Lu Tao regained his dominant personality intermittently for the second time while they were on their way to visit Cheng Jin’s father, Cheng Zheng. They were nearing the hospital room when Lu Tao suddenly felt weak all over. If Cheng Jin hadn’t supported him, he might have collapsed right there. But this lapse lasted only about ten seconds; after that, he stood up straight and tall like a pine tree. Cheng Jin looking worried, asked, “Husband? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Their arms were still touching, a gesture that highlighted their intimacy. Lu Tao looked at him for a couple of seconds before slowly saying, “It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure it’s nothing?” Cheng Jin was still concerned, noticing that his husband’s complexion seemed off.

“Yeah.” Lu Tao subtly withdrew his arm and glanced around, quickly searching his memory. Unfortunately, he could only recall the journey back and his last memory on Planet Sunshine. He checked the time on his wrist light screen; it had been a week since he last came to.

“Let’s go in then, my dad must be getting anxious,” Cheng Jin said with a smile, his cheeks dimpling beautifully, his eyes sparkling.

Hearing the key words in his conversation, Lu Tao’s brow furrowed slightly, but he said, “Okay.” It had been years since he last saw Cheng Zheng in person; the last glimpse he had was through a newspaper. He harbored no fondness for his father-in-law, unable to forget the man’s coercive actions from the past. Yet, he held no grudge and had sought Su Kui’s help to petition for a retrial of the case when he heard of the crime, even secretly hiring a skilled lawyer to influence the outcome—actions that weren’t exactly just, but not entirely self-serving either.

Seeing Cheng Zheng again didn’t shock Lu Tao, despite the man’s aging appearance. After exchanging a brief nod, he found a seat. Cheng Zheng clearly had no expectations of a meaningful conversation, so his focus was all on his younger son.

“My husband took me on a trip, and we met lots of kind people. One farmer even gave us a lot of gifts. I brought some for you to try,” Cheng Jin said as he opened a gift box filled with carefully selected fruits. Picking one, he grinned, “Dad, you definitely don’t know what this is.”

Cheng Zheng smiled, his face crinkling with wrinkles. His eyes, usually dull, lit up upon seeing his son, “What is it?”

“They call it Sweet Fruit. It’s my first time seeing it too; it’s really sweet! But the seed inside is too big, and there’s not much flesh, so it doesn’t sell well, even not reaching the Imperial Planet.” Cheng Jin peeled it, plucked out the flesh—a small portion of a large fruit, but it was exceptionally sweet and fragrant.

After praising the fruit, Cheng Zheng said, “I can’t eat this much by myself; you should take some back for your friends.” His voice then turned pained, acknowledging the family’s current state and the possibility that his younger son might not even have any friends left.

Cheng Jin quickly said, “I’ve already given them out, even to my brother. I asked him several times to let me send some over, but he kept refusing. After asking repeatedly, he said he’d come and get them himself.” Cheng Jin grew worried, “Dad, do you know where my brother lives? Is it because he’s living in poor conditions that he doesn’t want me to visit?”

Cheng Zheng paused before replying, “I don’t know either.”

“So you don’t know either?” Cheng Jin’s lips quivered, on the verge of tears, “Then he must be living poorly. I have to go see him!”

“We should check on him. Your brother sends money every week, some for me and some for the hospital’s account. He’s facing work restrictions; I don’t know where he can find a decent-paying job,” sighed Cheng Zheng.

“He told me last time that he’s working with Yan Qi,” Cheng Jin responded.

At the mention of “Yan Qi,” Cheng Zheng’s expression changed, his cheeks twitching slightly, “You mean… Yan Qi?”

Cheng Jin was confused, “Yes, Yan Qi.”

Cheng Zheng stared intently at him, “When did he tell you this?”

“Just a few days ago.” Cheng Jin was puzzled, “Dad, what’s wrong?”

Cheng Zheng clenched his teeth, shook his head, and said nothing. His eyes, previously clouded, now seemed even darker, and his whole demeanor was defeated. Cheng Jin panicked, grabbing his hand, “Dad, what’s going on? What’s happened with my brother and Yan Qi? Isn’t Yan Qi a good person? Is he bullying my brother?”

It took a while before Cheng Zheng sighed hoarsely, “It’s nothing, my dear. You should go back.”

“Why are you suddenly sending me away?” Cheng Jin couldn’t understand, but no matter how he questioned, his father remained silent, looking older and more broken than ever. After calming his father a bit, who just wanted him to leave, Cheng Jin stood up and said, “Then I’ll go now. Dad, remember to eat the fruits before they go bad. Remember to take your medicine regularly and get enough rest. If you feel bored, go out for a walk. I’ll come to see you again next time.”

