MCL CH61

Chapter 61: Settling scores after autumn is something that, though…

Lin Xi hadn’t expected that Gu Beiqiu, who was currently abroad, would have made arrangements in advance and booked him a hotel not far from the United Administration headquarters.

After seeing off the reception staff from the United Administration, the smile on Lin Xi’s face vanished the moment he closed the door, as if all his previous pleasantries had been nothing more than a hollow facade.

The Calamity in his mind still had no reaction. That guy was indeed ruthless to himself, passing out so completely that it was impossible to ask for more information.

Tossing the jacket he had taken off aside, Lin Xi took out his phone for a look, his brow raising slightly in surprise.

He had told Yan Xingzhou in advance that he was going to see Shen Nanyang. To be on the safe side, he had kept his phone on silent the entire time. He really hadn’t expected this man to be so composed as to not ask any further questions.

Should he say, as expected of someone who came from under his tutelage?

Lin Xi’s gaze lingered on the last message conversation for a long time before he finally moved his fingertip slowly and typed: [I’ve met with that person.]

Message sent.

Five minutes later, there was still no reply.

Lin Xi thought for a moment and dialed his number.

A moment later, a busy tone came from the other end. “Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently…”

Lin Xi: “…”

According to some TV dramas he had seen, this kind of scenario wasn’t unheard of among protagonists deep in love. However, based on his understanding of Yan Xingzhou, he shouldn’t be playing hard to get at a time like this.

Could it be that something had happened?

Thinking of Yan Xingzhou’s state when they parted in the inner world, Lin Xi decisively dialed Assistant Ju’s number. As the familiar busy tone reached his ears again, he slowly let out a breath of relief.

Yan Xingzhou was not a man who would put all his eggs in one basket when danger occurred. If both of them were unreachable at the same time, it meant—nothing major had happened.

Lin Xi casually tossed his phone onto the bed, turned around, picked up the change of clothes provided by the United Administration, and went to take a shower.

After a day of rushing around, by the time Lin Xi came out of the bathroom, the sky outside was completely dark.

He casually wiped his red hair, which was dripping with water, with a bath towel. As he did so, his peripheral vision caught sight of the faint red thorns appearing on his neck.

In the rift, he had used the siren to consume most of his power to forcibly control his soaring contamination value, but it was obvious that at this rate of development, he would soon be unable to hide it completely.

“Looks like I need to hurry up a bit…”

Lin Xi clicked his tongue softly and sighed helplessly. He picked up his phone to see that the new message column was still empty. Finally, he frowned in dissatisfaction. Just as he was about to call Yan Xingzhou again, the doorbell rang.

He looked back and walked to the door but didn’t open it in a hurry.

A moment later, the doorbell rang again, and he still didn’t respond.

Finally, he heard the person outside speak. “Room service.”

A hint of a smile instantly appeared in Lin Xi’s eyes. He finally placed his hand on the handle, opened the door slowly, and leaned against the wall, laughing softly. “Room service at this hour? Why does that sound a little improper?”

After he spoke, there was no response from the man standing outside the door for a long time.

Just as Lin Xi was about to speak again, the tall figure in front of him suddenly loomed over. As the door closed, he was pulled into a broad embrace the next second.

Evidently, the other had also just showered. His drooping hair still had the faint scent of soap, and from his long journey, he carried the lingering aura of the night from outside.

“Just like this, let me hold you for a while.”

In this position, Lin Xi couldn’t see Yan Xingzhou’s expression. He showed a rare trace of surprise at the sudden action and soon lowered his eyelids, hiding all his emotions. “…Mm.”

Pressed against the wall, he slowly wrapped his arms around Yan Xingzhou’s sides, gently hugging him.

For a moment, only the two intertwined figures remained under the dim light of the corridor.

Neither asked what the other was thinking, leaving only silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Xi felt the strength of Yan Xingzhou’s embrace gradually relax a little before he spoke in a frivolous tone, “So, is this a case of half a day’s absence feeling like three autumns? I just arrived not long ago, and you followed so eagerly. Yan Xingzhou, you’re more clingy than I thought.”

Yan Xingzhou also laughed. “I just wanted to make sure that you really exist.”

His voice was clearly low and hoarse. Thinking about it, from the rift incident on the plane to chasing Lin Xi all the way to J-City, besides a brief nap on the plane, he really hadn’t gotten much rest.

