Shi Chan was also doing this for the first time, and he was unclear about what problems might arise during the refining process. However, compared to the treacherous and toxic methods in the cultivation world, these uncontrolled and passive energies were relatively simple. If Shi Chan remained by Xi Ming’s side, he could likely cure Xi Ming, although it would take a considerable amount of time.

Xi Ming stared blankly at Shi Chan, his mind completely empty, constantly replaying Shi Chan’s words in his head.

“He found a way to reduce the cosmic radiation… found a way… found it, he actually found it…”

Over the past decade, including in his past life, all the materials Xi Ming had gathered and everyone he had asked had told him there was no solution. Cosmic radiation was an incurable condition, and the only path left was to wait for the body to decay and die.

But now, he was hearing something completely different—Shi Chan said that he had found a way.

No, not only did he hear it, he had already confirmed that the radiation intensity on his body had indeed reduced.

The opportunity that he had been hoping for all these years was now right in front of him. Xi Ming didn’t dare speak or move, afraid that this might just be a dream his desperate desire to keep Shi Chan by his side had created.

Shi Chan understood Xi Ming’s excitement as he sat still in his wheelchair.

“It’s true,” Shi Chan said as he sat up, placing his hand on Xi Ming’s, his bright, glass-like eyes showing a soft smile. “I’ve found a way to heal your body.”

After regaining his composure, Xi Ming tightly grasped Shi Chan’s hand and pulled him into his embrace, holding him close. His emotions were in turmoil, and he couldn’t find the words. He just gently stroked Shi Chan’s back.

Shi Chan rested his chin on Xi Ming’s chest, allowing Xi Ming to caress him like one would pet a cat.

Lying with his face pressed against Xi Ming’s chest, Shi Chan smiled softly, his eyes showing warmth. After a while, his smile widened. He was happy to help Xi Ming.

After calming down, Xi Ming looked down and saw Shi Chan’s smiling face. His heart skipped a beat. He grabbed the back of Shi Chan’s head and leaned down to kiss him.

Shi Chan had grown used to Xi Ming’s closeness. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and responded, letting Xi Ming’s tongue invade his mouth, their tongues entangling… but each time, his tongue’s root felt slightly sore from the kiss.

“Chan Chan…” Xi Ming murmured the name and then paused, his gaze dimming slightly.

“This is the first time you’ve called me that,” Shi Chan said, somewhat surprised and pleased, looking at Xi Ming with a soft smile.

“Mm,” Xi Ming replied awkwardly. He had actually called him that a few times, but only in his heart or in his dreams.

It was like a dividing line drawn by someone about to die. Xi Ming was afraid that if he got used to this name, he might do something impulsive he would regret, so he always held back, not daring to take that step.

“I also want to change how I call you, is that okay?” Shi Chan rubbed against Xi Ming in his arms. Recently, he had been calling him by his full name, but it always felt distant and awkward.

“Call me whatever you like,” Xi Ming said, lowering his gaze, playfully pinching Shi Chan’s ear and massaging his neck.

“Ming Ge!” Shi Chan initially called him titles like General Xi and Star Marshal, but Xi Ming wasn’t a general anymore, and he had mentioned that he didn’t like the title Star Marshal. Shi Chan, not being good with names, thought of one that would sound closer.

Xi Ming had always been called by his surname followed by his military rank, and later, he had been scolded by others using his full name for many years. No one had ever called him so intimately.

Looking at Shi Chan, Xi Ming nodded, agreeing to the new nickname. “Alright.”

Shi Chan immediately smiled and hugged him tightly, thinking that today was probably the happiest day he had had in a long time.

Xi Ming placed his hand on Shi Chan’s head and asked, “What’s the method you found? Can you tell me?”

Hearing this question, Shi Chan froze for a moment, struggling a bit before apologetically whispering, “Sorry, I can’t tell you for now.” Then he raised his head. “But I promise, no one else knows this method, and I’ve only used it on you.”

Xi Ming gradually calmed down from the excitement of realizing there was a chance for a cure. After a few seconds of looking into Shi Chan’s eyes, he said, “Then tell me when you can.”

“Mm.” Shi Chan hugged Xi Ming, smiling with his eyes, and gently kissed Xi Ming’s chin. “Thank you.”

Xi Ming rubbed the back of Shi Chan’s head, his throat moving as he said, “… I should be the one thanking you.”

Shi Chan looked at him, slowly curving his lips into a smile.

---

Although Shi Chan had found a way to reduce Xi Ming’s radiation intensity, Xi Ming’s body was still in a dangerously high concentration of radiation. After calming his energy, Xi Ming returned to his room.

Shi Chan then went downstairs to the living room with Feifei, as he had received several invitations from top-tier families.

“Madam, the invitations are all here,” Zhang Shiyi reported, standing respectfully and explaining each invitation’s reception time, details, and the family’s status.

After hearing this, Shi Chan absentmindedly stroked the soft Feifei in his hand and asked, “Are there really this many banquets and gatherings from top-tier families?”

