Chapter 227
The next day, Shen Shuyu arrived at the place specified by Luck as agreed, but he did not see Chi Yanxun.
Is he not here yet?
Shen Shuyu thought for a moment and simply found a place to sit, watching the people coming and going around him.
Suddenly, two children passed by him, playing and chasing each other. One of them accidentally stumbled right into Shen Shuyu’s arms.
“Sorry, Big Brother.”
Shen Shuyu steadied him. “It’s okay. Be careful, don’t fall.”
The two children walked away giggling. As Shen Shuyu withdrew his gaze, he suddenly noticed a slip of paper tucked into his lap.
Shen Shuyu opened it to take a look; it was an address.
Shen Shuyu whipped his head around toward the two children, but the kids who were laughing and playing just a moment ago had already vanished without a trace.
He lowered his head and looked at the address again. It was a cafe not far from the plaza; he had actually passed it on his way here.
This Luck System was truly cautious. Shen Shuyu tucked the paper into his pocket and slowly walked back.
When he reached the cafe, the atmosphere of the upcoming New Year was everywhere. He found a corner seat, ordered a cup of coffee, and waited quietly for the system to arrive.
The coffee was served quickly. Shen Shuyu took a sip of the hot liquid, watching the surrounding crowds with boredom. As he watched, drowsiness suddenly washed over him. Propping his head up with one hand, his head began to droop bit by bit.
A moment later, he lost consciousness.
His head hit the table with a soft thud. A few seconds later, a man appeared at the seat behind him. The man wore a hat and a mask, muffling himself tightly, but if Shen Shuyu were awake, he would have recognized him at a glance.
It was Chi Yanxun in disguise.
Chi Yanxun easily lifted Shen Shuyu from his seat. The other patrons in the shop never once looked toward their position.
They were all under temporary control.
Chi Yanxun carried Shen Shuyu into the break room intended for the cafe employees. He was the behind-the-scenes owner of this establishment.
He placed Shen Shuyu on the bed and locked the door before taking off his mask and hat.
With a heavy expression, he spoke to the Luck System in his mind: [I’ve brought him.]
The Luck System was clearly excited: [Luck System: Good. Press your forehead against his, and I can cross over.]
In truth, if it hadn’t consumed a massive amount of energy, Luck wouldn’t have needed to rely on such an archaic method to move freely. However, it had been severely damaged, and the energy Chi Yanxun carried was much weaker than before.
Chi Yanxun stood by the bed, looking down at Shen Shuyu. The boy was sleeping soundly, his breathing steady, looking utterly innocent and harmless.
He watched for a while before slowly dropping to one knee. He reached out and gripped Shen Shuyu’s neck, veins bulging on the back of his hand as murderous intent flared.
The Luck System was horrified and hurriedly spoke: [Luck System: If you kill him, the position of Secondary Center will never be yours.]
Chi Yanxun’s movements slowed. He released his grip. There were no marks on Shen Shuyu’s neck, and even his breathing rate hadn’t changed.
Before coming here, Luck had repeatedly warned him that whether he could reclaim his status as the Secondary Center depended on whether Shen Shuyu would fall for him again.
Only if Shen Shuyu loved him again could everything progress in the original direction. Later, when Shen Xili returned, as long as the two of them bonded, no one would ever be able to shake his position as the Secondary Center again.
In his twenty-plus years, Chi Yanxun had never imagined he would one day have to bond with another Alpha.
He lowered his eyes to the sleeping Shen Shuyu. There was a match rate as high as ninety percent between them, so why could the boy still not like him?
In this world, the higher the match rate, the higher the probability of falling in love.
But from Shen Shuyu, he could no longer sense a shred of affection.
It seemed to have started not long after the Survival War.
[Luck System: Time is running out, stop dawdling,] Luck urged. [Luck System: I sense the drug effect is about to wear off.]
They hadn’t given Shen Shuyu a heavy dose; he would wake up easily.
Chi Yanxun composed his mind. For a split second just now, it felt as though he had grasped some realization, but under the Luck System’s urging, he forgot it entirely.
[You won’t do anything to betray me, will you?] Chi Yanxun asked.
The Luck System replied: [Luck System: Even if I wanted to betray you, it wouldn’t be that easy.]
Chi Yanxun gave a cold sneer. They both harbored their own designs and did not trust each other.
But there was no time to discuss betrayal now. Chi Yanxun noticed that Shen Shuyu’s hand, resting at his side, twitched slightly.
The Luck System urged again: [Luck System: Hurry, time is really short.]
Chi Yanxun placed his palm on Shen Shuyu’s face, leaned his upper body forward, and then bent down, pressing his forehead against the boy’s.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, feeling drained of strength. Chi Yanxun called out to Luck in his mind several times but received no response.
He propped himself up by the edge of the bed. Finally, his gaze landed on Shen Shuyu. The boy was still sleeping peacefully, but his occasionally trembling eyelids told the person beside him that he was struggling to wake up.
Chi Yanxun cast a final, hurried glance at him, put his hat and mask back on, and left the room.
Three minutes later, Shen Shuyu snapped his eyes open. He sat up on the bed, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.
He looked around in confusion, raising a hand to rub his temples. How did I get here?
[Luck System: Shen Shuyu.]
Shen Shuyu looked around. After thinking for a moment, he remembered the mechanical voice of Luck.
He got off the bed: [When did you get here?]
Luck laughed: [Luck System: A few minutes ago.]
Shen Shuyu surveyed his surroundings: [Where is your partner?]
[Luck System: You don’t need to worry about that,] the Luck System said. [Luck System: We need to quickly stabilize your position as the Secondary Center.]
Shen Shuyu stood up and walked out, asking as he went: [There’s no rush for that. I’m more interested in knowing what exactly happened back then. Why don’t I remember anything? Why did we get separated?]
The Luck System said: [Luck System: It’s normal not to remember. Without my protection, your consciousness would be assimilated by this world. Forgetting is a mild side effect.]
Shen Shuyu returned to the front of the cafe. The coffee on his table had already been cleared away. He only gave it a glance before turning to leave.
He pushed open the glass door: [If you have something to say, say it plainly. Don’t drag it out. Don’t you know how annoying that is?]
The Luck System said: [Luck System: Why are you in such a hurry? Our urgent priority now is to consolidate your position.]
It continued: [Luck System: Turn right. Walk to the corner ahead and you will run into someone. He is the key figure for consolidating your position.]
Shen Shuyu took one look and briskly turned left.
Luck barked: [Luck System: It’s a right turn! Right!]
Shen Shuyu gave a cold sneer: [I don’t even know what the situation is. Why should I trust you?]
Luck asked: [Luck System: If you don’t trust me, why did you come looking for me?]
Shen Shuyu let out a “tsk”: [Are you brainless? I came to find you to figure out exactly what happened. You open your mouth and immediately tell me to work for you. Dream on.]
He thought for a moment and said: [I’ll give you two choices. Either you tell me the whole story and I’ll go find that person, or I’ll just go straight home. Since you could enter my head, you can get out. Choose for yourself.]
The Luck System’s teeth itched with frustration. What on earth was going on?
How were both the hosts it found so fierce!
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