Chapter 110: Rejection
After Bai Zhouyun was secretly photographed, the situation escalated. The trending topic about his suspected use of banned drugs, which had almost died down, surged back into the top ten once again.
Moreover, the fact that Bai Zhouyun had secretly come to school to see Nan Yu also became known to Nan Yu's three older brothers.
Nan Yun let out an impatient snort.
"If that bastard weren't hiding inside the Bai family estate all day, I'd definitely find a chance to beat him half to death. Does he really think becoming a High-Tier Ability User makes him invincible?"
Nan Zhen said coldly, "Hasn't he always dreamed of becoming a High-Tier Ability User? Now that he finally is one, he's probably gotten carried away. But he doesn't even stop to think that he only reached High-Tier by relying on banned drugs."
"I honestly don't know where he gets the confidence to think he's amazing. Becoming a High-Tier Ability User is something every Ability User striving to become stronger naturally aims for."
Fu Yu'ang suddenly spoke up.
"Maybe... in Bai Zhouyun's mind, becoming a High-Tier Ability User already means reaching the very peak?"
Nan Yun nodded.
"When you put it that way, he does seem a little pitiful."
"But..."
"So what if he's pitiful? He still deserves a lesson."
"What do you all think?"
Right now Bai Zhouyun was hiding inside the Bai family estate.
There was simply no way for them to beat him up.
Fu Yu'ang suddenly thought of someone.
"How about we go find Yun Feiyu?"
"Come to think of it, we haven't seen him in quite a while."
"He even became Xiao Yu's disciple and stayed at the academy."
"I thought it was strange from the very beginning. Turns out he really stayed there just to make it easier to fool around with Bai Zhouyun."
"We still haven't settled that score with him."
Nan Yu frowned slightly.
"Big Brother... Even if you're upset, Yun Feiyu is still, after all, a Mental Power User. You'd better not use excessive violence."
Otherwise, it would truly leave a stain on their records.
Although because of Nan Yu, Yu Lanfeng would probably still accept them into his legion anyway...
Having an ugly mark on their files because of someone like Yun Feiyu simply wasn't worth it.
Nan Yun waved his hand dismissively.
"It's fine."
"We're not saying we're going to beat him."
"We just want Yun Feiyu to lure Bai Zhouyun out for us."
"Since that coward won't leave the Bai estate, we'll just lure him out and beat him then."
Hearing that, Nan Yu relaxed.
As long as they weren't planning to attack Yun Feiyu, everything was fine.
After all, Ability Users weren't supposed to bully the weak.
That was also a matter of basic social morality.
No matter how despicable Yun Feiyu was, up until now he had only been morally corrupt.
He hadn't actually harmed anyone.
So they couldn't lay a hand on him.
As for Bai Zhouyun...
Wasn't a little bumping and bruising between Ability Users perfectly normal?
As long as nobody died or became crippled, hospitals could heal those injuries anyway.
External wounds could generally be fixed with enough money.
The truly troublesome injuries were those involving mental power.
Seeing that they genuinely had no intention of attacking Yun Feiyu, Nan Yu finally felt reassured.
"Then go ahead. But be careful."
"Don't let Yun Feiyu trick you."
"If he pretends that you hit him, things will become troublesome."
Nan Yun grinned.
"Don't worry."
"We've already got everything planned."
"Just wait and enjoy the show."
Nan Yu had no idea what sort of mischief his three older brothers were plotting.
He only knew that whenever those three joined forces...
Nobody ever managed to take advantage of them.
He only hoped Yun Feiyu wouldn't end up questioning his entire life afterward.
Soon enough, Nan Yu stopped worrying about them.
They weren't children anymore.
They knew where the limits were.
His reminder had only been meant to prevent them from going too far.
Originally, Nan Yu thought they would wait until they returned before telling him what they had done.
Unexpectedly, that very night, while browsing the StarNet before bed, he saw another piece of news.
Breaking News: The Other Person Involved in Bai Zhouyun's Affair After His Engagement Has Been Found, and Is...
Nan Yu twitched at the corner of his mouth.
This couldn't possibly be his brothers' doing... could it?
