Su Man, who was about twenty-six to twenty-seven, had a tall figure. He did not dress like the typical Arabian—white cloak, black headband, white headwear. He merely wore a white robe and his long hair was tied to his back with a silver cord. His slender eyebrows were long and beautiful. His pitch-dark eyes were filled with life like water flowing from the springs and cleanliness amidst the coldness. Upon closer look, it seemed like the winds that graced the tundras, cold and imposing. He had a tall nose and his beautiful lips were lustrous. Even his chin was so intricate to the point it caught attention. All of his facial features were clearly God’s masterpiece.
He gave people the impression that he was arrogant, cold, and unapproachable, and not one who could be desecrated.
Despite his extremely impressive features, people did not misidentify him as a woman as he, on first look, was an extremely confident and tough man. No woman would have such an imposing aura that was one of its kinds and implied one’s arrogance above all.
His coat was whiter than snow, and when complemented with a silver band that kept his hair together, it made him seem extremely gorgeous.
Once he made his appearance, he absolutely stunned everybody. As he stood there, the whole world seemed to become a backdrop and he was the only light.
Once he made an appearance, silence befell the place as they were stunned by such beauty. Even Ye Wei and Eleven, who were used to his gorgeous looks, were stunned. There are some people whom one could never get sick of looking, and he was still as stunning as before.
Su Man’s gaze swept across everybody in the great hall. He was used to their shocked looks. His gaze landed on the young kid, and he slightly and rarely curled his lips into a smile.
At that very moment, his smile swayed everyone.
“Beautiful Su, I miss you!” Ye Wei’s first reaction was to scoot up to him in spite of Mo Jue’s jealousy. When it came to throwing oneself into someone’s embrace, Ye Wei was tops at it. While she moved fast, someone moved even faster than her.
Mo Jue immediately acted and followed closely. He hooked her waist and pulled her aside, his delicate features filled with protest. “Wifey…”
He dragged his response reluctantly.
Su Man raised his eyebrows and his cold and harsh gaze landed on Ye Wei and Mo Jue. As Ye Wei did not get to pounce onto Su Man, she was unhappy. She could not allow Mo Jue to fly into a rage either, so she was extremely sad and angry.
“I do not miss you the slightest bit,” Su Man said with a cold gaze and his calm voice sounded clean. He especially admired Mo Jue for being able to keep Ye Wei in check, and it was indeed so lest she get many people into trouble.
“Beautiful Su, you are not the kindest.” Ye Wei protested as she tapped Marshmallow’s hands away and hinted to him he could let go. Bringing him along was the worst decision possible. Had there been somebody else in the castle who could keep him in check, she really had no intention of bringing him along.
“Su Man.” the young kid walked over with small steps and stroked his chin while effusively praising him. “That was really unexpected of you.”
Although he had heard people describe him as ‘beauty incarnate’, it was only when he saw the person that he really appreciated what it really meant. He was imposingly regal and gorgeous.
“Hey there, small chap, you are as unexpected too.” Su Man tapped his shoulders and his gaze became slightly gentler. “What brings Ye Wei here?”
When Ye Wei heard this, she stopped and said, “Beautiful Su, what do you mean?”
Eleven replied as a matter-of-factly. She said, “He dislikes you.”
The young kid smiled and said, “She’s my auntie.”
“This is indeed a small world.” Helplessness flashed through Su Man’s typically cold and harsh gaze. They were, however one looked at it, related.
The young kid introduced them, and Cheng Anya and Third Young Master Ye only nodded in acknowledgment as they carried a virus in them. Su Man was not one who was fond of pleasantries. Them nodding in acknowledgment suited his preferences, just like Bai Ye.
“Ning Ning, why are so many people following my patients around?” Su Man scanned the area with a cold look and everybody felt indescribable oppression spreading. Some people just had the ability to create such an atmosphere with just a single statement.
Third Young Master Ye and Miss Cheng remained silent. This seeming genius had some kind of a weird temperament. Apart from their darling child, both of them definitely had to be present. The presence of the rest was none of their concern.
“You have got a problem with me missing you? You definitely know that Eleven and I are inseparable.”
