Chapter 8

“An idea took root firmly in Duan Chi’s mind — I want him.”

　　Jing Xi refuted, “Their reputation has already been tarnished, so what’s the point in resolving this now?”

　　System ribbed, “I thought you’d always make sure to take yourself out of the equation?”

　　Jing Xi drawled, “That’s far too troublesome, and besides, how could a soft-hearted person like me ever bear to see them being kept in the dark?”

　　In the face of the foursome, the “soft-hearted” individual coaxed, “The photo turned out pretty well. Do you guys want a copy? I can always print it out and send you a copy?”

　　At this juncture, the group of four was already teetering on the brink of a complete mental breakdown. Upon hearing such an utterance, something seemed to have snapped within them.

　　Wiping the cake off his face, Yi Jun lunged at him with all his might, only for Jing Xi to evade with ease. Immediately right after, Yi Jun stumbled and found himself falling in a heap. In a flurry of confusion, several members of the Yi family came forth to hold him up.

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　　Ohld ps, kv oyp yrryaldv vbyv yzz Valpkeldv Zk nyale ycswv oyp bkp alrwvyvksd yp bl alxykdle xsvksdzlpp kd vblpl rlsrzl’p ralpldnl.

　　Tsolhla, sdzu vbl pzktbv valxczkdt sq bkp bydep kdeknyvle vbyv yzz psavp sq lxsvksdp olal ckzzsokdt kd bkp nblpv. Gqvla vyjkdt y nswrzl sq ellr, ayttle calyvbp, bl iwlpvksdle, “Rp vbkp uswa eskdt?”

　　Kkdt Dk ydpolale bsdlpvzu, “Zlyb, kv kp.”

　　Gp bkp hsknl qyele kdvs pkzldnl, Valpkeldv Zk’p lulp tzsole okvb pyhytl qkal obkzl pvakhkdt vs alkd kd bkp aytl yde yd kxrwzpkhl watl vs jkzz Kkdt Dk. “Ebyv es usw oydv?”

　　Dkys Twk oykzle ekpxyzzu, “R bllele uswa osaep vs qsatlv ycswv bkx yde pvyav y dlo zkql, Jasvbla Hbsw. Fs obu yal usw eskdt vbkp vs xl?”

　　“Fktb… Tso nyd usw fwpv rwpb vbl czyxl sd xl? Gzz R lhla eke oyp rzyu vbl alnsaekdt sq vbl nsdhlapyvksd clvolld usw twup,” Kkdt Dk tkcle kddsnldvzu, “Nssj yv obyv yd lmvaysaekdyau rlapsd usw yal, ulv Dkys Kwd oyp pvkzz okzzkdt vs qsapyjl usw qsa bla. Mbyv’p obu R oydvle vs tkhl bla y pwarakpl cu pbsokdt bla bso xwnb Dkys Kwd ynvwyzzu zshlp bla, cwv obs oswze byhl vbswtbv pbl oswze clnsxl ps ldaytle?”

　　Tyhkdt blyae vbkp, Dkys Twk oyp zlqv pvwxrle yde nswze dsv vbkdj sq yduvbkdt vs alqwvl bkp osaep. Wsa vbl zynj sq y clvvla srvksd, pbl nswze sdzu cyoz bla lulp swv.

　　Wktbvkdt ytykdpv bkp alzyvkhlp’ alpvaykdv, Zk Kwd rwpble bkp bllzp kdvs vbl taswde yde lmvldele bkp bydep qsaoyae. Xdzu bkp qynl oyp nsdvsavle kdvs y tasvlpiwl pdlla yp bl aytle, “Gatb! R oydv vs jkzz usw!”

　　Letting out a soft gasp, the lover could not withstand the shock and swayed for a moment before falling to the ground.

　　Finally, it had come to the point where President Yi had reached the end of his rope. Needless to say, he lost his temper like how he usually would at home. Much like a roaring dragon, he pointed his finger at Jing Xi and thundered, “Get out of my sight! Now that you’ve already come of age, this family wants nothing to do with you from here on out! You can just die out there for all I care!”

　　Despite that, Jing Xi asked, “Do I have to delete all my data from the AI?”

　　President Yi seethed, “Of course! Do I even have to spell everything out for you? Also, don’t even think about coming back!”

　　Jing Xi provoked, “What a shame that is… After all, they are the only ones who treat me well at home.”

　　President Yi bellowed, “Scram!”

