Ji Qinglin was still in a daze, but when he was asked this question, his eyes seemed to dim.

“This student…..wants to be an official….in order to…..” He was going to say ‘in order to serve in the Imperial court,’ but when he looked up into Liu Zhenqing’s knowing eyes, he immediately got stuck and said, “Bring honor to my family.”

“How many people are in your family? Do they need such a thing?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“In the past, my father was implicated in a crime and was dismissed from his post, then died of illness. I was also expelled from the family, and my mother raised me alone. So my goal since childhood has been to restore my family’s reputation,” Ji Qinglin said without holding anything back. He knew that the Crown Prince would thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of anyone he employed, so there was no need for him to cover anything up.

Bai Yu was somewhat astonished at Ji Qinglin’s words. The reason he had no affection for Ji Qinglin was because he felt that he was too goal-oriented at times and openly sought benefits, which made him uncomfortable. For example, he didn’t bother with painting or playing the zither, which were of no use in the Imperial Examinations, and it seemed that all of his learning was solely for the purpose of exams and assessments. Ambitious people like this would carefully consider benefits when making decisions, and would not be loyal ministers devoted to serving the people.

But Bai Yu also understood that people like him didn’t understand those from different circles, so he wasn’t qualified to judge Ji Qinglin. It was just that his perspective was different from Bai Yu’s, so he was unable to appreciate it.

But after hearing his words today, Bai Yu felt ashamed of being so superficial in his judgement of people. 

He knew that Ji Qinglin might not appreciate his change of heart, but he had no choice. Every step he took in the future would be difficult, so he must be careful to cherish every opportunity, and to spend his time and energy wisely.

But why had he learned the Rubik’s Cube? And to be so good at it – was it just to show his face in front of Liu Zhenqing?

Liu Zhenqing was also quite impressed by Ji Qinglin’s words, and patted him on the shoulder, saying: “Work hard, and you’ll be able to achieve it.”

Ji Qinglin was stunned, and Liu Zhenqing said jokingly: “I’ve already painted a sun on your forehead. Won’t it shine on you and bring honor to your family?”

Liu Zhenqing knew that Ji Qinglin was exactly the kind of person the Crown Prince liked to cultivate – he had no family background, wasn’t naive, was able to overcome adversity, and was competent.

The surrounding had become lively as they talked, so Liu Zhenqing let the two of them go: “It’s a crucial moment now, so I won’t stand in the way of your romantic pursuits. You two go ahead and enjoy the party.”

Bai Yu’s cheeks reddened, and he seemed to want to continue talking with Liu Zhenqing. He didn’t have anyone he liked in the Imperial Academy, and didn’t want to be confessed to, but it wasn’t a good thing for him to continue to occupy Liu Zhenqing’s time.

Ji Qinglin glanced at Bai Yu almost imperceptively, then bowed and took his leave.

“This Ji Qinglin, could it be…..” Liu Zhenqing touched his chin.

“He likes Bai-dage,” Huo Fenglie said abruptly.

Liu Zhenqing turned to Huo Fenglie in astonishment: “How do you know?”

Huo Fenglie said: “Bai-dage helped him when he was being bullied before. Although he’s never taken the initiative to befriend Bai-dage, I caught him secretly helping him a few times without Bai-dage’s knowledge.”

“Why did he keep it secret?”

“He feels that he’s not worthy of him, and that any confession will surely fail, so he definitely won’t tell him. But perhaps when he works hard enough to become worthy of him…..”

“How do you understand this so clearly?” Liu Zhenqing asked in amazement.

Huo Fenglie lowered his eyes. Perhaps it was because they shared the same brand of suffering.

Liu Zhenqing observed Huo Fenglie’s expression and touched his chin, then suddenly asked: “Then what about the one you like, ah? Will you confess your feelings today?”

Huo Fenglie froze and glanced at him. Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flashed, and for some reason, he kept staring back.

Huo Fenglie looked away: “Didn’t you say I’m still young?”

Liu Zhenqing was stumped: “Yes…..you’re young.”

In fact, Huo Fenglie had grown taller than him, but his face was still immature, and he overwhelmingly possessed an aura of youth. Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched awkwardly as he looked at him. Perhaps he shouldn’t question the kid about who he liked. Who didn’t become restless during adolescence? This sort of restlessness would disappear over time, and perhaps whether the person he liked was a man or a woman would change accordingly.

Wait, what about Liu Zhenqing’s own adolescence? Considering how busy he was in modern times, with no time to think, and then coming here as a teenager……it seemed he’d spent his time causing trouble everywhere and babysitting this kid.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t take responsibility for his own faults, but instead looked at Huo Fenglie with some resentment, thinking that it was because this kid was so clingy that he’d never been able to develop during adolescence.

But Huo Fenglie looked back at him and said: “It’s just that…..I’m only young in Qing-ge’s eyes.”

There was a hint of grievance in his words.

Liu Zhenqing was leaning on the bench with one foot up, and when he heard this, he couldn’t help but kick at him.

Huo Fenglie immediately grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s slender ankle. His hand was broad enough to wrap completely around it, almost making him lose his balance. Liu Zhenqing felt an instinctive panic, as if he was at someone’s mercy.

He tried to retract his foot, but Huo Fenglie didn’t let go.

The night breeze was accompanied by the scent of peach blossoms and a hint of alcohol. He kept feeling that recently, Huo Fenglie was no longer as well-behaved and obedient. He constantly exuded a sense of rebelliousness, which made Liu Zhenqing uneasy.

But since he couldn’t resist, he would just enjoy it. Liu Zhenqing straightened his legs so that they lay across Huo Fenglie’s thighs: “My legs are sore.”

Huo Fenglie stared for a moment, then resignedly raised his hands to massage Liu Zhenqing’s calves. But as Huo Fenglie proceeded to massage him, Liu Zhenqing felt that something was wrong. His legs went from sore to weak, and he immediately had regrets.

“Um…..what are your future ambitions?” Liu Zhenqing quickly brought up a conversation topic.

Huo Fenglie said directly: “To be your bodyguard.”

Liu Zhenqing choked on his wine, then sent him a speechless look: “Are you joking?”

“I’m not joking. You chose someone else.” Huo Fenglie paused before saying, “It’s because I’m not as skilled as him.”

There was that complaining tone again, as if he was the one who had done something wrong. Liu Zhenqing instinctively declined to ask why he wanted to be his bodyguard, because he had a feeling that asking would be a very bad thing.

“Okay, okay. Since you can’t be my bodyguard, what about something else? Will you take the Imperial Examinations and become a court official, or follow your brother? I hear that the old instructors at the academy want you to take the exams, but your family members all want you to inherit the family business. Your brother also says that your abilities are not inferior to his,” Liu Zhenqing said with curiosity.

Huo Fenglie considered for a moment, then looked at Liu Zhenqing and said: “I don’t have any big ambitions. Mostly just…..eating, drinking, having fun, traveling all over the world, helping others when I see injustice, doing what I want, and going with the flow.”

Liu Zhenqing paused. That was exactly what he’d said about his own ambitions, word for word.

Huo Fenglie suddenly smiled and said: “May I go with Qing-ge?”

Liu Zhenqing was dumbfounded.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes gradually dimmed, and he said with a deep gaze: “It’s impossible for Qing-ge to bring someone with him other than me.”

The night breeze suddenly became a little chilly.

At that moment, several young girls approached and prudently called Huo Fenglie’s name. They clearly wanted to express something to him, but Huo Fenglie headed them off with: “Sorry, I don’t have time.”

There was no chance for anyone to speak at all.

The group of girls looked embarrassed, momentarily frozen as they glanced at a girl with pale cheeks.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t bear to see the young girl embarrassed. He immediately kicked at Huo Fenglie again, who was still holding his ankle, warning him to be a little more polite.

The girls in the Imperial Academy finished their schooling earlier than the boys, so these girls likely only dared to approach him since they were leaving soon. Even if he rejected the confession, he should still take the feelings of others into consideration. After all, memories of youthful impulse and bravery were few and far between.

Huo Fenglie glanced at him with a frown. He seemed a little unhappy, but he obediently stood up and left with the girl.

After a while, Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo returned. Seeing Li Xingruo wiping Huo Feihan’s sweat, he smiled and said: “Are there any good seedlings?”

Huo Feihan shook his head: “It’s hard to find good officers.”

“Nobody is as good as Fenglie,” Li Xingruo said.

Liu Zhenqing thought of the ambitions Huo Fenglie had just mentioned, and suddenly didn’t know how to respond.

“Where’s Fenglie?” Huo Feihan was rather surprised to not find Huo Fenglie at Liu Zhenqing’s side. From their perspective, wherever Liu Zhenqing was, Huo Fenglie was sure to follow.

“A girl called him away,” Liu Zhenqing said as he handed over the wine.

“Ah? And he actually went?” Li Xingruo said in shock.

Liu Zhenqing had criticized Huo Fenglie’s rude behavior just now, and now Li Xingruo was glaring at him.

“What?”

Li Xingruo didn’t even know where to start. Whether it was Liu Zhenqing’s gentle rejections or Huo Fenglie’s heartless ones, it was hard to say which was more effective. It all depended on what the girls thought. But Huo Fenglie must be hurt that Liu Zhenqing had told him to go.

“You’ve done wrong, and you’ll get your comeuppance sooner or later,” Li Xingruo said with a scoff.

Liu Zhenqing turned to look at Huo Feihan, saying with his eyes: Is there something wrong with your wife?

Huo Feihan didn’t have such a meticulous mind, and felt that Liu Zhenqing’s approach was correct. One must give the other person face when rejecting them.

The three were drinking when someone came looking for Liu Zhenqing.

The girl was extremely beautiful, and looked familiar.

Li Xingruo recognized her: “Sister Jian Shuang?”

The girl had a cold personality, and her cheeks were red at the moment, but there was no love in her eyes when she looked at Liu Zhenqing. He really couldn’t tell if she was interested in him, and she was about the same age as Huo Fenglie, which was too young for him, but he still followed her to an empty part of the peach grove.

When the girl stopped, she turned her head and said with a resolute expression: “I’m not here to confess my love, but I have some questions to ask you.”

Liu Zhenqing had thought this was the case: “Ask away.”

“Does the young master have a sweetheart?”

Liu Zhenqing was confused. Was she asking on behalf of someone else?

“Not yet,” he said.

“Then…..does the young master like men?” the girl asked with a blush.

Liu Zhenqing nearly dropped the wine jug in his hand. What was this girl doing, ah? She shouldn’t be asking for her brother back home.

“I…..what do you want to ask, ah? Just say it.” 

The girl’s expression eased. She calmed down and said: “I want to ask, do you…..like Huo Fenglie?”

At this time, Huo Fenglie had already rejected the other girl and heard that Liu Zhenqing had been taken away, so he quickly chased after him. And hidden behind a tree, he heard every word that was said.

---

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(Alt Universe) Extra 16 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 18

The portly prison guard brought clean new clothes in the early morning and removed the shackles as if he was walking on thin ice.

“I know you’re very capable, but I hope you won’t make things difficult for a useless person like me who’s just collecting a government paycheck. Otherwise, I’ll be the one living in this single room tonight.”

Perhaps due to his nerves, he was more talkative than usual.

“Before I came down, I saw three teams of guards standing at the door. You wouldn’t even be able to escape if you had wings. This shows how determined the Prime Minister is to kill you.”

“Did you sleep well last night? You must not have. I didn’t sleep all night. When I think about the fact that I’ll be escorting you to the execution grounds, I feel like someone who will be condemned by history.”

“Are you ready yet? What’s taking so long?!”

A shout was heard just before a tall, thin prison guard appeared at the door. His hooked nose looked as if it had been curled with a curling iron.

“Ready, ready.”

The portly prison guard wiped his sweat and put the manacles back on Ling Yi, who had changed into his new clothes.

“Thank you, Hero. Sorry for offending you.”

“You talk so much nonsense all day long!”

The thin prison guard kicked him rudely and turned to drag Ling Yi away.

“Move quickly! Do you think you can avoid the death penalty by dragging your feet, you murderer?!”

Ling Yi preceded him in silence. He had no intention of pushing back against the thin prison guard’s various violent acts.

To the other prison guard, this was a sign of his numb resignation to his fate. All of a sudden, he felt very sad.

If he had let him escape last night regardless of the consequences, he might have become a hero to the common people. This might have been his only chance in this life to be heroic.

Just when he had begun to imagine how people would mourn for him, Ling Yi came to a stop in front of them.

“Who is that?” he asked.

The portly prison guard followed his gaze and saw a prisoner who was of a similar height and build as Ling Yi, wearing the exact same clothes and a black hood as he was escorted to a prison van.

“What?” the thin prison guard asked sarcastically. “Is there a law that only one death row inmate can be executed today?”

He pointed toward the escort vehicle and said to the portly prison guard: “You, follow that vehicle!”

“Ah? B-but I’m responsible for escorting this hero to the execution grounds in the northern outskirts today.”

“Our shifts were changed at the last minute. Didn’t you know?”

The other prison guard was confused: “No one notified me, ah.”

He wanted to confirm with his superior, but the thin prison guard shoved Ling Yi into another prison van first.

And the three teams of fully-armed guards he had seen that morning escorted the vehicle out the back gate with extreme vigilance.

“But that’s not the way to the northern outskirts, ah…..” he murmured.

“No, this isn’t right…..I need to find someone to stop that vehicle!”

Ling Yi sat in the fully-enclosed compartment. The men in prison guard uniforms to the left and right of him stood with straight backs and stern expressions, unlike the thin prison guard sitting opposite him, who had a rotten, moldy scent.

This person spent a lot of time in a dark, humid environment, and the musty smell seemed to have permeated his entire being.

“You’re just escorting a death row prisoner. Is it necessary for military personnel to go undercover?”

The thin prison guard slouched in his seat and didn’t deny it.

“You’re no ordinary death row inmate. This is the importance your superiors have placed on you. Shouldn’t you be proud?”

“Where are you taking me?”

“Either path leads to hell, so what does it matter which one you take?”

Ling Yi posed a third question: “Was that person my scapegoat?”

The thin prison guard smiled, revealing unpleasant yellow teeth.

“We received a tip that a certain person was going to cause trouble in the northern outskirts. Now the entirety of the execution grounds are surrounded by agents. If a criminal wants to take advantage of the chaos to do something, what do you think will happen?”

Ling Yi’s eyes immediately darkened. Before the fake prison guards beside him could react, the real prison guard opposite him let out a wail and slid from the seat to his knees.

The chain connecting the manacles was wrapped around his neck in a full circle.

“Turn the vehicle around,” Ling Yi said in a low voice.

In a panic, the thin prison guard clasped his hands together and desperately begged for mercy, but he seemed to be begging the wrong people.

“Don’t kill me, please, don’t kill me…..”

He pleaded desperately to the two fake prison guards.

A gun was aimed at his temple. Ling Yi had never seen anyone kill a person so cleanly and efficiently.

Scarlet liquid splashed all over his hands, the remaining part of the guard’s head still constricted by the iron chains.

Then the gun was pointed at Ling Yi.

