T/N: Thank you to Coldsnowman for the Kofi donation! Here’s an update and a bonus chapter!

Pei Yi brainstormed rapidly, his eyes shifting back and forth for several seconds.

He had never revealed anything about his work to Bo Yueming, and with the other party’s conduct, he would never open his private computer and secretly look at his information, so how could he know?

Could it be that he revealed his secret when he was drunk some time ago? No, there would be no need to wait until today to ask about it, right?

Bo Yueming was ten percent uncertain at first, but Pei Yi’s attitude right now was enough to explain everything—

The other party was the rookie architect in the gaming circle, Will.

Bo Yueming’s curiosity only rose. “Pei Yi, what’s wrong?”

Pei Yi couldn’t help but break the jar that was already cracked, and asked, “H-how did you know? When did you find out?”

“Last night.”

“Last night?”

Bo Yueming didn’t go around in circles with him or play charades. “You paid so much attention to Li Yuan last night. That kind of friendship couldn’t exist after just meeting two or three times, and you even called him “Pear Garden” when you were anxious.”

“……”

Pei Yi got stuck, apparently not expecting the fault to be because of an external address.

But then again, just based on this address, Bo Yueming surmised that he had a very close relationship with Li Yuan and was able to dig out his working identity. It was a bit too much.

Unresigned, Pei Yi continued to ask for details, “And then?”

“Li Yuan has partnered with GM. Our company did a full investigation on the relevant basic information about him in the gaming circle in the early stages of investment and always kept a copy.”

Bo Yueming found out that on the largest game forum in China, Youtu, Li Yuan’s ID was the “Pear Garden” that Pei Yi called out.

At the bidding meeting four months ago, his team’s Lou Yang revealed her ID as “Dehydration,” and said that there was another core member behind her and Li Yuan, who was the chief architect of the game “The Last Fog.”

“Dehydration and Pear Garden had two common friends on their Youtu watch list, and one was Southern Mountain.” Bo Yueming paused and looked at Pei Yi. “The other was Will.”

The abbreviated English word sounded different, and pleasant to the ears.

Pei Yi let out a muffled cough and took a drink of water.

Bo Yueming did a little research and discovered that the “Southern Mountain” ID user was Xiang Nansheng, who had participated in the bidding that day, but Will had no clear identity.

“It was originally not so easy to find out, but Lin Zhong reminded me that most game creators would have a corresponding Weibo account.”

When the four-character prefix “King of Alcohol Capacity” appeared before his eyes, Pei Yi’s drunken little red face automatically appeared in Bo Yueming’s mind, and all the dots floating on the surface and hidden in the dark were connected by lines.

As for the final blow of confirmation, Pei Yi had done that himself.

Pei Yi murmured unwillingly, “I clearly hid it very carefully.”

“Yes, it was well-hidden.”

Bo Yueming took the initiative to smooth the cat’s fur, and then brought up another matter. “I couldn’t figure it out at the beginning. You stayed at home well, so why did you use the lame reason of ‘playing games’ to follow me to GM?”

At that time, Bo Yueming was still jealous and suspicious — Pei Yi had become interested in his good friend Yan Cen, and deliberately wanted to go to the company for that reason.

Pei Yi remembered his reason for ‘playing the fool’ at that time, and twirled the water glass in embarrassment. He immediately adopted a resolute expression. “I didn’t intend to go through the back door. Our studio relies on pure capability!”

Naturally, Bo Yueming wouldn’t doubt this. He only asked, “You often lock the door and hide in your room just to work on the game?”

Pei Yi nodded, a hint of stubbornness accompanying his guilty conscience. “Because my identity is inconvenient, I haven’t shown up. If it wasn’t for what happened with Li Yuan last night, I definitely would have been able to continue hiding.”

Hearing this rhetoric, Bo Yueming’s deep desire to explore became stronger—

As everyone knew, the little young master of the Pei family had been a fool since he was ten years old, and often went crazy. But what about Pei Yi?

He knew wine, etiquette, and had principles, and now he had his own secret career.

This was very different from the little young master Pei in the eyes of outsiders!

