His collar drooped over his pale shoulder, the skin from neck to shoulder fully exposed. The man holding Lu Pei was kissing him.
And his own brother, just two steps forward would be enough to see everything.
It felt exactly like sneaking a lover home for an affair.
Every hair on Lu Pei’s body stood on end.
Just a second ago, he’d still been in shock over being suddenly kissed, why was his first kiss happening in such a bizarre situation? Yuan Que’s lips were unbelievably soft, completely at odds with the impression he gave as a person.
But now Lu Pei had no space left to process any of that. The only thing in his mind was this: his brother absolutely could not notice anything unusual.
Gathering all his strength, Lu Pei shoved him away and called out, “I’m fine! Yuan Que isn’t attacking me!”
Lu Xun: “Mm. Good.”
Lu Pei’s sudden resistance clearly displeased the man holding him.
The moment he finished speaking, Yuan Que bit his lips again. Because Lu Pei’s mouth had opened while talking, it gave Yuan Que an opportunity, his tongue pressed inward between his lips.
Lu Pei immediately clenched his teeth, refusing to let him in.
Even so, the tip of Yuan Que’s tongue brushed the inside of his lips, sending a tingling, numbing sensation through him, almost like it forcibly relaxed his muscles.
Lu Pei felt momentarily dazed, only snapping back several seconds later.
Licking was one thing but now he was even using his tongue! A flicker of alarm rose in him. He began to suspect Yuan Que might have some strange thoughts about him.
Still, Yuan Que didn’t try to force his way past his teeth. Like before, after biting, he sucked lightly at his lips, licking them as if savoring pudding.
This probably wasn’t meant as a kiss.
But it couldn’t continue.
Lu Pei pushed hard against his chest but couldn’t budge him at all. The hand at his back restricted his movement, forcing him forward, tilting his head up as if to meet him, their bodies pressed tightly together.
Suck, lick, release, the faint popping sound of suction echoed softly between them, like tiny water bubbles.
Fortunately, the surrounding noise was loud enough to cover it, preventing Lu Xun from noticing.
After a moment, Lu Xun asked, “And now?”
At last, Lu Pei’s lips were freed. He steadied his breathing and replied, “No problem. I can control him…”
…Yuan Que slid down along the corner of his mouth, continuing to lick lower.
From jawline to neck, wherever his tongue touched, a trembling, numbing sensation spread.
Lu Pei felt genuinely alarmed. He slapped Yuan Que across the forehead. “Get away!”
Just like before, the moment his head was struck, Yuan Que paused, dazed.
Seizing the chance, Lu Pei hit him a few more times, yanked his clothes back into place and tried to struggle free from his arms but failed.
Lu Pei tried negotiating. “Can you let go of me?”
“……”
Lu Pei: “Please, alright?”
“……”
Lu Pei: “Yuan Que, Yuan Que!”
Yuan Que remained unmoved, clearly still not conscious.
Then Yuan Que suddenly lowered his head.
Before Lu Pei could react, Yuan Que grabbed his wrist and guided his hand onto his own hair, pressing it there, rubbing the top of his head against Lu Pei’s palm.
Lu Pei: “……”
Lu Pei couldn’t help slapping him again. “Are you asking to be beaten?!”
“How is it, Ruby? Can you communicate with him?” Wei Lang asked.
Lu Pei: “Not at all.”
Wei Lang comforted him, “Look on the bright side, at least Yuan Que isn’t beating you.”
Lu Xun: “Has something like this happened before? How long will it take for him to recover?”
Wei Lang frowned with concern. “Right, in this state… how are we supposed to get back? He won’t cooperate at all.”
Lu Pei began thinking. “That really is a problem…”
As Lu Pei spoke with the two of them, Yuan Que, who had only just quieted down, suddenly grew dissatisfied again. His hand slid beneath the hem of Lu Pei’s clothing, moving upward from his abdomen…
If this continued, it was going to turn into something far worse.
If his brother noticed, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough for Yuan Que to survive being shot.
