Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: KarateChopMonkey hates misunderstandings and lost memories
Shen Fei Zhou’s black face, light blonde hair in the sun were no longer lustrous, and looked no longer spirited. He was silent for a while before he touched Gu Ang’s arm and whispered, “I’m going back to the army, I don’t know when I’ll see you next.”
“Oh, be safe on the road and thank you for coming to our rescue.” Gu Ang looked pale and spoke in a businesslike manner. It seemed that after spending so much time with Ye Fei, even the way he talked was the same. He also felt that Shen Fei Zhou was quite miserable, but not liking was not liking, since there was no will, he didn’t give him hope.
Shen Fei Zhou looked at him blearily, without words, “There’s a joint school tournament later for military students, I will come then.”
He rarely looked this aggravated, unless he was facing Gu Ang.
Gu Ang didn’t know what to say, so he could only reply casually, “Okay, I’ll see you then.”
“It’s still a bit long, counting three months.” Shen Fei Zhou was a bit chagrined, he didn’t want to end the conversation like that.
Gu Ang hmmed, “Okay.”
The atmosphere fell into silence. Shen Fei Zhou couldn’t go on chatting and added, “Then I’m leaving, really leaving.”
Ye Fei propped himself diagonally on the luggage bar and spoke indifferently, “Stop stalling and let’s go.”
Shen Fei Zhou gave him a cross look and breathlessly turned around to walk up to the airship.
Ye Fei’s depressed mood was cleared when he saw that people were finally not hanging around in sight. In fact, in terms of strength, he approved of Shen Fei Zhou, but who let him like Gu Ang? He withdrew his gaze and reached out to pinch Gu Ang’s face, his voice tinged with doting, “Go and come back early.”
“Okay, wait for me to eat.” Gu Ang’s expression softened as he faced Ye Fei and responded naturally.
Ye Fei couldn’t resist giving him another squeeze, “Something tasty.”
“No, I’ll go to Moon River House and pack it up and bring it back.”
“Mn, I’ll go back and clean up then, I guess it’s all dusty.”
Gu Ang laughed, “It’s been a month since we’ve lived there, and it’s filthy.”
Ye Fei replied, “Yeah, knowing you’re afraid of getting dirty, I’ll get it clean first.”
The two men were chatting like an old married couple, neither of them wanting to go first. It was obviously just a matter of meeting up in a few hours, but they were lovey-dovey to death.
“I’m off, then.” Gu Ang walked off campus with a folder in one hand and the other hand in his pocket.
Leaving Ye Fei, he turned back to his tugging and pulling temperament, a school bully blowing up the street. Before he reached the main entrance of Moon River House, they watched from afar that Qin LeHe was already standing outside the main entrance with a group of employees waiting.
A large group of people, this scene wasn’t far from the kind of scale that welcomed the general’s triumph.
“Congratulations and congratulations on Gu Ang’s triumph.”
And the slogans, silly and dumb, hurt Gu Ang’s ears.
“Mom, this rack, over the top.” Gu Ang was speechless.
Qin LeHe wiped the corners of her eyes and feigned wiping tears, “I heard all about it from Principal Zhong. You had a hard time this time and came back from the dead, luckily you’re okay. If you don’t come back, what am I going to do?”
Gu Ang put his arm around her shoulder and headed for the box, “I’m fine, aren’t I? Where’s dad?”
Qin LeHe replied, “He’s been so busy since his promotion that he’s been traveling again.”
Gu Ang entered the exclusive box, wrinkled his brow and sat in front of a large table of dishes, annoyed and spoke, “Again with Lu Yan?”
Qin LeHe crossed her eyes, “Mind your manners, what Lu Yan? Call him Uncle Lu.”
Bullshit Uncle Lu, that’s obviously worse than a dog. Gu Ang licked his lips, thinking about how he was going to bring it up and seem less abrupt.
“Come, come, come, you’re thin, eat more.” Qin Yuehe didn’t notice his strange emotions and kept feeding Gu Ang’s bowl with vegetables.