He suddenly had the urge to cover his face.
After opening the article, a video automatically began playing.
Right at the beginning, in a corner of the screen that flashed past for barely a second...
There were three extremely familiar figures.
Nan Yu couldn't help laughing out loud.
That brief shot lasted perhaps only a single second.
Anyone unfamiliar with them—or who hadn't seen them often—would probably never recognize them.
But for someone who knew them well...
One glance was enough.
With their abilities, avoiding the camera would have been effortless.
Instead, they had stood there openly, almost as though they wanted to be filmed.
Did they have some special purpose in doing that?
Nan Yu checked the time.
It was already eleven o'clock at night.
Normally this was when he went to bed.
Since he no longer had to constantly cultivate while holding the Nianshen Grass, he found himself with an incredible amount of free time whenever he wasn't busy.
It even made him want to spend his evenings reading in the Imperial Library.
There were countless books there.
Besides, Yu Lanfeng had given him an access pass.
Unfortunately, ever since returning from his previous trip, he had been busy nonstop.
On top of that, one troublesome incident after another kept happening.
Sometimes he wondered whether he'd been possessed by bad luck.
After reading through the news again, Nan Yu turned toward the other bed.
Yu Lanfeng was already asleep.
He hadn't expected that.
Normally, at this hour, Yu Lanfeng would still be handling official work.
Had there simply been less work today?
Forget it.
He shouldn't keep guessing.
Maybe...
Was it because of him?
Yu Lanfeng suddenly opened his eyes and looked straight at him.
Nan Yu nearly jumped.
"Y-You're not asleep?!"
Yu Lanfeng asked calmly, "Can't sleep? Want me to keep you company?"
Nan Yu answered without thinking.
"You're the one who wants me to keep you company, aren't you? You're not asleep either."
"I was just reading the news."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"Yes."
"I'm the one who needs it."
The moment he finished speaking, he got up, walked over to the bed, lifted the blanket on the opposite side...
And climbed in.
Seeing that, Nan Yu immediately panicked.
"Y-you...!"
"What are you doing?!"
He abruptly sat up and tried to get off the bed.
Before he could move, Yu Lanfeng wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him tightly into his embrace.
Nan Yu fell against his chest.
His mind instantly went blank.
He didn't dare struggle.
Or rather...
He tried.
But the arm around his waist felt as though it had been welded into place.
No matter how hard he pushed, it wouldn't budge.
This was driving him crazy.
Taking a deep breath, Nan Yu said,
"Let go of me."
Yu Lanfeng answered calmly,
"Hurry up and sleep."
"We have to get up early tomorrow."
You know we have to get up early?
Then how am I supposed to fall asleep like this?
Are you kidding me?
"I'm serious."
"Let go already."
"I want to sleep."
Yu Lanfeng knew he wasn't used to this yet.
So he released his waist.
The instant Nan Yu was free, he rolled across the bed to the far side.
"I'm not sleeping anywhere else."
"I'm sleeping on the bed."
Yu Lanfeng replied,
"I'm sleeping here too."
Nan Yu took another deep breath.
"Then I'll sleep on this side."
"You sleep on that side."
"Nobody crosses the line."
"Deal?"
"No problem."
He could certainly manage that.
Whether Nan Yu would stay in one sleeping position after falling asleep...
That was another matter.
Still, judging from how well-behaved Nan Yu usually looked while sleeping, he probably wouldn't move around much.
That won't do...
A new idea slowly formed in Yu Lanfeng's mind.
Nan Yu had no idea what he was plotting.
Feeling tired, he simply lay down to sleep.
He no longer argued about Yu Lanfeng sleeping on the bed.
After all...
After all...
Someday, that would probably...
His face slowly turned red as the thought crossed his mind.
Fortunately, he was sleeping with his back toward Yu Lanfeng.
His blushing face couldn't be seen.
What he didn't realize was that although Yu Lanfeng couldn't see his face...
He could clearly see Nan Yu's neck and ears.
Both were bright red.
He was obviously extremely embarrassed.
Nan Yu gradually closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Before long, his breathing became steady.
Yu Lanfeng didn't make a move immediately after confirming he had fallen asleep.