In a panic, Lu Pei came up with a terrible idea. “Wei Lang! That nurse! The poison! Where is it?!”
“Huh? I’ve got it, right here,” Wei Lang said.
Lu Pei: “Throw it over.”
With a flick of his finger, Wei Lang sent the small vial rolling across the floor toward them. Yuan Que immediately froze, staring at it with extreme vigilance.
Lu Pei reached out and barely managed to grab it.
Lu Pei: “Lu Xun! Does this thing have an antidote? Will it cause any irreversible damage?”
Lu Xun: “Yes. No.”
So the poisoning had indeed been arranged by his own brother. That poor nurse had simply followed instructions, only to be knocked out by Wei Lang.
Lu Pei bit open the cap and pressed the bottle to Yuan Que’s lips.
Yuan Que sniffed it, his wrinkled nose clearly expressing disdain.
Lu Pei: “Time to take your medicine.”
Yuan Que: “……”
Lu Pei: “Drink it. Your favorite sleeping draught, why aren’t you drinking?”
Yuan Que: “……”
They held the standoff for a few seconds. Then Yuan Que relented, swallowing the liquid.
A few minutes later, his eyelids drooped and the arms holding Lu Pei gradually loosened.
The poison sent Yuan Que back into unconsciousness.
“Okay!” Lu Pei quickly slipped out of his embrace and straightened his clothes again.
The refrigeration system had completely stopped; the corridor was now quiet and the sound of Lu Xun’s footsteps echoed clearly.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Yuan Que slumped against the wall nearby. Lu Pei sat on the floor, arms resting on his knees, forced to look up at Lu Xun standing over them.
As the elder brother, Lu Xun had spent far more time with him than their parents ever had, guiding him, disciplining him.
Lu Pei could distinguish between several shades of his brother’s “expressionless” face. Most of the time, Lu Xun used a kind of feigned sternness to maintain authority and Lu Pei was never afraid of it.
But right now, it was different.
Lu Xun was unmistakably displeased. His lashes seemed rimed with frost and the gaze he cast downward carried a chill.
Lu Pei’s heart leapt straight into his throat.
He pulled his legs together, sitting upright and stiff, lowering his head just like Yuan Que beside him.
“This isn’t the first time,” Lu Xun said, his eyes resting on Yuan Que.
Lu Pei didn’t dare admit it, nor deny it.
“What exactly is he, do you even know?” Lu Xun continued for him. “You don’t understand him at all.”
Lu Pei swallowed, only daring to glance at the tips of his shoes.
But Lu Xun suddenly dropped to one knee, gripping Lu Pei’s face between thumb and forefinger, forcing him to look up.
Those calm green eyes, like a frozen lake, held no warmth, only interrogation like coldness.
“No matter how dangerous something is, if you find it novel, if you like it, you want it. You keep it by your side. You don’t let it out of your sight for even a moment.”
Lu Xun lowered his voice, speaking so softly that only the two of them could hear, his tone slow and unhurried. “I haven’t kept an eye on you for half a year and you’ve made quite some progress.”
“Lu Pei, being this brave, are you hoping I’ll praise you for it?”
Lu Pei: “……”
His body trembled faintly. “B Brother…”
With a sharp clatter, Lu Xun placed the weapons he carried onto the ground.
A dagger. A pistol.
Even lying completely still, they gleamed with a cold, lethal sheen.
Lu Pei froze on the spot, utterly stunned.
Because of the fear of repeating the catastrophe of the Primordial Virus, the Alliance imposed extremely strict restrictions on foreign species. Any flora or fauna not listed on the approved safety registry were labeled as “contaminant carriers” and barred from entering the city.
Their father had once kept a small bird that had been smuggled back. Its feathers were brilliantly colored and its song was clear and melodious.
When Lu Xun learned of it, he confronted their father and demanded that the bird be released, identifying it as a contaminant carrier. Their father naturally refused. Lu Xun walked over to the cage, opened the golden door…
From upstairs, all Lu Pei heard was a loud bang! The bird fell into the backyard grass, motionless.