“Our superiors informed us that you’re good at taking hostages, so we specifically chose a person whose death wouldn’t be a pity.”

“…..” Ling Yi let go of the corpse with disdain. “You have a good eye.”

“Don’t even think about holding any of us hostage. Our mission is to escort you to your destination alive, but not necessarily with all of your limbs intact.”

Ling Yi assessed the difference in combat power between him and the two armed professional soldiers, and sat down with an accurate understanding.

“Is what he just said true? That you got a tip that someone was going to cause trouble in the northern outskirts.”

“Don’t ask irrelevant questions,” the person who had fired the shot replied.

“Who sent you here? Let me guess, Lu Hulun?”

“Don’t ask irrelevant questions.”

He was like an emotionless robot.

The corpse was kicked into the corner, and the cabin filled with the musty smell of blood.

Ling Yi couldn’t see outside, and had no way of telling where they were.

About half an hour later, the vehicle stopped and the muzzle of the gun pointed toward the back door.

“Get out.”

Prime Minister Lu Hulun had pale hair and eyes as gloomy as a vulture’s.

There was a chair right behind him, but he declined to sit down, supporting his body with a cane as if his age didn’t show as long as he was standing.

“You don’t seem surprised at all.” His hoarse voice contained the arrogance of someone who had long held a position of power.

“I would be surprised if I was safely escorted to the execution grounds and executed according to the law.”

“I saw the body. The glands on the back of his neck were mutilated. The medical examiner said that he died in great pain.”

“Is that so,” Ling Yi said expressionlessly. “He really deserved it.”

“In that case, how can I allow you to die painlessly?”

Lu Hulun thumped his cane on the ground, and a man in doctor’s garb got out of another vehicle. His entire body was tightly covered, leaving only a slender pair of eyes exposed.

He approached Ling Yi with a medicine box in his hands and deliberately opened it in front of him.

Rather than medicine, the inside was filled with rows of gleaming silver scalpels.

“I hired the best surgeon for you. He will cut your glands slice by slice so that you survive as long as possible.”

“But before that, he will cut out your tongue, because I don’t want to hear you screaming for ten hours straight.”

Ling Yi smiled contemptuously: “Are you sure? An old man like you must already have bad hearing. If you don’t want to listen in this world, then go to hell and listen to the crying and howling of your poor tragic son.”

Lu Hulun’s face became increasingly gloomy: “Then it shall be as you wish. Keep your tongue for now. I’ll help you leave with your dignity.”

“A base commoner like me can’t understand the decency of nobles. But if you want to hear it, I don’t mind imitating the young master’s wailing and pleading for mercy before he died to make up for your absence in his last moments.”

Lu Hulun’s breathing suddenly grew rapid. He leaned forward and stared at Ling Yi with the eyes of an eagle.

But he was worthy of being called an iron-fisted politician who had been active in politics for many years, and quickly brought his emotions under control.

“You weren’t the only one there that day. After your demonstration, I can verify it again on your little brother.”

Lu Hulun saw the anger he wished to see in Ling Yi. He tried desperately to pounce on the prime minister, but was restrained tightly by the fake prison guards behind him.

“If you dare touch him, I won’t let you go even in death!”

This fish on the chopping board was so anxious that his eyes reddened, and the chains attached to his wrists clanked together.

For the first time after the death of his beloved son, Lu Hulun smiled.

“I always keep my word.”

Ling Yi’s chest heaved up and down. He wished he could skin the person in front of him a thousand times with his gaze.

“Some asshole said that only my death will fully arouse public outrage. I disagreed at first, but now I think his words make sense.”

“If this is the only warmth I have left in this world, then let this fire burn you to ashes.”

“I have been cursed all my life. It’s a pity that those who cursed me didn’t live long, but I’m still alive and well.”

“Begin,” Lu Hulun commanded.

A cool sensation touched the back of his neck. The gland was the inverse scale of every Alpha, and touching it was a provocation. Ling Yi struggled so violently that it took two more people to hold him down.

“Don’t be nervous, I’m just disinfecting it. I like to follow strict medical procedures.”

The doctor’s voice sounded behind his mask, as calm as if he was giving a classroom demonstration.

“There are a lot of nerves in this area. If you move around, it could lead to worse consequences.”

Ling Yi could already feel the sharp object pressing against the skin on the back of his neck, and the surrounding muscles shook uncontrollably.

“Your neckline is very beautiful. It is my honor to cut it open.”

Ling Yi clenched his teeth: “What a pity.”

“Hm? Are you talking about me?”

“You learned how to save lives, but you’re using your skills to kill.”

The doctor stopped what he was doing.

Ling Yi didn’t think his words had any effect, but he couldn’t turn around, and naturally didn’t see the gun pointed at the doctor’s head.

The doctor raised his hands obediently, and the scalpel clamped between his middle and ring fingers reflected a cold light.

Lu Hulun frowned: “…..Who is it?!”

In an instant, more than a dozen military vehicles skidded in with a roar, and hundreds of elite royal guards jumped out of them. The prime minister’s guards were completely surrounded.

The last vehicle slowly came to a stop in the middle of the venue. Tang De, the captain of the royal guard under the Crown Prince, jumped out of the passenger seat spiritedly and turned around to open the back door.

Everyone first saw the polished shoes, followed by slender legs, a perfectly-proportioned figure, and a unique, tailored royal uniform.

When he stepped out of the vehicle, his imposing gaze swept across everyone present. Lu Hulun’s guards subconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the face.

Oser casually shook out the cloak around his shoulders, his every move imbued with a self-confidence that surpassed that of ordinary people.

Only a person who had been superior to others since the day they were born could develop such a temperament. One day less, and they wouldn’t measure up.

When Lu Hulun saw his outstanding grandson, a look of abhorrence crossed his face.

“Your Highness Oser, what are you doing here?”

“I naturally came to see my grandpa, whom I haven’t seen in a long time. I heard you were so angry about Uncle’s death that you were bedridden, and I thought I was going to lose two relatives at once.”

Oser’s tone was frivolous, containing an element of sarcasm that Ling Yi was familiar with.

“But Grandpa is already so old, yet he still plays such childish tricks as using a substitute. It almost made me late.”

Lu Hulun’s expression was cold: “If His Highness Oser is here to supervise the execution, there was no need to bring so many people and make such a big scene. This looks less like supervising an execution, and more like stealing someone from the execution grounds.”

“Now that you’ve said it, I don’t need to explain myself.”

Oser walked up to Ling Yi as if there was no one else around, and the latter’s eyes filled with suspicion and vigilance.

The meaning of this look was very clear: Your grandfather kidnapped me and planned to torture and kill me, and you’re not a good person either.

Oser lowered his eyes to Ling Yi’s bloody hands: “Who hurt you like this?”

Ling Yi was on guard: “…..It’s not my blood.”

“Then it seems you were naughty again. Got it.”

The portly prison guard came from the rear, huffing and puffing, and undid the manacles much more skillfully than he had that morning.

He gave a low, foolish laugh: “Hehe, it’s fortunate that we made it in time. You’re saved now, Hero.”

There were two consecutive sounds of heavy objects falling to the ground, and dust rose underfoot.

Ling Yi moved his ligature-marked wrists, and twisted his shoulders to shake off the people holding him.

Lu Hulun said in a low voice: “What does Your Highness Oser mean by this? This man is a death row inmate.”

“Death row?” Oser sneered. “Does the death penalty allow you to privately execute people?”

Oser turned his head: “Hey, death row inmate over there. Some asshole wants to ask if you would prefer to stay and be tortured or leave with him.”

Ling Yi pursed his lips and answered unthinkingly: “I want to live.”

Oser snapped his fingers. Tang De trotted over and unrolled the pure white scroll in his hands, presenting the front of it to the old prime minister.

Lu Hulun’s pupils shrank, and the way his tone rose several degrees revealed how shocked he was:

“You’re going to do this for him?! For this person—”

Oser interrupted him haughtily.

“I, Fengdi Oser, 16th eldest son of the empire and heir to the Liushan bloodline, officially declare that I will use my power of pardon for the death row inmate Ling Yi.”

---

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Chapter 2 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 4

T/N: I think this extra fits in right after the end of the main story.

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Pei Xi wouldn’t admit that he’d suddenly proposed to He Chuzhou because he was jealous of Pei-calico.

Even if such a reason existed, it was a minor one that didn’t affect the direction of his conscious behavior.

The main thing was the atmosphere.

En, the atmosphere was there, and so were the emotions.

As Chinese people, they’d come all the way here to see an aurora that even locals could rarely see. Wasn’t it worth getting married in celebration?

This made sense.

As for He Chuzhou, there wasn’t much of a reason. He was just instigated.

Instigated by Pei Xi’s words, “You’re not my husband, you’re just my boyfriend.”

Although he hadn’t shown it at the time, this sentence made a deep impact on his heart, body, and mind, and soft thorns grew in the impact crater. They didn’t hurt or itch, but they made him feel uncomfortable all over.

Not his husband?

Okay, then they would just get married. It was that simple.

Pei-calico had called him husband so many times. He must restore his title.

This city in Finland had been carefully selected so that they could get their marriage certificate right after watching the Northern Lights.

It was just that the marriage certificate was a bit basic.

Unlike China, which had two festive red books, along with festive photos and a red background, the Finnish marriage certificate was just a piece of paper shared between two people.

This made He Chuzhou feel a little disdainful.

When they returned to China, he would have to find a velvet cover to put it in. Nothing could be done without a sense of ceremony.

But when he saw the content at the top, especially the printed “Marriage Certificate,” the corners of his mouth were difficult to hold still.

They returned to China on the day of the Lantern Festival, and Yun Ji came to pick them up.

As soon as he got the call, he didn’t even have time to say anything before his cousin/boss hastily assigned him a task: “Make me a custom ID cover made of black velvet and gold foil, preferably inlaid with diamonds.”

Yun Ji had numerous question marks over his head: “What for? Did someone give you an award certificate abroad? Did you win a Nobel Prize for having nothing better to do than wander around?”

He Chuzhou: “Ah? Award certificate? Are you talking about this?”

He took out the piece of paper he’d brought with him and shook it pretentiously, musing: “This should be considered a personal lifetime achievement award, right?”

Not yet aware, Yun Ji peered at it intently: “Marriage Cer…..what the hell? Marriage certificate???”

He Chuzhou turned it in his hand and admired it again, asking Yun Ji with a smile: “Doesn’t it look good?”

Yun Ji: “What’s so good about a black and white piece of paper? Didn’t you go to the North Pole to see the aurora? Why did you get married, ah?”

He Chuzhou folded up the marriage certificate and put it in his pocket, saying indifferently: “Ai, since we went all the way there, we might as well get married. It was very casual, not a big deal.”

Here we go again. Pei Xi rolled his eyes with no desire to pay attention to him.

Yun Ji was forced into silence for a few seconds. He gnashed his teeth: “Could you shut your grinning mouth for one minute? Don’t you know that your tone and expression make me want to beat you up?”

He Chuzhou: “Wow, did you speak to my wife? He said the same thing last night. Oh, by the way, let me formally introduce him.”

He pulled Pei Xi over and said: “Look, this is my newlywed wife, your cousin-in-law. Never mind, forget ‘cousin-in-law,’ it’s better to just call him ‘cousin’……”

“Where’s the car?” Pei Xi interrupted directly.

Yun Ji: “Just outside the nearest exit.”

Pei Xi: “Let’s go.”

Yun Ji: “Okay! Come on, Pei-ge, follow me.”

He Chuzhou wasn’t angry at being ignored, and walked slowly behind while pushing the luggage cart. After exiting the airport, he put the luggage in the trunk, opened the passenger seat, and sat inside.

Pei Xi had just sat in the back seat, and his hand paused while closing the door. He had a bad feeling.

Yun Ji stared: “You’re sitting there, Ge?”

He Chuzhou: “Why not?”

Yun Ji: “Why don’t you get in the back and keep your wife company?”

He Chuzhou: “Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Your understanding is too low. No wonder your goddess didn’t want you back then.”

Yun Ji’s mouth twitched. He opened the door, got in the car, and closed it heavily: “I was just saying. Why make personal attacks?”

He Chuzhou smiled and said nothing.When the car drove out, he leaned back in the passenger seat and raised his hand to admire the diamond ring on his left ring finger.

He really wasn’t going to stop. It was difficult for Yun Ji not to see him, so he asked casually at a traffic light: “You bought your wedding rings in Finland, ah?”

He Chuzhou instantly sat up straight with a resolute expression: “Of course not. I spent two months customizing them with an expert in China and brought them with me. Buying them at the last minute? Is your ge such a careless person?”

When Pei Xi saw the look on his face that said, “I’ve been waiting for you to ask,” he knew it was over.

But Yun Ji did not, and asked foolishly: “Wasn’t it just a casual wedding? Why did you prepare in advance?”

He Chuzhou: “It was incidental, ah, but not very casual. Do you know the circumstances under which I proposed to my wife? At that time, in the snowy, icy Arctic Circle, the sky was full of stars when the aurora exploded……”

Pei Xi closed his eyes and rubbed his nose, not intending to speak.

It took half an hour to get home from the airport, and Yun Ji was forced to listen to a half-hour Arctic Circle love story until he felt numb.

After getting out of the car and standing there for a moment, he couldn’t help but slap himself in the face. You just had to run your mouth. Why did you ask him?

He Chuzhou pulled their luggage toward the house at a brisk pace, a happy look on his face as he hummed a tuneless song.

Pei Xi fell behind and patted his cousin’s head in sympathy: “Next time, remember not to respond to everything he says. If you don’t ask, he’ll have no excuse to say anything.”

Father He was out partying with friends, and Mother He had arranged for a manicurist to come to the house and do her nails. When she saw He Chuzhou come in, her eyes lit up and she stood to look outside: “Where’s Xinxin? I still have a lot of New Year’s gifts I haven’t given him yet.”

“He following behind with Yun Ji.”

He Chuzhou put down the suitcases and suddenly stretched out his left hand, waving it in front of Chu Yuelan. 

Chu Yuelan was peering outside, and was taken aback. She looked at her son as if he was a lunatic: “Huh? Where did the ring come from?”

“Oh, you mean this?”

He Chuzhou showcased the back of his hand, putting the wave-themed ring fully on display. He said casually: “It’s a wedding ring, ah. Shouldn’t I wear one after getting married?”

Chu Yuelan stared blankly: “Married?”

He Chuzhou: “Yeah, didn’t we go to Finland? It’s rather convenient to get the certificate there, so we just went ahead and did it.”

As he spoke, he took out the marriage certificate he always carried with him: “Here it is. Certificates there are easy to get, but it would be nice if we could get two domestic ones someday.”

Mrs. Chu stared at the marriage certificate in shock: “You actually took Xinxin away to get married? Good boy, you’ve been afraid of the cold since you were a child. You must have been kicked in the head by a ghost to run to the north to see the aurora.”

He Chuzhou: “We really did see the aurora. Do you know how I proposed to Xinxin? The scene was so romantic. The cold night sky was full of stars, and we happened to see a huge aurora. Everyone was on the river below while Xinxin and I sat up top…..”

