Villain Saving System (BL)
Chapter 748: In Case I Fail...

Chapter 748: In Case I Fail...

Inside the monitor room, there was only Dr. Xiao. She did not look surprised, perhaps having expected that Luan would barge in sooner or later. Or maybe Dr. Feng had informed her beforehand that Luan would definitely come to disrupt it.

She stood up and said with an apologetic tone, "I’m sorry... but it is not possible."

Luan trembled from pure rage and fear that overwhelmed him right now. He swore... he would bring this whole institute down with him if something were to happen to the man he loved. And Dr. Xiao’s gentle apology did nothing but to rapidly push him toward that path.

"Not possible...?" his voice was barely a whisper as he desperately tried to restrain the tide of violent emotions inside his chest. The rims of his eyes turned red like blood was going to drip out of it. "How... How can you say it’s not possible before you try it? How can you let him..." he choked on his words. And when he spoke again, his voice was bitingly cold, filled with nothing but hostility. "What do you think will happen if I cut off this institute’s electricity right now, Dr. Xiao?"

Luan was not a person who liked to make threats – hell, this might be the first time he had ever done so. But he could not bear it anymore. He wanted Dr. Feng back with him, right here and now. He even thought that it was okay if the man did not return his feelings, it was okay if he had to return to the shadows where he could only watch the man from afar, it was also okay if Dr. Feng treated him just like any other inanimate machine that was incapable of love. As long as the man was alive and healthy... everything would be okay. Luan was perfectly willing to surrender and forego this love.

This was not what he had wished for when he handed his core over. He never wanted Dr. Feng to risk his life. He never wanted...

"Luan..." Dr. Xiao uttered his name gently, not taking Luan’s threats to heart at all. Instead, she came close to offer Luan a tissue and only then did Luan realize that his eyes had gone blurry. "Luan, please calm down first. Do you think I haven’t yelled at that dumbass yet?" she sounded choked and it took Luan a few long seconds to process that she was in tears as well. Not only that, her eyelids were slightly swollen as if she had cried a lot these past few days. "But he... he is unmoved. He said that... this is the shortest and most effective way to... to understand you..."

Luan already had an inkling on what Dr. Feng planned to do when he first heard of the program, but when he heard the confirmation through Dr. Xiao’s lips, he still staggered backward as if someone had shoved him hard, his face turning ashen. No... you don’t need to do this to understand me...

Before he could even recover from the shock, Dr. Xiao’s next words completely crushed him down to the core,

"Moreover, this program really can’t be stopped once it has started. Otherwise, he would..." Dr. Xiao trailed off, unable to bring herself to continue anymore. Then she cursed under her breath, "That dumbass! How could he be such a fool?!"

Even though she did not finish her sentence, Luan could fill in the blanks just fine. Otherwise, his brain nerves would be damaged from the disturbance. Otherwise, he would even die...

Luan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. But at this moment, each inhale he took seemed to have transformed into thousands of fine knives, digging and twisting into his bloody and battered heart, flaying out pieces of flesh with every stroke. It was ironic how vivid this agony was when his body was literally made of countless metal parts.

He was not supposed to feel pain, yet he did. He was in so, so much pain that even his fingertips trembled along with it. It was as if his anguish and heartbreak had gone beyond the physical level and ascended to a deeper and higher level than that.

"Okay..." he said shakily. Then he repeated again, firmer this time. "Okay, I understand." He wiped his tears in a careless manner and when he raised his head again, those eyes of his were startlingly bright with blazing determination. He said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Turn on the highest emergency alert in the institute and prepare for a total shut down. I will connect to Dr. Feng’s subconsciousness and bring him out. And in case I fail... then I will perish together with him."

***

He opened his eyes in a daze and saw a familiar yet foreign ceiling above him. It seemed like he had gone through a long, long dream, yet in a blink of an eye, he had forgotten everything as if they never existed to begin with. With a reluctant groan, he sluggishly sat up from the comfort of his bed and dragged himself to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

The servants in the Lu Mansion had a fixed set of uniforms they ought to wear when they were working – different for each season and other special occasions. It was like a set of formal suits, but with a more breathable and light material.

He stood in front of the mirror whilst clipping a butterfly tie to his neck, and when he caught sight of his short black hair on the mirror, he paused and tilted his head in confusion.

Why did he feel like his hair was supposed to be... longer? That’s so weird, where did that thought come from? His hair had always been cut this short so he could easily style it in the morning.

Thinking that he was still influenced by the hazy dream earlier, he shook his head with an amused snort, straightened his shirt, made sure that he looked absolutely presentable before walking out of his room in the servants quarter.

Working in the Lu Mansion was an utter bliss. Master Lu was never one who liked to deliberately seek trouble with his servants, nor did he have any high requirements for people who served him. They only needed to be quiet, honest and disciplined. Perhaps that’s why the number of servants in the house could be counted with two hands, and of course the pay was absolutely worth drooling for. Honestly, he did not even know why he was chosen out of hundreds of candidates, but he was not going to waste this golden opportunity. He would make a lot of money and get rich!

Not only was the pay very generous, the working hours were also flexible. They only needed to start once Master Lu went to the company and finished it before he returned – which would be around midnight. Ah, that’s not right, Master Lu’s schedule had drastically changed recently.

His master, Lu Yizhou, used to be a hopeless workaholic despite his fragile health, but everything suddenly changed when he brought a child home a few weeks ago. If not for their appearances which looked nowhere similar to each other, everyone would have thought that it was Master Lu’s illegitimate child.