As early as when Bo Yueming saw through Pei Yi’s “playing the fool,” Bo Yueming secretly suspected that Pei Yi was never that “Little Young Master Pei,” but that the family hired him to replace him in order to complete this commercial marriage.

But he denied this idea in the blink of an eye, because it was impossible for a person’s appearance to change that drastically, and based on previous contacts, the relationship between Pei Yi and the Pei family was indeed bad!

With Pei Yi’s personality and way of doing things, how could he be controlled by others? Would he “impersonate” someone for no reason to complete this commercial marriage that didn’t give him any benefits in the first place?

His speculations and desire to explore mixed into a ball.

Bo Yueming had never encountered anything more difficult to figure out than this, but Pei Yi didn’t want to say it, and he never thought about forcing the other party to explain everything.

In any case, Bo Yueming could definitely confirm—

From acquaintance to heartfelt affection, from living together to formally meeting, from acknowledgement to sincere liking, who he was facing was Pei Yi himself, not the rumored “Little Young Master Pei.”

Seeing that Bo Yueming hadn’t spoken for a long time, Pei Yi felt a little uneasy. “Er-ge?”

“En?”

“I, I was afraid of my identity being exposed at first, but after I got stable, I felt that there was no reason to speak up.” Pei Yi sighed and apologized. “I know it was wrong to hide it from you, but I just wanted to have my own career.”

Pei Yi met Bo Yueming’s gaze, and stated his point earnestly and briefly. “We have a marriage relationship. From outsiders’ point of view, I can enjoy the protection of you and Old Mrs. Bo with peace of mind.”

It was a beautiful day when you had someone to take care of you and not have to worry about three meals a day. Just drifting along, eating and waiting to die, was very good.

Pei Yi understood this, but didn’t need it. “I don’t want to depend on anyone to live. Only when I earn enough money by myself can I feel secure.”

Pei Yi knew that his words and opinions were very worldly, but it was the truth—

He had tried the experience of having no money when he was young, when even a piece of poor-quality dessert could cause crying and countless fights.

He had also tried the experience of being attached to others, and using other people’s families as his own shelter from the wind. However,  he finally understood that other people’s money and protection could bring him temporary stability, but in the end, there would be a day when it vanished like smoke into thin air.

No matter which world or environment he was in, living strong by himself was of the highest importance.

Pei Yi’s Adam’s apple rolled. “Do you understand what I mean?”

Bo Yueming’s lips curved up, and he gave timely affirmation and encouragement. “Pei Yi, you are outstanding.”

Those five simple words were worth a thousand of them.

Pei Yi met Bo Yueming’s admiring eyes, and his heart palpitated continuously. “You aren’t angry, ah? If you didn’t find out, I, I didn’t intend to tell you.”

Bo Yueming chuckled and asked back, “I guessed it myself, so you aren’t going to be angry, right?”

Pei Yi nodded. “Of course not.”

His secret identity was leaked by himself, and he couldn’t hide it. Naturally, he couldn’t blame the other party for being able to figure it out by following the clues.

It became clear to Bo Yueming that he hadn’t touched Pei Yi’s bottom line, and his heartstrings slightly loosened. “Pei Yi, everyone has their own secrets and has the right to choose whether they tell them or not. I said that I wouldn’t force you.”

Bo Yueming promised again and again, and said with magnanimous expectation, “However, I hope that one day in the future, you will take the initiative to share them with me.”

“…….”

A rush of impulse surged up in Pei Yi’s heart, and he almost wanted to nod and say yes. “Er-ge, let me tell you something else.”

“What is it?”

“Starting tomorrow, I need to go in to the studio.”

According to the plot of the original next, both the Pei family and An Yang should go to Li Yuan again. Pei Yi was afraid that these people would affect his friend’s mood to work, so he wanted to take the initiative to share some of the burden with the other party.

In addition, the upcoming “The Last Fog 1.0” also required his more comprehensive supervision.

Bo Yueming knew that Pei Yi was discussing this with him, not asking for his consent. “Of course you can, but aren’t you afraid of revealing your secret in front of others?”

