Chapter 28: 028
Inside the dim room, the lingering scent of lavender filled the air, decorating the space with a sense of tranquility.
The person sitting on the bed had shed his aggressive aura. His golden hair fell casually over his brow, softening his sharp, imposing features. With his pale skin and striking heterochromatic eyes, he looked somewhat like a pure white odd-eyed lion cat.
Zhu Ran spoke first. “Youāre awake. How are you feeling?”
“Iām alright,” Zefaer replied, his tone indifferent.
He still lacked strength throughout his body, and his voice was slightly raspy from being unconscious for nearly two days. He looked up, his gaze fixing directly on Zhu Ran, his face full of apology.
“About that day… Iām sorry.”
Zefaer apologized for breaking into Zhu Ran’s home through the spatial corridor and for hurting him.
Zhu Ran leaned against the door, his expression neither warm nor cold. “You certainly owe me an apology.”
Mentioning that day still made Zhu Ran feel a prickle of anger. Anyone would be upset if a stranger suddenly burst into their home, trashed the place, and even injured their neck. If Zhu Ran hadn’t been unable to defeat Zefaer, he might have used his vines to strangle him on the spot.
Zhu Ranās face remained taut with indignation. A small flame of anger flickered in the depths of his beautiful green eyes, a stark departure from his usual gentle image. He was genuinely fuming.
The atmosphere in the room gradually grew heavy.
Zefaer noticed Zhu Ranās mood. It was his fault, and he had no intention of making excuses for himself.
Zefaer parted his dry, peeling lips. “Trespassing into a private residence and harming a common citizen. According to Chapter 6, Article 141 of the Interstellar Military Penal Code, in addition to paying you financial compensation, I shall be permanently stripped of my military rank. I will be subjected to one month of electrocution while my spiritual power is suppressed and serve five years in a maximum-security prison.”
Zefaer listed his crimes one by one in a calm voice. He looked up, meeting Zhu Ranās gaze with his heterochromatic eyes for a moment before looking away.
“Zhu Ran, I am sorry.”
Silence filled the room.
“Weāll talk about that once your injuries are healed. Iāll go get you a glass of water first.”
Zhu Ran was about to turn and leave when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“Wait… Military Penal Code? Stripped of your rank?”
Zhu Ranās gaze swept over Zefaer, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
Though the face was different… the height was roughly the same, the build was the same, and that aura was practically identical…
Huinai was using a disguise device, so perhaps… a certain cold-faced but warm-hearted officer was also using one.
Combined with Huinaiās previous attitude…
The answer was staring him in the face.
Zhu Ran spoke up, testing the waters. “Major Vyr?”
“Itās me,” Zefaer admitted candidly. “Because of a mission, I secretly played the role of the deliveryman, Z. Due to confidentiality requirements, I couldn’t be honest with you.”
“Iām sorry.”
This was already the countless time Zefaer had apologized today. If others knew that the cold and ruthless ruler of the Interstellar, Zefaer Sawyer, had apologized to someone several times in a single day, they probably wouldn’t believe it.
However, Zefaer was indeed apologizing sincerely.
Zhu Ranās mouth hung open for a moment before he finally managed a dry response. “I see.”
He left the room and headed to the living room to pour the water.
The warm water splashed into the glass with a soft sound. Zhu Ran was lost in thought, only snapping back to reality when the water overflowed and spilled onto his hand.
Z… was actually the cold-faced, warm-hearted Major Vyr…
Zhu Ran couldn’t quite describe his current emotions. His impression of Z was quite average, but his impression of Major Vyr was very good. Vyr looked exactly like the type of man he liked. Although the man was a bit cold, Zhu Ran could tell he was a good personāfrom using a spiritual power net to shield him from the sandstorm, to letting him stay the night, helping him find a house, and even treating him to expensive food…
But today, when the noble Major Vyr and the “ferocious” Z suddenly merged into one person…
That image of a gentle yet majestic Norwegian Forest Cat transformed into… a noble, aloof, odd-eyed lion cat.
