SCOM - Chapter 58
Chapter 58
On the day they were to leave for the Western Region, Zuo Luohuan came to the Ji residence to pick up Ji Yuezhi. He was still upstairs packing his luggage. She stood at the entrance of the living room, facing Ji Xixiu, who was seated opposite her.
“I hear you’re going to Xijiang Exile Star?” Ji Xixiu asked coolly, looking up.
“Yes, a junior classmate’s home is there, so we’re going…” Zuo Luohuan’s words were cut short by Ji Xixiu.
“You don’t need to tell me so much.” Ji Xixiu flipped through the book in his hands. “Xijiang Exile Star is desolate and barbaric. I don’t care what happens to you all, but Yuezhi must return safely.”
Zuo Luohuan didn’t mind the senior’s coldness. In fact, it wasn’t the first day or two that Ji Xixiu had disliked her. Thus, her expression remained unchanged upon hearing his words. She simply agreed seriously, which in turn made Ji Xixiu look up at her again.
“Father.” Ji Yuezhi came down from upstairs, carrying a suitcase.
Only then did Ji Xixiu rise and walk over to his son. “Be careful with everything. Contact me if there are any problems.”
Ji Yuezhi’s eyes curved slightly. “I know.”
From the living room entrance, Zuo Luohuan watched Ji Yuezhi standing before his father. The faint, indifferent aura around him had long since dissipated. Who would have thought that the head of the Disciplinary Committee, always known for his noble and aloof demeanor, could be so… gentle at home.
Zuo Luohuan lowered her eyes to the living room floor. His true self only emerged in front of those he cared about, or when he was unconscious and disoriented.
“Go on,” Ji Xixiu said to Ji Yuezhi, stepping aside.
As soon as his father moved, Ji Yuezhi saw Zuo Luohuan at the entrance. His hand holding the suitcase tightened unconsciously before he walked towards her.
They had originally planned to wait a few more days, but Yan Yan was anxious to return, so Zuo Luohuan had come to pick up Ji Yuezhi on short notice.
“The tickets have been changed. Eleven in the morning,” Zuo Luohuan said as she walked out side-by-side with Ji Yuezhi.
“Is Jiang Hong going too?” Ji Yuezhi asked, turning his head after getting into her car.
“He’s coming with us.” Zuo Luohuan hadn’t had the chance to tell Jiang Hong that Ji Yuezhi was also going; she had only informed Yan Yan.
Ji Yuezhi leaned back against the passenger seat, his long lashes slightly lowered, looking somewhat sleepy.
Just as Zuo Luohuan was about to start the car, she noticed his drowsiness and said, “Sleep for a while. I’ll wake you when we get there.”
“Mm.” Ji Yuezhi was indeed tired. He had gone to bed late last night and had planned to wake up later, but he received a message from Zuo Luohuan this morning saying they were leaving.
Zuo Luohuan didn’t start the car. Seeing his eyes about to close, she leaned down, unbuckled her own seatbelt, reached over, and pressed the button on his side to adjust the seat’s position.
She lowered the seat slowly, almost cautiously. Ji Yuezhi could barely feel the seat reclining, but he smelled a familiar scent. He opened his eyes to find Zuo Luohuan right in front of him. They were so close that if someone were watching from outside, they might think they were kissing in the car.
Zuo Luohuan slowly finished adjusting the seat, met Ji Yuezhi’s eyes, and said softly, “Sleep.”
Watching him close his eyes, Zuo Luohuan returned to the driver’s seat, fastened her seatbelt, and drove towards the port.
An hour later, they arrived at the port and saw Jiang Hong and Yan Yan in the main hall.
The moment Jiang Hong saw Ji Yuezhi, his eyes widened, and he pulled Zuo Luohuan aside. “Why is he here too?”
“I forgot to tell you. He’s coming with us to Xijiang Exile Star,” Zuo Luohuan said nonchalantly.
“…Wait, you… he’s coming with us…” Jiang Hong couldn’t comprehend it. “Aren’t you two rivals?”