Pei Yi had considered this issue. “Li Yuan and Sister Yang are trustworthy, and the other employees should not know the situation in the wealthy circle. I’ll wear a mask and hat when I go out. I just need to hand out the key points to the head of the department, and it should be stable for a while.”

“Okay, then I’ll have Lao Fu pick you up from work and drop you off.”

“En!”

Pei Yi’s smile widened. Compared with the initial depression of “losing his vest,” he felt a kind of secret kind of joy in his heart—

Because Bo Yueming appreciated him, understood him, and respected all of his decisions!

. . . . . . .

The next morning, a tightly concealed Pei Yi stepped through the seventh floor door.

On the wall behind the front desk were the strong, vigorous characters, “Dawn Games.” It was said that Xiao Li wrote them himself, and now there was a cute cat icon under the signboard—

YWY Studios.

Although the studio had been established for nearly four months, this was Pei Yi’s first time here. The corners of his mouth underneath the mas raised up, and he had the wonderful feeling that “his career before and after transmigrating” had connected together.

The receptionist said politely, “Hello, Sir. Who are you looking for?”

Pei Yi stepped forward. “I’m looking for your Mr. Li.”

Before the lingering sound fell, another voice came over. “Will, over here!”

Li Yuan unlocked the access door of the front lobby with his fingerprint and waved to his friend. “What are you doing here so early?”

When the receptionist heard this, her eyes widened in surprise. “Teacher Will?”

“En, hello.”

Pei Yi tapped the front desk and smiled at the receptionist, then approached his friend without haste.

The two entered the company together.

Pei Yi’s voice was weakened through the barrier of the mask. “I thought you would call me Pei Yi in public.”

Li Yuan replied, “Didn’t you ask me to keep it secret?”

Pei Yi remembered his vest falling off unexpectedly last night, and stopped talking for the sake of face.

He took the opportunity to look around the entire layout of Dawn Games, which was a two-story structure like a building within a building.

The art team and technical team were on the first floor, and the copywriting team was on the second floor, with other break rooms and conference rooms scattered on both sides.

It was still early for work, and other than the technical development staff, the employees in other positions had not yet all arrived.

Li Yuan lightly patted Pei Yi’s shoulder, saying, “Let’s go to the second floor first.”

“By the way, if you don’t mind, will you share an office with me temporarily? Later, after Sister Yang and Brother Xiang come to work, shall I bring them alone to meet you?”

Pei Yi thought that Li Yuan was acting the same as usual, and was relieved. “Yes, I’ll follow your arrangements.”

Half an hour later, the office door opened again.

Li Yuan entered first, followed by two figures. Sister Yang, Brother Xiang, this is Will.”

Pei YI saw familiar faces he hadn’t seen in a long time. Setting aside the operation for the upcoming reveal plan, he took the initiative to get up and take off the mask and peaked cap.

“Sister Yang, Director Xiang, long time no see.”

“…….”

The second Xiang Nansheng saw Pei Yi’s true face, he exclaimed in surprise, “Mr. Li, you say it’s……him?”

“Brother Nan, he is one of the partners of our studio, the core architect of The Last Fog, Will.”

Li Yuan gave the introduction he had prepared, and didn’t forget to add, “This is the little young master we met at the bidding, Pei Yi.”

Pei Yi trusted Lou Yang and Xiang Nansheng a lot, and was very willing to let Li Yuan be honest on his behalf. “Director Xiang, can you react?”

Xiang Nansheng’s lips curved. “Barely.”

It must be known that Pei Yi’s “playing the fool” was very vivid at the bidding scene that time, and it was very difficult to overlap those images at this time.

Pei Yi glanced at Lou Yang next to him and greeted her with a smile, “Sister Yang.”

He hadn’t seen her in nearly four months. Lou Yang’s hair had grown a lot, and she used a large clip to hold it all behind her head, looking as capable as ever. 

Facing Pei Yi’s voluntary appearance, Lou Yang was unreasonably calm.

Li Yuan was curious. “Sister Yang, why aren’t you surprised at all?”

Lou Yang took a sip of the coffee in her hand. “Of course I’m not surprised, I guessed it long ago.”

“……”

When these words were spoken, the three men present were simultaneously stunned.

