Chapter 111: Caught
After arriving at the library, Nan Yu immediately began looking through books about the relationship between Mental Power Users and Ability Users. However... although the school's library had an extensive collection, there were no books covering the subject he wanted. Or rather, a few books only mentioned it in passing, without any detailed explanations.
He couldn't help thinking of the Royal Library.
He had an access pass, so he could go there whenever he had time, but...
Yu Lanfeng wasn't leaving for any missions at the moment. If Nan Yu went to the Royal Library, Yu Lanfeng would definitely know, and he might even go with him.
If that happened, there would be no way for him to search for the books he actually wanted.
And having to rack his brain trying to figure out why his subconscious rejected Yu Lanfeng's closeness... no matter how he looked at it, it was rather embarrassing.
Especially if Yu Lanfeng found out.
Anyone who didn't know the truth would probably think he was eagerly looking forward to intimate contact with the other man.
The more Nan Yu thought about it, the stronger the urge to cover his face became.
But Yang Zhou was sitting beside him, so he restrained himself.
Unfortunately, Yang Zhou had already noticed that something was off.
He quietly leaned over and asked, "What's wrong? You look like you've got something on your mind... and you even look kind of shy..."
Nan Yu stared at him in disbelief.
"Shy? You're talking about me?"
Yang Zhou nodded.
"Yeah. Just now you looked like you'd thought of someone you liked, then got embarrassed and wanted to cover your face, but because someone else was nearby, you were desperately holding yourself back so they wouldn't notice anything strange. Of course, in this case, that 'someone else' is me."
"Really not going to tell me? It's fine if you don't tell me who it is. You must be really conflicted. Talk it over with me—I might even be able to give you some advice."
Thinking about his own predicament, Nan Yu actually wanted to ask.
But he was certain Yang Zhou wouldn't know the answer, so he simply shook his head.
"Don't overthink it. I don't have anyone I like."
Yang Zhou didn't believe that for even a second.
But Nan Yu's attitude clearly said he didn't want to talk about it. If he kept pressing, Nan Yu might become embarrassed and angry, and then he definitely wouldn't reveal a single word.
Better to pretend he hadn't noticed.
"Since there's no one, then I must've overthought it. It's about time anyway. Let's head to the cafeteria. We still have classes this afternoon."
Nan Yu secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"Right, let's go eat."
Nan Yu's side remained peaceful.
But things were anything but peaceful for Yun Feiyu.
Now that the place he lived had been exposed, there weren't just people staking out the entrance to the residential complex anymore.
There were people inside the complex.
Even outside his apartment door.
Some people had even rented neighboring apartments, standing on their balconies waiting for him to come outside so they could take photos and videos.
Some had gone even further and were livestreaming directly from there.
Yun Feiyu kept every door and window tightly shut, pulled the blackout curtains completely closed, and stayed inside his apartment in constant fear.
He was terrified someone outside might simply force their way in.
If that happened, he wouldn't even have anywhere to hide.
Even worse...
He couldn't get in touch with Bai Zhouyun anymore.
He should probably be thankful that on the Capital Star, breaking into someone else's private residence at will was illegal.
Otherwise, it would already be over for him.
As a result, the people outside preferred to keep watch day and night rather than leave.
They would rather spend huge sums renting nearby apartments than break in.
Yun Feiyu checked the supplies stored in his apartment.
Fortunately, since he'd known beforehand that he'd be staying here for a long time, he'd bought plenty of food that was both delicious and easy to preserve.
If he simply stayed indoors and ate a little less, these supplies could last him for two months.
Surely within two months he'd be able to contact Bai Zhouyun.
Meanwhile, viewers in countless livestreams couldn't stop commenting.
"Wow, this residential complex is ridiculously expensive. Sure, it's out in the suburbs, but the environment is amazing, the facilities are complete, and every house here is top-tier. Didn't expect Young Master Bai to be this generous!"
"I'm so jealous. Makes me want to find some rich boss, hook up with them for a while, grab the money, and run!"
"The person upstairs... that's a dangerous way of thinking."
"Not supporting that at all. That's definitely wrong. Better to earn money honestly. But seriously... this person hasn't come out for several days, and nobody's visited him either. Is this really the person connected to Young Master Bai? Is he really the other person from that video?"
"Who knows? We still haven't actually seen his face. Maybe yes, maybe no. But with this many people waiting here, it probably isn't a mistake, right?"
"Isn't everyone just following the crowd? So technically nobody has confirmed whether the person inside is actually the other main character yet. Streamer! Go confirm it! If you do, I'll send you a villa gift. Ten villas!"
"I'll send one too. I'm broke, so that's all I can afford."
Below that came a flood of comments saying, "Me too."
Adding everything together, thirty or forty viewers promised anywhere from one to ten villa gifts.
