Part 2
"Holy crap, I just remembered!" Zhao Linyue exclaimed, staring up at the building. "The FREE branch office doesn’t focus on product design and production, it’s all about game development."
"Games?" Yi Chen blinked, looking confused. "Then what are we here for?"
Bai He shook his head. "I don’t know."
The three of them stood there for a while, contemplating, until a young woman on the second floor, who had been watching them for some time, burst into laughter. She opened the window and called out, "Why aren’t you coming in? Is there a nail at the door?"
The trio looked up in unison and saw the young, pretty woman calling to them from the second floor.
She turned and disappeared inside, only to reappear moments later, quickly making her way downstairs.
"Zhao Linyue, Yi Chen, and Bai He," the woman said, smiling with her hands on her hips. "Hello, I’m Long Qiu, the head of the administrative department at FREE."
The three of them blinked in sync and greeted her.
Yi Chen was the first to ask, "Sister, FREE makes games, so what’s the administrative work for?"
Long Qiu, carrying their boxes inside, gave them a helpless look. "Have you ever seen a game that didn’t need approval before release?"
That made sense. Bai He nodded internally. In the world he came from, games also needed various approvals before they could be released. It was just that this kind of work didn’t seem to have much to do with political studies.
Then, only one reason remained. It was because of the setting of this world. In an ABO society, all products, including games, had to go through strict government reviews to ensure they wouldn’t harm any gender group, maintaining the appearance of ABO equality.
It made sense. Just like how his old world banned certain things to maintain social order, this ABO world had similarly strict review mechanisms for the same reason.
That’s why political studies personnel were needed everywhere.
After moving everything into the new office, Bai He organized his desk. Long Qiu gathered them for a brief meeting.
Once the meeting was over, it was time to clock out. Before leaving, Long Qiu mentioned, "We have ready-made apartments here: one-bedroom units with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Everything is fully equipped, from pots and pans to dishes. There are also restaurants and supermarkets nearby. If you're too busy to go home, you can stay here. Of course, I don’t think we’ll ever get that busy."
As they watched Long Qiu leave, the three looked at each other. Yi Chen raised an eyebrow. "Want to check out the area? I just searched, and there’s a ton of great food around here!"
Zhao Linyue was enthusiastic. "Let’s go, let’s go!"
Bai He thought for a moment and shook his head. "I won’t be going. I have to head home later."
Yi Chen sidled up to Bai He, resting his head lightly on Bai He's shoulder. "Xiao Bai He, are you sure you don’t want to come? We’re going to eat something delicious!"
Bai He smiled. "No, you guys go have fun."
"Oh, right!" Yi Chen suddenly remembered Bai He's arm and slapped his forehead. "I forgot about your injury! I’ll go back with you then!"
"I’ll go with you guys too," Zhao Linyue chimed in, patting Bai He’s other shoulder. "It’s the perfect time to catch the subway."
Bai He shook his head. "My arm’s fine now, but I have something to take care of later. It might not be on the same route as you guys. You two go enjoy yourselves. I’ll join you another time."
After chatting for a bit longer, Bai He finally sent the two of them off. Now, the office was empty, leaving only Bai He behind.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go back with Yi Chen and Zhao Linyue. He really did have something to do.
He was almost out of canned food for Ling Ling, his cat, and he needed to stock up. The special brand of cat food wasn’t easy to find, and the last batch had been purchased through a proxy seller that Zhou Luoluo had helped him find.
The proxy had stopped selling it recently, so Bai He had to figure out another way. While on his phone earlier, he had searched and found that there was a store nearby that sold this specific brand. He was planning to check it out.
The FREE branch had five floors in total, each with a large area divided into several departments. The administrative office was on the second floor, in a room located deeper in the building, so Bai He had to walk a bit to reach the elevator.
Bai He stayed in the office for a while longer. His desk was next to a floor-to-ceiling window, offering a nice view. After finishing the warm water in his cup, he checked the burn on his arm and took out the ointment the doctor had given him, applying it again.
The cool ointment on his skin made him flinch slightly. Once the mild pain subsided, he continued applying the ointment.
The burn on his abdomen was much lighter than the one on his arm, so he didn’t apply it a second time. Instead, he lowered his head, staring at his abdomen, lost in thought.
He couldn’t shake what had happened today from his mind.
Bai He sat in a daze for a long time. As the sky outside gradually darkened, he finally pulled himself together and got ready to leave.