Pei Xi and Yun Ji, who had just followed him inside: “……”

Here we go again.

Yun Ji rolled his eyes, then sat on one of the suitcases and rolled to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Pei Xi strolled over and unobtrusively pushed the chattering person away from Mrs. Chu: “Mom, I bought you some gifts, all traditional Finnish jewelry. I’ll show them to you in a while, and you can see if you like them.”

“I hear something! Mom, Ge and Pei-ge are back!”

He Aiyue ran down the stairs excitedly: “I’ve never been to Finland, did you bring me any presents?”

Pei Xi thought to himself: This isn’t good.

As expected, when He Aiyue promptly threw herself into Pei Xi’s arms, He Chuzhou pulled her in front of him and showed her his marriage certificate: “Do you know what this is?”

He Aiyue subconsciously took it: “Marriage…..”

“Never mind, you probably don’t understand.”

He Chuzhou took back his precious marriage certificate, folded it, and put it away. Then he stretched out his hand to show her: “Here, see this wedding ring? Do you know how I proposed to your Pei-ge in the arctic circle…..”

Pei Xi: “…..”

Chu Yuelan: “……”

Yun Ji, who rolled in on the suitcase with a pancake in his mouth: “……”

Pei Xi took a pancake from Yun Ji’s hand and stuffed it into He Chuzhou’s mouth: “Shut up.”

After having dinner at their parents’ house, they returned home at night. Pei Xi went to the kitchen to put some things away, and when he came out, he saw that clown sitting on the sofa and video chatting with some good friends: 

“Do you know what this is? You haven’t seen one, right? Let me show you. This is a Finnish marriage certificate. They don’t issue two there, so both people share one.”

“What do you mean you already know? You guys have been listening to Lao Wu’s nonsense. We just got married, okay? Don’t you know the value of a newlywed couple?”

“I proposed. Naturally, I proposed, ah!”

“Want to know how I proposed? It was super romantic, ah!”

Pei Xi silently walked to the door, called He Xingxing over, and put a leash on him.

He would take the dog for a walk. Out of sight, out of mind.

He thought there wouldn’t be anyone else outside at such a time, but he happened to meet Mr. Zhang and his wife, who were walking their dog as well.

It was unsuitable for small talk so late at night, so the three of them chatted briefly before parting ways.

As he was walking down a gravel path amongst the greenery, he bumped into He Chuzhou, who had been looking for him after his phone call. Pei Xi told him about his encounter with Mr. Zhang.

“What a coincidence.”

He Chuzhou looked behind him, but didn’t see anyone, so he said he would go back and say hello.

How could Pei Xi not understand what he was thinking? He pulled him back with a dark expression: “I’m begging you not to show off, Gege. Others aren’t interested in whether you’re married or not.”

He Chuzhou: “Why wouldn’t they be interested?”

Pei Xi: “Because your life isn’t interesting enough for everyone to want to be your audience.”

He Chuzhou: “But I can force them to be my audience, so there isn’t much difference.”

Pei Xi: “……”

What else could he say?

He could only be thankful that they couldn’t have children, otherwise this guy would have to buy an advertisement on a Times Square billboard.

Pei Xi: “Let’s go back.”

He Chuzhou: “Just like that?”

Pei Xi: “Where else would we go?”

He Chuzhou: “Since we’re already out, how about we go shopping at the supermarket?”

Pei Xi stared at him for a moment, then turned around and walked back, holding him with one hand and the dog with the other: “The auntie working the night shift is tired. Don’t bother her.”

Having been seen through by his wife, He Chuzhou touched his nose and obediently followed him.

What a pity! He felt that he’d have a lot to talk about with the auntie this time.

Lying in bed that night, He Chuzhou hugged Pei Xi and tried to talk about this and that, but when Pei Xi simply ignored him, he lost interest and quickly fell asleep.

Pei Xi was just becoming drowsy when he heard this person murmur something in his ear.

He didn’t hear it clearly: “What did you say?”

He Chuzhou’s voice was faint: “Wife. Did you know I married my wife?”

He was clearly talking in his sleep.

Pei Xi was speechless for a long while: “I know, your wife proposed to you under the aurora. I know this by heart. Don’t talk about it anymore.”

He Chuzhou: “Huh? Nonsense, it was me who proposed……my wife is so precious, how could I let him do it…..”

Pei Xi turned over to face He Chuzhou: “Isn’t it the same no matter who proposed?”

“It’s different…..”

The thinking logic of a slumbering person wasn’t up to task, so communication wasn’t barrier-free. Only the general idea could be heard: “Xinxin…..is my wife now. I have a legitimate status, understand…..”

His intermittent words gradually became incomprehensible muttering, then went away completely.

Pei Xi heard his long, steady breathing in the dim light. When he closed his eyes, his lips curved up uncontrollably.

When He Chuzhou woke up the next morning, Pei Xi was no longer in the room.

The cell phone under his pillow vibrated several times. He was absent-minded for a long time before he remembered that it was this noise that had woken him up.

He took it out and unlocked it, and saw that they were all texts from the group. The formation was as neat as if it had been rehearsed – they tagged him and followed it up with, “Silly dog, get up.”

The sleepy Chuzhou directly woke up and laughed angrily. He asked them what made them so bold, and if they were trying to stir up chaos.

Without further ado, Wu Qing threw over a screenshot. He Chuzhou clicked on it disinterestedly, but his eyes paused on it and he suddenly sat up in bed, opening his circle of friends.

The first post had been made by Pei Xi early last night. The photo was taken when they were sitting on the glacier that night. They were wearing the same down jackets, holding hands as they gazed up at the sky.

The text was one simple sentence:

[I got married, but my partner is a silly dog.]

He Chuzhou read this sentence numerous times over. The more he read it, the happier he became, and his smile grew bigger and bigger.

Ignoring the jokes from those in the group, he threw back the quilt and got out of bed. After searching around, he finally found Pei Xi cooking noodles in the kitchen.

The latter was concentrating on reading the cooking instructions. The noodles had cooked exactly for ten minutes. When he turned off the fire and was about to pour out the water, someone hugged him from behind and kissed the back of his neck.

Pei Xi’s hands shook, and he nearly poured the entire pot of freshly-cooked noodles into the sink. He couldn’t help but frown: “He Chuzhou, are you a dog?”

“En, en, en, I am, I am.”

He Chuzhou shamelessly agreed. Resting his chin on Pei Xi’s shoulder, he nuzzled his ear intimately and smiled hard: “Good morning, wife. Come on, kiss your dog~”

---

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Extra 6 << Table of Contents

……Cute?

Pei Xi didn’t think this word could be used to describe him, and strictly speaking, it could even be considered mockery.

But He Chuzhou’s expression told him that it was far from mockery. He was one hundred percent sincere.

He felt uneasy. His upbringing had taught him to respond to compliments, but it hadn’t taught him how to respond to subjective ones.

Denying a compliment was even more unfamiliar.

The three words “I’m not cute” sounded like something a child would say, no matter what tone they were spoken in.

Pei Xi never thought that he would one day be stumped by an adjective. He was stuck in place for a long moment before ultimately deciding to ignore it and flee the scene. Running away was the best option.

However, in He Chuzhou’s eyes, he seemed to be running away from being called cute.

Even cuter!

He Chuzhou had moved in here because of his mental side effects. Nominally, he needed Pei Xi’s care, but in fact, he was the one taking care of Pei Xi whether he was brain-addled or in his right mind.

Before He Chuzhou moved in, Pei Xi seldom ate at home, either because he didn’t want to or didn’t have time. Therefore, his three meals were basically not fixed. He ate in a hurry, and skipped meals most of the time. On the other hand, He Chuzhou arranged everything properly for him as soon as he arrived, and his skills were pretty good.

En…..perhaps more than ‘pretty good.’ How about very good. So good that Pei Xi’s appetite had been spoiled and he found it hard to swallow that so-called high-end Western food he ate at the occasional social event.

He couldn’t help but worry about He Chuzhou leaving once he recovered. Could he go from luxury to simplicity? Perhaps he really needed to compromise and find a housekeeper.

The practically new and unused kitchen still had the slight smell of cooking, and the house when he came home was no longer dark and silent.

There was the aroma of hot food. There was He Chuzhou constantly showing him how much he cared. And there was a dog that liked to walk around the living room with a little ball in his mouth.

There was…..a little more inconspicuous dog fur on the edge of the shoe cabinet.

After careful thought, nothing much seemed to have changed, but his house had magically transformed from just a place to stay after leaving the company to an actual home.

He Chuzhou helped him not only in life, but in work.

Sometimes Pei Xi was so tired that he fell asleep in front of the computer. When he woke up, he would find that his urgent tasks had been completed, and the other party was holding him with one arm while playing solitaire with his other hand.

From this perspective, the brain-addled He Chuzhou was no different from the sober one, and just treated him as a lover.

He was extremely intimate and clingy, and loved to act like a spoiled brat. Every day, he tried to act cute and helpless, using his innate optimism and humor to lift his mood and make him laugh.

And he forced him to change his WeChat profile picture to a couple’s photo he had procured from who knows where. Pei Xi let him see the ID name he’d given him, and He Chuzhou shamelessly told him to change that as well.

Every message he sent would now have a red heart emoji at the end.

But this didn’t seem like a bad thing.

Over time, Pei Xi had gotten used to having an extra person at home, and to having a look-alike avatar sending him cheesy emojis all day long. He had even become comfortable with the title of “wife.”

But just because he was used to it didn’t mean he would accept being called that in front of other people…..just a little onlooker.

The incident began when Pei Xi was in a meeting one morning. He was projecting his computer screen to point out some planning issues, and when the chat software below lit up during an intermission, he clicked on it: 

Zhouzhou Sweetheart: [Honey, are you busy?]

Zhouzhou Sweetheart: [Look at the new succulent on my desk. It’s so cute.]

Pei Xi hastily closed the window. He was silent for a long time before he raised his head stiffly and met a group of shocked gazes: “…..”

*

*

It was a rare day that Pei Xi got off work on time. The first thing he did when he came through the door was to tell He Chuzhou sternly: “From now on, don’t send me messages when I’m at work.”

He Chuzhou saw that he was in a bad mood, and didn’t understand: “Why? Were you not able to finish your work?”

Pei Xi: “You disturbed me.”

He Chuzhou’s smile froze.

Pei Xi added: “I don’t need you to share those things with me. Can’t you focus on your own company’s business? There’s so much time after work – is there anything that can’t be talked about then?”

He Chuzhou’s smile completely faded. He immediately forced out another helpless, frustrated smile, but his tone was still relaxed: “Ai, I disturbed you at work? It’s my fault. I won’t send any more, Honey. Don’t be angry.”

“It’s so late, you must be hungry. Come wash your hands and eat. I made your favorite sweet and sour fish, come get it while it’s hot.”

The aroma of food wafted in, and the dog rubbed against his feet. Pei Xi looked at He Chuzhou’s back, and his originally cold expression went blank.

Appearing as if nothing had happened, He Chuzhou proceeded to serve him soup and pick out food for him, and told him that he had a headache today because an intern had made him angry.

Pei Xi picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth. It tasted good, but he had no appetite.

How unreasonable. How could he blame He Chuzhou?

He Chuzhou had said to just block him if Pei Xi found him troublesome, but he didn’t do it.

He tacitly accepted He Chuzhou sticking to him and calling him his wife, but then turned around and blamed him for affecting him with his default behavior.

Was he taking his embarrassment out on He Chuzhou because of his own mistake?

The guiltier he felt, the less he knew how to apologize.

With the knowledge that He Chuzhou would absolutely forgive him, he felt that a simple “I’m sorry” was devoid of sincerity or value.

That night, Pei Xi retreated to the study under the pretext of handling work. After long consideration, for the first time in his life, he asked his assistant something that had nothing to do with work: [Do you have a girlfriend?]

From the length of typing, it could be seen that the other party was struggling hard, or was perhaps shocked. Then he replied: [I do. What do you need, President Pei?]

Pei Xi: [Have you ever received gifts from your girlfriend?]

Dong Han: [I have.]

Pei Xi: [What is your favorite gift?]

Dong Han: [I don’t have one, I like everything my girlfriend gives me. President Pei, are you…..giving someone a gift?]

Pei Xi was seen through, and didn’t deny it: [En.]

Dong Han: [Is it for a man?]

Pei Xi: [En, do you have any suggestions?]

Dong Han: [Generally speaking, gifts for men are ties, watches, or electronic products depending upon age.]

He Chuzhou had many of the latest electronic products. Pei Xi didn’t consider these. A tie felt too intimate, and after some thought, a watch was the most suitable.

Thus, he spent nearly a week selecting a watch that was suitable for He Chuzhou. On the day the watch arrived, he bought a big bouquet of flowers on the way back and gave both the flowers and the watch to He Chuzhou when he got home.

He Chuzhou was very surprised to receive them, and asked: “Honey, today isn’t my birthday. Why did you get me a gift and flowers?”

“It was wrong of me to get angry with you that day.”

After everything was prepared, Pei Xi gave his belated apology: “It was my fault that the message you sent me was seen by the staff. I was in a bad mood and took it out on you.”

He Chuzhou forgave him as a matter of course without a second’s hesitation, just as he had expected.

But this finally made him feel better. He didn’t want He Chuzhou to suffer losses because of his temper, at least not here.

The only thing he didn’t expect was for He Chuzhou to take advantage of the situation and sigh softly: “Honey, I was really sad when you were mean to me that day.”

Pei Xi was aware of this, so even though he knew that this person was deliberately acting pitiful, he still compromised: “Then what do you want for compensation?”

He Chuzhou: “Any compensation?”

Pei Xi willingly stepped into the trap: “Anything.”

He Chuzhou’s eyebrows curved as he said: “Then can we not sleep in separate rooms? The weather is getting colder. Have pity on me and let me sleep with my wife.”

*

*

Ever since Pei Xi could remember, he had never shared a bed with anyone. Now that he was sleeping in the same bed with another adult man, he was uncomfortable.

The presence of the person next to him was too strong, especially after turning off the lights. Even though his breathing was quiet, the warmth from the arm touching him made him tense up.

Just sleeping like this?

Was this the bed-sharing He Chuzhou had been dreaming of for so long?

Was it really just…..covering up with a blanket and sleeping?

He stared at the dark ceiling, lost in thought. The person next to him turned over, and he subconsciously held his breath.

He Chuzhou: “Honey, why do you keep your eyes wide open when you sleep?”

Pei Xi quickly closed his eyes and heard a low chuckle. His ears felt slightly hot, but fortunately, he couldn’t see them.

He Chuzhou asked: “Honey, can I hold you to sleep?”

Pei Xi pursed his lips and said nothing.

He Chuzhou took his silence as tacit agreement and moved closer to hold him. Adjusting them to the most comfortable position, he shared the warmth with satisfaction. 

Laying in his arms, Pei Xi was even more uncomfortable than before.

But his initially uneasy mood miraculously settled, and he felt that this was the only reasonable thing to do.

