When Shafley heard his father talk about the cloud when he was a child, he always thought that the name meant that the world was built in the cloud. There was an unknown sky island above their heads, which stored a lot of important data.

So much so that during that time he was keen on going to the observatory, hoping to use a telescope to glimpse the floating island in the sky.

But that is all in the past.

It is the most scientific choice to set up the cloud of beacons on land. In case one of the beacons encounters an accident, such as the sudden collapse of the moon, the data can still be saved on the most stable land.

…got saved?

Shafulai was startled, and suddenly he vaguely thought of something.

"Are you ready?" Chen Ci's voice brought me back to my senses.

"Okay, move the camera up a little more."

Chen Ci raised his arm and aimed the camera at the top of the server.

The rack-mounted server was two meters high, and Chen Ci was quite tired from holding his arms up. Seeing this, Fu Tianhe took the terminal from him and let himself act as a human camera rack.

Shafley: "Pull out the second ear from the top and aim the camera at the upper left LCD screen."

Fu Tianhe did as he was told. Although he didn't understand servers, he could tell from the structure of other mechanical equipment that the screen was actually a faulty display.

Shafley took a quick look at the panel covered with countless small dots and digital symbols, and deduced the general situation from the flashing red and green lights.

"Connect the terminal to that VGA port."

Chen Nian connected the server, and soon the specific situation inside the server was displayed on the virtual screen, making maintenance and inspection easier.

Chen Nian opened the remote operating system for Shafuli, so he and Fu Tianhe didn't have to do anything but watch Shafuli operate on the virtual screen.

Some even said that waiting was a bit boring.

It was quite warm in the machine room. Chen Ci took off his thick windproof jacket. Fu Tianhe straightened his folded collar for him. Shafulai looked up and happened to see this scene.

He said nothing and continued to work.

Shafley was very experienced in maintenance, and he quickly determined the problem. He said:

"See the button that says UID next to it? Press it, then go to the back and unplug the machine that has the light on."

Fu Tianhe did as he was told. Shafley's order was very accurate. There was one UID light at the front and one at the back. When one was pressed, the other would also light up. This would avoid the situation of unplugging the wrong power supply during the maintenance process.

Fu Tianhe took down the server that was powered off and disassembled the outer shell. He was a professional at this kind of work. Facing the structural components inside, Alpha asked, "What next?"

Schaffray: "Look at the battery. Yes, the RIDE battery."

With just one glance, Fu Tianhe was sure that the battery was damaged: "Someone broke it."

Shafley: "Sure enough, go find a spare equipment room and get a battery of the same model, and find five large hard drives."

Fu Tianhe set off immediately without saying a word. For a large unit like this, there must be backups. Otherwise, it would be very troublesome to carry spare parts up from the bottom of the mountain every time for maintenance.

Sure enough, Fu Tianhe found a small compartment on the side, which was filled with various parts and tools. He found suitable batteries and hard drives, and followed Shaffley's instructions to replace all the broken hard drives with new ones.

Without exception, they all showed signs of violent damage.

Did someone come here and destroy them?

Shafulai confirmed that it was correct, and Fu Tianhe installed the machine: "Is this all right?"

"Well, it should be fine. Plug the power back in and try again."

Chen Ci plugged in the power and asked, "And?"

Shafley: "Then just pray, wait two minutes and then turn it on again."

Fu Tianhe was amused: "Pray that it can function normally?"

Shafulai: "If it's convenient, you can kowtow and burn incense, then use your own blood to draw a talisman paper and stick it on it, which will make it less likely to malfunction."

Thinking that the time was about up, Chen Ci pressed the power button again. This time, the indicator lights on the fault panel returned to normal.

The blue water drop rolled joyfully, sweeping away its previous anxiety. It climbed along Chen Ci's arm to the Omega's shoulder and rubbed his cheek affectionately.

"It should be fine." Shafulai relaxed. "I just don't know what data is stored in the five damaged hard drives. If it's convenient, you can take them with you. Maybe we can try to repair them."

"Okay." Chen Ci agreed, "Thank you."

"No problem." Shafley hesitated for a moment, glanced at Chen Nian who was sleeping soundly beside him, and made up his mind, "Is it convenient for you now? I have something to ask you."

Chen Ci vaguely sensed something.

Before he could say anything, Fu Tianhe enthusiastically agreed: "Of course it's convenient, you tell me."

Chen Ci finally chose to shut up.

Shafley prepared himself mentally, and at first he had no intention of asking for help.

But seeing how Fu Tianhe and Chen Ci got along so well and in a warm way, she couldn't help but feel envious.

Having known Chen Ci for more than ten years, how could Shafley not see how much the boy had changed? Although Chen Ci still looked cold and aloof, he would always cast his gaze towards Fu Tianhe from time to time, silently paying attention to the movements of Alpha.

This is unprecedented. In the past, Chen Ci was a complete bystander, but now, there are people in the world that he can pay attention to.

How far has the relationship between Chen Ci and Fu Tianhe progressed?

Shafley didn't quite understand, but he himself was now almost at the end of his rope.

