Chapter 59: Quick Questions, Quick Answers
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“What did you say?”
“I grew up without the shelter of the Xiao family since I was a child, and I don’t need it in the future.” Xiao Chen said.
Xiao Hongwen looked into Xiao Chen’s eyes and found that he had never really understood this son.
Although he seemed carefree on the surface, he had a clear scale in his heart, weighing everything clearly.
“Lele, you won’t come back either?” Xiao Hongwen knew it was impossible to persuade Xiao Chen to come back. This child was too determined, so he turned to Xiao Le.
Xiao Le shook her head, “I’ll follow my brother.”
“You’re not an adult yet! I am still your guardian!” Xiao Hongwen became anxious.
Xiao Le directly replied, “I’m afraid that if I go back to your house, someone will plot against my little heart again.”
One sentence left Xiao Hongwen speechless.
“Brother still needs to rest, and your complexion doesn’t look good. You might as well go back first.” Xiao Le said again.
This was an eviction notice. Xiao Hongwen also knew that saying anything at this time was useless, so he could only turn around and leave.
When Xiao Hongwen left, Xiao Chen pulled his sister’s sleeve, “Hey, do you know where my classmate An Lan is?”
Xiao Le’s eyes immediately curved into crescents, and she laughed covering her mouth, “I know. So, Brother An Lan is the one who lent us the phone that day!”
“I’m glad he’s safe.” Xiao Chen exhaled, closing his eyes, “Take me to see him.”
“Okay!”
The two siblings had just walked out of the ward, and they saw Xu Xingran.
His complexion was much better than when he was first sent to the hospital.
“Hey, Class Monitor, it seems that this ordeal has also taken half of your life.” Xiao Chen walked slowly to Xu Xingran’s side, teasing him.
Xu Xingran had a slender figure, and even in a patient’s gown, he exuded the aura of a tuxedo. Two little nurses pushing a cart walked past, unable to help but take a few more glances at him.
“Where do I resemble you? Finally vented some frustration. The schemes of Han Li and the mother-son pair, plotting against your heart, have been exposed by tabloid journalists. It’s making quite a sensation now. Han’s family stocks have plummeted, and soon your stepmother Han Li might not even afford to keep her underwear…”
“Stop, stop! What’s with ‘can’t even afford her underwear’? Is that something a cultured person like you would say? Don’t let your own image collapse.”
“I mentioned the tabloid journalists, and the smile on your face couldn’t be hidden.” Xu Xingran looked at Xiao Chen with a cold glance.
The two walked towards the ward of An Lan and Gu Liyu together.
An Lan, who heard their footsteps, joyfully sat up, “Is it Class Monitor and Xiao Chen?”
“Yes, it’s us! Little guy looks spirited!” Xiao Chen stood at the door, poking his head out and waving.
An Lan stood up, pushed the infusion tube towards the end of the bed, and then walked to the end of the bed.
Seeing that they were eager to meet, after confirming the identities of Xu Xingran and Xiao Chen, the special police officers in front of the ward let them in.
As soon as Xiao Chen entered, he nonchalantly plopped down on An Lan’s hospital bed, took a deep sniff, and showed an expression of enjoyment. “Smells great, it’s the scent of green bamboo.”
When one alpha smells another person’s pheromones, it’s a bit ambiguous, but Xiao Chen appeared nonchalant, without any evil intentions.
Then he suddenly noticed Gu Liyu lying on the opposite side. As if being struck by lightning, he sat up, looking at him discontentedly. “What the heck—why can’t I share a room with An Lan, but you can?”
Gu Liyu calmly sat up and replied, “Because he might need a sample of my pheromones.”
Xu Xingran, standing by the bedside, remained silent from beginning to end.
An Lan looked at Xu Xingran, realizing that he was able to return safely, thanks in no small part to Xu Xingran risking himself to negotiate.
“I heard from Gu Liyu about your plan. Thank you, Xiao Chen, and thank you, Class Monitor,” An Lan said, looking at Xu Xingran.
He didn’t know how to express his gratitude. Before, he thought Xu Xingran had been exceptionally caring and concerned about him because of Class Monitor. But one wouldn’t go to such lengths for a classmate.
Xu Xingran smiled, “Being able to come back is already fortunate.”
Xiao Chen asked again, “So, An Lan, how’s your pheromone level now? Will you turn into an omega?”
After experiencing so much, An Lan was no longer so concerned about being an Alpha or Omega, and he could even tease Xiao Chen in return.
“What do you want me to become in the future, an Alpha or an Omega?” An Lan asked.
Xiao Chen, with his long legs, laid across An Lan’s bed. Originally, both legs were outside the bed, but now he couldn’t stay still, moving them a couple of times, causing the bed to creak.
“Either is fine. It’s just a bit troublesome if you become an omega,” Xiao Chen said.
“What’s troublesome about it? Are you gender-biased?” An Lan playfully hit Xiao Chen’s belly.