Zuo Luohuan glanced at him and said coolly, “I never said that.”
Jiang Hong felt that with Ji Yuezhi joining them, things were becoming strange. “But…” Wasn’t that a widely accepted fact?
“Alright, we’re just friends going out to have fun.” Zuo Luohuan cut Jiang Hong off and walked back.
Jiang Hong stood there, stunned. When did Ji Yuezhi and Zuo Luohuan become friends?
“Xijiang Exile Star is in a remote location. Regular starships don’t go there. We have to stop at the central hub of the Western Region first and then transfer,” Yan Yan was explaining to Ji Yuezhi.
He was originally supposed to stay in the capital for a few more days, but he received a sudden message that a family member was injured and bedridden, so he changed his ticket to go back early.
“I remember Xijiang Exile Star is being mined for minerals.” Ji Yuezhi no longer had the drowsy, relaxed look from the car, having reverted to his usual detached demeanor.
“Yes, Xijiang Exile Star is on the very edge of the Northern Region, close to the Western Region, and has always been a no-man’s-land. Back then, the Winter Army stationed the 377th Army there for the purpose of mining,” Jiang Hong walked over, speaking eloquently. “They say it’s for mining, but that’s just a potential prospect. So far, no valuable minerals have been discovered on Xijiang Exile Star.”
More precisely, they hadn’t found the metallic mineral used by the Gashiro people to manufacture robot dogs—Silver-Blue.
There were some other miscellaneous minerals, and Xijiang Exile Star relied on shipping out and selling those small amounts to make money.
The four waited in the hall for a while before preparing to board the starship. Yan Yan and Jiang Hong had bought their own tickets and were seated separately, but Zuo Luohuan had booked her and Ji Yuezhi’s tickets together, so they naturally sat next to each other.
The journey from the capital to the central hub of the Western Region would take about eight hours. They would arrive there around seven in the evening.
It wasn’t Ji Yuezhi’s first time traveling, but it was his first time traveling with Zuo Luohuan, and sitting in the same row at that. He was very happy, his eyes brimming with a faint sense of delight.
“It’s an eight-hour trip. You should eat something first, then get some sleep.” Zuo Luohuan ordered a lunch and handed it to Ji Yuezhi. She didn’t have much of an appetite.
“Okay.”
At seven in the evening, they arrived on time at the Western Region’s central port. As they disembarked, they could feel that the temperature here was much higher than in the capital. Most people entering were wearing only a thin jacket.
They still had to transfer and weren’t staying in the central hub. The four of them grabbed their luggage and headed to the opposite port to make their connection.
However, they hadn’t gone far when someone from the side suddenly called out Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi’s names.
“You really came to the Western Region?” Luo Shaoyuan ran over quickly. Only then did she notice Jiang Hong and Yan Yan were with them. She tutted and muttered something under her breath.
“What are you doing here?” Jiang Hong asked.
Luo Shaoyuan clutched her luggage. “Just here for fun. I saw you guys as soon as I got off.”
Zuo Luohuan narrowed her eyes. “You’re here for fun? With whom?”
“An Yingjing invited me. Weren’t you invited by him?” Luo Shaoyuan had felt a bit awkward coming alone.
“No, we’re going to his home.” Zuo Luohuan pointed at Yan Yan.
Luo Shaoyuan watched them turn and walk a few steps, then suddenly followed. “Wait, take me with you.”
“An Yingjing invited you, so why are you following us? Besides…” Jiang Hong showed her the ticket on his optical computer. “Our tickets are for tonight. We’re leaving soon.”
Luo Shaoyuan glanced at it. “Xijiang Exile Star?”
She immediately logged into the ticketing system and booked a ticket to Xijiang Exile Star.
The others: “…”
Luo Shaoyuan just wanted to tag along and see what these people were up to. It seemed very interesting.
As for An Yingjing’s invitation, she would just postpone it. Luo Shaoyuan happily followed Zuo Luohuan and the others, calling An Yingjing on her optical computer.