Zhang Shiyi, who had worked as a servant for many years and knew the top-tier families better than Shi Chan, respectfully answered, “Madam, although there are far fewer top-tier families than second-tier ones, their industries are vast, and there’s a lot of cross-interaction between them. They often have frequent contact, and these various banquets are held either to maintain relationships or for some temporary purpose.”

Shi Chan looked at the elegant invitations in his hand, a little distressed. “Is it okay to not attend any of them?”

Zhang Shiyi hesitated for a moment, looking slightly anxious. He glanced at Shi Chan and asked, “Madam, may I ask why? Some of these gatherings are highly sought after by ordinary top-tier families, and they’ve been unable to get invitations.”

“It’s too much trouble.” Shi Chan placed the invitations on the table as though they were just ordinary pieces of paper, despite being highly coveted invitations from first-class families.

“But, these are necessary social exchanges between the families. The wives of these first-class families always attend. You’re the new wife, so these invitations also represent your acceptance into the circle, which is actually quite important…” Zhang Shiyi looked troubled, once again trying to persuade him, “Although the invitations seem numerous, the hosts always plan the gatherings to ensure they don’t clash with each other. There’s usually a gap of a few days between each event, so even if you attend, it won’t be too tiring. Moreover, these gatherings are mostly relaxing activities. You can think of it as a way to unwind or make new friends…”

Shi Chan had attended quite a few gatherings and banquets when he was with the Shi family, but he never succeeded in making friends or integrating into any circles—probably because he always hid in the corners of the events.

Shi Chan glanced at Zhang Shiyi in surprise. “You seem to know quite a bit…” When he first came to the Xi family, Zhang Shiyi had seemed quite nervous.

Zhang Shiyi stiffened slightly before showing a bit of embarrassment. “Actually, I asked others. It wasn’t hard to find out about these things.”

“Oh…” Shi Chan didn’t really understand the rules of first-class families. He withdrew his gaze, holding Feifei as he headed upstairs. “I’ll ask Xi Ming and see.”

Seeing Shi Chan heading upstairs, Zhang Shiyi opened his mouth, but ultimately retracted the words he was about to say.

That evening, Shi Chan mentioned the matter to Xi Ming.

Xi Ming took the invitation Shi Chan handed him, glanced at it, and then tossed it aside. “There’s no need to go. They’re just gatherings to show off wealth and status.”

“But aren’t these gatherings supposed to help first-class families build relationships?” Shi Chan asked curiously.

“These gatherings aren’t the real way to build relationships,” Xi Ming replied indifferently, unimpressed by such events. “The hosts of these gatherings are notorious for being unproductive and focused only on flaunting wealth and enjoying themselves.” He also mentioned that many omega individuals enjoy showing off at these events.

“Oh.” Shi Chan lost interest. He had thought these gatherings were important based on what Zhang Shiyi had said, and was considering attending to see if he could find a channel to acquire some research materials on radiation.

“By the way, the materials I asked you about related to cosmic radiation research, have you been able to get any?” Shi Chan almost forgot about it, but now that he had found a way to address Xi Ming’s physical condition through cultivation, he only needed the materials as references.

“Not yet.” Xi Ming had nearly forgotten about it too. He had posted a task on the dark web, and a few people had accepted it, but there was no result yet. “If I find anything, I’ll send it to you right away.”

Shi Chan was a bit deflated. “Okay, but there’s no need to rush, just take your time.” After all, he was already working on gradually improving Xi Ming’s condition.

“If there are future invitations, and they’re important, do I need to attend?” Shi Chan looked at Xi Ming.

Xi Ming frowned in confusion. “Important?”

“Yeah.” Shi Chan glanced at the several invitations he had received in the past couple of days. “Although these gatherings are mostly about flaunting wealth, aren’t there some that are more important, to help maintain the relationships between first-class families?”

“Where did you hear that?” Xi Ming was somewhat helpless. “Not to mention that people from the Xi family already have someone attending those gatherings, the relationships between first-class families are never maintained through these kinds of events. Aside from major events like the announcement of heirs, most gatherings are just bored wives and daughters of shareholders organizing them. Even for the former, it doesn’t matter if you attend or not, major news is always spread through other means, so you won’t miss anything just because you’re not there.”

Shi Chan listened to Xi Ming’s perspective, which was entirely different from Zhang Shiyi’s, and paused for a moment. “But Zhang Shiyi said…”

“Who’s that?” Xi Ming didn’t pay much attention to the household servants.

“Just a servant in the house.” Shi Chan explained what Zhang Shiyi had told him.

Shi Chan thought that Zhang Shiyi might have gathered some incorrect information, but Xi Ming found it strange. “What’s his purpose in trying to get you to go to these gatherings?”

“Has he?” Shi Chan hadn’t noticed.

“Yes.” Xi Ming affirmed, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “Let me investigate them when I get back.”

Though Shi Chan hadn’t sensed anything, he wouldn’t object to Xi Ming investigating. After all, if they were truly innocent, there was nothing to fear from an investigation.

