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Join the ServerWithin the magnificent, gold-and-jade splendor of the estate, the servants moved with the orderly efficiency of worker bees.
Night had already descended upon the land. Damp mist settled heavily over everything, and from somewhere deep within the buildings came the faint sound of crying.
In one of the buildings, the corridor was bathed in dim yellow light.
Zefi ended the call, gripping his terminal tightly. His gray eyes were filled with coldness. His hair was unbound, hanging loose behind him. As the wind blew, several strands of pale gray hair brushed across his cold yet beautiful face.
Damn it.
How could someone be so shamelessly bold and uninhibited?
How could she answer a call with such a careless, absurd attitude?
His thin lips were pressed together. A faint flush colored his face, and his breathing was slightly uneven. He was furious.
Not far away, a door opened.
Zefi closed his eyes and steadied his emotions. When he turned around again, his usual gentle and clear smile had already returned.
Several students in Cultural Affairs Department uniforms exchanged a few words with him before saying goodbye.
Zefi nodded and walked to a room, opening the door.
Aiwen was sitting on a sofa, looking somewhat uneasy.
“Did you keep me here because there’s something you need?”
“It’s like this. Lin Zhiyan will be coming to visit Siheng later as well. I remember the two of you get along fairly well, so I thought it would be nice if you girls could leave together afterward.”
He paused before continuing,
“Siheng has been very ill these past few days. It’s not good for him to stay shut up in his room alone, so—”
Before he could finish speaking, a thin cry suddenly echoed from the distance.
Aiwen jumped.
Zefi paused briefly before continuing calmly,
“So I asked you to come talk with him and keep him company. I hope you weren’t frightened earlier.”
“It’s fine. He’s sick, after all. Sick people can be a little strange.”
Aiwen smiled.
“And it’s really no trouble. We heard he was transferring schools, and we’re all reluctant to see him go.”
After saying all that, Aiwen couldn’t help feeling a little hypocritical.
After all, she and the other students who had come barely knew Li Siheng beyond casual acquaintance. When they were invited, they’d assumed it was just an ordinary social visit.
Only after entering had they discovered that Li Siheng was burning with fever. He sat in his chair with an unfocused gaze, occasionally making strange sounds from his throat.
Just earlier, after only a few exchanges with him, he had suddenly flown into a frenzy and swept everything around him onto the floor.
He himself had looked as though he were in extreme agony, collapsing to the ground, curling up, and drenched in sweat.
“Thank you for being so understanding. Then I’ll have to trouble you to wait here a little longer.”
With a smile on his lips, Zefi turned and crossed the small reception room toward the inner chambers.
There, Little Solent was leaning against Big Solent, her body trembling as she cried in a thin, grief-stricken voice.
The bedroom door stood half-open.
Several doctors were gathered outside.
“We’ve already administered an injection,” one doctor said seriously. “But I don’t think the results will be ideal. His resistance has become too strong.”
“I believe the most important thing now is waking him from the hallucination. Otherwise, he may continue exhibiting aggressive behavior.”
Little Solent’s eyes widened.
Clinging to her sister’s arm as though all strength had left her body, she said,
“What do we do? If his father comes back in a few days and discovers all this, and calls in doctors, then everything—everything will…”
Big Solent stroked her hair.
“Zefi is handling it. If he still can’t wake up after tonight, then we’ll consider other options.”
Zefi looked at the doctor.
“What I’m confused about is whether ‘waking him up’ is even the right approach. At the moment, neither medication nor injections can pull him out of the hallucination.”
“I don’t think it’s a false premise.”
The doctor sighed before explaining as simply as possible.
“His mental condition stems entirely from defects caused by genetic contamination. You can think of it as certain organs failing to function.”
“The medications he was originally prescribed stimulated those functions. However, his excessively strong emotional reactions have caused the medication to become overstimulating instead.”
“Especially since he’s already developed resistance to sedatives. At this point, human comfort and reassurance are the only options left.”
Zefi lowered his eyes.
“But when similar symptoms appeared before, he managed to get through them. Why did he suddenly relapse today? Doesn’t that suggest the treatment plan needs adjustment?”
“Mr. Zefi, I’ve said this before.”
The doctor’s expression became stern.
“Until we better understand illnesses related to genetic contamination, you should minimize stimulation as much as possible.”
