Chapter 118: Bitter Fruit
Enveloped in a faint warmth, Wen Yan dreamed of a robot escape.
The temperature in the laboratory was sweltering. Suddenly, the humanoid prototype in the display case began to broadcast: [Temperature too high, triggering self-help mode]. It abruptly used its mechanical arms to rip out the red and green wires attached to its body and smashed through the glass with a single punch.
Someone was telling him to run. Alarms were blaring, and the robot’s eyes were flashing with a dangerous red light.
Wen Yan hesitated for a few seconds with genuine sincerity. His mind was thinking that technology had just taken a massive leap forward, and that this was the culmination of the entire team’s hard work over the years; he couldn’t let such a critical achievement vanish. Thus, amidst the collapsing surroundings, he stood before the robot and began reciting the Laws of Robotics from sci-fi movies—an utterly ridiculous scene.
Once everything had turned to rubble, the robot raised its arm. In the dream, Wen Yan prepared himself for death. Watching from a “God’s-eye” perspective, Wen Yan cursed himself for being an idiot—did he really think he was in a movie? Then, he watched as Pei Zhouye opened the laboratory door, and the robot’s power was suddenly cut.
Pei Zhouye said, “Long time no see.”
Wen Yan struggled to open his eyes. Above him was a patterned ceiling.
He was covered by a very thick quilt, and the air conditioning was likely on; no wonder it felt so hot. He sat up and froze.
Pei Zhouye was using his arm as a pillow, sitting against a cushion he had found from somewhere. He had spent the entire night sleeping by the bed like that—just like a long time ago, when Wen Yan had fainted.
As Wen Yan recalled the reason for that faint, a face that was almost a blur in his memory surfaced. Back then, he was still dating Gu Yulan. Due to various reasons, he had collapsed right on the side of the road. When he woke up, he had seen Pei Zhouye by his side, looking just like this. The two relationships he had been in were both profoundly abnormal, like deformed seeds that could only grow into bitter fruit.
Before the palpitations from his sudden awakening could subside, he saw the alarm clock on the nightstand: seven o’clock. It was still early. He used this free time to study the sleeping man beside the bed. He had matured significantly. His brow bone was sharp, his features deep. There were faint shadows under his eyes; he likely hadn’t had a good rest in a long time.
A phone ringtone shattered the silence. Wen Yan snapped back to reality and saw that Pei Zhouye had also opened his eyes.
Wen Yan frowned, asking with certainty, “When did you wake up?”
“Just now.” Pei Zhouye sat up, his large palms massaging his aching shoulder. He gave Wen Yan a wink. “Right after you woke up. I felt you watching me, so I didn’t want to open my eyes.”
He stated his reason for feigning sleep with complete self-assurance. Overcome with a mix of shame and anger, Wen Yan ignored him and grabbed the phone to answer.
“Wen Yan.” It was Cheng Shangshi’s voice.
Wen Yan’s expression softened, and the emotional turbulence in his voice faded. “What is it?”
Pei Zhouye stood up as if by accident and sat down right next to Wen Yan. Being so close, he recognized the voice on the other end. His expression turned cold, and he let out a deliberate cough.
Wen Yan glared at him, only to see him looking profoundly displeased. Pei Zhouye leaned back lazily, without a shred of remorse.
On the other end of the line, Cheng Shangshi glanced at the clock on the wall and fell silent for a moment.
“Shangshi?”
Wen Yan gently called his name again.
Cheng Shangshi took a deep breath, keeping his tone under control. “It’s nothing. I just saw that you didn’t come back all night and was afraid something had happened.”
A trace of a smile entered Wen Yan’s voice.
“I’m fine. I met a few friends last night, drank a bit too much, and ended up staying out.”
Those “friends” obviously included the person currently sitting right next to the phone. Cheng Shangshi went silent again. After a long pause, he finally replied, “Okay. Come back early today.”
Wen Yan agreed immediately before the call disconnected.
Cheng Shangshi stood up from the sofa and headed upstairs. He knew Wen Yan had met with Pei Zhouye. Driven by a dark intuition, he had been waiting here. Clearly, that man had hurt Wen Yan so badly in the past…
He was angry. Angry at himself for not having the courage to confess to Wen Yan. Angry that Pei Zhouye still had the face to approach Wen Yan. And he was even a bit angry that Wen Yan had once again agreed to Pei Zhouye’s ill-intentioned advances.
Once the call ended, Wen Yan’s expression also turned cool. He kicked off the quilt and reached out to push Pei Zhouye.
“What’s wrong?” Pei Zhouye asked.
Scientific research claimed that there was no such thing as a “safe distance” between people who had been intimate. He watched this theory being proven as he leaned toward Wen Yan.
“I’m taking a shower,” Wen Yan replied irritably.
“Are you blaming me for making a sound just now?” Pei Zhouye asked despite knowing the answer, subsequently offering a smooth apology. “I’m sorry.”
He was an expert at guessing Wen Yan’s moods, or perhaps Wen Yan just didn’t bother hiding them from him.
He apologized cleanly, and his next sentence followed naturally: “I have an apartment very close to the hotel where your team is staying. If you don’t want to stay at the hotel, you can move there.”
Wen Yan’s path was blocked. He stopped and looked at him quietly, his eyes filled with realization. “What you really want to say is ‘don’t stay at Cheng Shangshi’s place,’ isn’t it?”
“Given our current relationship, it’s none of your business who I live with. Now let me tell you why I’m unhappy.” He spoke a long string of words rapidly before pausing. “It’s because Cheng Shangshi heard that you were here. He was implicated by you because of me in the past, yet he still continued to help me so much even after we went to Country D…”
Before Wen Yan could finish, the two of them were locked in a tense, confrontational stare. Ultimately, Wen Yan pushed him aside, got out of bed, and walked into the bathroom.
Pei Zhouye remained in the position where he had been pushed, sitting in silence for a while.
Now, everyone in Wen Yan’s heart was more important than him. Shen Yao had convinced him to let Wen Yan go. Cheng Shangshi had once helped Wen Yan escape, and so on. While he was the one who had once insisted on locking Wen Yan away. If he hadn’t done that, Wen Yan never would have stayed by his side.
It was just that things had gone too smoothly recently. A moment of hope and massive joy had clouded his rational mind. He hadn’t had the time to consider how long Wen Yan would actually stay this time.
They were apart for three years, then four. The time Wen Yan spent by his side was far shorter than the time they were apart. Wen Yan would always be nothing more than a passing breeze. No matter what heights Pei Zhouye reached, he could never make the wind stop for him.
The tense atmosphere continued until Pei Zhouye dropped Wen Yan off to regroup with his team.
Negotiations for the collaboration were ongoing. Pei Corp Technology was basically offering full cooperation; they were currently just finalizing the details.
After a day of work, the Pei Corp team once again hosted a dinner for the group, announcing that things were entering the final stages and should be finished within a week.
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Wen Yan also smiled, infected by their joy. Professor Smith approached and patted him on the shoulder.
Wen Yan suppressed his smile and followed the professor into a corner.
“Wen Yan. I shouldn’t really be telling you this right now, but I was so happy when I received the notice that I wanted to tell you as soon as possible.” The professor’s expression was solemn. “Would you be willing to stay in Country D?”
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