It was time for their routine shared lunch again.

Chen Ci arrived at the dining room and sat across from Shavri Vitaljevich. The waiter poured champagne for them both and then quietly retreated to the side. The melodious music floated through the air, and with the sun shining brightly outside and the weather just right, a slight breeze blew in through the slightly open window, making the curtains flutter like the hem of a skirt. Chen Ci’s hair tips also trembled slightly—he had just washed them that morning, leaving his black, soft strands highlighting his exceptionally delicate skin.

Though it was a private meal, he still dressed formally as was his habit. Compared to Shavri Vitaljevich’s restlessness, Chen Ci was completely calm, eating on his own, but without the gloominess that had shadowed him for years.

Shavri Vitaljevich, handling his cutlery and facing a lavish lunch, had little appetite. It was as if there were hedgehogs crawling on him, and his foot stretched forward under the table, accidentally kicking Chen Ci’s shoe tip.

Chen Ci looked up at him indifferently, withdrawing his foot slightly, and then continued to lower his eyes without further reaction.

Shavri Vitaljevich’s violet eyes deepened, as if he had finally decided on something, and stopped his childish attempts to catch the young man’s attention across the table. “Do you like that ecosystem tank?” he asked after a while.

Chen Ci hummed in response, “I quite like it.”

The conversation ended there.

Shavri Vitaljevich spoke no further, and Chen Ci didn’t even ask how his visit to the coastal base had gone yesterday, although the young man had clearly been looking forward to it.

Life in the White Tower was as calm as still water, but unlike the undisturbed past, now ripples spread across its surface in all directions.

Gui Zhiqi visited Chen Ci twice more; she was currently studying architecture at university and had just finished a project, giving her some free time. Chen Ci found it hard to understand what was up with Gui Zhiqi, as the young girl was always somewhat tentative during her visits, rarely mentioning Shavri Vitaljevich anymore, as if afraid to upset him.

Chen Ci didn’t understand. He didn’t dislike chatting with Gui Zhiqi, as she was a friend introduced by Chen Nian. As they spent more time together, they found new common topics of conversation, moving beyond the one-sided conversations where Gui Zhiqi did all the talking.

A week is neither long nor short, but with something to look forward to, even a life that had been monotonous for over a decade seemed bearable.

Chen Ci pulled an old jewelry box from the back of his drawer, brushing off the dust. He opened the box to find an oval purple gem sitting quietly on the velvet, revealing a splendid radiance under the sunlight. It was a gift he had received at sixteen, though he had forgotten who it was from. Chen Ci was not particularly interested in jewelry and rarely wore it; after receiving this valuable gift, he had merely glanced at it a few times before putting it back in the box, only taking it out again today.

Now, it would be put to use.

Chen Nian placed the jewelry box in his pocket; he still had piano practice in the evening. Tomorrow was the day he and Chen Nian had agreed to meet. If all went well, their switch would last for three weeks. During this time, Chen Nian certainly couldn’t continue with his usual classes, as any teaching would immediately give them away. He would need to think of an excuse to take a leave of absence.

As the day of their swap approached, Chen Ci read through the diary entries written by Chen Nian several times, somewhat worried. Chen Nian’s personality and approach to situations were vastly different from his, and while these might not be noticeable in just a few days, the differences would become increasingly apparent with time.

The risk was significant, but Chen Ci felt it was worth taking. He had rarely had the chance to taste freedom, and even with the possibility of getting caught, it was a risk he was determined to take.

Early the next morning, Chen Ci left the White Tower under Shavri Vitaljevich’s escort and headed to the clock tower. After discussing his intentions with Shavri Vitaljevich the previous night, the crown prince had immediately agreed.

Chen Ci had always been reluctant to bother Shavri Vitaljevich, but now he realized that asking for help wasn’t as hard as he had thought, just like when he had mustered the courage in a dimly lit shack to ask Fu Tianhe for a pass.

“People are generally nice, and even if they refuse, they don’t hold it against you.”

“Do you need me to accompany you upstairs?” Shavri Vitaljevich asked.

“No need, just wait a bit for me. I’ll go up and check out the view, I’ll be back soon.”

“Alright,” Shavri Vitaljevich agreed, standing in the middle of the ground floor lobby, watching as Chen Ci disappeared into the elevator.

Shavri Vitaljevich took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. How long would it be before Chen Ci came back down this time? He even considered discreetly using his mental power to follow the Omega young man and see for himself.

But Chen Ci’s mental power was very strong; any attempt would be immediately noticed. It was known that the highest-ranking Alphas and Omegas possessed mental powers, and the more powerful the individual, the higher their level of mental power. At just eighteen, Chen Ci was recorded in the royal secret archives as having the highest known level of mental power, exceeding the recognized ceiling of UR and marked with an X.

Chen Ci could even perform telekinesis, which seemed utterly impossible. Even the most exceptional Alphas were no match for his abilities.

In terms of pure power, Shavri Vitaljevich was no match for Chen Ci. However, few knew of this, as Chen Ci lived a quiet life in the White Tower, rarely showing off his talents. Shavri Vitaljevich always felt that it was Chen Ci’s overwhelming mental power that prevented him from accepting the neural adapter and entering the game world.