Instead, he also closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
More than an hour passed.
Only after confirming that Nan Yu was completely asleep did Yu Lanfeng slowly move closer.
He gently pulled Nan Yu into his arms.
He didn't move Nan Yu at all.
Instead...
He shifted himself over to Nan Yu's side.
That way, even if Nan Yu discovered it the next morning, at most he would simply be angry for a little while.
Everything Yu Lanfeng was doing now had one purpose.
He wanted Nan Yu to gradually become accustomed to his closeness.
To become familiar with his presence.
To become familiar with his scent.
Even so...
Whenever he approached, he could still see Nan Yu unconsciously frown.
His mental power was instinctively rejecting Yu Lanfeng's approach.
The stronger a Mental Power User was...
The more their enormous mental power instinctively rejected outsiders while they were unconscious—whether asleep or in a coma.
It would even warn its owner that someone with ill intentions was approaching.
After carefully controlling both his distance and the force of his embrace...
Yu Lanfeng finally closed his eyes and fell asleep with Nan Yu in his arms.
—
Nan Yu wasn't sure whether it was only his imagination.
But throughout the night, he constantly felt as though someone was staring at him from behind.
Those predatory eyes...
It was as though he were nothing more than a delicious piece of meat.
Ready to be pounced on and devoured at any moment.
He repeated the same dream over and over again all night.
Nothing actually attacked him.
Yet that constant feeling of being watched left him mentally exhausted.
When he woke up the next morning, his thoughts were still muddled.
For a brief moment...
He vaguely thought he saw himself lying in Yu Lanfeng's arms.
That couldn't possibly be real.
After all...
...Hm?
Nan Yu suddenly realized...
Maybe it really was real.
Once he became fully awake, he turned his head.
Immediately he saw Yu Lanfeng's head pressed tightly against his own.
He tried to get up.
Only then did he discover that Yu Lanfeng had completely enclosed him in his arms.
Since Yu Lanfeng wasn't using any force, Nan Yu hadn't really noticed while he was half-asleep.
But now...
After thinking for a moment...
Nan Yu made his decision.
He raised his hand...
Smack!
He slapped the arm wrapped around him.
The sound was so loud that even Nan Yu himself felt a little embarrassed.
Still pretending to remain perfectly calm, he said,
"I'm getting up."
Yu Lanfeng looked deeply at him.
Then he glanced at the hand that had just been slapped.
His own hand was completely fine.
Instead...
The palm Nan Yu had used to hit him had turned slightly red.
Yu Lanfeng slowly released him.
Only then did Nan Yu hurriedly get out of bed and head into the bathroom.
By the time he came back out, Yu Lanfeng was already gone.
Judging by the sounds outside...
He seemed to be in the kitchen.
Looking at the bed, Nan Yu immediately remembered the awkwardness of sleeping together.
Then a thought suddenly struck him.
It wasn't because he tossed and turned in his sleep.
It was because...
Because...
He looked at the place where he had originally fallen asleep.
Exactly.
He had stayed entirely on his own side.
The reason he'd ended up in Yu Lanfeng's arms wasn't because he slept restlessly.
It was because Yu Lanfeng slept restlessly!
...Alright.
He had misunderstood earlier.
Going to argue with Yu Lanfeng now obviously wasn't an option.
What was he supposed to say?
"Did you secretly hug me while we were sleeping?"
Come on.
He simply pretended that nothing had happened.
Changed his clothes.
And walked outside.
Yu Lanfeng had already prepared a simple breakfast.
The two of them sat down together.
While eating, Nan Yu opened the StarNet to see whether there were any new developments concerning Bai Zhouyun.
Sure enough...
He wasn't disappointed.
The very first thing he saw was exactly what he had been looking for.
After opening it and reading through everything carefully, he discovered that what had gone viral this time was a forum thread.
The original poster had compiled absolutely every piece of information about Bai Zhouyun that had ever appeared online—or could still be found—from beginning to end.
The overall impression was very straightforward.
Bai Zhouyun was a completely useless bastard.
At first, he had only been a spoiled rich heir.
That wasn't too terrible.
