Chapter 128: He Will Never Fall

“Eh?” Ji Laili instinctively glanced in Shen Yu’s direction and blinked. “Wasn’t it supposed to be a secret?”

“Brother Chi Fei, aren’t you supposed to keep it confidential?”

Chi Fei let out a hearty laugh, completely justified. “I don’t think I ever said I would keep it a secret.”

Ji Laili: …That’s true.

“A secret is only a secret when two people know it. Now that the person in front of me has changed, whether you choose to know it or not becomes a new secret.”

Chi Fei added, “I will keep this secret.”

In other words, he wouldn’t tell Shen Yu.

Ji Laili hesitated, torn between curiosity and restraint. What kind of secret was the little butterfly keeping from him with an Alpha he had barely just met?

At the same time, prying into someone’s private matters felt inappropriate.

After all, it’s a secret.

A secret!

Damn it! What kind of secret is it?! Why can’t I know?!

Ji Laili ran his fingers through his curls, sighing in frustration before making up his mind. He rejected Chi Fei with great difficulty. “No, Brother Chi Fei.”

“If possible, please keep it a secret.”

Chi Fei was briefly stunned, somewhat surprised by his response. “You don’t want to know?”

“Of course, I want to know!”

Ji Laili’s eyes darkened slightly with grievance. “This is the first time there’s a secret I can’t know!”

“But…”

“If it’s a secret, then I don’t have to know.”

After a moment of contemplation, Ji Laili sighed again, ruffling his curls. “Alright, alright. I still really want to know. But I’ll hear it from him myself sooner or later.”

The young man smiled, his crescent-moon eyes sparkling with pure delight as he deliberately stretched his words, showing off with glee.

“After all… he likes me so much~”

Chi Fei fell silent for a moment, finally understanding why Shen Yu liked him.

Ji Laili thought their conversation had ended there, but unexpectedly, Chi Fei shrugged and said nonchalantly, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t listen. Just think of it as me talking to myself.”

…Who knew Brother Chi Fei had such a rebellious streak?

Then, recalling what Chi Fei had been through, Ji Laili figured if telling him made him feel better, then that was fine.

“Alright, tell me, Brother. I’ll listen carefully.”

Chi Fei glanced at the grinning young man, who had suddenly changed his mind, and decided to tell him the “secret” after all.

His gaze shifted toward Shen Yu. “He still has injuries.”

Ji Laili’s smile faded instantly, his brows furrowing as he listened.

“Yesterday, they conducted voltage stimulation testing—to observe how an Alpha’s genes react under attack. Originally, we were supposed to be the test subjects.”

To be precise, it was supposed to be me.

After losing his comrades, Chi Fei had gone through a period of deep despair. But time didn’t stop just because he did.

Over the years, many Alphas had been brought into the lab as test subjects. Many didn’t survive their differentiation period. Eventually, Chi Fei became the oldest one among them.

His innate sense of responsibility made it impossible for him to ignore the others. He started voluntarily taking on some of the tests to protect them.

“That day, I wasn’t in great shape.”

Chi Fei continued, “After they took my blood, my body couldn’t handle the next round of tests. He was the one who stepped forward.”

That cold, aloof young man had stood up and swept a contemptuous glance at the researchers.

‘Him?’

‘Can’t you see how pale he is? He looks like he’s about to die. You’d better not mess up your results.’

‘Let me do it.’

The researchers, used to their superior position, were instantly angered by someone so defiant. But they couldn’t use force against him.

Lance had volunteered.

The researchers, eager to make him suffer, readily agreed.

“This kind of test doesn’t require you.”

Wen Qiushui frowned slightly. “Lance…”

“Those other Alphas don’t look like they can withstand this kind of testing either,” Lance said impatiently. “If you zap them once, they’ll just drop dead. Are you deliberately wasting resources?”

Wen Qiushui fell silent.

In the end, he gave tacit approval for Lance to take the test.

Chi Fei knew that if Lance hadn’t stepped forward that day, his body would have been sent for cremation by now.

He didn’t dare overthink Lance’s intentions—he simply assumed it was because Lance didn’t want resources to go to waste.

But after seeing him again tonight…

Chi Fei whispered to Ji Laili, “His recovery seems pretty fast, but his skin must still be burned. It’s best to treat it.”

Then, after a pause, he added, “Also… I’m sorry.”

Ji Laili shook his head. “Brother Chi Fei, you don’t need to apologize. He definitely has no regrets.”

His gaze shifted toward Shen Yu, who was still leading a few people around. Eugene kept asking endless questions, making the young man frown impatiently. Yet, he held back, his entire presence exuding coldness.

It seemed like he was deliberately enduring it, hoping Eugene would realize just how annoying he was and finally shut up—achieving his goal that way.

“Shen Yu, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“I get it now! I’ve finally asked you something you don’t know. I knew it—there’s no way anyone could memorize everything about this lab in just a few days.”

Excitement flashed through Eugene’s eyes as he smirked, his words of “consolation” utterly insincere.

“Forget it, I know it’s tough for you. I’ll analyze this one myself.”

He wasn’t even pretending to be polite anymore.

Shen Yu’s gaze turned ice-cold, sharp as a blade—if looks could kill, Eugene would’ve been sliced apart a thousand times.

Yet, this guy had somehow built up some newfound courage and continued acting as he pleased.

Although Eugene had always been the type to remain unfazed by anything, there used to be a certain fear he didn’t even realize he had when facing Shen Yu. But now…

Watching Shen Yu grit his teeth and endure, Ji Laili couldn’t help but smile. “Brother Chi Fei, have you ever heard of his name?”

“Hm?” Chi Fei was momentarily confused.

“When you were still in the military academy, you must’ve heard of him—the one set to be the next Grand Admiral, the Federation’s golden boy.”

Ji Laili rattled off a series of titles that sounded impressive but felt embarrassingly exaggerated when spoken aloud.

His crescent-moon eyes curved in a playful smile. “That’s why—he will never fall.”

Chi Fei didn’t quite understand why Ji Laili used the word fall, but he did have a vague recollection of that title. In the dusty corners of his memory, he found a familiar silhouette.

Compared to Lance’s ordinary face, that young man was colder, but also far more dazzling.

“I think… his name was Shen…” Chi Fei tried hard to recall.

“It’s Shen Yu.”

“His name is Shen Yu,” Ji Laili said solemnly.

By the time Ji Laili finally joined the rest of the group’s exploration of the lab, Lei Po was already annoyed.

“You sure spent a long time chatting with some Alpha you just met.”

“Calling him ‘brother’—are you planning on switching to a new big brother?”

Ji Laili laughed. “Calling Brother Chi Fei ‘big brother’ is just a sign of respect, Brother Po.” He patted the Alpha’s shoulder, grinning. “You’re my real big brother.”

Lei Po was satisfied. Since his position was secured, he no longer had any complaints about Ji Laili joining in late.

Glancing at Shen Yu, Ji Laili discreetly pulled Lei Po aside and started asking about those various bottles and jars.

After forming a plan in his mind, he swiped a bottle of burn treatment ointment from the lab before they left.