Gu Ang’s expression was cold, without a word, and with a suppressed anger. After waiting for Qin LeHe to sit back down, he didn’t move his chopsticks and fiddled with the anti-bugging device Ye Fei had given him from his pants pocket.
Qin LeHe had seen a lot of things and recognized the function of this thing at once. She spoke suspiciously, “Moon River House is our family’s place, don’t worry, there won’t be any surveillance.”
“It’s good to be careful.” Gu Ang flicked the switch and raised the detector to wiggle around the room. After making sure it wasn’t bugged, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
“You’re a kid, you’ve been brave and fierce since you were little and your mind’s too thick. It was also because your father and I have been too indulgent and spoiled with you. When you stir up trouble, we wipe your ass.” When Qin LeHe saw him being so careful, she smiled sweetly, “But this is good, after a trip to the frontier for actual combat, you’ve finally learned to do things carefully too.”
Gu Ang wanted to say something, but now the Moon River House had long since been planted with many eyes and ears. It was clearly written on the report, even the attribution of the property, which had long been alienated. He looked at Qin LeHe with a frown on his face and remained a bit ruthless. But the long pain was better than the short pain, and sooner or later, the opening would have to be made.
Qin LeHe couldn’t bear the pressure of public opinion to commit suicide. That was in plain sight. But now it was just private, so maybe it’ll be a little more acceptable.
Gu Ang’s dishes barely moved, his fingertips rubbing against the smooth table, deliberating for a long moment before speaking slowly, “Mom, there’s something I need to discuss with you, so do a little mental reinforcement first.”
Qin LeHe rewarded Gu Ang with a chestnut and said in a good manner, “Mental reinforcement? You’ve only been at Red Flame for half a year, and now you’re talking old-fashioned at a young age.”
Gu Ang’s heart seized into a ball, but on the surface, he still had to pretend to be calm, “Here’s some investigation information, you should read it first and finish it.” He opened the file bag and pulled out the stack of paper documents and handed them over.
Qin LeHe wondered, “This year there’s a special use of paper information, I’d like to see what you little brat is pretending to be here for.”
Fingers painted with burgundy nail polish flipped through the first page of the document, and the face that had been wearing a smile a second before froze in an instant. The purpose of the investigation was clearly written on it, and Qin LeHe was considered a shrewd businesswoman, and in three lines, she could see the gist of it. She took a deep breath and spoke gently, “There’s a bit of information, so eat first and I’ll take my time.”
Gu Ang couldn’t even eat, just thinking about it made him feel sick. That scene of Qin LeHe’s suicide in his last life had almost become a nightmare for him. He often woke up late at night feeling like he was drowning in a blood red color, like the eighteenth circle of hell of sin.
In his ears was Qin LeHe’s bitter plea, “Little Ang, you guys get a divorce, won’t you get a divorce?”
The sound and the image were like demonic chains that held him fast from the moment of his suicide. He blamed himself, but there was nothing he could do. And now he was spreading out all this darkness ahead of time, with a lot of concerns in mind.
The first was the fear that the information, which the Ye family had checked, wasn’t thorough. It seemed to have traces, but in case it was actually all a ruse thrown out by his father, the reality was that it had been discussed with his mother but there were other moves behind the scenes. If so, then the usefulness of the information meant very little.
And second, and Gu Ang’s biggest fear, was that Qin LeHe loved Gu Shen too much. For twenty years, the couple had appeared to be in harmony and in love on the surface. This material thrown on the table was a way of tearing the false goodness out of the room and leaving only a floor full of nasty ticks. What would he have to explain in case his mother didn’t believe him?
The information showed that his father was at best only dating Lu Shen too closely, not yet seen to be cheating. Gu Ang was annoyed as hell and was suffering every minute of it. He was afraid of Qin LeHe’s reaction, and he didn’t know how he was going to handle it.
The room fell into silence with only the sound of paper being turned over. Gu Ang carefully gauged the expression on his face, looking through the telltale signs to gauge the reaction. He saw that Qin LeHe’s eyes were getting tighter and tighter, almost trying to suppress the tears back.
