Chapter 64

The next morning, Xu Ze finished washing up and stepped out of the bathroom to the sound of a measured knock at the door. He wiped the droplets from his face, went over and opened it; beyond the security door stood an Alpha — the same one he'd run into in the corridor the last time his bodyguard had been abducted.

"Breakfast."

Only then did Xu Ze remember what Lu Heyang had said about three meals a day being delivered from now on. He reached to open the security door, deeply unused to the arrangement, and after a pause managed, "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."

"The car is downstairs," the Alpha said. "Once you've eaten, you can head to school whenever you like."

"I'll ride my bike myself. It's close." Xu Ze tried to push back.

"Sorry. Not allowed."

"..." Xu Ze nodded. "All right."

The breakfast was unreasonably lavish, and Xu Ze was the sort of person who absolutely could not waste food. After forcing himself to finish every last bite, he sat at the table in a daze for a full minute before he recovered. He washed the lunchbox, dried it, and slung his bag over his shoulder to head out.

Once in the car, Xu Ze handed the lunchbox back to the bodyguard. "It was a bit much. Could there be a little less next time?"

"Understood." The bodyguard glanced at the spotless dishes. "You don't need to wash these."

"Sorry. I can't." Xu Ze said.

In seven or eight minutes they reached the school gate. The bodyguard started to get out and open the door for Xu Ze, but Xu Ze moved faster and stepped out on his own. "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."

"Lunch will be delivered to the cafeteria."

"Okay. Thank you."

Realising that Xu Ze might actually bow at this rate, the bodyguard quickly pulled the door shut and the car sped away.

Xu Ze straightened the bag on his shoulder, turned to enter the school, and had not gone two steps before he spotted Chi Jiahán a short distance away, holding a can of milk, mouth half-open, staring at him in a daze.

"Care to explain?" Chi Jiahán asked once Xu Ze had come closer.

"Never mind, I'll just ask and you answer." Pulling Xu Ze past the turnstile, Chi Jiahán asked, "Lu Heyang knows about the compensation money?"

"Mm."

"What did he say?"

"Told me not to bother with it, and to stay away from Tang Feiyi."

'That was an illegal overbearing clause to begin with — indeed, no need to pay compensation. The main concern is that Tang Feiyi might make a move against you... so he arranged bodyguards for you?'

Xu Ze had been about to say the bodyguards had been there before, that this was only an upgrade to being driven to and from school, but he simply nodded. "Mm."

"I don't get it." It was at this moment that Chi Jiahán began to suspect Lu Heyang might be serious — a possibility more dangerous than 'just playing around.' He was silent for a few seconds. "Does Lu Heyang know about the pregnancy?"

"He knows. I'm not pregnant. It was a False Pregnancy reaction."

"He took you to get checked?" Chi Jiahán's shock continued. "And you actually told him?"

"He figured it out himself." Xu Ze was still brooding over the pregnancy test that had tumbled out of the box — if it hadn't fallen out, Lu Heyang wouldn't have discovered anything, and if Lu Heyang hadn't discovered anything, he wouldn't have had to go to the trouble of arranging three meals a day and a ride to school.

Chi Jiahán, for the first time, showed a flicker of approval for Lu Heyang. "Not bad. This Alpha will do."

"Good that you're not pregnant. From the looks of it you don't need to worry too much about Tang Feiyi either, so just focus on preparing for exams." Chi Jiahán took a sip of milk. "As long as you don't pine yourself sick over Lu Heyang and skip school."

Xu Ze: "..."

When the two of them reached the foot of the stairs, they ran into He Wei coming back from buying a drink on the raised ground floor. He lifted a hand with an indifferent expression, said "Morning," let his gaze linger on Chi Jiahán's face for half a second, and went on up.

"What's been going on with him lately?" After they'd climbed several steps, Chi Jiahán asked, his tone carefully offhand.

"Seems like he's in a bad mood."

"What could he possibly be in a bad mood about." Chi Jiahán muttered.

Xu Ze had also once assumed He Wei was footloose and fancy-free, constrained at most by his family — but if that were the case, He Wei couldn't possibly show up obediently at the Preparatory Academy every day on time. There must be something he wanted to escape, too, and so he'd chosen the most legitimate, most reasonable excuse available.

By the time they reached the classroom, morning self-study had begun. In truth there weren't many people left in the class; most of the S-Class were receiving private tutoring tailored to their target schools or majors, and rarely came to lessons.

He Wei was working through problems. He had always needed half an hour of sleep to cure himself after every two questions, but lately he'd finally made progress — the interval between naps had stretched from two questions to five.

While he was doing the paper, his Mobile Phone buzzed in his pocket. Xu Ze took it out and saw that Zhou Zhen had sent over a scanned copy of Ye Yunhua's examination report. The contents were very detailed, evidently the result of an extremely thorough workup. Xu Ze read carefully through every line of data, all the way to the last page, where he noticed that the doctor's signature at the bottom was not Zhou Zhen's.

After studying it for some time, Xu Ze confirmed that the signature belonged to Li Zhan.

