After Rebirth, Married to a Deadly Enemy - Chapter 26

Shi Zhen arrived at Bai Xiangxing’s room door and knocked.

“Come in by yourself,” Bai Xiangxing’s slightly cold voice came from inside.

Shi Zhen pushed the door open.

Inside the room, Bai Xiangxing was in the midst of unbuttoning his dress shirt, appearing somewhat impatient. He unbuttoned it quite forcefully and tossed it on the floor carelessly. After unfastening the tie, Bai Xiangxing began to undo the buttons on the shirt, but he stopped after releasing only two. He looked up at the man who had entered without a word and said in a somewhat irritable tone, “What are you coming up for?”

At least he knows to come and apologize; he’s not completely hopeless.

Shi Zhen restrained himself from glancing at what was revealed beneath the two unfastened buttons and quickly said, “I have something to discuss with you.”

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s about Xiangrong,” Shi Zhen said.

“Xiangrong?!” Bai Xiangxing didn’t seem to expect that. Wasn’t he here to apologize?

“Yes, after you brought Xiangrong back from Sector 64, I…”

“Are you in a hurry?” Bai Xiangxing interrupted Shi Zhen.

Shi Zhen hesitated for a moment but ultimately shook his head.

“In that case, please leave. I haven’t showered in two days, and I feel extremely uncomfortable right now. If you have something to say, wait until after I’ve taken a shower,” Bai Xiangxing said. He initially thought Shi Zhen had come to apologize, but when he realized it wasn’t the case, he lost what little patience he had left.

Sensing that Bai Xiangxing was growing more displeased, Shi Zhen understood it would be better to comply. He didn’t say more and quickly left the room.

“Close the door!” Bai Xiangxing added.

Shi Zhen hurriedly walked back and closed the door for him.

“Idiot! No wonder you were single all your life in the previous incarnation.” In fact, Bai Xiangxing didn’t know for sure if Shi Zhen had been single his whole life in the previous incarnation since when Bai Xiangxing died suddenly, Shi Zhen was still alive. But for now, Bai Xiangxing didn’t care. Based on Shi Zhen’s emotional intelligence, he deserved to be single for life.

Fuming, Bai Xiangxing undressed and entered the bathroom. After a relaxing bath, his mood improved considerably. However, as soon as he wrapped himself in a robe and came out, the door to his room was knocked again.

Judging by the scent of pheromones wafting through the door crack, he didn’t need to see who was knocking to know who it was.

Bai Xiangxing walked over, swung the door open without waiting for the man to speak, and preempted with a sharp tone, “Is there something so urgent? Have you been waiting outside my door?”

Shi Zhen calmly retracted the hand he was about to knock with and denied, “No, I heard the water stop, and I waited a while before coming over.”

“Did you eavesdrop while I was showering?”

“I didn’t!” Shi Zhen’s voice was slightly panicked when denying, and his earlobes turned slightly red, providing an unnecessary explanation. “I just have better hearing than most people.”

“Just because you have good hearing, you think you have a point?” Bai Xiangxing questioned.

“I didn’t mean it that way.” In terms of arguing, Shi Zhen was never a match for Bai Xiangxing. Realizing that Bai Xiangxing was still upset with him, he figured it wasn’t the right time for this discussion and decided to come back later.

As soon as Shi Zhen considered retreating, Bai Xiangxing’s anger seemed to dissipate. Shi Zhen had a genuine reason to talk to him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been persistently knocking on his door.

“Come in,” Bai Xiangxing said, making way as he walked to the bed.

Shi Zhen was briefly taken aback, thinking that Bai Xiangxing had changed his mood rather quickly. He silently entered the room.

“Did you need something related to Xiangrong’s household registration? I’m already handling that. In about half a month, I should be able to transfer Xiangrong’s household registration out,” Bai Xiangxing asked. When he left Sector 64 with Xiangrong, he thought things would be straightforward. In his perception, Xiangrong was his younger brother, and he was well aware of Xiangrong’s character. Moving Xiangrong’s household registration into Shi’s family wouldn’t have any adverse consequences, as he thought. However, upon further reflection, he realized that Xiangrong was a stranger to Shi Zhen’s family, coming from Sector 64, which had a less favorable reputation. This might have been a bit inappropriate.