Gu Ang’s heart was breaking with pain. This information, it was like a knife, cutting anyone, it was lynching, “Mom, are you okay?”
“Let me take this. Give it to me. Don’t say anything.” Qin LeHe’s eyes were a little red, holding back tears, “I haven’t finished reading.”
Gu Ang drew a few tissues and handed them over, “Mom, you can tell me if you have any ideas…”
“Don’t talk, let me finish reading!” Qin LeHe yelled out loud. For her, it was a rare moment, even as her voice was tinged with sobs. His mother was gentle and rarely lost her temper like this.
Gu Ang was taken aback and dared not say more, “Okay, I won’t say anything, keep reading.”
He sat frozen in his chair, mentally mulling over his revenge plan, rehearsing it several times, making sure to deal a devastating blow to the dog-and-pony pair. An hour passed quickly and the document was turned to the end.
Qin LeHe looked at it very carefully, noting down all those problematic areas as she read. If it was just the first place where there was a problem, it could be a misunderstanding. But with such a thick pile of information, there were just too many questions in between. She raised her head, her eyes slightly red as she spoke in a hoarse voice and asked, “Ah’Ang, is there a second person besides you who knows about these things?”
Feeling both shame and fear. A pillow man colluded with others behind his back and moved his family fortune out little by little.
“There is. This information is also known to Ye Fei and his father, who helped me investigate all this stuff.” Gu Ang had no intention of hiding the source of this information and was thinking of putting in more good words for Ye Fei. And a little more goodwill when they see each other again in the future.
“No wonder.” Qin LeHe froze, with a few moments of thoughtfulness. She wiped her eyes with her tissue again before she forced herself to speak with composure. “I was wondering how you, a school student, were able to gather information that spanned seven years in length. After all, there’s still Lu Shen who’s the subject of the investigation. If it was someone from the Ye family who did it, then it would be completely understandable.”
Gu Ang looked at her, “So… Do you believe it?”
He heard the suspicion in his mother’s words, and it would be easy for the Ye family to falsify the information. Gu Ang was prepared for the outcome that Qin LeHe wouldn’t be able to take it all in the first place before he made up his mind to spread the matter out. She was a long-time adult and certainly had her own set of judgments and ways of handling information. He wouldn’t necessarily have believed it if it had been put in Gu Ang’s 20’s. But, he was coming back from eight years later and already knew the outcome, and the information just seemed incredibly real.
Gu Ang decided to add more leverage and hammer things home once and for all, “There’s something I’ve been keeping to myself. Dad and Lu Shen aren’t simply colluding with the political and military, I suspect the two of them are having an affair.”
“The more you say, the more outrageous it is. How could it be when they’re both Alphas?” Qin LeHe’s expression flashed with a hint of panic, and she composed herself again to maintain her grooming.
Gu Ang spoke with difficulty, “Really, the last time we had dinner together, I saw it. Under the table, they both kept holding hands.”
He thought back on the scene and wanted to vomit a little. There was no need to describe it in detail, just brainstorming the sickening intertwining of fingers speaks for itself.
Qin LeHe fell into silence. If the information just now could still deceive her, Gu Ang wouldn’t lie to her, especially since she still remembered how thoughtful and affectionate Gu Shen had been to her at the dinner table. What she originally thought was a harmonious relationship turned out to be an illusion. The most ridiculous thing was that the person who he had cheated on her with was a person of the same sex.
Qin LeHe was in a bit of a trance and had a hard time accepting it.
Gu Ang grabbed her hand and tried desperately to comfort, “Mom, no matter what happens, you have to be strong and know I will stand by you.”
“Ah’Ang… Let me think about it.” Qin LeHe’s heart was in turmoil.
Gu Ang didn’t push her either, just continued, “Right now they don’t know they’ve been exposed, so if you want revenge, we could start taking care of that as soon as possible.”
The room lapsed into silence again. It was clearly early spring, but it felt windy and a little chilly. Gu Ang walked over to the bay window, closed it and returned to his seat. He could only wait for his mother to speak.
