What Martina didn’t know was that Lu Linjiang hardly believed a word she said. Though there had been a fleeting moment where he thought she might be telling the truth, it had lasted only an instant.
Yet, even though he found her narrative almost entirely devoid of credibility, he hadn't decided whether to actually take action. After all, wasting police resources on such a nonsensical matter would likely result in Chu Juxian dragging him off for another ear-splitting lecture. Still, his intuition told him that simply leaving Martina to her own devices wasn't an option either.
He walked back from the Xiyun Hotel to the block where Chen Rui was on duty, retrieved his car from the parking lot, checked in with his team, and headed straight for the Center for Disease Control. There, he happened to run into Jiang Cheng, who had just finished giving Guo Junyi an injection.
After several rounds of treatment, Guo Junyi was finally showing clear signs of improvement. The horrific blisters on his body had visibly shrunk over the past few days. Inside the isolation ward, Ren Lifei was clad in a hazmat suit, excitedly saying something to Jiang Cheng. Looking at Ren Lifei’s expression, Lu Linjiang knew he didn't need to worry too much about the immediate situation.
Unfortunately, he had reached that conclusion too early. When Jiang Cheng stepped out and removed his protective gear, revealing dark, bruised circles under his eyes, Lu Linjiang finally realized something was wrong. "How long has it been since you slept?"
Jiang Cheng let out a yawn. "Not long. About two days or so. I managed to catch a few winks in between."
Lu Linjiang looked at the other man’s bloodshot eyes, highly doubting that his "few winks" lasted much longer than a blink. A surge of irritation rose within him. "Where’s Jiang Langmin?" His opinion of Jiang Langmin had hit rock bottom; the man was like a lingering ghost when he wasn't needed, yet nowhere to be found when he actually was.
"Senior Jiang started having stomach pains last night, so I just called a car and came over by myself."
Lu Linjiang scoffed inwardly. Just yesterday before he left, that man had been looking for opportunities to provoke him. He hadn't expected him to be so fragile that he’d collapse the moment he turned around.
"Do you have anything else important to do today?" Lu Linjiang asked.
"Um... I need to monitor the third group’s mutations. If there are no issues, we should have results by tonight at the earliest."
"Can those things wait?" Lu Linjiang watched as Jiang Cheng stopped in front of an automatic coffee machine. "In your current state, I’m afraid no amount of coffee will help."
Jiang Cheng fumbled through his wallet, finally managing to dig out a few coins. "I know, but it works as a placebo. If I can just hold on until I finish recording the data from Senior Jiang’s rat experiments, I should be able to get two or three hours of sleep."
He tapped the coins in his hand, looking at the menu on the machine with a bit of difficulty before asking Lu Linjiang, "Could you lend me some money for a coffee? I didn't bring my phone."
Lu Linjiang suppressed the urge to sigh. "Which kind?"
"Espresso."
Lu Linjiang frowned but bought the espresso as requested. Moments later, the aroma wafted from the machine.
"It’s rare to find such a fragrant scent from an automatic machine. The beans must be decent."
Lu Linjiang knew nothing about coffee, and the scent didn't strike him as anything worth marveling over. However, before Jiang Cheng could reach for the cup, Lu Linjiang used his superior reach to grab it first. "I’ll hold this for you. It’s nearly an hour’s drive back. You can sleep in the car and drink it once we’re back at Micro-Grand University." He didn't give Jiang Cheng a chance to argue. "Or would you rather collapse before Guo Junyi even gets out of bed?"
Jiang Cheng thought to himself that he was exaggerating. Back in his student days, he had pulled much worse all-nighters for exams and survived just fine. But he suddenly noticed that Lu Linjiang’s expression was incredibly solemn. Based on his understanding of the man, Lu Linjiang wouldn't accept any explanations right now; he simply demanded compliance.
Jiang Cheng looked helplessly at the coffee in Lu Linjiang’s hand. Being more than half a head shorter, he was no match for Lu Linjiang, let alone the fact that the man was a seasoned martial artist—he could probably pin him down with a single finger.
"I’ll give it back once we reach the university, I promise," Lu Linjiang said seriously. "By the way, is the data in your lab urgent to record?"
Jiang Cheng’s eyes were fixed on the coffee. "Yes, it’s urgent."
Lu Linjiang watched him impassively and rephrased the question. "Would it be affected if it’s a bit later?"
