Chapter 3

After gathering five hundred interstellar coins, Shu Juan hurriedly ran back. Before she even reached the house, she smelled a floral fragrance. As an Alpha, she was very sensitive to pheromones, and the person still in the room would likely have an even stronger reaction.

Oh no! Could Qiao Yan's susceptible period be earlier than expected?!

Shu Juan flung open the door, "Qiao Yan!"

As she entered, she was immediately overwhelmed by the strong scent of pheromones and took a step back. Upon closer inspection, she saw Nan Yayin sitting on Qiao Yan's lap, with Qiao Yan's head resting on the leg of a stool.

"My God!" Shu Juan rushed over to check on her. Nan Ya Yin was fine because she was sitting on Qiao Yan, but Qiao Yan had a real bump on his head.

"Are you alright? Should I take you to the hospital?" Shu Juan tried to help her up, but Nan Ya Yin seemed to have a problem and stood up and ran outside.

Seeing that he couldn't stop him, Qiao Yan waved his hand and said, "No need."

When she pulled, she didn't stop herself, and Nan Ya Yin fell halfway into her arms, landing on her right leg, which had an old injury. Now it felt burning hot, as if it had been broken again.

Shu Juan wanted to chase after the man after he ran away, but as soon as she stepped out the door, the man had already disappeared.

"Luckily he wasn't in heat, otherwise I'd have to clean this room thoroughly." Shu Juan walked in and saw Qiao Yan staggering to her feet, so she quickly went over to help her. "Your leg..."

"It's alright, same as always." Qiao Yan stood up. "It'll be fine in a bit."

Shu Juan knew about Qiao Yan's old ailment, but she still didn't understand what had happened to her back then. During the interstellar expedition, she was the youngest member but took on the responsibility of captain. In her opinion, this was unreasonable, especially since everyone else in the team died afterward. Qiao Yan was carrying too heavy a burden.

"Why would he release pheromones?" Shu Juan changed the subject.

Qiao Yan shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe he was too nervous. He was in a state of readiness from the moment he walked in, almost ready to go at any moment."

"The use of pheromones is to drive away predators?" Shu Juan found it hard to understand. "It sounds like using the smell of chicken legs to drive away dogs."

Qiao Yan couldn't understand how she could have so many strange ideas, but perhaps, as she said, "maybe your 99% compatibility is real."

Her sensitive period was approaching, and even though she tried her best to resist, she could only watch helplessly as that force drove her almost crazy. But just now, she was able to get rid of that feeling, so that she could be a little more comfortable in this room.

Shu Juan's expression was exactly as she had expected, her eyes shining as brightly as the most famous star tower on Bailu Star. "I knew it! I knew it would work!"

She laughed heartily a few times, "I truly deserve to be called a genius of our time, a star of science and technology. The next Orpheus Award is already in my pocket. Soon, a sea of ​​research funding will be pouring into my little temple. At that time, even that guy with the few words will only be fit to carry my shoes."

Qiao Yan suddenly splashed a glass of cold water on him, saying, "Be careful not to let your joy turn into sorrow."

Shu Juan wasn't angry. She opened her terminal and said, "I'm asking you to immediately reach a cooperation agreement with Nan Yayin. You two need to work together harmoniously for my experiment to move forward. I'll give you her contact information. You need to make the most of this opportunity. This matter is not only related to my future, but it's also very important to you."

Qiao Yan nodded. Having witnessed the power of a 99% match, she couldn't help but feel a sense of hope.

She noted down Nan Yayin's contact information and prepared to go home to rest for a while and wait until the next morning to talk to her.

It's all those two wretched Alphas' fault. If they had just given him the money promptly, he would have been fine. Now he wasted 40 yuan on transportation to the new district, not only did he not get a single penny, but he also lost 40 yuan.

Nan Ya Yin was extremely resentful. He touched the back of his neck and, out of fear and nervousness, let out his pheromones, which he couldn't control well to begin with, in a place where there was an Alpha. This was completely different from his usual cautiousness.

Nan Shuyin was still in the hospital, and debt collectors were coming to his house. He sat on the stone steps of the transportation station, knowing he still needed 40 interstellar coins to take the bus back to the old city. He thought he might as well just die.

He lifted his head from his arms. The new district of White Dew Star had been built in the last decade and was booming at an extremely rapid pace. Hovercrafts and starships, which were unseen before, were now as common as stars in the sky.

The old town, however, seemed frozen in place, unchanged. Bai Luxing had forgotten about it, and it had become like a slum.

Nan Ya Yin found it fascinating the first time she came here. She was worried the whole way here, but once she arrived, she didn't want to go back. The new district had no darkness; it was brightly lit everywhere, bustling with activity and shops lining the streets that exuded delicious aromas. It just didn't suit her at all, so she always felt nervous whenever she came.

After sitting for a while, Nan Yayin stood up and decided to take a bus back. If he didn't leave soon, there would be no more buses. He had to go to work the next morning and was worried about leaving a child like Nan Shuyin alone in the hospital.