“I’ve arrived in the Western Region, but I ran into Zuo Luohuan and the others. I’m going to Xijiang Exile Star first. Is it okay if I come find you later?” Luo Shaoyuan said brazenly.
On the other end, An Yingjing looked at her surroundings and remained silent for a long moment before saying, “You’ve already left. Is there any point in telling me now?” His pheromones were special, and now that they were exposed, he couldn’t leave casually for fear of Gashiro agents targeting him.
“Don’t be angry.” Luo Shaoyuan put her luggage away. “I’ve never been to Xijiang Exile Star, and neither have you, right? I’ll send you pictures when I get there.”
An Alpha and an Omega alone would be too awkward. Luo Shaoyuan wanted to wait for Ji Yuezhi and Zuo Luohuan to go find An Yingjing together.
An Yingjing’s expression softened slightly. “Then come to the Western Region later. I’ll show you around. It’s no worse than the capital.”
“Deal.”
A persistent tagalong they couldn’t shake had joined them during the transfer. By the time they landed on Xijiang Exile Star, there were five of them in total.
“This is my first time here. The… air doesn’t feel particularly good,” Luo Shaoyuan said as she stood still and sniffed after disembarking. Then she looked at Yan Yan. “Classmate Yan, I don’t mean anything against you.”
Yan Yan didn’t mind. He hadn’t said much throughout the journey, his mind still worried about his family’s health.
Xijiang Exile Star had very little vegetation. As soon as they walked out of the port, they were met with vast rocky mountains. The roadside was dusty, and the sky and earth seemed to blur together, leaving only the yellow-white rocky landscape.
“This place truly lives up to its name as an exile star,” Jiang Hong couldn’t help but exclaim. Seeing it on his optical computer was completely different from seeing it with his own eyes.
“This area is more remote. The exile star has prosperous areas too,” Yan Yan said. “I need to go to the hospital first.”
“Let’s go together,” Zuo Luohuan said.
Ji Yuezhi glanced at Zuo Luohuan beside him. She didn’t seem like a first-time visitor to Xijiang Exile Star; there was no sense of unfamiliarity in her eyes.
The group boarded a public transport vehicle. The scenery along the way was all similar, with occasional large transport trucks carrying massive loads of minerals driving past. After leaving the suburbs, they finally saw city clusters and felt a sense of rugged prosperity.
“Is it there?” Jiang Hong saw a large hospital and thought they were about to get off, but Yan Yan shook his head and said no.
Only when the public transport vehicle drove into an increasingly remote area did Yan Yan lead them off. “My parents are in that hospital.”
Ji Yuezhi looked up to see a small, dilapidated hospital standing opposite them. The people coming and going looked quite disheveled, many covered in dust, some with even their hair full of white dust.
“The 377th Army?” After entering, Luo Shaoyuan frowned as she looked at the people coming and going inside the hospital. Having always been in the Northern Region, she was very familiar with the Winter Army. Even if the insignia of this subsidiary unit was obscured by dust and hard to see, she could recognize it at a glance.
When did the Winter Army start living like out-and-out miners?
“The 377th Army is responsible for mining, which is why they’re so grimy,” Zuo Luohuan explained from behind.
Ahead, Yan Yan had already strode off to find his parents.
Both of Yan Yan’s parents had been injured in the mine. His mother had yet to wake up, and his father was taking care of her despite his own injuries not having fully healed.
“Xiao Yan, you’re back?” Yan Yan’s father stood up excitedly upon seeing him, one foot barely touching the ground, clearly not fully recovered.
Yan Yan nodded. “How’s Mom?”
“Her physical injuries aren’t serious,” Yan Yan’s father sighed. “But she hasn’t woken up. The doctor said her brain might not have processed it yet, and we need to wait a bit longer.”
Yan Yan walked to the bedside and looked at his mom. There was a wound on her face that had just scabbed over. He asked his father, “Was there an accident in the mine?”
Yan Yan’s father nodded, then shook his head. “We were blasting the mountain. I was on guard outside, and your mom led a small team inside. The explosion seemed to have gone off early. They came out late, and several people died.” His own injury occurred during a second collapse while he was rescuing people.
