Chapter 55: Seven Stars Align

Chatting and joking was one thing, but when it came to proper business, Lin Jiangye still chose to cooperate obediently.

He knew Yu Wangxiao had always maintained stable communication with the authorities. Even though, in this melodramatic world, it would actually be very easy to play the whole plutocratic-domination game.

But Yu Wangxiao did not have a strong desire to rule over others. What he needed was stability. After removing the people who disrupted that stability, he would usually lean more toward a peaceful mode that allowed communication.

Cooperation agreements that had passed through official channels could avoid a pile of complicated trouble, while also allowing him to do what he wanted and hold absolute initiative and authority… In the end, it still seemed quite like ruling over others. The only difference was that recently, he always had meetings.

And at this very moment, Lin Jiangye curiously entered the camera frame for the first time, meeting the eyes of a group of suited humans through the screen.

Obviously, everyone was not especially surprised. They had known of his existence for a long time. But the other side’s setup was far too formal. The meeting room was spacious enough to fit an entire football team, while he and Yu Wangxiao were comfortably curled up on the sofa.

The subtle silence lasted briefly before a young gentleman smiled. “Mr. Lin, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Would you like an official post?”

Lin Jiangye froze, then shook his head. “No.”

“Understood. Next… the statistics for the farmhouse hideouts have been completed. The table will be uploaded shortly, and Mr. Yu may review it. The transportation route at the southeast harbor has been verified as a forged trajectory. It did not involve actual export activity. We suspect it was one of the steps in money laundering and ‘product’ packaging. The main issue appeared in customs inspection. The list of violating personnel is very clear. Punishment measures will be transparent and public. The supervision team has already been reinforced and dispatched. In the future, this must be completely prevented.”

Lin Jiangye: “…”

The young man stood at the front of the long conference table and said a bunch of things that nearly made Lin Jiangye fall asleep. Then he turned slightly and gave the speaking position to a middle-aged woman in a suit. “Engineer Cheng, please briefly explain the recycling and allocation issue.”

The middle-aged woman called Engineer Cheng had a more straightforward attitude. She looked like she hated formalities and almost could not help yawning.

She stood up and adjusted the computer. She spoke no less than the previous person, but her words contained more information.

“Alright. The amount of unregistered raw materials involved this time is extremely large. The suspect had them hidden across multiple provinces and cities. Aside from the portion transported through the harbor, the safety predictions for the remaining raw materials all failed to meet standards. You have already received the detailed table and map. Our equipment here is insufficient, and our processing capabilities are indeed limited. But considering that the Seven Stars Aligning terrain was very likely intentional on his part, to prevent future trouble, the recovery must now be completed as quickly as possible.

“Mr. Yu, the proposal you gave has already passed the vote. I will only emphasize one thing: the harmless-treatment procedure must be strictly carried out, and the radiation must be controlled within standard limits. As for the other unnecessary formalities, we will simplify them as much as possible. We will open a green channel first to resolve the problem. Follow-up matters can all be discussed afterward.”

“…Seven Stars Aligning? Wait. You mean the places where Lin Bingsheng hid the meteorite fragments and those children really form a Seven Stars Aligning pattern on the map?” Lin Jiangye frowned and cut in. “Then his ambition is way too big. I need to personally go recover them.”

In ancient astronomical interpretations, this kind of uncommon phenomenon was indeed used to predict fortune and misfortune, and was connected to the rise and fall of dynasties, changes in government, and shifts of power. At this point, they really should not disbelieve it completely.

If Lin Bingsheng had only buried some irrelevant stones, then this large-scale superstitious act would only be superstition. But Lin Jiangye already understood his own corpse fragments to some extent… If that man had truly created some kind of large formation, it might really succeed.

And the target of this potentially successful change of fortune and power was actually very obvious.

Because the day the Seven Stars Aligning phenomenon was about to appear was Yu Wangxiao’s birthday.

The astronomy bureau had predicted the time to be around nine at night. Many people online were already looking forward to it, discussing the preparation of observation equipment and cameras, and arranging to meet on the A City coast.

This matter was very popular, while Yu Wangxiao’s birthday had instead become a bit of obscure knowledge. But Lin Jiangye could not ignore this “coincidence.” He could not be blamed for being suspicious. The people who wanted something to happen to Yu Wangxiao had never been few. It was like killing one cockroach only to prove that an entire nest was living in the house.

After hearing Lin Jiangye’s request, the young man smiled and replied, “If Mr. Lin is willing to help, we will naturally feel much more at ease. But may I trouble the two of you to provide your itinerary in advance? It would also be more convenient for the local side if the two of you act together as much as possible… By the way, Mr. Yu, the plane tickets can be fully reimbursed. Do you also need transportation, lodging, and meals arranged?”

