"Hmm, I've found something interesting," Ye Zhizhou reached out to steady a porcelain bottle for him and patted his shoulder. "So, you better hold on. It seems like the matter with Ren Qiao isn't over yet. I'm on vacation anyway, so I won't be a burden to the research institute."
"No, you need to explain it clearly," Fang Yixing stuffed the bottle into his pocket and asked with a serious tone, "What did you find? Are you suggesting that Ren Qiao, who came to claim a relationship with you earlier, is from the Ren family? And then, after your accident, the Ren family sent their daughter to disrupt your project team?"
Ye Zhizhou nodded and pulled out an appraisal report from his pocket, handing it to him.
Fang Yixing took a quick glance and was silent for a few seconds before rubbing his face. "This is... How did you think to check this?"
"Ren Qiao's intentions were too obvious, and her conversations in the surveillance footage were suspicious. I happened to have the new employees' health examination records and some samples on hand, so I made a simple comparison."
He explained it casually, but Fang Yixing looked at him as if he wanted to kneel down. "You actually conducted a genetic comparison using the blood samples of the project team members without proper authorization! Are you trying to get yourself arrested, or do you want to be scolded to death by our mentor?"
Ye Zhizhou was completely unafraid. "It wasn't without authorization. I submitted an application, and both Ren Qiao and the institute approved it."
Fang Yixing regarded him as if he were a strange creature. "Are you taking me for a fool, or do you think Ren Qiao is a fool? She has already resigned, and she'll agree to you using her blood samples given the current situation? Even keeping her blood samples at the institute is likely illegal!"
"But before she joined my project team, she signed an authorization form for her samples," Ye Zhizhou pointed to a large stack of documents he had retrieved, shamelessly saying, "All project team members signed such forms as required by the institute."
Fang Yixing glanced at the documentation related to genetic modification and fell silent for a moment before giving him a thumbs-up. "I'm impressed. In genetic research projects, it's common for human testing to be meticulous and detailed before clinical trials. Sometimes, when samples like blood or skin tissues are not readily available, team members volunteer to provide them. Although your mentor might scold you for being opportunistic, the institute has specific regulations that require all members of genetic research projects to sign authorization forms when the product enters the testing phase. So, what you did is technically legal. Even if Ren Qiao tries to hold you responsible later, you can argue that you happened to obtain her blood sample during a routine comparison."
"With a 50% chance, Ren Qiao and I are half-siblings," Ye Zhizhou concluded, looking earnestly at Fang Yixing.
Fang Yixing was pushed back by his gaze and used the documents to shield his face. "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm straight, and even if you look at me with those affectionate eyes, I won't be with you. You can double my bonus, but you can't have me."
Ye Zhizhou rolled his eyes and took his documents away, tapping him lightly. "I want to ask you to investigate the Ren family. You have more resources and connections than an orphan like me. The Ren family is a prominent clan, and I can't do much without your help."
Fang Yixing set aside his playful demeanor, sighed, and put his hand on Ye Zhizhou's shoulder. "Why is life so unfair to you? Alright, I'll investigate the Ren family for you. It's just a pharmaceutical company, and I'll crush them for you!"
Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but smile. While the Ren family might not be on the same level as the Fang family, investigating them wouldn't be as straightforward as Fang Yixing made it sound. Nevertheless, he appreciated Fang Yixing's willingness to help.
Fang Yixing took charge of investigating the Ren family, leaving Ye Zhizhou to handle his own matters. After officially going on vacation, he first visited the welfare institution where he had been adopted. He checked the adoption records but found no clues. Then, he returned home and carefully examined the call logs from the time of his accident, but still found nothing.
"Why did I forget everything..." He pounded his head with his hand, feeling frustrated. During this period, he had tried various methods but had not been able to recover his memories from before and after the accident. Sometimes, thinking too hard about it gave him headaches, which was quite frustrating.
[You should rest now.]
He put down his hand, took out a small mirror from his pocket, and asked, "You finally want to talk to me. By the way, what do you mean by 'main character'? You mentioned someone named Lou Yi and Senior Brother Fang. What's going on?"
[Accessing plot information... Access failed. Checking the status of the Soul Flag... Check failed. Currently, two Soul Flags have been discovered. Host, please try again.]
"You're saying things I don't understand again." Ye Zhizhou put down the mirror and picked up the call logs again. "Why can't I find anything about what happened on the day of the accident?"
The small mirror vibrated on his leg and continued to display its light screen. [You should rest now.]
Ye Zhizhou playfully poked it, "I'll rest once you become more beautiful."
The small mirror remained quiet for a while, then changed its light screen to a rainbow of colors. [Please rest, Host.]
Ye Zhizhou chuckled and kissed it lightly before placing it next to his pillow. He closed his eyes and said, "The light screen is very beautiful. Thank you. Goodnight."
After a brief flash of pink, the room fell silent.