It took a long time before Qin LeHe calmed down a little, “So, you want us to get a divorce?”
Gu Ang pursed his lips, “Divorce for sure, but before that happens, get all the family money back and then let the pair of bitches die.”
“He’s your father.” Qin LeHe’s hands were shaking, “Don’t talk about him like that.”
Gu Ang grimaced, his voice cooler, “I don’t have a dad like that, has he ever thought about you? Mom, people like that don’t deserve it.”
These words were like a pot of cold water that woke up Qin LeHe. She was the Qin family’s Miss, and was bullied into this situation, so she really couldn’t swallow. In the time just spent in contemplation, the decision was actually made in her mind, “Okay, I’ll look into his relationship with Lu Yan, give me some time.”
Once Gu Ang heard it, Uncle Lu’s address became Lu Yan, so it seemed that persuasion worked after all.
Qin LeHe’s face was bigger than the sky, and now it was just being handled privately, so maybe the consequences wouldn’t be more serious than before. He cautioned, “It doesn’t matter if you advance slowly, but you can’t let them find out. That’s why, as soon as I got in, I put in the anti-listening device first, all things considered.”
Qin LeHe sat demurely, resuming that usual celebrity pose, “That’s natural, my Qin family isn’t one to be messed with. But Little Ang, these gadgets of yours aren’t safe, I’ll get you one in a couple of days…”
Gu Ang was forgetting that she was actually a reigning powerhouse of a woman. How could she be a crazy, miserable person if not for all the gossip? Gu Ang interrupted her, “It’s safe. This is from Ye Fei. This thing looks like a small detector on the market, but it’s actually modified by Ye Fei’s XuanBird. It looks ordinary, but I’m afraid that the core inside has been replaced.”
“Your roommate’s pretty nice to you, even giving you everything they developed at home as they went along, not afraid you’d leak it?”
Qin Lehe seemed to have some misgivings, “Our family and the Lu family are very close to each other on the surface. Their Ye family and the Lu family have been at odds from the establishment of the empire until now, would they use the sword to…”
Gu Ang had a bit of a headache, his own fast-talking ways needed to be corrected. Just finished crusading against double a underground romance and now blowing Ye Fei. His eyes drifted and his words turned a corner, “You also know that the Lu family and the Ye family have been hostile. Now that there was a chance to borrow us to weaken the Lu family’s power, naturally they won’t let go of this opportunity.”
Let’s leave the matter of making a good impression for Ye Fei for another time.
Qin LeHe grasped at the subject and complained as an afterthought, “Next time you have something, tell me first, don’t run off and talk to someone else’s family first when you have something. They are outsiders after all. What’s more, the Ye family has been able to stand in the Empire for so long, you can’t believe everything they say, do you understand?”
Gu Ang wanted to say that the Ye family was no outsider. Ye Fei was the one he trusted the most besides his mother. He lowered his eyes, nodded his head twice to cater, and changed the subject, “Besides Lu Shen in the Lu family, Lu ChangBai also has to be watched.”
“Lu ChangBai? You’re talking about the kid he brought in last time? The kid who couldn’t even get into Red Flame, what happened to him?” Qin LeHe took a part from her grief and asked with great interest.
Gu Ang thought to himself, since the last time he had finished talking to the mystery man, the man had mentioned that someone had leaked the Winter Camp movements to the Federation. He didn’t know how, but Lu ChangBai’s face flashed in his mind subconsciously. Although the word from Shen Fei Zhou’s side was that Ma Chie was indeed an internal spy, he was bound to be instructed by someone.
But everything was still speculation and was unwise to mention.
Gu Ang wrinkled his brow and pushed back his suspicions, “No. The last time we had dinner, he was particularly different in person and didn’t seem as shy and innocent as he appeared.”
Qin LeHe sighed, “I see, I’ll start working on those in a moment.”
“Mn, you shouldn’t be too sad.” Gu Ang didn’t know how to be relieved. It would certainly be a lie to say that he wasn’t upset, it was just that this time they got a head start and the outcome shouldn’t be any worse than before.