“It’s not about that,” Shi Zhen shook his head. He had agreed to transfer Xiangrong’s household registration to Shi’s family initially, so he didn’t plan to force Xiangrong out later.

“What is it about?”

“I heard from Lin Qing that Xiangrong has an older brother.”

“Yes, he has an older brother named Xiangyan. Why are you asking about him?” Bai Xiangxing was puzzled.

“Is it his brother who developed the new suppressant formula?”

Shi Zhen even found out that Xiangyan was the one who developed the drug formula?

Bai Xiangxing wasn’t particularly surprised by this. He had obtained the formula coincidentally. He had initially signed a contract for the new drug outside and then went to Sector 64 to find Xiangrong. Although he had prepared an explanation in case Shi Zhen asked about it, when he realized that Shi Zhen had discovered it on his own, he wasn’t concerned. He calmly explained, “Yes, this formula was indeed developed by Xiangyan, his brother. His brother is a pharmacological genius. Originally, he intended to gain ZF’s attention through his exceptional talent in pharmacology and leave Sector 64 as a special talent. However, the people from Sector 64 were greedy for his research results and sold his information to some profit-seeking drug traffickers. Later, these drug traffickers were eradicated by the Alliance, and Xiangyan disappeared.”

“I found out through a private channel that Xiangrong still had another formula in his possession. I also learned that Xiangyan’s only wish was for his younger brother to leave Sector 64, which is why I brought him out of there.”

Bai Xiangxing didn’t mention what this private channel was, but if Shi Zhen continued to inquire, he had a suitable explanation. Sometimes, when you explain things too eagerly and thoroughly before the other person asks, it may come across as insincere. So, he waited for Shi Zhen to ask, making it sound more genuine, which was the art of communication.

“His wish? Do you think Xiangyan is dead?” Shi Zhen seized on a keyword.

“Yes,” Bai Xiangxing began, then raised his head suddenly, questioning, “What do you mean?”

“Xiangyan is not dead. He’s currently in a prison on Planet 99 in the Cancer Galaxy,” Shi Zhen stated directly.

“Are you serious?” Bai Xiangxing found it hard to believe.

Shi Zhen nodded. “Xiangyan served the drug trafficking organization. When they were making deals with space pirates, they were apprehended by accident. At that time, the Flame Team was responsible for destroying the space pirate organization. Before they were obliterated, they arrested a small spaceship. It was a seizure, and when they examined it, they found Xiangyan aboard.”

“Is this about the Loner Space Pirate Group that got annihilated? Weren’t they saying that the battle was particularly fierce, and the space pirates’ ships were all destroyed?” That was what Xiangrong had told him in his previous life. Otherwise, how could Xiangrong have stopped searching for his brother?

“Before they were destroyed, a small spacecraft had flown out. We intercepted it, and after examination, it was neither a space pirate nor a legal organization. We handed Xiangyan over to the Interstellar Guardians,” Shi Zhen explained.

“By what you’re saying, you didn’t really care about this group of drug traffickers. Why do you remember Xiangyan?” Bai Xiangxing was cautious, especially when hearing about something as significant as a person thought to be dead being alive.

“Because Xiangyan was still a minor at the time, and Lin Qing thought he was a hostage, so he asked a few more questions,” Shi Zhen explained.

“So, how did he end up in a prison in the Cancer Galaxy?” Bai Xiangxing wondered.

“That was the judgment of the Cancer Galaxy, and he admitted to his guilt. I didn’t investigate further,” Shi Zhen stated.

Admitted his guilt on his own?