If they weren’t face-to-face, it would be hard to imagine such sentimental words coming from this man’s mouth. This made Lin Xi look up from his embrace at Yan Xingzhou’s face, trying to sense the fluctuations of special abilities around him. “Your ability now…”

“Don’t worry, it’s very stable,” Yan Xingzhou answered Lin Xi’s question concisely. To show his sincerity, he didn’t avoid his gaze at all.

After a moment of eye contact, Lin Xi was relieved to confirm that Yan Xingzhou wasn’t lying. “So the reason no one answered the phone before was that Assistant Ju came to J-City on a business trip with you? I had just informed you, and you followed me here in such a rush. Yan Xingzhou, just how worried are you about me?”

“I’m not worried about you; I’m worried about Shen Nanyang.” Yan Xingzhou had already let go of Lin Xi. His peripheral vision lingered on the incredibly glaring thorn pattern on his neck. After a moment of silence, he meticulously fastened Lin Xi’s open shirt buttons one by one. “Actually, I’ve felt from the very beginning that you shouldn’t see him. It’s too risky. But since you’ve already decided to take this risk, I can only choose to cooperate unconditionally.”

Lin Xi, with a smile in his eyes, let the slender fingers fiddle with him, his tone teasing. “President Yan, do you know that your tone right now sounds like a resentful husband?”

“Mm, you forced me to it, too.” Yan Xingzhou glanced at him, seemingly taking pleasure in such an evaluation. “After I got off the plane, I saw the documents sent from the Central Research Institute. I knew Shen Nanyang had already seen you. To make them offer me a bargaining chip I couldn’t refuse, it seems the result of your meeting this time was quite good.”

Lin Xi: “Yes. In order to preserve my chance of becoming a civil servant, Professor Shen is willing to personally come forward and try to negotiate with you again, President Yan.”

Yan Xingzhou let out a laugh. “It sounds like, in front of you two, I’m the big villain.”

Lin Xi’s brow arched. “So the ‘big villain’ is now considered?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not angry.” Yan Xingzhou walked into the room, hung his jacket on the side, and reached up to loosen his tie. “After all, compared to the matter between you and Shen Nanyang, I think we have more important things to talk about right now. Right, Lin Xi?”

As expected, what was meant to come could not be avoided.

Although he had anticipated this the moment he saw Yan Xingzhou, when it was time to face it, Lin Xi still sighed with a headache.

That damned siren had already been ground to dust by him in the inner world of the rift, but no one could pretend that the conversations that had taken place during that time had never happened. He couldn’t, and Yan Xingzhou certainly couldn’t.

Settling scores after autumn is something that, though delayed, will always arrive.

“It’s getting late. I haven’t eaten yet, and you probably haven’t either. Why don’t we order some dinner and talk while we eat?” Lin Xi offered friendlyly. However, before he could walk over to call the hotel’s front desk, as he passed the bed, he was grabbed by Yan Xingzhou. The world spun, and in an instant, he was fiercely pressed onto the bed. Inches away, Yan Xingzhou’s eyes were so deep that no emotion could be read from them. “…Don’t you think your actions have been getting more and more out of line recently?”

“I apologize for getting out of line.”

Yan Xingzhou clearly wasn’t buying it. He stared straight at Lin Xi, his breathing deepening slightly with his words. When he spoke again, his voice was obviously tight from reining in his emotions. “But I think I’ve really reached my limit. I need you to tell me, what did that siren mean by those words in the rift?”

Lin Xi really wanted to laugh it off and muddle through again, but under some invisible, surging power, a glance downward clearly showed that the thorn pattern, which had just been covered by Yan Xingzhou’s collar, had spread up a bit more, as if it were alive.

If one were to use a human contamination value detector right now, there would surely be a nice surprise.

After a short silence, Lin Xi shook his head and chuckled lightly. “Alright, what do you want to know? Why did that siren seem to know of my existence from the start, what deal was it waiting there to discuss with me, or—why did it call me one of its kind?”

With every word that fell, Lin Xi could feel the air around Yan Xingzhou grow distinctly colder.

As the last syllable dissipated into the silent room, it was a long time before Yan Xingzhou spoke again, the slight tremble at the end of his words clearly showing his effort to control his emotions. “Everything. I want to know, everything.”

It was as if something had fiercely tugged at his heart. Lin Xi’s raised hands were pressed onto the bed by Yan Xingzhou. Noticing every subtle change in the man’s restrained expression, although there was no longer any warmth in the depths of his mismatched eyes, a faint smile still hung on his face. “Then, let’s start with the fact that I’m no longer human.”

He could clearly feel the grip on his wrist suddenly tighten.

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