“Leave these with me for now.” Qin LeHe put the documents away and pulled out her makeup mirror to fix her messy makeup, “You should go back to school after eating later.”
Gu Ang shook his head, “No, I’m not eating, I’m packing in my dorm.”
Qin LeHe stared at him, “For your roommate?”
“Don’t ask.” Gu Ang brought it vaguely, greeting the waiter and packing up all the dishes that had barely been touched. He stood up and leaned down to give Qin LeHe a hug, “Don’t think twice, he’s not worth it.”
“I’m stronger than you think.” Qin LeHe forced a smile, “I won’t do anything stupid.”
Gu Ang thought to himself, how badly did such a proud and strong person have to go through naysayers and public opinion in her last life to crush her?
Thankfully, he didn’t cross back too late.
Gu Ang carried the punching bag, “I’m going back to school then, call me if you need anything.”
“Mn, good son, go ahead.” Qin LeHe stroked his head.
Gu Ang wasn’t in the best of moods either, and took several laps around the school before he calmed down and headed back. When he returned to his dorm, Ye Fei was rolling up his sleeves and vacuuming the dust. He entered sullenly, put his food on the table, and nestled back on the couch. His mother was still alive and Ye Fei was still alive, and as a rule, he should feel thankful. But there was no way to lighten his mood when he thought about this mess.
“Finished?” Ye Fei looked at him like that, mostly because the process wasn’t too pleasant.
Gu Ang nodded slightly, “Better reaction than I expected, no hysteria or fussing.”
Ye Fei unplugged the vacuum cleaner and went back to the sink to rinse his hands off before going back around to sit next to Gu Ang, “There’s no greater sorrow than the calm surface when one is really sad.”
Gu Ang rested his legs on the floor and muttered, “I know, I’m sad too, but what should I do? I still had to tell her the truth.”
Ye Fei looked at him with the helpless expression of a little child who couldn’t find a home, inviting the heart. It was rare for Gu Ang to show such a pained expression, and it was really hard to hide it before he showed it. Ye Fei reached out and took the man into his arms, patting his back gently with his hand, “Mn, it’s all going to pass.”
Gu Ang turned his face sideways and saw the early spring sunlight hitting the side of Ye Fei’s face, and even tiny hairs of fluff could be seen. He was so gentle at times like this, like the waves could wrap around and tolerate everything. So many words were caught in his throat, he didn’t know where to begin.
He wanted to say why he was so worried, it was because he was afraid of repeating the same mistakes from his last life. He wanted to say that as much as he hated Gu Shen, he used to be his hero as a kid too. He wanted to say that he hoped it would pass quickly because the separation was too torturous and he wanted to make up sooner.
…
He didn’t say anything in the end, just quietly indulged in the hug.
Ye Fei didn’t need to know the reasons for all this grief, nor the additional consequences. Just needed to give him a little more time, that was all it took.
It’ll all pass, he thought. Even if he were to walk in the darkness, eventually light would surely come.
Ye Fei didn’t let go of him, and Gu Ang held him like that for a long time. The two sat quietly on the couch, feeling the warmth of snuggling up to each other.
He snapped out of his trance and felt a lot calmer, “Big brother, thank you.”
“Don’t be so polite.” Ye Fei rubbed his head.
Gu Ang opened his eyes slightly and was about to smile at him when his eyes saw a huge bug crawling quickly along the edge of the couch.
“Fuck, I finally caught you.” Gu Ang came to life at once, grabbing the History of Imperial Warfare from the table and rolling it up, slamming it down.
Ye Fei looked at the person with some confusion, “You were just looking bitter and angry, why are you suddenly energized?”
Gu Ang, his eyes still fixed on the giant bug, chattered as he followed quickly, “No. Do you remember when I got bitten by a giant bug twice before? I just saw the culprit! It crawled past!”
“Where’s the bug? You’re looking at it wrong.” Ye Fei was a little vain, he’d forgotten about it. Sneaking around at night and kissing people, all dumped on the bug. He didn’t expect to see an ungodly bug crawl by.