He had no trouble sleeping. The person who claimed to have flesh of ice and bones of jade was warmer than anyone else, which was very practical on a cool autumn night, and Pei Xi soon fell asleep in such an embrace.

The moment he woke up the next morning, he was greeted by a pair of deep, smiling eyes.

The two of them were still in an embrace. There was no telling who took the initiative in the middle of the night, but they were entwined even more intimately than when they fell asleep.

The scene was the same, but the atmosphere was completely different with a certain person’s memory restored.

After staring at each other for a long time, Pei Xi’s back stiffened and he slowly withdrew from He Chuzhou’s arms, putting some distance between them.

When he was about to silently get up, He Chuzhou abruptly grabbed his wrist.

He Chuzhou finally understood why Pei Xi had been so well-behaved these days.

Yes, well-behaved. 

Ridiculously well-behaved.

At work, he not only replied to his messages within seconds, but also took the initiative to ask him what he was doing, whether he was busy, and whether he had eaten.

After getting off work, he would actively ask to go with him to walk the dog. And since he still didn’t like to talk, he would just follow him in silence.

When He Chuzhou was cooking, Pei Xi would remain in the kitchen. Even when he walked around and found that there was no way for him to help, he wouldn’t leave. He would just stand to the side, holding the plates that would be needed a while later.

His apology was awkward and ceremonious. In fact, the problem was nothing. Even he felt that it was nothing, but Pei Xi was so torn up about it, as if he’d done something egregious.

He Chuzhou didn’t consider himself a saint. Money couldn’t change his base, worldly nature, nor could it help him withstand such powerful cuteness aggression.

It was fine when he was ignorant before. But now that he faced this person every day who could touch his heart with just a casual action, it was natural for He Chuzhou to fall in love with him.

It was a rare occasion where He Aiyue was right. Only a fool wouldn’t seize such a heaven-sent opportunity.

Therefore: “Good morning, President Pei.”

Sleeping in Pei Xi’s bed, wrapped in Pei Xi’s clothes, and resting on Pei Xi’s pillow, he asked: “Will you allow me to pursue you?”

---

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Extra 5 << Table of Contents >> Extra 7

There were peach blossoms as far as the eye could see. Amongst the pleasant scenery, the crowd drank and chatted as they began to play various games with great interest. When it came to playing, no one could rival Liu Zhenqing.

The martial artists naturally pestered Huo Feihan to compete with them, and as for the students, Liu Zhenqing had a reputation among them and was invited to participate in various challenges.

Holding a small pot of wine, Liu Zhenqing dropped the sieve cup: “Don’t compete with me in this. Do you not take my reputation of winning every time I gamble seriously?”

“This student doesn’t believe it. It’s a matter of probability.” The young man was red in the face from arguing, but he was left with only one piece of underclothing on his body.

“Take off any more, and you’ll be naked,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

The boy was unafraid, but when Liu Zhenqing lifted the sieve cup, he saw another three sixes. The onlookers who had simply refused to believe it had to admire his unique luck.

His upper body bare, the boy could only drink the last sip of wine with a bashful face, then run away as everyone laughed.

Another person came forward at this time. Liu Zhenqing looked up and thought, wow, the top scholar!

Bai Yu’s face was red, whether because he was nervous or because he’d been drinking. But when Liu Zhenqing saw him coming over with a Rubik’s Cube, he knew what he wanted to play.

“This student would like to compete with the young master.”

“I’ve never lost at this. Do you really want to compete with me?” Liu Zhenqing asked with a smile.

Bai Yu was nervous under Liu Zhenqing’s gaze, and said shyly: “I’ll give it a try.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “That’s fine. Whoever loses…..can pinch the other person’s face.”

Bai Yu was momentarily dumbfounded. His cheeks grew even redder, and he hesitated for a long time, not knowing how to respond.

Liu Zhenqing almost died of laughter when he saw Bai Yu’s expression. Faced with such a cute, soft-natured scholar, the bad-natured Liu Zhenqing liked to tease this type the most.

“That won’t work.” A voice suddenly sounded from behind.

The deep tone of voice made Liu Zhenqing instinctively shiver. Turning his head, he found that it was Huo Fenglie, who had been quietly sitting beside him.

Liu Zhenqing: “If removing clothes is fine, what’s wrong with pinching someone’s face?”

Bai Su looked around from the sidelines. Although he knew his older brother was delighted to interact with his idol, he wouldn’t be able to bear such close contact. Besides, Huo Fenglie was a jealous person and wouldn’t even allow others to collect Liu Zhenqing’s paintings, much less something like this.

People could take their clothes off themselves, but Liu Zhenqing would use his hand to pinch. How could they be the same?

Huo Fenglie rarely opposed Liu Zhenqing’s ideas. When he was questioned, Huo Fenglie was unable to give an explanation, and could only lower his eyes and say: “It’s inappropriate.”

Seeing Huo Fenglie’s reaction, Liu Zhenqing felt a little uncomfortable for some reason: “Then how about drawing a few strokes on his face?”

Huo Fenglie was speechless, but Bai Yu nodded in agreement.

There was no suspense in this competition. Although it was a difficult Rubik’s Cube and a contest of restoration speed, Liu Zhenqing still completely crushed Bai Yu.

After three consecutive rounds, Bai Yu had a moon on his forehead and a flower on either cheek. Due to the red shade of Bai Yu’s face, they looked like roses in full bloom.

Liu Zhenqing smiled as he put down the brush. He wanted to have a few more words with Bai Yu.

At that moment, another person appeared: “Student Ji Qinglin would also like to challenge you.”

Liu Zhenqing recognized this person as the second place scholar, but he was a little perplexed. Was he trying to show off in front of the crown prince’s favorite? But this wasn’t a very smart way to do it. After all, Liu Zhenqing had just competed against Bai Yu, and his overwhelming prowess was evident to everyone. There would be no suspense in challenging him again. It was purely a waste of time. Anyone else would think that this student was a little stupid.

And judging by his essays, he should be a calm, thoughtful person, so Liu Zhenqing was a little confused by his rash behavior.

But it was just entertainment, so Liu Zhenqing didn’t think about it too deeply. Instead, he tugged at Bai Yu next to him and said jokingly: “What do you think? How does the second place scholar compare to you in this aspect?”

Bai Yu regarded Ji Qinglin with some surprise: “Ji-xiong doesn’t seem to have played this before? I have no idea.”

“Ji Qinglin, aren’t you always studying hard and doing odd jobs around the Imperial Academy? Do you still have time to play?”

“Sure enough, the runner-up is amazing. He dares to show off in front of the young master despite never showing up before.”

“Ji Qinglin, Bai Yu is the best at this. Are you sure you want to go up and embarrass yourself?”

Even when facing the second place scholar, everyone spoke in unfriendly tones. This was actually due to the atmosphere in the court. The old emperor had previously allowed the trend to shift toward relying on power, influence, and background, rather than ability, but the situation improved once the Crown Prince came into power. Otherwise, based on Ji Qinglin’s birth, he might not have been able to take the Imperial Examinations and achieve second place.

But even so, everyone saw this runner up as a nobody due to his lack of a family background. In the end, he would only be able to get a minor official position, and his future wouldn’t be superior to those of them with strong family backgrounds.

“Whether he embarrasses himself or not, you’ll know after the competition.” Bai Yu suddenly spoke out on Ji Qinglin’s behalf. “Ji-xiong is very capable. Even if he hasn’t played much, he may not be bad at it.”

Ji Qinglin immediately raised his eyes toward Bai Yu, but there were no extraneous emotions on his face.

Liu Zhenqing smiled. He could see that Bai Yu wasn’t very fond of Ji Qinglin. Not that he disliked him – he just had no affection for him. But Bai Yu hated such oppression, and was still willing to speak up for him in the spirit of fairness and recognize his abilities. Liu Zhenqing was liking this pure, upright child more and more.

“Come, how do you want to compete?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“Let’s compete by solving the Rubik’s Cube blind,” Ji Qinglin said.

Everyone exclaimed when he said this, and even Huo Fenglie behind him asked in surprise: “Solve it blind?”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his smile grew even brighter: “Okay. Then whoever loses, their punishment will be the same as Bai Yu’s.”

Ji Qinglin nodded in agreement.

Blind solving required a person to quickly memorize the shuffled Rubik’s Cube, then restore it to its original state relying only on memory. The difficulty was many times higher than before.

When the memorization time ended, Liu Zhenqing asked Huo Fenglie to cover his eyes with a cloth. Ji Qinglin had a Rubik’s Cube in his hand, so it was inconvenient for him to blindfold himself, but nobody seemed to be willing to come forward and help him. Finally, Bai Yu stepped forward and blindfolded him with a handkerchief.

Then he said politely: “You can do it.”

Ji Qinglin tensed up for a moment before nodding.

At the word “start,” the two of them began to rapidly move their hands, fingers flying. The surroundings went from noisy to completely silent.

At last, Liu Zhenqing removed his blindfold and peered at the Rubik’s Cube in his hand without any surprise. Someone began to announce that the competition was over, but Liu Zhenqing stopped them.

Liu Zhenqing looked over at Ji Qinglin with a smile. The other party had a focused expression on his face, and was just moments away from finishing.

When the last twist was completed, he removed his blindfold excitedly, but when he looked toward the other side, he realized that he had lost and lowered his hands somewhat dejectedly: “I lost.”

But Bai Yu suddenly called out in amazement: “You were amazing. You were only a little bit behind!”

Stunned, Ji Qinglin stared up at the delighted Bai Yu. Bai Yu even approached him and clasped his arm, which became as stiff as stone.

Liu Zhenqing took the lead in applauding: “You’re the first person able to keep up with me to this extent.”

In the wake of Liu Zhenqing’s applause, the others could only do the same.

Huo Fenglie glanced at Liu Zhenqing when he heard this. If he could do it, he’d be able to earn Qing-ge’s appreciation? Had he known earlier, he would have practiced well.

Although this student was good, he had still lost. Liu Zhenqing called him over and drew a sun on his forehead since they had only played one round.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t play anything else after this, just leaving the two of them to talk.

Bai Yu clearly admired Liu Zhenqing very much, but Ji Qinglin didn’t seem to feel anything. He’d competed out of a genuine desire to defeat Liu Zhenqing, and had a competitive mentality.

Liu Zhenqing was of a mind that he couldn’t just come here to play without accomplishing anything. He still needed to look for talents for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so the most important thing was to ask about future ambitions.

“Don’t talk about righteously petitioning on behalf of the common people. You’re so young – how can you understand their suffering? I don’t believe it.” Liu Zhenqing didn’t play by the rules, and immediately denied the conventional answer.

Bai Yu and Ji Qinglin were taken aback, and Bai Yu momentarily didn’t know how to answer. After all, he was still very nervous in front of his idol.

Ji Qinglin looked back at him and answered straightforwardly: “This student doesn’t know where to start. Asking about my future ambitions……”

Liu Zhenqing knew that this student was intelligent. Ji Qinglin had noticed that Liu Zhenqing was a casual person, and dared to speak in such a roundabout way because of this. Such a cautious person who knew how to read people’s expressions would surely rise and develop rapidly in a peaceful era. And if he encountered a turbulent era, he would likely choose to lie dormant and advance slowly.

With the Crown Prince ascending the throne in the future, it seemed there would be no problem for this person in terms of promotion. 

“As for me, I eat, drink, and have fun, and travel all over the world, helping others when I see injustice. I do what I want and go with the flow,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile. 

When he said this, the other two instantly felt relieved. Since the Crown Prince’s favorite minister was so “unambitious,” they could say whatever they wanted.

“In fact, I don’t know what I’m going to do in the long run. If my father agrees, my one ambition right now is to complete a map of the country. Great Zhou has vast mountains and rivers, and beautiful scenery. I want to make a record of it.” Bai Yu wore a look of longing as he spoke of this.

The reason Bai Yu admired Liu Zhenqing so much was not only because of his superior intelligence, but also because of his free and easy personality. It could be said that he did exactly as he pleased. Such a free-spirited person was very precious to Bai Yu, who didn’t want to follow the traditional path of his family, and wanted to pursue his ideals, but lacked the will to fight.

Liu Zhenqing nodded and said: “I hear you’re good at painting, right? Painting also requires traveling – perhaps we can travel together.”

“Really?” Bai Yue was instantly energized.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and nodded: “Then we’ll plan on it.”

However, Huo Fenglie and Qi Jinglin on the side went tense.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t see Huo Fenglie behind him, but he noticed Ji Qinglin’s reaction. He seemed to have realized something, and asked with a smile: “What about you?”

---

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(Alt Universe) Extra 15 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 17

There was no need to go to the company on the weekend, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have to work. Pei Xi remained in the study all morning, dealing with the documents in his mailbox.

He Chuzhou sat opposite him for a while with a digital notebook in his hands. It was unknown if he was working or doing something else, but he was typing on the keyboard, sounding busy but looking idle.

But he was sensitive enough to keep quiet and not disturb him.

Pei Xi was alone in the study during the afternoon. He could hear the occasional sounds of a man and a dog playing in the living room. However, after encountering a decision-making problem, he fell into a long period of contemplation and simply didn’t hear anything.

He was naturally unaware that He Chuzhou had entered the study, standing behind him and staring at his computer screen.

In the end, He Chuzhou took the initiative to speak: “Honey, if you’re still hesitating over whether or not to purchase that small company, my advice is to not go through with it.”

Pei Xi realized He Chuzhou was behind him, and in the face of this dilemma, he asked casually: “Why is that?”

“Because this company clearly no longer has value.”

He Chuzhou leaned over the back of Pei Xi’s chair. With his gaze fixed on the document on the screen, he said slowly and clearly: 

“The company isn’t small in scale, but it’s been stagnant for a long time with no expansion. They’ve even closed branches in major cities one after another, which shows that the issue is not with management, but that their technology has reached a bottleneck that they’ve been unable to break through.”

“As for external aspects, their product isn’t very unique, and many substitutes can be easily found on the market. They have poor innovation ability and think they can survive forever by sticking with the old system, but in fact, they were abandoned by the market long ago. If they had a glimmer of hope, they wouldn’t have ended up being acquired today.”

“If you acquire it and don’t change the direction of its operations, you’ll have to take over the old-fashioned management team. It’ll take a lot of manpower and material resources to drain it out before injecting fresh blood. The cost is too high and the loss too great.”

Pei Xi could admit that he didn’t have much hope for He Chuzhou at first, but the more he listened, the more he felt like something wasn’t right.

It wasn’t that He Chuzhou’s words were wrong. On the contrary, he was exactly right. This caused him to almost instantly give up his acquisition plan, which really added to the feeling of wrongness.

He quickly replied to the email, and couldn’t help but turn to look at He Chuzhou: “You…..”

He Chuzhou raised an eyebrow: “Me?”

Pei Xi attempted to organize some polite and euphemistic words: “Have you also considered acquiring this company, and your assistant told you about this in advance?”

“No, ah. Isn’t this something not worth considering at a glance?”

He Chuzhou was puzzled: “And why would my assistant tell me in advance?”

