“Pfft, what’s wrong?” Feng Xueping leaned against the doorframe, watching Gong Ze’s expression change drastically, and teased: “Seeing me like you’ve seen a ghost. How long has it been and you don’t recognize me anymore?”
Gong Ze: “…”
While he stood stiffly silent in place, his mother Ruan Aimei smiled and said: “Just now Xiao Ze had a nightmare. He’s still a bit dazed. Xueping, you play with Xiao Ze. Uncle and I will just go out and buy some groceries. You two haven’t seen each other for a long time. Today you’ll eat at Auntie’s place.”
His father Gong Haiping chimed in: “Yes, you two play. Uncle will go buy seafood.”
“A nightmare, haha, rare. Gong Ze scared like this by a nightmare.”
After the surprise, the handsome youth burst out laughing, naturally teasing Gong Ze, as if he had known Gong Ze for a very long time.
And his parents’ attitude toward Feng Xueping was also like that toward a close neighbor’s child.
Why.
A chilling feeling, like the cold tentacles of a monster, gradually climbed up Gong Ze’s back from the soles of his feet.
He thought.
Clearly in the original world there was no such person as Feng Xueping at all! His parents did not know Feng Xueping either! So why!!
Feng Xueping would be here…
The scene before rebirth of that sky-filling blue light merging with himself suddenly appeared in his brain. His blood instantly froze. In his excellent brain, it seemed as if ice shards were jumping.
While Feng Xueping chatted with his mom and dad, in this warm, harmonious family scene, Gong Ze drifted outside it, like a person watching a program on a television.
The oxygen-depriving suffocation brought by his brain running at over-speed made Gong Ze’s vision go black. He fiercely restrained himself from going mad, but inside him surged fear and impulse.
Feng Xueping had appeared here.
The light cluster fusion had brought a strange negative effect. Feng Xueping, as a person, had perfectly integrated into his original world, playing some role.
If those people appeared, would they replace the original people? Would some people disappear?
Then… what about his teacher?
“It can’t be… Teacher won’t disappear… impossible…”
Was all his effort about to be ruined at the final step?!
At this time he no longer had the external forces of the Main God and the system. If he lost his teacher, he would also lose the chance to redeem him and start over!!
Earlier, when Gong Ze had just woken up and also had some near-home timid feelings, he had not immediately called that person to confirm the situation. Now Gong Ze could no longer care about so much.
“Gong Ze, your complexion is so bad. What’s wrong with you? You haven’t been in a good state since just now.”
“Gong Ze, Gong Ze? Are you okay…”
“Son…”
Gong Ze’s ears automatically filtered out Feng Xueping’s voice calling him. With a green face, he quickly rushed to the desk, picked up the phone on it, and searched the contacts for the phone number he knew so well he could recite it backward.
The moment his eyes swept over its existence, Gong Ze’s tense body seemed to have its strength drained. With a “haa~” he collapsed into the chair. Even though his parents’ expressions became worried, he could not care anymore.
With trembling hands, Gong Ze dialed the number.
“Du du du.”
The connection sound rang.
About ten-plus seconds later, the faint electric current sound of a connected call rose in the phone, then a gentle, calm male voice, like a spring breeze blowing open harsh winter, came slowly:
“Hello.”
The man said: “This is Ji Xingzhou. Xiao Ze, is that you?”
“…”
Gong Ze opened his mouth and could not speak.
“I…”
He squeezed out a word with a hoarse throat, then had to breathe many times.
On the other side, Ji Xingzhou, wearing glasses and reading materials, heard the rapid breathing in the phone and was instantly stunned.
Then he furrowed his brows, put down the mouse in his other hand, opened a drawer, took out another phone, opened it to a paging page, and said softly: “Xiao Ze, are you okay? What happened?”
Gong Ze knew that if he continued acting so abnormally, Ji Xingzhou would probably mistakenly think he was being controlled by someone and would call for rescue.
He calmed his breathing, lowered his head, covered the phone, and replied quietly: “I’m fine. I just accidentally touched something by mistake.”
He did not notice that his voice was low, soft, revealing a childlike grievance, as if he had been bullied outside, making his mother Ruan Aimei, his father Gong Haiping, and Feng Xueping show shocked expressions.
“Oh, I see.”
Ji Xingzhou’s voice softened, as if believing his words.
But immediately Gong Ze heard him say gently: “Xiao Ze, you finally got a vacation to go home and rest. I remember your home is in Wencheng, right? I even went there once. There’s a shop opened in a small alley there that specializes in fish. Have you been? Their squirrel mandarin fish is especially delicious.”
Gong Ze almost burst out laughing upon hearing this.
It seemed his teacher had not believed his explanation at all.
‘Fish’ was code, meaning danger.
Squirrel mandarin fish was asking what kind of person was controlling him.
If Gong Ze had been caught by someone but could not conveniently tell the truth, he could answer that he did not like eating that, and that he liked some other fish. Each one represented a different identity of kidnapper.
Ji Xingzhou’s identity was special.
His safety was protected by the state. Moreover, the profession of negotiator was actually too broad a term, but internationally, experts like Ji Xingzhou were indispensable.
Sometimes successful negotiations could not only reduce friction between two countries, but also mediate wars and bring more benefits to one’s own country.
Ji Xingzhou had been famous for a long time. He had won the greatest benefits for the country’s richest man in cross-national business, and had also moved between the state and other countries many times.