The father and son talked for a while before Yan Yan turned to introduce the people at the door to his father. The group exchanged greetings before leaving.
There were no large hotels nearby, and Yan Yan was a bit hesitant.
“You go back and take care of your parents,” Zuo Luohuan said to Yan Yan, her gaze landing on a certain spot as a smile touched her lips. “Someone is here to host us.”
Before Yan Yan could react, a flyer hovered at the hospital entrance. A man got out and greeted Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi warmly, “Why have you two come to Xijiang Exile Star? The Star Lord heard the news and specially sent me to receive you.”
Ji Yuezhi looked up at the stranger opposite him. He didn’t recognize this person, nor had he ever met the Star Lord of Xijiang Exile Star.
“Your information travels fast,” Zuo Luohuan said with a lazy smile. “Where’s the best hotel on this exile star? The one I passed by before looked nice, called… Xijiang Manor?”
“Yes, it’s called Xijiang Manor. If you’d like to stay, we’ll arrange it immediately,” the man said at once.
Zuo Luohuan suddenly turned her head to Ji Yuezhi. “Didn’t you want to go to the black market? I’ll take you to see it tomorrow night.”
Ji Yuezhi hummed in agreement, his gaze falling on the man who was listening with pricked ears.
The man made no attempt to hide it, leaning in and whispering, “Young Master Ji wants to have fun at the black market? Let me tell you, our underground black market on Xijiang Exile Star is the largest in the Federation. We have everything.”
“Not only does your Star Lord not care, but you’re proud of it?” Luo Shaoyuan, who had been listening from the side, couldn’t help but scoff.
“And this is…” Clearly, the man only recognized Ji Yuezhi and Zuo Luohuan.
“A friend. We’d like to rest first,” Zuo Luohuan said.
“Alright, this way, please.” The man invited them onto the flyer.
Inside, Jiang Hong looked around for a moment. “Your Star Lord is well-off, even has a flyer.”
“This is a decommissioned model from the combined armies, got it from the black market,” the man said, not shying away from discussing the black market at all. “We’re a small place with no resources, so we rely on the black market to survive.”
Along the way, the man carefully introduced the Star Lord’s properties to them. “…Things like Xijiang Manor and the nearby entertainment industry were all built by the Star Lord, creating a lot of jobs.”
Luo Shaoyuan, listening from the side, sneered, “You guys are eating and drinking well, while the 377th Army is covered in dust and injuries day in and day out, living in a place like that?”
“This… classmate, you misunderstand,” the receptionist explained hurriedly. “The mine isn’t in the city. The 377th Army is a branch of the Winter Army, upright and honorable soldiers. After they arrived, they chose to live near the mine to avoid taking up Xijiang Exile Star’s resources. The hospital was also opened by their own people. Our Star Lord offered to help several times, but the 377th Army’s leader never agreed.”
The flyer stopped at Xijiang Manor, the largest hotel on Xijiang Exile Star. If one ignored the rugged and harsh environment in the distance, this place was no different from a bustling metropolis.
The group was arranged into the best rooms. The receptionist said amiably, “You’re not familiar with this place. If you want to go anywhere for fun, you can just ask the front desk, and we’ll send someone to guide you.”
“No need, we’ll look around ourselves,” Zuo Luohuan refused with a smile.
“Alright, contact me if you need anything.” The receptionist handed a business card to both Ji Yuezhi and Zuo Luohuan.
The four of them had rooms on the same floor. After putting away his luggage and washing up, Jiang Hong still couldn’t sleep, so he went to knock on Zuo Luohuan’s door.
“What’s going on? The Star Lord of Xijiang Exile Star knew as soon as we arrived?” Jiang Hong frowned. “Luohuan, have you met the Star Lord here before?”
“Never.” Zuo Luohuan’s hair was still a bit damp. She tilted her head back and drank a glass of water. “Zuo Dihong’s daughter and Ji Xixiu’s son arriving together is enough to get their attention.”
