Stabilizing Madness [Interstellar]

Chapter 16: Moving

Chapter 16: Moving

    Today, the dark gray curtains in the room were finally drawn open, letting in warm rays of sunlight that sneaked in through the window, some of which inadvertently illuminated the figure in the room.

    The coldness in Xu Qingran's eyes seemed to melt a bit in the sunlight, softening.
    In his past life, he had a sister born on the same day as him, named Xu Qingyao.
    He often thought that maybe he didn't follow her closely or well enough, which is why she eventually disappeared.

    Xu Qingran came back to reality, his eyes quickly returning to their usual indifference, as if the brief softness was just an illusion.
    Holding the broken toy in his hand, he suddenly smiled softly, murmuring, "Do you want to become a light of justice?"
    ......
    As he finished packing and was about to leave the room, someone else entered.
    Recognizing the voice, it was Xu Qing'an: "Dad, whose car is that outside? The one with the golden wing emblem?"

    Xu Qingran's father was unaware: "What car?"
    He didn't pay much attention and continued, "Ah, it's rare for you and Lu Cheng to visit, but I just received a call from the Imperial Affairs Office asking me to come in person."

    Xu Qing'an, puzzled: "What's going on? Is it something important?"
    His father replied: "I'm not sure, they only mentioned it's related to the Xu family. Qing'an, can you check the address they sent me and see which department it's from?"
    A brief silence fell downstairs, followed quickly by Xu Qing'an's surprised voice: "This is... the headquarters of the Soul Mate System!"

Handing the phone with the official address back to Xu's father, Xu Qing'an looked troubled: "Dad, I've heard some things from friends recently."

    "They say that the soul sample brother drew a while ago matched successfully with the owner of the Golden Wing Camp, over 98% compatibility. I thought it was a joke, but now you've suddenly received a meeting notice from the Soul Mate System headquarters, could it really be about brother..."    Hearing the name 'Owner Chen', Xu's father exploded in anger: "What nonsense!"
    "Chen Shengfei, that scum, how could he be associated with our Xu family?!"
    When Lu Cheng entered, he walked into the tense atmosphere of the Xu family.
    Before he could speak, Xu Qing'an's mother suddenly asked him in surprise: "Lu Cheng, how did you get injured?"
    It was your eldest son who did it.

    He thought to himself.
    Of course, Lu Cheng couldn't say the truth out loud. Xu Qing'an quickly spoke for him: "He just returned from a mission, right? It's normal to get some bumps and bruises in battle."
    As he spoke, Xu Qing'an took Lu Cheng's hand with a concerned expression: "Lu Cheng, Dad just received a call from the headquarters of the Soul Mate System asking him to visit."

    He didn't notice Lu Cheng's change in expression upon hearing 'Soul Mate', continuing: "The internet has been abuzz recently, saying that brother is one of the high-compatibility couples."
    "The other person is said to be awful, what if the rumors are true?"
    Lu Cheng's mind was filled with images of Xu Qingran and Shen Tingyu together from the previous day.

    He instinctively objected: "Impossible, how could Qingran have a high soul compatibility with that kind of person!"
    Although his romantic relationship with Xu Qingran had ended, and he might have said harsh words during that time, Xu Qingran still held a special place in his heart.

They had known each other since childhood, and even though the romantic aspect had faded, years of friendship still mattered greatly to him, having long regarded him as family.