The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Chi Yao looked at Jing Xi at his leisure. Unfortunately, the other man was too good at hiding his tells, showing no flaws at all.

Jing Xi: “Sorry, I was just thinking about something. What was your question?”

Chi Yao: “Where is your childhood friend?”

Jing Xi: “The previous question.”

Chi Yao: “Do you know where your childhood friend is?”

Jing Xi: “I don’t know.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Jing Xi unhurriedly put down his cup. “If I knew where he was, would I need to hire you?”

Chi Yao narrowed his eyes slightly. “You really don’t know?”

Jing Xi looked at him calmly and said nonchalantly, “What do you mean? Did you discover something?”

Chi Yao leaned back and smiled carelessly. “I did find a small clue, but it still needs to be confirmed.”

Jing Xi: “What clue?”

Chi Yao: “I’ll tell you when it’s confirmed.”

Jing Xi took the empty plate from in front of him and got up to go to the kitchen. “I hope it’s good news this time.”

The moment he turned around, Jing Xi’s expression changed slightly.

Had Chi Yao already guessed?

Would he feel bothered, would he feel it was too heavy a burden, that a childhood playmate he barely remembered had been looking for him for so many years?

Thinking about what Chi Yao had said at the military base, Jing Xi couldn’t bring himself to speak the truth.

Maybe it was enough for him to remember the past on his own.

Just like how his grandparents always thought he had a mental illness, that he had gone mad. As long as he himself knew he wasn’t sick, that was enough. Excessive explanations were meaningless.

Chi Yao watched him walk into the kitchen. A minute later, the sound of a plate hitting the floor came from the kitchen.

Chi Yao: “…”

An image of Jing Xi with hands full of foam, holding a rag and staring helplessly at the broken pieces on the floor, automatically flashed in his mind. Chi Yao let out a soft laugh, which then turned into unstoppable laughter.

What was the use of running away so quickly?

For safety, the two checked out of the hotel in the afternoon and got new identities and a new hotel.

This time, they entered the southern research base before dark.

The hovercar was parked at a temporary stop on the side of the road. Chi Yao rolled down the window and, wearing large sunglasses, looked across the wide road at their target for the day.

“Little big brother, would you like some afternoon tea?”

A young omega suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

This omega had a baby face, dyed blond hair, and very fair skin. He looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, wearing loose overalls and a shirt, with a name tag on his chest.

Chi Yao’s peripheral vision swept over it, seeing the words—Si Mu · Si Qi.

Si Mu should be the name of the shop, and Si Qi was probably this person’s name.

This research base was very large and also had a commercial street, but most shops were only open during the day to cater to the office workers here.

The omega handed over a flyer, leaned closer to Chi Yao, and smiled brightly. “There’s a special in the shop today, second afternoon tea is half price.”

A sweet smell of chocolate suddenly wafted into his nose.

Chi Yao wasn’t particularly fond of chocolate, but this scent was very pleasant.

He took the flyer and said with a low, amused voice, “Your pheromones are more attractive than the menu.”

The flirty words made the omega’s face instantly turn beet red.

“I just came of age and can’t control my pheromones very well yet. I’m sorry.” The omega backed away a little, apologizing repeatedly, and then ran off like a rabbit before getting a reply.

Chi Yao’s gaze followed him, sweeping over a dessert shop called Si Mu by the roadside. He said casually, “His methods for picking up alphas are very clever. Business should be pretty good.”

Jing Xi looked at the research institute opposite with a lack of interest, his voice flat. “Your playboy tactics are worse than a teenager’s by the roadside.”

Chi Yao snapped back to attention in a second and turned his head to look at him.

“That sounds like you have some dissatisfaction with me?”

Jing Xi’s face was wooden. “No.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a certain person got out of the car with the flyer.

“Such a cute omega is worth spending money on.”

“…”

Jing Xi’s brow furrowed slightly. He took the bait so easily.

Omegas were soft and small, and they smelled nice. It was indeed easy for them to attract alphas; it was instinct.

However, knowing was one thing, being angry was another.

Just as he was sulking, the car door on his side was opened from the outside.

Chi Yao bent down slightly, leaning on the car door, and smiled at him.

“This is one of the few opportunities you’ll get to fleece me. Not coming?”

The breath he was holding in instantly dissipated.

Jing Xi got out of the car. “I want the sour fruit mousse.”

Chi Yao: “…”

This was destined not to be a “sweet” afternoon tea time.

The shop was not large, only about sixty square meters.

There wasn’t much foot traffic here during the day, and there were only three or four customers in the shop.

When Si Qi saw them come in, he awkwardly turned his back, whispered something to the cashier, and then ran out to hand out flyers again.

Chi Yao led Jing Xi over.

“Was he just talking bad about me to you?” Chi Yao asked deliberately.

The cashier smiled and shook his head. “No, no, Si Qi said your afternoon tea is on him. You can order whatever you like.”