But afterward he insisted on portraying himself as hardworking and ambitious...
Then, within an incredibly short period of time, suddenly became a High-Tier Ability User.
No matter how anyone looked at it...
It resembled someone who had used banned drugs.
And the official test results still hadn't been released.
Didn't that alone prove there was a problem?
After all...
Would it really take this long to test the blood of an innocent person?
There had been similar cases before.
Anyone who turned out to be clean had received results within at most one or two days.
But how long had Bai Zhouyun's blood sample been under examination now?
There was still no news whatsoever.
That alone spoke volumes.
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
"Bai Zhouyun is really finished this time, isn't he?"
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"The main event is next."
Nan Yu looked at him.
"You detected banned drug components in his blood?"
Yu Lanfeng nodded again.
"We did."
"And it seems the drug has been upgraded again."
"It's become even more advanced."
"This time, we used the Empire's newest testing equipment, developed specifically to detect traces of banned drugs in a person's blood."
"It had only just been completed recently."
"Not long afterward, Bai Zhouyun happened to use an improved version of the drug."
"They really were willing to spend the money..."
Nan Yu looked at him solemnly.
"So if your equipment hadn't been upgraded this time..."
"...the banned drug in Bai Zhouyun's blood wouldn't have been detected?"
Yu Lanfeng's expression also darkened.
"That's right."
"We tested it using the previous machine as well."
"It found absolutely nothing."
Nan Yu fell silent.
"It seems the organization operating in the shadows has produced another genius."
"They managed to improve a drug that was already nearly perfect."
"And they specifically designed it to counter the Empire's detection equipment."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"Which means..."
"This organization has become extremely dangerous."
Nan Yu immediately understood.
"You mean..."
"Now that they've developed this drug, they may begin operating openly all over the Empire?"
People who had spent too long hiding in darkness...
Always longed for sunlight.
For freedom to move in the open.
After thinking for a moment, Nan Yu frowned.
"But something still feels wrong."
"Have you figured it out?"
Yu Lanfeng pondered for a while before answering,
"This improved drug should be extremely valuable."
"They wouldn't have used it on Bai Zhouyun simply because he paid more money."
"It looks like..."
"...without even realizing it, Bai Zhouyun became one of their test subjects."
Yu Lanfeng fell silent.
Nan Yu smiled faintly.
"I think Bai Zhouyun ought to thank the Empire for investigating this case."
"They helped him obtain justice."
"I hope he'll be happy about it."
Yu Lanfeng simply replied,
"Hurry up and eat."
"It'll get cold."
Only then did Nan Yu close the StarNet and focus on breakfast.
After all...
This was a loving breakfast personally prepared by Yu Lanfeng.
As his future partner...
Naturally he couldn't leave even a single bite.
After finishing, Nan Yu rubbed his cheeks.
Then pinched them a couple of times.
Finally he declared,
"I've definitely gained weight."
"I'll have to start dieting."
Yu Lanfeng looked him over twice without saying anything.
If he'd really gained weight...
Why couldn't he see it at all?
Watching Nan Yu continue asking him for confirmation made Yu Lanfeng feel a little tired.
Nan Yu glared at him with obvious dissatisfaction.
But Yu Lanfeng simply refused to answer directly.
Do I really not look fatter?
So have I gained weight or not?
Which is it?
Finally, Nan Yu found a scale.
He stepped onto it and looked at the number.
"Huh."
"It's actually a little lighter than before."
"So I lost weight instead of gaining it."
"I can't believe I eat and drink this much every day and still lose weight."
"That's wonderful."
Yu Lanfeng hadn't expected that either.
To him...
Nan Yu really did look slightly plumper.
He had already prepared comforting words in his head before Nan Yu stepped onto the scale.
Unexpectedly...
Nan Yu had genuinely lost weight.
Yu Lanfeng frowned.
"That's not normal."
"I'll take you to see a doctor."
"There may be an underlying problem."
"If there is, we should discover it as early as possible."
Nan Yu's previously excellent mood instantly crashed to rock bottom.
Does this man even know how to talk to people?
You keep eating normally every day.
Life has been comfortable recently.
Because you've been eating well, you think you've become a little chubbier.
