Qin Wenzhou was thrown over his shoulder.
Considering that the floor was old and might be broken, Pei Zhuo threw Qin Wenzhou onto the bed. He controlled his strength well, just enough to knock out a person who had just recovered from a serious injury.
Qin Wenzhou indeed fainted for three seconds.
His S+ physique allowed him to withstand punches far better than the average person. However, the fall had caused the blood in his chest to churn, and he could not get up for a while. He simply lay down and looked up at Pei Zhuo. His gaze landed on the small mole beside his earlobe before quickly moving on to other places.
From his eyes, nose, and lips, which seemed quite kissable, back to those eyes again, Qin Wenzhou grew more and more fond with each look.
He refused to give up and asked once more, "You're really not my wife?"
"No."
"Are we divorced?"
"No."
"Then we are..."
"... Financial relationship."
Qin Wenzhou's eyes widened further. His eye color was already light, so when he opened them wide like this, the reflection within became clearer, as if Pei Zhuo himself were contained within those mirrored depths, shimmering amidst the broken fragments of his gaze.
Yes, broken and trembling, along with a disbelief that threatened to spill over.
"You...? No, wait, could it be...me?" Qin Wenzhou sat up abruptly, running his hands through his hair twice, then paused as if he had seen a ghost during the day. He hesitated, wanting to speak loudly but afraid of attracting attention, fingers hovering in midair before finally pointing at himself. In a small voice, he asked, "Am I...that thing? A duck?"
Note: Duck is a slang for gigolo in China.
Pei Zhuo was speechless. He really wanted to open 001's skull and see exactly what this guy was thinking.
"You gave me money to save you." Pei Zhuo didn't bother beating around the bush; he got straight to the point. "Where is it?"
Qin Wenzhou was stunned, his hazy memories slightly stirred awake by these words. It seemed there was indeed such an incident, where he'd said he would give this omega lots of money, but he hadn't anticipated it being such a cold, monetary relationship.
He might as well be a duck.
...
His entire body wilted.
Pei Zhuo looked at him for a moment.
001's condition after the damage to his glands was really bad. His face was as pale as a ghost, his lips were cracked and peeling, and there were two faint bruises under his eyes. The gauze wrapped around his abdominal muscles was blood-red. The gauze wrapped around his forehead was also loose and drooped beside his ears with his silver-gray hair.
He would probably die if he was thrown out.
For some reason, Pei Zhuo recalled the pendant inside the safe.
---
The accident had been horrific, the explosion of unknown origin virtually leveled the entire treatment room. It was said that 001 died on the spot, while Pei Zhuo himself had remained unconscious for half a year.
In truth, Pei Zhuo wasn't entirely sure whether his survival had anything to do with 001's death.
The only thing he knew for certain was that at no point did he activate any innate talent during this period. Only the delirious 001 clung to him like a parasite, murmuring affectionately, "Mint."
He had no idea what the researchers had done to 001. Every few days, this guy would fall into a state of mental retardation. His memory and common sense would temporarily disappear, and his IQ would be as low as a three-year-old child's. Unfortunately, he had a S-level talent, a weapon with great destructive power. He was like a ferocious beast that had lost its mind and was extremely dangerous. Only a highly compatible pheromone could barely pacify him.
Pei Zhuo pressed a hand over his gland and impatiently nudged him with his elbow. "Get lost."
With this push, 001 froze momentarily before quickly clinging back to him in a pitiful manner. "Mint."
"I'm not mint."
"Mint."
Pei Zhuo frowned, planning to follow his usual instinct to push the man down and beat him up as he usually did when faced with such situations. Suddenly, without warning, 001 leaned forward and kissed him.
Soft, moist breaths brushed against his cheek while something warm and metallic was stuffed into his palm at the same time.
By touch alone, Pei Zhuo deduced that it must be the experimental subject's identification tag, which they normally wore around their necks.
001's little movements were very subtle. He was so agile that he didn't seem like a retard.
"Take it," he whispered gently by Pei Zhuo's ear. "I'll give it to you. You like it."
A few seconds later, a sharp roar sounded. The explosion generated a light as bright as day, accompanied by a scorching wave of heat that instantly engulfed the entire therapy room, and the identification tag clutched in Pei Zhuo's palm burned like a hot iron.
---
Pei Zhuo was certain he wasn't someone who clung to nostalgia.
...He was just a little curious.
"Hey," he asked Qin Wenzhou, "Do you have a name?"
