Relentless Pursuit

Chapter Forty-Eight

"Over the next three days, affected by a weak cold front, temperatures will continue to drop, with persistent overcast and rainy weather across all regions..."

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

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

The biting wind carried icy drizzle that pelted his face. Shrinking his neck, the omega lowered his head and hurried toward the laboratory building.

Just as he was about to climb the steps, a tall, imposing figure aggressively and rudely blocked his way.

"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 slender, fair wrist exposed by the omega.

Ye Nanxun took a step back, his rain boots splashing up a small patch of water. The instant he saw Zhu Shixin, he frowned faintly and said coldly, "Please move aside. This is a school, not somewhere for you to throw your weight around."

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

Beneath the fury in the alpha's voice was a trace of grievance that was hard to detect. "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 looked at him warily. "Are you here to cause trouble for me again?"

The gleam that flashed through his pale green pupils was like a sharp little blade waved before Zhu Shixin.

The undisguised rejection, wariness, and disgust abruptly snuffed out Zhu Shixin's anger. He stammered, "I... I didn't come to cause trouble for you."

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

Cold raindrops slipped down his neck, and the wind howled against his face. Ye Nanxun had no desire to say another word to Zhu Shixin. He climbed the steps and headed inside.

Zhu Shixin stubbornly chased after him. "Hey, wait!"

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

Zhu Shixin froze for a moment before realizing that the wind was blowing sideways today, carrying the rain down at an angle as well.

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

"...I didn't mean to." Zhu Shixin moved aside and made way for Ye Nanxun, muttering under his breath.

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

By the time Zhu Shixin came to his senses, 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 resentment and slammed them against the sturdy doors that had already shut, making them bang loudly.

The omega inside wore a cold, grim expression. He looked back at Zhu Shixin, who was still going mad at the entrance, and his frown deepened.

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

"He looks like a very young alpha. Professor Ye, not that I'm saying anything, but you've only been at our institute for a few days. How did you already get yourself into this kind of trouble?" Others spoke with thinly veiled mockery and malicious speculation.

Ye Nanxun shot the person a cold look. "I don't know him."

That person wanted to say more, 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 the youngest professor at our Scientific Research Institute, so there are bound to be people who resent you in private."

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 dinners, and 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 held out her hand to Ye Nanxun and said with a smile, "Let's get acquainted. My name is Li Suihuan."

"Hello, Professor Li. I'm Ye Nanxun." Ye Nanxun wiped the droplets from his hand against his trousers before reaching out to shake hers.

"You're young enough already, and you're even better-looking than an interstellar superstar. No wonder Zhang Ming and the others are so jealous." The amusement in Li Suihuan's eyes deepened. "Even I can't help being jealous of you."

Ye Nanxun blushed from the praise, rapidly searching through the social scripts he had looked up before, but he could not force out a single word for quite a while.

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 arrived at the entrance to Ye Nanxun's laboratory. Li Suihuan gently patted the young professor's shoulder. "I'm in Lab Three. Come visit when you have time, Professor Ye."

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

Even after being reborn, he could not change his social anxiety and reticence.

Back in his own laboratory, Ye Nanxun quickly put the unpleasant incident out of his mind.

He let Little Dragon out and played with him for a while, then changed into a white lab coat and entered the lab.

He placed Mushroom Egg beside the computer and glanced at it from time to time.

"Have you gotten a little bigger?"

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

Animal eggs were always 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... it's so amazing..."

Ye Nanxun's fingers gently brushed 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 in this weather.

Ye Nanxun only intended 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 extraordinary background. He may not be able to enter our laboratory building, but I saw a car parked at the entrance the whole time. Be careful."

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

Li Suihuan was still somewhat worried. "If you 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 packet of biscuits, glanced at the black luxury car vaguely visible outside the entrance, and turned back toward the laboratory.