Shi Chan hadn’t expected that Xi Ming’s investigation would actually uncover Zhang Shiyi’s abnormalities.

The next day, Xi Ming told Shi Chan that Zhang Shiyi had received an unexplained sum of money, as well as a “task.”

“The task was to lure me into attending a gathering? Why?” Shi Chan looked at the materials Xi Ming provided and furrowed his brow, then his expression grew serious. “Could they want to harm you while I’m not at home?” This was the only explanation Shi Chan could think of.

Xi Ming fell silent for a moment, then said, “I don’t think that’s the goal.”

If someone wanted to harm him, it wouldn’t matter whether the omega was there or not. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, omegas were seen as delicate beings who couldn’t accomplish much, and even at home, they wouldn’t be able to stop anything.

Noticing Shi Chan’s confused look, Xi Ming explained, “This person is very cautious. They only gave Zhang Shiyi this one task, so it’s likely just one stage of a larger plan. I’ll continue to investigate further.”

Shi Chan frowned lightly. “In that case, I won’t go anywhere for now, I’ll stay by your side.” He had originally thought that once Xi Ming’s condition stabilized, he might go out for a day with Lan Ying, but now it seemed like that would have to be postponed.

Xi Ming was, of course, happy with this arrangement. He gently kissed Shi Chan on the forehead.

Shi Chan sat in Xi Ming’s lap, wrapping his arms around his waist, and inhaled Xi Ming’s faint scent, closing his eyes.

He wouldn’t let anyone hurt Xi Ming.

---

As Xi Ming continued his investigation, Zhang Shiyi remained unaware, still trying to find ways to spark Shi Chan’s interest in attending the banquet.

Every day, Shi Chan spent most of his time in the room with Xi Ming, leaving little time for anything else. Zhang Shiyi, taking advantage of Shi Chan’s moments alone when he went downstairs, constantly tried to steer the conversation toward the banquet.

However, Shi Chan was already on guard and naturally didn’t fall for Zhang Shiyi’s tactics. As he watched Zhang Shiyi grow more anxious, he could tell the man was becoming a bit frustrated.

A few days later, Xi Ming discovered the person who had been sending messages to Zhang Shiyi, along with some conversation records.

“They want you to experience the luxury of the first-class families at these banquets, take you to high-end places, and when you realize your money isn’t enough, someone will entice you to sell your shares.”

“It was people from Xi Songkai’s side. The Xi family is going through some internal issues right now, and he needs the shares you hold.” When Xi Ming explained, his brow didn’t even twitch, as if Xi Songkai was no longer his family.

Of course, to Xi Ming, Xi Songkai ceased to be his family when he accepted the compensation from the royal family without asking any questions.

It was almost laughable, but Shi Chan’s first reaction when hearing this reason was actually relief that it wasn’t a plot targeting Xi Ming.

“Why didn’t he just ask me directly?” Shi Chan frowned, feeling confused by the roundabout way they had gone about it.

“The Xi family is in a period of growth, and he thought no one would willingly sell their Xi family shares,” Xi Ming narrowed his eyes. The Xi family’s reputation as a patriotic enterprise had been earned through his and his parents’ efforts.

According to laws regarding patriotic enterprises, when a person earns military merit or achieves something that qualifies as a patriotic act, the state will invest in increasing the person’s shares in their company and provide them with considerable policy support. However, to protect the interests of patriots, the shares in these patriotic enterprises must be held in trust, and cannot be transferred (except in cases of inheritance or marriage).

Xi Ming inherited shares from his parents in the Xi family and had also earned a large number of shares through military achievements. He controlled 30% of the Xi family’s shares, and these shares were not transferable.

…

However, after Xi Ming got married, his legal partner automatically co-owned these shares with him. More importantly, if the shares were transferred to his partner, they could be sold.

So, Xi Songkai came up with this plan to marry an omega to Xi Ming, then use the marriage law to transfer half of Xi Ming’s shares to a transferable form, and then obtain those shares through his partner.

The plan was only in the stage of enticing an omega to witness the luxury of first-class families when Xi Ming uncovered it.

Zhang Shiyi likely didn’t know the full plan and was just a small pawn, but Xi Ming still felt that he couldn’t let him stay.

Not only Zhang Shiyi, but Xi Ming also sent all the servants away, leaving only himself and Shi Chan in the entire mansion.

Perhaps considering the fragile nature of omega’s hearts, Xi Ming personally dismissed them, not even allowing Shi Chan to hear any pleas for mercy.

Shi Chan wasn’t the type of omega who would feel distressed over others’ mistakes or misfortunes, and he didn’t dislike the feeling of being protected. So, when Xi Ming sent the servants away, he obediently stayed in Xi Ming’s room all day and didn’t leave.

When Xi Ming returned, Shi Chan was lying on his bed, playing games on his terminal. His loungewear was a bit loose, revealing some pale skin that contrasted with the color of his clothes.

His delicate, fair feet rested on the dark sheets, one of them casually swinging, while his pants hung loosely from gravity, exposing half of his long calf.

A perfect and alluring omega lay unguarded on his bed.