The medical results showed that Ye Zhizhou was in perfect health, and he was even healthier than before. Yun Ke furrowed his brows as he scrutinized the medical report for a long time but still felt uneasy. He took Ye Zhizhou to another hospital for a second check.
The results remained completely normal.
In the following days, Ye Zhizhou received Yun Ke's full attention, especially during meals. Because of this, Ye Zhizhou forced himself to eat half a bowl more than he used to in every meal.
His weight was still dropping inexplicably, and there were no signs of the extreme thinness side effect.
One month later, Ye Zhizhou's weight finally dropped to the level of an average person, turning him into a handsome and slender young man. He changed into new clothes that Uncle Fu had prepared, stood in front of the mirror, and looked at his current appearance. He couldn't help but curl his lips. Rosy lips, almond-shaped eyes, fair and delicate skin, and slightly longer bangs... he really looked like a girl. Fortunately, his eyebrows were quite manly, and his facial features were clearly those of a young man; otherwise...
Thinking about how Yun Ke had occasionally been staring at him with such deep and profound looks over the past month, he lifted his hand and brushed his bangs aside, muttering, "It's time to cut my hair short..." He missed his former handsome and dashing self, and now...
After Ye Zhizhou's weight had completely stabilized, Yun Ke took him for another medical checkup. As expected, everything was normal. Finally accepting the fact that Ye Zhizhou had become extremely thin but was now even healthier than before, he took Ye Zhizhou to the mall over the weekend.
"I already have enough clothes. Uncle Fu bought me a few sets just last week." Like most men, Ye Zhizhou detested shopping. In his world, online shopping had become the norm, and most people who went out to shop were bored housewives. Therefore, he had absolutely no interest in shopping!
"We have a New Year's company party, and I plan to take you with me. Today, we're just measuring your size to get you a suit," Yun Ke expertly parked the car and helped him unbuckle his seatbelt.
Ye Zhizhou had grown accustomed to Yun Ke's increasingly attentive behavior over the past month. While making it easier for Yun Ke to act, he deliberately said, "Why didn't you take me to such events before? Was it because I used to be fat and ugly?" After more than a month, he had already seen through Yun Ke's cold yet tender nature, and he spoke more casually.
"Stop making a fuss," Yun Ke habitually furrowed his brows, but there was a trace of warmth in his eyes. "I didn't take you before because you were still young, and I was afraid that such an environment would scare you. Now that you're older and have been involved in company affairs for a while, it's time for you to show your face in front of the Du family's key people."
He picked up the backpack from the backseat, got out of the car, and jokingly said, "Be careful not to embarrass me at the event."
Yun Ke also got out of the car, walked quickly to stand beside him, and ruffled his hair. "No, I believe in you."
"Well, I believe in myself too," he said proudly, puffing up his chest and shaking off Yun Ke's hand, acting somewhat smug.
Yun Ke glanced at his hand, then at the strands of hair that had fallen over his face and were obscuring his view. He unconsciously rubbed his fingers and then pocketed them in his coat. "Don't be arrogant. It's a big taboo in the business world."
"Got it. Alright, the elevator is here. Let's make this quick."
The Yun family had a tailor shop they regularly frequented, offering top-notch services. Taking measurements went smoothly. After selecting the suit style, Yun Ke picked out a ready-made casual suit for Ye Zhizhou.
"I still want to change back into my old clothes," Ye Zhizhou felt a bit uncomfortable tugging at the new clothes he was wearing. He was a bona fide homebody, prioritizing comfort when it came to clothing. Wearing a suit made him feel somewhat uneasy.
Yun Ke withdrew his gaze, adjusted the collar of his shirt, and firmly said, "Your old clothes are too big. Wear this one for now, and we'll pick out a coat later."
On certain matters, Yun Ke would occasionally revert to his past authoritative mode, leaving Ye Zhizhou with no choice.
"Alright." He seemed to compromise with a nod, then handed Yun Ke the discarded jacket and hurriedly headed towards the restroom, saying as he went, "Yun Ge, please pick out a coat for me later. I'm going to the restroom."
"Always avoiding things," Yun Ke watched him disappear into the distance and shook his head, a hint of unconscious indulgence in his expression.
Ye Zhizhou slowed down when he reached the corner near the restroom and let out a sigh of relief. Just now, Yun Ke seemed to have looked at him with that deep, gentle gaze again, making him feel a bit ticklish...
While he was lost in thought, a white figure suddenly rushed out from around the corner and collided with him, knocking the breath out of him as he was pinned against the wall.
"Ouch," he grunted and pushed the person gently away when he could breathe again. He rubbed his chest with some force and said, "Don't turn corners so quickly; you might bump into someone."
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to." The white figure stabilized herself after a moment and immediately apologized politely. "Did I hurt you? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
This voice... White Lily?
He straightened up, looked at the face that had finally emerged from the white attire, and blurted out, "What are you doing here?"
"What?" White Lily looked a bit puzzled as she gazed at the exquisitely featured young man dressed elegantly. She furrowed her brows slightly and said, "If you're okay, I'll be on my way. I'm in a hurry." After speaking, she didn't look back, and hastily left.
What's going on? Why does the female lead seem so hurried? She didn't even bother to maintain her gentle demeanor. He frowned, quietly followed her in the direction she had left.
