AHDIBCB Chapter 38

Before nightfall, Yuan Yi removed Li Mian’s energy box.

Not only did he remove Li Mian’s energy box, he also drained the optical computer’s power, and cut off the electricity to the computer as well. He normally didn’t use the computer anyway, because it belonged to Li Heng. Although he was, in name, a couple with Li Heng now, couples also had to respect each other’s privacy, so he had never touched this computer. Cutting off the power as much as possible was simply because he still didn’t fully understand the technology here. He was worried that as long as it was connected to power, it could start up on its own and then monitor his every move.

He took off Li Mian’s energy box and set it aside. After carefully thinking over what else he could control, he simply shut down almost everything in his room that could operate on energy.

Except for the ceiling light.

He didn’t think this thing was smart enough to hear or see anything.

Yet, out of all those things, it was precisely this ceiling light that could play a key role.

When this house was originally renovated, some of the basic infrastructure was done by the military in a unified way—especially anything related to energy and intelligence systems—because the aim was to maximize the security of the compound.

The same was true for Li Heng’s room. The ceiling light was a standard-issue, very easy to control.

But later, Li Heng replaced it himself. The reason was that during early training with Li Mian, there had been an accident. Li Mian, while moving quickly, crashed into the light fixture and broke the surface, so they had no choice but to replace it.

But by that time, the defense grid of the compound had been upgraded, so there were no longer the same requirements for the light fixture as during the initial renovation.

When Li Heng made the replacement, he directly installed a highly intelligent one, in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the house without him knowing when he wasn’t home.

According to the manufacturer, this light had another use as well—to enhance intimacy between couples.

If the recording function was really turned on, it could project the footage it captured in real time to any corner of the room, and with exceptional clarity. This feature could spice things up at certain moments.

Li Heng hadn’t cared about that function at all in the beginning, since he didn’t even know where his other half had reincarnated. That feature was purely an extra—probably useless.

As for now, General Li was forbidding himself from thinking about such suggestive things.

He watched the time pass, minute by minute, and found it hard to believe that someone his age could actually look forward to a moment like some young hotheaded boy.

At the same time, Yuan Yi made one last confirmation of the alarm clocks. He adjusted all the times five minutes earlier or later, because when he had originally set the alarms, Li Mian was still “awake”, and he wasn’t sure whether that “unexpected visitor” might have seen it.

Then, he tried to empty his mind. He placed that silly-but-cute little bear next to his pillow.

He could feel that the other party didn’t harbor any malice toward him. And to be fair, even though his routine had changed because of it, he had been sleeping really well. When a person sleeps well, it’s harder for them to feel all kinds of negative emotions. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why, despite his curiosity, he was still relatively calm.

He just wanted to figure out what was really going on.

Yuan Yi fell asleep while holding the little bear—but he had a dream.

In the dream, he was adopted by a married couple, but in less than a month, they didn’t want him anymore. They returned him to the orphanage.

This couple was getting a divorce. As for adopting a child, the foster father who had taken care of him for three weeks had never been very happy about it. Their plan to divorce partly had to do with this as well. After thinking it over, his three-week foster father still wanted a biological child. In that case, he couldn’t stay with his wife who couldn’t have children.

And once they got divorced, neither of them wanted to continue raising him.

Later, he sat in the corner of the orphanage, watching other kids get adopted one after another, but he never felt envious again.

At least, in the orphanage, there was no such thing as abandonment or being returned. Having a place to eat and sleep—he felt that was already pretty good.

At that moment, he seemed to hear the lunch bell ringing. Yuan Yi had to go to the cafeteria. But no matter how hard he tried, he found that he couldn’t move at all. His legs felt like they were filled with lead, and his hands wouldn’t obey him either.

The sound in his ears was very loud, and all the other children were heading toward the cafeteria. If he went too late, there wouldn’t be any food left for him.

Yuan Yi frowned in pain and finally forced his eyes open. After a dazed moment, he realized his head hurt a lot. The room was pitch dark, with only the little alarm clock casting a soft glow as it rang.

He vaguely felt that he hadn’t actually woken up at all.

Then, almost in a flash, he fell asleep again.

This time, he slept very deeply. He didn’t hear anything, not even a dream.

Li Heng could control all mental bodies within a ten-meter radius. And since he had soothed Yuan Yi a few times, he was especially familiar with him. Even before entering the cabinet, he had already started sorting through Yuan Yi’s chaotic thoughts.

These past few days, it was the first time he had seen Yuan Yi have a nightmare. He couldn’t know the content, but memories that painful definitely couldn’t have come from a good dream.

This time, Li Heng released a bit more pheromones. Yuan Yi quickly relaxed, his whole body becoming soft.

Once Li Heng confirmed that he had entered deep sleep, he took a shower and came out, then gently smoothed the furrow between Yuan Yi’s brows.

Yuan Yi was sleeping deeply, and Li Heng kept watch by the bedside. His long, powerful fingers slowly ran through Yuan Yi’s hair. The silky strands glided silently between his fingers, bringing an unusual sensation. A little ticklish, and a little addictive.

