extra ko-fi chapter for Beverly 
thaaaaaank youuuu!! ❤️
The next morning, Xu Ze came out of the bathroom after washing up and heard regular knocks at the door. He wiped the water off his face and walked over to open the door. An alpha was standing outside the security door, the same one he had met in the corridor when the bodyguard was kidnapped the last time.
“Breakfast.”
Only then did Xu Ze remember that Lu Heyang had said that someone would deliver him three meals a day. He stretched out his hand to open the security door. He was unaccustomed to this, so he paused before saying, “Thank you, sorry for the inconvenience.”
“The car is downstairs,” the alpha said, “You can go to school anytime after breakfast.”
“I’ll ride my bike there, it’s close,” Xu Ze attempted to struggle.
“Sorry, that’s not possible.”
“…” Xu Ze nodded, “Okay.”
The breakfast was overly generous, but Xu Ze was a person who never wasted food. After making an effort to finish it all, he sat at the table for a minute in a daze before recovering. He washed and dried the lunchbox, then put on his backpack and headed out.
Once in the car, Xu Ze handed the lunchbox to the bodyguard, “This was too much. Can it be less next time?”
“Understood.” The bodyguard glanced at the clean dishes, “No need to wash these.”
“Sorry, that’s not possible,” Xu Ze said.
They arrived at the school gates in seven to eight minutes. The bodyguard was about to get out to open the car door for Xu Ze, but Xu Ze moved faster and got out of the car, “Thank you, sorry for the trouble.”
“Lunch will be delivered to the cafeteria.”
“Okay, thank you.”
When the bodyguard realized that Xu Ze might actually bow if he continued like this, he quickly closed the door and sped the car away.
Xu Ze straightened the backpack on his shoulder and turned around to enter the school. He had only taken a few steps when he saw Chi Jiahan not far away, staring at him blankly with his mouth half-open while holding a can of milk.
“Can you explain this?” Chi Jiahan asked as Xu Ze approached.
“Never mind. I’ll ask and you answer.” Chi Jiahan pulled Xu Ze through the access gate and asked, “Does Lu Heyang know that you have to pay the compensation?”
“Mn.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me to leave it and keep my distance from Tang Feiyi.”
“Those illegal terms made it unnecessary to pay in the first place. So because he was afraid that Tang Feiyi would make a move on you… he arranged a bodyguard for you?”
Xu Ze wanted to say that the bodyguards had been there before, but now they had been upgraded to pick him up and drop him off at school. But he just nodded, “Mn.”
“I don’t get it.” At this moment, Chi Jiahan began to realize that Lu Heyang might be serious—a more dangerous possibility than just “playing around”. He was silent for a few seconds, “Does Lu Heyang know about your pregnancy?”
“He knows. I’m not pregnant, it’s a false pregnancy reaction.”
“He took you for a checkup?” Chi Jiahan was still shocked, “You actually told him?”
“He found out on his own.” Xu Ze was still mulling over the pregnancy test box that had fallen out. If it hadn’t fallen out, Lu Heyang wouldn’t have discovered it, and if he hadn’t found out, he wouldn’t have had to go through such trouble of arranging three meals a day and a pick-up service for him.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Chi Jiahan showed appreciation for Lu Heyang for the first time, “Not bad, this alpha is okay.”
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“What’s up with him lately?” Chi Jiahan asked after walking up a few steps, his tone sounding nonchalant.
“Seems like he’s in a bad mood.”
“How could he be in a bad mood?” Chi Jiahan muttered.
Xu Ze had thought that He Wei was free and unconstrained, and would be disciplined at home at most. But if that were the case, He Wei wouldn’t show up at the Preparatory School on time every day—there must be something he wanted to escape from, so he chose the most legitimate and reasonable excuse.
When he arrived at the classroom, the morning self-study session began. In fact, there weren’t many people left in the class. Most of the S-level students were taking private lessons tailored to their preferred schools or majors and rarely attended regular classes.
He Wei was working on exercises. He had a habit of taking a half-hour nap after solving two questions to recover, but this time he had finally made progress—the interval between naps had increased from two to five questions.
While doing a test paper, Xu Ze’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw that Zhou Zhen had sent a scanned version of Ye Yunhua’s checkup report. The content was detailed and seemed to be an extremely thorough examination. Xu Ze carefully reviewed every piece of data up to the last page and found that the doctor’s signature at the end was not Zhou Zhen’s.
After examining it for a while, Xu Ze identified that the signature belonged to “Li Zhan”.
He froze up for a moment, then walked out of the classroom to the empty overpass with his cell phone to call Zhou Zhen.
Li Zhan was one of the top cardiologists in the Union. Xu Ze had looked up his materials and cases online many times. But he could only look at them through the screen repeatedly, knowing that he couldn’t afford to hire such a doctor.
“Hello? Xu Ze.”
“Doctor Zhou.” Xu Ze felt his palm sweat. He switched the phone to his other hand and asked, “Was it Professor Li who examined my grandma?”