“Yes, and you even brought the entire village along.”
“Oh, please, didn’t you regret not acknowledging me then?” Ye Wei laughed as she hooked Su Man’s arm. “Gorgeous beauty, don’t you even miss me the slightest?”
“No.” Su Man was a man of few words. As he turned around, Mo Jue pulled Ye Wei to his side and his purple eyes were boiling with jealousy. “Wifey, please do not act like this. If you want to hug someone, hugging me will do.”
Everybody was stunned into silence.
Everyone else had an excuse, Bai Ye mused. “I was handling the virus that infected both of them. Maybe I can be of help.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Su Man coldly replied. His reply reeked of hidden arrogance and was nothing short of aggressive.
Bai Ye smiled it off, but both of them had a cold in their looks that slowly revealed their domineering side. “Trust me, you will need it.”
As their gazes locked, one was confident and easy-going whilst the other was cold and arrogant. Their temperaments were not the most different, and everyone else could only feel an oppressive ambiance.
The young kid elegantly smiled as he stood in the middle. Both of their eyes looked away at the same time. One was calm while the other was cold. The young kid coldly smiled and said, “Dear Beautiful Su, Bai Ye has also done some research on the virus. While his research isn’t as thorough as yours, his medical skills are undoubtedly stronger than yours.”
Su Man raised his eyebrows and said, “I want the latest analysis.”
Bai Ye nodded and said, “No problem.”
Su Man looked around and had Third Young Master Ye and Cheng Anya follow him to the research lab. He forbade the others from following, and everyone else obeyed. Bai Ye said, “That guy is nothing short of brazen.”
“He can afford to,” Eleven said. “When he knew Wei Wei and my identity back then, he was nothing short of impolite.”
“Ah, Wei Wei, to think you have such good taste. But…” Bai Ye smiled as he looked at Mo Jue and said, “This change in taste is a tad too drastic.”
Mo Jue did not understand what Bai Ye said whilst the young kid smiled. Eleven struggled to hold in her smile and Ye Wei lazily waved her hand. She was speechless. “It was an accident, an accident…”
“Is he Arabian?” Bai Ye curiously asked. Su Man had features that were as delicate as those of Arabians, but his features had the intricacies of Orientals. He, on the overall, looked more like an Oriental.
“His mother is Arabian whilst his father is Chinese. He is mixed-blood.”
Everybody nodded. Mixed-bloods were often extremely attractive looking. The few mixed-blood people they knew were like this, but none were as impressively stunning as Su Man. Ye Wei lazily leaned against the chair and enjoyed her iced beverage as she slowly said, “Now you know why I’m attracted to him. Beautiful Su is attractive both inside and outside. Once you have spent enough time with him, you will know why he is a true man that is extremely hard to chance upon.”
It was a pity that he did not take a liking to her. Insider information suggested that Su Man did not like women who liked men, so Ye Wei was instantly out of the game. This was indeed a tragedy.
“Auntie, your charm is not working out for you.”
“You children are only good at blabbering nonsense. If this is indeed the case, I won’t be able to find someone I like. How should I settle down then, huh?” Ye Wei pointed at Mo Jue and smiled gorgeously. As long as she managed to charm Mo Jue, that would do.
Mo Jue grabbed Ye Wei’s hands and asked, “Wifey, did you say that he is not as good-looking as I am and you hence duped him long ago? Why are you still scooting up to him? Wifey, you are lying to me.”
“Since he is somebody whom I’ve never seen in a long time, it’s perfectly normal that I miss him. Also, hugging a friend is basic respect, get it?”
Mo Jue shook his head and pointed at Eleven and said, “She did not even hug him at all.”
Bai Ye and the young kid smiled as Eleven coldly harrumphed. Ye Wei played along extremely well and said, “Look at Eleven, this block of ice. Does she look like she’s ever hugged anyone before? If you are tired of living, throw yourself into her embrace. How could you compare your wifey and Eleven?”
One does not simply compare fire and ice like apples to apples.
“Wifey, it would be good if you were like Eleven. Your dearest Marshmallow does not take well to overly warm and passionate you,” Mo Jue said, slightly glum. His gaze sank and his lowered head showed how dejected he was. Even his clear purple eyes became dark.