“Okay…”

Lu Tao had already walked ahead to the door, waiting. As Cheng Jin was about to step out of the room, he suddenly heard his father call, “My dear.”

Cheng Jin stopped immediately and turned back, “Dad, is there anything else?”

Cheng Zheng looked him up and down, met his eyes for a long while, then said, “It’s nothing, go on, live well.”

“I will! I’m really trying hard now,” Cheng Jin replied with a laugh, mimicking the accent of Planet Sunshine.

Cheng Zheng chuckled lightly and waved goodbye.

After getting into the car, Cheng Jin couldn’t help saying, “My dad was really weird today. Could he be feeling unwell? But the doctor said the medicine doesn’t have side effects, and his condition is almost like a normal person’s, just needing a few more pills each day.”

During this time, Lu Tao had checked the information he hadn’t managed to before, clearing up the current situation with keywords like toxins, amnesia, derivative personalities, and intermittent recovery. He wasn’t too worried about these issues, more concerned about the close relationship between the derivative personality and his partner.

They seemed… unusually close.

Feeling a slight pang of jealousy, Lu Tao didn’t show it. When his partner asked him, he remembered Cheng Zheng’s eyes.

Those eyes no longer held the will to live.

Lu Tao had never cared to save those who wanted to end their own lives. In his view, everyone has their own thoughts and choices. He could extend a hand if someone was oppressed, but if someone chose to end their life, he would typically ignore it.

However, when Cheng Jin looked at him with such a helpless expression, Lu Tao couldn’t help but say, “Send a message to your brother, ask him to see your father.”

Although Cheng Jin didn’t understand why, he immediately opened the communicator and tried to contact his brother, but the signal was soon interrupted, “It seems to be busy.”

Lu Tao suggested a second option, “Find Yan Qi.”

Cheng Jin hadn’t contacted Yan Qi for many years, but fortunately, he still had his contact details. He sent the signal without hesitation. This time, the signal wasn’t interrupted, but it took nearly a minute to connect. When he saw Yan Qi’s bare upper body on the light screen, Cheng Jin quickly covered his eyes, shouting, “You pervert! How can you not wear clothes!”

Lu Tao frowned, while Yan Qi’s handsome face broke into a mischievous smile, “Don’t you guys do things without clothes on? Besides, it’s not like I deliberately exposed myself; you’re the one who interrupted me, and I’m not even charging you for it.”

Cheng Jin’s face turned bright red, his palms tightly covering his eyes, too embarrassed to look, “Do, do things? What kind of things?” He quickly realized what Yan Qi was referring to. Even though he wasn’t watching the screen, the sounds were clear enough—the other party seemed to deliberately pull out and then thrust back fiercely, the sound of flesh meeting flesh and the splash of bodily fluids were unusually clear and familiar. Cheng Jin blushed so hard even his ears turned red.

Yan Qi confirmed his guess, “Having sex, what else?”

“Aren’t you ashamed! Doing such things in broad daylight!” Cheng Jin’s face paled, stuttering, “You’re not, not with Ai Xue… right?” That would be too embarrassing.

“What do you think?”

“How should I know!” Cheng Jin’s voice was almost a roar, “It’s definitely not Ai Xue, Yan Qi, you’re totally immoral! You’ve even met Ai Xue’s parents, you might even get married, and yet you’re still with someone else… with someone else…” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

Noticing Yan Qi’s expression change, the screen suddenly went chaotic, as if the person beneath him was struggling, but was quickly subdued again. Yan Qi furrowed his brows, “We didn’t make it, what are you talking about?” He then smirked again, “Cheng Jin, you still haven’t told me why you’re contacting me. Don’t tell me you want to spy? Otherwise, I might as well show you clearly.”

The person under him seemed to start struggling again, but Yan Qi’s strength was too great, firmly restraining the other. Cheng Jin shouted, “Who wants to watch you do that kind of thing! I, I just wanted to ask about my brother. I tried contacting him but couldn’t get through.”

“I don’t like being watched while I have sex, so there are only two people in my room,” Yan Qi smirked, “So, do you think your brother is here with me?”

“Ah, ah, ah, definitely not! How could my brother have anything to do with you! Yan Qi, you’re really a pervert!” Cheng Jin felt like his brain had broken to even contact Yan Qi. Closing his eyes and dropping his hand, he touched his wrist, cutting off the signal without waiting for a response.