“Brother, Yuan Que is human,” Lu Pei said quickly. “Y you… don’t do anything reckless…”
Lu Xun replied flatly, “Drank poison and didn’t die. Took a bullet and didn’t bleed. How do you explain that?”
Lu Pei hurried to respond, “He underwent genetic modification. You know the military had that project before, enhanced physical strength, no bleeding from injuries. Isn’t that perfectly aligned with what they want in a soldier…?”
Unhurriedly, Lu Xun began unfastening the buttons at his cuffs. His gaze lowered, watching Lu Pei ramble on with shaky, unconvincing nonsense. At the same time, Lu Pei tried to sneak the dagger behind his back, wrapping it awkwardly in his clothes. Then, in a fluster, he grabbed the pistol, attempting to unload it. Lacking any experience, he fumbled and accidentally racked the slide with a sharp click, startling himself so badly that he sucked in a breath. He looked toward Lu Xun for help, wide eyed yet didn’t dare to speak.
Lu Xun rolled up his sleeve. His right forearm was swollen, a large patch of bruised purple spreading beneath the skin. Anyone could tell at a glance that the bone was injured, clearly Yuan Que’s doing.
Lu Pei grew even more uneasy, his eyes darting about. When he spoke again, his voice slipped into that ingratiating, doubled tone.
“B Brother…”
Lu Xun removed his coat and simply immobilized the fractured arm.
Lu Pei’s frantic, clumsy scrambling somehow eased Lu Xun’s anger instead. During this period, Lu Pei had still learned nothing yet even so, he had managed to survive quite well under extremely dangerous conditions, clearly thanks to someone else’s protection and not even Lu Xun’s own subordinates could necessarily have done the same.
Lu Pei first expressed his concern, then, in a somewhat ingratiating tone, began muttering attempts at reasoning, naturally all crooked logic, chattering endlessly beside Lu Xun’s ear like a sizzling wok.
Forget it. For now, this will do, Lu Xun thought.
“Major General, I have bandages here!” Verang said.
“Thank you,” Lu Xun replied.
He bit down on the bandage as he rewrapped the broken arm, using his coat as a sling around his neck. Verang chuckled twice, then cautiously made a request. “Major General… could I get your autograph?”
“Do you have a pen?” Lu Xun asked.
To everyone’s surprise, Verang immediately pulled out a pen from his pocket. “I do!”
Lu Pei chimed in, “You want Lu Xun’s autograph? You should’ve said so earlier, I’m quite good at, ”
Lu Xun cast him a cold glance.
Lu Pei instantly wilted. “, quite good at listening…”
Verang: “?” So… was there a winner here?
Verang nervously wondered who had come out on top. Lu Pei anxiously wondered whether his brother would spare Yuan Que. Lu Xun signed calmly, revealing not the slightest trace of emotion, though in reality he was already considering how to remove the dangerous element beside his younger brother.
Each of the three harbored their own thoughts, while Yuan Que lay uselessly unconscious.
Footsteps in the corridor broke the fragile quiet.
Two familiar figures appeared.
Jiang Gelei and Lin Qiuge.
Lin Qiuge looked like a dried out strip of meat, listlessly trailing behind her.
“What are you doing here?” Lu Pei asked.
He stepped closer to Lu Xun and tugged lightly at his sleeve. Lu Xun remained unmoved.
“The boss sent me to check on the situation,” Jiang Gelei said.
She had seen Lu Xun’s face many times on television. Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds longer than usual, though she didn’t appear overly surprised. Compared to him, she seemed far more concerned about Yuan Que lying on the ground. “What happened to him?” she asked.
“He passed out,” Verang replied.
He explained the situation. When mention arose of “Qiugé and Ruby’s secret mission,” Jiang Gelei cast them a meaningful look. She moved to inspect the medicine storage room. Though the compressor had stopped running, the room remained freezing cold. Every test tube in the cabinets had cracked open; not a drop of the medication remained, it had all vaporized.
Holding her breath, she surveyed the room once more. Then she stepped out and stopped in front of Lu Pei.
