Genius Chapter 85: His Heartbeat Unnaturally Quickened

Chapter 85: His Heartbeat Unnaturally Quickened

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

“What’s wrong?” Yu Zhen noticed that Su Mo’s complexion was off. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Su Mo snapped out of it. “No, I just probably ate too much.”

Yu Zhen had his doubts but didn’t dwell on it. “Let’s go out for a walk to aid digestion.”

Su Mo said, “I want to go home for a bit. Suddenly, I realized I forgot to bring my medication.”

“Sure, let’s head back then.”

After settling the bill, the two left the breakfast shop. On the way home, Su Mo clearly wasn’t himself, speaking much less than usual.

Yu Zhen dropped Su Mo off at his home vicinity before leaving himself. Su Mo watched him leave, then sluggishly made his way upstairs.

At home, Lele had already cleaned up the house and was busy in the kitchen learning new recipes. Seeing Su Mo return, she asked, “Su Mo, back so early today?”

Su Mo sat on the sofa, taking out the medication Lele had packed for him earlier from his pocket. He drank it down with a gulp of cold water from the table.

The bitter and icy sensation spread on his tongue. He leaned back on the sofa, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts.

That year, due to temporary work, both his parents had hurried off, leaving him alone without time to arrange for someone to stay with him. They had promised him that after a busy week of work, they would have a six-month holiday to spend with him. He would always remember sitting in the living room with Lele one night, waiting for his parents to come home, only to be met by a hurried uncle instead.

“Teleportation mishap, they didn’t receive any communication from there.”

“Based on the location estimate, it happened in the Vicinity of the Frigid Realm. The guards dared not enter; they couldn’t rescue them.”

“The spacecraft lost contact, and all 43 researchers in the institute…”

“Old acquaintances had no close relatives. With only this child left, what should we do?”

The clamor and chaos of voices seemed to come into focus again in his ears, the anxious voices of his father’s comrades, the discussions of the other researchers in the institute. Before him, it seemed like the worried faces of everyone from that year were gradually appearing. He was being held in the midst of the crowd… and he clearly realized that his parents might never come back.

“Su Mo!” Lele suddenly called out.

Su Mo stood up heavily, exhaling deeply. “I’m going to the lab. I won’t be taking any communications this afternoon.”

Lele was surprised. “Not playing games?”

Su Mo muttered, “No.”

Lele watched as Su Mo walked into the lab, pacing anxiously back and forth, feeling a bit uneasy.

Inside the lab, the machines were still running. Su Mo walked over to a glass cabinet and pulled out a long-unopened box from underneath. He sat cross-legged in front of the box, silent for a long time. In his youth, he had done other things as well, but those memories were too distant. When he heard snippets from elders about the “Frigid” region, he had searched the terminal for a long time but found no evidence. He was more inclined to think he had misheard.

His fingers hovered over the lock of the box, knowing a gentle flick would open it, but he refrained.

“Today I heard about the ‘Frigid’ region, turns out it’s called the β2 sector, I had mistaken the name,” Su Mo said to the box, tapping it gently. “Seems quite far away. I wonder if you can see me. My condition is stabilizing; the doctor says there’s hope for recovery if I keep at it. I can play holographic games now, which is fun. I’ve made a few friends. I bought Lele a new outfit, and it really likes it. The school mentors are supportive, and my senior brother who looks after me will be back in the lab soon. I might get busy again. I have a good friend who takes me out for buns in the morning, something Lele doesn’t know…”

As he spoke, his voice trembled slightly, tinged with melancholy.

“I miss you guys a bit.”

***

After Yu Zhen went back and reviewed some documents, he logged in, only to find that Su Mo was unexpectedly absent from the game.

The other three had already formed a team and were waiting for the two of them to join in monster-slaying quests. ClearWindIsHere, originally a night owl, had successfully adjusted his deadly schedule after a month of running with their fixed group. ScarletFruit was an early riser, reportedly managing a real-world shop, so his gaming hours were quite flexible. ZenSlasher, a university student, was busy with classes but had plenty of free time when not studying.

ScarletFruit focused on daily earnings, ClearWind guided ZenSlasher in ambushing others in the wilderness. Apart from the routine dungeons during this period, there were no other dungeons available, so they logged in daily to complete daily quests and accumulate points.

“Big bro? Strange, he hasn’t logged in today.” ScarletFruit was busy managing his shop. “He asked me to buy materials for him yesterday, said he’d pick them up this morning. I’ve been waiting for him for over half an hour.”

“Oh, by the way, the items we stocked yesterday are all sold out today. There’s a bunch of people asking if we’re putting up new items.” ScarletFruit was enjoying making money. He had gotten up early to prepare items. It was the last week, and many players were putting in extra effort to clear the Seven-Star Dungeon for the golden equipment chests. Sales of various items were doing well, and the shop’s turnover had doubled compared to before.

ClearWind glanced at the group chat and came back. “No news in the group chat. He might come online in a while.”

