Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"010"

The stench of smoke pressed in too close, and the familiar rusty taste rose in Xiao Lancui's throat. He frowned, leaning his head back, fighting back the discomfort as he said, "35999."

Lu Siye didn't understand. Seeing him still retreating, he pressed closer, his voice cold as he demanded, "The fuck did you just say 35—"

The smoky stench closed in again, and blood surged up. Xiao Lancui had no time to say "scram." His fingers trembled as he fumbled a tissue from his pocket. Just as he brought it to his lips, Lu Siye grabbed his hand and yanked it away. Lu Siye leaned in again, "I'm fucking asking you..."

Xiao Lancui coughed, and a spray of blood splattered right across Lu Siye's face.

The warm, bloody smell killed Lu Siye's anger. He froze, staring at the face inches from his.

Xiao Lancui's complexion was like something that had been soaked in water for ten thousand years—so pale it was an unblemished white. A smear of crimson blood stained his lips, and his pitch-black eyes were hazy with mist, as if he were perched above the clouds, looking down at him as he said in a faint voice—

"Scram."

Xiao Lancui felt utterly nauseated. He yanked his hand back in disgust, using the last of his strength. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he braced himself against the desk with one hand, gasping silently, desperately.

Xiao Lancui had picked a seat in the back, and it all happened too fast. The other students only saw Lu Siye lean close to Xiao Lancui, and then Xiao Lancui spat blood—they all assumed Lu Siye had hit him. A clear voice called out from the lower rows, "Stop! I already called security!"

Lu Siye snapped out of it. Xiao Lancui breathed with difficulty, his pale, bloody lips parted slightly, so fragile he looked like he'd break at the slightest touch. Yet those misty black eyes still looked down at him, cold and sharp—

Yes, he was lower, but he was still looking down on him.

No fear, only indifference.

As if he were just an insignificant ant.

Lu Siye pulled back his hand and stood up straight, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously as he said, "Xiao Lancui, you've got some nerve."

As he turned to leave, a cold voice spoke up again, "35999, don't forget to pay for the laptop."

Fuck!

Lu Siye laughed in sheer exasperation, and he actually pulled out his phone. "Account number."

Xiao Lancui took out another tissue, wiping the bloodstains from his lips as he recited a string of numbers flatly.

Lu Siye transferred the money right away, with a cold smirk. "A hundred thousand, keep the change."

He walked off quickly.

Xiao Lancui had no intention of giving it back anyway. He'd always had a hobby—fleecing corrupt officials, never taking less than he could get.

Just then, the guy who had spoken earlier came over, after picking up the fallen laptop. He closed it and placed it in front of Xiao Lancui, saying, "You're hurt. Let me take you to the nurse's office."

Xiao Lancui looked up to see a young man. He folded the used tissue and thanked him flatly. "I'm fine, no need to bother."

Only then did the young man get a clear look at Xiao Lancui's face. A flash of awe crossed his eyes. Beautiful faces were a dime a dozen—in the internet age, you could see all kinds of pretty people anytime—but this man was just too stunning to ignore.

It wasn't just his face, but his unmatched aura. How to describe it? Like snow, but not just any snow—snow on the highest peak, meant only to be admired from below, ice that never melts away.

The young man stood there, not moving, and Xiao Lancui ignored him and opened the laptop to check it. The screen was cracked, but it still turned on—just needed a new screen.

The commotion had blown over quickly, and with Lu Siye gone, most people quickly went back to their own business, waiting for class to start.

Only the young man was still standing in the aisle. Seeing that Xiao Lancui wasn't leaving, he couldn't help speaking up again, "You're still staying for class?"

Xiao Lancui gave a small "mm" in acknowledgment. The laptop was useless now, so he closed it and pulled out a notebook and a fountain pen from his bag.

He unscrewed the cap and wrote his name on the notebook's clean cover, so he'd be ready to take notes.

The young man's eyes lit up again—at his beautiful hand, at his exquisite small regular script. He couldn't help but blurt out, "I'm Jiang Xing, a senior in the physics department. Your handwriting is even nicer to look at than the top scholar's exam paper I saw in a museum!"

Xiao Lancui looked up again, his dark eyes flat. Jiang Xing's face suddenly went hot, and he nervously clenched his fists, only to hear Xiao Lancui say, "Class is starting, classmate."