He stood there for a moment, then took his phone and walked out of the classroom to an empty, open-air bridge, and called Zhou Zhen.

Li Zhan — one of the foremost cardiology specialists in the League. Xu Ze had searched his profile and case studies many times online, but could only stare at him through a screen, again and again, because he knew he could never afford to invite such a doctor himself.

"Hello? Xu Ze."

"Doctor Zhou." Xu Ze felt his palms go damp. He switched hands to hold the phone and asked, "Was it Professor Li who did my grandmother's examination?"

"Yes, a thorough workup. Your grandmother was very cooperative today. Professor Li has rewritten the prescription — I'll send it to you when it's ready."

"All right, thank you." Xu Ze's lips had gone dry. "Did someone at the Sanatorium invite Professor Li over?"

Some other patient's family had invited Professor Li, and he had happened to benefit from the reflected light — there was hardly any other possibility.

"Ah... yes, that's right." Zhou Zhen cleared his throat dryly. "You're at school, aren't you? I'll fill you in on the rest when I have a moment."

"All right." Xu Ze, who rarely did, smiled a little. "Thank you."

At noon, Xu Ze went to the cafeteria alone. Chi Jiahán had said he had something to take care of and wouldn't be eating with him today. Xu Ze was actually relieved by this, because the bodyguard would be delivering his meal and he had no idea how to explain it to Chi Jiahán.

A False Pregnancy nutrition meal — said aloud, the whole thing was absurdly, bizarrely strange.

He Wei, phone in hand, walked over to the parking lot, looked up, and saw Chi Jiahán standing stiffly beside his sports car — in his school uniform and neck ring, face a little flushed from the sun, planted there like a small car model with absolutely no platform experience.

Hanging up the call, He Wei circled around to face Chi Jiahán. They stared at each other for a few seconds, then He Wei asked, "What are you doing?"

Chi Jiahán had never sought him out on his own before; the present situation left him both puzzled and wary.

"..." Chi Jiahán asked, "Where do you go to eat?"

"Yunwan."

Chi Jiahán had guessed as much. Gu Yunchi really was a free and generous long-term meal ticket — handing over his family's luxury hotel to a friend as a convenient canteen.

"Then is anyone eating with you?" Chi Jiahán looked elsewhere, his voice muffled.

He Wei was no fool. He answered at once, "No. When Yun Chi and Heyang aren't around, I eat alone."

Then he opened the passenger-side door, and Chi Jiahán climbed in without a word.

Several minutes after the car had pulled out, Chi Jiahán finally spoke. "Even when they're not around, plenty of people want to hang out with you and eat with you. You're not short on friends."

"There's a big difference between friends and friends." He Wei drove, one-handed, and pulled a tissue from the pack to wipe Chi Jiahán's sweat.

It was a comparatively serious tone. When a clown who plays the fool in front of you every day stops playing the fool, it means his mood really is off.

After Chi Jiahán had wiped his sweat and folded the tissue neatly, he asked, "Have you and your brother found anything out about Tang Feiyi and Wei Lingzhou?"

"My brother's been suspended." He Wei frowned. "My uncle found out he had dealings with Tang Feiyi."

"When did this happen?"

"A few days ago. Now my brother's disappeared — no one can find him."

"How is that any different from pushing him right in front of Tang Feiyi?"

"No difference at all. My uncle never valued him much to begin with. When something like this happened, his first reaction was to worry about the group being implicated — cut him loose first."

"So that's why you're... in a bad mood?"

"I'm not in a bad mood. I'm thinking." He Wei said. "I went looking for my brother before. He wouldn't let me get involved in his business. Fair enough — not letting me in is for my own good. He's an adult; he does what he does and bears it himself."

"And then I started thinking about what I'm going to do in the future."

Chi Jiahán turned to look at him. "Won't your family arrange everything for you?"

His father was the president of the League Central Bank — born already at the finish line. One small step and he'd cover the distance ordinary people spend a whole lifetime struggling to cross. Chi Jiahán had never imagined He Wei would trouble himself with a question like this.

"Before, I didn't understand why Heyang would be friends with Xu Ze. Now I get it — because Xu Ze is completely different from everyone else in our circle. Very simple, not restless at all, so I like being around him too—" He Wei answered a different question, glanced at Chi Jiahán. "I guess I'm just drawn to people who aren't from the same world as me."

Chi Jiahán wanted to ask him — you like being around Xu Ze, but have you asked Lu Heyang's opinion on the matter?

"Heyang and Yun Chi are both preparing to read at the Military Academy." He Wei said. "I'm only telling you. Don't tell anyone else."

"Them?" Chi Jiahán's eyes went wide. "How could they..."

The son of the League Council Chair, the only son of a wealthy business family — neither of them looked like the type to read at the Military Academy. There was no reason for it.

"Heyang decided long ago. Yun Chi only made up his mind recently. Whether they actually want it or are just doing it to avoid marriage and the family's arrangements, either way it's good — I want to break out of the circle I've been in since I was a kid, and do something different."