Pei Yi was uncertain. “Sister Yang, you’d already guessed it?”

Li Yuan said, “Right, ah, how did you guess that?”

He had been in contact with Pei Yi four or five times, and had also been “acted for” by the other party until he knew the truth yesterday morning.

Lou Yang glanced at Xiang Nansheng. “The last night when the bidding ended, Will told us he offered an olive branch to Xiang Nansheng.”

Pei Yi didn’t say a word, but vaguely recalled one thing—

At that time, he had said that he had an acquaintance within the GM investment department and thought that he had evaded Lou Yang’s questioning, but never expected that the other party didn’t believe it at all.

“I recalled all the people at the bidding scene that night, and then eliminated them one by one. My intuition pointed to Pei Yi, because his appearance with the identity of ‘Little Young Master Pei’ was the strangest.”

“……”

There was a trace of reasonableness in the absurdity.

Sure enough, was this a woman’s innate sixth sense? It was terribly accurate!

“Of course, due to Pei Yi’s ‘foolish’ reaction, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure at the time, until……” Lou Yang looked around, deliberately fishing.

Xiang Nansheng was the first to take the bait. “Until what?”

Lou Yang smiled back. “Weibo and Youtu both have account IP location. Whoever traveled back and forth between the Imperial Capital and Wencheng during that period was it.”

Pei Yi was silent under the heavy blow. He used to think that his vest was well-protected—

As a result, he bumped into Bo Yueming last night, and ran into Lou Yang again today.

En, it was a crushing defeat.

“I guessed that you would tell us one day, and even though I knew, I wouldn’t reveal it to others. 

Lou Yang saw Pei Yi’s small bit of melancholy, and teased him like a sister, “Okay, la, welcome back to the team, Little Mr. Yi?”

Pei Yi followed suit with a smile. “Sister Yang, Pear Garden is the little one, I don’t use childhood nicknames.”

Li Yuan scoffed coldly. “Okay, Little Mr Yi.”

. . . . . . .

Both Lou Yang and Xiang Nansheng were reliable people who didn’t meddle in other people’s business. Even though they knew Pei Yi’s identity behind his vest, neither of them asked too much about his previous “playing the fool.”

The four of them quickly reached an agreement on work and dedicated themselves to the project.

In the blink of an eye, it was time to leave work. 

Lou Yang, who had always adhered to the idea of “leaving work on time,” knocked on the office door. “Xiao Yi, Pear Garden, are you free tonight? Do you want to come to my house for dinner?”

It was rare for the four of them to meet together offline, and they weren’t completely absorbed in work.

Li Yuan thought of everything he was suffering now, and agreed as if looking for a safe haven. “Okay, ah.”

Pei Yi nodded. “Sure, no problem.”

Having received positive replies from the two, Lou Yang said, “Then I’ll take Nansheng’s car to buy ingredients first. Li Yuan, you know where I live, so how about going later with Xiao Yi?”

“All right.”

Lou Yang suddenly remembered something, and teased Pei Yi before leaving, “By the way, family members are allowed at this dinner.”

Family members?

Bo Yueming?

Pei Yi’s ears felt hot.

Lou Yang turned to leave, and in the next second, a phone vibrated.

Li Yuan saw the caller ID on the phone and his expression froze slightly. “Pei Yi, I’ll go downstairs first. Can we meet up in the parking lot in ten minutes?”

Pei Yi sensed that something was wrong. “Are you okay?”

Li Yuan clenched the phone tightly and said in a low voice, “It’s fine, I can handle it.”

Pei Yi nodded. “Okay. Tell me if you have any trouble, don’t put on a brave face.”

“All right.”

Li Yuan seemed calm, but there was still a bit of haste in his departing footsteps.

Pei Yi picked up his long-neglected phone and decided to send a WeChat message to Bo Yueming to report in. After all, when he didn’t come home on time on the first day of work, he feared that the other party would be worried.

. . . . . .

Ten minutes later, the freshly dressed Pei Yi arrived at the parking lot.

Driver Lao Fu recognized his figure and approached to say in a whisper, “Little Sir, I saw Li Yuan enter the access door on that side, being pulled by a middle-aged woman. It seemed that the interaction was not very pleasant.”