Altogether, it was far from a small amount.
A single villa gift was worth ten thousand credits.
Together they amounted to well over a hundred villas.
Since the streamer received half the value, he'd earn around five hundred thousand credits.
The moment the streamer saw those comments, he practically lost his mind.
"Don't worry, everyone! I'll definitely solve this mystery for you!"
"But Streamer, don't commit a crime! Breaking into someone else's house is illegal! You'll get arrested by the police!"
The streamer waved dismissively.
"You guys are still too inexperienced. Of course I'm not going to break in. Just watch."
He was truly ruthless toward himself.
He tied a rope securely around his body, fastened the other end to the rooftop terrace, and slowly lowered himself down the outside of the building while gripping the rope.
Yun Feiyu lived on one of the upper floors.
It didn't take long before the streamer reached the balcony outside Yun Feiyu's apartment.
Naturally, he couldn't enter.
Instead, he stood on one of the protruding ledges outside.
Coincidentally, the position he chose was directly opposite Yun Feiyu's window.
Although the curtains were drawn tightly shut, after standing there he realized there was actually a tiny gap.
By zooming in through that gap, he could see a very small section of the room.
And that section happened to include the doorway connecting the living room and the bedroom.
Which meant...
As long as he waited patiently, sooner or later Yun Feiyu would walk through that doorway, giving him the chance to capture his face.
He was a genius!
Seeing what he'd done, several others nearby immediately began copying him.
Unfortunately, they were quickly driven away.
After all, plenty of other residents still lived in the neighborhood.
The apartment next to the streamer's position happened to be unsold, so nobody came to chase him away.
He could remain there indefinitely.
And as it turned out, the location really was useful.
After only two or three hours, he noticed someone passing through the doorway visible through the curtain gap three separate times.
Judging by the movements, it was probably Yun Feiyu going to the kitchen to get something to eat.
Unfortunately, either the man walked by too quickly for him to take a picture, or his face wasn't turned toward the camera.
But it didn't matter.
There would be plenty more chances.
He was certain he'd get the photo he wanted before the property management staff came to remove him.
In reality, the residential management had already begun clearing people out.
They had indeed driven away many spectators.
Those who remained had rented apartments there, so management couldn't simply evict them.
Even the streamer had rented an apartment.
Although what he was doing was somewhat dangerous, it didn't constitute a crime.
As a result, property management merely assigned two employees to keep an eye on him.
The streamer remained quietly crouched in that corner without moving.
Occasionally he'd stretch both legs out, letting them dangle in midair, which actually looked rather thrilling.
Because people frequently passed through the doorway connecting the bedroom and living room, Yun Feiyu didn't make him wait very long.
About half a day later, the streamer finally captured a small but crystal-clear photograph.
After enlarging it, he compared it with the man from the earlier video.
"Wow! They're exactly the same! This guy probably doesn't have a twin brother, so it's definitely him! Alright, my lovely viewers, time to keep your promises! Muah~"
Immediately afterward, one gift animation after another exploded across the livestream.
Everyone honored their word.
Once the flood of gifts ended, he checked his account.
He had received one hundred and sixty-eight villa gifts.
That meant 1.68 million credits.
Half of that was eight hundred and forty thousand credits.
He had truly struck it rich.
Who would've thought that taking a single photograph could earn him this much money?
It was absolutely worth it.
But...
How was he supposed to get back up?
He hadn't eaten or drunk anything for so long, and maintaining the same posture for hours had left his entire body stiff.
Having no other choice, he waved toward the two property management employees below, signaling that he couldn't climb back up.
In the end, the streamer had to be rescued by the neighborhood staff.
It was unbelievably embarrassing.
The entire rescue was livestreamed as well.
His viewers rewarded him with yet another wave of gifts because of it.
Among everyone who had come here, there probably wasn't a second person who had made as much money as this small streamer.
He really had been incredibly lucky.
Meanwhile, Yun Feiyu had absolutely no idea someone had secretly photographed him.
Nor did he realize the photo had completely confirmed that he was indeed the other main character from the video.
There was no longer the slightest doubt.
The streamer's video, along with the comparison images and recordings shown to viewers, quickly spread across the front pages of every major media outlet.
It was an overnight sensation.
The person who became famous wasn't only the streamer.
Yun Feiyu became famous as well.
The next morning, Yun Feiyu originally thought he could continue hiding.
But while browsing the StarNet, he discovered his identity had been exposed.
After reading the news, he immediately rushed over to inspect his curtains.
Sure enough, he found a tiny gap that hadn't been fully closed.
"Damn it!"
He hurriedly adjusted the curtains until there wasn't a single opening left before finally relaxing a little.
It didn't matter.
Even if his identity had been exposed, so what?
They still didn't dare force their way inside.
