Chapter 262: This Life—The Beginning (III)

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Chapter 262: This Life—The Beginning (III)

Shang Ke began thinking about how to make money—and not just a little money, but a great deal of it. Before the accident, he had graduated only recently. His salary and the money he had earned from odd jobs over the years amounted to barely two hundred thousand yuan in savings. He had Wei Xun to thank for covering all his medical expenses; otherwise, he would have been buried in debt.

That sum might have been respectable for a young person just entering society, but compared with a certain someone’s family and wealth, Shang Ke was practically roadside grass. He was not putting himself down. His lover was simply too dazzling, and Shang Ke could not afford to look shabby beside him.

In this life, Shang Ke had studied mechanical and electronic engineering. If he wanted to make money, he should start there; abruptly entering another field would only arouse suspicion.

Technology was generally divided into two tiers: high income followed new technology, and new technology was the one thing Shang Ke never lacked. Several worlds he had lived through were far more advanced than this one. The differences in energy and materials meant he would have to recalculate and adapt the designs, but the underlying principles were universal.

After weighing it carefully, Shang Ke decided to make household robots his first research project. Intelligent robots already existed, but in Shang Ke’s eyes their “intelligence” was nowhere near genuine intelligence. They could perform only simple commands. Independent garbage collection, fine food preparation, visitor logging, parcel delivery and receipt, moving and renovation work, hazard warnings, health diagnostics, and countless other functions were either nonexistent or immature. Shang Ke’s goal was to improve and innovate on existing technology until intelligent robots became as common as computers—and as welcome in the home.

With his current finances, creating a company was obviously beyond him. He planned to focus on design and innovation, apply for patents, and then look for partners. He could produce more than a dozen technologies of this kind without much effort, but one robot project would be enough for a joint venture.

Shang Ke could not help wondering whether successfully filing fifty technology patents would summon a certain beast named Wei Xun. If fifty were not enough, what about a hundred?

Ding. His phone received a text message. When he opened it, the sender was Wei Xun.

Wei Xun: 【Come out for a meal. Baorui Hotel, Room 808.】

The imperious tone assumed Shang Ke would come whenever he was called, without even asking whether he was free. Shang Ke tossed the phone onto the sofa, picked up a cushion, and beat it several times before getting up to change.

As he left the apartment, an idea struck him. He texted back: 【I’m craving the roast duck at Mi Nongjia today. Want to come with me?】

After sending the message, Shang Ke walked out in high spirits, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Mi Nongjia.

Halfway there, his phone received a new message: 【Mm.】

The corners of Shang Ke’s mouth lifted, and his curved eyes gleamed with delight.

The bodyguard began to wonder whether he was escorting an impostor. What was Master Xun’s position? He was the heir of the capital’s foremost family. He had reserved an extravagant meal and condescended to invite someone out, only for the other party to refuse the appointment and try to lure him away with a roast duck. Worse, Mi Nongjia was nearly forty kilometers from the Baorui Hotel. Without traffic, the drive still took about half an hour.

And yet Master Xun had genuinely abandoned the luxury meal and was traveling all the way to the outskirts for the invitation. It was unbelievable.

It was the first time the bodyguard had seen anyone provoke Master Xun so boldly—and the first time he had seen Master Xun obey anyone so readily.

Mi Nongjia was a rustic restaurant specializing in home-style dishes, and roast duck was one of its specialties. Shang Ke had reserved a private room. Through the open window, he could see a lush bamboo grove, vegetable gardens, and fields in the distance.

There was none of the city’s noise here. The air was fresh, and the surroundings peaceful.

Shang Ke sat lazily by the window, admiring the view while sipping tea at leisure. That was the scene Wei Xun saw when he entered the private room.

“You’re here.” Shang Ke set down his teacup, rose to welcome him, showed him to his seat, then picked up the pot and poured him a cup of hot tea.

Wei Xun surveyed the room. It could not be called luxurious, but it had a distinctive charm.

“What would you like to eat?” Shang Ke sat beside him and handed over the menu.

“You order.” Wei Xun’s gaze settled on Shang Ke and quietly took in every detail of him.

“Then I’ll order according to my own taste.” Shang Ke did not stand on ceremony; he skillfully ordered seven or eight dishes from the waiter.

Wei Xun’s eyes darkened slightly, and his expression relaxed despite himself. Many people who deliberately tried to act natural gave themselves away in small details. This man was different. He genuinely… did not treat Wei Xun as anyone special.

“Do you drink?” Shang Ke asked. “They serve authentic rice wine here. It may not be as refined as red wine, but it has its own character.”

“All right.” Wei Xun had no objection.

Shang Ke gave him an “OK” sign and asked the waiter to add a pot of wine.

When all the dishes arrived, the two began their meal.