He said: “Yun Ji’s brain isn’t able to consider such things yet. When it comes to acquisitions or investments, he always uses my wealth as an excuse to persuade me to spend money and cast a wide net. After all, if you cast a wide net, you’ll eventually catch a big fish.”

This was different from what Pei Xi knew.

No, it should be said that this was different from the rumors Pei Xi had heard in the past.

But the questionable point was also obvious: “Your assistant gives you such casual advice?”

He Chuzhou stroked his chin thoughtfully: “He certainly doesn’t make a good assistant.”

Pei Xi didn’t understand: “What kind of identity does he have?”

He Chuzhou: “He’s my cousin, ah. He said this when he came to my house to play mahjong during the New Year.”

Cousin…..??

Pei Xi was truly astounded this time. He sat up a little straighter and looked at He Chuzhou in surprise: “Your assistant is your cousin?”

“Yeah, his major is suitable, and his ability is just enough. There should be no problem at all after a couple years of training. But, Honey,” He Chuzhou hissed, “shouldn’t you know all this? It was Yun Ji who brought us the rings with He Xingxing at our wedding. Have you forgotten?”

…..It would be strange if he remembered, right?

So out of all the rumors he’d heard about this person, only those about his face were true?

He was stunned speechless. 

Seeing that he was silent, He Chuzhou’s expression dimmed and he said: “Right, you must have been really reluctant to marry me, so you didn’t even notice such an obvious thing.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi closed his eyes: “He Chuzhou, are you a part-time publicity copywriter for the company in addition to being the CEO?”

He Chuzhou: “No, ah, I don’t know how to copywrite. Why do you ask?”

Pei Xi was uncomprehending: “Isn’t that why you can make up such a detailed story?”

He Chuzhou: “Huh? What story?”

It was pointless to discuss this issue with him. Pei Xi couldn’t be bothered to talk nonsense, but after a short silence, he still wanted to ask clearly: “Do you know that people outside spread rumors about you?”

He Chuzhou: “I know a little bit about it.”

Pei Xi: “How much is a little bit?”

He Chuzhou: “That I’m uneducated, lazy, and a lustful playboy?”

Pei Xi: “Since you know, why don’t you make things clear?”

“Who should I make things clear to? And why should I give an explanation at all?”

He Chuzhou said in a relaxed tone: “They’re just rumors. They won’t actually affect my life. Not only does this make competitors less vigilant toward me, but it also lets me play the pig to eat the tiger when negotiating with partners. Isn’t it great?”

Pei Xi: “…..”

Pei Xi: “………”

It turned out that for so long, he had been controlled by such a trick.

He Cuzhou didn’t forget his original purpose: “Oh, right. Mom called and asked if we want to go home for dinner today.”

“No.” Pei Xi was still depressed.

“Okay then.” He Chuzhou didn’t force it.

Pei Xi sensed the figure hanging over the back of his chair disappear, but he didn’t hear anyone exit.

He didn’t know what He Chuzhou was doing behind his back. When he turned around, he heard He Chuzhou calmly explain to someone on the other end of the phone: “Mom, my wife and I are busy tonight, so we won’t be coming over. We’ll come to visit next week.”

Pei Xi’s mind went instantly blank.

The person on the other end of the phone was likely in a similar state, and didn’t say anything for a long time.

When Pei Xi realized that something might be wrong, a roar like a gust of wind howled out of the phone, clearly audible despite not being on speakerphone: 

“Wife? You brat, when did you get a wife?!”

“You got married and didn’t tell your mother? Or did you secretly learn some shady things outside and want to dangle it in my face?”

“Who is your wife? Do you have the guts to show me? Forget, I’ll come and see for myself!”

“I’m warning you, if you try to run away with that person and leave me empty-handed, I’ll send your head flying!”

When the call ended, Pei Xi was in a state of chaos.

He looked at He Chuzhou, who was shaking his head and thinking he’d made a misstep, and it took him a while to find his voice: “Aren’t you afraid your mother will leave empty-handed and send your head flying?”

He Chuzhou raised the phone toward him: “No, I’ve already sent her the address here.”

Pei Xi: “………”

Pei Xi: “ ? ? ? ? ? ”

This situation was truly unbearable. Pei Xi raised his voice by a degree: “What should I do when your mother comes over? Are you really going to inform her…..He Chuzhou, is there something wrong with your brain?!”

There was indeed something wrong with He Chuzhou’s brain. Even at this moment, he could still use his imagined narrative to comfort Pei Xi: “Honey, it’s okay. My mom would have found out sooner or later. She’s a really nice person, she’ll like you.”

He sighed and said: “Actually, I wanted to tell my parents when we got married, but I kept it a secret because I was afraid you would be uncomfortable and nervous. I figured the truth would eventually be exposed, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon.”

He didn’t expect this?

Didn’t he just openly say ‘my wife’ to his mother? And the key point was: “How could you hide a big event like marriage from your parents?”

He Chuzhou: “Honey, I’m an adult now. Isn’t it normal to hide important things?”

Okay, okay, okay. Never mind.

Pei Xi comforted himself. The problem wasn’t that big, and the matter wasn’t that complicated. Everything could be explained.

Besides, he should have explained his situation to his parents a long while ago, and he’d been confused these past two days. But wait, he suddenly recalled: “Didn’t you say your parents are abroad and won’t be back anytime soon?”

He Chuzhou touched his nose, his gaze drifting silently away.

Pei Xi ground his back molars and said: “He Chuzhou.”

He Chuzhou: “Oh, Xinxing’s water is out. Wait a minute, Honey, I’ll go get Xingxing some water. Son, are you thirsty? Come to your dad!”

He quickly slipped away.

At this point, Pei Xi couldn’t be bothered to care.

The most important thing right now was to figure out how to get rid of He Chuzhou when his mother came over, so that he could explain things to her alone.

But he didn’t foresee that He Chuzhou’s mother would arrive so quickly. Pei Xi didn’t hear the doorbell in time, which gave He Chuzhou the opportunity to open the door.

When he heard the noise and came out, He Chuzhou was blocking the door as he gave a stern warning to the person outside: “Let me make this clear first – you can meet Xixi, but you can’t be mean to him or criticize him, and you can’t persuade us to get a divorce.”

“Although I forced him to marry me, we’re together now, and what was supposed to happen has already happened. He’s the only one I like. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to break us up.”

Pei Xi really wanted to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming.

He bit the bullet and walked toward the door, but within a few steps, he heard the same roar that had come over the phone that morning: “You even learned how to coerce a lover?!”

“You forced someone to marry you?! Are you a bandit leader or a member of royalty?!”

“You’d better explain clearly what wicked things you’ve done behind my back!”

A heavy silence filled the area near the door.

Suddenly, a gloating, curious head popped up behind He Chuzhou’s mother.

The young girl’s big eyes darted around. After walking around her mother, she caught sight of Pei Xi, who was standing petrified in the back, and her eyes immediately widened.

*

*

Pei Xi: “The tea is out. Go out and buy some.”

He Chuzhou: “That’s okay. My mom and sister don’t drink tea, just give them boiled water.”

Pei Xi: “I want to drink it.”

He Chuzhou: “Ah? But if I leave, you’ll be alone with my mom and sister…..”

Pei Xi: “Don’t worry about me. I’ll explain everything to your mother, so you don’t need to stay here and add fuel to the fire.”

He Chuzhou: “What I mean is, you won’t be persuaded by them to divorce me again, right?”

Pei Xi: “…..”

He Chuzhou: “When I get back from buying tea, will you still be my wife?”

Pei Xi’s expression was blank: “If you don’t leave, I’ll stop being your wife now.”

He Chuzhou held his breath and quickly went to purchase tea.

Pei Xi returned to the living room. Facing the two pairs of eyes staring at him, he hesitated before simply taking a seat on the single sofa next to him. Looking toward the mother and daughter, he said in neither a humble nor arrogant manner: “Mrs. He, there’s been a misunderstanding. He Chuzhou and I aren’t married, nor are we in a relationship.”

“He only moved in here because of an accident, and he said those things purely because there is something wrong with his brain.”

. . . . .

He Chuzhou was very worried that his wife and his sister and mother, who had never met before, would end up in an uncontrollable situation, so he bought a bag of tea nearby and hurried back.

Unexpectedly, when he got home, Mrs. Chu and He Aiyue were already saying goodbye to Pei Xi.

“You’re leaving?” He was deeply surprised. When had his mom become so easy to get rid of?

“If we don’t leave, should we stay here? You’re crazy.”

Mrs. Chu had regained her noble, elegant demeanor. Holding her handbag, she looked her son up and down, then rolled her eyes and said: “I knew you couldn’t have successfully gotten yourself a wife. Tsk.”

That lackey He Aiyue hid behind her mother and nodded vigorously: “Oh, oh, oh, exactly, exactly.”

He Chuzhou didn’t understand: “That’s my wife, ah, what are you talking about?”

Ms. Chu had no need to reply to him. She said goodbye to Pei Xi with a smile, but when she turned toward He Chuzhou, her smile faded again. With a cold scoff, she walked out.

He Chuzhou glanced at Pei Xi, who was reclining on the sofa and calmly looking at his phone. After some thought, he followed his mother to the door, and after making sure he was in Pei Xi’s blind spot, he whispered to Mrs. Chu: “Mom, you didn’t say any nonsense to Xixi, did you?”

Mrs. Chu glared at him: “What nonsense would I say?”

He Chuzhou: “You didn’t persuade him to divorce me, did you?”

Mrs. Chu was momentarily speechless, then rolled her eyes even harder: “You really should marry him at some point.”

He Chuzhou: “Huh?”

Mrs. Chu: “Nothing. I’m leaving.”

He Aiyue happily followed her high-heeled steps down the hallway.

When passing by He Chuzhou, she tugged at his clothes and gave him a thumbs up, whispering: “Boss He, this is an opportunity from heaven, ah. Whether you can really turn over a new leaf depends on your own power of understanding!”

“I’m very satisfied with this sister-in-law. So is Mom! Go for it and win him over, I’ll give you half my New Year’s money in the future!”

The brain-addled He Chuzhou naturally didn’t understand what the mother and daughter were talking about, but it didn’t matter. He would understand everything once he got a good sleep and woke up. 

He was a forgetful person when drunk, but this experience seemed to let him remember things when he was out of his mind.

First he recalled the stupid things he’d done so enthusiastically., and then he called Mrs. Chu and got a scolding. Once he felt better, he finally went to Pei Xi and apologized for his missing brains.

The sober He Chuzhou was so tactful, polite, and sincere that Pei Xi was unable to vent his anger. It also caused him to reflect on whether he had treated the brain-addled He Chuzhou too harshly.

Was it possible to be more tolerant?

But the brain-addled He Chuzhou was so foolish that two out of three sentences that came from his mouth were a minefield, and the remaining sentence repeatedly challenged his bottom line.

However, He Chuzhou was aware of the trouble he had caused him, so he not only gave up competing with him for Mr. Zhang’s land, but also handed him several other decent projects…..

Pei Xi naturally didn’t want his things, but that didn’t stop him from reflecting on his own deception abilities in comparison to He Chuzhou’s frankness.

Ultimately, he couldn’t bear the pressure he put on himself and accepted his fate with an apology: “You don’t have to feel so guilty. I was actually at fault first. I’m sorry for misunderstanding you before.”

He Chuzhou: “Misunderstanding me? How did you misunderstand me?”

Pei Xi averted his gaze: “I believed all of those outside rumors before…..which is why I treated you so badly. I apologize.”

He Chuzhou was rather puzzled at first, but seeing Pei Xi’s rare awkward expression and recalling the questions he’d asked him in the study the other day, he instantly understood and even felt a little amused.

He was “famous” on the outside. Everyone in the circle was familiar with him, but because of so-called inclusivity and like-mindedness, they stuffed people into his bed. Perhaps they thought it was harmless, or even understood and respected it.

He’d never thought someone would dislike him because of this.

How could he describe this feeling?

It was as if everyone’s ideologies and morality assimilated after entering society, to the point that they could turn a blind eye to behaviors that fell below the standard. Pei Xi, however, was firmly upright and correct, and was unable to tolerate any moral corruption.

He couldn’t say the former were in the wrong for adapting to their social environment, but the latter was certainly worthy of praise. And because the person was Pei Xi, there also seemed to be an element of indescribable…..cuteness?

That might not be the right word to describe a grown man.

But at the thought of Pei Xi, who was haughty and condescending in front of him thinking “This person’s moral standards are too low, I can’t associate with him,” he couldn’t hold it in.

Pei Xi was already feeling uncomfortable, and frowned when he saw his expression: “What are you smiling about?”

“I’m not.” He Chuzhou tried hard to hold himself back. “I’m not smiling, I’m thinking.”

Pei Xi didn’t believe him: “What are you thinking about?”

He Chuzhou: “I’m thinking that, if you disliked me so much, why did you agree to let me stay here in the first place? Why didn’t you just toss out my luggage and kick me out?”

However, regarding this issue, Pei Xi’s answer was also very earnest: “Because you act really kind and upright when you’re brain-addled, which is very different from…..from how I thought you were.”

“Pfft!” This time, He Chuzhou couldn’t hold it in.

Pei Xi stared blankly, very much uncomprehending: “What are you laughing at?”

He Chuzhou: “Pei Xi, have you always been so innocent and soft-hearted?”

Pei Xi: “What?”

He Chuzhou: “Nothing.”

The corners of He Chuzhou’s mouth curved up. His eyes seemed to be soaked in laughter, softened into a pool of water overflowing with peach blossoms: “What I mean is, you’re really cute.

---

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Extra 4 << Table of Contents >> Extra 6

Chapter 19 – Competition

“Shixiong, I’m going!”

Fang Yang had an eager expression on his face as he called out to Feng Ye.

Feng Ye smiled and made a cheering gesture: “You can do it.”

After he said this, Fang Yang turned and jumped onto the fighting stage with swift movements.

The stage was a stone platform about half a meter above the ground and twenty meters wide. It wasn’t large, but it was big enough to display one’s fighting prowess.

There were 16 stages of the same size in the arena, and the competitions were conducted separately on each stage. Some were faster and some were slower, so the progress across those 16 stages was not consistent.

The assignment of opponents was completely random, and the loser was eliminated without a second chance.

This was a great test of luck. After all, if one were like the person fighting against Fang Yang, and encountered a champion-level player in the first round, they would definitely have no chance to enter the Floating Island Secret Realm.

Fang Yang was already standing onstage when the referee shouted three times: “Zhou Liang? Is Zhou Liang here? Zhou Liang! If you don’t come up, you automatically forfeit!”

Once this ultimatum was given, the junior disciple named Zhou Liang appeared and slowly climbed up on the stage with a look of reluctance on his face.

“He’s at the fifth level of Qi Refining. He had a chance at a spot, but was unlucky enough to hit a wall in the first round. What a pity, ah.” Hao Chen said sarcastically, fanning himself.

Hearing this, Feng Ye chuckled faintly with a hint of disdain.

Hao Chen heard the disdain in his laughter and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, asking: “Has Fellow Daoist Feng Ye found something wrong with what I just said?”