Zhu Ranās feelings were incredibly complex; he didn’t know what attitude to adopt toward the man. While the two personas weren’t identical, there were plenty of similarities when he thought about it. For instance, they were both men of few words, possessed a powerful presence, and… they both had beautiful eyes.
“Forget it, I won’t think about it. I’ll just have Huinai take Z away for treatment later!”
Thinking this, Zhu Ran took the glass of warm water back into the room.
Zhu Ran handed the water to Zefaer. However, when Zefaer tried to lift his hand, he only managed to raise it about two centimeters before it fell back onto the soft bedding.
Zhu Ran saw that he was still too weak, so he brought the glass to Zefaerās lips. Zefaer glanced at him and drank the entire glass while Zhu Ran held it.
His pale, dry lips gradually turned a faint pink after being moistened by the water.
Zhu Ran set the glass aside and asked casually, “How are your injuries?”
Zefaer lowered his gaze, his voice deep. “It hurts.”
Hearing this answer, Zhu Ran was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Z to say “it hurts” so directly. After all… Z looked like someone with a very high pain tolerance.
“Where does it hurt?”
“My body, and my spiritual sea.”
“Iāll notify Huinai to call a doctor over right away. For now, let me see if your wounds have reopened.”
After sending the message to Huinai, Zhu Ran brought bandages and ointment to Zās bedside. He pulled down the blanket covering Z and unbuttoned his pajama top, revealing a torso wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages.
Zhu Ran asked, “Do you have the strength to lift your arms?”
Zefaer tried again, then shook his head. He couldn’t lift them.
Seeing this, Zhu Ran had no choice but to grasp Zās wrists, lifting his arms to help him out of the shirt. Once that was done, Zhu Ran began to unwrap the bandages.
As the bandages were unrolled and fell away, Zās bare torso was revealed. His muscle lines were full and powerful, his abdominal muscles were clearly defined, and his mermaid lines dipped into the snow-white bedding along the lean, powerful curves of his waist.
The wounds on his skin had all scabbed over. Half of the scabs had already fallen off, leaving behind faint pink scars. The marks crisscrossing his fair skin possessed a strange sort of aesthetic beauty.
“The wounds don’t look infected; theyāre healing quite well.”
Zhu Ran observed Zefaerās injuries closely, touching the edge of a deeper wound with his hand. “Does it hurt?”
The moment those warm, soft fingertips touched his skin, Zefaerās muscles tensed instantly, and he pursed his lips.
Seeing this, Zhu Ran thought Z was uncomfortable, so his movements became even gentler.
“There are two wounds that are quite deep; theyāre still healing. Iāll apply the ointment first. We wonāt wrap them in bandages for now; we’ll wait for the doctor.”
“Okay.”
The cool ointment touched Zefaerās body, causing a tremor to ripple through his weakened frame. That coolness soon turned warm under the friction of Zhu Ranās application.
Zefaer gripped the blanket with one hand, his pale, powerful knuckles occasionally digging into the soft fabric. He let out one or two soft, breathy sounds.
He looked extremely uncomfortable.
I didn’t expect a military officer to be so afraid of pain…
Zhu Ran assumed this was a sign that Z had a low pain threshold, so his movements became even lighter.
Among the scent of lavender, a hint of another clear, sweet fragrance mingledāelusive and fleeting.
Zefaerās vision was currently occupied by Zhu Ranās fluffy head and his fair, soft nape. Because they were so close, Zefaer could even feel the warm aura radiating from Zhu Ran. It was a warmth like being basked in sunlight, something one couldn’t help but linger on.
Zefaerās eyes darkened. In a place where Zhu Ran couldn’t see, an aggressive aura flickered in the depths of his gaze, as if he wanted to ensnare the fragile person before him.
