CH 84

“Are you really going back? I can tell Little Soybean for you,” Yi Chengze murmured, a doctor by profession, instinctively displeased with this restless patient running around.

Pei Zhaozhou’s eyelashes drooped slightly, his cold and pale appearance resembling a snow-covered pine tree. He pursed his lips, regaining some color, thinking of Little Soybean waiting for him alone in the palace. Her pitiful light blue eyes were like those of Si Huaixi in the photo, causing a wrenching ache in his heart.

“I promised Little Soybean that I would go back tonight and accompany her. I’ll talk to her tomorrow,” Pei Zhaozhou’s determined gaze affirmed.

Yi Chengze waved his hand impatiently and said, “Go on, go on. It’s truly unfortunate to have encountered you two troublesome father and daughter. I’ll go see Little Soybean tomorrow.”

Although his words were sharp, the fleeting joy in Yi Chengze’s eyes spoke otherwise. Little Soybean had been with Yi Chengze since birth, spending more time with him than her own parents. Their sudden separation would undoubtedly be difficult to adjust to.

During the days when Little Soybean ran away from home, although Yi Chengze maintained his somewhat harsh tongue, appearing indifferent to Little Soybean’s departure, Pei Zhaozhou knew he couldn’t compare to him as a father. When they hastily boarded a spaceship overnight, he saw Yi Chengze watching the StarNet anxiously, checking if any news about a missing child matched Little Soybean’s description. His face displayed more impatience and anxiety than that of a father.

When Little Soybean saw that Yi Chengze was not around, even her bright eyes would dim with a sense of loss. She would pretend nonchalantly and ask Pei Zhaozhou, “That cowardly black doctor, Yi Chengze, who dares not even enter the palace, where did he go?”

Pei Zhaozhou smiled, not exposing Yi Chengze’s soft-heartedness, and simply expressed his gratitude, “Thank you for your help, Dr. Yi.”

Yi Chengze responded impatiently with a vague acknowledgment and changed the topic, asking, “Have you found any clues about Little Soybean’s other father?”

A hint of pain flashed in Pei Zhaozhou’s eyes as he replied solemnly, “I will continue searching.”

As the mist of the late night began to rise, by the time Pei Zhaozhou returned to the palace, Little Soybean had already turned off the lights in her room.

Originally, Pei Zhaozhou intended not to disturb Little Soybean by just taking a glance. However, as soon as he entered, Little Soybean’s voice, filled with childish anticipation, rang out, “Daddy!”

Little Soybean opened her sleepy eyes, still a bit groggy from staying awake, but when she saw that her father had finally returned, she immediately smiled, revealing her small milk teeth.

Pei Zhaozhou’s eyes softened like warm lights. He kissed Little Soybean’s forehead and said, “I’m back.”

Little Soybean, pleased, blinked her eyes. However, as her sensitive little hand touched Pei Zhaozhou’s slightly cooler temperature, she furrowed her small eyebrows and, with a mature expression, said to him, “Daddy, why is your body temperature so low?”

Pei Zhaozhou’s gaze momentarily froze. Suppressing the image of Yi Chengze informing him of his health issues that flashed through his mind, he didn’t want Little Soybean to worry. He reluctantly explained, “There’s a lot of mist outside, so my body temperature might have been affected. But it’s nothing to worry about.”

Little Soybean lowered her big eyes, sounding somewhat disappointed as she said, “If Daddy isn’t feeling well, you can stay with that scaredy-cat Uncle Yi. You don’t have to force yourself to come back. Little Soybean can go to Daddy by herself in the future, so Daddy, please take good care of yourself…”

Pei Zhaozhou felt a sense of guilt. He knew this child was special, and hiding things from her would only make her worry. He spoke honestly, “Okay, Daddy might be a little busy these days, so I’m counting on Uncle Yi to take care of you. Is that alright?”

Little Soybean reached out and hugged Pei Zhaozhou, comforting him with her soft little face, “Little Soybean can handle it. Daddy, fighting!”

Afterward, Little Soybean fell asleep in the gentle lullaby of Pei Zhaozhou’s voice.

Once Little Soybean was asleep, Pei Zhaozhou quietly closed the door. Standing by the corridor, he breathed in the cold air mingled with mist. His amber-gold eyes gazed silently at the garden as shadows fell under the faint moonlight. Dewdrops shimmered on nameless flower petals.

Pei Zhaozhou irrationally felt the urge to smoke. His stern brows furrowed, as if troubled by something.

Suddenly, he caught a familiar scent—the brand of cigarettes he always smoked.

The strong, bitter taste of nicotine filled the air, with a hint of burnt wood from the aftertaste.

A faint burning smell wafted from the dark garden, knocking Pei Zhaozhou’s heart. Then he heard the sound of footsteps on the twigs, momentarily stunned.

— Someone.

Suddenly, the dark clouds dispersed, and moonlight spilled down.

Pei Zhaozhou only just noticed a man standing in the seemingly deserted garden, with a broad and upright back, a cold white neck under the black metal mask. The man glanced at him from the side, and his sharp sea-blue eyes stared at him like a profound hawk. With a crimson cigarette in hand, the smoke concealed his casual glance, sending a chill through Pei Zhaozhou’s feet as if he had been marked as prey.

Originally, Pei Zhaozhou should have walked forward and greeted the sleepless king who stood there at midnight. However, he felt a slight resistance in his heart and wanted to move his feet and leave, pretending not to have seen anything.

Before Pei Zhaozhou could leave, the king in front of him seemed to sense his intention, and a sudden cold and empty voice rang out.

“Where are you going?”

Now there was no way he could leave.