"No, unless there’s some freak mutation. I just want to know the results as soon as possible."
"Isn't Guo Junyi’s condition enough of an indicator?"
"Of course it is," Jiang Cheng replied. "But combined with the rat experiments, the data set will be more complete. The paper will look much better."
For the first time, Lu Linjiang saw an expression on Jiang Cheng’s face that reminded him of an accountant flicking an abacus. There was a hint of calculation in his eyes. "If the third group’s mutation succeeds as scheduled, Guo Junyi should theoretically be fine. With the rat data added, once the paper is published..." He didn't finish his sentence, but his eyes narrowed into slits with anticipation.
Watching this, Lu Linjiang actually found it strangely adorable. He led the man to the car. "Get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we arrive."
Jiang Cheng looked at the coffee with lingering reluctance. "I could actually read Guo Junyi’s charts from the last few days while drinking the coffee, just to double-check..."
Lu Linjiang shot him a look and said softly, "Oh?"
Jiang Cheng swore that the moment Lu Linjiang looked over, the hair on his arms stood up for no reason. Sensing danger, he tactfully swallowed the rest of his sentence. "Never mind... I’ll lie down for a bit."
Lu Linjiang leaned over to buckle his seatbelt and reclined the seat. "Close your eyes."
Lu Linjiang’s expression was so stern that Jiang Cheng couldn't help but stiffen as the man leaned in. He had a fleeting hallucination that he had returned to his childhood, having done something wrong and facing imminent punishment.
Fortunately, once Lu Linjiang had him settled, he stopped paying him much attention. Jiang Cheng lay there cautiously for a while, but amidst the slight vibrations of the moving car, he eventually succumbed to his exhaustion and fell asleep.
As Jiang Cheng’s breathing grew steady and rhythmic, Lu Linjiang turned up the car’s heater slightly. Taking advantage of a red light, he took a jacket he had tossed in the back seat earlier and draped it over Jiang Cheng.
At the next intersection, he flicked his turn signal, turned the car down a side street, and slowly headed toward the outskirts, taking the longest possible route back to Micro-Grand University.
No matter how dense he might be, Lu Linjiang realized his feelings for Jiang Cheng had changed—and he wasn't a dense man. Lately, in his spare time, he couldn't help but wonder: if Jiang Cheng had been like this back then, would the outcome four years ago have been different? But he gradually realized that Jiang Cheng had likely always been this way; it was just that back then, he had never considered trying to understand him, and Jiang Cheng had been too busy catering to his self-righteous younger self.
If only he hadn't been so obstinate back then...
Lu Linjiang stopped that train of thought. He gave a self-deprecating laugh and silently cursed himself for being a fool. Not long ago, Jiang Cheng had said, *"I don't like phrases like 'if only things were different back then.' If there's still a chance now, don't miss a single bit of it."* It was this very conviction that had allowed Jiang Cheng to work himself to the bone, losing weight and dragging Guo Junyi back from the brink of death. In that regard, Jiang Cheng probably left him in the dust.
But was there still a chance for them?
"Still a chance?" Wang Ling said, taking a leisurely sip of wine. "How are you wasted already?"
"I'm drinking water."
"Drink less of it then," Wang Ling rolled his eyes, his face full of mockery. "Lest it all pours into your skull; brain tissue rots easily when it's soggy."
Lu Linjiang sometimes wondered how he had ever become friends with Wang Ling.
"That Jiang... Jiang Langmin, I think he’s a better fit than you. Don't go wasting the guy's time," Wang Ling advised earnestly. "Just stick to being your die-hard straight man. You avoided him back then not because Jiang Cheng wasn't good enough, but because he’s a man!"
"Look closely—Jiang Cheng is still a man! I think Little Orange was right; you’ve got that 'dog-in-the-manger' attitude where you don't want it yourself, but you don't want anyone else to have it either. Once you actually manage to drive Jiang Langmin away, you’ll probably turn around and remember you like women after all."
For once, Lu Linjiang didn't fire back. He stared quietly at the mineral water in his glass. After a long silence, he said, "I actually think men aren't so bad." Under Wang Ling’s skeptical gaze, he handed over his phone. "I’ve been trying to look into this lately. It doesn't seem repulsive."
Wang Ling caught a glimpse of the screen on Lu Linjiang’s phone and suddenly spat out a mouthful of wine!
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