He had always thought of He Wei as a dissolute young master with nothing but a good face — carefree, eating and drinking his way through life. This was the first time Chi Jiahán had seen him in a state of lost, searching thought.

"It'll be hard." Chi Jiahán paused. "But I wish you luck."

He knew the odds were slim, but he still wished success on every person who had the resolve to leap out of a cage in search of freedom.

"All right." The light was red; He Wei stopped the car at the crosswalk and lifted one hand toward Chi Jiahán. "Then give me your hand, Xiao Chi — some practical encouragement."

"..." Chi Jiahán swatted his hand away. "Get lost."

Lu Heyang came home at noon. After he stepped inside, the housekeeper took his bag and said quietly, "The Chair is in the study. He wants you to go up once you've eaten."

"All right." Lu Heyang knew he ought to go up at once, so as not to keep the Chair waiting, but he only went to wash his hands and then sat down at the table to eat. The reason was simple — he was hungry.

After eating at his usual pace, Lu Heyang drank half a glass of lemon water, then went upstairs and knocked.

An assistant came quickly to open the door. Once Lu Heyang had stepped into the study, the assistant withdrew to the corridor and closed the door softly behind him.

Lu Heyang walked to the desk. It was a large desk, a smooth lacquered black, like a bottomless trench.

"Dad."

Lu Chengyu was still looking at the documents, until he had read the last word. He raised his head, then leaned the whole of himself back against the chair; the leather seat gave a faint sound under the pressure and friction. Lu Heyang stood, perfectly calm, and met his gaze.

In this house, both Lin Yumian and Lu Qingmo were accustomed to avoiding his eyes — one out of hatred, the other because she had lost the will to fight back. Across the whole League, colleagues and subordinates alike, few people would meet his gaze directly, because of the vast disparity of power between them. Only Lu Heyang looked at him like this — no emotion in his eyes, as if he were looking at one ordinary person among countless ordinary people.

So Lu Chengyu felt, in truth, a measure of regret. He ought not to have allowed Lu Heyang to read at the Military Academy. If an Alpha like this entered the Lianmeng Government, he would become the finest piece Lu Chengyu had ever cultivated — the heart of the League's political system, standing at the same height as himself, or higher, to consolidate one side's power.

Only the slow purge of the military's factions had already begun. For the sake of a more thorough and far-reaching plan, letting Lu Heyang read at the Military Academy was presently the most fitting decision — Gu Yunchi included.

Children always believed they had made the cleverest choice, that they could escape many things and change their fate — when in fact they were only blundering, ignorant, down a different road toward the same ending.

"The preliminary at the Military General Hospital is in one month," Lu Chengyu said. "Train properly. Don't get distracted."

"Mm."

"Come straight home after class today. Some elders from the Capital City Military District want to see you in the evening. Don't waste time out."

"All right."

Their conversations were always exceedingly brief; this one was no different. Lu Chengyu straightened in his chair, set an elbow on the edge of the desk, and picked up a fresh document. "You may go."

"All right."

The Chair was, as always, sparing with words — every syllable seemed to carry some hidden significance worth pondering. But Lu Heyang never did that kind of close reading. He only needed to know his father's ultimate aim.

Tang Feiyi's hand, the proposal to read at the Military Academy, the abducted bodyguard, the protective arrangements made for a certain Alpha, the repeated visits to that Alpha's home and the late-night departures — every item, every item, Lu Chengyu ought to have known perfectly well. And yet he had not mentioned a single one.

One ought to feel unsettled by this, but Lu Heyang was well acquainted with such tactics. Just as Lu Chengyu had not initially stopped Lu Qingmo and Han Inspector from being together, so gradually Han Inspector became Lu Qingmo's fatal weakness, until in the end she was willing to trade submission for Han Inspector's safety.

Lu Chengyu excelled at feigning blindness. You would believe his blindness, walk far out on a flimsy hope, and then — look down sharply — find he had already locked his grip around your throat. Lu Chengyu did not even need to trouble himself with crafting bait; he only had to let you experience joy and anger, love and hate, like any normal person, and the outcome between the two sides was already decided.

A precise step on the soft spot — far more efficient than a head-on collision, whether in officialdom or at home.

Every step Lu Heyang took was a step closer to Lu Chengyu's trap, just as Lu Qingmo had once done. The difference was that Lu Qingmo, back then, had known nothing of it — whereas Lu Heyang, now, had been awake the whole time.

He thought of Xu Ze suddenly — that silly Alpha who didn't yet know he had long since become a natural piece of bait. The association brought it on, and so Lu Heyang, in the same breath as he closed the study door, smiled absently.

After finishing the documents, Lu Chengyu opened the drawer on his right and took out a manila envelope. Inside the envelope was a thick stack of files on a certain Alpha — far more detailed, by several times over, than the one he had shown Lu Heyang before.

He had not originally had the leisure or the interest to learn about this Alpha, having thought the fellow too unremarkable to be worth the time or effort. But now, it seemed, that was not quite the case.

This seventeen-year-old Alpha might, too, make a handy enough blade.