“Yes, he conducted a detailed examination. Your grandmother was cooperative today. Professor Li prescribed a new medicine. I’ll send it to you later.”
“Okay, thank you.” Xu Ze’s lips were a little dry, “Did someone from the nursing home invite Professor Li?”
The family members of other patients requested Professor Li to come, so he was lucky enough to benefit from it. Apart from that, there was no other possibility.
“Ah… right, that’s it.” Zhou Zhen cleared his throat, “You’re at school, right? I’ll discuss the other details with you when there’s time.”
“Okay.” A rare smile of relief appeared on Xu Ze’s face, “Thank you.”
At noon, Xu Ze went to the cafeteria alone. Chi Jiahan said that he had to go out for something and wouldn’t be able to join him for lunch today. Xu Ze breathed a sigh of relief because the bodyguard would deliver his meal, and he didn’t know how to explain the situation to Chi Jiahan.
Nutritional meals for a false pregnancy were really too bizarre to say.
He Wei walked to the parking lot while talking on the phone. When he looked up, he saw Chi Jiahan standing stiffly beside his sports car, wearing a school uniform and a collar. His face had turned slightly red from the sun, and he was standing there like an inexperienced car model.
He Wei hung up the phone and walked over to Chi Jiahan. The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds. He Wei asked, “What are you doing?”
Chi Jiahan had never actively approached him before, and the current situation made him both doubtful and wary.
“…” Chi Jiahan asked, “Where are you going to eat?”
“Yunwan.”
Chi Jiahan guessed that Gu Yunchi was truly a free and generous meal ticket that provided his luxury hotel as a convenient restaurant for his friends.
“Then, is someone eating with you?” Chi Jiahan looked elsewhere and asked in a mumble.
He Wei was no fool and immediately replied, “No, since Heyang and Yunchi are not here, I’m eating alone.”
Then he opened the passenger door and Chi Jiahan got in without saying a word.
He drove for several minutes before Chi Jiahan spoke, “Even if they’re not here, there are plenty of people who want to hang out and eat with you. It’s not like you’re short on friends.”
“There’s a big difference between friends.” He Wei drove the car and took out a tissue for Chi Jiahan to wipe his sweat.
He spoke in a more serious tone. When someone who usually acted like a fool in front of you stopped acting that way, it meant that their mood really wasn’t great.
After wiping his sweat, Chi Jiahan folded the tissue and asked, “Have you found out anything about your cousin, Tang Feiyi, and Wei Lingzhou?”
“My cousin was suspended.” He Wei frowned, “Uncle found out that he had dealings with Tang Feiyi.”
“When did this happen?”
“A few days ago, and now my cousin is missing.”
“How is this different from pushing your cousin in front of Tang Feiyi?”
“No difference. He hasn’t received much attention from Uncle since he was a kid. When something like this happens, Uncle’s first reaction is to prevent any harm to the group, so he decided to remove him first.”
“So that’s why you’re…in a bad mood?”
“I’m not in a bad mood. I’m just thinking about things,” He Wei said, “I tried to reach out to my cousin before, but he wouldn’t let me get involved in his affairs. It’s actually better this way. He’s an adult, and he should handle his own problems.”
“I was also thinking about what to do in the future.”
Chi Jiahan turned to look at him, “Doesn’t your family make all the plans?”
His father was the president of the Union Central Bank. He stood at the finish line from the moment he was born. With one small step, he would accomplish what no ordinary person could achieve even if they struggled for a lifetime. Chi Jiahan never thought that He Wei would think of such matters.
“Before I didn’t understand why Heyang was friends with Xu Ze. But now I’ve figured it out. It’s because Xu Ze is completely different from the people in our circle. He’s uncomplicated and not superficial at all. That’s why I like spending time with him too—” He Wei answered evasively and glanced at Chi Jiahan, “I guess I’m just interested in people who aren’t like me.”
Chi Jiahan wanted to ask him if he had asked Lu Heyang’s opinion on whether he was okay with him spending time with Xu Ze.
“Heyang and Yunchi are both preparing to attend the military academy,” He Wei said, “This is just between us, don’t tell anyone.”
“Both of them?” Chi Jiahan’s eyes widened, “Why are they…”
The son of the Union Chairman and the only son of a wealthy businessman, neither of them seemed like they would go to a military academy. It didn’t make sense.
“Heyang made up his mind a long time ago, while Yunchi only recently finalized it. Anyway, whether they want it themselves or just want to avoid arranged marriages, it’s all good—I also want to break out of the circle I grew up in and do something different.”
Chi Jiahan had always thought of He Wei as a pampered son of a wealthy family, a good-looking, carefree party animal, but this was the first time he had seen him in a lost and contemplative state.
“It’s not easy.” Chi Jiahan paused and said, “But I wish you success.”
Even though he knew the chances were slim, he still wished success to anyone who was determined to break free of their constraints and seek freedom.
“Yeah.” At a red light, He Wei stopped the car in front of the crosswalk and freed a hand to reach out to Chi Jiahan, “Then Xiao Chi, let’s hold hands to give me some real encouragement.”
