Xi Zhengqing believed that the young man's lack of resistance after what had happened at the villa meant he had a chance. He began asking Xin Hexue out frequently, intending to strike while the iron was hot and change the nature of their relationship.
At a charity gala, Xi Zhengqing bid on a necklace. It was introduced as an eighteenth-century royal antique, said to symbolize the lifelong, unwavering love between a king and queen who had grown old together. Thus, the necklace had been named the Heart of Eternity.
Xi Zhengqing gave it to Xin Hexue.
An aquamarine hung at its center, dazzling to behold. The tiny white diamonds scattered around it looked like a crowd gathered around the blue gemstone.
But as Xi Zhengqing reached around from behind to put it on him, Xin Hexue raised a hand and gently stopped him.
The young man lowered his head, his fingertips slowly brushing the moonstone he was already wearing.
That necklace had also been a gift from Xi Zhengqing, but it had been a birthday present he had given Xin Hexue when they first met, while posing as Pei Guangji.
Xin Hexue knitted his brows slightly. After hesitating, he gave Xi Zhengqing a strained smile. "Zhengqing, your gift is too valuable. I'm afraid I can't accept it..."
Xin Hexue had accompanied Xi Zhengqing to the auction portion of the charity gala, where the necklace called the Heart of Eternity had sold for an astronomical sum.
The smile on Xi Zhengqing's face faded somewhat as he fixed his gaze on the moonstone necklace.
Xin Hexue surely still thought Pei Guangji had given it to him. For no reason at all, Xi Zhengqing had scored Pei Guangji another point.
Xi Zhengqing gave a gentlemanly smile and pretended not to understand Xin Hexue's tactful refusal. He casually returned the Heart of Eternity to its velvet box. "In any case, when I bid on this necklace, you were the one I was thinking of, and you were the one I wanted to give it to."
His words carried a hidden meaning, using the necklace to express his feelings indirectly.
"If you don't want it, there's no value in keeping it with me." Holding the velvet box, Xi Zhengqing looked slightly disappointed. "But I'm not in the habit of passing my treasures on to someone else, either. If you don't want it, I'll dispose of it."
By "dispose of it," he sounded as though he meant throwing it away or destroying it.
Unable to bear the thought, the young man had no choice but to accept it for the time being.
A glint of satisfaction at having gotten his way flashed through Xi Zhengqing's eyes.
Xin Hexue softened his tone and smiled at Xi Zhengqing. "All right, then. I'll keep it safe for you for now. If you ever want to take it back, I'll return it to you."
[Xi Zhengqing Affection Points +1]
[Xi Zhengqing's current Affection Points: 90]
Xi Zhengqing could now come and go from the villa at ease. He had even been inside Xin Hexue's room.
That meant he held an increasingly important place in Xin Hexue's heart, enough to be admitted into his private space.
In fact, Xi Zhengqing had been somewhat worried about Xin Hexue's mental state for some time.
Xin Hexue almost never went out except when Xi Zhengqing specifically invited him. The unspoken reason he stayed in might still be his troubling face blindness. Xi Zhengqing had already noticed a pattern: when Xin Hexue went out, he relied heavily on the person beside him, as though treating that person as his mainstay. Familiar characteristics gave him a sense of security and helped him calm down.
Xi Zhengqing worried that, if this continued, Xin Hexue's condition would worsen. After all, his experience of being bullied in high school had already left him with a degree of social anxiety disorder.
Since Xin Hexue was unwilling, Xi Zhengqing did not insist that he undergo counseling.
He did, however, consult a psychologist.
Under the circumstances, it would be best for Xin Hexue to develop a healthy, stable, long-term hobby.
But Xi Zhengqing was surprised to realize that, from the beginning until now, he had never seen Xin Hexue show a particular fondness or preference for anything.
Even with the archery he had practiced at the villa, Xin Hexue had seemed to like it at first, but later spoke of it with little enthusiasm.
Perhaps he had only agreed to try archery with Xi Zhengqing because he had not wanted to spoil the mood.
Xi Zhengqing could not help asking, "What do you usually like to do?"
Xin Hexue turned his gaze away from the mechanical cat and fixed it on Xi Zhengqing. "What do I like to do...?"
His eyes looked a little vacant. "Get up at seven or eight in the morning, make cat food for Puppy, take a walk in the garden, then read... Go to sleep at ten?"
It was a very regular routine, but that seemed to be all. From the way he was, Xi Zhengqing could not tell if there was anything he was particularly passionate about.
It was merely the routine necessary to live in this world.
Xi Zhengqing said, "I mean hobbies."
Hearing that, Xin Hexue fell silent for quite a while, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long time, so long that Xi Zhengqing thought Xin Hexue had forgotten his original question, Xin Hexue finally said to him with a start, "Does acting count?"
Looking a little shy and awkward, Xin Hexue found the film he had acted in as a teenager.