Yuan Yi’s hair and eyes were both black. Li Heng remembered the calm expression he had when he looked at people.

Respectful toward you, but also a bit distant.

He would do his best in anything, but if it truly couldn’t be done, he wouldn’t force himself. Kind, knowing when to advance or retreat, measured, and clear-headed.

Li Heng looked at his nominal wife in the dim light, and the expression in his eyes unconsciously softened.

Originally, he had been thinking of returning the energy box to Li Mian and dismantling it again before leaving. But now, he felt that just quietly staying like this, the two of them together, was also very nice.

Li Heng actually really wanted to touch Yuan Yi’s belly. In name, he was the husband, but psychologically, he hadn’t yet been accepted by Yuan Yi, so he had to wait for a more suitable moment. But touching through the blanket… probably didn’t count as inappropriate.

Yuan Yi’s stomach was still flat. Li Heng gently stroked it a few times before pulling his hand back, and the more he looked, the more he felt the person on the bed was likable.

When Yuan Yi was awake, although not sharp, he wasn’t easy to approach either—like a piece of high-quality jade: clear and smooth, but cold.

But after falling asleep, that bit of aloofness disappeared. He was a little like a freshly steamed milk bun—fragrant, white, and soft. The scent of golden-edged daphne filled the nose, making one’s mouth dry and tongue parched.

Li Heng glanced at the time and felt something was off with his own body too. Afraid that if this continued, he might once again be triggered into entering a susceptibility phase, he quickly calmed himself, left a small box on the nightstand, tidied up, and left.

As for the alarm clocks afterward, it wasn’t clear whether they rang or not—anyway, Yuan Yi didn’t hear a single one.

When he woke up, he was a bit dazed and even suspected whether setting the alarms yesterday had just been part of a dream. But as soon as he looked at the alarm clock next to him, he knew it hadn’t been a dream. He had confirmed several times, but it seemed he only vaguely heard the sound when the first one rang—and then nothing after that.

He had been dreaming at the time and couldn’t wake up, feeling very uncomfortable. Later, it seemed like he opened his eyes, but also maybe not. In any case, right now, he felt like he had slept really well—but at the same time, something didn’t feel quite right.

There was a small box on the nightstand—it wasn’t his. He smelled the scent of cedarwood pheromones on it, so he opened it to take a look. Inside was a necklace. The fine silver chain held a round bottle, about the size of a cherry, with two bean-sized stones inside. Within the stones, there seemed to be a silky liquid slowly flowing—making them look not quite like stones after all.

Yuan Yi had seen all kinds of gemstones, but gemstone facets refract light almost instantly. These two little beans, however, were different. Every time they were shaken, the shimmering light emerged slowly, and yet the glow was not weak.

He had never seen anything like it before. But in the next instant, he seemed to understand exactly what it meant.

He was driven by a strange impulse to take out the photo from his first prenatal checkup and compare it. The more he looked, the more he felt that he hadn’t guessed wrong.

So Li Heng really wasn’t dead? Or was he dead, but had come back to see them in another form…

You really couldn’t blame someone from the medical field for thinking this way—after all, the feeling from last night really resembled sleep paralysis. He had experienced it before too—clearly knowing he was supposed to wake up, but unable to do so no matter how hard he tried, as if someone were pressing him down so he couldn’t move.

And if someone really had come, how could there be no trace at all? That was just too strange. And those two little stones in the bottle—so beautiful it bordered on sacred—they truly didn’t look like anything that belonged to the human world.

Yuan Yi decided to try a different method.

There were guards stationed in the compound, with both human and robotic patrol units.

Yuan Yi walked out of his courtyard toward the orchard. Their residential zone was quite large, and in the northwest direction there was a forest of fruit trees, with many types planted there. He hadn’t been there before, but during his descent home in the aircraft, he’d seen it from above—it had left the impression of being truly vast, and the variety of fruit trees had seemed rich. He wanted to go take a look for himself.

Two patrolling guards saw Yuan Yi and said, “Hello, is there anything we can help you with?”

Yuan Yi asked, “Excuse me, are there any peach trees in the orchard?”

The guard said, “Yes, over there.” He pointed in a direction. “It’s just the season when the peaches are ripe. You may pick some.”

Other news inside the compound might not spread fast, but the news of a new person in the compound would always be the first to get around, because in order to ensure the safety of personnel here, they had to become familiar with everyone immediately.

The security team had long known about Yuan Yi marrying Li Heng. Though they hadn’t seen him before, they quite admired this omega. Now that they saw him in person, all they could say was that General Li really wasn’t fortunate enough—if he were still alive, how many people would envy him?

Yuan Yi didn’t notice the regretful looks in their eyes at all. He glanced in the direction the guard pointed and asked, “Would it violate any regulations here if I broke off a few peach tree branches?”