Gu Ang squeezed the book firmly in his hand, “I saw it, I really did.”
Ye Fei cleared his throat and could only go along with the conversation, “It’s probably because I haven’t been back to the dorm for too long and it got bugs, so I’m going to go get some insecticide from the dorm manager.”
Gu Ang followed the insect’s trajectory catlike, circling the house. Afraid of scaring the bug, he lowered his voice and whispered, “Go, I’ll catch it.”
“Okay.” Ye Fei shook his head and headed for the door. What a little kid. Was still drowning in grief just now, yet he was instantly distracted.
Gu Ang took the book rolled into a tube and slapped it three times in a row, chasing it all the way down and missing. The bug sensed the killing intent and fled as fast as it could, slithering along the wall in a single stream. Reaching the half-open opening of the closet, he ducked in without hesitation.
“I don’t believe it yet, I’ll find you today!” Gu Ang cursed, “Biting me twice… it took three days for the marks to go away! I’ll split you in five.”
He pulled open the closet and grumpily lifted the hung clothes one by one, searching for the Zerg. The neatly lined up clothes were instantly disrupted, falling to the east. Gu Ang was still staring earnestly, the bug was out of sight, when he suddenly saw a very familiar dress at the far end of the cupboard. He reached out and pulled it out and unfolded it. It wasn’t the one Ye Fei often wore, but the one the mystery man had worn on the Ice Blue Planet.
Gu Ang caught his breath and carefully lifted the collar of his shirt. The second button, sure enough, fell off. The style of the buckle was the same one he’d picked up in his pocket the last time the mystery man had marked him, he’d dropped evidence in the midst of his struggle. Intricate hand-carved, brass-colored clasps for a hard-to-find style.
Gu Ang’s face turned pale as he took several deep breaths to calm himself down. Once the two were connected, he could venture to set a judgment.
So Ye Fei was the mystery guy with the face that looked like a composite? The man on the rooftop, caught in the night breeze with a bad brandy pheromone marking him… The man in the cave, the one who held him down by force and said he would help him…
Surprisingly, it was all Ye Fei.
Gu Ang was a little confused, there were just too many unanswered questions in between. Did he change his face, or was he wearing a human mask? Why would he take on another identity to quietly mark him? When the brandy masking agent was found, was it really used as a cover-up? Also, he actually already knew that he differentiated into an Omega…
So did he smile at him with a few sneers when he called out interstellar fierce Alpha everyday? Thanks to what he thought was a gentle pampering, now it seemed like it was him teasing him. His mind exploded and he didn’t know how to react for a moment.
Ye Fei, why would he do that? Gu Ang touched the glands on his neck and felt the burning panic.The pheromone infused sensation seemed to return to the body as the mind temporarily marked it. He felt thankful and ridiculous.
He was glad it was Ye Fei, thankfully it was Ye Fei, there was never anyone else. It was absurd that Ye Fei knew everything, and would rather wear a synthetic face than come clean. With a heart that was up and down, Gu Ang didn’t know what kind of emotions he should use to face Ye Fei now. But he was lied to.
The door was pushed open and Ye Fei stood in the doorway holding the insecticide, asking casually, “Did you find the bug?”
Gu Ang dropped his eyes and saw that the giant insect was creeping out of the side of the cabinet. He slapped his face coldly and violently, his palm stinging raw. His voice turned cold, “The bug was found and just killed by me. That pesticide won’t work.”
Ye Fei played with the bottle in his hand when he suddenly saw the shirt that Gu Ang was clutching, which he had just stuffed into his closet by hand when he was packing. He had been calm and collected, but now he showed a rare panic, “How did you find…”
Gu Ang patted his hand, which had been stung by the bug, and his palm was stained with a little slimy trace of the bug’s body. He put his hands on his clothes and wiped them back and forth before balling them up into a ball and throwing a stream of them at a slightly flustered looking Ye Fei.
The force was fierce, with anger and with ruthlessness, “Did it feel good marking me?”
Author’s Note:
The giant bug was killed, and so was Dog Ye.
Let’s light up a song, the crematorium song!
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