Middle-aged woman?

Was it An Yang or Deng Xiuya?

Pei Yi didn’t have a clear answer, but was still afraid that Li Yuan would be bullied. “Lao Fu, wait here for a while, I’ll go over and check it out.”

Lao Fu nodded.

Pei Yi slowed down as he approached the access door, and when he reached it, he heard Li Yuan’s plea—

“Mom, I beg you, just leave me alone for a while, okay? Whatever the result of the paternity test is, that doesn’t matter to me.”

“Not important? Xiao An, how could it not be important?”

Pei Yi recognized An Yang’s voice, and heard the other party apologize, “Mom knows she was sick a few days ago, and couldn’t help saying a lot of things that shouldn’t be said, which indirectly hurt your feelings.”

“I’m sorry, Mom didn’t mean to.”

“…….”

“But it happened, and we’ve got to figure it out, don’t we?” An Yang painstakingly explained, “Now that the Pei family knows about it, they want to invite you to cooperate for a paternity test, as long as……”

Li Yuan retorted at once, “I don’t want to!”

Maybe it was the suddenly raised voice that frightened An Yang, but she grew a little bit tearful. “Xiao An?”

Li Yuan took a deep breath, and said with pain and powerlessness, “Mom, why do you have to force me and the Pei family to take a paternity test? So what if the results come out?”

Did she want him to stay in this family, or push him back to the Pei family, who had no feelings for him?

There was a tremor in Li Yuan’s voice. “These two days, I really couldn’t figure out—”

“What am I to you? If, I mean if, the condition for Pei Huan to come back to you is to drive me away, would you agree?”

An Yang sidestepped the question. “Xiao An, from beginning to end, I’m doing things for your own good. Mom doesn’t want to keep watching you work so hard, understand?”

Outside the access door, Pei Yi heard this rhetoric and pushed open the door, unable to endure it.

—Bang!

Li Yuan and An Yang were startled by the opening of the door, and both glanced over.

Pei Yi didn’t feel guilty about interrupting the mother-and-child conversation, and calmly stepped in front of his friend. “Sorry, Madam An, I really can’t let this go on.”

“Who are you?”

An Yang didn’t recognize the “fully equipped” Pei Yi for a moment, but on the verge of losing control of her emotions, she was very dissatisfied with the interruption of a stranger.

“You don’t need to intervene in matters between a mother and child.”

Mother and child?

Pei Yi caught the key word and asked disapprovingly, “Ever since you got the paternity test report, have you ever regarded him as your own child?”

An Yang was self-righteous, and unhappy at being questioned. “Of course! I have raised him for more than twenty years! How could I not?”

“Yes, ah, a family relationship formed over twenty years of nurturing and spending time together can’t be broken overnight.”

As an outsider, Pei Yi saw it more clearly.

He couldn’t bear for his friend to continue living in such “family bondage,” so he put the bloody facts on the table for him.

“But you’ll secretly blame him for not being your own, and because the bone marrow wasn’t a match? Then do you still think that if Pei Huan was the one who did the bone marrow transplant, the results would be different?”

Thinking about it every day, asking about it every night, this relationship began to sour.

“You are unwilling to accept President Li’s death. Gradually, you’ve developed uncontrollable resentment for this series of misfortunes, and even attached this emotion to Yuan.”

And An Yang’s schizophrenia was the best breeding ground for this resentment.

An Yang shook her head, and denied shakily, “No, I didn’t!”

A trace of loss appeared in Li Yuan’s eyes, and the fog in his heart dispersed along with his friend’s words.

Pei Yi was indifferent to An Yang’s tears, and questioned on his friend’s behalf, “Madam An, you keep saying that it’s for Yuan’s good? Why didn’t you go directly to the Pei family to clarify? Why not let the two of them switch back?”

“You let Pei Huan continue to stay at the Pei residence and live the life of a young master without telling anyone, but Yuan, who really should have been enjoying all of that, had to support Dawn Games for you when it was about to go bankrupt!”

