Chapter 126: An Se’s Apology
Zhan Ye gazed at Su Tang’s peaceful sleeping face, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowing.
He stood there for a long time, until the clock on the wall emitted its half-hourly tick. Only then did he snap back to his senses, realizing time was running out.
He cast one last glance toward the bed. His fingertips twitched, but in the end, he suppressed the urge to get closer, turning and tiptoeing out of the room.
The moment the door closed, he seemed to hear Su Tang let out a soft mumble in her sleep, making the smile on his lips grow even gentler.
When he returned to his confinement room, Zhan Ye leaned against the door. The wild thoughts from his journey made him gasp for air. the heat in his cheeks hadn’t faded at all; instead, it seemed to intensify.
The moment he closed his eyes, his mind was filled with Su Tang’s fair shoulder exposed from the blanket, her soft features while sleeping, and those inescapable erotic memories.
“Truly a bastard…”
He cursed himself softly, yet he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling up.
At least he had seen her. Tonight hadn’t been for nothing.
The crystal he gave her was special; it emitted a soft halo under the moonlight, just like the feeling Su Tang gave others—warm and inviting.
He imagined the way Su Tang would look wearing the necklace, and his heart began to accelerate again.
…
As the dawn light peeked through the gaps in the curtains, Su Tang slowly opened her eyes under the stimulus of the light, her consciousness still a bit blurry.
She felt as if a breeze had blown in during the night, but she clearly remembered locking the door. Could it be…?
Su Tang frowned and walked to the door, tentatively pushing the handle. As expected, it was deadbolted from the inside.
She let out a sigh of relief. It must have been a dream, though that dream had felt incredibly real.
Her gaze unintentionally swept over the nightstand and froze.
A strange little box was sitting there. The silver surface was engraved with a simple vine pattern and looked very exquisite.
What is this?
Who put it here?
So it wasn’t a dream last night? How did that person get in?
Su Tang picked up the box in confusion and opened it gently.
Inside lay a thin silver chain. The pendant was a crystal the size of a pigeon egg, emitting a faint, warm yellow halo in the morning sun. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and it seemed to pulse with a faint heat as if it were alive.
She was stunned, her mind racing.
Who was it? Mo Xiao? Or…
“Did you sleep well last night, Guide Su?”
Since Su Tang had transferred to the Medical Department, An Se had arranged her room next to his, claiming it was for better protection.
Hearing movement here, he had come over.
“Director An Se, I think the security facilities in the Medical Department need an upgrade.”
An Se raised an eyebrow.
“It seems someone picked the lock and entered my room last night, leaving this on my nightstand.”
Hearing Su Tang use the words “picked the lock,” An Se couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. When he returned last night, he was afraid the young brat Zhan Ye wouldn’t be able to get in and might cause a scene that would be discovered, so he had used his own authority to unlock Su Tang’s door. However, he swore that he had stayed nearby the whole time. If there had been any disturbance, he could have arrived instantly.
He had thought Zhan Ye was there to chat with Su Tang, but he hadn’t expected the guy wouldn’t even wake her up. An Se had spent the night preparing serums, fearing the boy might try to take advantage of her, but fortunately, the kid had some discipline. Since no disturbance was made, those serums weren’t needed.
The moment Zhan Ye left, An Se had immediately locked the door.
“Actually… Zhan Ye gave that to you.”
Su Tang frowned. Zhan Ye?
Thinking of Zhan Ye being in confinement, her heart skipped a beat.
He hadn’t snuck out, had he?
“Is he crazy? What if he was caught?”
“The surveillance cameras were in maintenance when he came, and with Zhan Ye’s abilities, he wouldn’t be discovered by those people.”
“Wait, how do you know the details so well?”
The last trace of doubt in Su Tang’s heart vanished as everything suddenly became clear.
“You were the one who opened my door for him, weren’t you?”
“Listen to me—I went to see him yesterday, right? I told him you had transferred to the Medical Department, and he made such a fuss wanting to see you that I had no choice but to give him the keycard.”
“Then I went to the lab to study that mist. When I came back and saw you had already locked the door and retired for the night, I was afraid that kid would cause a disturbance if he couldn’t see you and draw the patrol team… so I… opened the door for you.”
The chill on Su Tang’s face deepened, and An Se’s voice grew smaller.
“I thought he was going to talk to you; who knew he wouldn’t even wake you up? I swear, I was waiting right nearby. If that kid had done anything inappropriate, I would have stepped in to stop him.”
Su Tang pulled her lips into a mirthless smile.
“Should I thank you then?”
“…Probably not…”
An Se had a bad premonition. He knew his actions had indeed overstepped.
Sure enough, Su Tang’s reprimand followed in the next second.
“Director An Se, the next time you make a decision regarding me, please inform me beforehand. This kind of behavior is extremely offensive.”
After these past few days, the atmosphere between them could have been described as relaxed. Hearing Su Tang’s tone turn distant again, An Se felt an odd sensation in his heart for some reason.
“My apologies. It was my fault. I’ll remove your room from my authority right now.”
He performed the operation right in front of Su Tang. “There. From now on, no one but you has authority over this room.”
Su Tang nodded slightly, though the tension in her brow didn’t ease.
An Se tried to read her expression and tentatively asked, “Is there anything you want as a way of showing my sincerity?”
“No need, Director An Se. If there’s nothing else, please leave.”
The irritation in An Se’s heart grew stronger. His intuition told him that if he turned and left now, his relationship with Su Tang would forever remain in this distant mode.
“Don’t be like that, Su Tang. Don’t be angry. As long as you speak up, I’ll agree to anything I can do to make it up to you.”
Su Tang lowered her eyes and pursed her lips slightly.
You said it…
“Then, I want the latest research data on that red mist.”
An Se was stunned. He clearly hadn’t expected Su Tang’s condition to be this. After a moment of thought, he ultimately nodded in agreement.
He walked back to his room, fetched the report that had just been finished last night, and handed it to Su Tang.
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