“Hand it over.”
“What?” Lu Pei asked.
“Don’t play dumb. If Lin Qiuge agreed to assist you, then you must have promised him some Forgetfulness Water.”
Lu Pei admitted it. “That was the plan but we didn’t get it. Zhou Zu set us up.”
Lin Qiuge’s heart sank into despair.
“Your pockets,” Jiang Gelei said.
“There’s nothing,” Lu Pei replied, turning out his pockets, showing the contents of his clothes, even lifting his pant legs and sleeves.
Jiang Gelei checked thoroughly, then searched Verang as well. Only after confirming neither of them had hidden anything did she let it go.
Even so, she still wasn’t entirely reassured. She turned back to Lu Pei and warned, “Forgetfulness Water is prohibited, that’s the boss’s principle and that stuff, better to give it to vermin than to Lin Qiuge.”
“That’s too much!” Lin Qiuge protested.
“Have you ever done anything that inspires confidence?” Jiang Gelei shot back.
“Come on now,” Lu Pei said casually, drifting back toward his brother. A sample tube slipped from Lu Xun’s sleeve, only to be caught again in his hand.
The topic didn’t linger, because there were more urgent matters at hand.
“These drugs came through official channels, or they’re part of the first underground batch. So many eyes were watching them and the boss never even considered touching them. Now, an entire batch, every single vial, is gone.” Jiang Gelei crossed her arms. “You’ve caused such a huge disturbance. How do you plan to clean this up?”
Prompted by her words, Lu Pei considered it, then said, “…Actually, Zhou Zu handled the response pretty well. The old man has some skill.”
“What do you mean?” Jiang Gelei asked.
“Responded how? A text message?” Verang added.
“Uh…” Lu Pei hesitated, then asked, “Is it okay to explain this?”
“As you wish,” Lu Xun said.
“Then I’ll keep it short.”
Lu Xun’s firm opposition to Seraxibin was well known, as was his conflict with the pharmaceutical company.
The reason for Lu Xun’s current hospitalization was a genetic disease flare up. The pharmaceutical company was already mired in public controversy over claims that their new drugs triggered genetic illnesses. If, at this moment, news broke that someone had attempted to poison Lu Xun during his stay, anyone would assume the company had made two attempts on his life.
Zhou Zu’s counter was clever.
He had already planned to destroy the batch of drugs to protect his own interests. Now, by acting at this moment, he maximized the benefit.
Privately, Zhou Zu likely knew Yuan Que would have an extreme reaction to the drug and intended to use that to eliminate them.
He understood that an uncontrollable person couldn’t be relied upon for precise outcomes, unorthodox tactics might work but they couldn’t be the only plan. His real arrangement lay elsewhere.
Zhou Zu deliberately chose the timing of Lu Xun’s hospitalization to carry out the sabotage.
If the news of “Lu Xun’s hospitalization” and “the destruction of the first underground batch of Seraxibin” were released together and given Lu Xun’s strong opposition to the drug, the public would inevitably speculate that Lu Xun had feigned illness to destroy it. The entire nature of the situation would shift instantly, nullifying any attempt by Lu Xun’s side to use public opinion against the pharmaceutical company.
“And on top of that,” Lu Pei added, “after all this, both the Ministry of Justice and the Prison Administration would come under pressure. If I, Lu Xun, apply for long term medical parole, it probably wouldn’t be approved.”
Lu Xun did not deny it. That had indeed been part of his plan.
“Damn, that old fox Zhou Zu is vicious,” Verang muttered. “Trying to hit three birds with one stone? His mind’s like a hornet’s nest.”
“So many twists,” Lin Qiuge said. “Impressive calculation.”
“It really was a good counter,” Jiang Gelei admitted.
With the tone of a devoted fan lamenting, Verang sighed, “Major General, what are you going to do next?”
“If they don’t want the Seraxibin, they could just give it to me…” Lin Qiuge muttered.
Annoyed by the two of them, Jiang Gelei stepped aside.
Lu Pei clasped his hands to his chest, mimicking Verang’s tone. “Major General, what are you going to do next?”
