UCS Chapter 132

While Gao Shi was lost in dreams, Gao Gusheng was dreaming as well.

Back then, he had been nothing but a tiny flower, trembling as Ying Bujie shielded him within his embrace. He witnessed the heavens and earth change color and the Six Realms collapse, as countless wandering souls surged into the cycle of reincarnation. He had been cradled in his father’s arms, shielded by Ying Bujie as they traversed myriad worlds. They journeyed through the boundless void until space-time warped, casting him into the world where Gao Shi resided. There, amidst the chaotic void, something had fixed its gaze upon him—like a beast stalking its prey. His consciousness was only just awakening, and unable to protect himself, he could only cry out for help over and over, calling out Gao Shi’s name.

Then, he was picked up anew, becoming a two-year-old infant—and a son merely eight years younger than Gao Shi.

“How could a father-son relationship possibly be confirmed?!”

For the first time, Gao Shi’s father lost his composure; cracks appeared on his stern face, resembling fissures spreading across an ice field.

Gao Shi’s mother looked at her son with concern, yet Gao Shi lifted the child up—cradling him with a gentleness that seemed entirely unsuited for a boy of his age, as if he were holding a delicate flower.

Gao Gusheng felt an immense sense of security and smiled.

Gao Shi smiled back.

A ten-year-old boy is at an age typically characterized by clumsiness, yet the fingers that touched his cheek were as soft as a feather.

“Mom, Dad—I want to keep him.”

And so, Gao Gusheng remained with the Gao family.

Abduction, seduction, approaches made with malicious intent… countless entities coveted his very essence. He could sense it—that gaze which had fixed upon him from the very beginning was still watching him.

Watching you.

Watching you be toyed with, deceived, and violated.

Watching you.

Watching you struggle and resist in vain, only to fall into ruin.

Watching you.

Watching you be swallowed by the darkness, becoming one of its own—or perhaps, merely its nourishment. He wasn’t afraid.

He straightened his back and glared defiantly into the void.

With his fathers by his side, there was nothing to fear.

Gao Gusheng’s eyes snapped open.

The moment his eyes opened, the invisible pressure receded like a receding tide.

His head felt groggy; he gave it a puzzled pat.

Strange—why did he feel so exhausted? It was as if he’d actually fought someone in his dream.

He pushed open the window, and the evening breeze swept away the lingering scent of flowers, leaving the room clear.

…

A week later, Gao Gusheng went to school as usual.

There was no other choice; one couldn’t simply stay holed up at home all day just because a thief was targeting them—doing so might actually play right into the thief’s hands.

Gao Gusheng wore a satellite-tracking emergency-alert watch developed by Gao Shi’s team on his left wrist, clutched a defensive magical artifact crafted by Ying Bujie in his right hand, and wore a protective talisman drawn by Kong Miao around his neck—a combination of technology and mysticism that made him virtually invincible. Before he left, Gao Shi had ruffled his hair and told him not to worry, as everything had already been arranged.

As soon as he entered the school, he sensed an unusual atmosphere. Upon reaching the classroom, he discovered that almost everyone was discussing the upcoming investment and business management competition.

Zhang Xu was the name being mentioned most frequently as a top contender.

“Isn’t Zhang Xu from the Computer Science Department? Why is he entering this competition?”

Yun Zhiyi flipped through the roster in puzzlement.

Gao Gusheng sat down beside Yun Zhiyi. Suddenly, he felt an icy gaze—a stare that felt like a snowflake slipping down his collar in winter, or a snake slithering up his trouser leg on a cold, rainy day. Gao Gusheng whipped his head around, his gaze landing on a figure in the corner of the classroom.

The person was dressed entirely in black and wore a hood; his face was obscured by shadow, making it impossible to see clearly.

He wasn’t a student from their class.

Word had it that the school had invited a finance expert to give a lecture—and given that Peking University’s academic standards were second to none in the field, perhaps this was someone who had come specifically for the occasion?

Gao Gusheng frowned slightly and exchanged a meaningful glance with the bodyguard beside him.

Yun Zhiyi finally located Zhang Xu’s name; she marked down his comprehensive assessment points and shook her head, saying, “We’ve been humiliated.”

Although it was a campus-wide event, different departments had their own areas of expertise, and compared to the Finance Department, the others usually fell short. It was much like events involving business management or art appreciation—competitions that were typically dominated by just one or two specific departments.

Yet this time, Zhang Xu from the Computer Science Department had emerged as a dark horse; he entered the competition and snatched first place, effectively trampling the elites of the Finance Department underfoot.

In reality, it was merely a school-level event; its primary value lay in the boost to one’s semester comprehensive assessment score, while the most enticing reward was simply hearing a Finance student admit, “You’re impressive.”

However, over the years, the event had tacitly become a showcase for the Finance Department. Now, an unexpected challenger had suddenly burst onto the scene and taken the top spot—an amateur decisively defeating the professionals—essentially stomping the Finance Department’s reputation into the dirt. “Holy crap, you guys have no idea—when Zhang Xu went to compete, the head injury he’d sustained earlier hadn’t even fully healed yet; his reactions to the outside world were still a bit sluggish. And yet, even in that state, he still took first place.”

“It’s absolutely insane. I still can’t wrap my head around how he pulled it off—taking a company that was hemorrhaging money and turning it completely around.”

“Tell me about it. When I first saw his decisions, I thought he’d just given up and was slacking off. Turns out, he just had a brilliant eye for opportunity.”

“It’s a shame Gao Gusheng didn’t go; if he had, he definitely would have held onto the top spot.”

“I don’t know about that—even Classmate Gao would have struggled; he really can’t compare to Zhang Xu.”