Mo Jue being like this made her… unhappy. Ye Wei was a little stifled. She had no intention to change her style to accommodate anybody, not to mention how Su Man was never interested in her. Since she was teasing him out of boredom, it was no big deal and quite harmless as well.
“Wei Wei, did you discover that he has somehow become smarter?” Eleven suddenly asked. His changes in the past few days were pretty obvious, and he was no longer as innocent as a clean slate. He was whatever Ye Wei described him to be.
Ye Wei nodded. Eleven had another worry. Was he going to become his original self?
Or…
“Dear Marshmallow, are you recalling something?” Ye Wei gently asked as Mo Jue shook his head. Eleven and Ye Wei looked at each other in the eye and did not say a word. They had probably overthought!
“Wifey, if you do this again, I will kill him,” Mo Jue flatly replied as murderous intent filled his purple eyes.
“…”
“Dear Marshmallow, come. I’ll show you the sights and sounds of Riyadh,” Ye Wei said as she yanked Mo Jue out along with her. Mo Jue’s gloomy face instantly bloomed into happiness.
This was a typical and small laboratory.
As Su Man was an expert on viruses, his laboratory in his home had the most comprehensive suite of equipment, containing the essentials despite its size. There were test tubes, experimental agents, automated equipment, computer analysis diagrams, and huge LCD screens.
Su Man drew their blood samples and injected each of them with a different colored experimental agent. Since there were only three of them, Third Young Master Ye had no other concerns and flatly asked, “Mister Su, is there really a cure for the virus?”
As Su Man was doing a comprehensive check on Cheng Anya, he calmly said, “Maybe yes, maybe no. I have no absolute confidence, and I’ll have to see how unstable the virus can get.”
Third Young Master Ye was mentally prepared. He looked at Cheng Anya and gently smiled. Cheng Anya smiled in return. To them, life and death at this juncture did not seem particularly important.
Su Man took a glance at these lovers. Since he had very good ties with Ning Ning, he had quite a good impression of them and his attitude toward them was much softer. As they were able to raise somebody like the young kid, they, as parents, were clearly no average joe.
Besides, a few months ago, Third Young Master Ye’s dramatic exploits and scandals rocked the globe. Since Su Man knew that they were Ning Ning’s parents, he naturally followed the news and felt it interesting.
Seeing how they calmly faced life and death now, his heart was filled with admiration for them.
“Just call me Su Man. That will do.” Su Man’s crisp voice did not hint of any emotional undulation.
Cheng Anya smiled and allowed him to check. She then asked, “Su Man, how did you know Ning Ning?”
“By chance, I guess. He wanted some weapon schematics that I happened to be able to provide. While I was initially reluctant to provide him with them, I did not expect him to hack all my computers in my home. So, I had no choice but to compromise. Had I not agreed to it, I’m afraid that he would even amend my nationality FOC, and I would wake up being a stateless person. For all you know, I might even get an unknown name in the partner column of my identity documentation.” Su Man described.
As the young kid’s parents, Third Young Master Ye and Miss Cheng were extremely embarrassed.
Their child’s actions were simply…
Daylight robbery!
He was, beyond doubt, his son—Third Young Master Ye pleasingly thought. While the methods were devious and scheming, they were the most effective.
“…It must suck to be you.” Miss Cheng remained silent for a moment before she squeezed this statement out. Once she said it, she regretted it. Shouldn’t typical parents apologize for what their children had done?
Miss Cheng was at a loss for words!
“Uh, yes, it sucks to be me,” Beautiful Su gently replied. He did not have the slightest feeling that these parents had brought their child up in the most twisted manner possible. Miss Cheng’s indulgence for the young kid had reached a whole new level.
“It’s good to occasionally embrace the suck. My son is extremely useful in many ways,” Third Young Master Ye said. He did not feel that the young kid’s actions were despicable. Instead, he felt glorified about them.
Su Man nodded and admitted. “Indeed.”
Miss Cheng and Third Young Master Ye were satisfied. Beautiful Su was clearly too generous. Actually, how they knew each other was not important. What was most important was how their friendship was now. It’s pretty good, wasn’t it?
