Chapter 396: Drugged
After confirming that there was nothing seriously wrong, Xi Shi brought up two bowls of tonic soup. Before he could say anything, he blushed and, seeing their condition, took the initiative to ask, “Do you need help tidying up your bedroom?”
Although this place was called a small villa, it now resembled more of a shared dormitory. Everyone had their own room, and while Xi Shi looked after the household, he rarely entered anyone’s private space.
“I’ll do it myself. Thanks, Brother Xi,” Gu Qingji’s hoarse voice was faint. He downed the soup in a few sips and ate a little food to regain strength before trying to feed the worse-off Gu Qingyue.
“Bro, drink some soup first.” His voice was as soft as a child who had done something wrong.
Gu Qingyue, under the watchful eyes of so many people, was deeply embarrassed.
“Why haven’t you all left yet?” Gu Qingji gritted his teeth at the crowd lingering for gossip.
“We’ve got something to ask. How did you end up being set up? Zhao Qianqian said you invited her.” Zhao Qianqian had only partially revealed the situation, and then refused to say more, making it difficult to determine the truth. Plus, with Zhao Changming protesting his innocence, they couldn’t make a clear judgment.
What they did know was that the drug powder Zhao Qianqian used came from a mutated plant discovered by a plant-type ability user, who had refined a small amount of it. She bought it for a high price in crystal cores.
Given Gu Qingji’s usual vigilance, he shouldn’t have fallen for such a trick.
Gu Qingyue glanced at him, and Gu Qingji frowned deeply.
“She asked me to meet her yesterday, said she wanted to treat her to a meal,” Gu Qingji admitted. Instantly, the onlookers exchanged glances, especially since the two brothers had seemed to be on the outs recently.
Lu Weiyi clearly remembered how distracted Gu Qingyue had been during a recent mission and didn’t bother being tactful. “I told you not to resolve things ‘internally.’ You didn’t listen. How long has it been? I even assigned you to different departments.”
“We’re not separated,” Gu Qingji cut in angrily.
Lu Weiyi looked at the two of them suspiciously, especially the silent Gu Qingyue.
Gu Qingyue gave a small nod, confirming it.
Lu Weiyi frowned. Zhuang Mingxu quickly rested a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “It’s just… a kink. A special preference.”
“…Just don’t let it affect work,” Lu Weiyi muttered, forcing himself not to react, then gestured for them to continue.
“I was once ambushed by Liu Xiao from the Junlin combat team and severely injured. There weren’t many people around, and Zhao Qianqian was the first to find me and helped me. I offered to give her crystal cores as thanks, but she said a meal in the future would be enough. So when I got the message yesterday, I went,” Gu Qingji said, disgust flashing across his face.
“Then why was it at her house?” That was the key point—someone had witnessed him bringing lots of things and visiting her home of his own accord.
“I suggested a restaurant. She said it’d be better if I brought food to her place—it’d be more economical that way,” Gu Qingji said dispiritedly. “I knew she had feelings for me, so I was always cautious. Later, since we hadn’t been in contact for a while and she seemed well-behaved, I let my guard down…”
“You relaxed your vigilance,” Zhuang Mingxu summarized. “Plus, you probably thought that as a high-level wood-type user, no mutated plant could escape your detection.”
Gu Qingji exhaled, not denying it. “I was arrogant. Sorry.”
“Halfway through dinner, she said you’d already agreed with Zhao Changming to exchange benefits by marrying her,” he looked up at Lu Weiyi.
“And you believed her?” Dean, gossip king, was shocked.
“At first, I didn’t. But then she listed all of Zhao Changming’s recent achievements and said those were bargaining chips to make you compromise.” With so many research projects about to be launched, and given his background in the entertainment industry, Gu Qingji knew how easily people were swayed by profit. “I wanted to come back and ask you, but then I realized I couldn’t move my body.”
“At first, I was just dizzy and weak. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn’t fight it. In the end… I had my mutated vine carry me out.”
Lu Weiyi didn’t argue about right or wrong. He simply told Gu Qingji the current situation and left the matter to him to resolve.
“Anything goes?” A flash of ruthless malice crossed Gu Qingji’s face.
It passed so quickly Lu Weiyi thought he imagined it. He suddenly remembered the first time he met Gu Qingji—aloof, awkward, trying to protect Gu Qingyue yet always feeling inadequate, hiding his guilt with anger and shouting.
At some point, that immature young man had matured into someone calm and steady. He still didn’t talk much, but now he could shoulder the world.
“Zhao Changming is still needed at the base. If we can make him work honestly, we can also use him as an example to warn those unruly researchers under him,” Zhuang Mingxu suggested.
“I understand,” Gu Qingzhi replied. He understood the implication, and even the weakness in his body eased somewhat.
Seeing that the two were fine, the others left the room. Gu Qingzhi got up to tidy the bedroom, but when his eyes landed on the bloodstains on the bedsheets, his expression turned completely dark.