Yet in the next moment, he retracted all his fangs, transforming from an unbridled beast into a pure, large cat that just happened to look a bit majestic. He forced himself to look away and took a deep breath, the faint scent of vanilla sugar swirling around the tip of his nose.
“All done.”
Zhu Ran finished applying the ointment, draped a coat over Z, fastened a few buttons, and tucked him back in.
“Thank you.” Zefaerās voice was somewhat husky.
He shifted his attention, fixing his gaze on the two pots of purple natural plants in the room. Zefaer had noticed the new scent in the room long ago. Last night, it seemed it was this very scent, mixed with a trace of Zhu Ranās unique fragrance, that had pulled him out of his nightmare.
Zefaer asked, “Is that a newly cultivated plant? It smells very good.”
Zhu Ran felt a flash of self-consciousness upon hearing this praise. He looked up and saw that Zās gaze was on the lavender in the room, and he relaxed.
“Thatās lavender. Its scent has a calming effect and helps with sleep.”
“You seemed uncomfortable last night, so I brought the lavender in. I hoped it would make you feel better.”
Zefaer looked at the lavender, then turned his gaze back to Zhu Ranās face.
“I slept very well. Thank you for taking care of me these past two days.”
As Zefaer spoke, the corners of his eyes tilted up slightly, and his brow smoothed out. A few strands of golden hair fell naturally, softening his aura. Paired with his clear, heterochromatic eyes, he looked strangely… well-behaved.
Zhu Ranās breath hitched slightly. “Youāre welcome.”
Officer Huinai and a doctor arrived at Zhu Ranās home half an hour later. After another thirty minutes, once the examination was complete, Huinai helped Z leave the house.
As they left, Z wore a black metal collar around his neck.
“Thank you for your care these past two days. I will come by to express my gratitude in person in a few days.”
“The bedding in your home has been replaced with new sets. Weāve taken the used ones with us.”
“Well then, I shall take him and depart first.”
Huinai looked like he wanted to say something else, but he opened his mouth and then closed it again. Though Zhu Ran felt there was something strange about Huinaiās expression, the man left too quickly to give him a chance to ask.
With Huinai and Z gone, the once-lively room became quiet and lonely. Zhu Ran wrapped himself in a blanket and sat in the lounge chair on the balcony.
He had woken up too early today and was already feeling sleepy. Bathed in the warm sun, he soon drifted off to sleep.
Under the bright golden light, the blooming flowers stretched their leaves as they came into contact with the aura they loved, releasing a leisurely, deep fragrance. The light scents of freesia and daisies mingled with the peaceful aroma of lavender, coating the entire balcony in a layer of tranquility.
The dark red vine covering one wall let its tips dangle onto the sun-drenched floor. Feeling too comfortable, the tips curled slightly and swayed gently in the breeze.
The other two synthetic plants Zhu Ran had boughtāthe Star Red Flower and the Fish Scale Narcissusāsat quietly between the natural plants and the vines, not looking particularly out of place.
The small balcony warmed up under the sun, becoming cozy and inviting.
Zhu Ran slept until after 3:00 PM, just as he usually did. When he woke up, he was filled with a sense of contentment. His cheeks were flushed, the corners of his eyes were slightly red, and his expression was lazy.
He stood up, poured a glass of water, and washed his face with ice-cold water. After lingering on the balcony chair for a while longer, he opened the Stargrow App to handle his daily business.
Zhu Ran checked the sales of his natural plants first. Unsurprisingly, they were all sold out.
“Once the soil arrives, Iāll increase the intensity of the cultivation. Iāll try to list more natural plants every day.”
Zhu Ran then checked the “Guess What Flower This Is” shop update. The netizens’ answers were all over the place and very imaginative.
[Purple Flower.] [Fish Scale Lantern Flower.] [Sleeping Hydrangea.] [A Shoot Piercing the Sky!] [Purple Qi from the East.] [A Myriad of Purples and Reds!] [Armstrong Pilgrimage Flower.]
