Chapter 97: Replication Experiment 21
Half an hour later, the penthouse apartment of Guanxing Tower.
Yi Ke held Zhuang Ningyu’s arms with both hands, leaning forward slightly with a serious expression. He had always only regarded Fu Han as a rival in love; he didn’t like him, but it was purely out of the annoyance that his lover was being coveted. It wasn’t really a genuine hatred, more like an excuse to be jealous. But now, the words “attempted kidnapping” had completely changed the nature of the entire situation.
“You don’t need to be so nervous.” Zhuang Ningyu broke free from his grip and comforted him, “It’s not as serious as you think, and he didn’t fully carry it out in the end. It can be considered an accident.”
“When did this happen?” Yi Ke asked with a frown.
“When I first joined the Order Maintenance Department,” Zhuang Ningyu explained. “At that time, both he and I joined an outdoor club. We had a few meals privately. Our relationship was pretty good at the beginning, but later we gradually drifted apart.”
The reason for drifting apart was Fu Han’s sudden confession after a book club event. Zhuang Ningyu didn’t lack experience dealing with such matters; he calmly rejected the other party on the spot and didn’t contact him for a long time afterward. Fu Han also tactfully disappeared from his life, and their interactions were cut off until later, when Zhuang Ningyu went to an island alone during his vacation.
The resort island was full of hot guys and beautiful women. Zhuang Ningyu sat in a bar for a night, and the surroundings were basically never quiet. It was at this time that Fu Han reappeared by his side. A long time had passed since that awkward confession, and adults are best at giving each other a way out. Zhuang Ningyu treated him to a drink, and their relationship seemed to return to how it was before. They spent a reasonably pleasant leisure time on the island.
Until the last day, the private jet scheduled to take Zhuang Ningyu and Fu Han off the island suddenly changed course in mid-air without warning. Zhuang Ningyu came out of the restroom and looked out the porthole at the deep green sea that only appears in the depths of the ocean, as well as the eye-shaped islands one after another in the sea. He almost immediately judged the specific location and flight path of the plane. He wanted to find his phone, but the coffee table was empty. Aside from Fu Han, there were only ten bodyguards carrying heavy lethal firearms on board.
The route was unclear, the destination unknown. The flight attendant brought champagne to both of them. Zhuang Ningyu didn’t drink, nor did he make things explicit. He just took the cashmere blanket folded on the side and covered himself. Before sleeping, he glanced at the time and said coldly to Fu Han, “In two hours, I want to see Vila Airport.”
Fu Han held his champagne glass and didn’t answer him. His gaze fell far into the depths of the sea and clouds, his knuckles turning slightly white from excessive force.
According to the flight log of that day, the plane circled over the sea for a long time before finally landing smoothly at Vila Airport. In the small waiting hall, airport staff were holding signs and repeatedly shouting in poor Chinese: “Passengers flying to Jincheng, are there any passengers flying to Jincheng? Please come this way, please follow me, the boarding gate is about to close!”
Zhuang Ningyu took his suitcase from Fu Han and entered the security checkpoint without looking back. Fu Han didn’t board the plane with him. It was only after returning to China that Zhuang Ningyu learned that the Fu Group was deeply mired in serious financial difficulties and business scandals at that time. With internal strife among the executives and shrinking stock prices, Fu Han was completely squeezed out of the management layer and was at the lowest point of his life.
“Fu Han’s emotional undertone is actually quite pessimistic. It’s not strange for him to briefly lose his rationality under external stimulation.”
Calling this incident a “kidnapping” wasn’t entirely accurate either. After all, from the butler to the guests at that island hotel, anyone who was at the dock at the time saw Zhuang Ningyu board the private jet with Fu Han. If he had really gone missing, it would have been impossible for the police to find absolutely no clues.
“So I lean towards thinking it was just a momentary impulse on his part, not some elaborate plan,” Zhuang Ningyu said. “The reason I mentioned this to He Mo was only to push forward the organization’s further investigation into the Xinyin Biology Rules Zone. It has nothing to do with personal feelings, you don’t need to care so much.”