White Lily walked briskly, as if someone were chasing her from behind. Five minutes later, she reached the underground parking lot, got into a middle-aged man's car, spoke to him for a few minutes, and then they drove away.
The parking lot was not heated, and Ye Zhizhou's nose turned red from the cold. After the female lead left, he quickly took the elevator back to the mall and, at the same time, asked in his mind, "Tongtian, do you have information about the middle-aged man who was just with her?"
The screen lit up, and it was filled with densely packed words.
He quickly glanced at it and exclaimed in surprise, "Fourth Young Master Wen? The archenemy of the Du family's father?" Why was the female lead in contact with this person? Moreover, the information provided by the system didn't mention any connection between the female lead and the Wen family. Could this be another pitfall caused by the system's insufficient energy?
His thoughts were interrupted by a cheerful phone ringtone. He quickly took out his phone and answered, "Hello, Brother Yun... Yes, I just came out of the restroom... What's wrong?"
"Go straight to the parking lot; I'm waiting by the car," Yun Ke's tone carried a hint of seriousness. "The test results for the flower tea are out, and it was indeed tampered with. That substance... is not good."
After more than a month, the test results for the flower tea were finally available.
"The substance added to it is a newly developed drug. It hasn't undergone clinical trials and is quite specialized, so it took some time to identify it," the researcher with white hair pushed his glasses and flipped through the information in his hands. "This drug is intended for use by psychiatric patients. It has a strong effect but comes with significant side effects. There's also a slight dependency. Prolonged use can make the patients become irritable, aggressive, with reduced reaction speed and memory decline... In short, it has many side effects, which is why it hasn't passed clinical trials."
Yun Ke's face grew darker as he listened, and his aura became oppressive. "Little Yang took this drug over a month ago. Is there a problem?"
"How much did he take?"
Sensing that Yun Ke's emotions were not right, Ye Zhizhou quickly grabbed his hand and comfortingly squeezed it, answering on his behalf, "He only took a tiny amount, and he went to the hospital that day. The doctor said there was no issue."
The sudden warmth covering his hand made Yun Ke's body stiffen for a moment. Although their relationship had improved significantly during this time, there hadn't been much physical contact between them. The subconscious comforting gesture from the other person now caused his heart to beat a little faster. He glanced at the gentle and earnest expression on the young man's face, and his overwhelming pressure eased, and his expression softened. After hesitating for a moment, he finally let impulse overcome reason. He gently unfolded his hand, gripped the young man's slender yet still fair hand, and then, little by little, interlocked their fingers.
"That should be fine," the researcher put down the documents and curiously glanced at Yun Ke, who had suddenly become calm and gentle. He kindly asked, "Do you need me to report this to the police for you? Illegally administering drugs is a serious offense, and to use it on such a beautiful child, that person is truly wicked."
"No need to involve the police," Yun Ke shook his head and held onto Ye Zhizhou's hand to prevent him from pulling away. He said to the researcher, "Mr. Hu, thank you for your kindness. We hope to handle this matter ourselves. Thank you for your assistance. Goodbye."
"Come on, let's go," the old researcher waved his hand dismissively and then picked up the documents again. "Next time you have this kind of work, you can come to our institute. I'll give you an 80% discount."
"Wait, I have another question," Ye Zhizhou quickly spoke up. "Mr. Hu, if this drug were given to people with insomnia, what would its effects be?"
"People with insomnia?" Old Mr. Hu raised an eyebrow and exaggeratedly said, "That would be similar to taking drugs. One of the effects of this drug is to calm the mind and induce sleep. Taking it will result in immediate drowsiness. Kids, don't use it indiscriminately. This stuff is very harmful to people with good health."
Ye Zhizhou quickly shook his head, lowered his eyes, and smiled gently, saying, "I wasn't planning to use it. I was just curious. Thank you, Grandpa Hu. We'll be on our way now. Goodbye."
Old Mr. Hu waved his hand without looking at them again.
As soon as they left, Ye Zhizhou pulled away from Yun Ke's hand and rubbed his stomach. "Yun Ge, I'm hungry. Let's go eat." They had left early in the morning and had gone straight to the research institute, and now it was already past one in the afternoon. He was starving.
The warmth in his hand disappeared, and Yun Ke's eyes showed a hint of reluctance. However, he quickly concealed it and turned to walk towards the parking area. "Sure, let's go. I'll treat you to hotpot."
Ye Zhizhou cheered and hurriedly followed him.
[The probability of Yun Ke falling in love with the female lead has dropped to 35%. Please continue to work hard, Host.]
The sudden system prompt startled him so much that he almost lost his balance and fell flat on the ground.
"Are you so happy about eating hotpot?" Yun Ke quickly supported his shoulder to stabilize him and, after a moment of hesitation, didn't let go but instead walked with him toward the parking lot. "If you like it that much, I'll take you out for hotpot more often in the future. Take it slow when walking."
Ye Zhizhou, lost in confusion, didn't even notice how ambiguous their posture was at this moment. He simply nodded vaguely, his mind filled with question marks.
What's going on? Why did the probability of falling in love suddenly drop? Could it be because the female lead's drugging was too malicious, making Yun Ke even more repulsed by her? But that couldn't be right. He remembered that Assistant Yang had mentioned that the later investigation results indicated that the female lead might not have intentionally drugged him. The problem actually lay in the materials she bought. From that perspective, not increasing the love probability was already a good outcome. So why did it drop again...