…
The answers contained all sorts of bizarre names. Zhu Ran could tell at a glance that many were just random names netizens had made up on the spot, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Interstellar people have such interesting naming senses.”
There were so many participants that Zhu Ran couldn’t look through them all one by one. He used the search bar to look for the correct name: “Lavender.”
One comment mentioned “Lavender.” Zhu Ran clicked to view it and burst out laughing.
The message read: […Winter Jasmine, Baby’s Breath, Hydrangea, Sunflower, Rose, Rambler Rose, Camellia, Lavender, Tulip, Water Lily…]
There, buried within a list of over a thousand flower names, was the lonely name “Lavender.”
“Did this person copy an entire encyclopedia…? They actually wrote so many names.”
“But despite that long string of names, they did mention lavender.”
When Zhu Ran did this “Identify the Flower” interaction, he had already taken precautions by disabling “Intelligent Image Search,” but who knew… someone would actually use this method to answer.
“Forget it, I’ll count it as a correct answer…”
Clearly, as someone doing a customer interaction for the first time, Zhu Ran was a bit inexperienced and had left a loophole for someone to exploit. However, now that he had experience, he knew what to do next time.
Next time, he would definitely add a rule: “Only the first plant name mentioned by each person will be counted as the answer; all other names will be ignored,” to prevent this from happening again.
“First, I’ll contact the customer who got it right. The ID is ‘Ye Chaochaochaochao’.”
Zhu Ran clicked on ‘Ye Chaochaochaochao’ to enter a private chat.
[Zhu: Congratulations, you correctly guessed the name of the new product. However, you used a bit of a trick; it wonāt be this easy next time.]
[Ye Chaochaochaochao: Whoa! I actually got it right! It turns out the ‘exhaustive method’ our professors talked about in university really makes sense when you’re stuck.]
[Wait, having said that… what is the new plant called?]
Zhu Ran felt helpless. [Zhu: It’s called Lavender.]
[Ye Chaochaochaochao: That’s such a pretty name.]
[Zhu: Give me your address, recipient name, and contact information. Iāll ship it to you today or tomorrow.]
[Ye Chaochaochaochao: Okay~]
Ye Zhao quickly sent his address, using the recipient name “Zhou Zheng.”
[Ye Chaochaochaochao: By the way, I’m a loyal customer of your shop! You can check my purchase history. Can I give you some feedback?]
Zhu Ran glanced at the other personās purchase history. This customer had bought five pots of daisies, spending 120,000 credits.
[Zhu: Sure, go ahead!]
[Ye Chaochaochaochao: The items in your shop are too hard to snag! There are a lot of personal shoppers and scalpers mixed in the crowd, which isn’t fair to people who genuinely want to buy. I was wondering if you could open a pre-order system or VIP privileges in the future, to give those of us who can’t grab stock some hope.]
[Also, the mini ecological garden is so beautiful. I want to look at it for a while longer to find inspiration. I was wondering if you could open up viewing permissions or something. Iām a singer and I occasionally compose, so I need to find inspiration everywhere.]
Zhu Ran read the suggestions carefully and felt they were quite reasonable. He had already thought about setting up a pre-order system, but he had been too busy with Zās situation over the last few days to work out the details.
As for the mini ecological garden…
He had already reached an agreement with Yan You yesterday to provide a holographic ecological garden for artists, which should solve part of the problem.
Or perhaps… he could expand the shop and create a holographic experience center where customers could drink floral tea and look at the flowers. That way, even if the shopās stock was sold out, the shop could stay open and satisfy many people’s needs.
Zhu Ran calculated that after the novice promotion event, he really could put shop expansion on his schedule.
[Zhu: Suggestions received. The points you mentioned are already on my to-do list.]
[Ye Chaochaochaochao: Really! Then hurry up and open the pre-order mode! Iāll definitely place a big order for 50 pots of flowers to support you.]
Zhu Ranās expression stiffened.
Fifty pots of flowers…
There was no need to be that supportive.
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