Since that was the case, there was nothing to worry about.
He tried contacting Bai Zhouyun twice.
Just like before, neither call connected.
Bai Zhouyun had problems of his own now.
The blood test results had finally come back.
It had officially confirmed that he had indeed used the newest type of prohibited drug.
The moment that news broke, StarNet exploded.
The two people who had still been trying to defend him disappeared completely.
No one questioned the authenticity of the report.
After all, it had been jointly issued by several of the Empire's most authoritative official institutions.
The report clearly stated that Bai Zhouyun's blood contained a highly distinctive substance.
That substance was the defining marker of the prohibited drug.
Its purpose was to stimulate an Ability User's latent potential, allowing them to rapidly become stronger over a short period.
However, these drugs were also the most dangerous.
They brutally exhausted an Ability User's physical potential in an extremely short amount of time.
In other words, after advancing, the Ability User would discover they could never grow stronger again.
The reason was simple.
The prohibited drug forced growth before its time.
Its effects seemed astonishing initially.
But as time passed, countless drawbacks inevitably emerged.
Such drugs were strictly prohibited from being bought or sold anywhere.
If any non-government organization came into contact with them, then either they themselves had committed a crime...
Or they had dealings with criminals.
Either way, Bai Zhouyun was guaranteed to be arrested.
In fact, he had already been taken into custody several days earlier.
Only now had the news and the test report been made public.
After seeing the news on StarNet, Yun Feiyu was completely dumbfounded.
If this was true, then there was finally an explanation for why he hadn't been able to contact Bai Zhouyun.
But what he found even harder to accept was this—
Now that Bai Zhouyun had been arrested...
What was the point of him staying here?
Go back to school?
What a joke.
Even he knew he absolutely couldn't return now.
First, he was no longer considered a student there.
Second, if he failed to meet graduation requirements, every record of him ever having attended that school would be erased.
Worst of all...
The only reason he'd desperately stayed at school in the first place was to cuckold Nan Yu by secretly being with Bai Zhouyun.
Now Nan Yu's reputation had become enormous throughout both the school and the entire Capital Star.
If he returned now, he would undoubtedly be rejected, attacked, insulted, and cursed by everyone.
Rather than endure that...
He might as well leave.
Of course, not yet.
He would wait until most of the people outside had dispersed.
Then he'd quietly leave the Capital Star.
He still had nearly one million credits.
He also possessed countless luxury goods Bai Zhouyun had given him.
Since he'd barely used them, almost everything was still in at least ninety percent new condition.
Even sold secondhand, they would fetch excellent prices.
Taking all that money to settle on a remote but safe planet would allow him to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
The only problem...
The current situation didn't permit it.
Because after Bai Zhouyun's arrest, even more attention shifted toward Bai Zhouyun...
The Bai family...
Nan Yu...
And the utterly useless Yun Feiyu, who had somehow managed to interfere in the engagement of a top Mid-Tier Mental Power User.
Even more people became curious about Yun Feiyu.
Where there had once been ten people staking out the place...
There were now one hundred.
Some of them were wealthy enough to simply buy houses in the neighborhood outright, stationing people there around the clock.
The moment Yun Feiyu stepped outside, they planned to invite him over for a "friendly chat."
Even Nan Yu hadn't expected events to develop like this.
But Yu Lanfeng probably had.
Every time Nan Yu saw him, he always looked completely in control.
Late that night, Nan Yu sat on the sofa, quietly watching Yu Lanfeng handle work on his optical computer.
The longer he watched, the more captivated he became.
Sure enough...
A person was most attractive while working seriously.
After finishing his work and closing the optical computer, Yu Lanfeng looked up and immediately caught Nan Yu staring at him in fascination.
Nan Yu reacted quickly.
Almost the instant Yu Lanfeng looked over, he snapped back to reality and hurriedly turned his gaze away.
It carried an unmistakable "the more you try to hide it, the more obvious it becomes" feeling.
Yu Lanfeng didn't expose him.
He simply walked over, sat beside Nan Yu, and pulled him into his arms.
"It'll be soon. Don't worry. Very soon your engagement with him will no longer exist."
Nan Yu blinked.
"That easy?"
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"He committed a crime, and not some minor offense. These prohibited drugs are something the Empire strictly forbids. He knowingly broke the law, and the charges are extremely serious. Even if Old Master Bai personally stepped in, he wouldn't be able to protect him."
Nan Yu suddenly remembered something.
"Didn't they say the Emperor owed Old Master Bai a favor?"
Yu Lanfeng replied, "Let's hope he isn't foolish enough to use it now. This isn't some minor offense. It's one of the Empire's most notorious major crimes."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
Nan Yu nodded.
"Then I can relax."
Yu Lanfeng smiled faintly.
"Just wait a few more days. The Empire will automatically dissolve your engagement with him soon."