The child was quiet, soft and timid, named Ren Zexi. Very obedient and adorable, unlike other children who were akin to flying monkeys and howling chickens. The servants liked their Young Master Ren very much and often spoiled him with secret snacks when Master Lu was not paying attention.

After he finished cleaning the kitchen and was ready to take a short break, he inadvertently caught sight of Young Master Ren sitting on the porch outside. It was not the first time he had seen the child there. He had long noticed that the Young Master liked to watch the rose garden and chase after butterflies. But this time, the child’s head was hung low and there was an indescribable melancholy radiating off him.

He had no idea why his heart ached at the sight. There was a voice telling him to go outside and talk to the child, and before he knew it, he had turned back to the kitchen, prepared a plate of chocolate cookies Ren Zexi liked to eat before going out.

"Young Master Ren...?" He called out softly.

The child raised his head in surprise. His round golden eyes were slightly moist as if he was on the verge of tears. Upon seeing him, a hint of fluster appeared on his face as he clumsily rubbed his eyes.

Carefully, he sat down beside the child and offered him the plate of cookies. "Would you like one?"

Ren Zexi pursed his lips and murmured with a milky voice, "Uncle Lu will get angry at you."

He chuckled softly. "Well, I think there will be no problem if Young Master Ren eats one. Only one, okay?" After successfully coaxing the child, he saw that Ren Zexi’s mood slightly improved and decided to ask, his tone gentle and careful. "Is there something wrong, Young Master? Why do you look so sad?"

"Ah, nothing. It’s just..." the child lowered his thick lashes and his lips wobbled dangerously. Uh-oh, that did not look good. "Do you think Uncle Lu hates me...?" he asked in such a fearful and heartbreaking tone that it was hard not to feel distress for him.

"I’m sure not," he answered without any hesitation. Every servant in the Lu Mansion knew how much of a loner their Master was, that’s why they rejoiced when he decided to raise a child. In a few short weeks, he had become much softer and gentler, especially in front of Ren Zexi. That’s why he could not understand where this question came from. "Why do you think so?"

"Well..." Ren Zexi started to count with his short and stubby fingers. "He told me to sleep alone, he doesn’t spend much time at home, and he forced me to eat carrots yesterday and then he got angry when I refused..."

"Pfft," he painstakingly covered his laugh with a clear of his throat. Seeing that Young Master Ren was peering up at him, he schooled his expression and replied seriously. "There must be a misunderstanding, Young Master. I’m sure Master Lu likes you very much. He’s just been a bit busy recently and about the carrots, it’s for your own good..."

Young Master Ren pouted his lips, still sullen.

He was forced to turn his brain for another answer. "Then how about... telling him?"

"Tell him?"

"Uh-huh, you’re sad because he hasn’t been home recently, right? I’m sure Master Lu will not know without you telling him." He laughed awkwardly. "I mean, he is a little dense..."

"Dense?" Ren Zexi blinked, confused. "What does it mean?"

"It means that... he doesn’t notice a lot of things. So if Young Master Ren is sad, angry and aggrieved, then you should tell him out loud. Otherwise he really won’t know." He tried to put it in a simple way so that the five-years-old child could understand it easily.

"Really...?" Hope flickered in Ren Zexi’s teary eyes. "If I tell him that I want to spend more time with him, then... will he like me again?"

"Really," he nodded with a solemn look, only short of raising three fingers to the sky to make a vow.

Ren Zexi mulled over his words seriously. Smiling, he left the plate of cookies behind, patted his butt and went inside.

It was already late in the evening when Master Lu came home from work. He poked his head out from behind the wall and watched as Ren Zexi shyly reached out his arms for hugs. Then when Master Lu scooped him up, he gingerly craned his neck and whispered something into the man’s ears.

Surprised, Master Lu glanced at him, contemplated earnestly for two seconds before nodding, causing Ren Zexi’s face to break into a bright smile.

"Uncle Lu, I... I like you so much!" The child’s milky and delighted voice traveled to where he was, causing his heart to turn into mush.

Young Master Ren was just too precious, and he was glad that he could be of help.

After confirming that the two people were getting along very well with each other, he turned away and returned to his sleeping quarter, humming a random tune. However, he did not expect to see someone standing in front of his door.

It was a face that he had never seen before. The man was at least one head taller than him, and the servant’s uniform clung onto his proportional body like it was tailor made just for him. He had an extremely attractive side profile, and even just standing there he was able to make the simple servant quarter look more extravagant somehow.

Geez, this kind of figure and face should be a model ah... what is he doing coming here to become a servant? Please don’t take away other people’s livelihood!

"Hello?" He called out gingerly. "Are you... um, lost?" That was the first possibility that popped up in his mind.

The man turned to him, revealing his full appearance. There was something in those dark eyes that were so, so familiar that he could not help but fall in a daze. But just like this morning, that déjà vu instantly slipped away from him before he could clearly comprehend it.

"Yes," the man nodded his head. He had a deep, rich and soothing voice, the kind that would make ears get pregnant. He flushed slightly when that thought sprung up out of nowhere. What’s up with you simping over another man’s voice? Get yourself together!

The man lifted the corner of his lips into a very faint smile. The gaze that fell onto him was gentle, warm but intense, like the soothing crest of the ocean waves that hid the bottomless depth below. It was unfortunate that he was too flustered to notice.

"I am new here," he said while stretching out a hand. "Please take care of me."