"Oh, right! Okay." Jiang Xing's face flushed, and clutching his books, he quickly sat in the row in front of Xiao Lancui.

Meanwhile, Lu Siye had made it to the restroom. He turned on the tap, cupped water, and wiped the blood off his face. After a couple of wipes, he stopped, lowered his head and sniffed his wrist. Smelly? He'd just changed to a new Clive Christian cologne yesterday...

A mix of floral and woody notes—a very high-end scent. Where was the stink?

After a moment, Lu Siye decided Xiao Lancui just didn't know quality. Everything Lu Siye used was top-notch, and his cologne was no exception—there was no way it stank.

A moment later, Lu Siye looked in the mirror.

That mouthful of blood from Xiao Lancui had sprayed across his nose, his cheek, even leaving specks on his upper lip. He raised a hand to touch the right side of his lip, and his mind flashed back to Xiao Lancui's lips.

Just now, Xiao Lancui's lips had been bloody too.

Lu Siye's thumb slid to the corner of his mouth, then into it. He lazily licked the leftover blood off his fingertip and let out a knowing chuckle.

Sharp-tongued, but his blood was a little sweet.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He fished it out and swiped to answer lazily.

"Mom, what's up?"

A woman's voice chuckled on the other end. "What time do you get out? I'll pick you up. Your brother should be awake by five, so let's go see him together."

Lu Siye instantly got annoyed. "He's no brother of mine. A lunatic. I'm not going."

The woman laughed again. "There you go again. There are plenty of people watching us mother and son from the sidelines. I don't care what you do in private, but in public, I'm his stepmother and you're his brother—this act has to end perfectly."

Lu Siye frowned, giving in. "4:20."

At 4:20, the bell rang right on time.

The professor didn't leave right away, staying at the podium to answer a few students' questions. Xiao Lancui waited until all the students had left, then walked to the podium.

The professor was packing up when another student approached. She set down her lesson plan and looked up, smiling. "Any more questions?"

But she saw a face she didn't recognize.

The professor was in her early seventies, but her eyesight was still keen. She said, a little confused, "You're not a student in the science department."

Xiao Lancui said politely, "I'm just auditing the class."

The professor nodded, smiling. "Auditing is good—learning never stops. What's your question?"

Xiao Lancui asked, "Do you think quantum tunneling is achievable?"

The professor adjusted her glasses and smiled as she replied, "Theoretically, there's no energy source powerful enough to make it happen right now, but reality often happens for no rhyme or reason. Maybe it's happening right now, who knows."

Xiao Lancui then asked, "So if you got funding, would you restart your research on the quantum tunneling device?"

The professor paused, surprised anyone still remembered her abandoned research. A flicker of regret crossed her face. What had made her give up wasn't just the lack of funding—it was that she'd started to doubt herself. She smiled ruefully and shook her head. "Let the future take care of itself. Who knows."

Xiao Lancui didn't say more, politely bid farewell to the professor, and left the lecture hall. As soon as he stepped out, someone immediately caught up to strike up a conversation. "Xiao, so you're not a physics major after all! Are you into quantum tunneling too?"

It was Jiang Xing. Xiao Lancui kept walking. "You're researching quantum tunneling?"

Jiang Xing felt a small thrill—he'd guessed right! So Xiao Lancui was indeed interested in his field of study. He nodded and said with a smile, "I'm working with my advisor, who's also a leading expert in quantum mathematics! We've been looking into whether hyperbolic cusps could work as entry points for macroscopic quantum tunneling."

Xiao Lancui stopped and looked at Jiang Xing. Jiang Xing immediately grinned and said, "Can I add you on WeChat? You can reach out to me anytime if you ever want to know more! I've got pretty good grades. Also, next time there's a lecture like this—one that's closed to other majors—I can let you know and save you a seat!" He took a shaky breath and added, "I really want to be friends with you, Xiao."

Xiao Lancui said, "I don't use WeChat."

A flicker of disappointment passed through Jiang Xing's eyes—guess that's a no. He pushed down the sting and quickly apologized. "Sorry for bothering you—"

Xiao Lancui pulled out his phone. "How about a phone number?"

Jiang Xing froze for a second—so he genuinely didn't have WeChat! He nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! My number is 13..."

After exchanging phone numbers, Xiao Lancui saved Jiang Xing's contact and headed to the school gate.

Every day after school, the Xiao family driver would arrive on time to pick up Xiao Anfeng and the original Xiao Lancui.