The group waited for a while but didn’t see Momo come online.

After finishing his tasks, ScarletFruit returned and asked, “Has my bro logged in yet?”

ClearWind replied, “No, I even @ him in the group chat, but no response.”

Yu Zhen paused briefly. He had just messaged Su Mo and received no reply. “Let’s do the point tasks in the evening. Maybe he has something urgent.”

The other three in the team didn’t pay much attention to it. Just as the array master in the team finished speaking, he suddenly logged off. The team of four was unexpectedly down to three.

“Huh? How come Brother Wanderer suddenly logged off?”

ClearWind was about to ask UnchainedWanderer if he wanted to go intercept players in the wilderness, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

“Brother Wanderer has been acting strangely lately. Every time I log in, I see him teaming up with my bro, and they never invite me,” ScarletFruit said while still managing the shop’s revenue. “Look, as soon as he logs in, he looks for my bro. If my bro isn’t around, he logs off, making it all mysterious.”

ZenSlasher recalled, “The day before yesterday, when I was testing items with Momo, Brother Wanderer logged in and Momo left. Then they both went to the main city to check materials.”

ClearWind was even more puzzled, “Are they running some private group without us?”

ScarletFruit replied, “What they have is called private chat, not a group.”

He corrected, “In my bro’s heart, I still hold a special place. If they have something going on, I’d definitely know.”

“I don’t get it. Isn’t this just like my friend?” ClearWind opened the live stream while mixing, saying, “He found a sister to play with in the game. He used to look for me when he logged in, but now he logs in and pairs up with her. Fortunately, I started playing with you guys, or I would have been abandoned by him.”

“What sister to play with? Where are you going with this? Isn’t this like those forum CP fans? They always discuss my bro with ReturnToSimplicity, creating these Valor Peak destiny CPs. My bro doesn’t even know ReturnToSimplicity,” ScarletFruit said halfway through. “But the fanfiction is pretty good, it’s so well-written that I thought it was real. It’s just updated slowly, not as good as the fanfiction about Apple and Little Firework.”

ZenSlasher asked, “You’re on the forums every day?”

ScarletFruit replied, “You don’t understand. As a businessman, I need to keep up with market trends. Gossip posts are mandatory reading, and fanfiction threads are elective courses. Understanding the love-hate relationships among the big shots helps me strategize among various bosses.”

ClearWind added, “My livestream is different. I keep shouting about wanting to see Momo and Brother Wanderer.”

ZenSlasher was speechless. Forget it. I don’t really understand these topics of yours, guys.

The game was still lively. After Yu Zhen logged off and headed out, he realized he hadn’t brought anything with him until he reached the base of Su Mo’s building. Yu Zhen rarely acted before thinking these years. Previously, when encountering such situations, he would have first considered whether the other person was busy and unable to answer the call, and then put the matter off for later.

However, after an hour without a reply from Su Mo, Yu Zhen’s first thought was to go to Su Mo’s place and check on him.

It was still early in the morning, and there were quite a few people moving around in the neighborhood.

Yu Zhen had just arrived at Su Mo’s building when he ran into Zhang Qi’s grandfather head-on, and he greeted him first.

“Hey, isn’t this little Yu? Taking a break on the weekend to visit Zhang Qi? He just got back yesterday,” Uncle Zhang responded warmly.

“Maybe he’s still sleeping in,” Yu Zhen replied casually.

Uncle Zhang said, “No rush. Are you headed somewhere?”

“Going to the square to play chess, meeting with old Li,” Uncle Zhang replied.

After chatting for a while, Uncle Zhang left.

Yu Zhen didn’t hesitate and went upstairs. Passing by Zhang’s house without entering, he pressed the doorbell of Su Mo’s apartment on the same floor. After a while, the robot Lele came to open the door.

“Mr. Yu Zhen?” Lele greeted.

“Is Su Mo at home?” Yu Zhen looked past the robot into the living room direction, but it seemed empty.

Yu Zhen often visited Su Mo’s place, and Su Mo had informed Lele about such situations before. Lele replied, “Su Mo is in the lab. Please, come in and have a seat. I’ll go and ask him.”

The house was quiet. Knowing that Su Mo was in the lab put Yu Zhen at ease. He watched as Lele headed towards the lab, feeling a sense of relief.

Upon entering, Yu Zhen noticed a strong fruity fragrance in the air, indicating something was cooking in the kitchen.

Seated in the living room, Yu Zhen suddenly noticed a small medicine packet under a water cup on the table.

Lele walked over and said, “Su Mo said he’ll be out in a while. Please wait a moment, Mr. Yu Zhen.”

“Is he busy?” Yu Zhen asked.

After thinking for a moment, Lele replied, “He should not be busy.”

After a while, the door to the laboratory opened.

Su Mo’s emotions settled down when he saw Yu Zhen, feeling a bit surprised. Then he realized his behavior earlier that morning seemed a bit strange. He took the initiative and said, “Why did you come over, brother Zhen?”