"You probably haven't seen it," he said, introducing it to Xi Zhengqing a little sheepishly. "Back when I was in the Twelfth District, a director found me and asked me to appear in his film."
Xin Hexue had already told Xi Zhengqing about his past, including his gambling-addicted adoptive father, the garbage station where he had been found, the chaotic slums of the Twelfth District, and why Pei Guangji had later taken him to District One.
Xi Zhengqing had seen that film.
After their first meeting, Xi Zhengqing had deliberately sought it out to learn about the young man's past.
Even so, he pretended to know nothing about it.
This time, Xin Hexue watched it with him, the two of them curled up on the sofa. The film was several years old, from a time when holographic projection technology had not even existed, and the Twelfth District on screen had not yet been as chaotic as it was today.
The film's ending theme began to play.
Xin Hexue lowered his lashes. He had looked a little tired just moments ago, but as he talked about acting, his eyes lit up again. "I like the feeling of acting. Every character is distinct, and the costumes each have features that match the character, like special symbols. I only have to immerse myself in the role I'm playing, and it's the same for everyone else. Everyone is a vivid symbol that can speak and has a personality, and I'm no different from anyone else."
The experience seemed to give him a full sense of security, allowing him to enjoy himself without being troubled by his face blindness.
"Back then, the film crew even supported me in going to the Sixth District to finish my education. The director promised we'd work together again after I became an adult." As Xin Hexue went on, his voice grew despondent. "But we haven't been in touch all these years. I suppose it's because I'm no longer suitable, and I don't have the same spark I used to."
Xi Zhengqing suddenly spoke. "That's not true."
He could not bear to hear Xin Hexue put himself down like that.
"The director's name was Yun Ziming, right?"
Xi Zhengqing had looked into it, but he still confirmed it with Xin Hexue.
Only when Xin Hexue nodded did Xi Zhengqing say, "He died in an accident two years ago."
Xin Hexue showed sadness and regret. "Is that so? I had no idea... He was my favorite director. His style was very distinctive."
Xi Zhengqing paused, then said to Xin Hexue, "Qiu Yuan was his student."
Chapter 28: Face Blindness (28)
After hearing that Xi Zhengqing was willing to speak to Qiu Yuan about it later, Xin Hexue was visibly more upbeat than before.
"Could you contact a repair technician and have them come to the house?"
Xin Hexue pushed himself up from the sofa. The collar of his thin shirt was a little loose, falling slightly open to reveal a small patch of fair skin.
Xi Zhengqing asked, "What's wrong?"
Xin Hexue shuffled over in his cotton house slippers and beckoned the bionic butler over.
Looking worried, he explained to Xi Zhengqing, "No. 1 seems to be damaged. His neck leaks electricity sometimes."
Sure enough, the section of bionic skin on No. 1's neck bore purplish-blue marks that looked like early signs of necrosis.
Xi Zhengqing frowned. He was certain this was the latest model from the Nüwa Bionic Manufacturing Company; its quality could not possibly be so poor. "How did that happen?"
Xin Hexue did not know either, so they needed a professional to determine the cause.
Xi Zhengqing nodded to show he understood. He glanced at the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling windows; it was already dusk.
"A repair technician will come here tomorrow morning." Xi Zhengqing maintained a proper distance like a gentleman, acting like a polite guest. "The sun is about to set. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to stay the night, so I'll head back now."
Xin Hexue invited him to stay. "Won't you have dinner before you go?"
Xi Zhengqing looked deeply at him. "No. I wouldn't be able to bear leaving you."
Lately, his words had been subtly crossing the boundaries between friends, carrying an indistinct hint of flirtation.
His affection was plain to see, with only the flimsy veil of "friendship" left between them, ready to be pierced with a touch.
In fact, because Xin Hexue had shown no resistance, Xi Zhengqing was steadily closing the distance between them, step by step. Once Xin Hexue had fully grown accustomed to his company, it would be time for him to take his place.
The repair technician replaced the bionic skin on No. 1's neck and explained to Xin Hexue, "This looks more like the skin necrosis was caused by a powerful force. It even affected the wiring in the body itself, but the damaged parts have now been repaired. Have you noticed it behaving strangely lately?"
Xin Hexue shook his head in bewilderment. "Um... everything he does seems normal, and he does an excellent job with his work every day. What do you mean by strange behavior?"
The technician looked a little uneasy. Although he himself thought the idea was somewhat absurd, he ventured to say it anyway. "For example... I mean, hanging itself to end its life? Of course, that's only a guess."
Could bionic humans hang themselves too?
Xin Hexue wondered in surprise.
The technician explained, "This is our company's latest model. The reason it hasn't entered the market yet is that this bionic human is equipped with a chip that imitates human emotions, and some functions may be unstable. Young Master Xi arranged for it to be sent here, but it's actually still in the testing phase. If you have time, could you write a feedback report on your experience? User feedback is very important to us, and we'll do our best to make improvements."