But at the same time, Ji Xingzhou’s personal safety was extremely sensitive.
Outside Ji Xingzhou’s office stood armed guards. He had also undergone various trainings. After Gong Ze became his disciple, he naturally climbed onto the danger list along with him.
Some worried Gong Ze would be turned and backstab Ji Xingzhou; some worried Gong Ze would be captured and used to threaten Ji Xingzhou; some worried Gong Ze would become a spy.
If Gong Ze said some kind of fish at this moment, it would probably take only a few minutes before his front door was broken down.
Gong Ze heard Ji Xingzhou’s concern and tension and felt warm inside.
Speaking of it, it was embarrassing.
It was all because after hearing his long-missed voice, he nearly could not hold back his tears.
“…Teacher, I don’t want to eat fish this time… It’s fine, Teacher. I’m at home, with my parents and my friend. I… okay.”
Gong Ze, eye rims red and hot, curved his lips and said in a near murmur, quietly: “I just missed you a little.”
On the other side, Ji Xingzhou, whose hand was already on the paging button, was instantly stunned.
He listened to the youth’s hoarse voice close to the phone, as if the person were pressed against his ear acting spoiled.
Ji Xingzhou’s heart suddenly softened.
“Xiao Ze…”
On the phone he sighed helplessly yet indulgently.
He only had this one disciple, Gong Ze. When the youth first came, he was proud and arrogant and gave him no small amount of trouble. But later, after discovering that he was tolerant, protective, and a good person, the youth awkwardly retracted his thorns.
As if saying: If you were a bad person, I would definitely argue until you lost all face. But bullying a good person, hmph, I wouldn’t do something so beneath me. I disdain bullying you.
It made Ji Xingzhou feel the youth who had given everyone headaches at the time was incomparably cute.
“Teacher misses you too.”
Behind his glasses, Ji Xingzhou’s eyes curved: “Rest well on your vacation. When you come back, Teacher will take you to the Netherlands. After the negotiation ends, we can go see windmills together, and flower fields.”
Facing the elder teacher, the black-bellied yet arrogant man’s IQ and age both seemed to regress. He obediently gave an “mm.”
Teacher, as long as you are in this world.
As long as you are still here, I am not afraid of anything…
After putting down the phone, all his chaotic heartbeats fell neatly back into his chest. Turmoil and unease dispersed like flying ash. Gong Ze closed his eyes, then opened them and looked at the three people staring eagerly at him, and revealed a smile.
“Nothing.”
The light three words carried a posture that did not permit questioning.
This was the real Gong Ze.
Feng Xueping raised an eyebrow, watching the look in Gong Ze’s eyes. He discovered that the panicked, drifting Gong Ze from just now had recovered to his past appearance.
Eighteen-year-old Gong Ze was young and lazy, seeming always indifferent, yet the expression in his eyes overlooked the entire world, as if he had seen through the world’s secrets and was conversing with them from a higher level.
Even when he normally played and joked with them and walked alongside them, his heart and future never walked on the same line as theirs.
Even adults older than them, under Gong Ze’s gaze, seemed to lose the capital of elders who understood more, becoming as clumsy as students and children.
He rarely gave orders.
But he made you feel unable to approach, unable to capture, unable to tempt—when a person reached this domain, then he himself had already become a ‘father.’
Feng Xueping curved his lips.
Whether in charm or status.
“Auntie, Uncle, I want to take Gong Ze out to eat,” Feng Xueping took the initiative to change the subject, soothing Ruan Aimei and Gong Haiping, who were about to speak but hesitated, and said with a smile: “I know Gong Ze finally came back. One evening is enough. The classmates from our study group set up a small gathering. Everyone misses him quite a bit.”
Originally, hearing he wanted to take their son away, Ruan Aimei and Gong Haiping still wanted to refuse.
But the next second Feng Xueping said: “Gong Ze is clearly eighteen or nineteen like us, yet every day he stays in study labs, getting along with those adults, without even a few same-age friends. I think he’s not even lively anymore.”
When he said this, Ruan Aimei and Gong Haiping immediately stopped refusing.
Instead they felt Feng Xueping was right.
Their son should spend more time with people his age.
“Then you two go, but you must come back before ten at night. It’s too dangerous if it’s too late.” Ruan Aimei instructed.
“Don’t worry, Auntie. You’re still not at ease leaving Gong Ze with me?” Feng Xueping smiled and stepped forward, hooking an arm around Gong Ze’s neck. “Let’s go, big shot. I’ll take you out for some air.”
Gong Ze glanced at him and found his personality was no different from in Lu Youling’s world, and the mode of getting along with him was similar too, at most a bit more youthful and spirited.
It just so happened that Gong Ze, now calmed down, also wanted to figure out what exactly that damned accident had brought him as a surprise.
So Gong Ze smiled too.
“Sure, let’s go.”
…
The two left the Gong home.
On the road, he kept observing Feng Xueping.
Gong Ze had changed into sportswear similar to Feng Xueping’s. The black sports outfit had a logo printed on the chest, wrapping the young, vivid flesh of an eighteen-year-old, highlighting the slender tallness of youth and the gradually maturing temperament of a young man.
Gong Ze learned from his own youthful laziness and casualness, occasionally smiling along with Feng Xueping as he spoke.
On the way to the gathering point.
Gong Ze finally figured out what exactly this unlucky accident had twisted his original world into.
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