Then you discover you've actually lost weight instead.
What an amazing feeling.
And then someone immediately says—
"That's impossible."
"It's abnormal."
"Something must be wrong with your body."
"You need an examination."
Nan Yu's mood immediately plummeted.
Fortunately...
He soon noticed that Yu Lanfeng was clumsily trying to cheer him up.
Forget it.
Who told him to be so generous?
Seeing that Nan Yu was no longer angry, Yu Lanfeng still insisted,
"You should still get checked."
"Come to think of it..."
"You haven't had a full physical examination in a long time."
"Don't rush to school."
"Come with me first."
"You're already at the hospital anyway."
Wonderful.
After all that...
He still had to undergo an examination.
In that case, Nan Yu wasn't about to give Yu Lanfeng a pleasant expression anymore.
Not gaining weight somehow meant his body had a problem?
What kind of logic was that?
Realizing Nan Yu was genuinely upset now, Yu Lanfeng wisely stopped talking.
After breakfast, he left the lounge for the cleaning robot.
Then he personally took Nan Yu downstairs for a complete physical examination.
Fortunately, Nan Yu didn't have any morning classes.
The only reason he had gotten up so early was because, after waking up beside Yu Lanfeng, there had been no way he could fall asleep again.
He had no choice but to get up.
Nan Yu underwent a long series of examinations.
More than half of the results came back quickly.
Everything appeared healthy.
No problems.
However, those were only the simplest tests.
They required very little time and mainly served as supporting examinations.
The truly important results were the remaining ones that had yet to come out.
After asking the doctor, they learned that even the fastest remaining result would take another three hours.
But Nan Yu had to attend class.
Yu Lanfeng also had work waiting for him.
He had no choice but to leave for a while.
Therefore, he arranged for one of the people secretly protecting Nan Yu to remain at the hospital specifically to wait for the examination results.
That way...
No one else would gain access to them.
Nan Yu didn't really understand any of this.
All he knew was that he needed to go to class.
Although he held a very high position in this hospital...
The only thing he truly understood was mental power.
As for ordinary medical treatment and hospital examinations...
He knew absolutely nothing.
He had never studied any of it.
Perhaps in the future the academy would teach Mental Power Users how to perform simple emergency treatment for external injuries.
But certainly not now.
For Mental Power Users...
Mental power itself was the most important thing.
If their mental power failed...
Then a Mental Power User was finished.
Could a Mental Power User become an ordinary doctor?
Impossible.
First of all...
Their physical endurance wasn't sufficient.
Doctors worked fixed shifts.
They had to stay busy throughout working hours.
After work...
They often had to work overtime.
And there wasn't even overtime pay.
If you hadn't finished your own work and had to stay late because of it...
Why would anyone pay you extra?
Nan Yu suddenly realized he was hopeless.
He'd actually started thinking about such random nonsense.
He was beyond saving.
His mood remained poor that day.
After arriving at the academy, he wore a gloomy expression the entire time.
The moment Yang Zhou saw his face, he knew something had happened.
"What's wrong?"
"Did someone give you trouble?"
"Was it Bai Zhouyun bothering you the other day?"
Nan Yu shook his head.
"No."
"Bai Zhouyun is too busy dealing with his own problems."
"He'll soon have no time to bother me."
"Then what's wrong?"
"Your mood is terrible today."
"It's nothing."
"Let's go sit in the library first."
"I don't have class this morning."
"I want to rest there for a while."
He had spent the entire night trapped in nightmares.
Even now, he hadn't fully recovered.
He would take a short nap in the library first.
He had wondered why he suddenly started having nightmares for no reason.
Turns out...
But...
The reason Nan Yu was upset wasn't because Yu Lanfeng had hugged him while they slept without asking.
Nor was it because Yu Lanfeng had insisted on taking him for a full-body examination.
What truly bothered him was...
His body had instinctively rejected Yu Lanfeng's closeness.
That shouldn't have happened.
He genuinely had a favorable impression of Yu Lanfeng.
So why had he instinctively rejected Yu Lanfeng's embrace?
Rejected his approach?
Was there some reason behind it that he hadn't noticed?