The floor was already deserted. In fact, Bai He hadn’t seen many people around all day. Maybe they were on other floors, he thought as he walked down the corridor, casually observing the work areas behind the glass walls. There were lots of computers and large screens, making the space look very high-tech.
Bai He withdrew his gaze and continued walking slowly. Before long, he glanced at his phone to check the time, confirming that the store was still open.
He quickened his pace slightly, head still lowered, and opened the home security app again. The familiar view of his living room appeared on the screen. He adjusted the camera angle to show the balcony and dining room, but once again, there was no sign of Ling Ling.
Bai He's heart sank, and he couldn’t help feeling worried.
He adjusted the camera to point at the bedroom door. The door was open, but he couldn’t see inside.
Had Ling Ling gone to his room?
Furrowing his brows, Bai He thought it didn’t seem right. Every time he came home, the first place he saw Ling Ling was always the living room window ledge.
An unsettling feeling tugged at Bai He’s heart. He uneasily adjusted the camera a few more times and suddenly noticed a small icon in the corner of the screen.
He clicked on it, and the screen displayed footage from the past five days.
Bai He hesitated for a moment before clicking on yesterday’s footage. The timestamp showed 10:00 AM. The house was quiet, empty, with no sign of Ling Ling.
His footsteps slowed as he walked, eventually coming to a complete stop. He stood there, his slender frame like a tall, straight bamboo stalk.
Bai He’s head was slightly lowered, the light reflected from the glass casting shadows over him. His silhouette was mirrored on the floor, the surrounding air so still it felt cold. The blend of white light and silence made him shiver.
He lifted his hand and manually scrolled back through the footage.
At 7:30 AM, the video showed him leaving the house and shutting the door behind him. Silence fell.
One minute, two minutes. He waited, expecting to see Ling Ling emerge from the bedroom. The footage continued, the progress bar creeping forward. Time passed, silence stretching so long it felt like it would break. Outside, the setting sun cast its light on Bai He's side profile, and his reflection in the glass wall showed his eyes gradually widening.
As the sun fully set, the coldness crept in. Somewhere nearby, the trash can seemed to contain a rotting orange, and the sour smell wafted faintly through the air.
Ding—a few steps away, the elevator doors opened. The sound of leather shoes on the floor was steady and deliberate. The shoes appeared in Bai He's downcast eyes, and above him, an alpha’s voice sounded, slightly surprised.
"Bai He, what are you doing here?"
What was he doing here? Bai He wanted to ask why Qin Yao was here too. He also wanted to ask why Qin Yao had appeared in the security footage of his home.
Yet every question, every doubt, was laid bare, as if on a single, straight, clear line. The answers were right in front of him, raw and undeniable.
How had he not thought of it? How could he have thought of it?
Because he had never considered it at all...
Qin Yao was Ling Ling. The footage on his phone was from yesterday morning.
At that time, just as Bai He left the house, Qin Yao emerged from the bedroom, wrapped in Bai He’s blanket.
The alpha moved naturally, as if he was already familiar with this routine.
Qin Yao had stayed by his side for many days and nights, sharing his bed countless times. Bai He had shared his innermost thoughts with Ling Ling—the good, the bad, even moments where he’d acted spoiled.
Now, all the small details floated to the surface: the laundry basket outside Qin Yao’s door, why Qin Yao was never home, why Mr. Nan also had a Maine Coon, the day Zhou Luoluo—a friend of Qin Wei—had returned Ling Ling, the fact that Ling Ling never ate cat food...
Everyone knew. Everyone had helped Qin Yao keep this from him!
Only he had been kept in the dark!
Bai He suddenly recalled that night. He had smelled Qin Yao’s pheromones in his room. That night hadn’t been a dream. The next morning, his hands were clean, his clothes were neatly on.
It hadn’t been a dream.
It was Qin Yao. It had always been Qin Yao.
Liar...
Why?
Why hadn’t he told him anything? Why had he acted like he didn’t know when they met, inserting himself into Bai He’s life, seeing every bit of his joy and sorrow?
And then, he had rejected him, saying it was all because of pheromones.
Bai He took a sharp breath, his chest tightening as the realization hit him like a tidal wave. The air around him felt heavy, suffocating. His eyes are tear-filled as he bit his lips until it was bloody.
“Qin Yu, do you think it’s fun to play me?”
Thanks for the update
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