“This Star Lord doesn’t seem particularly special,” Jiang Hong said. “I specifically looked him up before coming. He’s a very ordinary person who became Star Lord purely through the power of his local family.”
“We’re just here to have some fun, don’t overthink it.” Zuo Luohuan gestured towards the door with her chin, indicating that Jiang Hong could leave.
Jiang Hong looked at Zuo Luohuan suspiciously. He had thought she came here with a purpose, so why was she so nonchalant now, and even brought Ji Yuezhi along?
Forget it.
Jiang Hong tactfully walked out and even closed the door behind him. As he turned to go back and was about to open his own door, Zuo Luohuan came out of her room, walked to the door opposite his, and knocked.
Jiang Hong stared at Zuo Luohuan, who stood at the next door without even glancing at him. “???”
Seriously? She kicked him out just to go find Ji Yuezhi?
The door to the next room opened, and Jiang Hong watched with wide eyes as Zuo Luohuan walked in, without even a single glance in his direction!
Well, I’ll be damned. A subtle jealousy rose in Jiang Hong’s heart! How did those two get so close! Was he still Zuo Luohuan’s childhood friend or not?!
Ji Yuezhi saw through the video screen that it was Zuo Luohuan at the door and immediately opened it to let her in.
Zuo Luohuan’s gaze fell on Ji Yuezhi. He must have just come out of the bathroom as well, still carrying a hint of moisture.
“What is it?” Ji Yuezhi looked up at Zuo Luohuan calmly. She seemed to want to say something to him.
Zuo Luohuan’s gaze shifted to the floor-to-ceiling glass of the balcony behind him. The curtain was only half-drawn, and opposite them was another building, a casino.
“I need to talk to you about something.” Zuo Luohuan walked towards him.
“What is it?” Ji Yuezhi thought she was just walking closer, but he realized Zuo Luohuan showed no signs of stopping, forcing him to back away until he was against the balcony’s glass door.
Before Ji Yuezhi could hit the glass, Zuo Luohuan reached out and wrapped an arm around his waist, blocking the impact. They were extremely close. Perhaps because he had just come from the bathroom, his eyelashes were slightly damp, and when he looked at her, his gaze seemed to be shrouded in a watery mist.
Zuo Luohuan pulled him into her arms, her nose almost brushing against his in an intimate gesture. Not missing the surprise in Ji Yuezhi’s eyes, she turned her head slightly and whispered in his ear, “Someone in the opposite building is watching us.”
Just as Ji Yuezhi was about to speak, his ear was suddenly touched by something cool and soft, and he froze.
“There’s a listening device in the room.” Zuo Luohuan’s hand brushed over his clothes. “Do me a favor?”
Ji Yuezhi didn’t know what Zuo Luohuan was planning, but he wouldn’t hold her back.
Soon, Zuo Luohuan felt Ji Yuezhi press a little closer, his hands wrapping around her waist.
The two of them did nothing in the hotel room but hold each other. Zuo Luohuan occasionally lifted a hand to gently brush his bangs aside, her movements gentle, her voice low as she spoke to him quickly.
“We’re going to the black market tomorrow night. Is Yan Yan coming?” Ji Yuezhi’s voice wasn’t lowered; in fact, it was slightly raised.
“Something’s not right with Xijiang Exile Star. Countless eyes have been on us since we arrived. You and I are just here for fun at a junior classmate’s invitation, with no other intentions,” Zuo Luohuan whispered quickly, cupping his face with one hand. Her thumb caressed his soft lips as she leaned in, creating a displaced kiss on her own finger.
In a room in the opposite building, the receptionist who had brought Zuo Luohuan and the others over was there. He wore headphones, listening to the rustle of clothing, his gaze fixed on the embracing figures by the floor-to-ceiling window. He scoffed, “The young master and miss have come to our poor, remote exile star to play games. Young people really know how to have fun.”
“I heard Ji Yuezhi and Zuo Luohuan have always been at odds,” a subordinate next to him said.