“You obviously wanted to recognize Pei Huan, but you were afraid that he would suffer with you. Did Yuan deserve all that injustice? May I ask if you have noticed his filial piety, forbearance, and grievances?”

The affection of upbringing was important, and the bond of blood was deep, but it should never have been handled this way!

Facing Pei Yi’s loud and repeated questioning, An Yang could only shake her head persistently, “No, that’s not the case!”

She suddenly lost control and pushed Pei Yi away, holding Li Yuan’s shoulders firmly with both hands. “Xiao An, you have to believe me, Mom has never been partial. I miss Pei Huan, but I also hate to part with you, ah!”

Li Yuan looked at An Yang with tears in his eyes, but he had to acknowledge in his heart that what Pei Yi said was something he had never dared to admit.

“Never been partial? Mom, let me ask you—”

“The investment competition plan in my sophomore year, was it Pei Huan who wanted to buy it? Or did you take the initiative to give it to him?”

Li Yuan ignored the gradual loosening of the grip on his shoulders, with the last gleam of extravagant hope hidden deep in his eyes. “Tell me, even if just a word of truth.”

A spreading silence engulfed them, and everything was quiet.

Li Yuan saw through everything, and shook off An Yang’s hands in abject despair. “I won’t do the paternity test, and I won’t recognize the Pei family. Go find your precious son and give him everything. I don’t need it anymore.”

An Yang was stunned in place, and instantly paled.

Li Yuan no longer cared like before, and left without saying a word.

He would be in pain, but he would no longer torture himself.

From today on, he would have his own career and his own friends. He would no longer be so foolish as to live for his dead father and a mother who didn’t love him!

Seeing his friend’s resolute back, Pei Yis heartstrings loosened slightly.

He looked at An Yang, who was unable to respond, and ruthlessly exposed her selfish nature. “Madam An, ever since you decided to give Pei Huan those plans, you should have expected such a day to come.”

If you use family affection as a bargaining chip, you should expect to lose everything!

---

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Chapter Sixty <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Two

The next day, Luo Ran saw that the Star Network and the official media……had exploded.

Yuan Han, the secretary of First Prince Zhou Mingyu, had gone to court to sue his boss.

The content of the lawsuit was also astonishing, and could be said to have surprised everyone.

In Yuan Han’s lawsuit, it was said that First Prince Zhou Mingyu had violated and raped him for some time, and forced him to complete countless temporary marks. If not for the fact that he would rather die than submit, he would have also been permanently marked.

With Zhou Mingyu’s status, using his position as a superior to use unspoken rules on his subordinate was enough to draw people’s attention, not to mention accusations of adultery.

According to Yuan Han’s words, after Zhou Mingyu went back the day before, he carried out violent and inhumane sex with him, even worse than before. He couldn’t bear it anymore, so he decided to take a stand and confront Zhou Mingyu.

Yuan Han went directly to the hospital for lab tests, which also revealed the wounds on his body.

The test results showed that it was, in fact, Zhou Mingyu, and the wounds were horrifying, fresh cuts and bruises along with older scars.

Upon seeing the news, Luo Ran was stunned.

Others might not have such associations, but Luo Ran was the one who was actually confessed to by Zhou Mingyu, and knew what happened the day before.

Lucas was presently in good condition after taking a nap, and was sharing official documents with Luo Ran at this moment when he also heard the news.

“Fuck,” Lucas said angrily. “How can a dignified prince be so cheap? How cowardly and incapable is he to bully an Omega? Pei.”

Lucas didn’t think he was being framed, and neither did Luo Ran.

Up to this point, they had been unable to grasp any solid evidence that the First Prince and the star pirates were in collusion, but in fact, they had already made a judgment in their hearts. Yuan Han’s situation was similar.

“The First Prince and public relations are suppressing the matter in order to prevent the case from being established.” Luo Ran said with a sigh, “According to the news, Yuan Han resigned and went to the psychiatric ward in the hospital to recuperate.”

An Alpha’s coercion and abuse would definitely bring mental harm to an Omega, not to mention forced temporary marks.

After a while, another piece of news broke.

“Lu Bei also resigned.” Luo Ran frowned. “It doesn’t explain the reason.”