Yi Ke let go of his hands and pulled the person into his arms. Although the whole thing indeed didn’t sound like a careful plan, the current Fu Group was even more chaotic than before. If Fu Han really would engage in extreme behavior due to external stimulation, then he remained an unstable factor.
“A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit. I won’t take any private jets in the future,” Zhuang Ningyu raised his hand to promise.
Yi Ke: “No no no, you can take our family’s. When the time comes, I’ll charter an entire island for you!”
Zhuang Ningyu cooperated very well, smoothing his ruffled feathers: “Okay, charter an entire island.”
After coaxing for a long time, he finally managed to appease him, or rather “seemed to appease him”—Yi Ke didn’t mention the matter again. Only when sleeping at night did he hold him a bit tighter. The next day, he personally drove him to the research team and watched him enter the unit before driving away.
He Mo was waiting in the office and had made tea in advance. The aroma hit the nose, signaling its high price immediately. Zhuang Ningyu put down his bag, glanced at the small canister of beautifully packaged tea on the table, which happened to form a complete gift set with the one he grabbed last time: “You went to the headquarters?”
Huo Ting worked conscientiously and passionately in his post, then used his hard-earned legal income to buy a bit of good tea worth over ten thousand yuan. In the end, he probably didn’t drink even fifty grams of it himself, and this time he even lost the cup along with it. He Mo handed the tea to Zhuang Ningyu: “Went for a meeting, not important. First, tell brother, how were things with you and Little Yi after you went back yesterday?”
“Nothing major, he was just a bit overly nervous,” Zhuang Ningyu said. “So I’m leaving work early today.”
“Just overly nervous?” He Mo didn’t believe it. “He’s currently in an unstable state of evolution. Do you want me to approve two days of leave for you so you can thoroughly comfort him first?”
“No need, I know what I’m doing.” Zhuang Ningyu lowered his head and blew away the tea froth. “Besides, as long as Fu Han’s matter isn’t resolved, he can’t be completely comforted. Three or five days of leave won’t mean much.”
“Speaking of which,” He Mo added some water to his cup, “I’ll let you know first, the Fu family seems to have proposed that they want us, or more precisely, want you to enter the Rules Zone to save Fu Han.”
Zhuang Ningyu wasn’t surprised by this: “I have no personal feelings about it. I’ll obey all organizational arrangements.”
“You don’t have to be too obedient.” He Mo reached out and patted his head. “If you don’t want to go, your brothers will think of a way for you.”
“It’s not that serious, just an ordinary mission.” Zhuang Ningyu smiled. “But since the other side proposed letting me enter the Rules Zone, it shows that at least someone in the Fu family still hopes Fu Han can escape.”
This news also reached the Action Team. Yi Ke didn’t show much reaction to it; he just finished his day’s training as usual and added two extra sets of strength exercises. At 4:30 PM, most colleagues had already returned to the rest area to shower. The restroom in the training ground was empty. The setting sun shone through the tea-brown glass windows, illuminating a vigorously growing hydroponic plant and casting a hazy, sandy halo in the air.
Yi Ke turned on the faucet and washed his hands with intense concentration. In the white foam, he rubbed them repeatedly over and over again. Even when his joints stiffened slightly from the cold water and a needle-like numbness set in, he didn’t stop. He raised his head amidst the sound of running water. Wet strands of hair hung messily over his forehead, covering his bloodshot eyes—deep in his pupils, dark and unclear emotions surged.
He could accept Zhuang Ningyu volunteering to go to the Rules Zone, but he couldn’t accept this mission being the result of the other side’s plotting and pressure. The faucet was shut off roughly. Yi Ke braced one hand on the sink, staring dead at the young and cold face in the mirror. Veins bulged on his arm, and his knuckles made a clear cracking sound from excessive force. Time seemed infinitely stretched by the silence. It wasn’t until the sunlight completely disappeared that he exhaled deeply, forcibly suppressing all emotions. He pulled out a tissue to carefully dry his hands, turned, and strode out of the restroom, only to look up and freeze.