He didn't want to tell people around him about the conflict between him and Chen Nian. His good friends on the Internet, Bai Zui Yingtao and Cai Geou, were obviously bribed by Chen Nian. They kept knocking on his side during the game, trying to find out his attitude and speak well of Chen Nian, making Shafulai not know who to turn to for help.

Fu Tianhe doesn't know his true identity. Since Fu Tianhe can impress Chen Ci, it means he should know a lot about feelings.

Shafley cleared his throat and talked about the emotional problems he was currently experiencing.

Fu Tianhe listened very carefully at first, but as he listened, he realized something was wrong.

Why does it seem so familiar?

Fu Tianhe looked at Chen Ci and realized the truth from the young man's silent expression.

...What a coincidence!

After the repairs were completed, Chen Ci turned off the camera here. They were now in a situation where no one could see each other.

Shaffley concentrated on talking. He had been feeling very upset in the past two days. He finally had a channel to vent his feelings, so he couldn't help but start talking like crazy. When he talked about the sad parts, he stopped several times to take deep breaths.

He was very conflicted. On the one hand, he felt that Chen Nian had been punished, but on the other hand, he was not sure whether the timing was right or what method to use.

Fu Tianhe patiently listened to another version of the story. From Alpha's perspective, it was really tragic.

Now he happened to understand the whole picture from both sides' perspectives, and had a slightly different experience than before.

Schaffray: "I don't know if I should forgive him now."

Fu Tianhe thought for a moment and said, "In fact, you have already made a choice in your heart, right? Someone who was once so arrogant and domineering now bows to you and is willing to do this. It is obvious that he places you in a very important position."

Shafley: "Should I make peace with him?"

Fu Tianhe: "Well... I can't give you any advice on this matter. I can only say that moderation is the most important thing in many cases. If you do it lightly, you may not learn from it. If you do it too heavily, if it causes a bigger crack, I don't know how long it will take to repair it."

Yes, in fact, Shafley felt that this was enough. In just one day, Chen Nian suffered a lot. He had never seen Chen Nian cry before. No matter what situation he faced, the boy always seemed to be in high spirits.

But in just over ten hours, Chen Nian broke down and cried several times in front of him.

Shafla's heart was not made of stone. He had been completely soft-hearted from the very beginning, but he had been holding on with his reason.

Now seeing that Chen Nian was in a state of confusion and still trying hard to please him, he could no longer bear it.

Fu Tianhe's words gave Shafulai enough reason to make a decision. If others thought it was enough, then there was no need for him to be so tough.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you."

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm glad I can help you."

Fu Tianhe hung up the call, looked at Chen Ci and said, "I guess I said the right thing, didn't I? These two friends of yours are really interesting, each of them is so awkward."

Chen Ci tilted his head: "Should?"

Fu Tianhe was quite satisfied: "What's the saying? It's better to demolish ten temples than to ruin a marriage. I've done a good thing, right? If your friend becomes a partner in the future, don't forget to invite me to the wedding."

Inside the villa, Shafley put down the terminal.

Chen Nian was sleeping so soundly that he was not woken up even by the video call he was making next to him.

He reached out his hand and gently touched the boy's cheek. That's enough. That's enough.

He just wanted Chen Nian to suffer a little and learn his lesson. Shafley thought of the fairy tale book he had read when he was a child, which had a python that ate an elephant, the planet B612 where you could see forty-four sunsets, the cunning fox in the wheat field, and the pretentious rose with thorns.

——It is so naive that it only has four thorns to protect itself.

If he were to remove even these remaining thorns, his rose would no longer be a rose.

Shafley turned off all the lights in the room. He lay down beside Chen Nian, hugged him gently, and felt the boy's instinctive response in his sleep.

The abnormal fever was slowly subsiding, which made him feel a little relieved.

When Chen Nian woke up, her throat still hurt a little, but it was not as uncomfortable as before. The suppressants and antipyretics worked.

Chen Nianhun found himself being held in Shafley's arms. His body tensed up suddenly, and after a few seconds, he slowly relaxed.

His eyes were very pale and a little hard to open. He fell asleep right after crying, so it would be strange if they were not swollen.

When Chen Nian thought about what Shaflay had done in his daze, did it mean that he was willing to reconcile with him?

Alpha must have been a standard doll when she was a child, with exceptionally thick and long platinum eyelashes, a high nose bridge, deep eye sockets, and light-colored thin lips that were not tight at all. She was gentle and calm, and that was the look that Chen Nian was most familiar with.

But Chen Nian couldn't suppress the panic in his heart. Various signs showed that it was difficult for him to leave Shafla. He longed for her kisses and hugs, and would become impatient and restless when being left out, and even shamelessly approached her on his own initiative.

This is an unprecedented situation for Chen Nian.

After investing so much in a relationship, it would be very sad if you break up in the future.

Chen Nian knew that he shouldn't think about what would happen after they broke up before they were even together, but he couldn't help it. He always tried to find ways to reduce the losses he might suffer.

He had too little to afford to lose it.

Ouch, my throat hurts.

The cup of water was on the bedside table. Chen Nian wanted to reach out to get it, but the slightest movement woke up Shafulai.

