MOGHA Chapter 117

When Ye Shanshan sat in the study, staring in shock at the stack of papers in front of him, he finally realized just how decisively and cleanly he had set himself up for disaster.

—What a painful realization!

Flipping through the pile, Ye Shanshan found that it contained not only the latest classical music history exam from Mr. Hess, but also a reading list of the newest space physics research papers, along with a follow-up quiz.

And worst of all—the one that made Ye Shanshan’s heart tremble in fear—was the test from Mr. Will.

—Full-color, high-definition images of thirty bird feathers, with questions requiring him to identify the corresponding bird species, their habitats, and related information.

He had protested against such inhumane exam questions before, but Mr. Will was very reasonable.

“Shanshan, if one day you’re thrown into a primitive forest by bad people, you’ll realize that understanding a single bird will tell you about the weather, hydrology, and vegetation of its surroundings. Knowing its migration patterns will help you determine geographical location and direction. Besides, they’re so beautiful—don’t you want to learn more about them?”

Ye Shanshan immediately shoved those test papers to the bottom of the pile. Just as he was about to take out a piece of candy to calm himself, he realized that candy was just an illusion—because he had told Gong Yue on his own accord that he wouldn’t eat sweets for two weeks.

Life had lost its light.

Glancing at the sparkling little robot waiting on standby by his feet, Ye Shanshan bit the end of his pen and slumped over the desk, feeling particularly sorry for himself. Ancient wisdom is never wrong—men truly are a dangerous temptation!

But the test papers still had to be done. Ye Shanshan pulled out the classical music history exam, planning to start with the easiest one. However, perhaps because he hadn’t studied properly in a long time, he ended up working on it all the way until after 5 PM. He hadn’t even exhausted his energy yet—his enthusiasm was so intense that even he found it alarming.

Casually using a pen cap to clip back his loose bangs, Ye Shanshan stood up and stretched, just in time to hear footsteps approaching the door.

—Eh? Gong Yue was already home?

Ye Shanshan ran over to open the door. Gong Yue had just arrived, wearing a white dress shirt with his tie loosely fastened, giving him a relaxed appearance. In his hand was a cup of water—in the shape of Pikachu.

“Ge, you’re home so early today?” Ye Shanshan said while reaching out to take the cup. “Honestly, I’m not a kid anymore. A cup this cute—”

Before he could finish, he noticed Gong Yue’s gaze land on his clothes. Instinctively, Ye Shanshan followed his line of sight and looked down, only to find a brightly colored chibi-style little chick printed on his shirt.

—Karma always comes swiftly.

Swallowing the rest of his sentence, Ye Shanshan pretended to take a sip of water and immediately changed the topic. “Ge, look how self-disciplined I am! The moment you left, I activated my learning potential!”

“Hm, good boy.” Gong Yue praised him seriously. Seeing the smile in his eyes, his expression softened as well.

Leading Ye Shanshan to the computer, Gong Yue opened his email. “There’s been progress. We haven’t found Durant yet, but we have another lead.”

Ye Shanshan’s attention instantly shifted to the screen.

Gong Yue pulled up an interface displaying a photograph of a white woman. He explained, “She was the caretaker assigned to Bernard by the local government. Later, someone contacted her, offering a generous reward for stealing a certain box.

“Knowing Bernard’s forgetful nature, she took advantage of a night when he was sound asleep, opened the box, and took out a notebook and a metal sheet that was tucked inside. But in her panic, she left behind a single piece of paper.

“The next day, realizing her mistake, she didn’t inform Durant. Instead, she disguised the paper and made Bernard believe that was all he had received.”

Enlarging two more images below the portrait, Gong Yue continued, “Based on the sketches she drew from memory, that metal sheet is the same one from the film set—the one that knocked you unconscious and activated your chip.”

“So the remaining piece of paper was the one containing the 81-character code?” Ye Shanshan immediately understood why the metal sheet and the code—both crucial to activating the chip—had ended up in different people’s hands.