“People of the New Era have evolved far beyond those of the Old Era. The causes and consequences of mental illnesses are far more complex and severe.”
“Especially in Li Siheng’s case. He’s part of a particularly unusual group.”
“I understand.”
Fatigue appeared in Zefi’s ice-gray eyes.
“I’m just confused. His symptoms were mild this evening, yet they’ve suddenly worsened so dramatically.”
As if responding to his words, several cries of pain sounded from the room, followed by the crash of something hitting the floor.
The doctor sighed.
“We’ll have to continue observing him if we want to identify the cause.”
Zefi nodded and was about to speak.
Then suddenly everyone turned in shock toward the bedroom door.
The half-open doorframe was being gripped by a hand.
For a moment, the air itself seemed frozen.
The door opened.
The first thing they saw was an exquisitely beautiful face.
His gray-black hair clung to pale porcelain-like cheeks. A large flush spread across his face.
Li Siheng’s thin body was hunched over as he leaned against the doorway, looking extremely weak.
“Water.”
Someone immediately moved forward.
Li Siheng abruptly retreated.
He seemed confused by everything around him.
A strange unfamiliarity lingered on his face.
Several seconds later, he slowly looked around at everyone present.
His gray-black pupils were dilated.
“Water.”
A servant was summoned.
Yet the instant the servant approached, Li Siheng once again displayed obvious fear and wariness.
“Useless.”
Zefi nearly lost control of his temper.
Taking a deep breath, he picked up a glass of water and held it out.
“Drink it and then get back to—”
Before he could finish speaking, Li Siheng struck the glass from his hand.
A trace of viciousness appeared in Zefi’s eyes.
Before he could react, Li Siheng seized his collar and dragged him violently into the room.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
The speed of the movement caught everyone completely off guard.
Big Solent froze.
Little Solent nearly screamed.
The doctor hurriedly shouted,
“Quick! Find a way to open the door!”
“He wasn’t awake at all! He’s still inside the hallucination!”
“Zefi is probably his target!”
The entire floor descended into chaos.
Servants rushed through the corridors one after another.
Outside, the night had deepened.
The moon was hidden behind dark clouds.
Moist wind stirred the leaves in the trees.
Meanwhile, inside a room lined with heavy bookshelves, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Lin Zhiyan sat on Le Mans’s lap.
Fine beads of sweat covered her face.
Le Mans leaned back against the sofa, head tilted upward, his face flushed red.
One arm wrapped around her waist.
His expression was dazed and unfocused.
His breathing was a complete mess.
Le Mans suddenly stiffened, his pupils shrinking.
“N-no… I… I think…”
His words came out in fragments.
His movements lacked all coordination.
His arms tightened around her.
His already elevated body temperature seemed to rise even further.
Lin Zhiyan pushed his shoulder.
“You’re hugging me so tightly I can barely breathe.”
“Mm… ah…”
Le Mans couldn’t even speak properly, yet he stubbornly refused to let go.
Instead, he held her even tighter and leaned forward to kiss her.
Their warmth mingled together.
Eventually he broke away, collapsing back against the sofa.
His green eyes lost focus again, and the redness around them deepened.
Lin Zhiyan sat there for several seconds, her mind blank.
Finally she let out a breath and patted his face.
Le Mans slowly refocused.
His eyes looked damp.
Then he immediately wrapped his arms around her waist again and pulled her down against the sofa.
Lowering his head, he rubbed his face against hers.
“I… no… you…”
He couldn’t form a complete sentence.
He looked completely foolish.
Lin Zhiyan sighed.
“I’m going to take a shower.”
Le Mans instantly came back to himself.
“W-what? No.”
He stared in disbelief.
“Already?”
Biting his lip, he leaned closer and brushed a kiss against her chin.
“Can’t we continue?”
Lin Zhiyan suddenly had the strange feeling that Le Mans had somehow learned how to persuade people overnight.
He nuzzled against her while looking up with earnest green eyes.
His soaked red hair had been pushed back, fully revealing his expression.
Even the faint freckles across his nose had turned pink.
Lin Zhiyan pinched his cheek.
“It’s late. You need to rest.”
“No.”
Le Mans rubbed against her.
“I’m almost fine. I’m not tired.”
Just as Lin Zhiyan was about to answer, her terminal vibrated.
