720: Greenhouse H

Greenhouse H

Lu Yizhou's leg had not fully recovered yet so it was not advisable for him to drive. But for some inexplicable reason, he did not allow Zeke to drive either despite how many times Zeke tried to convince him that his driving skill was more than passable. He was clearly a very good driver, so why didn't Lu Yizhou allow him to show off his skills?! Zeke really could not figure out what was in Lu Yizhou's head.  0

After a lengthy discussion that led to nowhere, they finally decided to make full use of the automatic navigation. Fortunately, the winter had started to thaw and fresh buds of flowers could be seen sprouting out from the trees on the roadside. In this kind of good weather, the possibility that an accident could occur was almost nil.

Of course, they could actually hire a driver for the day, but they were really reluctant to do so. They wanted to spend this important and memorable day with only the two of them alone. Lu Yizhou said this was a 'closure day', but Zeke really begged to differ. Today, he was going to visit the most important people in Lu Yizhou's life! This was clearly a 'family meeting day'! 

Okay, it was not like Zeke had brought him to meet the former Crown Prince – otherwise he really could not ensure that Lu Yizhou would not pull out a gun and drove a bullet through that guy's head – but oh well, it was the thought that counted. 

It took the hover car two hours to drive them to the Northern part of the Capital Planet. The dense population swiftly decreased, and steel buildings were replaced with numerous large greenhouses. It was the place where the freshest supply of fruits and vegetables were produced every single day.

"I bought a greenhouse here more than ten years ago," Lu Yizhou explained as they started to travel down the road. Both sides were lined up with transparent greenhouses and Zeke could see many lush trees inside. Small robots were rolling back and forth inside as they sprayed out water from their heads. Even without human workers, the robots would be able to preserve the trees to their best state. "After that, I have never come here again. So my memory has become a bit blurred. Let's look around for a while."

"Okay!" Zeke had not traveled to this part of the city before and he felt that everything was so marvelous and novel. He could not even tear his gaze off the window.

Looking at his lover's excited state, Lu Yizhou could not resist a smile on his face. He had never expected that the second time he stepped foot in this place again, it would be in this kind of mood – calm and serene. The last time, he had sworn not to look back as he walked out of this place. He had sworn that… before he could take revenge, he would not come back. 

As much as he told himself that he did not wish to be hindered by the painful past, deep down he knew the reason why he chose not to return was because he lacked the courage. He could not bring himself to stand in front of them – his family and also everyone who had died unjustly – without feeling like he was dying from the suffocating guilt and helplessness. 

When the massacre happened, he was only a small child. Just a terrified three years old toddler who could not even defend himself. Against the cruel and harsh world, he was akin to a little ant who could be crushed with no effort. Let alone giving his family a proper burial, he could not even fight back when he was brought away from his planet. 

After that, so many things happened and Lu Yizhou embarked on the dark path of an assassin. And when he finally scraped enough money, everything was already too late. The exploding crystal balls had destroyed his planet's ecosystem and bones had been buried deep in the soil…

The least he could do was to build them a cenotaph.

It took Lu Yizhou a few minutes to identify which greenhouse belonged to him. They got down from the hover car and walked to the entrance. Sensing a new presence, the robot which had been quietly sitting on the corner suddenly whirled to life and approached them. 

[Welcome to Greenhouse H. Are you a visitor?] A mechanical voice sounded from it.

Lu Yizhou could not help but stare a bit longer. The last time he was here, this kind of security service had not been implemented yet. Zeke was even more curious than him. He crouched down and poked the robot on its round forehead. He laughed and told Lu Yizhou with sparkling eyes, "Hey, this guy is kinda cute. Can we bring it back?"

Lu Yizhou shot him a speechless look.

The robot spun to face Zeke and responded crisply, [Thank you for your compliment, Sir. But I have to apologize, I am a property that can't be removed. If you still insist on taking me away, I will sound the alarm and the supervisor will be alerted.] After that, it repeated the previous sentence again. [Welcome to Greenhouse H. Are you a visitor?]

Before Zeke could come up with any shenanigans – for example, trying to trigger the alarm so he could negotiate with the supervisor because that sounded just like something he would do – Lu Yizhou hurriedly cut in, "I am the owner of this greenhouse. It's been more than ten years since I visited. How do I gain entry?"

The robot's eyes lit up as he scanned Lu Yizhou up and down. A few seconds later, the red light above the greenhouse door turned green. [Mr. Lu, your data has been recorded in our directory. Welcome back to Greenhouse H. If you'd like to change the name or complain about our service, please don't hesitate to call me.] 

"Thank you," Lu Yizhou nodded in relief. "I will do it later."

Zeke stood up, patted the nonexistent dust on his pants and took Lu Yizhou's hand in his. When Lu Yizhou turned to face him, he was met with a pair of beautiful smiling eyes. "Let's go?" He did not say anything about the low temperature of Lu Yizhou's skin, nor how the surface of his palm was soaked in sweat. He merely squeezed Lu Yizhou's hand to offer him a silent encouragement. 

Lu Yizhou was stunned, and then a helpless look crossed his face. He thought that he had hid his feelings well… but in the end his lover still saw through everything. No matter how stable his mental state was, the closer he was to this place, he could not help but awaken the agonizing memory of that year. Unknowingly, he must have shown it on his face. Lu Yizhou belatedly realized that the reason why Zeke joked around with the robot must be because he wanted to cheer Lu Yizhou up in his own unique ways. 

As soon as the realization dawned on him, warmth flooded his entire body and dispersed the chill on his fingertips. His gaze softened considerably and the tension on his shoulders finally loosened. With a light sigh, he grasped Zeke's hand tighter, "En, let's go inside."

In hindsight, more than ten years had already passed and it was only logical that the greenhouse would be different from the one in his memory. In spite of that, he was still taken aback when he saw the thriving and lush trees inside. Every inch of the vast space was filled with greenery and the air was crisp and fresh. Artificial sunlight shone from the roof, casting patches of lights and shadows on the ground that swayed along with the rustling leaves. 

The scenery was more beautiful and tranquil than he'd expected.

In a few months' time, flowers would start to bloom and fill the air with their radiance and sweetness. By then, the beauty of this place would increase a few folds.

Lu Yizhou could not help but sink into a trance. For a split second, he felt as if he had returned to his planet — Azure Planet.

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