After leaving the Apsu Tower, Shi Nian went straight back to school for evening self-study. When she lay down on the bed at night, she couldn't fall asleep. She stared at the ceiling with her eyes open in a daze.

After returning from Mr. Zhong, Shi Nian felt as if there was a void in his heart. The other person's figure appeared in his mind indelibly, making him think of him all the time.

After being in a daze for a while, Shi Nian got up and set the alarm clock, ready to get up at five o'clock tomorrow morning to see Mr. Zhong off. Well... just a sneak peek would be enough.

Looking at the time which was decreasing little by little, Shi Nian still didn't feel sleepy.

He simply turned into the form of a small ball of light. The round little ball of light grunted and stretched out its little claws, grabbed the corner of the quilt and pulled it up, covering the pillow lightly, and then buried itself in it.

This safe feeling made Shi Nian calm down quickly. He gradually slowed down his breathing and fell asleep.

However, not long after he fell asleep, the intelligent computer made a sound requesting communication. Shi Nian opened his eyes in a daze, moved his round body crookedly, jumped onto the bedside table and took a look at the intelligent computer.

——It's a call from Dad.

Shi Nian was extremely sleepy. She squatted beside the intelligent computer in her spherical form, holding on to a little consciousness and shouting, "Dad..."

Shi Yiyu's voice was a little hoarse. "Little Rose, did your grandfather say anything to you before he passed away?"

"Grandpa's gone?" Shi Nian suddenly woke up, her pale blue ball of light jumping anxiously twice. "But, but Grandpa said he would leave tomorrow, why did he leave today? Dad, do you know where Grandpa is going? When will he be back?"

There was no sound from Shi Yiyu for a long time. When Shi Nian was wondering why he didn't say anything, Yu Luhan took his place and spoke to Shi Nian.

Yu Luhan explained to Shi Nian, "Well, he left around nine o'clock in the evening. He probably won't be coming back. He wanted to leave a long time ago, but he was worried about you."

Shi Nian felt that his father's tone contained another meaning, but he couldn't understand it. It just made him feel inexplicably uncomfortable. His voice became much lower. "He's not coming back... Then can I go find him later? I'll miss Grandpa."

Yu Luhan was silent for a moment, "Okay, when you grow up, you'll know where he went."

The life span of the imperial people is very long. Except for self-death and abnormal death, a thousand years is the longest age that an elderly person can easily live to.

Shi Nian was still very unfamiliar with death, so Yu Luhan did not tell him directly. Instead, he waited until he grew up a little and understood death himself, then he would understand where Zhong Lao had gone from their flawed words.

The call ended here, and Shi Nian didn't need to get up early the next morning to see Mr. Zhong, but he just squatted on the cabinet in a daze, looking at the smart computer screen with the light extinguished. The small light ball became much dimmer.

Shi Nian's mind was in a state of confusion, his thoughts flying everywhere, but he subconsciously kept looking at the screen of the intelligent computer, and the dark room lit up from time to time.

【bite--】

A message from Ezel appeared on the screen, "It's so late, aren't you still awake?"

Shi Nian stared at the message, then switched to human form and lay on the bed with the intelligent computer in his hand. The dim light from the screen barely illuminated half of his delicate face, and his dark eyes beneath his curled eyelashes were filled with loneliness.

Shi Nian: [I can’t sleep. Why aren’t you sleeping either?]

"I was just working on a report I needed to teach, and I've just finished it." Ezel explained to him, sensing that something was off about Shi Nian's mood. "Did something happen? I don't recall you staying up late."

Shi Nian's life is very regular. She goes to bed around ten o'clock and gets up around seven in the morning. But now it is almost two o'clock in the morning. It is definitely abnormal that Shi Nian has not gone to bed yet.

Azel waited anxiously for a reply from Shi Nian. After a long time, the other party sent him an emoticon of a crying cat, confirming his worries.

Almost instantly, he made the decision, put on his coat, and told Shi Nian, "I'll come find you."

Shi Nian missed him very much at this time, and also wanted him to come and accompany her. [Okay, I'll wait for you.]

He turned on the lights, opened the curtains and sat at the desk. In front of the small villa assigned by West College, there was a sycamore tree planted, with dim street lamps hanging above it.

As long as Ezer came, Shi Nian would be able to see him at a glance. He held his chin with both hands and stared quietly in the direction of the door, but he couldn't help but be dazed and his thoughts were stagnant.

An unknown amount of time had passed when Shi Nian suddenly heard a slight movement coming from below. He slowly came to his senses, placed his hands on the table, and leaned forward to see what was happening under the window sill.

In an instant, Shi Nian and Azel, who had climbed onto the windowsill, met each other's eyes. Both of them were filled with each other's faces and unexpected surprise.

"Why don't you go through the main door?" Shi Nian came to her senses and hurriedly pulled him out of the room. "I was going to open the door for you."

Ezel nimbly jumped down from the window, still feeling a hint of the night air on his body. "It's okay. You don't live here alone. It's better to be quiet."