Internally, she rolled her eyes.
Hurry, hurry, hurry.
If they keep rushing me, the price is doubling.
I was so distracted earlier I forgot to charge an emergency fee.
Now I’m collecting interest too.
She reached for the terminal.
Le Mans immediately puffed up like a sulking bun and lightly bit her chin.
She hissed.
“Get up. You’re crushing me.”
Though visibly unhappy, he reluctantly shifted aside.
Lin Zhiyan turned over and checked the screen.
After reading for several seconds, her expression changed dramatically.
[Aiwen: This is terrifying. Something happened to Zefi!]
[Aiwen: Li Siheng seems to have injured him. Nobody can stop him right now.]
[Aiwen: I don’t know why, but they’re telling me to hurry you over.]
[Aiwen: What exactly is going on? Why are they rushing you?]
Lin Zhiyan stared.
“…?!”
Wait.
If Zefi dies, what happens to my money?!
No, that’s not the point!
What does Li Siheng fighting Zefi have to do with me?!
Her thoughts became a tangled mess.
She hurriedly stood up.
The moment she did, Le Mans wrapped his arms around her from behind.
His kisses landed near her cheek.
When she turned around, she met his shining eyes.
Biting his lip, face still red, he spoke between kisses.
“I… I’m already… fine…”
That was very bad.
Lin Zhiyan’s brain went blank.
At that exact moment, the terminal vibrated again.
More messages from Aiwen.
This time the tone was different.
[Aiwen: Miss Lin, the car is already waiting for you. Please come as soon as possible.]
[Aiwen: I need a reply immediately.]
[Aiwen: I know this request is rude. Zefi will compensate you afterward.]
[Aiwen: The matter is urgent. I hope to speak with you directly.]
[Aiwen: Voice call request.]
Lin Zhiyan:
“…?!”
No, wait!
Could this be Zefi’s mother or Li Siheng’s mother using Aiwen’s account?
Even if I had ten faces, there’s no way I could answer a call right now!
At that moment, Le Mans noticed her distraction.
Grabbing her wrist, he asked,
“What are you doing?”
“Uh…”
Lin Zhiyan hesitated.
“Le Mans, something came up. I think—”
“Lin Zhiyan!”
There was grievance in his eyes.
“This is already the second time.”
“Are you really that eager to go find Li Siheng?”
His brow furrowed.
Suspicion appeared in his eyes.
“What exactly is your relationship with him?”
“I already thought the way he treated you was strange.”
As he spoke, the pieces seemed to connect in his mind.
“Wait.”
“The fact that Zefi wants Li Siheng to transfer schools with me is strange too.”
“When has he ever been that kind?”
“Li Siheng is practically his puppet.”
“If that’s the case, then—”
Damn it!
Why did he suddenly become smart now of all times?!
Stop deducing things! At this rate all my secrets are going to be exposed!
Cold sweat appeared on Lin Zhiyan’s forehead.
Le Mans tightened his grip.
“Give me the terminal.”
“Le Mans, calm down.”
Her words were completely ineffective.
“I am calm.”
He nodded seriously.
“I’m extremely calm.”
A few strands of red hair fell beside his face.
“I calmly thought about it.”
“You accepted my confession.”
“We’re dating now.”
“In a sense, our relationship has already been acknowledged.”
“So I think it’s perfectly reasonable for me to know what relationship my girlfriend has with my friend.”
“Is there a problem with that?”
Lin Zhiyan: “…”
Le Mans, you’ve changed.
You’re not a little pig anymore.
How did you grow up in an instant?
Does growth in one area somehow cause brain growth too?!
Meanwhile, the terminal kept ringing incessantly.
Lin Zhiyan finally said,
“There’s no relationship.”
Then she smiled sadly at him.
“I just feel a little upset.”
“I didn’t realize I made you this insecure.”
“Are you really that concerned about my relationship with Li Siheng?”
“Or are you simply too afraid of being separated?”
Le Mans’s eyes trembled.
His grip on her wrist loosened slightly.
After several seconds, he said quietly,
“I’m afraid.”
Then he added,
“So… would you be willing to help me stop being afraid?”
Lin Zhiyan: “…”
Wait a second!
How did you suddenly become so good at talking?!
Did that negotiation book actually work?!
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Looking For My Child's Father is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Looking For My Child's Father
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