741: Not Well

Not Well

Dr. Feng had known that this day would come sooner or later, especially after Lu Yizhou woke up from his coma.  2

Hence, aside from freezing for a split second, he immediately shot into his feet and flung his work to the back of his mind. He pulled up Dr. Xiao's contact information in his terminal while walking to the door, and only then did he recall that there was another person with him in the office. Dr. Feng hesitated for a moment before he turned around to ask, "You… what do you want to do?"

It was not like Dr. Feng did not trust Luan, after all the man had helped Zachary and Lu Yizhou inside the simulator and thus, there was nothing he had to hide anymore. It's just that… since he got this physical body, Luan had never ventured into anywhere but his office. 

For some selfish reason, he was unwilling to let Luan be seen by others, not like this. Dr. Feng had no idea where this subtle unwillingness came from, but he could tell that it was utterly unreasonable. Luan did not belong to him and it was not his right to tell the man what he ought to do. Luan was free to walk around the institute grounds. And that's why he was returning the decision to Luan's hands. If Luan did not want to go with him, then he could just stay in the office like usual. And if he wanted to go…

"I won't go," Luan took out an earpiece from his pocket and handed it over to him. "If you need something, you can reach me through here. I will stay here and help you take care of a few urgent documents."

Dr. Feng's gaze turned complicated. Once again, he had a hunch that Luan could see through what was in his mind. "Hmm…" he gingerly accepted the earpiece and slipped it into his pocket. "Then, I will call you later. Thank you."

A subtle smile flashed through Luan's eyes. "Go."

Dr. Feng thought that it would not be long until they would meet again. At most, he only needed to confirm Zachary's condition and witnessed a touching reunion between him and Lu Yizhou. Alas, never would he expect that this 'later' would end up dragging into the wee hours of the next day.

One problem popped up after another like colorful mushrooms flourishing amid rainy days. Zachary was completely unresponsive despite being awake, their institute was attacked by exploding crystal balls, Lu Yizhou was gravely injured and his heart even stopped beating for a few seconds, then he had to avoid the military warship and settle Lu Yizhou and Zachary to another hiding place…

As if it was still not enough, he had to rush back to deal with the stupid and money grubber researcher who had sold information to the enemy. He also had to get into the military warship and follow them to the army basecamp to cooperate with the investigation…

By the time he finished going through the military procedure, it was already 3 am in the morning. Dr. Feng was dropped off by the military hover car in front of the research institute. 

"Thank you very much for the ride," he told the soldier in a hoarse voice. "Please be careful on your way back."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Dr. Feng. Don't worry about the building. In a few days, we will send a few people over to repair it. Have a good rest," the soldier replied with a polite tone. After that, he rolled up the window and drove away, leaving a flurry of snowstorm in its wake.

By this time, Dr. Feng was already so tired that he was dragging on his feet. He intended to take a deep breath to sober his mind up, yet he ended up inhaling a mouthful of icy snowflakes and almost coughed his lungs out. That one cough made him shudder in pain. His whole body was aching all over as if he had just run a marathon – no, even running a marathon would not exhaust him like this. 

Every strand of muscles on his body was screaming and protesting in extreme pain. It turned out, the saying that 'humans will exceed their limit in times of peril' was a hundred percent accurate. He had never thought that he would have the strength to carry Lu Yizhou from the rooftop to the first floor, then to the neighboring building's parking lot. Now that he thought back about it, even he was amazed with himself.

The heavy snow rained on him mercilessly, dampening his hair and clothes. He was so tired that his mind was ringing, and that's why he was utterly caught off guard when he stepped through the institute door only for someone to grab his arm by force.

Dr. Feng's vision spun and the next thing he knew, he was pressed to the wall by the livid Luan. "I told you to contact me if you need anything! At least, give me a head's up if you're going somewhere! Do you know how long I have been waiting for your news here?!"

Dr. Feng stared at the man blankly, his lagging brain unable to process their current situation. This was the second time he had ever seen Luan lose control of his emotions. The first time was during his grand confession, and… this was the second time. However, the two events were contrastingly different. This time, he could see the vivid anger, worry and trepidation in Luan's dark pupils, it was as if there was a blazing fire burning within. He was so angry that his breathing became ragged, and the line of his jaws tensed from how hard he was clenching his teeth.

"Ah…" Dr. Feng belatedly recalled that he had thrown the earpiece to Lu Yizhou, thinking that it would be able to assist him in time of need. After that, everything was so chaotic that he forgot about its existence. No wonder Luan was so angry. He must have been beside himself with worry and anxiety. Realizing that it was his fault, Dr. Feng lowered his head and admitted in a soft voice, "I'm sorry…"

A brief surprise flashed through Luan's eyes, presumably caught off guard by the docility he showed. He loosened his grip around Dr. Feng's arm and just like that, his anger melted away without a trace. But then, just as he was going to ask if everything was okay, the high-tech sensor in his pupils inadvertently caught sight of small brownish patches on Dr. Feng's sleeves. 

His expression abruptly sank as he seized Dr. Feng's wrist to his eye level, his face turning pale in fright. "Y–You are injured…?"

Dr. Feng gave him a slow blink. Somehow, he had a hunch that Luan would explode in fury if he said yes. "No…" he replied in a sluggish tone. "It's Lu Yizhou's blood." 

Luan's expression did not relax as he scanned Dr. Feng up and down. "You're really not injured?"

When was the last time someone had been so genuinely concerned about him? 

His parents had passed away when he was still in Junior High, leaving him alone to fend for himself. Since then, he was akin to a lone stick of bamboo, hard and unyielding as he tried his best to sprout out of the mud and cleave through the sky. For him, emotions such as vulnerability and melancholy were more often than not useless. Rather than crying, why don't you work harder? Rather than brooding, why don't you think of a solution to the problem? 

He had always been smart and independent. After he graduated from university, he went to work for the royal family as the researcher for their secret project. After that, he spent one-third of his lifetime building his own system to how it was today. He was like a working gear, always turning and spinning tirelessly. As long as he could keep working, he did not need to stop. Indeed, the other researchers and Dr. Xiao had sometimes told him to take a rest, but their worry had stemmed from the fact that he was the Head Administrator. He was the pillar who held this institute up and hence, he should not collapse – he could not. 

Luan's worry was completely different though. Dr. Feng thought for a while and he still could not pinpoint how it could be different. Perhaps it was because he was a system? Or perhaps it was because he saw Dr. Feng as the person who had given him life or… Cyrus?

He did not know and he was too exhausted to think deeply.

Perhaps he was affected by the intense grief Zachary showed earlier, or perhaps he was suddenly enlightened about how fragile a human's life was, about how death was actually so close at hand and it would catch you off guard at unexpected times, he suddenly felt like… he wanted to find a place where he could lean on, a place where he could grouse and complain about his grievance, a place where he did not need to be strong all the time. A place where he could unwind this huge burden called 'responsibility' on his shoulders. 

A place or… a sanctuary. Just for himself.

"What's wrong?" Luan saw that he was lost in a daze and became more worried. "Are you feeling unwell?"

If it was the usual Dr. Feng, he would decisively say no. After all, he was the kind of person who would still come to work even if he was sick from high fever. But now, in front of Luan – the very system he had created with his own hands – he showed a sliver of vulnerability for the first time.

"Yes…" his voice came out in the barest of whispers, like a mysterious secret that could only be told between the two. "Yes, I am not well." Then he slowly, slowly let his head lean against Luan's broad shoulder and closed his eyes, his voice muffled. "Luan, I am so tired…"

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