Zhuang Ningyu was leaning alone in the corridor. Seeing him, he raised an eyebrow slightly. The sunlight that had enveloped the green plant earlier was actually still there, just in a different place, falling entirely on the most beautiful brows and eyes in the world. His new white coat was plated with a layer of pale gold, making his whole person look exceptionally clean, translucent, and soft. Zhuang Ningyu didn’t give Yi Ke a chance to speak, nor did he ask why he looked so bedraggled. He simply pulled the person to an unmanned corner and looked up to kiss him. Amidst the entanglement of lips and tongues, Yi Ke habitually tightened his arms around the other’s waist, leaning down deeply to kiss back without holding back at all, quickly regaining the initiative. The sound of water seemed particularly obvious in the quiet environment. Yi Ke kissed very hard, so hard it was more like biting. It wasn’t until Zhuang Ningyu choked and coughed twice that he was finally willing to let go. Using his thumb to gently wipe away a bit of moisture beside those soft lips, he asked, “Why are you here?”
“Got off work early. I had nothing to do anyway, so I came to pick you up and supervise if you were flirting behind my back.” Zhuang Ningyu patted his chest. “I want to eat Japanese food tonight.”
Yi Ke laughed and reached out to hug him: “Okay, let’s hug for a while before going to eat.”
In the office, Zhong Mu was startled by the sudden heavy slamming of the door. Looking up, she asked, “Did you see a ghost?”
“No, no, not a ghost.” Qing Gang’s face was pale, utterly terrified. Without bothering to answer, he sprinted to the water dispenser, drank three large cups of ice water in a row, and leaned against the wall to pant heavily.
Zhong Mu became even more suspicious: “Are you okay?” Why does he look like he just finished plowing two miles of land? Trained himself stupid or what? Should I call an ambulance or an exorcist now? She walked forward, waving her hand vigorously in front of Qing Gang’s eyes several times. Seeing no reaction from him, she wanted to go out and see for herself what kind of moth was flying in the corridor. But just as she took a step, she was yanked back!
“You can’t go out.” Qing Gang grabbed her arm tightly and locked the office door in one go. But soon realizing that locking a man and a woman alone might be inappropriate, he unlocked it again. His whole demeanor looked incredibly sneaky. He swallowed dryly several times before squeezing out a thief-like whisper, “Don’t go out, Captain Zhuang and Little Yi are outside.”
Zhong Mu looked at him baffled: “So what if Captain Zhuang and Little Yi are outside?”
Qing Gang: “&#…￥()￥&￥@*.”
Zhong Mu: “What spell are you chanting? Didn’t catch it.”
Qing Gang: You absolutely must not tell anyone.
Qing Gang: “They are kissing.”
Zhong Mu: “Cough cough cough cough cough cough cough cough cough.”
The number of panicked people went from one to two. Zhong Mu used all her lifelong learning but couldn’t give the word “kissing” a second reasonable explanation. She asked with a terrified look, “You didn’t see wrong, right? Captain Zhuang and Little Yi, how is that possible? And doesn’t Little Yi have a wife?”
“I definitely didn’t see wrong.” Qing Gang supplemented and perfected his statement, “Captain Zhuang and Little Yi are really kissing behind Little Yi’s wife’s back.”
Zhong Mu sucked in several sharp breaths of cold air. What is the situation? How could this be? The Order Maintenance Department’s annual big immoral event!
Qing Gang: “Do you think this this this this is not very good?”
Zhong Mu: “It is indeed not good.”
But it seems we can’t do anything about it.
After a while, Zhong Mu tentatively analyzed: “Do you think it’s possible that Little Yi has already broken up with his wife?”
Qing Gang shook his head: “Impossible. Little Yi posted a confession of love on his social media just the night before last, and even showed off the new limited edition sneakers his wife bought him.”
Zhong Mu couldn’t explain it anymore, and could only squeeze out a desperate sentence in a dying struggle: “Then his social media post must have blocked Captain Zhuang!”