As Su Man finished his checks on Miss Cheng, his brows slightly raised and there was an acknowledgement in his cold eyes. He said, “Now, I know that Ning Ning’s character is not nurtured, but instead inherited.”
Third Young Master Ye was stunned into silence.
Miss Cheng was stunned into silence.
Su Man had Miss Cheng stand up, and then had Third Young Master Ye lie down. He said, “But the two of you are not wrong.”
When Su Man did a check up on Third Young Master Ye, he saw the pictures and information on the screen and his gaze sunk. As it was all in Arabic, Cheng Anya did not understand them. The picture, however, was clear—it was a liver.
“We have a bit of trouble.” Su Man flatly chimed.
Cheng Anya’s heart jolted and she had a bad omen. “What happened? Is there no cure?”
“The virus has invaded the lungs, and he is in a worse condition than you,” Su Man honestly replied. He felt that they were strong enough to be able to bear the news and hence did not conceal it. “This is a cellular virus, which once invades the lungs, severely compromises bodily functions. He won’t be able to freely move in no more than a day and will have to lie down and rely on sedatives and oxygen masks to stay alive.”
Cheng Anya’s eyes suddenly grew big and blood faded from it. She felt pain in her heart, and her head ached. Her mind was blank. She could not care about anything else. Her hands and legs were cold while panic and fear lapped at her.
She had a strong feeling that she was about to lose Third Young Master Ye.
“Su Man, what now?” Cheng Anya struggled to calm herself but she was unable to. Her voice started to tremble, and her skinny body started to tense up.
Third Young Master Ye reached out and held Cheng Anya’s hands tightly. As she held his cold hand, she felt a wrench in her heart. Although she did not see life and death as significantly as before, she could not help but show pain and desperation when eternal separation was all but a reality.
“Dear Anya, do not worry. It’s not as though all hope is lost,” Third Young Master Ye gently replied. “Didn’t we agree on that?”
“The outcome is worse than I thought, and since a cure is still possible, don’t worry. I’ll do my best,” Su Man flatly replied. His eyes betrayed a steely determination. “Since it’s rare that Ning Ning came to ask me for help, I will fulfill his wish.”
Cheng Anya’s heart relaxed, and she did not know how Su Man’s words made her admire him subconsciously.
“What about her?”
Su Man took a look at Cheng Anya and said, “She’s in very good shape and everything is under control for now. As she is patient zero, the stability of the virus in her is higher than yours, so that explains why her condition is very good.”
“How could this be? I was infected earlier than him.”
“This has nothing to do with how early or late you are infected.” Su Man explained. “These cellular viruses are unstable, and hence not potent, let alone the transmitted virus. Their instability is exploited, let alone the potential for mutations.”
Cheng Anya had no knowledge of viruses, but when she saw Su Man’s heavy gaze, she felt a sinking feeling in her heart. It was Third Young Master Ye who did not seem worried and calmly accepted the bad news.
“Also, Su Man, the designer of the 1934 virus was your grandfather. Bai Ye mentioned that the 1934 virus operates on the same principle as this virus. Is there an antidote?” Cheng Anya asked Su Man.
Su Man nodded and pain flashed through his cold eyes so quickly nobody could feel it. “The 1934 virus was designed by my grandfather when he was young. As my grandmother was suffering from liver cancer then, my grandfather researched the cellular virus to only discover a cure for liver cancer. Back then, he would lock himself in the lab and nobody knew how deadly the researched virus was. Only he did. His disciples, however, smuggled the virus out and the virus landed in the hands of criminals. This resulted in tens of thousands of deaths in a Siberian town, and my grandfather was extremely remorseful of it. He then dedicated his life to researching for an antidote for the 1934 virus, and it only came to fruition in his late years. When we moved house, some of these documents were lost. A few pages of the record for the antidote were lost, and I will need some time to complete said pages. While both viruses operate on the same principle, this virus in your is clearly more complex. As of now, I only have a rough idea and will need to test it on you to confirm it.”
Third Young Master Ye looked at Su Man and gently smiled. He calmly and confidently said, “Do what you have to do. I trust you.”