Chen Nian's arms immediately froze in the air. He had clearly just gone to drink some water, but he suddenly felt as if he had done something wrong and had to accept the upcoming judgment.

The Omega withdrew his hand and lay down obediently. He immediately reacted and raised his head suddenly to cover his eyes which were swollen from crying so that Shaflay could not see them.

Shafley frowned and tried to pull his arm down, but Chen Nian refused: "It's so ugly."

Shafley was helpless: "When you were crying with snot and tears all over your face, why didn't you think of not letting me see it?"

Chen Nian: ………………

After a few seconds, Omega silently put down his hand.

As expected, it was severely swollen. It was also his fault for being careless at the time. If he had thought of applying an application on Chen Nian before going to bed, it would have been fine.

Shafley: "Let's have a chat."

Chen Nian lowered his head and responded softly.

"Keep your head up."

Chen Nian raised her head, and the moment her eyes met Shafley's, she immediately looked away in panic and shyness, not wanting to meet his gaze, and pursed her lips.

Shaffley was sure that this was not an act; just by breathing the air around the two of them, he could smell the unusually tense smell.

It was also at this moment that Shafulai truly felt Chen Nian's care for him. Under the appearance of the young man's romantic and unrestrained appearance, there was actually always a place for him.

"What are you afraid of?" Shafley asked him.

Chen Nian didn’t know. He was even a little confused as to why Shafley asked this question. Was he...afraid?

Chen Nian's expression showed that he didn't understand at all. To be honest, these two brothers were surprisingly similar. One of them didn't understand emotions at all and had thick barriers around him, while the other seemed to have superb skills, but actually didn't know as much as he did.

Chen Nian was so insecure that he kept grabbing Shafuli's clothes to prevent him from leaving even though Alpha had explained that he was going to get medicine and would be back soon.

I don't entrust my true feelings to anyone because as long as I don't give, I won't get hurt.

Shafulai stepped forward and saw Chen Nian's eyelashes tremble violently. There was a faint smell of pheromones on the Omega's body, which was slightly sweet.

He did not kiss the boy as expected, but went to his neck. His thin lips lightly touched the back of Chen Nian's neck, causing a tiny, unbelievable shudder.

A low voice echoed in my ears, and warm air swept across that small piece of skin:

"It seems that you haven't shown enough sincerity. Sorry, I have to punish you."

Chen Nian was stunned by what Shafulai expressed. Before he could react, he was suddenly bitten.

He clenched the corner of his clothes with his fingers, tensed his whole body, and his pupils contracted. Even with his mouth slightly open, he had forgotten how to breathe.

But the severe pain did not occur.

Shaflay bit a small patch of skin on the back of his neck. He could feel the Omega's glands hidden underneath, the source of the seductive pheromones.

Chen Nian seemed to be trapped in a deadly trap that he could not refuse, but in fact, Shafley gave him a chance, just three seconds, which was enough for him to let out a panicked cry and then pushed Alpha away.

But Chen Nian didn't.

He was completely stunned, and was bound to pay some price for it.

When the canine teeth pierced the skin, the pain went along the nerves into the brain. It was a very unfamiliar pain, appearing in the part of the Omega that was carefully protected by the neck ring every day.

Alpha pheromones were injected into them, and the temperature that had finally calmed down due to the inhibitor soared again, causing them to cheer easily.

Every cell in my body is trembling to welcome this non-alcoholic wine.

Early-ripening Barnomillo, with its special flavors of rose and muscat grapes, is placed together on straw mats, exposed to the sun in early autumn, squeezed out, clarified and fermented in oak barrels. A little ox blood and egg white are added in the summer of the following year and the wine is sealed up until it sees the light of day many years later, becoming the finest sherry with a light, sweet and refreshing taste.

The taste of grapes, straw, sunlight, oak, brandy, and time mixed together.

Now, his whole person has his favorite taste.

Chen Nian was trapped between Shafulai's chest and the head of the bed, his slender neck was being bitten, and he had no choice but to tilt his head. The Omega's brows were tightly furrowed, but that expression could hardly be described as painful. Instead, it was more like he was suppressing the frenzy that was about to burst out of his body.

Shafley groped and held Chen Nian's hand in his palm, allowing more warmth to be transmitted.

Until he slowly let go of the Omega's neck.

There was a faint taste of blood between his lips and teeth. This was Shaflay's first time marking someone. He was not sure if he did it right, but it seemed that nothing went wrong.

Shafley didn't know how the mark would make Chen Nian feel, but as an Alpha, he suddenly had a strange feeling as if his soul was being pulled.

It was as if some parts of his and Chen Nian's thoughts were connected because of this mark.

Temporary marking can last for a month, and can be extended at any time by replenishing pheromones to maintain concentration.

Shafley hopes to give Chen Nian some sense of security, at least so that he doesn't have to worry about gains and losses.

Chen Nian raised his hand hesitantly and touched the fresh teeth marks on the back of his neck in disbelief.

Shafley gave him a mark when the two had just had a quarrel and it was not yet clear whether they had reconciled.

Shafulai held up Chen Nian's face and saw his own appearance in those amber eyes:

"I can't relate to your fear, but life will only get better from now on, and I won't abandon you."