like this would enhance the brightness and competitiveness of my resume.”

Understanding the significance of the award, Qi Yan didn’t hesitate to answer, “I’ll join.”

At that moment, Xia Zhiyang signaled Qi Yan with his eyes, gesturing for him to look to the side.

Qi Yan turned his head and saw Jiang Qi walking towards his position.

“Bro— No, Qi Yan, are you also participating in the Roentgen Award?” Jiang Qi glanced at Ye Pei and Mondrian beside him. “Although the deadline is approaching, you guys will definitely be fine.”

He hesitated, a hint of shyness creeping in. “Speaking of which, a few classmates and I also signed up. But I’m a freshman, and I only found out about this award after enrolling in school. So, I’ve only been preparing for about half a month. It’s a bit rushed, and I might be eliminated quickly.”

Ye Pei, drained from thinking too hard, initially wanted to offer some encouragement like “The important thing is to participate and gain experience.” But something about Jiang Qi, maybe his expression or the way he spoke, felt off. She decided to kep quiet.

Even though his words fell on deaf ears, Jiang Qi seemed unfazed. He smiled at Qi Yan and said, “I believe you’ll definitely win the prize. Looking forward to hearing good news from you!”

Once Jiang Qi left, Xia Zhiyang couldn’t resist speaking up. “Why do I feel like Jiang Qi wasn’t saying ‘I believe you’ll definitely win the prize,’ but rather, ‘I hope you won’t even get close to the Roentgen Award’?”

Reflecting for a moment, Ye Pei agreed with Xia Zhiyang’s assessment. “Honestly, I get that vibe too.”

At that moment, the teacher’s holographic projection appeared on the podium, prompting everyone to take their seats.

Xia Zhiyang took out his recorder pad. As he listened to the lecture, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was overlooking something.

After afternoon classes, Jiang Qi was driven home by his chauffeur. Upon entering the house, he saw Jiang Yunyue wearing a light blue dress, learning flower arrangement with a flower arrangement teacher.

Sensing that Jiang Qi had something to tell her, Jiang Yunyue gently said to the flower arrangement teacher, “Let’s end today’s class here. I’ll have the driver take you back.”

The flower arrangement teacher tactfully exchanged a few brief pleasantries with Jiang Yunyue before leaving.

Jiang Yunyue poured a cup of floral tea for Jiang Qi and beckoned him over. “What’s the matter?”

Jiang Qi sat down on the sofa, took a sip of tea, didn’t taste anything, and put it down. He told Jiang Yunyue with some trepidation, “Mom, I heard Qi Yan say today that he is going to participate in the Roentgen Award.”

Jiang Yunyue delicately tended to her fingers, pouring herself another half cup of tea with ease. She spoke leisurely, “Didn’t you say he wasn’t going to participate?”

“Qi Yan is from a remote place and has no idea about the Roentgen Award. There are two sophomores who initially didn’t want to join, but now they’ve changed their minds. However, they couldn’t find enough people at the last minute, so they roped in Qi Yan.” Jiang Qi’s tone carried a hint of disdain as he continued, “But since the beginning of the school year, Qi Yan has shown some impressive abilities. Mom, do you think he might actually snatch the first prize this time?”

“So, you’re worried about that?” Jiang Yunyue smiled. “Jiang Qi, it’s just a minor matter.”

“Mom, I know, but I can’t help but think about it,” Jiang Qi replied earnestly, “Regardless, Qi Yan must not be allowed to win the first prize. His little accelerator project might have gained some attention at school, but if he wins the first prize, Dad will definitely take notice!”

Jiang Qi always felt wary and fearful of Qi Yan.

On one hand, he worried that Qi Yan might reveal his secrets, and on the other hand, he feared that Qi Yan might come up with something impressive, drawing Qi Wenshao’s attention.

Jiang Yunyue took a sip of the floral tea and picked up her flower shears to trim the thorns on the flower branches. “Don’t worry. Have you forgotten that I inject large sums of star coins into the Roentgen Foundation every year?”

The upper echelons of Leto society, including the Qi family, were not only enthusiastic about charity but also frequently supported various foundations.

Projects related to charity and foundations had always been under Jiang Yunyue’s management.

“You, focus on preparing your acceptance speech for the award ceremony and choose the outfit you’ll wear that day. Everything else, Mom will take care of.”

Jiang Yunyue placed the thornless flower branches into a vase. “As an elder, I’ll take the the opportunity to teach him a lesson, to show him that in Leto, true talent isn’t always the most important. Without someone to rely on, anyone can trip him up, and the road will be difficult. In the end, the only support he can truly depend on is the Qi family.”

If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))