He knew that Nobby lived in Shi Nian's room, so in order to avoid adding another obstacle, Ezel tactfully avoided waking him up.

Shi Nian thought about it and felt that it was right, and didn't bother about Azel not going through the main door.

Shi Nian sighed and let Azel sit on the bed. He sat on his legs facing him, then pushed himself into his arms, hugged the Alpha's neck tightly, and sniffed the hyacinth pheromones on his body.

This tightly-fitting posture made Shi Nian very satisfied. She rested her head on his shoulder, occasionally tilting her head and leaning it on his neck.

Ezel felt the other person's presence and was also extremely satisfied. He softened his voice and gently stroked his head, "Why are you unhappy?"

"My grandfather passed away." Shi Nian's tone was full of disappointment as he told Azel about Mr. Zhong's story, "He didn't even tell me where he was going..."

Azel was a few years older than Shinian, and had also spent a few years in the war-torn fringe galaxy. He knew more than Shinian did, and he understood the meaning behind it as soon as he heard it.

"It's okay. We have plenty of time to go find him." Aizel told Shi Nian gently, brushing the hair hanging on the side of his face behind his ear. "Don't worry, time will tell you the answer."

Shi Nian curled the corners of her lips downwards and nudged his chin with her head in displeasure. "Why are you like my father, always spouting pretentiously profound truths? I don't like it."

Ezel smiled and gladly accepted Shi Nian's evaluation. "Okay, I won't say that again next time."

Shi Nian was satisfied and kissed him on the face as a reward.

Azel's pheromones gave Shi Nian great comfort. Surrounded by the light and pleasant smell of pheromones, Shi Nian gradually felt sleepy and snuggled up to him and slowly fell asleep.

Feeling the even breathing coming from his ears, Azel lowered his head to look at Shi Nian who was sleeping soundly. His deep purple eyes stared at him quietly, and he kissed him on the forehead as if he were a treasure.

Shi Nian seemed to be aware of this gentle kiss, hummed twice, and nudged his neck more closely, rubbing her soft cheek against his shoulder.

The room was silent. Ezel held Shi Nian in his arms for a long time. He saw that Shi Nian turned his head from time to time and seemed to be sleeping uneasy. He knew that sleeping on his body was not as comfortable as sleeping in bed, so he gently put Shi Nian on the bed and pulled the quilt over him.

Shi Nian lay on the soft bed, and her frown gradually relaxed. But after a while, she kicked off the thin blanket as if she was tired of the heat.

He was only wearing a thin set of pajamas, and he was not well behaved even when he was asleep, with his shirt and pants rolled up, revealing his fair belly and thighs.

Azel: “…”

He exhaled, supported himself on the bed with one hand, and covered Shi Nian with the quilt again. The blue veins on the back of his hand were particularly obvious.

After doing all this, Ezer sat by the bed for a while, looking at Shi Nian's sleeping face, then closed the door and went to the living room.

The night passed, and the dawn in the sky heralded the arrival of the next day.

At 7:30 in the morning, Nobby got up in a daze and prepared to buy breakfast. As soon as he went downstairs, he saw a tall Alpha busy in the kitchen which should have been empty.

Nobby was stunned, rubbing his eyes, in disbelief, "Ezel? Why are you in my house?"

Ezel acted like a member of the family, his face calm and his heart beating. "If you have nothing to do, put the eggs in cold water, otherwise they will be too hot to eat."

He said it so naturally that Nobby subconsciously followed his instructions and went to pick up the eggs and put them in the water. Then she suddenly came to her senses and thought, why should she listen to him?!

Nobby's eyes immediately turned cold. Although he was only 1.5 meters tall, he looked pitifully small when facing the 1.9 meter tall Ezer. However, they were equally matched in terms of momentum.

"You haven't told me yet? Why are you cooking here?" Nobi kept guessing, "Did my brother ask you to cook?"

Nuobi and Shi Nian neither knew how to cook. Even though the kitchen in this villa was fully equipped, they still went to the cafeteria for three meals a day.

Shi Yichu was worried that they would starve to death, so he bought a box of instant noodles so that they could have some snacks when they were too lazy to go out.

Now that Ezel is cooking, Nobby is still a little bit looking forward to it. Alphas who can cook always get some preferential treatment, especially when no one else can cook.

"Yeah." Ezel was pouring soy milk and glanced at Nobby. "Would you like soy milk or milk?"

Nobby didn't choose either and went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of Coke. "I'll drink this."

Drinking this kind of carbonated drink so early in the morning, and it's ice-cold at that? Ezer frowned, but said nothing. He knew that once he opened his mouth, Nobby's favorability towards him would drop below zero.

Azel only poured him and Shi Nian's cups. "Okay, you drink it."

He can pretend not to see it.

Nobby looked at today's exceptionally sumptuous breakfast and exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. "Do you cook every day? Lunch and dinner packages? How much is your daily rate? Can I buy you a few more days?"

"Can I get a discount if I buy more than a few days?"

Ezel: "...I wasn't hired by your brother?"