Shavri Vitaljevich found a place to sit and patiently waited. This time, he didn’t habitually open the gaming forum to pass the time but looked around the spacious hall. In the southeast direction of the clock tower was a rarely used staircase.

Chen Ci hurried into the restroom, where Chen Nian was sitting on the washbasin countertop, his hands propped on the smooth marble surface, his feet dangling and idly swinging. The mirror behind him reflected Chen Nian’s red collar peeking out from his neckline and Chen Ci’s calm face.

“You’re here,” Chen Nian said as Chen Ci approached, giving his brother a big hug as usual.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Chen Ci didn’t move, seemingly used to his brother’s hugs by now.

“I just got here too.” Chen Nian released him and immediately locked the restroom door, eagerly pulling Chen Ci back to sit on the washbasin.

They usually exchanged updates about their recent experiences. Chen Ci had little to share about his own mundane activities but specifically mentioned Gui Zhiqi and the “dual personality” setup.

“I’ve postponed as many classes as I can. If you’re worried about giving yourself away later, you can find excuses to skip the rest.”

“Okay,” Chen Nian agreed, hesitating before adding, “Bro, there’s something I need to tell you.”

He sounded almost like a child guilty of mischief.

Chen Ci nodded, “Go ahead.”

Chen Nian cleared his throat and explained in detail about his job at the nightclub and his resignation a few days ago. When he described how Fu Tianhe leapt over the wall to rescue him from Drake’s harassment, Chen Ci was momentarily stunned but soon regained his composure.

Perhaps it was the too-calm look in Chen Ci’s eyes that made Chen Nian feel like a child who had misbehaved in front of a parent. The more he spoke, the guiltier he felt, and his voice grew quieter.

“…and that’s how I resigned, but there are still many people in the Underground City who know me, and the nightclub probably won’t let it go. I didn’t intend to burn bridges with them, but I couldn’t help myself in the moment—it felt too good.”

Chen Ci noticed his brother’s embarrassed blush but asked, “Anything else?”

“That’s it,” Chen Nian replied obediently.

To Chen Nian’s surprise, Chen Ci responded, “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

Chen Nian had expected his brother to criticize his “reckless” lifestyle, but Chen Ci seemed perfectly accepting, or perhaps, he simply didn’t consider it a big deal.

“I’m worried people might trouble you later, since you’ll be using my identity in the Underground City.”

Chen Ci shook his head. “They can’t hurt me, don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.”

Chen Nian blinked, recalling from the journal how Chen Ci had effortlessly subdued six thugs, and it dawned on him.

“That’s good then,” he sighed in relief. “If you really run into trouble you can’t handle, you can still ask someone for help.”

Chen Ci hummed in acknowledgment, checking the time, “It’s getting late, let’s change clothes, Shavri is waiting downstairs.”

As they unbuttoned each other’s shirts and swapped them, still warm from their bodies, they exchanged red and black collars. Facing each other, even the moon-shaped birthmarks on their shoulders mirrored each other.

Chen Ci fastened the collar and adjusted Chen Nian’s cuffs. “All set.”

“Next time I see you, it’ll be three weeks from now,” Chen Nian said, still a bit reluctant. Remembering something about a physical examination mentioned in Chen Ci’s journal, he asked, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Chen Ci didn’t elaborate, not wanting to worry Chen Nian or involve him unnecessarily.

“You better not be lying to me.”

“I’m not,” Chen Ci reassured.

Chen Nian believed him, feeling intuitively that his brother was not someone who lied. Confident they had successfully switched appearances, Chen Ci and Chen Nian unlocked the restroom door and walked out, heading in opposite directions.

Chen Nian returned to the ground floor of the clock tower where Shavri Vitaljevich was waiting on a bench. Seeing the Omega young man emerge, the crown prince stood up, his gaze pausing on Chen Nian’s eyes, “Heading straight back?”

“Let’s go back,” Chen Nian wasn’t in the mood to take advantage of the situation to play around. The first order of business was to read through Chen Ci’s journal to catch up on the week’s events. After all, he would have three weeks on the top floor and could go out anytime later.

“Alright,” Shavri Vitaljevich agreed, walking out of the clock tower and opening the car door for Chen Nian, his hand on the door frame to prevent any head bumps.

Chen Nian settled into the car unceremoniously, waiting until Shavri Vitaljevich sat across from him to speak, “I want a new terminal, is that possible?”

“A terminal?”

“Yes.” Chen Nian paused, knowing the risk of what he was about to say, but still he spoke, “A new terminal not monitored by the White Tower’s intelligent housekeeper.”

Chen Ci’s terminal was always under surveillance, with his messages, rest times, heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep state, and other data collected and uploaded to the system. This made it impossible for Chen Nian to contact him, otherwise, the brothers could coordinate much more easily on many things.

Unexpectedly, Shavri Vitaljevich thought for a moment and then agreed, “Unmonitored? I’ll see what I can do.”

Chen Nian glanced at him sharply, suddenly on guard.

The crown prince appeared normal, as if he had just agreed to a routine request. He probably hadn’t noticed anything… right?

Chen Nian was puzzled by Shavri Vitaljevich’s easy agreement, unsure if it really didn’t matter to him or if there was another reason.

Chen Nian steadied himself, setting aside his doubts for the moment.