Chi Yao raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that be rude of us?”

Saying so, Chi Yao ordered a table full of the most expensive cakes and coffees.

Staring at the cashier’s stiff smile, the two found a seat by the window.

From here, they had a perfect view of the main entrance of the research institute across the street.

There weren’t many people on the road. There were very few residents here; most were people who worked here.

Chi Yao’s gaze followed Si Qi for a moment.

He found that his “fishing” efficiency was very high. Three out of four people would successfully enter the shop.

“So interested in him?”

Hearing Jing Xi’s voice beside him, Chi Yao retracted his gaze. The other man was already eating his much-desired sour fruit mousse, a custom-made, perversely sour flavor.

Just seeing the color made Chi Yao feel ill.

“Is it good?”

Jing Xi scooped up a large spoonful. “A delicacy of the mortal world.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Jing Xi: “This one meal of yours will probably make that young man work for free for several days.”

“I was already being very restrained.”

Chi Yao’s eyes swept across the table. He casually picked up a whole strawberry from on top of a cake, took a bite, and hissed from the sourness. “Damn, that’s sour.”

He made a move to throw it away but was stopped by Jing Xi.

“Give it to me.”

Chi Yao looked at him. “I’ve already eaten from it.”

Jing Xi directly used his fork to spear the strawberry in his hand and popped it into his mouth.

“It’s not the first time I’ve eaten your leftovers.”

Thinking of the time he deliberately messed with Jing Xi in front of Jing Rong, Chi Yao couldn’t help but laugh. “That was an accident.”

Jing Xi ate the strawberry without saying anything.

There were many, many other times that weren’t accidents.

Half an hour later, Si Qi returned to the shop. He glanced intentionally or unintentionally at Chi Yao and Jing Xi, then turned and went to the back room.

The small room housed the shop’s surveillance monitors. He rewound the footage to when the two had entered the shop and replayed it.

The two sat for nearly an hour before getting up to leave.

Chi Yao opened his terminal, insisting on paying.

The cashier waved his hand. “No need, Si Qi will pay.”

Chi Yao smiled. “I’m treating my boyfriend. What kind of thing is it to let an omega pay?”

The cashier’s expression stiffened, his gaze darting back and forth between him and Jing Xi.

These two handsome alphas were having a thing?!

Such a good thing existed!

The cashier’s eyes instantly lit up.

The face under Jing Xi’s sunglasses was even stiffer than the cashier’s.

Chi Yao paid the bill. The hand he drew back naturally took Jing Xi’s, his eyes sweeping over the small door leading to the back room.

“Tell Si Qi that my boyfriend really liked the cake he recommended. We’ll be back again.”

The cashier enthusiastically pulled out his privately hoarded 50% off coupon and handed it over with both hands. “Please do come again.”

Chi Yao took it and left, holding Jing Xi’s hand.

Hearing him say “boyfriend” over and over, Jing Xi felt both surreal and nervous.

This guy was saying it partly as a convenient cover, and partly to tease him—killing two birds with one stone.

But every time he heard it, he couldn’t help but feel his heart palpitate.

“Hey, you’re overacting, Mr. Best Actor,” Jing Xi said, but he let his hand be held, showing no intention of pulling it back.

Chi Yao slowed his pace and lowered his voice. “I can’t very well say you’re my grand-nephew, can I?”

Jing Xi: “…”

Feeling the hand in his palm start to get restless, Chi Yao tightened his grip. “We’re so familiar with each other, what’s wrong with pretending to be a couple for once? What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

Jing Xi’s voice was cold. “I’m not like some people with a rich romantic history, who can say such things so easily and have a crowd throw themselves at them with a wave of a hand.”

Chi Yao chuckled. “Does that mean this is your first time being invited for afternoon tea?”

Jing Xi: “My subordinates often invite me.”

Chi Yao: “Besides them.”

Jing Xi’s expression paused.

From that reaction, Chi Yao already knew the answer without him needing to say it.

For some reason, he felt a little happy.

Chi Yao: “How does it feel?”

Jing Xi: “How does what feel?”

Chi Yao asked seriously, “Do you feel like an unsold product being put back on the shelves, like an iron tree finally blooming?”

Jing Xi: “…”

You’re the iron tree.

Back in the car, Chi Yao glanced at the dessert shop, then started the car and drove off.

“That shop, have we looked up information on it before?”

Jing Xi: “No.”

The southern base was so large that they had only focused their investigation on the most likely problem areas. A small, completely unrelated shop like that was not within the scope of their current investigation.

Seeing Chi Yao looking thoughtful, Jing Xi asked, “Why do you think there’s a problem with that shop?”

From the moment he decided to go into the shop, Jing Xi could vaguely sense it.

Chi Yao might have noticed something.

No matter how much of a flirt he was, it was impossible for him to be lured away by a random omega on the street in the middle of an investigation.

