Face Blindness (35)

The communicator lit up, displaying a news story from some time ago.

After he had taken the exposé down.

The Nüwa Bionic Manufacturing Company's official blog had announced that its heir, Xi Zhengqing, would soon be engaged to Mr. Xin Hexue.

Even though Pei Guangji had known for a long time, his body still instinctively felt a ceaseless, dull ache.

How long had he spent in darkness?

Pei Guangji didn't know either. He must have gone mad.

Sometimes he would drag himself up and numb himself with work; other times, he chose alcohol.

He had thrown the invitation to the engagement banquet under the carpet.

The robot informed him that a visitor had arrived.

Pei Guangji pushed himself up. His genetically modified body couldn't suffer alcohol poisoning. He sat down on a barstool at the living room bar and opened another bottle.

"In the mood for a drink, are you?"

Qiu Yuan strolled in at a leisurely pace. He wore an expensive suit, but his right hand was casually tucked into his trouser pocket.

"I saw your previous special assistant at one of my resorts. Jiang Jing, right?"

Jiang Jing, who had followed him in, stepped forward in disbelief. He looked at the dejected state of his former employer. "Young Master?"

"Were you looking for me before? I changed communicators after I resigned, so I couldn't get in touch with you for a while."

Qiu Yuan adjusted his sunglasses.

Of course, the more important reason they hadn't been able to make contact was that he had kept Jiang Jing at his private resort. A special mutant's illusion had concealed him, so Pei Guangji's people couldn't find him. All they could discover in the end was that Jiang Jing had disappeared in the Third District while on vacation.

"Before I resigned, I made a point of telling the new special assistant about the backup server. Things were rushed at the time, so he may not have paid attention."

Jiang Jing stepped forward and gave Pei Guangji the key to the backup server. The moment the data transferred, the communicator's blue light illuminated Pei Guangji's face.

Messages from Xin Hexue that he had missed popped up one after another—

They were from November of last year.

Pei Guangji's hand trembled.

The bottle rolled off the edge of the bar—

"Bang!"

Fireworks exploded in the night sky, dazzling and magnificent, swallowing the boundless darkness. The crimson fireworks overhead complemented the red carpet and flowers on the ground below.

Hundreds upon thousands of drones flashed as they formed the shape of a ring.

A symphony orchestra suddenly struck up.

Together with the fireworks, it brought forth the pale light at the edge of the sky.

Only when the golden sun began to rise did the engagement banquet begin.

Chapter 35: Face Blindness (35)

The engagement banquet for the Xi Group's heir was a grand affair, even though it wasn't the formal wedding and only twenty-eight days had passed between the decision and the preparations. For those twenty-eight days, the Xi family staff had spun like tops, designing formalwear, ordering materials, decorating the venue, arranging the proceedings...

The engagement festivities would last three days. On the first day, the main banquet venue was the Xi estate. After sunset, everyone would move to a seaside castle owned by the Xi Group for the engagement ceremony. The next two days would be devoted to celebrations aboard a luxury cruise ship touring the Upper Third Districts. Numerous celebrities and superstars had been invited to perform at its stops along the way. The cruise would finally arrive at a town famous for opera that the Xi Group had booked in its entirety, where a lavish party had been set up and was waiting for its guests.

This concerned one of the Core District's three great financial dynasties. Not only would the Xi Family's vassal clans attend, but prominent families holding important seats in the Upper House, justices of the Federation Supreme Court, prosecutors, and all manner of figures serving in central institutions would be happy to come and offer the Xi Group their blessings.

Receiving an invitation from the Xi Family was itself an important symbol of status among the Core District's elite.

Even an uneducated, ignorant child born in the chaotic slums of the Twelfth District knew that the Federation's future lay in the hands of two families. The nutritional supplements distributed in the Twelfth District for them to eat bore Shennong Pharmaceuticals' name, while the discarded mechanical materials scavenged from recycling stations would fetch a price on the black market only if they bore Nüwa Bionic's mark.

As conditions grew harsher and resources gradually ran dry, the world was visibly declining, and everyone hoped to get aboard the Pei family's or the Xi Family's Noah's Ark.

Guests would begin arriving at the banquet throughout the morning.

For now, it was still time for the dawn fireworks show and preparations.

Since this was such an important occasion, everyone at the Xi Residence, except Old Master Xi, who lay critically ill in the ICU, had rehearsed for the engagement banquet yesterday.

It had been late by the time they finished going through the proceedings, and Xin Hexue hadn't gone to sleep until nearly midnight.

The fireworks and symphony at daybreak woke him.

The Alpha sharing his bed rolled over, propped himself up on an elbow, and kissed him by the lips. "Good morning. I'm already looking forward to it and feeling nervous."

Xin Hexue had just woken up, and his voice was slightly hoarse as he replied, "I thought you wouldn't be nervous."

Xi Zhengqing smiled at him, a steady sense of happiness in his eyes. "I've been looking forward to this day for so long. Everyone will see us together, and they'll all give us their blessings."