In the morning, Qiao Yan sat up in bed and glanced at the time, only to realize that she had slept for less than five hours since yesterday. She got up and dressed in a daze.

Fortunately, after returning from Jingzhe Star, the school here didn't immediately call her back for a meeting.

The home robot had already prepared breakfast according to the timer and was waiting for her. Qiao Yan patted its head and said, "Good morning, Xiao Lu."

A mechanical voice came through, "Good morning, master."

The terminal is playing the morning cosmic news, and you can hear the neighbors walking their two dogs outside.

Qiao Yan moved the background music to the background, and a home phone number was displayed on the terminal.

It wasn't a terminal number. Qiao Yan chewed a couple of bites of dry bread and said to Xiao Lu, "Could you make me some porridge next time?"

"Master, there are no ingredients." Xiao Lu looked at her sternly, and Qiao Yan seemed to see its reproach in its mechanical eyes. Qiao Yan was not good at cooking, and she usually only went to buy ingredients after being reminded.

"Okay, I'll go buy it today." Qiao Yan thought to herself that she might have to buy a robot that could go out to buy groceries. However, the shopping area was a bit far from the shopping area. If she got robbed of the robot along with the groceries on the way, she would be eating nothing but air that day.

Bailuxing is still not stable enough; the news just now mentioned that several motorcycle thieves were caught.

Why not just buy a combat robot? I should be able to get Shu Juan to help modify its settings so it can both fight and shop for groceries.

Qiao Yan tidied up and dialed a number. The call was answered shortly afterward. "Hello, who is this?"

An elderly voice came through the phone. Qiao Yan checked the number and, confirming it belonged to Nan Yayin, asked, "Is this Mr. Nan's father?"

"Ya Yin?" the man asked in confusion. "They've even called me! Let me tell you, Ya Yin has no obligation to pay back her father's debts."

The call was then disconnected, leaving Qiao Yan staring in disbelief at the disconnected screen.

Isn't this Nan Ya Yin's phone? Why is it someone else's voice on the other end?

Helpless, Qiao Yan called Shu Juan again. The person on the other end had probably not slept all night. "Get to the point, or I'll kill you."

"......"

"Call Nan Yayin for me and ask where he is. I'll go find him this time," Qiao Yan said succinctly.

Shu Juan asked, "Didn't I give you a phone number?"

"He didn't answer the phone."

Shu Juan immediately made a call. The person who answered the phone clearly recognized her and treated her differently than he had treated Qiao Yan. He even gave her a specific address.

"It's the Love Clinic in the old town, No. 42 North Street," Shu Juan told her. "The old man over there said it seems to be his sister getting treatment there."

Qiao Yan recalled that he had a father in debt and now a sick sister, and asked, "You really didn't do anything extra to make money, like writing some cheesy scripts?"

The other person smacked their lips. "When you go to the clinic, have someone check if there's something wrong with your head. I'm so busy writing love stories for you all day."

Qiao Yan replied with "Looking forward to the release," then went out and drove off. Heading from the new district to the old town, the scenery changed constantly. Bailuxing wasn't fully developed; after passing the bustling areas, it began to desolate, with tin-roofed houses and buildings whose paint had peeled and blackened due to age. Entering the old town, she noticed that many areas lacked any greenery. Trees and branches intertwined, with only dappled sunlight filtering through; the roads weren't particularly lush, but rather gave off a sense of neglect.

Qiao Yan arrived at the charity clinic at No. 42 North Street, which was actually just a small shop. Everyone looked at her when she walked in carrying her things.

Qiao Yan didn't know how to react, so she braced herself and walked up to the person who was also staring at her, and asked, "Do you know if Nan Ya Yin's sister is in that ward?"

To be honest, it's hardly a ward. There are four or five beds in the room just by entering, and most of them are elderly people sitting there receiving IV drips.

The nurse at the service desk immediately recalled the incident, "Yes, yes, it's in the children's room inside. Just follow me."

After registering her name, Qiao Yan followed her inside. The nurse kept saying, "Don't underestimate this place just because it's small. We have everything we need, and the equipment was all transported from the new district. It's all new equipment."

“There are fewer people in the old town. Everyone goes to the new district or the big city for treatment if they have any health problems. Most young people don’t live here, so it’s rare to see someone like you.” The nurse was referring to someone like her who seemed out of place in the old town.

The nurse was quite old; it was clear she was someone who had been working here for a long time. Qiao Yan asked, "What illness does Nan Ya Yin's sister have?"

The nurse sighed. "It's not a serious illness, just a broken rib and a broken leg. Sigh. You're his friend, so you should know that."

"What?" Qiao Yan asked somewhat guiltily.

"His father, when he's out of money, he comes back looking for trouble. Shuyin is too young; she was unconscious when she was brought here. Luckily, she wasn't injured anywhere else," the nurse said, glancing at Qiao Yan. "But if you ask me, it would be better to go to a big city and see what's going on there; the conditions are better there."

As she spoke, she opened the door. She called it a children's room, but in reality, there was no one inside except for a little girl with shoulder-length hair.

The little girl looked over happily, "Brother!"