Chapter 553 - 9.23 No Wonder
Lu Yizhou was caught off guard by the question that came out of nowhere. In this world, he only had one secret: his identity as a zombie. Could it be... had Zhao Bolin found out already?
His mind drifted back to their earlier interaction, trying to analyze exactly where had he slipped enough to give Zhao Bolin the clue he needed. Lu Yizhou had no intention of hiding it, of course, but it was not like he could expose himself under fifteen pairs of eyes and thus, he tried to keep himself in check and acted like a normal human. Who knew what kind of catastrophe would come forth if his identity was discovered? Worse, he might even implicate his lover and end up being separated from him...
With only the two of them on this floor, there was no better time to come out than now. Alas, just as he wanted to do that, Zhao Bolin had beat him to it. Lu Yizhou could not help but feel curious. Exactly when did he find out?
Lu Yizhou stared at the man’s tense back, helpless. Zhao Bolin’s current demeanor was akin to preparing oneself for a fierce battle. This was one of the reactions which Lu Yizhou wanted to avoid the most. He did not mean to scare Zhao Bolin yet unfortunately, he acted like Lu Yizhou had already backed him into a corner...
Moreover, with his back facing Lu Yizhou like this, how did he expect them to communicate?
As though sensing his thoughts, Zhao Bolin asked again, his grip on the door handle tightened. "You... Are you really unable to speak?"
Lu Yizhou had no choice but to move to Zhao Bolin’s side to enter the man’s peripheral vision. Zhao Bolin had his head hung low, brows furrowed tightly as he insisted on not looking at Lu Yizhou. The metal chain that hung on the sides of his face glinted sharply like a string of little pearls and the glasses frame obscured his sight. It was no use, Zhao Bolin was still unwilling to acknowledge him. Helpless, Lu Yizhou reached out to touch his arm only to be flung away.
"Stay back!" Zhao Bolin hissed like a kitten whose tail was being stepped on. Forgoing the laboratory door, he retreated step by step along the wall as though being in Lu Yizhou’s presence sent him immense distress.
Lu Yizhou stared at his outstretched hand, unexpectedly feeling his sturdy skin stinging from the brief slap.
"You... You’re lying to me." Zhao Bolin whispered, his trembling figure made him look particularly fragile, like he was on the verge of breaking. However, how could such a prideful person like him show such obvious weakness in front of others? Even at a time like this, he kept his back ramrod straight and his chin lifted. The sunset spilled in through the window, casting his silhouette into shadows. Yet his golden eyes burned even brighter, brimming with tears of anger and heartbreak. "I have already checked the university database. There is no person named Lu Yizhou at all! You’re not a student, aren’t you? Why are you lying? Why...?!"
Lu Yizhou’s mind screeched to a halt as he comprehended Zhao Bolin’s words. He had assumed that Zhao Bolin was talking about his identity as a zombie yet as it turned out, he was actually confronting him about names?
Looking at his speechless look, Zhao Bolin seemed to figure out something and the corner of his lips curled into a mocking smile, the hurt in his eyes deepened. "From the start, I have sensed that something is off with you. You’re not afraid of zombies and your fighting prowess far surpass your peers. I heard..." he struggled to choke back his emotions and hardened his voice. "I heard you can join Special Forces at twenty. You can even start training for it early on. Tell me, are you one of Yang Tengfei’s men? Are you doing this because those bastards have told you that I will not divulge the results of my experiments, and hence the army came up with this tactic to send their personnel here?!" His voice rose higher, filled with indignation and grievance. "Is that all you are, Lu Yizhou?! Do you deliberately get close to me, manipulating my emotions so that you can join my research team?!!"