While thinking this, Pei Zhaozhou calmly greeted, “Good evening, Your Majesty. I intend to rest.”

“Hmm.” The king replied in a low voice, without indicating whether he could leave or not, but he walked towards him.

The familiar yet unfamiliar strong nicotine smell suddenly filled his clean and fresh lungs, making him feel uncomfortable with such an intense scent.

Pei Zhaozhou frowned slightly and let out a light cough, instantly causing the king to halt his steps, his exceptionally deep eyes fixated on him.

“You can’t tolerate this smell?” Si Huaixi looked at the person in front of him, his eyes sharp and focused, as if he was interrogating a fake.

He didn’t know why, but the annoyance and worry surged in him upon learning that this person went to see another man. It made him stay here in the cold wind, waiting for his return.

Si Huaixi had a keen perception. When he entered this place, he sensed a mixture of medicinal scent on him, along with the lingering presence of another man.

For a moment, he couldn’t tell which emotion, anger or concern, rose first.

Finally, his gaze fell on the slightly pale color of his lips, and the amber-gold eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of concealed fatigue.

— Was he sick?

Extinguishing the cigarette, Si Huaixi shifted his gaze to the person in front of him.

An indescribable emotion surfaced but stalled at the conclusion that this person repelled the smell of smoke. He wasn’t like Brother Pei, he really wasn’t…

Pei Zhaozhou pressed his lips together, a touch of crimson appearing on his pale lips, fleeting yet coldly indifferent, as he said, “Hmm, can’t tolerate it.”

Si Huaixi’s eyes darkened, unsure from what standpoint he should ask if he was really sick. He could only coldly utter, “Then go rest early.”

Pei Zhaozhou relaxed his expression as if he had finally heard those words, and replied, “Then, Your Majesty, I will take my leave. Please rest early as well.”

Si Huaixi remained silent, not responding, only watching the fading figure of Pei Zhaozhou leaving. His intense and inscrutable gaze became even more complex.

In the following days, Pei Zhaozhou didn’t come.

Because Pei Zhaozhou had informed Little Soybean that he would temporarily stay outside the palace, Yi Chengze took care of Little Soybean in his place.

Although Little Soybean insisted that he didn’t need the black doctor to take care of him, Yi Chengze, with a sour face, still braved his way to the palace, a place that didn’t suit his identity at all. He would tease Little Soybean a few times, seeing her lively and angry appearance, then leave again with a triumphant smile.

Having come several times, Yi Chengze intentionally avoided the king. After all, anyone who faced the king’s imposing and aloof mask would be overwhelmed with fear and anxiety.

However, today he suddenly learned about someone, as Little Soybean told him that there was a chief secretary sister by the king’s side named Irin, and she was an Omega.

Yi Chengze had some thoughts in his mind at that moment, even though he had persistently searched for his sister for so many years, he was somewhat disheartened.

Knowing that he had encountered an Omega with a similar name to his sister, Yi Chengze regarded it as a mere coincidence without harboring much hope. After all, his sister had been missing for many years, and now she suddenly became the Chief Secretary to His Majesty the King. It was quite a puzzling situation.

However, Yi Chengze couldn’t let it go so easily. At the very least, he wanted to take another look and confirm the appearance of this Chief Secretary. If she turned out not to be his sister, then he would finally give up.

With that in mind, he mustered up his courage and, accompanied by Little Soybean, headed towards the King’s office, hoping to coincidentally encounter the Chief Secretary named Irin.

Inside the King’s office, Si Huaixi furrowed his brows, listening to his subordinate’s trembling report, a hint of concealed anger flashing in his eyes.

“Your Majesty, your past identity’s information has been continuously investigated by the hacker these past few days. However, the Imperial Information Security Department has yet to trace this hacker. Each time, they only found false addresses. The hacker’s skills are exceptional, evading even numerous star network information experts. To this day, we still don’t know his motive…” The subordinate, an Alpha male, faced the imposing and intimidating aura of His Majesty the King and couldn’t help but silently call for help from Secretary Irin, who was currently on a business trip.

A touch of annoyance flickered across Si Huaixi’s face, not only because they hadn’t been able to catch this cunning hacker for days, but also due to other reasons.

Si Huaixi spoke coldly, “What kind of information does this hacker usually seek to investigate about me?”

The subordinate immediately replied, “According to the statistics from the Imperial Information Security Department, this hacker primarily focuses on tracking the King’s whereabouts and searches for information related to the transportation and payment records of the King’s other identity. It seems like he wants to determine the King’s location through these records… Although we don’t know how this hacker found out about His Majesty’s other identity, I request that Your Majesty pay more attention to your personal security. We will assign additional guards for your protection.”

Si Huaixi’s eyes darkened.

He faintly felt that the target of this hacker wasn’t his current identity as the King, but rather his original identity as Si Huaixi.

If the hacker was only interested in his past transportation records, it would be irrelevant and outdated. If the hacker intended to assassinate him, they should focus on gathering information about his latest actions as the King.

Si Huaixi inexplicably sensed a familiar presence. It seemed that the purpose behind this hacker’s actions was to draw him out and relentlessly search for any traces he left behind. Even though Si Huaixi’s identity as Si Huaixi had become unused years ago, the hacker persisted in his pursuit, as if it were of utmost importance.

But why?

Who in this world would persistently seek him out?

This caught Si Huaixi’s attention.

After pondering deeply for a moment, Si Huaixi said, “Since you can’t find him, then lure him out. Modify my identity information, forge transportation records, and make it appear as if I went to a location of my choosing.”

“He will come, and I’ll be waiting for him to fall into my trap.”

Si Huaixi’s gaze turned intense and deep.

Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