"I don't remember." Qin Wenzhou made a simple judgment of his current situation. He realized that he had no choice but to believe the words of the omega in front of him.
After some thought, he removed the only item on his body that seemed valuable—a black bracelet around his wrist—and handed it to Pei Zhuo. "I don't remember where I saved my money, so is this good enough collateral?"
Pei Zhuo raised his eyebrow.
The black bracelet on 001's wrist was intricately crafted; Pei Zhuo had noticed it early on. He had attempted to slip it off while he was unconscious, but unfortunately, he had failed. Who knew this fellow could remove it himself?
He accepted the mysterious black bracelet, flipping it over several times as he examined it closely, then concluded it must be a communication device. There were three characters engraved inside the black bracelet's inner circle.
"Qin...Wenzhou?" Pei Zhuo read aloud softly.
After pondering for a moment, he looked up to discover 001 staring at him with a sort of fervent gaze, like a large animal frantically wagging its tail after hearing its name called out reflexively.
"You call yourself this?"
"I suppose." Qin Wenzhou didn't care what his name was; he only felt that Pei Zhuo's pronunciation was clear and crisp, his articulation pleasant to listen to, like the gentle rolling of stones within a stream. "Call me whatever you like."
"Qin Wenzhou." Pei Zhuo repeated his name once more, ignoring the tail that was about to wag itself off its owner's body, and pulled out paper and a pen. He wrote down two promissory notes with practiced ease: 500,000 as compensation for saving his life, and 20,000 to cover medical expenses. "Your name is enough, please sign here."
Qin Wenzhou's smile froze: "...?"
"What? No, wait, can I..."
"No." Pei Zhuo leaned forward and stuffed the pen into Qin Wenzhou's hand. "You have two choices: one, earn money after you recover from your injuries and pay back your debt; two, leave right now."
"You...your name is Pei Zhuo?" Qin Wenzhou glanced at the contents of the promissory note, then looked up and found himself staring into those deep, dark eyes like still waters. The words he had prepared dropped from his mind entirely, replaced by the sudden pain in his heart, as if it were filled with ice. The chill seeped into every limb and bone, until even his dreams were suffused with an unrelenting frost.
Qin Wenzhou blinked, then shifted his gaze away, turning toward something else.
The entire bedroom was decorated in a cold gray, perfectly matching Pei Zhuo himself. There weren't many signs of everyday living, nor any indication of the tastes or preferences of its owner. Everything felt dull, quiet, and lonely. Outside the window, there wasn't a glimmer of light within the room, only silence akin to a grave.
...
Without another word, Qin Wenzhou wrote a few crooked lines with his bandaged right hand, forming the words "Qin Wenzhou" like a dog crawling.
"How ugly," Pei Zhuo commented.
Qin Wenzhou was speechless.
"I have another question," Qin Wenzhou said after a moment.
"What is it?"
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"No." Pei Zhuo's reaction to this question was indifferent, but there was a hint of warning in his tone. "I'm allergic to alphas."
Qin Wenzhou tactfully changed the subject. "I'm hungry."
Pei Zhuo went to the kitchen for nutrition supplements to replenish Qin Wenzhou's strength. Just as he opened the cupboard, there came a loud noise from the bedroom—
He paused, carrying a bag of supplements, and returned to the doorway of the bedroom, where he saw the sweeping robot that had finally found its bearings and was attempting to return to recharge, now reduced to shattered pieces beneath someone's foot. The culprit sat on the floor trying to shove the wreckage under the table in an attempt to cover up their crime.
After being discovered, Qin Wenzhou lifted his head, his eyes overflowing with innocence. "Pei Zhuo, what is this round thing that hits people?"
"It's your ancestor." Pei Zhuo tossed the bag of supplements at him. "The repair fee for the sweeping robot is 800. Do you want to write the IOU or should I?"
"..."
---
Because he hadn't received his promised payment, Pei Zhuo had abandoned his deal with the philanthropist and entered retirement early.
It was only three months less than expected, but at least he'd saved up enough to support his last two years of life.
Pei Zhuo's calculations were sound, but he had missed one variable—001.
After crushing the sweeping robot, Qin Wenzhou broke another teacup, twisted a faucet, smashed a bottle of shampoo, and stole packets of instant noodles.
In the end, because he took a cold shower, he developed a high fever. Bundled under a quilt, he lay trembling as he held an ancient mercury thermometer between his teeth, staring anxiously at Pei Zhuo, looking quite like the mentally retarded person of his past.
Pei Zhuo stared silently.
He should never have succumbed to greed in the first place.
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