He filled the bathtub with hot water and directed his mutant vine to move Gu Qingyue into it. Apologetically, he said, “Brother, let me check your injuries. I lost control yesterday—I must have hurt you.”
“Dean already healed them,” Gu Qingyue grasped his hand as it reached out and asked, “What do you plan to do with them?”
“I just want to scare her,” Gu Qingzhi replied.
Gu Qingyue knew him too well. The more he tried to cover it up like this, the more it meant he intended to go all the way. “Qingzhi.”
“Lu Weiyi said you’ve been reassigned and that your previous responsibilities have been handed over to someone else. After your bath, take a proper rest for a few days…”
“Qingzhi!”
Gu Qingzhi’s hands paused as he was massaging his brother’s shoulders. In a small voice, he asked, “Brother, were you mad at me because of her earlier? I felt like… like you didn’t want me anymore.”
“I was clear in showing I wasn’t interested in her, but you still distanced yourself from me. You even volunteered for missions just to avoid me. Why?”
Gu Qingyue thought back on everything that had happened since meeting Zhao Qianqian. He knew she wasn’t easy to get along with, nor a good match, but there was one thing she said that struck a nerve: She could give Gu Qingzhi a child—a normal family.
When Gu Qingyue heard her say that, it was like being struck by lightning. It reminded him of the days when their parents were still alive, their greatest hope being that the two brothers would grow up healthy and start families of their own.
Even on their deathbeds, they had said while holding his hand: “Take good care of your brother. Be there for him when he gets married and has children—see it for us.”
But what had he done?
In this changed world, where the two of them depended on each other, he had let their relationship drift toward something uncontrollable, completely destroying Qingzhi’s chance at a normal life.
He’d seen with his own eyes how the cold and aloof Gu Qingzhi secretly snuck snacks to Zhuang Ai Yi, how he always picked up mutant fruit during missions just to hear a compliment. After meeting Qin Nian, he’d even gone out of his way to buy baby supplies.
He clearly liked children.
And yet, their relationship had cut off that possibility entirely. Gu Qingyue had even dreamed of their parents a few times—watching him silently, judging and questioning, leaving him with a heavy conscience.
“Qingzhi, do you want a child?” he asked, cupping Gu Qingzhi’s cheek.
Gu Qingzhi understood immediately what he meant and answered honestly, “Yes.”
Gu Qingyue felt like someone had grabbed his heart and squeezed it tight. He wondered if he also had a parasite bomb lodged in his chest.
“I’ve always liked children. I used to visit the orphanage a lot. You know that,” Gu Qingzhi said, hiding nothing.
“Then you—”
“Brother, do you know the thing I admire most about Lu Weiyi?” Gu Qingzhi suddenly changed the topic.
“His strong powers? His sense of responsibility?”
“No,” Gu Qingzhi said. “Powers can be leveled up. He didn’t start out with a strong sense of responsibility either. In the beginning, he had space abilities but didn’t store anything—he was naive and just wanted someone to depend on. I actually found that naivety quite annoying.”
He lost his parents during adolescence. It was this unrelated older brother who had kept their life together. They had no powerful backing, and their hardships were beyond words. He had always hated people who lived sheltered lives, unaware of the real world.
“He knows what matters most to him,” Gu Qingzhi said calmly as he continued massaging his brother’s muscles. “When he first met us, he said he was waiting for Zhuang Mingxu. When the guy didn’t show up, he dropped everything in Wutong City and went looking for him without hesitation.”
“After saving Zhuang Mingxu, from day one, he said he would help him recover from his leg injury. He went from not knowing how to deal with people to becoming a qualified leader. And just when the team had finally settled in Qingyuan, he suddenly wanted to leave. Do you believe that even if everyone else had stayed, he would have still left?”
Gu Qingyue recalled the past—Lu Weiyi had, in fact, only given them a simple notice.
“If back at the capital base, Zhuang Mingxu had chosen to forgive his family, do you think Lu Weiyi would have agreed?”
Gu Qingyue stayed silent.
“He would’ve. Maybe he’d feel sorry toward us, offer us compensation, maybe even walk away—but he would protect Zhuang Mingxu. The reason we didn’t reach that point is because Zhuang Mingxu also considered his position and didn’t want to put him in a tough spot.”
“He’s a very clear-headed person. From the start, he knew who he absolutely wouldn’t give up on. Everything else—people, matters—are secondary and can be sacrificed. Do you understand what I mean, brother?”
Gu Qingzhi looked seriously at Gu Qingyue. “I do like children, and many other things and people. But comparatively—”
“You are more important.”
Gu Qingyue opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.
“In this world, every day we live is a blessing. Brother, let’s stop worrying about all that mess. Let’s just live our lives well, okay?”
“I dreamed about our parents…”
“They’d want us to be happy and safe more than anything else,” Gu Qingzhi said, his dark eyes fixed on his brother with seriousness. “I really like our life now. If something bad ever happens, the best memories I have will still be from now.”