The guard was momentarily stunned. “There is indeed a rule against breaking branches. But if it’s just a few, no one will bother you about it. You want to break off peach branches?”

Yuan Yi nodded and said, “To be honest with you two, I originally studied art. I’d like to use peach branches to make a few things, so…”

The guards saw that he was pregnant and alone—really not easy—so they immediately said, “Sure, we can help you break them.”

Yuan Yi noticed that the peach trees here grew quite tall, and it would be a bit of an effort for him to do it himself, so he let the two of them help break off a few branches.

Peach wood wards off evil. He was going to hang them by the window tonight!

Yuan Yi didn’t really know much about metaphysics. But he had once known an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor whose son was knowledgeable in the subject. While chatting casually, the man had mentioned that peach wood was one of the best materials for warding off evil.

Yuan Yi brought the peach branches home, rinsed off the surface dust, and then laid them out to dry.

He had originally planned to restart Li Mian today, but after washing the branches, he decided to observe for one more night.

It probably wasn’t anything after all—the other party must still be human. At least alive. So this was just… trying things out casually. After all, how could ghosts possibly exist in this world?

But then again, even time travel had happened…

Yuan Yi felt a little confused—confused, and then he found it a bit absurd. He didn’t dare to wear that necklace either; he put it away. Then he decided not to overthink it. He’d eat when he should, study when he should.

If it really was a ghost, well, it didn’t seem to want to hurt him anyway. If it was, then so be it. Nothing to fear.

Today, Professor Jian finally wasn’t busy. Seeing that Yuan Yi got up late again and even went out for a bit, she asked, “Xiao Yi, how have you been these past couple of days? Any discomfort in your body?”

Yuan Yi said, “No, I’m fine. Mom, did you hear any sounds last night?”

Professor Jian said, “No. Did you hear something?”

Yuan Yi replied, “No, it’s just that I bought an alarm clock and set the wrong time. It rang during the night, and I was worried it might’ve woken you, so I wanted to check.”

Professor Jian laughed and said, “The soundproofing is good—I didn’t hear a thing. Feel free to use it. But you’ve been waking up noticeably later these past couple of days. I figured you were tired, so I didn’t wake you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Yuan Yi said, “It’s because I used Li Heng’s primary pheromone and slept deeply. I hadn’t been sleeping well before, so I didn’t force myself to get up. I really am fine, don’t worry.”

He did look quite refreshed. Seeing that, Jian Yurou felt more at ease. “As long as you’re okay. Now that you’re on break, get some rest when you can. Do a bit of outdoor activity too. I transferred you some money—you can buy some clothes and shoes for later. And if there’s anything you like to eat, go ahead and get it. There are two big vegetable gardens and supermarkets nearby, all run by our own people. You can also go pick your own produce. You’ve been busy, so I hadn’t mentioned it, but now that you’re on break, it’s good to go for a stroll once in a while.”

Yuan Yi had been picking supermarkets randomly along the way to school or near campus, and he hadn’t realized there were picking gardens with direct sales. “I’ll go take a look when I have time.”

Jian Yurou smiled and said, “Alright, go on with your work. Be safe. I’m heading out to bring something to your dad.”

“Will you be back for dinner tonight?”

“I’ll be back. I’ll bring you some goose. There’s a new braised goose shop that opened next to your dad’s research center. I heard it’s really good—I’ll buy one and we can try it together. And some goose eggs too, for stabilizing the pregnancy.”

Yuan Yi thought to himself, Stabilizing the pregnancy is definitely needed. That invisible guest was way too wild—who even knows if he’s really the baby’s father.

That evening, they really did have braised goose. It was fragrant but not greasy, tender without being dry, and tasted truly excellent. Yuan Yi had a big bowl of rice, a five-spice smoked goose egg, and quite a bit of fruit too.

His appetite was clearly increasing. After the meal, he took a walk around the courtyard to digest a bit, then went inside and hung the peach branches on the windows and at the door.

He really wanted to see if that person would dare come again tonight!

At first, Li Heng had indeed wanted to come over—but then Dong Lang and the others found out who had administered the Aminanka to Yuan Yi. Plus, he’d left that Xinghai gel capsule for Yuan Yi, so he figured missing one day wouldn’t matter too much.

Besides, he was still in the prime of his life—seeing but not getting to touch was rough—so he decided to hold back a bit.

And so… he didn’t go.

Which meant—

The next morning, Yuan Yi discovered—

The invisible guest didn’t come!

Didn’t come!

Could it really be a ghost?!

Yuan Yi stared at the peach tree branches, completely dumbfounded.

He had really just tried it on a whim.

Could it be that this invisible guest was actually his martyr of a husband?!

No, he had to test it again.

Yuan Yi put the peach branches away. Before going to bed, he stuck adhesive tape over the window, and on the door too. This time, he taped up every door—including the closet doors. He had to see whether this damned ghost of a husband could still get in!

Spiritual defense removed, now switching to physical defense.

If he can get in even after this, then he’s definitely a ghost!