Nobby's face suddenly fell. "What do you mean? I didn't hire you, Brot? Then why are you here to cook? Um... what's the saying here? If someone shows kindness without any reason, he's either a traitor or a thief!"

"Tell me, what do you want to do?!"

Azel: “…”

It’s really hard to fool him.

"Don't overthink it. Your brother and I have a different relationship. It doesn't involve personal interests." Ezel brought out the dishes and placed them on the table. He glanced at Nobi, who still had a wary look on his face. "Go and call your brother down to eat. The food won't taste good if it gets cold."

Nobby racked his brains to think about what kind of relationship would not involve interests. First of all, excluding lovers, Ezel should not be so bold as to flirt with his boyfriend while trying to make his presence felt in front of her.

Otherwise she would kill him?

With a deep sense of doubt and confusion, Nobby knocked on the door and said, "Brot, get up."

Shi Nian struggled to get out of bed, washed up, and went downstairs with Nuobi. Yawning, she asked, "What are we having for breakfast this morning?"

He thought Nobby bought breakfast?

Nobby counted on his fingers: "There are small soup dumplings, steamed buns, preserved egg and lean meat porridge, eggnog..."

Shi Nian was surprised, "Why buy so much?"

Although he likes every one of them, this is too many.

"I didn't buy it." Nobby spread his hands. "It was made by Ezel. He was busy in the kitchen early in the morning. Bro, you really didn't give him any money? Why is he so nice all of a sudden?"

When Shi Nian heard that it was all done by Azel, she was even more surprised and said with a smile, "He has always been very kind. Have you forgotten? When you first came back, he took us to many places to play. He is a very good big brother."

Nobi was vaguely affected by this matter, because Shi Nian spent more time at home at that time and was not familiar with the outside world. Most of the time, it was Azel who took them out to play together.

Listening to Shi Nian addressing Azel, Nobby felt a glimmer of understanding. "So, a relationship without profit involved... does Azel treat Brot like Frere (younger brother)?"

Shi Nian: "Uh..."

Is he going to admit it?

"Not bad." Nobby patted his chest, took out the knife hidden in his sleeve and threw it on the table. "I almost thought he was doing something bad to you. I was scared to death."

Shi Nian decisively swallowed the words that were about to come out, smiled awkwardly, and neither denied nor admitted it.

Today's breakfast was particularly rich. Shi Nian drank sweet soy milk and ate her favorite soup dumplings, feeling extremely satisfied.

Ezel sat beside him and asked him expectantly, "Is it delicious?"

Shi Nian nodded like a chick pecking at rice, "Mmm! Very delicious!"

"Then I'll come and make it for you every day." Ezel smiled. "Would you like some soup for lunch? I saw a purple clay pot in the kitchen, perfect for making soup for you."

Shi Nian's eyes sparkled, "Can you make soup?"

Ezel chuckled, looking very confident, "Well, my dad taught me."

Shi Nian and Nuobi looked at each other, the shock in each other's eyes was clearly visible. They both learned to cook, but their fathers didn't really want them to learn it, and since they didn't have the talent, they dissuaded them.

What a joke! Why would a spoiled Omega like me learn to cook? And then go and wait on other people? Don't even think about it.

That's why Shi Nian and Nuobi have no idea about cooking.

Shi Nian mentioned his favorite soup. "I want lotus root and pork ribs soup. I want the soft lotus root, not the crispy kind. But stir-fried crispy lotus root is very delicious. Oh, and add wolfberry, red dates, and ginger to the soup. That way it won't be greasy."

Yu Luhan often stewed soup at home. Shi Nian had watched it a few times and knew roughly what the ingredients were.

Nobby nodded in agreement, "Yi (hmm), this, this."

Ezel took note of the flavor he had mentioned and said, "Okay, I'll go buy some lotus roots later."

"Are you going to my father's place for an internship this morning?" Shi Nian didn't forget that Azel wasn't idle, so she asked worriedly, "Will this delay you too much?"

Ezel rubbed his head. "No, I don't go to work until nine. I can go buy some groceries and make some soup before then."

Shi Nian nodded, and her worries were dispelled.

When Nobby saw their intimate behavior, he frowned subconsciously, but when he remembered that they were good brothers, he felt that this was normal and there was no need to make a fuss.

After finishing the delicious breakfast, Shi Nian and Nobi prepared to go to school, and Azel also had to prepare lunch.

After separating from Ezel, Nobby hugged Shinian's arm and said happily, "Ha! Now Ani (Dad) doesn't have to worry about us starving to death. We can finally stop eating the bland food in the cafeteria!"

Shi Nian didn't have the heart to hit Nuobi, but she still reminded him, "He doesn't come every time. He must be free from work today, so he just happened to have time."

Nobby sighed in disappointment. "Ah, it seems we still have food to eat but no food to drink."

Feeling Nobi's completely different attitude towards Azel, Shi Nian seemed to have discovered the reason why Azel suddenly wanted to cook for them, and a sentence popped up in his mind.

——Boil the Nobi in warm water.