“Do you have a record of the spaceship’s destruction from that year?” Chi Yao asked.

This time, he didn’t refuse to communicate?

Jing Rong’s eyes lit up. He pulled him to sit down and said in a low voice, “I have satellite footage.”

Chi Yao: “And a record of his boarding?”

Jing Rong nodded. “I’ve kept all the records of that accident from that year.”

Chi Yao frowned slightly.

Given Jing Rong’s identity and personality, it was unlikely he’d joke about something like this, especially since it concerned the person his beloved grandson cared about most.

But Jing Xi had been searching for so many years and had spent so much money that it also didn’t seem like a joke.

He truly believed that person was still alive.

Had Jing Rong been hiding it from Jing Xi, afraid he couldn’t handle it?

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, he heard Jing Rong say, “You were still young back then, and it’s normal that you couldn’t accept it at the time, but it’s been almost twenty years. You should let go.”

Chi Yao was stunned.

Jing Xi knew?

Seeing no reaction from him, Jing Rong’s heart pounded.

Was he too direct? It was rare for his grandson to be in good spirits. What if he upset him again?

With this thought, he hastily added, “I won’t ask you to let go immediately. It’s just that you’re still young. You can try to put more energy into other things and make more friends.”

Chi Yao: “…”

What was this humble attitude? Was he really treating Jing Xi like a porcelain doll he was holding in his palm?

Jing Rong looked from side to side, then pointed to the other side. “Look at young Chi over there. What a great guy. He’s lively and has a sharp tongue. He’s very much his own person and looks like someone who’ll end up in jail—the kind of person you should befriend.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Jing Rong realized he’d said the wrong thing and tried to twist it back, but his grandson didn’t buy it and just walked away with a cold face.

Before he left, he also took the snacks from in front of him and gave him a look that was neither warm nor cold.

Chi Yao: “Compared to you, he’s far behind.”

Jing Rong: “…”

That brat!

From a distance, Jing Xi saw their disagreement. After finishing his conversation with Fang Liang, he walked toward Jing Rong.

“Why did you stop playing?” he asked.

Jing Rong was annoyed. Seeing that it was the sharp-tongued brat, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with him.

Jing Xi observed his expression and asked tentatively, “Did you argue?”

Caught, Jing Rong sighed.

“I said the wrong thing,” he leaned forward slightly and asked softly, “Do you know how to cheer him up?”

Jing Xi’s eyes flashed.

Grandpa had never shown such a pleading expression in front of him.

He had tried his best not to put pressure on them, but he hadn’t expected to still make the two elderly people worry about him.

Jing Xi’s voice was low and serious. “He won’t be mad at you.”

“Of course, I know he won’t be mad at me,” Jing Rong sighed. “I’d rather he argue with me than keep everything bottled up inside.”

Jing Xi opened his mouth. “Then I’ll help you cheer him up?”

Jing Rong shook his head. “You’re too easily teased, Xixi. If you get embarrassed, he’ll try to have you arrested.”

Jing Xi: “…”

“Brother Rong—!”

Chi Yao leaned out the window and looked at Jing Rong. “If you make me a delicious meal, I’ll consider forgiving you.”

“Don’t be so informal!” Jing Rong huffed. “What did I do that requires your forgiveness?”

Although he said that, his body was honest. He got up with his hands behind his back.

Chi Yao’s gaze went past him to Jing Xi, who was sitting there dumbfounded. He smiled. “You brought up something you shouldn’t have and made me unhappy. Isn’t that worth making a delicious meal to appease me?”

Jing Rong glared at him. “Sweet and sour pork ribs?!”

Chi Yao: “I want braised.”

Jing Rong: “You’re so demanding!”

Chi Yao beckoned to Jing Xi. “You brat who’s going to end up in jail, you come help too.”

Jing Xi: “…”

They had both woken up late. Jing Xi was only ten minutes earlier than Chi Yao, and neither of them had eaten.

In the kitchen, Jing Xi saw Chi Yao calling him “Brother Rong” one minute, and although Grandpa looked stern, his mood visibly improved. Later, he even hummed a little tune.

Jing Xi looked at Chi Yao.

This guy really knew how to coax an old person.

Chi Yao’s eyes met his, and he raised an eyebrow.

[Ten pictures for the favor.]

Jing Xi coldly averted his gaze.

[No thanks.]

Chi Yao: “…”

“What else do you want to eat?” Jing Rong asked.

The smell of braised meat wafted through the kitchen.

Jing Xi watched Grandpa cook for Chi Yao, feeling a pang of jealousy.