“What do you think?” Lu Xun replied.
Lu Pei grinned. “Evacuate the crowd in advance, get some explosives, blow up the hospital, make it a grand spectacle. Then pin it on some underground terrorist group. You and Zhou Zu both walk away clean. After that, pick a subordinate to play the part, stage a scene where the Major General captures the mastermind of the attack, your approval ratings bounce right back. The military will definitely cooperate. When people panic, they can justify a bigger security budget.”
“If everything’s blown up,” Lin Qiuge murmured, “no one would discover the Seraxibin was destroyed…”
Verang clapped. “Genius! Flip the table entirely.”
At first glance, the idea sounded absurd but the more they thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Jiang Gelei felt conflicted. She recalled the mining site explosion and immediately understood who had orchestrated it, this was exactly his style: either doing nothing at all, or making a massive spectacle.
A face like a decorative vase but instead of flowers, it held explosives.
All three of them found the plan viable, increasingly so the more they considered it.
Lu Xun was the only one to refute it. Calmly, he said, “Think of something realistic.”
Lu Pei glanced at Yuan Que. “Then… him?”
“As you wish,” Lu Xun replied.
“You’re the best! You’re the best.”
The familiarity between the two was astonishing. Jiang Gelei remained silent, inwardly speculating about their relationship. Meanwhile, Verang suddenly sighed in inexplicable sorrow. “Ah! Yuan Que! Ah!”
“Gelei,” Lu Pei said, “contact the boss. We’ll need his help.”
,
After Mammoth’s funeral ended, Zhou Zu did not leave the mining site immediately.
A total of seven people, including Aierdun, were summoned to the tea room. Zhou Zu took his seat at the head position.
A tea master, specially invited for the occasion, rumored to be proficient in a long lost traditional brewing method, sat upright with impeccable posture.
As he rinsed the cups with rolling water, he said, “The lion rolls the embroidered ball, good fortune lies ahead.”
Everyone present hurried to echo the sentiment, offering their congratulations in unison, wishing that Brother Zu’s future would be filled with endless good fortune.
In truth, none of them cared about tea ceremony but they all knew the purpose of Zhou Zu calling them here, to select the successor to take Mammoth’s place.
Each of them had come prepared, eager to distinguish themselves. Quite a few had already studied his preferences in advance and could casually drop professional tea terminology into conversation. Zhou Zu appeared to be in a good mood and the atmosphere was harmonious.
This fragile harmony did not last long.
News from Qingtian Hospital shattered it. A subordinate had rushed over specifically to deliver the report.
“Brother Zu, they’re all still alive. No one was injured.”
Zhou Zu was in the middle of tasting tea. He lifted his eyelids slightly over the rim of the cup, a trace of inquiry in his gaze.
Unscathed?
How was that possible? Why?
He remained composed and asked, “And then?”
“And then…” the subordinate hesitated before continuing, “Um, someone attacked the hospital. The attackers were reportedly a group of addicts. They broke in to seize Forgetfulness Water, took several hostages and then were subdued by Lu Xun. A lot of media outlets captured it, should be on the news in a few days…”
Zhou Zu understood after hearing just the beginning.
Their solution had been to shift the destruction of that batch of Seraxibin onto so called “addicts” who attacked a medical facility in order to obtain the drug.
A prescription medication capable of driving people to such madness, could it truly be considered safe?
In this way, both Seraxibin and the pharmaceutical company would once again become targets of public condemnation.
The line of thinking was sharp, the counterattack swift. Whoever had come up with it had neatly nullified his plan.
The subordinate handed over a playback device. “This was recorded by the camera on the medicine cabinet…”
Zhou Zu dragged the progress bar directly to the final frame.
On the screen, a young man with gradient colored hair walked through a haze of white mist. Even within the blur, he remained strikingly beautiful. Zhou Zu knew his real name, Lu Pei.
The camera shook slightly and then his face appeared squarely in the center of the frame.
Lu Pei pressed a finger beneath his eye and stuck out his tongue at the camera.