A celestial crane poked its head through a crack in the window, flew to the pillow, and nuzzled Ye Zhizhou's face before transforming into spiritual energy and merging into his spiritual sea. In his sleep, Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but let out a pleasurable sigh, and his floating spiritual energy became more relaxed.
The small mirror next to the pillow vibrated slightly, and the cracks on its surface became slightly shallower.
In a hospital room on the other side of the city, a handsome young man lying on a hospital bed blinked his eyelashes, then opened his eyes.
The next day at noon, Ye Zhizhou's pleasant dream was interrupted by the incessant ringing of his communicator.
"I was almost about to eat that pill..." He groaned in pain as he climbed out of bed, reached for the communicator on the bedside table, and glanced at it before reluctantly answering, "Senior Brother, why are you calling me so early in the morning?"
"I've already had lunch, and you're up so early." Fang Yixing rolled his eyes in annoyance and promptly sent a hospital address. "There's a minor issue with the patient from the Lou family, and Lou Yi contacted me specifically to ask you to come. Even though the Lou family is not trustworthy, it's better for you to make a trip to avoid any further complications while the matter with the Ren family is unresolved."
It was only then that Ye Zhizhou realized the sun was already high in the sky. After a moment of confusion, he asked, "An issue? What kind of issue?"
"It seems like a problem with their mind," Fang Yixing's tone was filled with disdain for the Lou family. "If their mind is ruined, so be it. We never guaranteed that using x2 would completely restore them. When you go there, don't say too much. Just take a look from a distance and leave. Don't give any advice to avoid getting implicated. Understand?"
Ye Zhizhou furrowed his brows, noted the address, and then inquired about the progress of the investigation into the Ren family. After receiving a somewhat informative reply, he ended the call and rubbed his chin. Their mind is ruined... Could x2 really have side effects he wasn't aware of?
With a heart full of doubts, he headed to the hospital, where he was pulled by Lou Yi to a small garden in a special ward area outside the hospital's main entrance.
"Aren't we supposed to see the patient?" he asked.
"The patient is right here in the garden," Lou Yi's expression was extremely strange as he stopped with Ye Zhizhou at a corner of the garden. After a pause, he asked, "Mr. Ye, your spiritual power level is 3s, right? You won't be easily attacked, will you?"
Ye Zhizhou nodded in confusion and then asked with suspicion, "But what does my spiritual power level have to do with seeing the patient? You still haven't told me what's wrong with the patient... Wait, are you suggesting that the patient's mental state has been affected after using x2?" Senior Brother Fang also mentioned that the patient's mind was ruined. Could "mind" refer to spiritual power? Could there be side effects of x2 that he hadn't discovered?
Lou Yi struggled to find the right words, then asked with difficulty, "Mr. Ye, your name is Zhizhou, right? Zhizhou as in 'zhī' and 'zhōu' in the word 'zhīhūzhěyě,' is that correct?"
Ye Zhizhou became even more puzzled and continued to nod. "I remember introducing myself..." Was this young master from the Lou family acting strange, rude, and unreliable on purpose? Should he leave now while he still had the chance?
"Mr. Ye," Lou Yi's expression suddenly turned serious, and he looked at Ye Zhizhou earnestly. "In the past, I was disrespectful and inconsiderate to you. Please forgive me for my past behavior. My brother is in the pavilion around the corner. Please."
"..." It seemed like he had only mentally complained about the other party's rudeness. This change in attitude was too sudden. It was as if he had gone from being a commoner to a national leader all of a sudden...
Ye Zhizhou awkwardly followed Lou Yi's direction and turned the corner, heading towards a pavilion with a pointed roof.
The garden in late winter and early spring didn't have much to offer, and as he turned the corner, he saw a tall man sitting in a wheelchair with his back to him. He stopped and straightened his clothes, then silently recited a calming spell and adjusted his expression to one of seriousness and respect. He took a step forward and politely asked, "Is this Mr. Lou Qianlou? I'm Ye Zhizhou, the head of the x2 project. I heard from your brother that you've been experiencing some adverse—"
Suddenly, a semi-transparent crane, about half a person's height, flew out from behind the pavilion and headed straight for him.
The rest of his words were stuck in his throat as he hastily stepped back to avoid the rather menacing crane. However, he was a fraction too slow, and his collar was seized by the crane. Then, his body was lifted off the ground and carried into the pavilion, where he was gently placed on his feet. His clothes and hair were mussed by the crane.
What in the world was this grudge?
"Why didn't you come to me?"
The wheelchair turned around, revealing a tall man with a pale but eerily handsome face. His eyes were pitch black and piercing, carrying a deep-seated, suppressed pain. "Xiaozhou, have you started to dislike me? Do you not want to be with me anymore?"
Ye Zhizhou was initially surprised by his pale yet enchanting appearance, but then his eyes caught the man's intense gaze, and his heart inexplicably tightened. Suppressing his surprise, he asked politely, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Lou?"
The tall man in the wheelchair's expression darkened, and the crane, which had been busy preening his clothes, froze for a moment before abruptly disappearing into spiritual energy.