Beta Chapter 72: Distress Button

Chapter 72: Distress Button

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

By the French window, the sudden ringtone of the phone interrupted the violin being played. Luo Songran paused, hand holding the violin bow. He put down the violin and walked over to pick up the phone, realizing it was Uncle Zuo calling. He answered, “Hello, Uncle?”

A gentle voice came from the other end, “RanRan, do you have time the day after tomorrow to accompany me to watch the Stern competition?”

“I do have time. Where is Stern held this year?” Luo Songran put the phone on speaker and put the violin back in its case. His eyes lit up when he heard he could go out.

Now Duan Yizhou managed him very strictly, and after the last time he caused trouble, he knew he should be more obedient during his pregnancy. But! He couldn’t always hold back, right? It would be nice to go abroad for a bit.

“It’s in Country D this time. Why do you sound so enthusiastic? Do you want to participate again? The last time you participated was before you went abroad, and the status has been raised a lot these years. Participating again would be helpful for your future direction, whether you choose solo or orchestra.” 

Luo Songran closed the violin case. He smiled, “Uncle Zuo, you know me. I don’t want to be so tired. Mechanical training day after day doesn’t suit me. I prefer to be more free-range.”

For him, the violin wasn’t his only way out. If he didn’t like it, he wouldn’t touch it. He learned because he liked it. The thought of turning something he liked into a profession felt like a burden. If one day his fathers really wanted to train him or cut off his allowance, he would go out and perform on the street to earn a living. 

“You rascal. If your Dad heard this, he would be heartbroken. He hopes you can become a soloist more than anything. Seriously, he even wanted to pick out the concert hall for you before.” 

Luo Songran naturally knew his Dad doted on him, but he still wanted to make his own choices. He would have to make this step sooner or later; he just didn’t feel very motivated right now.

“And one more thing, I heard from your Dad that you’re pregnant?”

Luo Songran’s lips couldn’t help but curl up when he heard this. “Yeah.”

Now he didn’t need to hide at all. This feeling was simply wonderful.

“RanRan, you’re so young to be pregnant. I haven’t even seen your partner yet. When I return to the country, you must introduce him to me. I want to see who can make our little prince so devoted.”

“He’s very good.” Luo Songran thought he should find time to bring Duan Yizhou home and formally introduce him to everyone. “When you come back, I’ll bring him home for you to meet.”

“How do you feel about being pregnant? If you’re not feeling well, then don’t come. I’m worried you’ll be uncomfortable.”

Luo Songran quickly said, “It’s okay. I’m perfectly fine now. The morning sickness isn’t severe anymore. I’m in a much better condition than the first two months.” He couldn’t miss this opportunity to go out. He could play for a few days.

“Sure?”

“Of course! Uncle, rest assured, I’m definitely fine. It’s just a few hours on the plane.”

“Okay, I’ll book your ticket for tomorrow. Come to my place tomorrow, and I’ll pick you up at the airport.”

Luo Songran suddenly thought of something and said mysteriously, covering the phone receiver, “Uncle, tomorrow please take me to eat something spicy. I’ve been craving spicy food lately, but my husband won’t let me eat it.”

Perhaps it was because he was craving it, he started listing the dishes he wanted to eat tomorrow night. Since Duan Yizhou definitely wouldn’t go out with him, he could feast to his heart’s content!!

After chatting for a while, Luo Songran hung up the phone contentedly. Just as he was about to put his phone back in his pocket and turn around, he was suddenly startled by Duan Yizhou’s cold and silent presence behind him.

Duan Yizhou stood in front of him, seemingly smiling but not, “Thinking about sneaking some spicy food again?”

Luo Songran was speechless. He lowered his head, smiled, and reached out to hold Duan Yizhou’s hand. “Oh, it’s just my uncle being very enthusiastic. He asked me to accompany him to attend a competition in Country D the day after tomorrow, and then he asked me what I wanted to eat. Of course, I had to answer him politely.” 

“Going to Country D?” Duan Yizhou frowned when he heard Luo Songran was going abroad again. He originally came to tell the little fellow that there would be an emergency meeting later and he would be busy these days. “Alone tomorrow?”

If he didn’t have something urgent on his hands now, he couldn’t let Luo Songran go abroad alone. But unfortunately, he couldn’t leave now.