“An Alpha and an Omega, how at odds can they be? It’s most likely just for fun.” The receptionist took off his headphones. “Go report to the Star Lord that these people are just here to play. We’ll keep an eye on their movements during this time.”
In the room, Ji Yuezhi and Zuo Luohuan had already moved away from the glass window and were sitting on the sofa.
At this point, only a corner of the sofa was visible from the opposite building. Their fingers were intertwined, looking like a pair of lovers in a deadly embrace.
The receptionist clicked his tongue, unable to watch anymore, and ordered his men to continue listening to the sounds from the bug.
The two young lovers were too intense. The vase on the coffee table was probably knocked over, shattering on the floor with a crisp, cracking sound.
“Have you been here before?” Using the sound of the shattering vase as cover, Ji Yuezhi looked up and asked Zuo Luohuan. Their hands had already separated, and they were sitting in a spot invisible from the opposite building.
Zuo Luohuan laughed and, surprisingly, told the truth. “I have. I was a wanted criminal here.”
Ji Yuezhi was stunned. He had never expected to hear that answer.
Zuo Luohuan stayed in Ji Yuezhi’s room for an hour, then messed up her own clothes, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and drew the curtains. She found the listening device in the room, pointed it out to Ji Yuezhi, and finally left.
After the door closed, Ji Yuezhi sat on the sofa in a daze. The moment she had held him, he almost thought his dream had come true. Even though nothing had actually happened, he felt as if he had been intimate with Zuo Luohuan. His shoulders and neck were even covered in a fine sweat.
The way she held his hand, pressing it firmly onto the sofa…
The tips of Ji Yuezhi’s ears turned a faint red. He pursed his lips, forcing himself to clear his head.
She still hadn’t told him why she had become a wanted criminal on Xijiang Exile Star. It probably wasn’t under the name ‘Zuo Luohuan,’ otherwise she would have been discovered the moment she left the port.
Xijiang Exile Star had been mining for years but had never found the needed Silver-Blue. To the Federation, this star held no value, yet the Star Lord’s behavior suggested otherwise.
Was it because of the black market?
Or some other reason?
When they woke up in the morning, the four of them were greeted with warm hospitality by the receptionist. The breakfast was so lavish that even Jiang Hong was taken aback.
“You guys really live well here,” Jiang Hong said to the receptionist.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the receptionist seemed even more enthusiastic today. “Of course, we must be meticulous when receiving distinguished guests.”
“What was your name again?” Luo Shaoyuan asked, looking up from her food. “You didn’t give me a business card yesterday.”
The receptionist didn’t really want to deal with her, but he still politely took out two gold-inlaid business cards and gave them to Luo Shaoyuan and Jiang Hong.
“Zhou Li.” Luo Shaoyuan looked at the glittering gold card and tutted. “Rich.”
“Actually, many people from nearby stars like to come to our entertainment venues. Eating, drinking, playing, and gambling—this is a paradise of pleasure,” Zhou Li said with a smile. “Except for the poor environment.”
The four of them still had to find Yan Yan. Zuo Luohuan packed two portions to go. Just as they were about to leave, Zhou Li came over, winked, and shoved a box into her hand.
Luo Shaoyuan had sharp eyes and saw a corner of the box. “Why bring condoms? Are we going into the wild? This brand’s quality is average, too thin.”
“You’ve used them?” Jiang Hong was shocked. Luo Shaoyuan seemed like a loner.
“Of course I have,” Luo Shaoyuan confirmed. “A branch can tear it easily. It’s useless for survival in the wild.”
Jiang Hong: “…” He had gotten the wrong idea.
Zuo Luohuan pinched the box of condoms, her gaze falling on Ji Yuezhi. After she left last night, had he deliberately opened a condom and thrown it away?
Ji Yuezhi turned his head, avoiding her gaze.
Nearby, Zhou Li, who had deliberately given them the condoms, observed the undercurrents flowing between Ji Yuezhi and Zuo Luohuan, finally confirming their relationship and feeling relieved.
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