“Yes. Bernard has gone through several caretakers since then. When we found her, she initially denied everything.”

Gong Yue gently kneaded Ye Shanshan’s fingers as he recounted the details.

“Eventually, she admitted it and described the situation in detail. After receiving payment from Durant and covering her tracks on both sides, she resigned from her job under the excuse of health issues.”

Ye Shanshan leaned in to look at the rough sketch of the notebook and pondered for a moment.

“Ge, I think if Aunt Youli was willing to send something to Uncle Bernard for safekeeping, this notebook is very likely related to the Alpha reagent or some experiment.”

Following this train of thought, Ye Shanshan traced circles on the table with his fingers, his voice tightening. “Another possibility is that the notebook contains blueprints—for a device that can ‘unlock’ the chip’s restrictions.”

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Organizing his thoughts, Ye Shanshan said,

“Ge, I’ve been thinking—if Aunt Youli had already foreseen that you might experience memory loss or other side effects, then she would have prepared thoroughly in advance.

“First, she sent me to your side and stored relevant data in the chip in my brain. Then, she entrusted the ‘key’ to Uncle Bernard—someone inconspicuous—to ensure its secrecy and safety.

“If you did lose your memory, we would inevitably end up investigating Bernard, which would lead us to all three pieces needed to activate the chip.”

The only thing Aunt Youli might not have expected was that her former teacher, Durant, would interfere.

“Hmm, I have the same hypothesis,” Gong Yue said as he exited the interface and opened another program. “Shanshan, this is the satellite imagery of the waters around Mishus Island that was sent back. The first ten marked areas have been searched, but there’s no sign of Durant.”

“None at all?” Ye Shanshan pointed at the areas numbered three to five. “Not even in these locations?”

He had studied a detailed map earlier, analyzing which locations Durant might choose if he were in his place.

“No.” The area around Mishus Island was international waters, far from established shipping routes.

This time, Gong Yue had mobilized a large number of ships and aircraft under the guise of an expedition. Reports kept coming in—while searching for Durant, they had even discovered three mineral deposits, but there was still no trace of him.

Zooming in on the designated areas, Ye Shanshan carefully examined the exploration data and results. “I had calculated earlier—these three areas generate the strongest radiation fields.” He circled three regions with the mouse. “If Durant had considered the radiation fields, he would have definitely chosen one of these locations as his experimental base. Also, this part of the sea has islands with stable rock formations and an ideal geographical environment. Most importantly, it’s extremely hidden.”

Ye Shanshan continued enlarging the satellite imagery until the islands on the ocean surface were clearly visible.

“If the search turned up nothing, maybe we should investigate beneath the rock formations?” He tilted his head to look at Gong Yue. “I know it would require a big investment, but I’m 80% sure. Once Durant confirms that I’m unaffected by the metal sheet, he’ll feel completely secure and won’t leave these three areas. I think he’s most likely hiding inside one of the islands, in an underground lab or something.”

Gong Yue didn’t question him. “Alright, send the geographical data over and proceed as you planned.”

“Got it.” Ye Shanshan leaned forward, fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard. “Ge, when they investigate these locations, have them send me real-time footage too. I want to monitor the situation myself.”

Seeing Gong Yue nod, Ye Shanshan added the request to his instructions.

After dinner, Ye Shanshan continued reading a paper on space physics, but he got stuck on a certain point and couldn’t move past it. Frustrated, he decided to video-call Professor Bollen to discuss it.

That discussion unexpectedly lasted two hours. By the end, both of them were so fired up that Professor Bollen was slamming his desk, declaring that he was going to sever their teacher-student relationship.

Ye Shanshan took a sip of cold water, reminding himself to stay calm. “I think your argument is flawed, Professor. Give me a few days, and I’ll organize the data to prove it.”

Clearing his throat, he quickened his speech. “As for breaking off our teacher-student relationship—I refuse! Goodbye!” Before Professor Bollen could respond, he ended the video call.