Bai Xiangxing frowned slightly. Although he had a close relationship with Xiangrong and considered him a brother, he had never interacted with Xiangyan. His knowledge of Xiangyan came solely from Xiangrong’s descriptions. So, even though he hadn’t met him, he had an excellent impression of Xiangyan and considered him a victim. But now, it seemed…

Bai Xiangxing contemplated for a moment and, after regaining his thoughts, saw that Shi Zhen was staring at him, waiting for his response. He quickly assured, “Don’t worry, I’ll certainly transfer Xiangrong’s household registration out within half a month.”

Shi Zhen blinked his eyes and moved his gaze away from a droplet of water that had trickled down Bai Xiangxing’s flushed skin and settled between his collarbones. “I told you all this not to have Xiangrong’s household registration transferred.”

Bai Xiangxing hesitated for a moment and then nodded, saying, “I understand, but Xiangrong himself wants to get his household registration transferred as soon as possible.”

Shi Zhen remained silent for a moment, realizing that Bai Xiangxing had not yet understood his intentions. “You care a lot about Xiangrong.”

Bai Xiangxing groaned but didn’t confirm or deny. He indeed cared a lot about Xiangrong, but it was primarily due to their connection from their past life. However, considering their limited interactions in this life, the level of concern he showed for Xiangrong was somewhat unusual.

“What do you hope for me to do?” After a while, Bai Xiangxing asked.

“I’m just informing you about what I found out. How you proceed is entirely your decision, and I won’t interfere,” Shi Zhen replied.

Shi Zhen’s response surprised Bai Xiangxing. He gazed steadily at Shi Zhen, who returned his gaze calmly, and his profound black eyes were as tranquil as the sea. Reflecting back, his gaze revealed an element of inquiry.

Bai Xiangxing suddenly smiled, realizing he was overthinking things. He was being overly sensitive, and given the position of the Shi family in the military, he was just a child from Sector 64. If they had wanted to interfere or cause trouble, they wouldn’t have allowed him to transfer Xiangrong’s household registration in the first place. He had been too complacent about the ease of transferring the registration, neglecting the trust and leniency that Shi Zhen had shown him.

“Thank you.” Despite his pride, Bai Xiangxing wasn’t ungrateful.

Seeing Bai Xiangxing’s smile, Shi Zhen also raised the corner of his mouth, returning the smile. Their similar smiles seemed to signify an unspoken understanding, creating a unique harmony in the room.

“Can I meet Xiangyan?” Bai Xiangxing asked.

“If you want to go, I’ll have Liang Chen take you there. He was involved in the handover with the Cancer Galaxy, and he’s more familiar with the situation over there,” Shi Zhen offered.

“I’ll go after I finish handling the bank loan matters, probably in about a week. Is that convenient?” Bai Xiangxing inquired.

“I’ll let Liang Chen know,” Shi Zhen nodded.

Shi Zhen’s easygoing response improved Bai Xiangxing’s mood, and he couldn’t resist patting the man’s shoulder, praising, “You’re not too bad. It wasn’t in vain that I saved you.”

Shi Zhen glanced at the fair hand resting on his arm, and the gland on the back of his neck gave a sudden throb. Waves of heat and coolness alternated in his body, a bit itchy but not uncomfortable.

What’s going on? Is it a side effect of pheromone fusion?

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You should’ve stayed in the hospital longer. Who let you out so soon?” Bai Xiangxing noticed that Shi Zhen’s complexion wasn’t right and asked with concern.

“I’m just a bit tired,” Shi Zhen shook his head.

“In that case, you should go back and rest,” Bai Xiangxing promptly suggested.

Shi Zhen nodded and turned to leave, but when he reached the door, he suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong? Is there something you forgot to tell me?” Bai Xiangxing inquired curiously.

Shi Zhen turned back to look at him. “In the future, I’ll notify you in advance.”

Leaving this seemingly random sentence behind, Shi Zhen closed the door and departed.

Bai Xiangxing was left bewildered. “Notify? Notify what? Ugh, he starts talking and stops, so annoying.”

Bai Xiangxing didn’t dwell on his intuition too long and turned to blow-dry his hair in the bathroom.