“No need. To outsiders, just treat it as Jiangye and me going on a trip.” Yu Wangxiao also smiled gently. He made his requests at an unhurried pace. “He Chen will contact you tomorrow morning. If there are conflicts in the itinerary, communicate with me in time. As for how the employees of the welfare homes involved should be handled, produce results as soon as possible. I hope everyone will be satisfied. Also, regarding the children’s placement, psychological counseling, physical examinations, and the secondary review of adoptive parents, I want to see specific procedures within this week.”

“Understood.”

…

By the time the meeting ended, the sky was completely dark.

Lin Jiangye felt like he was about to develop dark circles from listening. This was simply more exhausting to the will than attending three consecutive professional lectures. Even squatting in the police station and giving a statement for half a day had been more interesting than this.

Even though Yu Wangxiao held the dominant position in the discussion, the necessary pleasantries and formalities still could not be omitted too much.

They discussed matter after matter in detail. Lin Jiangye happened to have very good hearing and memory, so every time he noticed the same circular topic appearing again, the more he listened, the stronger his urge to faint on the spot became.

He glanced at the time. Eight-thirty at night. Without realizing it, they had already passed dinner time. Even the sunset over the river in the evening had been completely ignored by them. Honestly.

Dragging his exhausted self into the kitchen, Lin Jiangye started the automatic coffee machine he had recently learned how to use.

The regular buzzing sound of grinding beans echoed by his ears, and rich coffee aroma bloomed instantly.

Lin Jiangye took a deep breath, carried two cups of double espresso back to the living room, and paused. “Yu Wangxiao, after talking with them, you still have to keep talking with He Chen? No, seriously, aren’t you sleepy?”

Yu Wangxiao accepted the coffee but was in no hurry to drink. Instead, he first pulled Lin Jiangye back into his arms and kissed him lightly by the ear. “You get used to it.”

“You really are suited to being a boss. I’ll never get used to meetings like this in my whole life. So tiring.” Lin Jiangye complained lazily, quickly finding a comfortable position in Yu Wangxiao’s arms. As for his own cup of coffee, he had already drunk it all in one gulp on the spot to avoid truly falling asleep.

“I want to travel with you, so I’m busy,” Yu Wangxiao said, showing him his phone and displaying the dense screen full of messages between him and He Chen without hiding anything. “I’ll arrange A City’s matters first. That way, we can go out and play with more peace of mind, and not attract too many people to disturb us.”

“Is tourism the important point? The important point is personally resolving safety hazards. Otherwise, I won’t even feel at ease sleeping.” Lin Jiangye sighed. “I don’t want to experience bloody things like today when I’m celebrating your birthday, or some inexplicable earthquake… Anyway, no accidents can happen.”

“Traveling with you is, of course, the important point. I’m looking forward to it.” Yu Wangxiao chuckled. His tone was gentle, but he firmly held onto his opposing opinion.

“…Fine, fine. Love-brain.”

This time, Yu Wangxiao did not refute him. His lips curved as he seemed to think it over. “Maybe I am. That’s not bad either.”

“Then can I bite you now? Your chest muscles.” Lin Jiangye fell silent for a moment, then also gradually became thoughtful.

“…Hm?” Yu Wangxiao’s smile froze.

“You’re already a love-brain, so why do you always refuse to let me bite here? You let me bite your neck whenever I want. I think you clearly like it.”

“…”

“Yu Wangxiao, don’t tell me you lied to me and you actually aren’t a love-brain? What a cruel truth. You don’t even like this kind of thing. You must be playing with my feelings.” Lin Jiangye stared fixedly at him, admiring his slightly flustered appearance, and deliberately spoke in a serious, clear, and hauntingly formal tone.

No way around it. He could not control himself. He wanted to bully a human. Recently, Yu Wangxiao had become increasingly relaxed in front of him. That was a good thing, but Lin Jiangye still especially loved seeing Yu Wangxiao occasionally at a loss.

“…Is it possible that it’s precisely because I like it that I can’t handle it?”

Forced into a corner, Yu Wangxiao finally softly voiced his true feelings. The two of them were pressed close together, talking face to face about this kind of thing, and a faint, beautiful pink quietly colored his cold white face.

Actually, he did not want to admit it, because Lin Jiangye would definitely take the opportunity to make him lose control a few times. In this kind of matter, Lin Jiangye unexpectedly had a bit of a wicked streak.

Did Yu Wangxiao like losing control?

No.

Or perhaps… he did like it.

***

With He Chen holding things down in A City, the two of them handled things extremely efficiently.

Packing their luggage at Longjing Bay only took half a day. They asked the counselor for leave and got approval, tidied up the miscellaneous items in the fridge at home, arranged for property staff to come water the flowers regularly… and very decisively left as soon as they said they would.