Yu Zhen suddenly heard a sound and turned around. He saw Su Mo still dressed in his morning exercise attire, with a complexion that seemed off, slightly flushed even.

Before Yu Zhen could respond, Su Mo saw someone walking straight towards him from the sofa. A tall figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

Su Mo couldn’t help but take a step back, and then a cold hand fell on the side of his face.

The serious and earnest voice came down. “Su Mo, are you running a fever?”

Su Mo hesitated briefly, and came up with a quick excuse, “It’s a bit stuffy in the lab.”

Yu Zhen’s hand rested on Su Mo’s forehead, causing him to flinch. He turned to Lele, “Lele, bring the thermometer.”

Lele nearby caught onto the word “fever” and promptly fetched the device. “Is it a fever?”

The thermometer quickly gave a result, showing a slightly elevated temperature, though not significantly so. Su Mo was about to say it was nothing, but Lele beside him anxiously brought a heap of instruments, ready to take turns measuring him.

Before the machines could finish measuring, Su Mo’s temperature gradually rose. His forehead throbbed with intermittent pain, diagnosed by the medical device as a cold.

Now it was autumn, with significant weather changes and dropping temperatures. Su Mo had returned from his morning exercise without changing clothes, likely catching a chill unintentionally. The medical data was quickly sent to Su Mo’s attending physician, who urgently contacted him to inquire about his condition, eventually reassuringly concluding it was just a common cold. “How did you catch a cold so suddenly?”

“I came back in the morning, drank cold water, sweated a lot, and didn’t change clothes,” Su Mo honestly admitted in the face of his illness.

Lele: “!!!!”

Dr. Wu: “… Then why don’t you change into warmer clothes?”

Su Mo realized, “I’ll go change.”

Lele hurriedly ushered him inside to change clothes, leaving Yu Zhen in the living room.

Yu Zhen paused briefly and asked, “Should we be cautious with medication in this case?”

“The medical device’s data analysis results haven’t come out yet. This kid rarely catches a cold from sweating during exercise, probably related to the weather changes,” Dr. Wu continued, “But one thing concerns me. Has he been emotionally unstable these past few days? The data here shows significant fluctuations… He’s always good at controlling his emotions, but suppressing them too much can lead to issues. Talk to the robot later, ask it to pay more attention to the master’s emotions.”

Yu Zhen recalled Su Mo’s sudden emotional downturn earlier that morning.

Dr. Wu said, “I’ll prescribe some cold medicine. There should be a stock at their home. Just give the prescription to Lele, and it will handle it.”

Su Mo emerged after changing clothes, wrapped in a blanket, and sat on the sofa listening to the doctor’s advice.

After Dr. Wu finished speaking, he ended the call. Su Mo watched Yu Zhen and Lele head to the kitchen, seemingly busy with something.

Faint sounds came from the kitchen. Su Mo, wrapped in a blanket, caught sight of the nearby game console. He reached out to touch it but found the console casing icy cold, causing him to retract his hand and wrap the blanket tighter around himself.

When Yu Zhen came out of the kitchen, he saw Su Mo huddled in the blanket, slightly bowing his head with hair brushing his neck, revealing a glimpse of fair skin. His dark eyes were fixed on the game console, lost in thought.

The young man’s hair seemed a bit longer than when they first met, and wrapped in the blanket, he looked small and couldn’t resemble the heroic figure from the game.

Su Mo glanced over and noticed the bowl of medicine in Yu Zhen’s hand. “Brother?”

Yu Zhen walked over and sat down. “Ginger soup. You should drink it while it’s hot. It might be a bit spicy.”

Su Mo instinctively leaned closer to touch the bowl’s edge, and when their hands touched, both paused.

“…” Su Mo awkwardly pulled back and extended his hand from the blanket to reach for the bowl. “Seems like it’s a bit hot.”

He was confused for a moment, mistaking Yu Zhen for Lele again.

“Hot, I’ll hold it.” Yu Zhen steadied the bowl more firmly. “I just tested the temperature; it’s ready to drink.”

Su Mo hesitated for a moment, then leaned over the bowl and began to sip slowly.

The ginger soup was spicy, and the heat seemed to spread through his throat to his limbs.

“Su Mo, do you want… oh, never mind.” Lele emerged from the kitchen holding a pink straw. Seeing the scene, Lele turned and put the straw back.

Yu Zhen shifted his position, holding the bowl in one hand and unsure where to place the other, eventually resting it behind Su Mo.

He lowered his head slightly and caught sight of the fair nape of the youth’s neck. His body moved in a slight shiver, and the sound of Su Mo swallowing the ginger soup was unusually clear.

In that fleeting moment, his heartbeat inexplicably quickened. The warmth from the medicine bowl seemed to spread through his fingertips to every part of his body.

Yu Zhen found himself sitting up straight involuntarily.

“…Take it slow,” he said.

Author’s note: Lele: The straw is not needed anymore (regretful) 

Su Mo: …