He had only eaten food his grandpa made with his own hands when he was a child.

After Chi Yao left, Grandpa almost never cooked anymore.

Jing Xi stood beside Jing Rong and ordered with a poker face. “I want sweet and sour pork ribs.”

Jing Rong looked at him strangely. “You like this too?”

Jing Xi obediently nodded. “Yes, the kind with fruit vinegar.”

Before Jing Rong could speak, Chi Yao put his arm around Jing Xi’s shoulder and pulled him away. “Brother Rong is my grandpa. You’re just a mooch. You’re lucky to get anything to eat. How dare you order?”

Jing Xi: “…”

Have some shame.

Jing Rong: “…”

Were these two’s relationship good or bad?

Jing Xi looked directly into Chi Yao’s eyes and said unhurriedly, “Once I enter the Jing family’s door, your grandpa will be my grandpa, won’t he?”

Chi Yao: “…”

Damn it.

Jing Rong: “!!”

Enter the Jing family’s door? Did he mean what he thought he meant?!

Chi Yao patted the startled old man, scoffing, “When did I ever agree to let you in?”

Jing Rong: “?”

He’s not denying your relationship?!

Jing Xi: “That’s okay. I’m happy to chase after you.”

Chi Yao: “…”

You’re taking advantage of the fact that you’re in my skin so I can’t hit you?

“Xixi, what’s going on?!” Jing Rong was confused. “Are you two—?”

Chi Yao glared at Jing Xi, then smiled. “Forget it, Brother Rong, we won’t argue with him. Seeing how pathetic he is, let’s add some sweet and sour pork ribs.”

Jing Xi: “…”

Pathetic?

Ten minutes later, Chi Yao looked at the sweet and sour pork ribs in front of him, wanting to go back in time and beat himself up.

“Since your grandpa made it, I’ll give you a few pieces,” Jing Xi said blandly. “You really like his sweet and sour pork ribs, don’t you?”

From the corner of his eye, Chi Yao saw Jing Rong’s expectant look. “…”

For the sake of the old man cooking for him, he picked the smallest piece from the plate of sweet and sour pork ribs.

Just from the smell, Chi Yao felt like he was about to ascend.

Only a weirdo like Jing Xi would like this stuff.

He steeled his heart and shoved the whole piece into his mouth.

“Damn it!”

Chi Yao’s fingers clenched, and his features contorted.

The rapidly spreading sour taste seemed to be carrying his soul away with it.

“How is it? Is it good?” Jing Rong asked nervously. “I haven’t cooked in a while, so I’m a bit out of practice.”

From the corner of his eye, Chi Yao saw Jing Xi’s smiling eyes, and he sneered. “It’s delicious! So delicious!”

Jing Rong let out a sigh of relief. “My cooking is never bad.”

Jing Xi: “If you like it, I’ll give it to you. I’ll eat the braised—mmph!”

He didn’t get to say “pork ribs” before his collar was yanked forcefully.

A shadow flickered before his eyes, and his mouth felt hot.

Tasting the sweet and sour flavor, Jing Xi’s face darkened. He pushed the person away with force.

“Chi—!”

Chi Yao had actually fed him the pork rib from his mouth.

But the other person was in his body now!

Jing Xi grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth vigorously.

Not only did he touch mouths with an alpha, but the alpha was himself.

Jing Xi’s face was cold, and he was about to spit out the food in his mouth.

“That’s something Grandpa made with his own hands. Do you dare to spit it out?” Chi Yao said unhurriedly, wiping his own mouth.

Jing Xi paused, unable to spit it out or swallow it.

Chi Yao smiled. “Such a delicious thing should be shared with everyone, right, Yaoyao?”

Jing Xi frowned, his eyes sharp. “Don’t go too far.”

Chi Yao pointed at the plate of sweet and sour pork ribs. “Who’s the one going too far?”

Jing Xi huffed and turned his head away, chewing particularly hard.

He picked up his chopsticks happily, ready to start his meal, when he heard a clatter. He turned and saw that Jing Rong’s chopsticks had fallen to the ground, and he had a look on his face like he’d just seen a ghost.

Chi Yao: “…”

Did he go too far?

After the meal, Jing Rong said he was going to rest and walked away in a daze.

“Is he okay?” Chi Yao nudged Jing Xi with his elbow. “Should we follow him?”

Jing Xi’s face was grim.

“You’d even do that to yourself? Aren’t you disgusted?”

Chi Yao looked away. “Didn’t you force me to?”

Jing Xi: “How did I force you?”