“Hey, hey, hey—don’t put one guy down just to prop up another. Seriously, you’re boosting the competition’s morale while undermining our own side.”

……

The entire classroom was abuzz, discussing the brilliant strategic moves Zhang Xu had made during the event a few days prior.

Gao Gusheng hadn’t participated in the event. Managing his family’s business already took up enough of his time, and he had no intention of revealing his strategic mindset in such a setting. More importantly, thanks to his heroic actions in apprehending human traffickers previously, he had already accumulated enough “comprehensive assessment points” and didn’t need to participate in activities just to pad his score.

Gao Gusheng asked Yun Zhiyi for the problem set and gave it a quick look. He had to admit that Zhang Xu’s move was truly masterful; even he might not have been able to execute it as well as Zhang Xu did.

It was as if he had made those decisions with full foreknowledge of how everything would unfold. Gao Gusheng marveled, “Our senior is a true all-rounder; not only does he excel at IT and public speaking, but he’s even dabbled in finance.”

Zhou Jing adjusted his glasses. “No, actually, it’s rather odd. I’d never heard before that he possessed such professional expertise in finance.”

He twirled his pen once between his slender fingers. “Because of his performance art stunts, the school has driven his comprehensive assessment score deep into the negative—it hasn’t been positive once from his freshman to junior years. If he really had this kind of talent, he surely would have used it to boost his score long ago.”

A faint blue glint flashed in Zhou Jing’s eyes as he lowered his voice until only the three of them could hear. “More importantly, I cannot see his ‘future’.”

Gao Gusheng and Yun Zhiyi whipped their heads around to look at him.

Zhou Jing’s ability was “Foresight”; he could perceive the probability of future events occurring.

However, this ability was not infallible; when it came to fellow Spirit Police officers who also possessed special abilities, he could only glimpse their futures in terms of probability.

As for Gao Gusheng and his family, he could see nothing at all.

With a sharp *snap*, the pen stopped spinning between Zhou Jing’s fingers. Voices of classmates chatting drifted over: “You know, ever since that senior hit his head, he seems like a completely different person.”

“Well, he lost his memory, so it’s only natural for him to change.”

“Tsk, if I hadn’t been raised on over a decade of Marxist-Leninist ideology, I’d almost suspect he’d been possessed by another soul.”

“Hahaha, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Careful the politics teacher doesn’t haul you into his office. Scientifically speaking, haven’t there been cases where people awakened certain talents after an injury? Like that fifty-year-old British rural woman who woke up from a high fever speaking fluent Italian—even though she’d never even met an Italian person before.”

“Hey, hey, hey—what you’re describing sounds even *less* scientific!”

Just then, someone else entered the large lecture hall. A hush fell over the room; looking up, everyone saw that the newcomer was none other than Zhang Xu.

Zhang Xu? What was he doing here?

But for the moment, no one could think about anything else. Zhang Xu possessed an intangible magnetism that compelled everyone’s gaze to follow his every movement.

Zhang Xu was certainly handsome, though in the context of Peking University’s Department of Performing Arts, his looks would rank only in the middle-to-lower tier—hardly enough to make it impossible to look away. Yet, his aura was that of a deity high above the clouds—aloof and indifferent—exerting a spellbinding pull that made people want to offer him everything they had.

It was a vortex where a sense of overwhelming pressure mingled with irresistible attraction.

Everyone held their breath; the silence in the classroom was absolute—so profound that the drop of a pin could be heard. The person in black sitting in the corner clutched their chest tightly, as if suffering a sudden heart attack.

Gao Gusheng’s heart began to race. The rapid pulse caused the whites of his eyes to flush with a faint red. For some reason, a sudden surge of hostility rose within him, as if he were facing a sworn enemy.

Perhaps it was because his heartbeat was spiraling out of control once again. A rich floral fragrance suddenly erupted from Gao Gusheng, drifting through the classroom on the breeze and striking a delicate balance against the oppressive aura radiating from Zhang Xu. The students, who had moments ago been spellbound, gradually regained their senses; the man in black took a sharp, deep breath, his gaze fixing on Gao Gusheng with the ravenous hunger of a starving man beholding a feast.

Everyone watched as Zhang Xu walked slowly toward Gao Gusheng.

Lowering his eyes, Zhang Xu asked the student sitting behind Gao Gusheng, “May I take this seat?”

“Y-yes, of course—please, have a seat!”

The student scrambled to stand up and vacate the seat.

Zhang Xu sat down behind Gao Gusheng and smiled faintly. “Gao Gusheng, it’s been a long time.”

Whispers rippled through the room. “How has Zhang Xu changed so much?”

“Oh my god, he is absolutely stunning! I feel like his overall appeal could easily rival Gao Gusheng’s.”

Gao Gusheng offered a polite, perfunctory smile. “Long time no see. Are you feeling any better, Senior? What brings you to a Finance class?”

Zhang Xu lowered his gaze. “No. I still can’t remember the past.”

He paused, then looked up at Gao Gusheng again. “You’re the only one I remember.”

His expression was gentle—reminiscent of a tamed colt or a large dog—yet Gao Gusheng inexplicably sensed a hidden coldness and aggression beneath it.

Gao Gusheng smiled again. “I’m afraid I can’t be of much help to you then, Senior; after all, we weren’t exactly close before.”

The classroom fell silent; everyone’s eyes were fixed on Gao Gusheng and Zhang Xu. Although their tones were friendly, the atmosphere made the onlookers instinctively hold their breath.

Just then, the sound of footsteps—hard heels clicking against the floor—broke the dead silence.

“Hello, everyone. I’ll be taking you through the second to tenth sessions.”

A familiar voice…

Gao Gusheng turned sharply to see Gao Shi walking into the classroom, carrying a document case.

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