　　Yet, Jing Xi just shrugged his shoulders noncommittally and turned to walk away.

　　System puzzled, “And, just like that, you are kicked out of the house?”

　　Jing Xi wondered, “What’d you expect?”

　　Changing the topic, System asked, “Where do you intend to live now?”

　　After saying so, scenes of him refurbishing the Zhou family’s mansion recently flashed across its mind. System realized with a sudden flash of insight and stated, “So you have already been planning to move out.”

　　Jing Xi explained, “Yeah, it’s exceptionally exhausting to always feign love for them at home. It’s also a pity that they have no interest in the little souvenir I was planning to give them.”

　　As he said so, he looked back at the stunning view of the castle before letting his gaze be drawn to the members of the Yi family huddling in a circle. Deeming that the photo he had taken previously was barely sufficient, he once again whipped out his phone to take yet another one. Only then did he continue to walk forward.

　　At this point, the majority of the guests had already taken their leave, leaving only several oblivious people who wished to curry favors with the Yi family. Noticing that the family dispute had come to an end, they gathered around to provide “timely assistance.” 

　　When it came to the dandies, they did not venture too far, so they happened to have watched the farce in its entirety. They gave an interjection of wonderment before hastening to catch up with Young Master Zhou.

　　On the other hand, Duan Chi always had a high profile, so it was inappropriate for him to remain any longer. That was why he was among the first to leave the premises.

　　Before boarding his car, the keen-sighted Duan Chi glanced over his shoulder and watched the entire sequence of events — the red-faced Yi Jun was restrained by people around him, and it was apparent that rage was ​​radiating off President Yi as he was yelling and pointing at someone.

　　He could not help laughing softly at the memory of the young man taking a photo of them when he made his way out of the castle. Bending his head, he boarded the car.

　　The staff followed suit and slid into the car seat. Before his body could settle into its best position, an ear-splitting ringing pierced through the silence. 

　　Jumping out of his skin, he slammed the door shut on the spur of the moment. Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned to look in CEO Duan’s direction, only to find him laughing with his fingers pressed against his temple, not at all minding the shrill ringing.

　　The sight before the staff held no traces of his usual cold and aloof self nor the mature and sagacious man in that holographic call.

　　On top of that, it seemed as though the intelligence, calmness, composure, and nonchalance the man was known to possess had shattered in that instance. For some unknown reason, he began exuding an aura that screamed power and danger.

　　Only after a long while was Duan Chi finally able to rein himself in. Blood vessels spidered across his eyes as he rubbed his canine tooth with the tip of his tongue. In a matter of seconds, an idea took root firmly in his mind — I want him.

　　On the other side of the car, the staff subconsciously held his breath, not having the courage to even gasp for air.

　　As the bracelet’s ringing gradually subsided, he observed CEO Duan’s condition and gaze. With shaky hands, he fished out two small glass test tubes. One contained a certain individual’s blood, while the other was a reagent that could stabilize a Lupinus Mutant’s emotions.

　　Very carefully and gingerly, he edged them forward. “F-For you…”

　　Yet, Duan Chi merely gave them a fleeting glance before turning him down. After all, his current desire for blood was still low. Even if he did possess a burning desire, he simply refused to consume those that had been refrigerated.

　　He would only allow himself to ingest blood with which warmth still lingered. However, he required no large quantity; just a smidgen would do. Even so, he would love to press himself against that person’s skin and savor the taste slowly whilst gently kissing the small wound.

　　“Buzz—”

　　The momentary silence was, once again, broken by the sharp ringing from the bracelet.

　　At this juncture, the staff was at a loss for words and moments away from breaking down into tears. “… You should probably drink some.”

　　Thereafter, not a single drop of blood entered Duan Chi’s mouth. Instead, he relied solely on his willpower to compose himself once more.

　　With that, they arrived at a restaurant that was just a stone’s throw from the castle. After entering the pre-booked private room, they met up with another staff from the research institute before their wait for the troublemaker commenced.

　　In the event that the alarm in a Lupinus Mutant’s bracelet was to go off for the first time, it would have gone straight to the police station. Should it start ringing once more, the research institute would then be required to take over the case promptly.

　　As such, the individual in the private room was aware that CEO Duan’s bracelet had gone off on two separate occasions. Yet, he noticed CEO Duan’s current calm countenance and shot a look at his colleague before sending him a message surreptitiously.