Feng Ye looked at the dilly-dallying Zhou Liang who was reluctant to compete onstage, and replied with a shake of his head: “He knows how strong his opponent is, so he doesn’t have the courage to fight. Even if he did go to the Floating Island Secret Realm, there is a high probability that he would die there, so it’s better that he doesn’t go. There is nothing to pity.”

Hao Chen actually agreed with Feng Ye’s words. The gap between the fifth and seventh levels of Qi Refining was not absolute, and Zhou Liang was fully capable of competing with Fang Yang.

But looking at the situation onstage, Fang Yang and Zhou Liang had already begun to fight. Zhou Liang likely felt that he had already been defeated, so his moves were very passive, and he didn’t even take the initiative to attack. He didn’t have the slightest drive to win.

He had not been destined to lose, but his cowardice cemented his loss in stone.

Although he thought this way, Hao Chen felt that such an overly childish competition between junior disciples was too boring, and couldn’t help but argue with Feng Ye. He said with hidden meaning: “If you know how powerful your opponent is, sometimes retreat is the better option.”

Feng Ye’s gaze shifted from the martial arts arena to Hao Chen, and he nodded in agreement instead of refuting.

Hao Chen suddenly felt a little bored. The whole reason he was interested in Feng Ye was that this person could compete with him on equal terms in areas other than strength, providing him with the excitement of having a worthy rival.

But once Feng Ye stopped arguing with him, he just felt confusingly empty and bored.

This sort of mentality was generally called “masochism” in the outside world.

Just when Hao Chen had somewhat lost hope, Feng Ye suddenly changed the subject: “However…..”

Hao Chen’s eyes immediately lit up. Not only because Feng Ye was refuting him, but because of the man’s expression at that moment.

His facial features should have been ordinary, but his eyebrows rose like small swords when he spoke and his black eyes flashed with something between confidence and arrogance. Like fireworks exploding in the night sky or the scorching sun breaking through the clouds, his entire being lit up in Hao Chen’s eyes.

“No matter strength or weakness, the battle comes first.” One corner of Feng Ye’s lips rose as he spoke, three parts unruly and seven parts arrogant.

That raised arc was like the edge of a sword, arousing Hao Chen’s fighting spirit while also poking him lightly in the heart.

He wondered what this fellow looked like in his original form. This notion that had nothing to do with the topic at hand suddenly popped into Hao Chen’s mind.

After thinking about it, he tapped his fan with some regret. If the body this person possessed was a bit better-looking and met his minimum standards, he might have been attracted to him just now.

Prime Minister Turtle would probably cry his eyes out if this fossil-level North Sea bachelor was finally no longer single.

Unfortunately, there was no ‘if.’ No matter what Feng Ye’s original appearance was, Hao Chen really couldn’t be moved by the face he currently possessed. He was vain not only in regard to himself, but also in regard to his partner. 

Feng Ye had no idea that Hao Chen was inwardly criticizing him. His mind had already run tens of thousands of li away.

He continued to watch the match in the ring. Just as he’d expected, Zhou Liang adopted a defensive stance, and although it took some time, Fang Yang found an opening and eliminated him with one blow.

“Fang Yang wins!” The referee announced.

“Shixiong, I won!” After his victory, Fang Yang immediately jumped down from the ring to tell Feng Ye the good news.

Feng Ye actually had a lot to say. He wanted to say that Zhou Liang had revealed his weakness long before, and that Fang Yang could have ended the battle faster. Dragging it out for so long was a complete waste of time.

But he glanced at Hao Chen to the side, who had his head down thinking about who knew what, and could only inwardly lament the trouble this piece of sticky candy was causing him.

In the end, Feng Ye could only compliment him contrary to his convictions: “Very impressive.”

Fang Yang thought he really was that impressive, and happily displayed his big white teeth.

It had been almost a shichen since the competition had begun. Almost all of the junior disciples who signed up for the competition had finished their first round matches, and the number of people was reduced by half. Most of those remaining possessed some ability, and at least wouldn’t just be eyesores taking up space.

Right then, the two most distinguished people in Lingxiao Sword Sect, Sect Leader Ji Chengyue and Elder Zhou Zhiqing finally arrived late.

As soon as they arrived, they took their seats on a nearly five-meter high platform on one side of the arena, where they had a sweeping view of all sixteen rings.

Ji Chengyue and Elder Zhou sat to the left and right. There were two others accompanying them, namely Sect Leader Ji’s personal disciples, Xue Ren and Cao Zirui. 

Xue Ren had an easygoing appearance. His looks weren’t particularly outstanding, but because of the humble smile always hanging at the corners of his lips, he seemed very approachable. This caused people to like him quite a bit, and he was also good at dealing with others.

When Sect Leader Ji and Elder Zhou sat down, Xue Ren saw that there was no tea on the table and immediately told a disciple beside him to prepare some. And seeing that the sun was so intense today, he also diligently asked someone to procure an umbrella for shade.

And Cao Zirui, who had been standing aside with his sword in his arms, seemed much more indifferent in comparison. He neither took the initiative to serve tea or water to the two elders, nor did he worry about whether his shifu and elder would get hot in the sun.

Although he was a genius in cultivation, when it came to dealing with people, he likely wouldn’t even receive passing marks. To put it politely, he had a cold personality. To put it bluntly, he had no manners and didn’t know how to respect his teachers and elders.

But contrary to expectations, Sect Leader Ji had a completely different viewpoint than the average person. When he saw Xue Ren busying around, not only was he not pleased, but he was actually somewhat angry. He scolded with a frown: “That’s enough. You are not a servant, and what you’re doing is a waste of time. When you have time, learn more from your shidi and put more effort into your cultivation.”

Xue Ren’s originally cheerful face momentarily stiffened, and the hands hanging by his sides clenched tightly.

And Cao Zirui turned a deaf ear to his shifu’s criticism of his shixiong and praise of himself. He just stood there silently with an indifferent expression.

Elder Zhou saw that the atmosphere was a little awkward and tried to smooth things over: “It’s not a waste of time. I’m thirsty, so a cup of tea is just right.”

Sect Leader Ji stopped talking when Elder Zhou interrupted him, but he didn’t give Xue Ren a good look either.

Xue Ren waited for the tea to be served, and after personally presenting it to Elder Zhou and his shifu, he stood quietly aside.

Whether intentionally or not, he specially chose a position far away from Cao Zirui.

---

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Chapter 18 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 20

Huo Fenglie knew they were coming to the Peach Blossom Banquet and originally wanted to pick them up, but the students still had duties to carry out, and he missed them.

While walking toward Huo Fenglie’s dormitory, Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “Lao Chen rolled his eyes just now, but I saw that our achievements and deeds are on the list of outstanding people outside. It’s obvious that he actually likes us, but the old man is stubborn.”

Li Xingruo said: “It would be strange for him to like you. The old man had high hopes for you to become the next number one scholar back then, but you kept delaying year after year, and in the end, you took seventh place. I heard that he was so angry that he couldn’t eat for several days, and lost a lot of weight. When he saw you just now, he couldn’t help but reach for a ruler. If there weren’t so many people around, he probably would have beaten you on sight.”

Liu Zhenqing’s lips curved as he said: “How do you have the nerve to say that to me? I heard that you went to treat him after he couldn’t eat for several days, saying that you had invented a new acupuncture method to stimulate the appetite, but you ended up causing the old man to vomit and have diarrhea.”

Li Xingruo immediately retorted: “Didn’t he eventually have an appetite? This proves that the direction of my experimentation was effective.”

“If you can’t eat, you’ll starve to death, okay?” Liu Zhenqing retorted.

As he spoke, he heard Huo Feihan behind him burst into laughter.

The two immediately turned around and leveled fierce looks at him.

Huo Feihan was frightened, and quickly said: “I didn’t do anything back then.”

As a result, their eyes narrowed dangerously.

Huo Feihan came to a realization and clapped his hands in annoyance: “How could I have done nothing?”

The three of them were one. Since the old man held a grudge against two of them, how could Huo Feihan be left out? Being hated together was the heroic spirit of loyalty.

This was not the first time they had come to Er-gou’s dorms. As soon as they entered, they found that there were many more martial arts poles in the courtyard, many of which had been shattered to pieces.

“It seems Er-gou’s interest in martial arts has grown,” Liu Zhenqing said. These things were present in the courtyard when he and Huo Feihan lived there, and Huo Feihan would train hard after classes.

“En, though studying is fine, he still prefers martial arts.” Huo Feihan stepped forward to inspect a pole. “It’s new, but it broke so quickly? It looks like he’s been working particularly hard lately.”

“Of course. Only when there is competition will there be urgency,” Li Xingruo said with a sly smile.

Something also occurred to Huo Feihan, and his mouth twitched.

Liu Zhenqing considered this and said: “Because of Liu Qiao? The two are about the same age, and Er-gou is also quite talented in martial arts, but Liu Qiao’s talent is extraordinary. There’s little point in competing with such a talented person.”

“Don’t say that in front of Er-gou, or these poles will be broken even faster,” Li Xingruo said with a smile.

The three of them approached the house and knocked on the door. It was Bai Su who opened it.

Bai Su was naturally familiar with them, and was quick to greet them nervously: “Are the three of you here for Fenglie? He was called away by a teacher to take care of something, but he’ll be back in a while. Please come in first.”

“Sorry to bother you. By the way, congratulations,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Bai Su was stunned, then said shyly: “Thank you on behalf of my brother.”

Bai Su’s elder brother had just passed the Imperial Examinations and had a promising future. However, Liu Zhenqing had read his essays in the East Palace and felt that Bai Yu’s writing exuded a sense of freedom and innocence, which wasn’t suitable for officialdom. And although he wasn’t as talented as Bai Yu, the essays of the runner up, Ji Qinglin, contained hidden profundity. Such a person was most suited to officialdom.

But he’d heard that Ji Qinglin didn’t have any background. He had been born in the Imperial Academy, and the dean took pity on him for his talent and allowed him to study while working part-time. To be ranked second in the Imperial Examinations was a great honor for him.

Bai Su was of a different generation than them, and was under some pressure because of it, but he still entertained them enthusiastically.

As the older brother, Huo Feihan was naturally concerned over whether his didi had enough daily necessities. Li Xingruo wasn’t as concerned as him, so she just sat and read a book.

Seeing that Bai Su was busily pouring tea for them, Liu Zhenqing immediately told him to stop working. The boy had attractive features, and looked to be a perfect match for Huo Fenglie. Although it would be called puppy love in modern times, it was not so in ancient times, so he said: “Second Young Master Bai has a good relationship with Fenglie, right?”

Bai Su nodded, taken aback.

Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo immediately pricked up their ears to listen.

Liu Zhenqing said: “Then does he have other good friends?”

Bai Su thought for a moment before saying: “Fenglie is quite popular, even though he doesn’t like to talk. But speaking of who he gets along with, other than me, there’s another young man named He Lan who often comes to visit him.”

“He Lan?” Liu Zhenqing turned to look at Huo Feihan.

“The child of the commander of the Jinyiwei,” Huo Feihan said after some thought.

Liu Zhenqing seemed to have some impression of him as a naughty little devil. Feeling that the possibility was slim, he just smiled and beckoned to Bai Su.

With Liu Zhenqing’s looks, he could make a person blush with only a smile. Bai Su indeed blushed as he moved closer: “What is it?”

“Come on, tell gege, does Fenglie have someone he likes here?” Liu Zhenqing asked coaxingly.

As Huo Fenglie’s big brother, it was natural for him to gossip about him. If Bai Su blushed at this question, it would prove that it was Bai Su whom he liked, and if he didn’t blush, he at least wasn’t disgusted. If he looked confused, it meant he didn’t know anything, and it was useless to ask. And if he looked resistant, that was the worst situation.

But Bai Su didn’t have any of the aforementioned reactions. He was stunned for a moment, and his cheeks did turn slightly red, but he looked at Liu Zhenqing awkwardly and hesitantly, as if he had something to say but was holding it back.

What kind of reaction was this?

Liu Zhenqing peered at him curiously.

Bai Su started to feel guilty, and dared not look Liu Zhenqing in the eye. What should he say when he knew his good brother’s secret and was being asked by the person in question, ah? Could he say that Huo Fenglie was calling out for Qing-ge in his dreams last night because he was excited that he was coming here?

In the end, Bai Su didn’t have the mind of an adult, and with guilty eyes, he glanced toward the place where the secret was most likely to be exposed – a framed scroll. But he said: “I don’t know.”

Liu Zhenqing was shrewd, and understood instantly. Bai Su knew, but was unwilling to betray his good brother and tell him. Liu Zhenqing immediately felt even more itchy. He had originally thought that Huo Fenglie was unwilling to tell anyone and wanted to keep it a secret, so Liu Zhenqing would have to be even more careful when spying on him. But now, someone else knew about it when Huo Fenglie wouldn’t even tell the people closest to him. Liu Zhenqing was absolutely unwilling to accept this.

Seeing Bai Su’s eyes drifting toward the frame, he wondered if that scroll contained a portrait of his sweetheart, or if it was a painting drawn by them.

Liu Zhenqing got the gist of it and let Bai Su off. As if fearing that he would be interrogated again, Bai Su simply fled.

“You’re amazing. You just asked directly?” Li Xingruo made a gesture of admiration toward him.

“Didn’t it get us a clue?” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo looked at him in surprise.

They watched as Liu Zhenqing approached a frame where many scrolls had been collected. Liu Zhenqing chose one at random and began to take a look.

At this moment, Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo couldn’t help but exchange glances, their hearts suspended. They had thought there wouldn’t be anything here. Should they stop him?

But neither of them took any action, just watching on nervously.

As the scroll opened, a familiar figure came into view. Liu Zhenqing stared blankly for a moment before showing the scroll to the two people behind him. 

The two of them immediately stopped breathing.

Liu Zhenqing said in astonishment: “It’s me. This…..”

The two nodded uncomfortably. After all, it was impossible to deny the two obvious moles under that person’s eye.

“How can it be me?” Liu Zhenqing asked in a daze.

At this moment, he didn’t think about such a profound question as ‘why does Huo Fenglie like me?’ He simply wondered why he was in the portrait and who painted it. Why was it him? His brain was sluggish in responding.

His body automatically moved to unroll all of the paintings. They were all of him.

But the painting techniques were all different, and were not from Huo Fenglie’s hand.

Liu Zhenqing was struck dumb. Before his brain could start to function, he heard a wavering voice sound from the door: “Qing-ge?”

Liu Zhenqing’s hand holding a scroll trembled, and he looked at the new arrival with some bewilderment.

For a moment, he didn’t know how to react. He just held the scroll and watched with a blank face as Huo Fenglie rushed over. 

Huo Fenglie’s expression suddenly changed, and he stared blankly for a moment. 

Li Xingruo and Huo Feihan hadn’t expected things to develop like this, and watched anxiously. 

They heard Liu Zhenqing ask with no fluctuations to his voice: “Why are all these portraits of me?”

Caught off guard, Huo Fenglie said reflexively: “Because some people in the Imperial Academy were hiding your portraits without permission. I found out and I…..found a way to get them…..”

Huo Fenglie was telling the truth.