Wei Xun observed the excellent habit of not speaking while eating. He ate in silence, methodically and without hurry. Shang Ke had plenty to talk about, but the man’s expression was as cold as dried excrement. It killed the urge to chat—and ruined Shang Ke’s appetite.

Shang Ke picked up the serving chopsticks and silently placed a piece of tofu in Wei Xun’s bowl. Hot-and-sour tofu was another specialty of Mi Nongjia. It looked white, tender, and refreshing, but the taste was extraordinarily… bracing.

When he had hosted Wei Xun at home, Shang Ke had already noticed that the man was not accustomed to spicy food.

Sure enough, when Wei Xun unsuspectingly put the tofu into his mouth, his expression cracked for an instant.

Shang Ke casually handed him a teacup full of wine. Wei Xun drained it in one go, and then…

“I’m going to the restroom.” Wei Xun sprang to his feet and strode out of the private room.

Shang Ke had successfully turned a lump of dried excrement into a fresh one.

Five or six minutes later, Wei Xun returned. His complexion had returned to normal, but a dangerous glint now showed in his eyes whenever he looked at Shang Ke. He admitted that he liked the man, but not enough to let him tease Wei Xun with impunity.

“I have something to do. Let’s end it here.” Wei Xun took out his card to pay.

“I already paid.” Shang Ke stood and smiled at him. “Can I get a ride?”

“No.” Wei Xun turned and walked away.

“Hey, don’t be like that.” Shang Ke hurried after him. “I treated you to another meal. At least drive me part of the way.”

“Call your own car.” Wei Xun walked straight toward his parking space.

“Then I’m calling yours.” Shang Ke ran ahead and slipped through the door the bodyguard had opened.

Wei Xun stopped and stared at him ominously.

“Come on.” Shang Ke patted the empty seat beside him and smiled with utterly harmless innocence.

The bodyguard looked at Shang Ke in alarm, then cautiously studied Master Xun’s expression. “Master Xun, shall I pull him out?”

“No.” Wei Xun got in and sat stiffly beside Shang Ke. The space suddenly felt much too cramped.

The car started. The bodyguard focused on the road without looking to either side.

Not a word was spoken during the drive. The atmosphere was painfully rigid.

Shang Ke, however, looked perfectly at ease. He paid no attention to the dark aura radiating from Wei Xun that said, I am unhappy, and I will make sure you are unhappy too.

The bodyguard stopped beneath Shang Ke’s apartment building and got out to open the door.

“That meal did not seem very satisfying. Shall I treat you properly next time?” Shang Ke looked at the man beside him.

“I’m busy.” In other words: no.

His expression was frightening, but Shang Ke sensed no disgust in him. Anyone else might have been cowed by that terrifying face.

“Then I’ll ask you again when you’re not busy.” Shang Ke smiled and got out of the car.

Wei Xun watched him walk away, his expression growing darker. He had really just left? No apology, no attempt to make amends, not even an effort to smooth Wei Xun’s ruffled temper.

Wei Xun’s face stiffened. What was this “smoothing his temper” nonsense?

“Master Xun, where are you going now?” the bodyguard asked.

“The hotel.” Wei Xun owned a house downtown, but rarely returned to it. The people living in those upscale districts were all prominent figures in the capital, entangled in countless relationships and constantly crossing paths. For a man with prosopagnosia, socializing was a nuisance. There was no point buying another house when he could simply stay in a hotel; his hotels were spread across the country, and he could live anywhere.

A faint scent of roses lingered in the air—the trace Shang Ke had left behind. Wei Xun frowned as he replayed their meal in his mind. He felt both the anger of being teased and the pleasure of having been drawn close. The conflicting emotions left him at a loss, but there was no denying that he liked being with Shang Ke.

And yet, after this, Shang Ke probably would not be as close to him as before… would he?

The thought made Wei Xun restless. Just then, his fingers brushed against something. He looked down and found a beautifully wrapped gift box about the size of a ring box on the seat.

Wei Xun picked it up and opened it. His tightly furrowed brows relaxed at once, and the faintest smile appeared on his lips.

Inside was a chick-shaped cake. The chick held its head high and its tail proudly aloft, as if going bravely to its death. A glittering golden character meaning “friend” was carved into its round belly, and its eyes and solemn little expression were remarkably sharp.

For an instant, Wei Xun mistook it for Shang Ke and could not help laughing. His gloomy mood lifted immediately.

The bodyguard happened to glimpse Wei Xun smiling. His hand jerked, and he nearly drove onto the sidewalk. Damn it—Master Xun looked even more frightening when he smiled!

“Friend?” Wei Xun lowered his brows and murmured, “Do you want to be my ‘gay friend’?” (Shang Ke: Correct answer. 【Finger heart】…)

Wei Xun picked up the little chick and studied it in silence for a long time before putting it into his mouth and tasting it slowly. A sweet fragrance filled his senses, and his entire body seemed to relax…

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