Luo Songran saw Duan Yizhou’s expression immediately turn serious, and his expression fell. He pursed his lips, “Can’t? I’m not a minor, and besides, I used to go out alone when I was a minor. What’s there to worry about? I won’t get lost.”

“I’m not worried you’ll get lost. It’s just that you’re pregnant now. What if something happens when you’re alone?”

“It won’t. Just trust me. There’s nothing wrong with me now. Otherwise, would you come with me?” Luo Songran was dazzled by the sunlight outside the window. He blinked and knew this man was going to nag at him again, so he suddenly felt a little rebellious. He wanted to go out and play for a bit.

“I’ll be busy these days. There’s something pretty bad I need to deal with.” Duan Yizhou saw the sunlight fall on Luo Songran and instinctively turned sideways to shield him from some of the light, then put his arm around his shoulder. “I might not be able to accompany you. I was thinking of asking if you wanted to stay at home for a few days.”

Originally, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to take care of him well, but now this little fellow tells him he wants to go abroad, which gives him a headache.

“Ah? What’s the matter?”

“Second-generation differentiation drug have entered the clinical trial stage, the recruitment of volunteers has been completed, and preparations are underway for the drug trial. However, one dose of the drug is missing.”

“The dose is missing?” Although Luo Songran didn’t fully understand, he could sense the severity. He looked up at Duan Yizhou. “Was the dose stolen?”

Duan Yizhou shook his head slightly. “It’s unclear at the moment. It was discovered this morning, and suspicious individuals are already being investigated. Only researchers involved in this project and the pharmaceutical department managing this batch of drugs would have access to it.”

“Would the theft of this drug have serious consequences?” Luo Songran frowned.

“Yes, there are three serious consequences. One is the potential leakage of my patent due to improper confidentiality, which would essentially waste over three years of effort. The second is the improper use of this second-generation differentiation drug without guidance from professionals. Incorrect dosage or administering it to individuals who don’t require second-generation differentiation could severely endanger lives.” Duan Yizhou adjusted his glasses, his expression growing darker. “There’s also the possibility that an excessive dose of the second-generation differentiation drug, under unknown circumstances, could trigger latent genetic defects, which is why we need to meticulously conduct dosage trials.”

Hearing this, Luo Songran’s mood shifted subtly. He felt more guilt than anything else. He glanced at Duan Yizhou, who seemed visibly distressed. He reached out and tugged at his sleeve. “Zhou Zhou, are you mad at my cousin?”

No matter how one looked at it, Duan Yizhou was in a tough spot. Because of the drug’s development, he was the technical lead, but the Galaxy Group handled investments, research, and ultimately, sales. If the drug’s composition was compromised due to its loss, Duan Yizhou would likely suffer the most.

Money could be earned back in a short period, but some things couldn’t be recreated quickly.

“I think your cousin will give me an explanation. I need to go find him now.” Duan Yizhou looked down at the cautious Luo Songran. His eyes revealed a hint of helplessness. “It’s not that I don’t want you to go out, but I’m really swamped right now and can’t accompany you.”

He needed to handle this matter first. Leakage of the drug’s composition was one thing, but if it resulted in casualties, it would lead to even more dire consequences.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go out after all.” Luo Songran felt worried about leaving Duan Yizhou alone in such a busy situation. He shook his head. “Forget it, forget it. I won’t go out. I don’t want you to worry about me while you’re busy.”

Duan Yizhou’s lips twitched. Seeing the obedient demeanor of his little ancestor eased his irritation slightly, but he couldn’t burden a pregnant man completely, “You can go out, but you have to take someone with you, or else I won’t be at ease.”

“Huh? Who should I take?”

“Take Jiang Yi with you. Let him accompany you.” Duan Yizhou hugged Luo Songran as they walked out of the music room and headed upstairs to the study. “I’ll feel relieved if he’s with you.”

Upon hearing Jiang Yi’s name, Luo Songran glanced at Duan Yizhou’s expression. “Um, you’re not blaming Jiang Yi for this, are you?”

“I’ve already reprimanded him.”

Luo Songran suddenly felt guilty. He had inadvertently implicated Jiang Yi. “He’s innocent. He just cares about you.”

“I know, but what he did was wrong, both morally and professionally. Let’s not talk about him. I’m most upset with you about this. We need to prevent such incidents in the future.”

As the two entered the study, Luo Songran was a bit puzzled. “Why are we here?”

