Relentless Pursuit

Chapter 48

"Over the next three days, under the influence of a weak cold front, temperatures will continue to drop, with persistent rain across all regions..."

The car came to a stop in front of the laboratory building. He raised his thermos to his lips and took a sip of hot water, then screwed the lid tight and placed it in the side pocket of his backpack.

Ye Nanxun put Little Dragon into the pet carrier backpack, checked Mushroom Egg once more, then pushed open the car door, opened his umbrella, and stepped out.

The biting wind, mixed with icy drizzle, lashed straight at his face. Shrinking his neck, the omega lowered his head and hurried toward the laboratory building.

Just as he was about to climb the building steps, a tall, imposing figure aggressively blocked his path.

"Where the hell did you go yesterday?!"

Glaring viciously at Ye Nanxun beneath the umbrella, Zhu Shixin reached out to grab the small section of pale, slender wrist exposed by the omega's sleeve.

Ye Nanxun took a step back, his rain boots splashing up a patch of water. The moment he saw Zhu Shixin, his brows drew together slightly, and he said coldly, "Please move aside. This is a school, not a place for you to throw your weight around."

Failing to grab the omega's wrist and receiving such bluntly cold words in return, Zhu Shixin saw Ye Nanxun trying to go around him and immediately followed after him.

Beneath the anger in the alpha's voice was a faint, barely noticeable hint of grievance. "I fucking waited for you all day yesterday!"

His fingers tightened slightly around the umbrella handle. Ye Nanxun could not guess why Zhu Shixin had come looking for him. Was it because of what happened at the He Household last time?

Ye Nanxun's eyes were wary. "Are you looking for trouble with me again?"

The glint in his pale green eyes flashed like a sharp little knife before Zhu Shixin.

The undisguised rejection, wariness, and disgust abruptly extinguished Zhu Shixin's anger. He stammered, "I... I wasn't looking for trouble with you."

He was only a few steps away from shelter from the wind and rain, yet this uninvited guest had stopped him outside the laboratory building.

Icy raindrops slipped down his neck, while the cold wind howled against his face. Ye Nanxun did not want to say another word to Zhu Shixin. He stepped onto the stairs and was about to go inside.

Zhu Shixin stubbornly pestered him. "Hey, wait!"

Ye Nanxun's face darkened. "I'm about to get soaked."

Zhu Shixin froze for a moment. Only then did he realize that the wind was blowing at an angle today, and the rain was falling sideways with it.

In just those few minutes, the omega who had been standing in the rain with an umbrella had already gotten more than half of his hem and trousers wet.

"...I didn't mean to." Zhu Shixin moved aside to make way for Ye Nanxun, muttering quietly.

Ignoring Zhu Shixin, Ye Nanxun strode up the steps, put away his umbrella, and went straight to the entrance of the laboratory building to scan his identity.

By the time Zhu Shixin reacted, Ye Nanxun had already entered without looking back.

"Hey! Ye Nanxun! Get out here!"

A step too late, Zhu Shixin could not follow the omega inside. He clenched his fists in fury and pounded hard on the sturdy doors that had already shut, making them bang loudly.

The omega inside wore a cold expression. He looked back at Zhu Shixin, who was still going crazy at the entrance, and frowned even more deeply.

"Professor Ye, are you all right? Who was that person? Is he from our school?" Other teachers noticed the commotion outside and asked with concern.

"He looked like a very young alpha. Professor Ye, it's not that I'm saying anything, but you've only been at our institute for a few days. How did you already stir up this kind of trouble?" Some spoke in a strange, insinuating tone, making malicious guesses.

Ye Nanxun looked over coldly. "I don't know him."

That person still wanted to say something, but a colleague beside him quickly pulled him away.

"I've already contacted security," said the female professor who had first shown concern for Ye Nanxun as she walked forward with him. "Don't take Zhang Ming's words to heart. You're now the youngest professor at our Scientific Research Institute. There are definitely people who can't stand you behind your back."

Ye Nanxun had been at the Scientific Research Institute for some time now, but he had always kept to himself. He did not eat in the cafeteria or attend any work-unrelated gatherings, so he did not know any of the other teachers in the laboratory building.

The female professor was petite, gentle, and elegant. She looked about the same age as his mother, Chen Mingzhu.

Ye Nanxun said sincerely, "Thank you."

The female professor extended her hand to Ye Nanxun and said with a smile, "Let's get acquainted. My name is Li Suihuan."

"Hello, Professor Li. My name is Ye Nanxun." Ye Nanxun wiped the raindrops from his hand on his trousers before reaching out to shake hers.

"Well, never mind that you're young—you're even better-looking than an interstellar celebrity. No wonder Zhang Ming and the others are so jealous." The smile in Li Suihuan's eyes deepened. "Even I can't help being jealous of you."

Ye Nanxun blushed at the compliment. His mind rapidly searched through the socializing phrases he had looked up before, but after a long while, he could not force out a single word.

In the end, he stammered out a few words. "No..."

Seeing Ye Nanxun's nervousness and lack of eloquence, Li Suihuan merely smiled and said nothing more.

They soon reached the entrance to Ye Nanxun's laboratory. Li Suihuan lightly patted the young professor's shoulder. "I'm in Laboratory Three. Come visit when you have time, Professor Ye."

"All right. Goodbye, Professor Li." Ye Nanxun stood at the door and bid Li Suihuan farewell, polite and well-behaved.

This socially anxious, taciturn habit could not be changed even after being reborn once.

After returning to his laboratory, Ye Nanxun quickly put the unpleasant incident out of his mind.

He let Little Dragon out and played with him for a while before changing into a white lab coat and entering the laboratory.

He placed Mushroom Egg beside the computer and occasionally glanced at it while working.

"Did you get a little bigger?"

Rubbing the back of his aching neck, Ye Nanxun propped his chin up with one hand. The more he looked, the more certain he became that his Mushroom Egg had indeed grown larger.

Animal eggs were all a fixed size when laid. Although Mushroom Egg was an egg, it was not an egg laid by any animal.

"The fusion of pheromones and pheromones... how fascinating..."

Ye Nanxun's fingers lightly brushed across Mushroom Egg's smooth shell.

He buried himself in work until noon. It was still raining outside, so taking the dog for a walk was out of the question.

Ye Nanxun only planned to go out and buy a sandwich. He packed Little Dragon and Mushroom Egg into his backpack and carried them with him. He had only taken a few steps after leaving the laboratory when Li Suihuan called out to him.

"Professor Ye, that young alpha from this morning seems to have quite an unusual background. He may not be able to enter our laboratory building, but I saw a car parked outside the entrance the whole time. Be careful."

Ye Nanxun understood at once and nodded. "Professor Li, thank you."

Li Suihuan was still somewhat worried. "If you really run into any problems or harassment, you can report it to the institute."

Ye Nanxun smiled. "I will."

There was a vending machine in the first-floor lobby of the laboratory building. Ye Nanxun bought a pack of biscuits, glanced at the black luxury car faintly visible outside the entrance, then turned back toward the laboratory.