“Bleh.”
The signal cut out.
Zhou Zu’s fingers suddenly tightened around the rim of the teacup.
The entire tea room fell silent at once. No one even dared to breathe too loudly.
After a long moment, Zhou Zu let out a cold chuckle. “It seems… this was his design.”
He recalled the first time he had met Lu Pei. Even then, he had guessed that very little of what this beautiful young man said could be trusted, most of it had been fabricated for the sake of survival.
He must have come from the surface, with a respectable family background and some kind of connection to Lu Xun. There had been a certain sharpness about him as well. Zhou Zu had chosen to turn a blind eye and let him go.
He had never expected that decision to become one with endless repercussions.
Zhou Zu set down his teacup.
“It’s been a long time since anyone dared to be so insolent in front of me.”
,
While the others carried out the plan, Lu Pei brought Yuan Que back to their residence. Of course, he couldn’t carry him alone, Verang and Gelei had helped haul him upstairs.
Sitting on the bed, Lu Pei opened his notebook and began recalling fragments of spoilers he had once seen, sketching them out together.
The core conspiracy of this story was that the villainous final boss sought to “pollute” and wipe out humanity, while the protagonist, Lu Xun, would ultimately defeat him.
Lu Pei added in the other known elements: the pharmaceutical company, Seraxibin, Zhou Zu.
Lu Xun’s progression followed the standard trajectory of a power fantasy.
First, a hellish beginning, the protagonist Lu Xun is framed and imprisoned.
Then, the call to duty, the crisis arrives and Lu Xun is released from prison.
Internally, Lu Xun exacts revenge on those who wronged him, eliminating the corrupt forces within. Externally, he defeats the final boss, as well as the ultimate weapon created by that boss, the Lord of Contaminants.
Zhou Zu, the pharmaceutical company, the boss, there should be connections linking all three.
Lu Pei drew lines between the terms.
Suddenly, his pen paused. Ink from the gel pen spread into a small blot.
He turned his gaze toward Yuan Que beside him and murmured to himself, “And what kind of role do you play in this story?”
, Overpowered beyond reason and shrouded in mystery.
Thinking this, he stared at Yuan Que for a moment, considering what role he might serve.
Time passed, who knew how long, before Yuan Que’s eyelids trembled slightly and in the moonlight, he opened his eyes.
“…You’re awake?” Lu Pei said.
Yuan Que turned his head.
His gaze slowly focused, then he blinked sharply and grabbed Lu Pei’s hand.
For a brief moment, Lu Pei thought he hadn’t fully woken up yet and felt a chill of alarm, fearing he might do something dangerous again. However, Yuan Que merely held his wrist, examining it.
After checking his left hand, he switched to the right, moving from top to bottom, from left to right.
“What are you looking for?” Lu Pei asked.
“If I faint, bad things happen,” Yuan Que replied.
“…So you know.” Lu Pei was stunned. Curiosity flickered, mixed with a hint of embarrassment. “Do you remember what you did?”
Yuan Que paused, trying to recall.
Afraid he might actually remember, Lu Pei quickly changed the subject. “Has this happened before? Before I met you?”
“Mm.”
…Then Zhou Zu must have known. He arranged it deliberately, Lu Pei thought. That old fox really is sinister.
After finishing his inspection, Yuan Que immediately returned to that drifting, detached state, as if nothing mattered. He showed no curiosity whatsoever about how he had gone from the hospital back to this place while unconscious.
He lay down, closed his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept enough and intended to continue resting.
“You hit me!” Lu Pei suddenly said.
Yuan Que instantly shot upright, his expression tense.
“Where?”
“Just kidding but you really did hit my brother.”
Yuan Que visibly relaxed and lay back down again.
“That’s good.”
“…?” Lu Pei was baffled.
Author’s note:
There are no side couples in this story. The relationship between the brothers is purely familial. Lu Pei does not have an ex girlfriend, only a number of casual dating partners (the “meal companion” kind). Yuan Que is, as is obvious, a complete blank slate. More may be added later.