SDT 50

Chapter 50 Opportunity

The next morning, Dai Lanshan endured the pseudo-scientific sermon of the Lu family’s notorious second son.

“That’s how it is. So I’d like your help,” Lu Kongyun said after laying out his theory.

Ever since his pheromone disorder two years ago, this Second Young Master’s brain had never quite recovered. Take this trip for example, he was a biomedical scientist, yet he’d come all the way to Hong Kong Island University to research tropical ocean currents, and on top of that, he’d stolen the jade prayer bead that Lanshan had clearly said he wanted to buy. Just thinking about it pissed Lanshan off again.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Dai Lanshan asked. “You gave up on science so now you’re into superstition?”

Lu Kongyun shook his head. “If you focus on something long enough, its informational details will accumulate subconsciously in your mind and, one day, guide your behavior through intuition, increasing the probability of achieving your goal. To call that blind faith would be unscientific.”

“Uh-huh. So now you’re saying some Taoist and your ‘scientific intuition’ guided you to Hao Dali?” Dai Lanshan tried to sound serious, but his nostrils flared as he held back laughter.

Lu Kongyun glanced at him once and ignored the mockery.

Most of the material he’d studied over the years had to do with M country and the ocean. Back when he was searching for leads in Jiang City, a passing Taoist had told him, ‘Seek the South.’ When he heard that, he’d thought of the person he was looking for. So when Dai Lanshan mentioned a jade-bead auction, he thought of how that was south of Jiang City and decided to come.

The prayer bead reminded him of that Taoist’s words and of faith. Joining the auction also let him board an M Country cruise. So, without thinking, he bought the bead, and ended up seeing Yu Xiaowen again.

Or rather, someone who looked ninety percent like Yu Xiaowen.

Could the things connected through long-term focus and instinct still be dismissed as coincidence? He’d missed countless chances, chased countless false trails, but had finally found a response. Was that really unscientific?

If that was so, then he couldn’t afford to let any possibility slip away.

Lu Kongyun looked at the ocean current data on the table, decided it wasn’t needed for now, and tucked it into the side compartment of his case.

“I’m telling you, that guy Ye Yisan is shady as hell,” Dai Lanshan warned. “Definitely not a good person. And this Hao Dali’s no better. Don’t fall for it. Seriously, what Omega just happens to end up in your room like that? Maybe it’s a setup. Think about your identity.”

The papers rustled in Lu Kongyun’s hands.

He turned to face him. “Alphas are like dogs. And I’m the lowest of those dogs. Even I can mistake someone, but that only proves there’s a strong connection between them. I don’t know how yet, but I have to confirm it.”

“Confirm what?” Dai Lanshan slapped the back of his head.

“I need to determine whether Hao Dali could be a geographically separated twin, entangled with my late friend at a quantum level, or at least share some genetic link. If that’s the case, then I could use him to find my friend.”

Dai Lanshan stared at him, his face looked dead serious, like he was giving a lecture. “…You don’t look down on me just because I don’t understand your gibberish, right?”

Lu Kongyun paused. “No. It’s not your field. But if you’re curious, you can look it up. The papers exist.”

“I’m not curious,” Dai Lanshan laughed. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. After finishing a mission, disappearing or faking death is standard spy work for M Country agents. That guy Hao Dali’s suspicious as hell. Maybe he looks like your ‘late friend’ because he is that man, just not as some long-lost love, but as a con artist.”

As soon as he finished, he felt the temperature drop, the colonel’s chilling presence spreading through the room, even though the man wore two control wristbands.

Lu Kongyun said coldly, “Have you considered that you’re slandering a police officer who died in the line of duty? Don’t speculate about what you don’t understand.”

Dai Lanshan waved his hand. “…Fine. Whatever makes you happy. Just give me back the bead. So what exactly do you need me to do? Call him and set up a meeting? Anything else?”

Lu Kongyun replied, “You two don’t get along, but he knows I know you. So you’ll make peace with him, act friendly, put him at ease. Then convince him to come with me for a DNA test, and later to S Country’s quantum lab for some resonance testing. Whether or not it succeeds, I’ll reward him well and treat him like a brother.”

“Quantum lab? Resonance testing?”