“What bias… I just think many people will like you. You might not be able to handle it,” Xiao Chen said, looking at An Lan with a probing gaze.
An Lan immediately remembered the time in “Eden” when Xiao Chen had sought comfort in his arms.
“Whether alpha or omega, people will like you. It’s the same kind of trouble,” An Lan replied.
“True.” Xiao Chen smiled, “No matter what kind of person you are, as long as you’re An Lan, I’ll protect you.”
“The territorial awareness of the class representative in mathematics is really strong,” An Lan laughed, “But one day, I will leave the school environment and go to the outside world. You will have your life too, and it’s impossible to protect me all the time.”
Xu Xingran smiled faintly and sat down on the other side of An Lan.
“Even if we leave the school, we will still be friends. When that time comes, if any one of us needs your help, you won’t change just because you’ve left school,” Xu Xingran said.
“That’s right!” An Lan smiled with narrowed eyes.
“And no matter what direction your future differentiation takes, those who like you won’t stop feeling for you just because you’re an Alpha or an Omega,” Xu Xingran said.
An Lan sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “Actually, after Little Qiao differentiated into an omega, every time I see his parents worrying about him encountering bad people and often asking me to protect him, I really feel that becoming an omega is troublesome. Being marked and becoming someone else’s property… but I found out it’s because of my own bias against ‘marking.'”
“Huh? What bias?” Xiao Chen asked with interest.
Xu Xingran and Gu Liyu also looked over.
Seeing their serious expressions, An Lan couldn’t help but laugh.
“I consider ‘marking’ as a way for one alpha to claim another omega privately. Although I don’t deny that some alphas do think that way, many alphas use it to express love or even to protect the one they love.” An Lan answered.
Xiao Chen furrowed his brow and replied, “Shouldn’t it be like that from the beginning?”
“Ah Chen, you didn’t grow up in the Xiao family, so you think about things too simply. Many times, the one we end up with is not necessarily the one we most want to mark or even protect,” Xu Xingran smiled helplessly.
“Even if you mark him, you may not be able to protect him,” Gu Liyu added.
Xiao Chen paused, understanding the meaning in their words. Xu Xingran’s parents were an obvious case of a family alliance, and as for the feelings between Gu Liyu’s parents, after Gu Yunli went crazy, it was clear how helpless they were.
“But how you view ‘marking’ determines the meaning of ‘marking.’ For example, the clients in ‘Eden’ see marking as a way to possess an omega, enjoying the pleasure of controlling someone’s entire life. But in this room, would anyone mark another omega for such a reason?” An Lan asked.
“Nonsense, of course not,” Xiao Chen replied decisively.
An Lan couldn’t help but pat his head.
“A man’s head, a woman’s waist—don’t touch them randomly, you know?” Xiao Chen issued a stern warning.
An Lan patted him again. “I did touch it, what can you do about it?”
“I’ll mark you!” Xiao Chen said coldly.
“Sorry, you can’t.” An Lan replied with a smile.
“Tsk, you little alpha, still quite naive. There’s a lot to learn from us,” Xiao Chen said revengefully, pressing An Lan’s head forcefully.
“Following the Class Monitor and Gu Liyu can indeed help me study well. What can I learn from following you? Fight?” An Lan teased.
“As an alpha, how can you not know how to fight?” Xiao Chen earnestly replied, “Once you’re better, you must seriously learn how to fight!”
“Are you… serious or joking?” An Lan had never thought that someone would actually want to teach him how to fight in his entire life.
“Of course, I’m serious. Especially about learning some self-defense techniques!” Xiao Chen replied.
An Lan was about to retort when surprisingly, Xu Xingran nodded and said, “He’s right; we should learn some.”
“Class Monitor, are you serious too?” An Lan asked.
Xu Xingran smiled and nodded, “I’m very serious.”
Three knocks on the door interrupted them. They turned to see the captain in charge of the case entering.
“It’s a relief to see you all in good spirits.”
“How is Dr. Cheng? Did he say anything?” Xu Xingran asked.
“He said, if there are any questions, let Gu Liyu ask him. He won’t answer questions from anyone else.” The captain sighed helplessly, then looked at Gu Liyu.
Gu Liyu nodded, “I understand. I’ll go talk to him in a while.”
“Also, that Jiang Shaozhe said if we want him to answer questions, he must see An Lan. An Lan needs to answer his questions before he answers ours.”
An Lan furrowed his brow, “Wait a moment, who is Jiang Shaozhe?”
“The guy who disguised himself as you, got admitted to the hospital,collaborated with Dr. Cheng to steal the ‘Binding Agent,’ and pointed a gun at Gu Liyu’s head,” the captain explained.
“Him? He wants to see me?” An Lan found it unbelievable.
Xu Xingran chuckled and shook his head, “Captain Hong, your job as captain seems a bit frustrating. Once the suspects are in your hands, they won’t confess no matter how hard you try.”