"Then you'll be free."
"And I'll finally be free too..."
Nan Yu lowered his gaze to the hands wrapped around his waist.
Forget it.
If it was this man...
He didn't actually mind.
After all, now that he'd been given a second chance at life, he had never intended to remain single forever.
Having someone by his side wasn't bad at all.
Especially someone who loved him wholeheartedly.
Someone who could fight, cook, cheer him up, and always place him first.
The more Nan Yu thought about it, the better it sounded.
But after the engagement with Bai Zhouyun was officially dissolved...
His eyes settled on Yu Lanfeng.
"Will Bai Zhouyun be sentenced to death?"
"Probably not."
Nan Yu raised an eyebrow.
"Hm? Didn't they say crimes involving prohibited drugs are punishable by death?"
Yu Lanfeng shook his head.
"Only the most serious cases receive immediate execution. That's mainly to prevent members of the organization from rescuing the prisoner."
"But Bai Zhouyun obviously isn't that kind of case."
"He was arrested simply as a buyer. The organization won't provide any assistance to someone like him."
"Besides, he's only the purchaser, so his degree of fault is relatively smaller."
"He'll probably survive."
"So that's how it is."
Nan Yu nodded.
"Then will he be exiled to the interstellar frontier?"
Yu Lanfeng shook his head again.
"He had contact with that organization, so we can't simply allow him to leave the Capital Star."
"Right now he may not remember anything important."
"But one day he might suddenly recall something he hasn't remembered yet."
"And the organization itself may decide to silence him."
"To them, someone with no rescue value who might expose information—even useless information—is someone worth eliminating."
"So..."
Nan Yu looked at him.
"He's going to be imprisoned directly?"
"That's right."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"That's the current plan."
"We actually want to see how the organization reacts after Bai Zhouyun's arrest."
"Will they try to kill him..."
"Rescue him..."
"Or simply do nothing and watch."
Nan Yu felt the third possibility was the most likely.
Surely the organization wasn't that idle.
Yu Lanfeng held him close, resting his chin on top of Nan Yu's head.
"Let's not think about him anymore, alright?"
"Alright."
Such a warm, peaceful moment really wasn't suited to talking about someone like Bai Zhouyun.
"Forget it."
Nan Yu smiled.
"By the way, when exactly will the engagement be canceled? I can't wait to become free again."
Yu Lanfeng narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Very soon."
"At the latest, within one week."
"You just need to wait patiently."
"Alright."
Nan Yu nodded.
"I don't have much to do lately anyway. Maybe I'll take a couple of commissions—"
Before he could finish, Yu Lanfeng grabbed his hand and pulled him back into his embrace.
"Don't go out during this period."
Nan Yu noticed the unusually serious tone.
Could it be dangerous for him to go out alone?
"No matter what," Yu Lanfeng continued, "it's better to be cautious."
"If something happens while you're outside..."
"But haven't you already assigned people to protect me?"
Yu Lanfeng slowly shook his head.
"That organization has existed for many years without falling."
"There are many people behind it with unimaginable abilities and strength."
"So..."
"You absolutely have to take good care of yourself."
Nan Yu felt Yu Lanfeng was making too much of it.
But inwardly...
He rather enjoyed being cared for this way.
"Then I'll just attend school online."
"I'll ask Yang Zhou to livestream and record the lectures."
"If there's anything I don't understand later, I'll watch them again."
After a brief pause, Nan Yu said,
"If someone really does try to assassinate Bai Zhouyun..."
Whether Bai Zhouyun lived or died wasn't especially important.
The truly important part was the enormous chain of interests connected to the case.
"I don't know why..."
Nan Yu murmured.
"I just feel Bai Zhouyun isn't that simple."
The Bai family never pleaded for leniency on Bai Zhouyun's behalf.
Instead, not long after his arrest, they voluntarily submitted the video recording of the mandatory examination Old Master Bai had ordered after Bai Zhouyun returned home, along with the corresponding test report.
That report showed completely normal results.
It was enough to prove that the Bai family themselves had never imagined there would be a problem.
The machine had detected nothing abnormal.
Yet in reality...
There really had been a problem.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Imperial Family officially announced a brand-new generation of testing equipment.
Pre-orders immediately opened.
They weren't selling it directly yet.
Instead, they first wanted to estimate production demand.
With this new generation of blood-testing equipment, anyone who had used prohibited drugs within the past month could be identified with absolute certainty.
As long as they were tested, they would be caught.
People loved it.
At one point, Nan Yu had casually joked to Yu Lanfeng,
"These machines are far more attractive to that organization than a single Bai Zhouyun could ever be."
Because of that remark, when the machines were shipped out, Yu Lanfeng arranged for a large number of elite soldiers to escort them safely to the spaceport.