ABFMV Chapter 44 Part 2

Unbelievable.

Qi Ye frowned, holding the book as he headed to the flea market to find the shop owner, planning to ask if he had the next volume in stock.

The moment the owner saw him, his face lit up with a wide smile. “Well, what do you know! Young man, you’re the one who bought the first volume, right?”

And then Qi Ye saw Lu Xiao step out from behind the owner, carrying a book in his arms.

Qi Ye’s eyes landed on the bold, flamboyant characters on the cover—so familiar that his words caught in his throat before he could even speak.

Lu Xiao stayed silent as well.

The shop owner looked between the two of them in puzzlement. “Weren’t you looking for the first volume? It’s right there in his hands!”

Then, turning to Qi Ye, he added, “And I bet you came for the second volume, didn’t you? Well, he’s got it. You two can just trade—problem solved!”

Qi Ye and Lu Xiao exchanged an even more awkward look.

Rumors about the two of them collecting information on C- and D-class components had already been spreading for a while, but facing each other so directly like this was still unbearably awkward.

The shop owner, unfortunately, was the enthusiastic type. “Why are you two just standing there? If you ask me, you’re fated! Lots of people come here looking for books and miss their chance. But the two of you? You meet right on the spot!”

Qi Ye and Lu Xiao: “…”

In the end, it was Lu Xiao who stepped forward, offering out the book in his arms. “If you need it, we can trade.”

Qi Ye lowered his gaze, accepted the second volume, and pulled out the first. “I guess that works.”

The shop owner chuckled. “Now that’s what I call a happy ending. Anything else you two need?”

Both spoke in unison: “No.”

Qi Ye tucked the second volume away and left the flea market. His grip on the spine tightened as he walked.

Lu Xiao was reading this book too—that meant he was interested in Xu Linlang. Otherwise, why suddenly study mech component knowledge so out of the blue?

And Xu Linlang… she had once liked Lu Xiao.

If she found out he had changed his mind, would she choose to be with him?

Qi Ye stared at the ground, a bitter taste rising in his chest.

Xu Linlang treated him very well, but only as a dear friend. Nothing more.

Whereas Lu Xiao… was someone Xu Linlang had truly, genuinely liked before.

He had searched through the star net before and found plenty of proof: Xu Linlang had done a lot for Lu Xiao, constantly reaching out, even confessing to him publicly in the end.

What was so great about Lu Xiao anyway?

Images flashed through his mind, but none stuck.

All he felt was an invisible hand twisting inside him, clutching at his heart and gut until he could barely breathe.

A buzzing filled his head.

Qi Ye’s eyes reddened, his pace quickened, and his grip on the book grew harsher with every step.

It really didn’t matter who came first.

He didn’t care who Xu Linlang had liked before. What terrified him was the thought that she still liked Lu Xiao—that she might drift back toward him, leaving Qi Ye behind.

If that day ever came, Qi Ye didn’t know what he would do.

To him, Xu Linlang was the only one.

He couldn’t just fall for someone out of pity or charity. His feelings weren’t that cheap.

But when exactly had he fallen for Xu Linlang? He couldn’t say.

Maybe it was when she held him in his beast form without the slightest disgust. Maybe it was when she looked at his half-blood features without fear. Maybe it was that fleeting instant when their skin touched.

Whatever the reason, one thing was certain—he liked her. Desperately, hopelessly.

Without Xu Linlang, there would be no him as he is now.

If he could, he wanted to be someone warm, someone who could smile and bless her as she searched for her happiness.

But he couldn’t.

He knew his flaws too well. In his heart, her happiness had to be with him—and no one else.

Yet he hadn’t considered that feelings couldn’t be controlled. If Xu Linlang chose to love someone else, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

A bolt of lightning tore across the sky, splitting daylight apart. The bright day dimmed instantly, and heavy rain poured down as if to drench everything in its path.

Qi Ye shoved the book inside his coat and bent over, shielding it with his body to keep the pages from getting wet.

…

The downpour lasted nearly the entire day. By evening, Xu Linlang checked the weather outside from her window, then sent Qi Ye a message:

[Don’t bring Snowball over today. I’m afraid he’ll catch a cold.]

Nearly an hour passed, and the message still hadn’t been marked as read.

That made Xu Linlang uneasy.

In her experience, Qi Ye always replied quickly. Never had he left her waiting this long.

She tried sending him a live call, but again, there was no response.

Her worry deepened. Had something happened to him?

For the first time, she felt the absence of his presence—a hollow silence that made her heart race.

Unable to sit still, Xu Linlang activated the automatic rain shield and set out to find him.

She arrived at his dorm and rang the bell several times, but no one answered.

Left with no choice, she asked the dorm supervisor to unlock the door.

The door swung open. The small room was dark, the lights off. In the dim light, the boy lay curled on his side on the bed, his face pale, though his cheeks still burned faintly with fever.