Captain Hong had a thick skin and replied with a smile, “Isn’t it all thanks to the precise plans of you students? If we go to question them, they stay silent. We can’t just beat them up in a dark room, can we?”
“Captain Hong, you and your subordinates need to enhance your charm a bit,” Xu Xingran half-jokingly remarked.
“I’m getting old, weathering through storms and rain, thick-skinned… My charm leaked to the Earth’s core long ago.”
Thinking about meeting Jiang Shaozhe, it was impossible not to feel nervous.
Because Jiang Shaozhe might be K, or even if he wasn’t K, he was someone very close to K.
This guy was bold; he dared to pretend to be sick and enter the hospital. Moreover, after the special police raided the underground research facility of the factory, he not only didn’t leave but also set traps, attempting to take Gu Liyu and An Lan away.
As for Dr. Cheng…
“That Dr. Cheng is also a member of the expert team treating your dad, right?” An Lan looked at Gu Liyu.
“Yes.”
“Which means he knows a lot about your dad’s condition…” An Lan furrowed his brow, “Be careful not to be manipulated by him.”
“I won’t.”
Since Captain Hong requested their help, they had to cooperate as soon as possible; otherwise, this case would keep interfering with their lives.
An Lan put on his coat and was escorted by the police to the hospital gate, where he coincidentally met his parents and An Yuan.
As soon as Mom saw An Lan, her eyes turned red, and she immediately hugged him tightly, making it hard to breathe.
After talking for a long time, An Lan finally got into the car with Captain Hong.
This was also the first time An Lan met Jiang Shaozhe.
Standing outside the door, An Lan took a deep breath. He didn’t even understand why Jiang Shaozhe wanted to see him.
Captain Hong pushed the door open and accompanied An Lan inside.
Jiang Shaozhe looked very young, bearing a resemblance of three or four points to An Lan. Although he was already in the hands of the police, there was no sign of desolation on his face.
When An Lan walked in, he smiled.
“Now that you tidied up today, you look like an alpha.” Jiang Shaozhe leaned back in his chair, teasing An Lan.
“No need for small talk. You have questions for An Lan, right? I brought him here. Please cooperate with us. We haven’t slept for many days, and it’s very uncomfortable,” Captain Hong said, putting down the notebook of transcripts and looking at Jiang Shaozhe.
“Let’s do a quick question and answer session. You answer one of my questions, and I’ll answer one of yours. How about that?” Jiang Shaozhe asked An Lan.
An Lan nodded, “Okay.”
“But we’ve actually conducted a thorough investigation into you. If you lie to me, our quick Q&A ends here,” Jiang Shaozhe said.
“Alright.” An Lan nodded.
It was necessary to speak the truth.
“Then I’ll ask you a question first.” Jiang Shaozhe smiled and looked into An Lan’s eyes. “Who is helping you maintain your pheromones at the alpha level?”
“Gu Liyu,” An Lan answered.
This answer was something Jiang Shaozhe knew when he was caught.
“Your turn to ask.” Jiang Shaozhe raised his chin.
“Are you the K who has been observing and talking to me?” An Lan asked.
An Lan deliberately limited the conditions. Jiang Shaozhe had once said that anyone could be K, so An Lan speculated that K was just a pseudonym. When members of “Eden” were on missions, they could all refer to themselves as K.
Jiang Shaozhe laughed, “I am.”
An Lan’s answer could verify the truth, but Jiang Shaozhe’s answer couldn’t.
“Now it’s my turn to ask—among Gu Liyu, Xu Xingran, and Xiao Chen, who are you most interested in?” Jiang Shaozhe’s question stunned Xiao Chen in the other room.
“What kind of question is this…” Xiao Chen muttered.
Beside him, Xu Xingran’s fist clenched instantly.
“Dare you say you’re not looking forward to the answer?” Xu Xingran retorted.
Xiao Chen fell silent immediately.
An Lan didn’t answer immediately; instead, he looked at Jiang Shaozhe. He vaguely understood the intention behind Jiang Shaozhe’s question—to provoke the relationships among these three young alphas.
Jiang Shaozhe tapped his fingers on the table. “Time is running out. This game is called quick question and answer.”
“Gu Liyu,” An Lan uttered that name.
On the other side of the wall, Xu Xingran closed his eyes, and after a long time, he finally let out a sigh.
Jiang Shaozhe was taken aback for a moment, then immediately burst into laughter. “Little friend, you’re quite interesting, huh? I thought you’d say ‘I don’t know’ or ‘they’re all outstanding.’ Or did those three not come? They actually trust you to meet me alone?”
“Too much nonsense. It’s my turn to ask. Are you the leader of ‘Eden’?” An Lan asked coldly.
His gaze was icy, and although he looked like an inexperienced youth, at this moment, he exuded a strong presence.
Jiang Shaozhe stopped laughing, and with a serious expression, he replied, “I’m not.”
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