Chi Yao scoffed. “You knew I wouldn’t eat it but insisted on me doing so. If I spit it out, Grandpa would be heartbroken. If I ate it, I couldn’t stomach it. What else was I supposed to do but give it to you?”

Jing Xi: “And you think doing that made Grandpa happy?”

Chi Yao thought for a moment. “At least the food wasn’t wasted.”

Jing Xi snorted and turned to leave. “You libertine.”

Chi Yao smiled indifferently, having grown quite used to the nickname.

He leisurely walked up the stairs with his hands in his pockets, muttering to himself, “I gave away my first kiss and got yelled at. Hah, men—”

Jing Xi, who was clearing the plates, “…”

He immediately put down the plates and chased after him.

“What did you just say?”

Chi Yao had no intention of repeating himself. He yawned and continued up the stairs, ready to get his beauty sleep.

He’d been staying up late lately. If he got dark circles under his eyes, he wouldn’t look good in photos.

“What did you say about getting yelled at?” Jing Xi blocked him again. “Answer me.”

Chi Yao: “I don’t want to answer.”

“Chi Yao!”

“Move.”

After a while, the two of them started fighting on the stairs.

Half an hour later, Chi Yao sat in the small living room outside the master bedroom, his breathing still a little uneven.

A good fight always made him feel great.

Except his hair was sticking to his face and neck, which felt very uncomfortable.

“Catch.”

Jing Xi brought two bottles of iced water and tossed one to him.

Chi Yao twisted the cap off and drank half the bottle in one gulp.

“Your hair doesn’t help with heat dissipation.”

Jing Xi lowered the room temperature and sat on a single sofa on the side. “What’s your plan for the N110 medical research base?”

Chi Yao: “Shadow and Flying Dragon will stay here. You’ll come with me.”

This plan was within Jing Xi’s expectations.

“Are you up for it?”

Chi Yao looked at him. “Up for what?”

Jing Xi: “Your body.”

Chi Yao’s expression was serious. “Very up for it.”

Jing Xi: “…”

After confirming the number of people, they casually discussed the action plan.

Jing Xi: “What intelligence do you have?”

Chi Yao: “None.”

Jing Xi didn’t believe him. “For the next mission, we’re teammates.”

Chi Yao rested his hand on the back of the sofa, sitting casually. “If I had any, would I need to risk my own body?”

Jing Xi was deep in thought. “What about the modification base? You must know something about it.”

When the place was mentioned, the smile on Chi Yao’s lips faded.

“You’ll know when we get there.”

After all that talk, he hadn’t gotten any information.

When Chi Yao didn’t want to talk, pestering him was useless.

Jing Xi got up and went to the study.

They were set to leave at 4 p.m., so he had some time to prepare a few things.

When he got to the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned to call Chi Yao.

“Hey.”

Chi Yao was about to go shower. “Something else?”

Jing Xi: “Was that really your first kiss?”

Chi Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, rubbing his thumb over the corner of his mouth, and smiled provocatively. “What do you think?”

Jing Xi’s face fell, and he turned to walk away. “You libertine.”

“Pffft hahaha—”

Hearing the loud laughter from the room, Jing Xi felt his heart itch with frustration.

Which words were true, and which were just a prank?

At 4 p.m., the spaceship prepared by Fang Liang was parked at the eastern hangar of the residential area.

Li Yuan, with his messy hair, came to see them off.

“Boss, you’re really not letting us come?”

Jing Xi: “You have other missions here.”

Li Yuan: “Other missions?”

Jing Xi said earnestly, “Learn from Flying Dragon. The future of Shadow’s reputation depends on you.”

Li Yuan: “…”

Shadow’s reputation was pretty good right now.

Chi Yao, who loved a good show, added, “Reform yourselves. Strive for a reduced sentence.”

“Damn it,” Li Yuan was so shocked he was no longer sleepy.

So this place was a prison? And Flying Dragon was staying here to watch them?

Jing Xi continued to brief them. “Give Li Bo food regularly. Don’t touch him for now. Wait for us to get back.”

Li Yuan said sullenly, “Got it, got it.”

Lu Meng listened to their conversation, leaned closer to his boss, and whispered excitedly, “What should we do? Should we use this time to properly discipline Shadow?”

Chi Yao patted his shoulder and chuckled softly. “Take good care of my puppy children. Not a single hair should be missing, okay?”

Lu Meng shivered. “…”

Why was that smile so sinister?

As they boarded the spaceship, Jing Rong secretly contacted someone through his terminal.

[What’s the progress on this matter? My grandson is already involved.]

After a long time, a message came back.