Liu Zhenqing was like a drowning person who was suddenly rescued. He took a deep breath, his mind blank. He had thought it was…..

He was scared to death!

How could it be possible!

Liu Zhenqing immediately laughed: “It seems there are many discerning students in this school collecting my portraits. I was wondering why they were all made by different people. Why not just collect them and burn them? Why keep them all here?”

In fact, this was a very common occurrence. In the capital’s underground painting market, the most popular portraits of beauties were Liu Zhenqing and Jian Shuang, but Jian Shuang rarely appeared in public. And now that she was a concubine in the East Palace, people didn’t dare circulate her portraits. Liu Zhenqing, however, was a public figure, so there were many portraits of him. Some people collected them out of adoration, some collected them to appreciate them, some collected them to practice copying, and others used them as a template for painting other beauties. They were even spread to other countries. In short, Liu Zhenqing was used to this, and it didn’t offend him.

Huo Fenglie stared blankly for a moment, then said bluntly: “Because…..the portraits are of you, ah, how could I…..burn them?”

Liu Zhenqing was momentarily speechless: “Burn them, burn them. Keeping them is too embarrassing, ah.”

Having said this, Liu Zhenqing told Huo Fenglie to bring a brazier to burn the portraits.

Li Xingruo and Huo Feihan watched the entire process in amazement. He’d missed the truth again. Wasn’t Liu Zhenqing supposed to be very intelligent?

He could guess others’ thoughts toward him accurately, but why was he so slow to guess Huo Fenglie’s? Was it because he’d watched him grow up that he never thought about him that way?

But the two of them had grown up with Liu Zhenqing, and they felt that his handling of this matter was rather hasty.

Naturally, they didn’t dare ask questions. After spending some time with Er-gou in his room, it was time for the highlight of the evening – the Peach Blossom Banquet.

---

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(Alt Universe) Extra 14 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 16

Tang De pushed open the door of the Alphas-only smoking room, and a mixture of pheromones composed of seven or eight different scents smacked him in the face.

These upper-class Alphas weren’t smoking nicotine cigarettes, but a rather expensive pheromone activator.

This activator itself had no scent, but after inhalation, the smell of one’s own pheromones became stronger. This not only calmed the nerves, but also elevated one’s attractiveness to Omegas.

The people inside waved as soon as they saw Tang De: “Captain Tang De, you’re finally here. It must have taken you a long time to deal with matters at the court entrance.”

Tang De accepted the cigarette handed to him and took a puff immediately after lighting it. Only then did he feel like he had returned to the realm of scents he was familiar with.

He held the cigarette in his mouth as he grumbled: “I’ve never seen such a bold and reckless person in my life. He dared to kidnap His Highness Oser in public.”

“For a man who killed the Prime Minister’s son and will be executed tomorrow, there should be nothing he dares not do.”

“That’s true.” Tang De slowly blew out a ring of smoke. “To be honest, I rather admire the kid. It’s a pity that my family’s prince doesn’t abide by martial ethics.”

If there was one thing that couldn’t be communicated well, it was the failure to suppress his excessive pheromones.

An Alpha’s pheromones couldn’t be directed at just one person – all of the Alphas and Betas present had been affected.

Every one of the people in this smoking room were mainstays of the empire’s military and political circles, the elite among Alpha elites.

But when it came to His Highness Oser’s pheromones, everyone felt a lingering fear.

“To be honest, when His Highness Oser released his pheromones, I almost vomited from fear.”

“Me too.”

“I did vomit.”

Everyone stared at him in disdain: “……”

This rookie felt embarrassed under their gazes, and tried to save some face: “It was mainly because I ate too much this morning…..”

Fortunately, someone changed the subject: “You should be thankful that His Highness Oser’s ‘charms’ don’t work on Omegas. Otherwise, Captain Tang De would have to shoulder an even heavier burden.”

“It’s because of that ineffectiveness that he’s so unscrupulous. If his pheromones were effective, wouldn’t all the Omegas here be scrambling to bear his children?”

“That’s going too far.” Tang De rapped on the windowsill. “Why did you have to mention children when there are so many other things to talk about? Why make fun of His Highness Oser’s physical defects?”

The person who had mentioned children immediately apologized: “I’m sorry.”

There was an open secret in this country.

Ever since his Alpha characteristics began to develop during puberty, no Omega had ever matched on a pheromone level with the royal family’s sixteenth eldest prince.

Such a situation where an Alpha burned with desire for a highly-matched Omega had never happened to him.

No one cared at first, but as they grew older, other mature Alphas mastered their control over their pheromones and were like fish in water among the opposite sex. His Highness Oser, however, remained the same. Even if he released his pheromones indiscriminately, Omegas were completely unaware.

After a detailed physical examination from the Royal Medical College, a cruel fact was revealed: 

A mutation had occurred in a certain coding sequence in His Highness Oser’s DNA.

As a result of this mutation, there was no known Omega gene that could match his.

Unless the other party had the same genetic mutation, and their mutated genes were complementary.

It was said that the probability of this happening was even lower than the probability of His Highness Oser using medical means to have children on his own.

(Of course, no one dared to actually study this topic.)

He was like a whale with an abnormal frequency. No matter how hard he tried to emit sound waves, he wouldn’t get a response.

The originally harmonious atmosphere of the lounge grew silent, and everyone lowered their heads as if in mourning for such a regrettable event.

Then someone made a noise that sounded like a failed attempt to hold in their laughter.

“Pfft—”

This sound seemed to flip a switch in the room. Everyone laughed uncontrollably, with Tang De laughing the most shamelessly.

“Damn it, you told me not to bring it up, but then you brought it up. How could I hold it in?”

“Captain Tang De, hasn’t the Royal Medical College already figured out how to transform an Alpha into an Omega, and even cultivate pheromones in a targeted manner?”

“Yeah, hurry up and make an Omega for His Highness Oser so that he doesn’t torture us poor Alphas anymore.”

Tang De waved his hand in disdain: “Those were all projects the medical college conducted just to get money from His Highness. This kind of surgery can only be performed if the volunteer themself applies for it. How could an Alpha be desperate enough to change his sexual designation for His Highness Oser?”

“Then only you can do it. After all, you’re the only one who’s able to endure staying at His Highness Oser’s side for so long.”

“Get lost! I see that you have tender, delicate skin. Perhaps you’re the type my family’s prince prefers.”

“What are you talking about? You look so happy about it.”

Tang De: “I’m talking about children—”

Tang De’s words trailed off, and the few people who were laughing just now seemed like they were being strangled.

Oser leaned against the door with his arms folded: “I seem to have heard someone say that they wish to be transformed into an Omega and give birth to a child for me?”

These Alphas who usually called the shots in their respective spheres of influence all looked down submissively. One unlucky fellow was so afraid to move that he nearly burned his fingers on his cigarette.

“I also want to know who adores me so much that he would sacrifice himself for me.”

Oser scanned each face slowly.

“Tang De, is it you?”

Tang De shook his head like a rattle, endeavoring hard to make a nasal sound of rejection.

He glanced at the next person: “Then is it you?”

The man who was called out nearly shook his head straight off. The others hung their heads even lower, fearing that they would become the next ‘lucky one.’ 

“Reporting!”

A portly prison guard saved these unfortunate loud-mouthed Alphas from becoming Omegas.

“Speak.”

“Reporting to His Highness Oser! I am the prison guard responsible for guarding the criminal Ling Yi!”

“En,” Oser responded coolly. “Has he chosen where he wants his monument erected?”

“He hasn’t! His Highness instructed us to try our best to meet his requests!”

“What does he want?”

The prison guard hesitated, wondering whether he should report this information in public.

“Was it an excessive request?”

“Replying to His Highness Oser! I asked him if he wanted me to find an Omega to spend his last night with, and he said! He said…..”

His initially loud voice dropped lower and lower.

Oser’s patience was running out.

“Either speak now or never speak again.”

The prison guard looked left and right in a failed attempt at casualness, pretending not to notice the people in the room. He reported cautiously: 

“He said he wants to see you.”

“Pfft—”

Someone in the lounge couldn’t hold back.

Tang De closed his eyes in despair and turned his head away. No matter who it was, every one of them in this room would be buried on the spot.

Oser’s warning gaze swept over everyone until they didn’t dare make a sound. Then he turned to the prison guard:

“Lead the way.”

. . . . . .

One of the most distinguished people in the empire came in person to a dark underground cell.

The guards he brought with him were packed tightly in the narrow outer room.

The portly prison guard respectfully brought him a chair, and Oser sat down without hesitation.

A musty smell filled the air, and Tang De immediately wished he could chisel out a skylight.

“I heard you wanted to see me?”

Oser certainly wouldn’t be misled by foolish words.

Ling Yi sent a wary look toward the attendant beside him.

“I want to talk to you alone.”

This person had committed the crime of insubordination not long ago. As the captain of His Highness Oser’s guards, although he sometimes gossipped behind his back, Tang De was absolutely meticulous when it came to matters of security.

“Your Highness, this is improper.”

“Stand down,” Oser commanded.

Tang De: “But…..”

Oser waved his hand.

Tang De had no choice but to lead the guards in withdrawing from the underground prison – after checking the integrity of the cell door.

Only two people were left in the dim, enclosed space, with steel bars between them. It seemed difficult to tell who was inside the cage and who was outside.

But Oser was sitting with his legs elegantly crossed, his clothing impeccable.

And Ling Yi was wearing a thin shirt and trousers, with heavy shackles on his wrists. It was obvious who the prisoner was.

“Will you speak now?”

Ling Yi stood behind the bars, just two meters away from Oser.

“I would like to request something from Your Highness.”

“Tell me.”

“I want Your Highness’s power of pardon.”

The room was unusually quiet. After a moment, a light laugh with a hint of ridicule could be heard.

“Do you know what the power of pardon is?”

“Every direct descendant of the Fengdi family has the right to pardon anyone from the death penalty once, at the cost of giving up the throne forever.”

“Since you understand it so clearly, why ask for something you have no chance of receiving?”

“I’m not asking for it for free. I would like to propose an exchange with Your Highness.”

“Don’t you understand that from the moment you were sentenced to death, all of your property was turned over to the state treasury, and even your political rights were taken away from you? You have nothing. What else could you have to exchange?”

There was another brief silence. Ling Yi raised his hands, and the chains on his wrists clinked together.

“I still have…..myself.”

He moved his hands slowly and steadily, undoing the buttons over his chest one by one.

“As long as I can survive, I’m willing to change my biology and become you Omega.”

Oser narrowed his eyes. The atmosphere in the cell became dangerously ambiguous.

“Your Highness possesses a supreme bloodline, power, and status, but you lack this one thing.”

The young Alpha undressed in front of another superior Alpha as seductive lines flowed from his slightly parted lips.

“Wouldn’t you like to have an Omega? Like a normal Alpha?”

“When you release your pheromones, there will be a response.”

“One glance can make a person unwilling to stop.”

Each time he spoke, he undid another button. It seemed as if every movement was carefully designed.

“Implant me with pheromones that match yours. Transform me, mark me, and I will become the one and only Omega for you.”

“I will only react to your pheromones.”

“Only my body will resonate with yours.”

His fingers lingered on the last button, but he had no intention of continuing.

“Isn’t this what you need? Enjoying the most basic rights of an Alpha.”

“I can even make you better than other Alphas.”

“Wouldn’t it be more rewarding to conquer an Omega who was once an Alpha than to merely conquer an Omega?”

Having remained silent throughout the entire process, Oser finally spoke.

“Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

The young Alpha raised his chin, revealing the beautiful line of his neck.

This beauty was completely different from traditional Omega aesthetics, imbued with the unique aggressiveness of an Alpha.

The contours of his bare body were faintly discernable before they finally disappeared in the dim light of the cell.

“I didn’t expect a commoner’s desire to survive to be so strong,” Oser lamented.

“It is precisely because I’m a commoner that I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am today. A royal like you couldn’t imagine it. I can’t bear to sacrifice the past twenty years of hard work because of a scumbag.”

“I thought that a commoner who doesn’t even respect the royal family would break rather than bend.”

“Then you may harbor some misunderstandings about me.” Ling Yi bared his slender neck again. “You know weeds?”

His eyes gleamed faintly in the dark room.

“As long as there is a tiny gap, they will struggle their way out of the ground. No matter how harsh the living environment, they will do their utmost to grow. The wind can’t blow them away. If burned by fire, they grow again. I’m that type of weed.”

Oser gracefully switched the positions of his legs.

“But you are a common weed. What enchantment could make me give up the throne that is within my reach? When I take up that position, there may be many Alphas vying for a bed at the Royal Medical College.”

“The position of empress is certainly attractive, but any Alphas who’ve experienced your pheromones will seriously consider whether the position is worth their life.”

“Trying desperately to please me while offering veiled insults – what kind of behavior is this?”

Ling Yi reflected seriously: “…..Emotional manipulation?”

Oser covered his face and laughed. It was equal parts pleasure and displeasure, mysterious and unpredictable.

“In any case, you didn’t find an Omega to have fun with in the last moments of your life, but cheered me up instead. I’m very touched.”

“I’m being serious.”

Ling Yi placed his hands on the bars.

“The ruler of a country must be impartial and selfless, with the country in his heart. Your Highness might not be suited for this.”

“This is the first time in my life that someone has dared to say such a thing to my face.”

Oser rubbed his forehead.

“Then tell me, if I’m not suited to the position of emperor, what am I suitable for?”

“Being my Alpha.”

The smile on Oser’s face vanished. After a moment, he lowered the hand pressed to his forehead with a cold expression.

“Very moving.”

He stood up, walking step by step toward the person on the other side of the bars.

Powerful Alpha pheromones gusted into his face, and Ling Yi had to use all of his strength to grasp the bars in front of him, trying to feign nonchalance.

He gritted his teeth as he watched Oser approach.

This perilous closeness made his hair stand on end, and his Alpha instincts warned him to flee.

Oser reached his right hand through the bars, slowly approaching his chin.

Twenty centimeters, ten centimeters, one centimeter……

Ling Yi turned his face away at the last moment. He’d thought he had made sufficient mental preparations, but he ultimately succumbed to instinct.

When his first attempt failed, Oser didn’t try again.

“I see that your mind desires to survive, but your body doesn’t seem to agree.”

“I can do it,” Ling Yi defended. “Your Highness’s pheromones are just so strong. I instinctively reacted as an Alpha.”

“This operation is very difficult. If there is even the slightest hesitation in one’s will, it will not succeed.”

“I’m willing to gamble with my life.”

“Unfortunately, you don’t have enough chips. You’re more valuable dead on the execution grounds than on the operating table.”

“Your Highness!”

Oser turned a deaf ear and lowered his hands.

“Take care.”

Ling Yi’s chains clattered as he swiftly grabbed Oser’s wrist.

“I can bear children for Your Highness.”

“You really know how to please me.”

Oser indifferently fastened the buttons of his shirt for him.

“Do you have any unfulfilled desires? I can help you achieve them. Or if you have people who are important to you, I can also ensure that their needs are met.”