“…” Chi Jiahan slapped his hand away, “Get lost.”
–
Lu Heyang returned home at noon. As he entered, the housekeeper took his backpack and whispered, “The Chairman is in the study, he wants you to go up after eating.”
“Okay.” Lu Heyang knew that he should go up immediately so as not to keep the Chairman waiting too long. But he just washed his hands and sat down at the dining table to eat. The reason was simple: he was hungry.
After finishing his meal at his usual pace, he drank half a glass of lemon water and then went upstairs to knock on the door.
The assistant quickly opened the door. After Lu Heyang entered the study, the assistant retreated to the hallway and gently closed the door.
Lu Heyang walked over to the desk, which was large and had a glossy, smooth black surface like an endless abyss.
“Dad.”
Lu Chengyu continued looking at the document until he finished reading the last word. He raised his head and leaned back in his chair. The leather seat made a slight noise from the rubbing and friction. Lu Heyang remained calm and maintained eye contact with him.
In this family, both Lin Yumian and Lu Qingmo were used to avoiding his gaze. One out of hatred, the other out of the loss of determination to resist. Only a few people in the entire Union, whether they were colleagues or subordinates, would meet his eyes directly due to the huge power disparity. Only Lu Heyang would look at him like this, with no emotion in his eyes, as if he was looking at an ordinary person among many.
Therefore, Lu Chengyu actually regretted it. He shouldn’t have allowed Lu Heyang to attend the military academy. If such an alpha were to enter the Union government, he would become the most outstanding pawn he had raised. He would become the heart of the Union’s political system, standing at an equal—or even higher position than him to strengthen the power to their side.
But the purge of power in the military had gradually begun. For more thorough and long-term considerations, the best decision at present was to send Lu Heyang to the military academy, including Gu Yunchi as well.
Children always thought they had made the wisest decision, believing that they could avoid many things and change their fate. But in reality, they were just unknowingly taking a different path to the same outcome.
“The preliminary examination of the military academy will be held in one month,” Lu Chengyu said, “Focus on your training, and don’t get distracted.”
“Mn.”
“Come back today after class. Some senior officers from the Capital Military Region want to meet with you in the evening. Don’t waste time outside.”
“Alright.”
Their conversations were always very brief, and this time was no different. Lu Chengyu straightened up to lean his elbow on the table. He picked up a new document and said, “You can go now.”
“Okay.”
The Chairman had always been reticent, and every word and sentence seemed to hold deep meaning that was worth deciphering. However, Lu Heyang had never engaged in this kind of reading comprehension, he only needed to know his father’s ultimate goal.
Tang Feiyi’s hand, the request to attend military school, the kidnapped bodyguard, arranging protection for a certain alpha, and repeatedly visiting that alpha’s home and only leaving late at night… Lu Chengyu should know all of these things very well, but he did not mention a word about them.
Lu Heyang might have felt uneasy about this, but he was familiar with this tactic. Just like in the past, Lu Chengyu didn’t stop Lu Qingmo and Han Jian from being together in the beginning, and gradually, Han Jian became a fatal weakness for Lu Qingmo, causing her to surrender willingly in exchange for Han Jian’s safety.
Lu Chengyu excelled at pretending to look the other way. Once you believed in his apparent indifference and managed to escape far away with a false sense of security, you would suddenly look down and find that he had a tight grip on your throat. Lu Chengyu didn’t even need to create a bait. He just needed to let you experience joy, anger, love, and hate like a normal person, and the winner and loser between the two parties would already be decided.
A precise kick to a weak spot was much more effective than direct confrontation whether in the official circle or within the family.
With every step Lu Heyang took, he was getting closer to the trap set by Lu Chengyu, just like Lu Qingmo in the past. The difference was that back then, Lu Qingmo had no clue, whereas now, Lu Heyang was fully aware of it.
Suddenly, he thought of Xu Ze. The silly alpha who still didn’t know he had become a natural bait—because of this association, Lu Heyang inadvertently smiled as he closed the study door.
After approving the documents, Lu Chengyu opened the drawer on his right and took out a brown paper folder. Inside the folder, there was a thick stack of detailed information about a certain alpha, much more extensive than what he had shown Lu Heyang back then.
Originally, he had no interest in learning about this alpha, as he considered the other party to be unremarkable and not worth wasting time and effort on. But now, it seemed as if that wasn’t the case.
This 17-year-old alpha might turn out to be a useful tool.
Author’s note:
Xu Ze: daze ˙△˙
Xu Ze’s ˙△˙ is so cute
Who is setting who up now?
I hope it’s not Lu Heyang that is setting Xu Ze up to trip his dad.. that will be sad if true..
Thanks for the new chapter
I don’t think he would do something like that. Rather maybe he’s trying to find his dad’s own weakness (he asked his bodyguard to find infos for him)
I think it’s like the dad thinks he’s using Xu Ze against Lu Heyang but Lu Heyang is actually aware of it so he’s switching it up to his advance instead
🤞I’m going to go positive now after reading from you both..🤗
Cheers for Lu & Xu…hope the author keeps your love shining