Xiao Lancui got into the car. Xiao Anfeng was already there, doing homework on his laptop. When Xiao Lancui arrived, Xiao Anfeng watched him out of the corner of his eye.

The afternoon's run-in between Lu Siye and Xiao Lancui at the Science Hall had spread across the school forum and various group chats within half an hour.

As always, Lu Siye was the perpetual gossip magnet at Chengda.

Xiao Anfeng found it strange—just two days ago, Lu Siye had gone to visit Xiao Lancui, so why had they had a falling out today, even coming to blows? An anonymous post in the group chat said Xiao Lancui had been beaten until he was spitting blood by Lu Siye.

What puzzled him even more was what Xiao Lancui had been doing at the Science Hall.

Quantum mechanics—did Xiao Lancui even understand it?

No marks on his face either—he didn't look like he'd been in a fight.

"Just ask if you want to," Xiao Lancui said in a flat tone.

Caught glancing at him, Xiao Anfeng felt a flash of embarrassment. He closed his laptop and asked, dancing around the subject, "Did you get beaten up at the Science Hall?"

At that moment, Xiao Lancui's phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw it was Zhou Fengqiang. He answered and said, "Let me take this call first."

Not bothering to hide it, he answered, "Uncle Zhou?"

Zhou Fengqiang said, "Can you come over now? Your friend's awake!"

Xiao Lancui's lashes fluttered slightly. According to the original plot, tonight a new turning point—a small climax—would occur at the Xiao residence. He'd planned to be back at the Xiao house on time to see if his presence had once again caused a butterfly effect and changed whether this event would happen.

A second later, he made his decision. "I can make it. I'll be there soon."

After hanging up, Xiao Anfeng asked again, "Who's Uncle Zhou?"

Xiao Lancui put away his phone and said flatly, "Which question do you want me to answer first?"

Xiao Anfeng pressed his lips together. He didn't actually care who Uncle Zhou was—he'd just been curious hearing it for the first time and asked offhandedly. He said, "Why did Lu Siye hit you?"

Xiao Lancui was surprised the rumor had spread so wildly. "He didn't. We just went our separate ways."

They really had fallen out? Xiao Anfeng was taken aback. "Because of your amnesia?"

Xiao Lancui's tone remained calm. "I'd rather not go into details. I have something to take care of and won't be coming home. Don't wait for me for dinner."

He asked the driver to drop him off somewhere with a cake shop. He bought two bags of the soft egg cakes old people loved. While paying, he noticed the Brown Sugar Rice Cake Sticks displayed nearby. After a brief pause, he grabbed a jar of those too.

Coming out of the cake shop, he hailed a taxi this time.

In deep winter, it got dark early. By the time he reached Sensen Psychiatric Hospital, night had fully fallen.

Zhou Fengqiang opened the door to let Xiao Lancui in and said in a low, quick voice, "You can't go over right now—your friend's family is here."

Xiao Lancui wasn't concerned. The Lu family, for the sake of their reputation, wouldn't just abandon their youngest son at a psychiatric hospital. An occasional visit was within his expectations.

Holding up the things he'd brought, he smiled. "No rush. I'll go over in a bit. I brought you some food."

Zhou Fengqiang beamed with delight, especially happy to see the soft egg cakes. At his age, with poor teeth, he loved soft things to eat. He warmly led Xiao Lancui into the gatehouse. "Come, come, let's eat together."

As they ate the egg cakes, a car soon drove out—a deep red Bentley. Zhou Fengqiang hurried out to open the iron gate. Through the glass, the windows were rolled up tight, so the person inside couldn't be seen.

But Xiao Lancui recognized the car.

It was Lu Siye's mother's car—the one Lu Siye would later drive to collide head-on with Xiao Anfeng.

A few months from now, when Xiao Anfeng discovered his true origins and, in a fit of distress, lost control and tried to kill himself by driving, Lu Siye would take his mother's car and ram into him head-on. Both would end up in the hospital, and Lu Siye would deliver a declaration that moved Xiao Anfeng.

"Kill me first—only then can you die!"

The Bentley drove off, and the iron gate locked shut. Xiao Lancui grabbed the jar of Brown Sugar Rice Cake Sticks, walked out of the gatehouse, and met Zhou Fengqiang face to face. "Uncle Zhou, take your time eating. I'll head over myself."