Before leaving, Dai Lanshan was warned again, patiently, almost pleadingly, by that mad scientist Alpha. “Lanshan, this is the best lead I’ve had in years. Don’t mess it up.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever.”

“Thank you,” Lu Kongyun said as he closed the door.

He’d spoken more today than in the past two years combined. It was clear he was excited.

Dai Lanshan thought to himself that a scientist gone insane was even scarier than a cultist.

…

Meanwhile, Yu Xiaowen had spent the whole night restless and half-awake, anxiety eating at him. The next morning, with dark circles under his eyes, he dragged himself to work, only for Dai Lanshan to call him out of nowhere.

“Hao Dali, are you free tonight?”

Yu Xiaowen tensed instantly. “Why?”

“Lu Kongyun wants to treat you to dinner.” Dai Lanshan’s voice was full of lazy mockery. “He’s got some things to talk about. Said I should tag along, to show goodwill.”

“…Huh?” It took Yu Xiaowen a few seconds to process that. His mind spun, trying to figure out what was going on.

“He said, hah, he said maybe you’re the long-lost twin of some dead friend of his.”

Yu Xiaowen: …

Yu Xiaowen: ………

Yu Xiaowen: OO

“…What???”

Once he calmed down, he seriously thought about it. Maybe this “twin” thing was Lu Kongyun’s way of testing him.

Yesterday, he’d clearly thought he was Yu Xiaowen, but after seeing his full face, he seemed convinced he’d made a mistake. So why suddenly call him a twin?

What was the point of such a test? If Lu Kongyun really believed he was Yu Xiaowen, he could do whatever he wanted, he didn’t need to play games.

After thinking it through, he decided to play along. Since the other side was daring enough to bring it up, the only thing he could do was follow their lead. He couldn’t risk exposing himself and endangering Ye Yisan or Dai Lanshan’s brother, both of whom had saved his life.

Fine, he thought. Just go with it. It doesn’t matter anyway. They’ll be leaving soon, and once they’re gone, this will all be over.

So before dinner, he went early and waited by the deck near the restaurant entrance.

Bored, he picked a small fragrant flower from a basket and bit it gently, hands in his pockets, glancing around. Soon he saw Lu Kongyun approaching in a formal suit, staring at him with that dark, unreadable expression.

His heartbeat quickened. He took the flower from his mouth, twirled it between his fingers, then held it in his palm.

He waved lightly and walked up to him. Meeting his eyes, he smiled and said, “Mr. Lu, this feels like a dream. Never thought I’d meet you like this. Funny thing is, I actually heard I was found near the border when I was a baby, guess I really do have a twin brother!”

“….” Mr. Lu opened his mouth but said nothing. He looked pale.

Yu Xiaowen studied him, thinking the pheromone imbalance must not be fully healed yet.

…

The holiday had ended. The former blackmailer-turned-security-captain wasn’t wearing a mask anymore, and he really did look slightly different from Yu Xiaowen. Lu Kongyun grew uneasy, maybe, out of billions of people on Earth, there really could be someone with the same scent, the same gaze. Maybe he was too sure of himself.

The man bit the small flower and smiled at him before tucking it into his hand. In that moment, he looked exactly like him.

So much like him.

The security captain said something as he walked up, but Lu Kongyun didn’t catch the words. His head was filled with another voice.

(I really love you. I never had anything, no attachments. I wasn’t afraid to die. But when I thought about never seeing you again, my heart shattered, it hurt worse than my body ever could. Do you understand?)

So alike. But Yu Xiaowen was dead.

The other man’s tea-colored eyes, so much like his, flickered, as if asking him something.

After a while, Lu Kongyun frowned and asked aloud, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said.

The sky was darkening. A light drizzle began to fall, the kind common at sea.

The security captain looked around, jogged over to the restaurant entrance, grabbed an umbrella, and came back. He stood close beside Lu Kongyun, opening the umbrella over both their heads. The soft patter of rain filled the silence above them.

He brushed his damp bangs aside, squinting up at him.

“It’s raining. Come on, let’s wait inside.” His tone was authoritative, nothing like how a security guard should speak to a guest.

Lu Kongyun looked at him, took half a step back, letting one shoulder get caught in the rain.

After a few seconds, he murmured, “Yeah.”