At the thought, Xi Zhengqing's nerve endings were already beginning to stir with excitement at the happy vision in his mind.

"They will." Xin Hexue's eyes curved. "Everything will go smoothly today."

Xin Hexue gave Xi Zhengqing a brief kiss in return, then sat up and stretched. His silk pajamas were thin, and as his movements grew larger, one side rippled down as smoothly as silk in the wind, exposing the smooth skin of one shoulder.

Perhaps because he lacked color, his skin had an overall cool, pale tone. Xi Zhengqing was very familiar with it, but now there was a faint touch of pink on the young man's shoulder.

It was a healthy, lovely color. Perhaps Xi Zhengqing deserved some credit for often preparing nutritious meals for him over the past few months.

Xi Zhengqing looked at it, a great sense of satisfaction rising in his heart.

His cooking had also improved remarkably, earning the approval of the private chef who taught him.

Xin Hexue was actually still a little sleepy, but they needed to wash and get ready as soon as possible. After that, the hairstylist and makeup artist needed to prepare their formal looks for the evening's engagement ceremony.

They weren't too pressed for time, but they needed to be properly dressed to meet and welcome their guests in the meantime.

He turned his head, not understanding why Xi Zhengqing wasn't moving at all.

Xin Hexue finally noticed what was wrong with Xi Zhengqing.

...What an energetic beast.

The Alpha sat on the bed and actually had the nerve to take Xin Hexue's hand and ask, "Can you help me?"

Xin Hexue looked away and said awkwardly, "No. We still have to exchange engagement rings tonight."

He seemed to mind a little that this sort of activity would rub his palms red.

"Zhengqing, can you go take care of it yourself in the bathroom?"

Xi Zhengqing wrapped an arm around his waist. "That would take a long time. I need you. You don't have to use your hands."

He tilted his head and kissed Xin Hexue's cheek again.

The diligent robot collected the stripped-off bedsheets, ready to take them to the laundry room.

Xin Hexue finished his morning shower and basic grooming in the bathroom. He came out wearing cotton house slippers, which were soft and comfortable enough, but the soles of his feet still felt a subtle prickling.

Fortunately, after tonight, he probably wouldn't have to keep pretending with Xi Zhengqing.

To ensure the engagement banquet went smoothly, Xi Zhengqing had brought Xin Hexue to stay at the Xi Residence a week ago.

Compared with the Pei Residence, the Xi Residence was somewhat smaller because there were fewer family members and descendants, but every detail of its furnishings and layout quietly revealed that no less money had been spent on it.

Xin Hexue and Xi Zhengqing stayed in the primary bedroom on the third floor. He acted conservative, as most Betas would, and was unwilling to have full sexual intercourse with Xi Zhengqing before marriage. Xi Zhengqing still had to maintain his gentlemanly image, so he restrained himself to a great extent, although they occasionally engaged in some other intimate acts.

During this time, Xin Hexue had seemingly been wandering about, but he had actually been searching for Xi Zhengqing's collection room all along.

Xi Zhengqing had previously told Xin Hexue that he had a collection room containing rare gems and valuable porcelain he had bought at auctions and on various other occasions. It was where he kept all the treasures he liked.

He wanted to give Xin Hexue all the treasures in the collection room.

Xin Hexue suspected that the leverage against Xi Zhengqing he had failed to find for so long—

The collar he had given "Pei Guangji"—

Was probably hidden in that secret room.

That pervert must have put it away carefully.

And he'd been pretending to be innocent with me all this time.

He only asked me to step on him this morning, on the day of our engagement.

Xin Hexue had only ever played that kind of game with "Pei Guangji."

Xin Hexue had more or less found the entrance to the collection room. Xi Zhengqing wouldn't have placed it too far away. He had spent the past few days searching the rooms on the third floor, and now it seemed...

It was right under my nose.

The primary bedroom was an entire suite, with two adjoining bathrooms, a dressing room for two, and a study in addition to the bedroom.

Xin Hexue pretended to enter the study by chance, then accidentally touched the porcelain vase beside the last bookcase.

The flowers in the slender-necked vase had wilted somewhat and looked as though they hadn't been changed for some time.

The porcelain vase turned.

The tall, large bookcase parted down the middle like a pair of doors, sliding open automatically to either side.

The room beyond was unlit and completely dark.

Was this the place?

Xin Hexue stepped forward, but suddenly, a large hand yanked him back, so abruptly and quickly that its owner even forgot to control his strength.

"Ss..."

Xin Hexue lowered his gaze. His wrist was clenched in the other man's hand, and the yank had left it with a slight, burning pain.

Xi Zhengqing's palm was cold, completely unlike its usual temperature. He turned the porcelain vase twice, and the bookcase closed again like an automatic door.

As he hurried Xin Hexue out, he remembered to explain his unusual behavior. "That room has been abandoned. It was designed with bad feng shui when the house was built. It's been abandoned for many years, and it's too dirty and dusty. Don't go in. You cough very easily."