“I can’t put my finger on it, but something just feels off everywhere.”

The omega handing out flyers directly opposite the research institute, releasing his pheromones, and the back room that Xiao Hong had flagged.

Nowadays, almost no shop was without surveillance.

But no one would specifically go to the back room to watch the surveillance during business hours.

“Let’s investigate the research institute first, then we’ll check this shop later,” Chi Yao said.

Jing Xi: “Mmm.”

When night fell, the two once again infiltrated the research institute. With their previous experience, this time Chi Yao directly released three robots.

“Go play.”

Chi Yao ordered.

Xiao Hong, with two little beans attached to its left and right, flew in excitedly.

The two hid behind some bushes. After waiting for no more than two minutes, all the AI guards inside had been drawn to a remote square and were doing square dancing.

The surface scale of this research institute was about the same as last night’s.

The surveillance had already been disrupted by the three robots, so the two encountered almost no obstacles in their investigation.

But after a full circle, everything was normal. There wasn’t even a secret passage.

In the dim laboratory, Chi Yao, wearing night-vision goggles, leaned against a console. “There’s no basement.”

They had been through every room, and this was the most hidden one.

They had expected to find something, but to their surprise, there was still nothing.

Jing Xi’s gaze swept over the various bottles and jars on the shelves. “With just these things, even if there was a problem, we wouldn’t be able to tell at a glance.”

Chi Yao was silent for a moment.

“Take pictures and send them to Chun Qin to have a look.”

As he said this, Jing Xi was already recording.

It was just after noon on N0520. When the communication connected, Chun Qin was walking in a field.

Behind her, Tie Xiong was sitting on top of a plowing robot, having a great time.

“Boss?” Chun Qin asked.

“I need your help with something.” Jing Xi lowered the volume and aimed the camera at the things on the shelves. “Help me take a look.”

In night mode, everything the camera captured was clearly visible.

Chun Qin casually sat down on a rock and began to look carefully.

As she scanned past a certain bottle, she suddenly asked him to cut the camera back.

“RS-X.”

Jing Xi picked up the bottle she mentioned.

It had a small label on it, with three letters handwritten on the label. There were no other descriptions.

Jing Xi didn’t have much medical knowledge, but he knew some common drugs.

He had never heard of a drug with this name.

“What kind of drug is this?” Jing Xi asked.

Chun Qin was silent for a long time before her gentle voice said unhurriedly, “It’s one of the components of the first-generation gene activator, the version you used.”

In the office building opposite the main gate of the research institute.

Si Qi looked out the window, listening to the sounds in his ear, and said to the person on the other end of the terminal, “Bro, there’s a problem over here too.”

Jing Xi froze, his hand holding the bottle tightening abruptly.

“The version I used?”

Chun Qin nodded. “My master once extracted this component from your blood, but I’m not sure if what’s in this bottle is RS-X.”

Chi Yao snatched the bottle from Jing Xi’s hand to examine it.

But apart from the label, it was just a bottle of clear liquid.

“Anything else?” Chi Yao asked in a low voice. “Anything else unusual?”

Chun Qin shook her head. “The others, I haven’t come into contact with them.”

After hanging up the communication, Jing Xi looked at Chi Yao. The other man’s face was grim and silent, the fingertips holding the bottle turning white.

He took the other’s hand, gently pried open his fingers, and took out the bottle.

“This bottle cannot be damaged.”

Even if a single crack appeared, their operation tonight would be exposed.

Chi Yao let him pull out a new vial from a pile, pour some liquid into it, and then put the original bottle back in its place.

“I will help you find out the truth,” Jing Xi said, closing the cabinet door and turning to face him. “And find a cure.”

Chi Yao looked at him and asked faintly, “Are you comforting me?”

Jing Xi nodded without speaking.

Chi Yao: “Can such a fake, grand, and empty promise comfort me?”

Jing Xi: “…”

The two returned to the spot they had climbed over. The hundred or so AI guards were still silently following the movements of the three robots in front.

The AI control system couldn’t be abnormal for too long, or it would be easily discovered.

Chi Yao gave them an order and led Jing Xi back the way they came.

As soon as they were back in the car, Chi Yao was met with Jing Xi’s expectant gaze.

Chi Yao: “…”

Regarding being captured for experiments back then, after so many years, Chi Yao had already completely accepted this experience.

He didn’t feel particularly wronged, but the desire to slaughter the people behind the scenes was growing stronger.

Chi Yao: “You want to comfort me that much?”

Jing Xi nodded.

Chi Yao chuckled softly.

He found that Jing Xi was a really honest person. Although he was cold, he was very clear about what he liked and disliked. The treatment for those he liked and those he disliked was also worlds apart.

Such an obvious change, why hadn’t he noticed it before?

Chi Yao: “Then hurry up and tell me some of your tragic experiences to make me happy.”

Jing Xi: “………”

–Isn’t the most tragic thing that ever happened to me meeting you?