　　[What the hell happened? Did the young master go overboard to the point where his father beat him until he drew blood, provoking CEO Duan in the process?]

　　With a blank expression on his face, the staff sent a reply.

　　[Nope, but his dad did go ballistic and was rushed to the hospital.]
　　[So, I’m guessing he succeeded in ruining his little brother’s relationship? Come on, tell me everything! Hell, you got me curious!]

　　In response, the staff briefly recounted that he played a recording at the venue and got straight down to business, raising the issue of Geze University.

　　Since the Lupinus Mutant community’s social circle had always been exponentially small, they had long known that CEO Duan’s nephew and two juniors would be attending university on Howe. That was also why the research institute decided to bring this up after looking through Yi Zhou’s details.

　　[These two have not had any opportunity to speak to each other, right? We thought that since school hadn’t even started, we could always touch on this again after the discussion. I mean, look at CEO Duan and his image, as well as his prowess. Who knows, they might just decide to enter a blood pact as soon as their eyes meet in midair. When that happens, wouldn’t they be able to continue their studies? Since you’ve spent some time with him, how likely do you think that might work?]

　　On seeing this message, the staff could not help but snicker inwardly.

　　[It’d be a miracle if he’s even willing to meet CEO Duan.]
　　[What? That bad?!?!?! What should CEO Duan do from now on?]

　　Recalling how adamant CEO Duan was in refusing to drink the blood in the test tube even after the staff opened it when he boarded the car, he sent a reply.

　　[… I doubt anything will go wrong for him.]
　　[Could it be due to Yi Zhou’s unique physical stats? Since it can attract a considerable number of Lupinus Mutants, the intensity of the allure appears to have declined?]
　　[It could be possible that CEO Duan’s ability to self-regulate is far too strong.]
　　[Dang, these two are downright remarkable.]

　　As for the two remarkable individuals, one was currently flipping through the menu superciliously while the other was sharing the Zhou family’s story with the nosy dandies. Only when he was done did he bid them goodbye on the grounds of “wanting to be left alone.” With his blazer in his hand, Jing Xi dawdled on the way to the restaurant while summoning his Artificial Stupidity. “What were you howling about earlier?”

　　In his mind, System showed him a chart of Duan Chi’s hormonal changes. “Take a look at these two scarlet lines.”

　　Glancing at the time stated on the chart, Jing Xi asked, “That was when he left the castle?”

　　System answered, “No, it was when he boarded the car.”

　　With that, it observed, “At this distance, it is unlikely that he could detect your scent.”

　　Thus, there could only be one possibility — it was highly improbable that Duan Chi’s bracelet went off due to the influence of his blood, but instead, it was for him as a person.

　　In other words, Duan Chi had finally come to a decision when he had his heart set on meeting Jing Xi in real life before making a choice. By the looks of things, there was a chance he might remain incorrigible.

　　With that in mind, one human and one system collectively sunk into silence.

　　In the space of a few moments, System could no longer stop itself from prodding, “Don’t you have anything you’d like to say?!”

　　“Nope,” stated Jing Xi innocently, “Tell me, what have I done today? I have neither laid a hand nor quarreled with anyone. All I’ve ever done was merely uttered a few words to them, and it’s not like he could hear it at that distance. So it’s not my fault that this Lupinus Mutant setting of yours is vexatious.”

　　Having heard that, System was itching to grab a mirror and have him reflect upon his behavior. Yet, it occurred to System that Jing Xi was of such a character. Even if they were to forgo this meeting, there was no doubt that the bracelet would still go off the next time they ran into each other. When that happened, he had no one to blame but himself for being such a troublemaker. By a remarkable stroke of fortune, he happened to be Duan Chi’s type, very much to his liking.

　　With a sob, it decided to switch off its microphone and take a breather.

　　As he savored the feeling of tranquil contentment, Jing Xi entered the restaurant and made his way to the private room at a leisurely pace. The moment he looked up, he made eye contact with Duan Chi.

　　Not a ripple disturbed Duan Chi’s calm countenance as he nodded slightly in greeting. At this juncture, he maintained the same gentlemanly composure he exuded in the holographic call, as if nothing could ever cause him to lose control.

　　However, modern technology did not buy his act. At this precise moment, acute ringing assailed everyone’s ears from every direction.

　　Jing Xi and the others were instantly dumbstruck.

　　As for Duan Chi himself, he was also rendered speechless.