“I was initially thinking of going to the police station to obtain authorization for your chip data, but urgent matters have to be prioritized. So, just to be safe, let me put this on you first.”

Duan Yizhou walked to the safe, which required facial recognition, fingerprint, and numeric password authentication. With a soft click, the safe opened. He retrieved a black velvet box from inside.

Luo Songran paused for a second, then smiled with relaxed brows. He moved closer to Duan Yizhou, curious. “What’s this, a ring? Are you going to propose to me?”

Duan Yizhou lowered his gaze and looked at the young man in front of him. There was an unmistakable expression of anticipation in his eyes. He shook his head with a smile. “Touch the watch.”

As he spoke, he opened the velvet box, revealing a milky-white watch inside.

“What’s a watch?” Luo Songran expressed his curiosity. 

“Do you remember the watch I used to wear?” Duan Yizhou walked to the desk, opened a drawer, and took out a black watch he used to wear when he was still “Duan Feizhou”. “It’s the one I wore when monitoring your chip data. These watches are a pair, sharing the same implanted sensor system.”

“What does that mean?”

Duan Yizhou took out the milky-white watch and gently placed it on Luo Songran’s wrist, holding his hand tenderly.  Perhaps because of the close proximity, Luo Songran looked up, finding the man before him carefully putting on the watch. His face under the glasses looked incredibly attractive when focused and serious. Though he was just putting on a watch, it felt as solemn as putting on a ring.

As Luo Songran got lost in his thoughts, the watch suddenly vibrated. It was a very subtle vibration, only perceivable by oneself. Buzz, buzz, buzz…

This puzzled Luo Songran. He looked at Duan Yizhou. “Why is the watch vibrating?”

“That’s my heartbeat.”

Luo Songran’s eyes widened in surprise at the explanation, as if a new world had just been opened to him. He exclaimed, wide-eyed, “So, it’s really your heartbeat. Does that mean I can hear your heartbeat even when we’re not together?”

Duan Yizhou smiled. “Yes, you can feel when I’m thinking of you.”

“What’s that like? Is it very intense?”

Duan Yizhou couldn’t help but laugh. He held Luo Songran’s hand and rubbed the watch face with his fingertips, illuminating the screen. A small string of white hearts, like bubbles, appeared on the screen, gradually filling it up.

“If all you see are hearts, it means I’m thinking of you. Whenever you see hearts filling up the screen, it means I’m using this feature to convey that I’m thinking of you at that moment. Pressing the first dot is for making a phone call. Pressing the first dot on the side allows you to hear my heartbeat. Pressing the third dot is to convey that I’m thinking of you, that I want to see you.” The man’s low, gentle voice echoed in his ears. Even though he was just explaining how to use the watch’s functions, it felt like he was speaking sweet nothings. It made Luo Songran’s ears burn.

Luo Songran resisted the urge to let his lips curl up too much, but eventually couldn’t help it. He leaned up and kissed Duan Yizhou on the cheek. After a moment of kissing, they parted.

“So, if you’re going out, it’s fine. Take Jiang Yi with you, wear this watch, and if there’s any problem, find Jiang Yi first. I’ll feel at ease letting you go out like that.”

Luo Songran felt like the watch was an essential item for the honeymoon period. Hearing Duan Yizhou say that made him hesitate a bit. “But is it really okay for me to go out when you’re so busy?”

“Are you going to be out for long?”

“Um… Two or three days?”

Duan Yizhou chuckled indulgently, his voice deep. He ruffled Luo Songran’s hair affectionately. “Just two or three days? I’ve endured seven or eight days before. Go have fun.”

Hearing Duan Yizhou teasing him, Luo Songran murmured softly, then lowered his head to fiddle with the watch. “…Why isn’t there a function for when I’m angry?”

“I’ll make one for you next time.”

“Then I’ll come back soon, within two days for sure, definitely not more than three days!”

“Okay, be safe when you’re out. Remember to call me at night.”

Luo Songran pressed the first dot beside the watch. “Does this one allow me to make a phone call?” But instead of making a call, he accidentally triggered continuous intense vibrations.

“This one is for emergency calls, a distress button.” Duan Yizhou closed the red exclamation mark interface that popped up on the black watch. He gazed at Luo Songran with a deep intensity. “I hope you never have to use this.”

Seeing Duan Yizhou suddenly so serious, Luo Songran quickly waved his hand. “Oh, of course not. Don’t worry so much.”

 

 

 

 

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