Ling Yi lowered his head, like a stray dog whose dignity and hope were crushed in one fell swoop. Oser knew that there was no point in him saying anything more.

He turned around to leave, but a tug on his cloak kept him where he was.

“I’m begging you. I have a reason to live.” Ling Yi grasped the coroner of his cloak in one hand.

His eyes were serious and determined, just as they had been when he’d cursed him at the doors of the court.

Only at these two moments had he expressed his true emotions without obfuscation.

When those eyes gleamed in the darkness, Oser seemed to truly behold an indomitable weed, growing vigorously inside this gloomy prison cell.

He pondered for a moment, but his answer was bound to be disappointing.

“But I have no reason to keep you alive.”

Tang De had been waiting for a long time outside, and finally breathed a sigh of relief when His Highness Oser appeared safe and sound.

He had wanted to rush in and check several times, but was afraid of seeing something he shouldn’t see. 

“Your Highness, what took you so long? Did that death row prisoner offend you?”

Oser deliberately scanned Tang De from head to toe, which put him on edge.

“Your Highness…..what are you looking at?”

“Come here,” Oser ordered the guards. “Send Captain Tang De to the medical college and tell them that a suitable volunteer has been found. They should begin making preparations for the operation.”

Tang De’s legs went weak, and he almost fell to his knees.

“Your Highness Oser, I was just joking around today. I definitely didn’t intend to make fun of you!”

“My greatest dream is to marry a gentle Omega and start a happy family. You must not lay a hand on me, Your Highness!”

---

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Chapter 1 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 3

“This court declares that the defendant, Ling Yi, is guilty of manslaughter and is sentenced to death.”

The gavel fell, and the case that had shocked the empire was finally settled after a trial more than a month long.

Ling Yi stood silently at the defendant’s stand, eyes downcast, with no objection to the verdict.

This young man from the lowest rung of society had been admitted to the empire’s number one military academy through his own efforts, and had achieved excellent results year after year, leaving many of his peers from aristocratic families far behind.

In time, he would surely become a shining star in the military.

Who could have imagined that such a rising star would be brought to the defendant’s stand in the royal court for murdering a relative of the emperor? 

There was much discussion amongst the audience.

“Such a shame. What an excellent young man.”

“Who told him to kill the Prime Minister’s youngest son of all people? The Prime Minister’s first two sons died in accidents, leaving this one son who’s been spoiled and lawless since childhood. If he was beholden to the law, he would have been executed countless times. I say he brought it upon himself.”

“It’s said that the Prime Minister is so angry that he’s bedridden. No wonder His Royal Highness Oser attended the trial today…..”

Ling Yi looked up and saw a man of extraordinary bearing slowly standing up in the VIP box that was suspended mid-air. Their eyes met across the courtroom.

Standing at such a height, the man looked particularly tall. His tailor-made royal uniform displayed his royal status, and the sharp, knife-like contours of his body made him look like a statue with a half-smile on his mouth.

Fengdi Oser, born into the only family in the empire that was qualified to use a compound surname, was a child of destiny from the day of his birth.

Not only was he the Crown Prince, with first rights to succession, but he was also the only grandson of the current Prime Minister.

The person Ling Yi had killed was none other than His Highness Oser’s biological uncle.

One was a noble prince, and the other a commoner student. These two completely separate destinies had intersected because of the death of a scumbag.

Upon seeing Oser leaving his seat, everyone present, including the Chief Justice, stood up and saluted to see him off. Only Ling Yi, looking up at him fearlessly, was the odd one out.

Oser wasn’t bothered by his rudeness. He just curled his lips haughtily and turned around, disappearing through the exit of the VIP box. 

“What are you looking at? Let’s go.” A guard shoved him from behind. “You will be publicly executed at the Northern Outskirts execution grounds at twelve noon tomorrow. Cherish your last twenty-four hours alive.”

Ling Yi said nothing, marching obediently in front.

The guards tasked with escorting him were not surprised. They had witnessed many prisoners who had been sentenced to death collapse on the spot and have to be carried back, as well as those like Ling Yi, who had already numbly accepted their fate.

But this time, the moment they exited the court gates, they were overwhelmed by a riotous crowd. Even the experienced guards subconsciously took a step back.

“Ling Yi isn’t a murderer! He’s a hero who bravely stands up for justice!”

“The Prime Minister’s youngest son molests minors and takes human life for granted! He deserves death a thousand times over!”

“We demand judicial justice! The court cannot be in collusion with nobles!”

Outraged by a justice system that failed to distinguish between good and evil, the common people had come from all over the empire to support Ling Yi.

The clashing voices of the crowd ultimately merged into two powerful slogans: 

“Aquit and release Ling Yi!”

“The Prime Minister should resign!”

Fully armed bailiffs did their best to stop the angry crowd and clear a passage in front of Ling Yi and the others.

“To gain such love and esteem before dying is a worthy death.”

Ling Yi turned upon hearing this voice, and saw the noble Alpha whom he had seen in court pacing toward him, followed by his personal guards.

The bailiffs bowed their heads respectfully and greeted: “Your Highness Oser!”

The bluster of the crowd lessened slightly at the sight of His Highness Oser. A top level Alpha such as him was able to exude an invisible pressure on his surroundings just by standing there without saying a word.

Oser approached Ling Yi and said teasingly: “You shouldn’t be so dejected in front of your supporters. Act a little more moving and tragic. After all, any words you say from now on could be your last words engraved on your tombstone.”

Ling Yi turned back silently: “Your Highness, what if I say I don’t want to die?”

Oser smiled disapprovingly: “Then you may require a miracle.”

Ling Yi lowered his eyes: “Is this the miracle Your Highness is referring to?”

In a flash, the handcuffs fell from his wrists and became a weapon tightly wrapped around Oser’s throat.

The crowd cried out in unison, and those in the front row reflexively took a few steps back. The people squeezed in behind were forced to retreat, much like ripples caused by throwing a heavy stone into a pool of water.

The well-trained guards drew their weapons in unison and leveled them at their target.

The bailiffs had lost their vigilance due to their easy lives, and were frightened by Ling Yi’s outrageous behavior. They reacted belatedly and took out their pistols, aiming them tremblingly at Ling Yi – and his hostage.

“D-don’t mess around.”

The bustling square from just moments ago was now silent. As the captain of Oser’s guards, Tang De’s hands were as steady as stone around his weapon.

“Please release His Highness Oser. Do you plan to murder a member of the royal family before so many witnesses?”

“I have no intention of harming His Highness. I just need a way out.”

“Is this the attitude you have when asking for help?” Oser was calm and composed, as if he had no awareness of being taken hostage at all.

Tang De moved slowly sideways, making sure to bypass His Highness Oser while keeping Ling Yi within shooting range.

“I advise you not to be impulsive and take one of the most distinguished people in the country hostage. Where do you think you can escape to?”

Ling Yi moved behind Oser without making a sound.

“Would you advise a gambler to take his last chip to the grave?”

“You don’t get it.” Tang De’s eyes contained sympathy. “You can’t take His Highness Oser hostage at all.”

Ling Yi didn’t have time to parse the deep meaning in his look. Intense Alpha pheromones exploded outward with him at the epicenter, and an unprecedented mental shock spread throughout his nerve endings like an electrical shock.

Almost everyone fell to their knees at once, trembling in pain.

Only a small number of people remained standing, looking at those around them in bewilderment. These people had one thing in common – they were all Omegas.

Tang De, who possessed fairly high mental strength, knelt on one knee and raised his head with difficulty, trying to confirm whether that unlucky fellow was still alive.

Ling Yi was pressed hard against a wall, his shrunken pupils filled with shock and fear.

Tang De understood him very well. Not everyone had experienced the pheromone suppression of a top Alpha. An Alpha with inferior mental strength might even be turned into a vegetable by such an outburst.

Oser stood very close to Ling Yi. Ling Yi tried his best to turn his head away, but he couldn’t avoid the whisper in his ear: 

“I underestimated you. Someone who dared to murder the Prime Minister’s son naturally wouldn’t balk at holding the Emperor’s son hostage. It’s a pity that you chose the wrong person. I’m different from that loser you killed.”

Beads of cold sweat slid down Ling Yi’s forehead. At this moment, he was like prey being toyed with by his natural enemy. He couldn’t die, nor could he escape.

“That scumbag…..deserved to die…..”

Ling Yi squeezed these few words between his teeth. Under the oppression of Oser’s pheromones, it was difficult for him to speak.

“You’re absolutely right.”

Oser actually agreed.

“I acknowledge that he deserved to die. The life or death of such trash doesn’t matter to me, but it’s different for you.”

Oser shamelessly leaned closer to Ling Yi’s face.

“See those people down there? They all treat you as a hero. If you die on the execution grounds, the anger in everyone’s hearts will be ignited, and their resentment will erupt ten or even a hundred times greater than it is now.”

“Your Highness…..what exactly do you want?”

“I want you to die gloriously, like an immortal hero. My dear grandfather has been holding onto political power that doesn’t belong to him for too long. If I want to speed up his downfall, I must brew a big enough storm. And you are exactly that butterfly flapping its wings.”

“Your death will be the fuse that brings an end to an era. In the future, people will pay tribute to you and record your achievements in history books. Doesn’t that have more meaning than living in vain?”

Ling Yi moved his lips with difficulty. Oser couldn’t hear him clearly, and lowered his mental power a little.

“What did you say?”

“I said,” Ling Yi gathered all of his strength, “I don’t want to die in a blaze of glory. I just want to live with dignity. I’m a human being, not a pawn in your political struggle!”

He turned his head with everything he had and looked Oser straight in the eye: “Fuck being a hero!”

Oser stared into his resolute eyes, somewhat distracted.

After a moment, he took a step back, and the oppressive feeling receded like the tide. Ling Yi leaned against the wall, exhausted. The long period of near-suffocation had made him dizzy.

Tang De struggled to stand up, still a little weak in the legs.

“Your Highness, leave him to me…..”

Oser cut him off with a raised hand.

He turned the man around easily and lowered his head to inspect the handcuffs in his hands.

“He opened them so easily. Pretty impressive, huh?”

The corners of Oser’s mouth curled up, a dissonant note of indulgence in his voice.

“He is worthy of being the future pillar of the Imperial Army. What a waste.”

Contrary to his previous roughness, he put the handcuffs back onto Ling Yi’s wrists as gently as a husband putting a jade bracelet on his beloved wife.

Having lost his freedom once more, Ling Yi chuckled, his voice full of fatigue.

Oser raised his eyes: “Did you remember something amusing?”

“It’s rumored that the Prime Minister has committed many wicked deeds, and has been punished by the heavens to have no descendants. None of his three sons received a good ending, and his only grandson was born defective and impotent.”

He happened to glance toward the Omegas in the crowd. Oser’s pheromones were viciously strong, but they had no effect on these Omegas. 

“That seems to be the case.”

Tang De immediately grew nervous: “Don’t talk nonsense, His Highness isn’t…..”

“It’s fine.” Oser didn’t react to the jab, as if it had hit the wrong place. “A dying person has the right to speak freely.”

He waved to a guard, who was just barely able to get to his feet and stagger over.

“Your Highness, what are your orders?”

“Whatever he asks for tonight, do your best to satisfy his requests.”

The guard glanced at Ling Yi in confusion. He had thought that His Highness Oser would have him “entertain” this death row prisoner who even dared to kidnap the Crown Prince.

“Wait a moment.” 

Ling Yi had only been escorted a few steps when he was stopped again.

Oser gave him a smile like a warm spring breeze: “Pick a place you like. When you die, I’ll erect a monument for you.”

Tang De stowed away his gun with lingering fear and walked quickly to His Highness Oser. He lowered his voice: 

“Your Highness, are you not going to tell him the truth? The execution grounds in the northern suburbs have been rigged, and after twenty-four hours of being in a death-like state, he’ll wake up unharmed – though he’ll suffer a little beforehand.”

Oser stroked his reddened throat: “He deserves to suffer a little.”

Tang De paid close attention to His Highness Oser’s micro-expressions. Although he had followed him for many years, he still couldn’t guess the thoughts of this Alpha every time.

“So we’re still sending him overseas tonight as planned?”

“What else?” Oser glanced at him. “Send him to my bed tonight instead?”

Tang De: “……”

“This subordinate understands.”

Tang De lowered his eyes and stepped back. Just for a moment, he had the illusion that Oser actually meant it.

. . . . . .

It was the most heavily guarded prison in the Empire, where no one could escape with their life.

In consideration of Ling Yi’s past as an excellent Military Academy student, he was given the full respect of replacing his handcuffs with heavy metal shackles.

A portly prison guard brought in a sumptuous table of food and cautiously sent it to the cell.

“Eat something.”

The person sitting inside didn’t move.

“Even if you have no appetite, you still have to eat. There’s a saying that goes, ‘you can only hit the road on a full stomach.’ If you don’t like these, tell me what you prefer and I’ll have it prepared.”

There was still no movement.

The portly prison guard sat down with a sigh.

“I understand you very well. The Prime Minister’s youngest son was a bastard. Who wouldn’t want him dead? You just disposed of this evil for the people.”

“But the entire judicial system is full of the Prime Minister’s lackeys. If they want you dead, you’ll die. Unless you can get a royal pardon…..but that’s impossible, of course.”

The person who’d been silent ever since his arrival finally showed signs of movement.

“What did you say? What royal pardon?”

“You don’t know about the royal pardon?” The prison guard scratched his head. It all started with our country’s founding emperor. When Emperor Fengdi was writing the code of law, he said, ‘The ruler of a country must be completely impartial. However, I selfishly hope that the descendents of the Fengdi family will have the ability to protect the important people in their lives at least once in their lifetime.’ So a law was made that every member of the royal family with the right of succession have the ability to pardon a person of all charges only once. And the corresponding price is to permanently give up the throne or the right to inherit the throne.”

“The prince who currently holds the first right of succession is His Highness Oser, even though he was diagnosed as ‘destined to be alone’ by the Royal Medical School in his twenties and will never match with an Omega in his lifetime.”

He abruptly lowered his voice: “Gene mutation is congenital. Anyone who hears it would say that it’s the Prime Minister’s retribution.”

His volume returned to normal, as if he hadn’t said the previous sentence.

“But His Highness Oser is a man who refuses to accept his fate. There’s no telling how much money he spent on the medical school over the years before they finally figured out how…..to turn an Alpha into an Omega. But what’s the use in that? The operation is supposed to be extremely painful, and the success rate is terribly low. There’s no way an Alpha would go through with it for the slightest chance of becoming a princess.”

The prison guard seemed to realize that he had talked about too many irrelevant things: “But enough about that. His Highness Oser has ordered that no matter what requests you make tonight, we should do our best to accommodate them. If you’re not interested in food, how about I find an Omega for you? If you think optimistically, at least you won’t be a virgin until death like His Highness Oser.”

“An excellent Alpha like you should be favored by Omegas. What type do you like? Innocent? Or bold?”

Ling Yi suddenly got to his feet: “His Highness Oser. I want to see His Highness Oser.”

The portly prison guard was dumbfounded: “Hero, your request is a bit much, ah.”

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Table of Contents >> Chapter 2