Considering that this trip also involved a confidential mission, Yu Wangxiao still chose a private plane and had no real intention of letting anyone reimburse his ticket.

After reporting the route in advance and getting approval, following the detailed map of buried meteorite fragments, they successfully arrived in Dong City under the bright noon sun.

It was not far from A City, and the climate was not very different. Light winter clothing was enough for comfortable movement. But next, they still had to go to five other different cities… With A City as the center, a perfectly straight line had been drawn on the map.

The scenery in the mountain valley was excellent. The lake surface, hidden by high mountains, was covered in a thin layer of ice.

Brushing aside the fine snow and looking down, the color of the lakebed refracted through the ice, revealing a pure, dreamlike blue.

Lin Jiangye ate the first freshwater fish he personally caught, along with the two large buckets Yu Wangxiao casually caught. The amount was just right.

He sat by the lake, gazing at the endless snowy forest and mountains, deeply breathing in the cold, dry air. His mind felt refreshed.

“No wonder. These low-key farmhouse resorts clearly never advertise to the public, but they can still operate long-term… You rich people really know how to secretly enjoy yourselves,” he could not help sighing. “Enjoying yourselves is one thing, but Lin Bingsheng, that disgusting thing, how dare he destroy the environment at random?”

The meteorite fragments had been buried at the bottom of the lake and had just been dealt with. Lin Jiangye had personally dived down to bring them up and had eaten them all on the spot.

They were so unpleasant to eat that, right after showering, he could not wait to return to the lakeside, sit by the bonfire, and personally barbecue a few more plump fish to suppress the gritty taste in his stomach.

The Dong City hideout was resolved very easily, and the people involved had already been taken away by the police. But because of the radiation issue, this large area’s reservoir and natural lake would have to be sealed off long-term. More serious areas would even have to be completely drained. It was unknown how long it would take before they could be reopened to the public.

Even the fish in the lake could not casually be given to humans to eat. In the end, they basically all benefited Lin Jiangye himself, while Yu Wangxiao also tasted some along the way.

Yes, Yu Wangxiao was the only human who did not care about radiation. He had tested himself long ago. Coming into close contact with anything related to that meteor shower would not affect his body at all.

Perhaps it was because that experience of being “eaten” had made his reborn constitution different. Or perhaps the so-called radiation danger was actually only a manifestation of dissipating energy.

Energy that humans could not digest would cause bodily mutation, but Yu Wangxiao was a strange human whose head could float with a pink light screen and a cypress branch.

To satisfy his curiosity, while no one was around, Lin Jiangye decided to observe how the energy inside Yu Wangxiao changed when he ate fish.

He deliberately pulled open Yu Wangxiao’s coat and collar, personally pressed close, and watched carefully for a long time. Unexpectedly, he really did notice some clues.

“…Yu Wangxiao, major discovery. The flower on your head can absorb radiation from my corpse!”

Unfortunately, the radiation energy itself was not much. Compared with the effect of Yu Wangxiao’s mood fluctuations, it could only count as an extra. But Lin Jiangye was still extremely surprised. “So aside from making you like me more, there’s actually another way to make it bloom. For the next two days, let’s eat reservoir fish a few more times. It’d be a waste otherwise.”

“Alright. Can you let me put my clothes back on?” Yu Wangxiao sat on a folding recliner, slightly uncomfortable. He helplessly raised a hand and pushed at Lin Jiangye, who was lying on him, but the other person did not move at all.

“…Tuantuan, haven’t you looked enough?”

In broad daylight, taking off his upper clothes outdoors, to someone like him… honestly, it was no different from being naked.

“I haven’t looked enough. I’m hungry. I want to kiss you,” Lin Jiangye replied softly, rubbing his chin against Yu Wangxiao’s neck.

His slightly damp hair ends had not been dried completely and carried the chill unique to lake water. Where they pressed against skin, tiny cold droplets squeezed out, sliding quietly along Yu Wangxiao’s neck and collarbone, slowly moving downward, causing Yu Wangxiao’s whole body to gradually tense.

“Why isn’t it my birthday yet… annoying.”

After giving up resistance for a while, Yu Wangxiao suddenly spoke hoarsely, rarely showing a bit of emotion. He turned his head and kissed Lin Jiangye’s damp temple, the corner of his eye, and his earlobe. In the end, he even bit him in retaliation, not holding back at all.

“…Hiss, no! I only wanted to kiss you. I didn’t, didn’t mean this or that!”

The person who tensed up instantly became Lin Jiangye.

Because many times, a tiny bit of pain was equivalent to a different, more intense kind of kiss.

Lin Jiangye had not understood this before. But now, at this moment, when Yu Wangxiao personally did this to him… he suddenly achieved enlightenment.

“Then do you want it now?” Yu Wangxiao asked with a smile that was not quite a smile.

“…I really do.”

“Mm. Endure it.”