Chapter 34 - At Midnight (2/2)

He rarely appeared in such a sloppy appearance. Adrian looked quietly at him for a while, then asked, “Are you going to participate remotely?”

Zhong Yan shook his head. “I won’t be participating, but I’ll receive the results as soon as the meeting ends. The general rules state that since I am in ‘poor health’, I am not required to attend. After all, I am currently in Navi District, and within your sphere of influence. They’re worried about eavesdropping, and they will certainly not allow me to attend the meeting remotely. Earlier, Sir Yate…”

When he said this, Adrian was stunned. He thought he was calling his name, but he quickly realized that Zhong Yan was talking about his grandfather, Stalvern Yate.

“Sir Yate contacted me and he told me he was very dissatisfied with the matter. His original words were, ‘I didn’t raise you up to that position just for you to not be able to attend a meeting!’” Zhong Yan laughed. “With Bayer gone, and me away from the Capital, the news he has been receiving has been very late, so he is starting to get anxious.”

制软禁的。”

“Speaking of which,” Adrian asked, “I’m curious. How are you going to explain the matter when you return? You can tell them you were ‘injured’, but Bayer wouldn’t lie to his master. When that time comes, my grandfather would, at the very least, find out that Bayer has not been hurt at all, and that it was us who forced him under house arrest.”

Zhong Yan widened his eyes at him, seemingly a little surprised.

Even if it was not the right time for it, Adrian had still let his mind wander. Zhong Yan had a small face, so he would appear very young every time he widened his eyes; not to mention the pajamas Adrian bought were of ill taste—dark blue starry sky print with a large beige-colored rabbit on the front. In order to distinguish it from an ordinary rabbit, the cartoon pattern was usually matched with a starry sky in order to indicate that this was a giant space rabbit.

Zhong Yan was wearing the cartoon-print pajamas with his hair in a mess; Adrian suddenly felt as if he had gone back to that time ten years ago. It was as if they were still the seventeen-year-olds chatting the night away in their dorms, and not two adult men who held power and authority at opposing ends.

“He already knows, I told him,” said the man whose appearance at this moment could look no purer. In an inquisitive voice, he asked, “You…You wouldn’t think I haven’t been contacting him after so many days have you? I told him you separated me and Bayer, and I couldn’t get in contact with him, so I don’t know his current situation.”

Adrian: “…”

Clearly it was this person in front of him who proposed to put Bayer on house arrest at that time, but he had completely cleaned his hands of the matter. But no matter how he considered it, Zhong Yan really should not be falling out with Stalvern right now. There was nothing to be gained from it for either of them. So, Adrian could only carry the blame in silence.

“You’ve been in Navi for a while, and you’ve always been in contact with him. Did he ask about me?” asked Adrian.

“…He did.” A flash of anger flitted through Zhong Yan’s pupils. “He asked about your personal life, and also about our marriage contract.”

“Oh. What did you tell him?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

From the information Adrian had about the Capital, it seemed at the very least, that Stalvern’s control over Zhong Yan should be very strong; Zhong Yan appeared almost obedient to his every word. Thus, he could not help himself from asking, “You didn’t? Wouldn’t that be considered as rebelling against him? He took it without getting a heart attack from anger?”

“He’s used to it,” Zhong Yan told him. After some consideration, he added, “Not only him, I think everyone in the Supreme Council should be used to it.”

Only then did Adrian recall that he had also watched one or two of Zhong Yan’s interviews where Zhong Yan was asked about the “Twin Stars Falling Out Incident” that was the hot topic within the Federation at that time. Whenever that happened, Zhong Yan would always remain silent without attempting to brush over things with his skills as a means to fight against it. This move was interpreted by the public at the time as him drawing a clear line between himself and Adrian, who stood on the side of the anti-AI, and was not keen on bringing up the three years where they had gotten too close with each other.

“And what would you say to your subordinates if they ask in private?” Adrian asked. “Speaking of which, why have you always been silent whenever they asked about me?”

“I didn’t want to talk about you with those people.” Zhong Yan looked at him. “Especially not with your grandfather. Whenever he mentions you, it’s…not pleasant.”

Not pleasant was a tactful word to use. Adrian had grown up next to Stalvern all those years. He understood too well what his own grandfather was like; ever since he made clear his political stance, Stalvern had always been furious with him and regarded him as a stain. All kinds of terrible words had been said from his mouth. Unfortunately, he could not meddle in the affairs of neither the Institution Star nor the Navi System. Otherwise, he might have taken things into his own hands long ago and cleaned up his doorstep with force.

“You’ve always been ignoring me. There was still news about you the first few years, but then you became the commander and Navi closed its borders. Sometimes, I wouldn’t hear a single word about you for months, and in those times, I wished there were people I could talk about you with as well.”

Zhong Yan paused abruptly as if he had suddenly realized he had misspoken. He turned his eyes away from Adrian’s face, and muttered, “I…I should be returning to my room. You should sleep. You’ll definitely be busy tomorrow…”

“I’m hungry,” Adrian suddenly announced.

For a moment, Zhong Yan was still caught in a daze as he subconsciously asked, “What?”

But for some reason, Adrian would not go further no matter what. Stunned, Zhong Yan looked at him for two seconds, then, an unbelievable wave of ecstasy washed over him. For reassurance, he carefully asked, “There’s still leftovers from the ingredients I bought a few days ago, how about I cook you some noodles? It’ll be difficult to sleep at night if you’re hungry…is that alright?”

“Two bowls,” he responded. “Eating alone is too dull.”