Now, he had completely lost the motivation to study physics. Propping his chin on his hand, he pulled out his finance and mathematics materials, scribbled down two numbers, and suddenly had a brilliant idea.

Ten minutes later, he knocked on Gong Yue’s study door.

Peeking his head in, he noticed that Gong Yue’s computer wasn’t even on, so he quickly stepped inside.

One hand holding a test paper and the other carrying a plate of small cakes, Ye Shanshan beamed like a flower. “Ge, you’ve worked hard!”

Placing both the test paper and the cake on the desk, he received no response from Gong Yue.

Then, Ye Shanshan casually sat down on Gong Yue’s lap and pulled out a question. “Ge, I don’t really understand this one.”

Gong Yue glanced at the problem he pointed to—it wasn’t difficult—but he still took the pen from Ye Shanshan’s hand and patiently explained it.

After he finished, Ye Shanshan couldn’t hide his grin. “Ge, your explanations are amazing! I must give you a reward!”

With that, he picked up the plate with the cake, scooped up a small bite, and fed it to Gong Yue, eyes full of expectation. “Does it taste good?”

Seeing his eager expression, Gong Yue nodded. “It’s good.”

Hearing that, Ye Shanshan immediately fed him another bite. But this time, unlike before, he suddenly leaned in, pressed his lips against Gong Yue’s, and lightly ran his tongue over them—the taste of cake!

At that moment, Ye Shanshan was so excited he almost cried. His plan was completely feasible!

Realizing Ye Shanshan’s little scheme, Gong Yue felt both helpless and amused. But seeing how satisfied he looked, so adorably smug, Gong Yue chose not to say anything and simply indulged him—allowing Ye Shanshan to feed him more than half the dessert.

After eating, Ye Shanshan was completely satisfied, but he knew when to stop. He pulled over his test paper on his own, ready to show off a little.

But being good at pushing boundaries wasn’t just talk. Holding his pen, Ye Shanshan tilted his head to look at Gong Yue. “Ge, if I get the answers right, can I get a reward?”

Gong Yue held him properly and asked, “Sure, what reward do you want?”

Ye Shanshan seemed to think of something, and his ears gradually turned red. His gaze darted around, avoiding Gong Yue’s eyes. He mumbled something, but his voice was too soft for Gong Yue to hear.

After hesitating, Ye Shanshan finally leaned in close and whispered in Gong Yue’s ear.

Gong Yue’s breath hitched for a moment.

Realizing that Gong Yue hadn’t immediately refused, Ye Shanshan, afraid he might change his mind, acted quickly. He adjusted his position on Gong Yue’s lap, held his pen, and started solving problems.

He completed the first question as fast as he could and asked eagerly, “Ge, check it! Did I get it right?”

Gong Yue, who had been watching his work the entire time, nodded. “Yes, it’s correct.”

Ye Shanshan let out a small cheer and excitedly shifted in place. He reached out and followed through with their agreed-upon reward system, his movements both expectant and deliberate.

Gong Yue felt the change and responded by playing along, though he remained in control.

After a moment, Ye Shanshan noticed that Gong Yue wasn’t giving him more than what was promised. He wiggled slightly in protest, hoping for more, only to realize that Gong Yue was firmly sticking to the deal—one reward per correct answer.

Feeling a growing sense of dissatisfaction, Ye Shanshan turned his head to look at Gong Yue, his gaze slightly misty and filled with expectation.

Gong Yue, however, remained unmoved. He leaned in, pressing a kiss to the corner of Ye Shanshan’s eye and reminded him, “This was your own rule.”

Ye Shanshan finally understood what it meant to be trapped by his own deal. Feeling restless yet determined, he decided to negotiate.

“Can I accumulate them? Like, if I finish this whole section and get everything right, that’s 62 questions in total. That means 62 rewards. And if I get them all correct, can I apply for an extra bonus? No limits?”

Gong Yue chuckled and agreed, “Sure.”

Ye Shanshan’s determination instantly soared. Solve more problems, get more rewards—one wasn’t enough! He had to aim for a greater goal!