A is in StarCraft, just disembarked from the Zerg Prince spaceship.

***************

......

Lu Jianan fled back to the research institute overnight.

I don't even sleep in the big bed anymore.

Escaping is shameful, but it's useful.

Bishon is stroking his hair again.

Ugh.

It makes the insect bald, it really makes the insect bald.

Every day is infuriating, it's driving Lu Jianan crazy.

The Crown Prince curled his lip: "Knowing to pack his bags overnight and run back to his hometown for refuge... Hmm, his crisis management awareness has certainly improved."

Bishen snapped at him impatiently, "That's enough, stop being so sarcastic."

The Crown Prince retorted, "Isn't this the time for you to spout nonsense?"

"I criticized him, and he deserved to be criticized."

"Then I should criticize Lu Jianan, he deserves to be criticized too."

"......" Damn, I'm speechless.

The Crown Prince curled his lip: "If you don't like it, why don't you choose another one?"

You know perfectly well what kind of person he is.

The Crown Prince saw it all clearly: Lu Jianan lacked any sense of responsibility, and her mental fortitude was as fragile as a bubble, bursting at the slightest touch. She only knew how to run away from problems.

Personality and psychology are not necessarily a fault, but pursuing him must be very torturous.

Dude, do we really have to go after him? Are you mentally prepared? Can't you find someone else?

Even Gao Tian couldn't say that the Crown Prince's words were unfair, so he put his hands on his head on the table.

Lu Jianan does indeed have this problem, and there's no way to refute it.

It's also his fault for being incompetent; after all these years, he still hasn't been able to resolve Lu Jianan's psychological issues.

"No," Bishon said coldly. "I'm going to change him."

He can tell whether a forced relationship is sweet or not. If all else fails, he'll dip it in sugar and eat it.

If something is preserved in sugar for a long time, it will become sweet.

Not to mention Lu Jianan, who is already very sweet.

I'm so angry at Lu Jianan.

He knew what Lu Jianan was thinking.

Lu Jianan felt that the gap between them was too big, and believed that love could not last. Instead, she thought that the relationship between an older brother and a younger brother was more stable. So she pretended to be stupid and hoped to maintain the distance between them like that of an older brother and a younger brother for a long time.

...There's no such thing as a free lunch. Don't even dream about it.

Is this the normal way for an older brother and younger brother to get along?

Is it really that easy for him to gain an advantage over Shen Mantis?

Escape? I'll break his legs.

"Brother, don't push him too hard. He can't handle the pressure, and he'll go crazy if he gets scared..." Gao Tian tried to plead for Lu Jianan.

"Don't worry, I won't force him." Bishen walked upstairs expressionlessly.

Don't you like to run away from things?

"Don't worry about it, I'll handle it myself. I have plenty of ways to deal with him."

Let him run away as much as he wants.

......

**********

......

First Military Region Research Institute

Lu Jianan lay on the sofa in the dormitory living room, lost in thought.

The sofa is neither too soft nor too firm; it's a standard model purchased by the research institute. It's somewhat rigidly functional, neither too long nor too short, neither too wide nor too narrow, with no particular strengths or weaknesses—very mediocre and lacking in personality.

It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it certainly wasn't comfortable either.

He lay on the sofa like a plant that had failed to be transplanted and was now drooping and lifeless, maintaining a corpse-like posture.

Half alive, barely alive.

I haven't changed my clothes for three or four days, and my hair is a mess with no intention of taking care of it.

He stared blankly at the smooth wall opposite him. There was nothing there, not even his fish tank.

These mentally unstable people really enjoy watching fish swim around in the aquarium.

But he also lost his fish.

Time lost its meaning after we returned.

The fluorescent light remained constantly on, and the daylight outside the window cycled from bright to soft to dim, but he was completely unaware of it.

I'm not hungry, and I don't want to move.

The research institute granted him leave, a hard-earned vacation. He didn't want to go to work with nothing to do, but he also didn't want to go out and have fun, so he just stayed in his dormitory, spacing out.

He's been back for a few days and no one has contacted him since.

His elder brother didn't look for him, nor did Gao Tian or the Crown Prince.

Lu Jianan, on the contrary, felt wronged.

How many days have you been back?

Three days? Or four days?

Lu Jianan was too lazy to calculate. All he knew was that ever since he escaped back to the research institute, his older brother seemed to have forgotten about him.

The personal terminal was as silent as a piece of scrap metal. There were no beeps, no vibrations, the screen was dark, and not even a single spam Google notification.

He picked it up unconsciously countless times, only to see a completely black screen with nothing on it, and then he would put it down dejectedly.

He couldn't even say what he was hoping for. Was it his elder brother's rage? Or his elder brother's apology? Or perhaps Gao Tianlai would give him a heads-up and try to persuade him?

But none of them were there.

Nobody cares about him anymore.

Hmph, and she says she likes him.

Lu Jianan pouted.

It's one thing for my older brother to be angry! But Gao Tian! Why hasn't Gao Tian given him a single word?!

It's been three days! Not a single message!

He ran away on his own; he was too embarrassed to call Gao Tian!

Aren't they worried about him? Aren't they afraid he might have a mental breakdown, starve to death in his dorm, or drown in the pond because of his own overthinking, or get hit by a car while crossing the street, or accidentally cut himself while handling a scalpel, or...

So, all sorts of deaths?!

Why is no one looking for him anymore? Didn't anyone realize that he ran away to save face?

He's just waiting for everyone to persuade him again!

Lu Jianan is actually a person with high emotional needs. It's not that he doesn't want feelings, but he needs someone to repeatedly tell him they love him, and only after a long time will he be able to believe in this love and feel secure.

Unfortunately, Bi Shen is clearly not that kind of person; he doesn't have that kind of good temper.

Spoiling him too much will only encourage this mentality in Lu Jianan, and may even eventually turn him into a person who is closed off from the outside world.

This situation might be welcomed by many couples, but it actually does Lu Jianan no good at all.

He didn't need to tame Lu Jianan like Shen the Great Demon King; he wanted Lu Jianan to try to go out on her own.

He was determined to correct Lu Jianan's ways.

Recently, my older brother watched a few videos of humans and felt that they made a lot of sense: there were stubborn little dogs that wouldn't follow, no matter how much you pulled or hit them, they wouldn't budge. But if you threw away the leash and left them alone, the stubborn little dogs would pick up the leash and chase after you.

They're just used to it!

[Pointing and gesturing at the Crown Princess, in that tone!]

......

Lu Jianan lay sprawled on the sofa, feeling increasingly angry and aggrieved. In the end, she gave up and kicked her legs twice, knocking the cushions to the floor.

The cushions rolled away, and the sofa became rock hard.

The dormitory remained deathly silent, with only the low, rhythmic whirring of the air conditioner mocking his one-man show.

Lu Jianan rolled over, face down, and buried her face in the sofa, sobbing.

He's going to suffocate himself! He'll make them regret it for the rest of their lives!