[We haven’t gotten the core evidence yet. Your grandson is good. He can help.]

Jing Rong snorted.

[The Jing family only has one heir!]

This time, the reply was quick.

[I don’t even have a single heir! Don’t be so modest. I’m getting angry.]

Jing Rong: “…”

Another message came.

[You should tell your little one not to be too harsh on my disciple. When he gets angry, he even dares to hit me. I’m afraid your little one will be at a disadvantage.]

Jing Rong replied with a stern face.

[Are you afraid your disciple will be at a disadvantage?]

After sending it, Jing Rong suddenly remembered the scene at the dinner table, and his face darkened.

[In any case, my grandson must be at the top.]

The other side took a moment to reply.

[At the top of what? Did he ask you for help with this?]

Jing Rong replied.

[I’ll help you find a medical team. Don’t make things too difficult for the two kids.]

Just after he sent the message, a call came in. The window showed no name, only the letter D.

As soon as Jing Rong answered, a barrage of curses came from the other side of the virtual screen.

“Jing, I begged you for help back then, and you wouldn’t do it! Your grandson says a few words, and you agree? You’re a principal, can’t you be a decent person?! You—”

“Is losing your life something you can just ask for?” Jing Rong threw out a sentence and hung up before the other person could finish.

He sighed softly, found a person in his contact list, and dialed.

“Hello, I’m looking for Professor Qiu—”

On the spaceship, Chi Yao walked from the cockpit to the rest cabin.

To avoid trouble, they hadn’t brought anyone with them, only letting Fang Liang be responsible for the flight.

The Cetus constellation was very large. The fastest way to get from N0520 to N110 was 12 hours, which was 3 p.m. in N110’s time zone.

As he walked down the empty metal corridor, a flash of the files he had looked at before leaving crossed his mind.

When he first met Jing Xi, he had looked up his information.

He was the young master of a large noble family, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, handsome and strong. No omega could refuse him, and joining the military was probably just for fun.

But none of the information mentioned Jing Xi’s illness.

After hearing what Jing Rong said in the afternoon, he had gone through Jing Xi’s terminal and finally found a few medical records.

According to the records, Jing Xi had been treated by a doctor named Qiu as early as age 8, about once every six months to a year.

The most recent record was from six months ago.

[Mild delusion, normal emotional curve, normal personality curve, simple delusional content, continue medication, re-examination in six months.]

The line of text flashed in his mind, and Chi Yao frowned slightly.

Delusion was a mental illness.

With this condition, he couldn’t have joined the military, let alone become an officer.

The diagnostic report probably meant that Jing Xi had a mental breakdown due to his inability to accept the death of his childhood friend.

He didn’t cry or make a scene; he was abnormally calm and kept saying that the other person wasn’t dead.

At first, Jing Rong and his wife didn’t mind, but after a few years, Jing Xi still mentioned his childhood friend frequently, and his personality became more and more withdrawn. That was when the couple panicked.

The specific symptoms of each mental patient were different.

In Jing Xi’s case, besides becoming apathetic, there were no other symptoms.

Chi Yao hacked into the military system and looked at Jing Xi’s annual physical reports from when he was a new recruit to the present. The data was so perfect it was enviable.

This was probably why he was able to join the military.

But, was that Yaoyao really dead?

When the incident occurred, Jing Xi was only five. Saying that his childhood friend wasn’t dead could be explained as his inability to accept reality. After all, a five-year-old couldn’t provide evidence that the person wasn’t dead.

But now he had the ability to investigate and still believed the person wasn’t dead. Was he really ill?

When he got to the door, the sensor on the cabin door flashed, and the voice of the AI little wolf head sounded.

[The master is here to sleep in again.]

Chi Yao: “…”

He swiped his hand and muted the AI.

The rest cabin was dim. Paper planes were scattered all over the desk by the window, and some had fallen to the floor.

Jing Xi was sitting there with a pen, but his head was turned toward the window, lost in thought.

Chi Yao had always been able to distinguish between Jing Xi, who was wearing his skin, and himself. But at this moment, he felt the same sense of loneliness from the other person as he did from himself.

“It’s dark outside. What’s so good to look at?” Chi Yao walked over.

Hearing the voice, Jing Xi turned to look at him.

Chi Yao immediately noticed the thin chain around his neck and the wolf tooth he held in his hand.

For a moment, a certain image flashed in his mind, but it was so fast he couldn’t catch it.

“Why did you bring this out?”

Jing Xi said blandly, “It looks good. I can even trade it for money when I don’t have food.”

Chi Yao: “…”