Although the reason had not been made public, everyone could guess.

If what Yuan Han said was true, then Lu Bei would naturally resign.

Yuan Han was the First Prince’s chief secretary, and Lu Bei was the image representative of the royal family. The two of them socialized a lot during their daily business, and they were both Omegas, so they naturally became friends.

Lu Bei could either resign and support his friend, or continue to work to suppress public opinion and the lawsuit for the royal family and the First Prince.

Clearly he had made a choice.

There was even more discussion on the Starnet

XXXX: God, ah..…I didn’t expect His Royal Highness to be such a person. So disappointing and disgusting…..!

XXXX: Can an Omega be bullied like this? Is the Royal Family able to do whatever they want?! Do the laws about Omegas on the Starnet not apply to the Royal Family? They’re still thinking about suppressing the storm, pei! We don’t want such a leader, we don’t want such an Imperial master! He can’t even respect others, how can he talk about working for the people and the Empire?

XXXX: Join the #Yuan Han litigation topic to protect the rights of Omegas together! Is that solid evidence not enough? The hospital report, hotel room records, and surveillance clips are all there. Yuan Han has bravely taken a stand regardless of face. All we can do is refuse to allow this to become a trivial matter!

XXXX: Mr. Lu is really honorable! For the sake of his principles and his friend, he voluntarily gave up such a high-paying and high-ranking job! Support! 

XXXX: Even Mr. Lu gave up his position, isn’t that enough to explain everything?

XXXX: No…..those who are filled with righteous indignation are the usual double standard O-supporters, right? You’re so excited to take down an Alpha? Yuck.

XXXX: The First Prince doesn’t look like that kind of person. He usually does a lot. There’s no need to rush to a conclusion and forget everything he’s done in the past because of a false accusation with insufficient evidence!

XXXX: This…..the old king is nearly dead, and there is more than one prince in the royal family. Do you get what I’m saying? What if someone framed him?

The people’s opinions were divided into two factions, each with its own judgments.

But no matter what, cracks had appeared in the First Prince’s image.

Perhaps the First Prince himself didn’t expect that after maintaining such a good public image, he would have a problem with Yuan Han, a commoner who he humiliated and trampled over.

“What are you doing?” Lucas pinched Luo Ran’s cheek. “It’s got nothing to do with you.”

He noticed that Luo Ran seemed to be in a bit of a low mood.

“Admiral.” Luo Ran hesitated, and said in a low voice: “I feel it could be…..”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.” Luo Ran told himself that it was better for Lucas not to know, otherwise he would be very angry. He changed the subject: “With Yuan Han’s lawsuit, we can look for loopholes and take the opportunity to check the accounts of the First Prince.”

“Luo Ran,” Lucas snapped, “Don’t change the subject!”

“…….”

“Admiral, I……”

“Talk!” Lucas said coldly: “Tell me.”

“…….” Luo Ran said with some embarrassment: “It’s really nothing.”

Lucas paused, then decided to change his strategy.

According to his keen observation and battle analysis, Luo Ran could be coaxed but not coerced. 

“You didn’t think about me as your boyfriend before, but now that I’ve taken the position and become a full-time employee, why are you refusing to talk to me?” Lucas pursed his lips and said a little stiffly: “You don’t think of me as your boyfriend.”

“……..”

“He.” Lucas scoffed. “You don’t tell me anything, you just feel that I’m unreliable and untrustworthy.”

Luo Ran thought to himself, what Lucas said……was it correct?

Since they were partners, they should help one another. He could also try to learn to accept Lucas’s help.

Luo Ran paused, then said in a whisper: “The First Prince……confessed his love to me yesterday.”

“…….?”

“He’s approached me before, but I didn’t think much of it. I also rejected his confession yesterday and thought it was a trivial matter. But Yuan Han……you know, Yuan Han and I look very similar.”

“…….Fuck.” Lucas’s expression promptly darkened.

He couldn’t even think about it. It made him sick.

“……That bastard!” Lucas slapped the bed violently, then got up and said: “I’m going to find him!”

“Admiral…..!”

Luo Ran was startled, and quickly held him down.

“Don’t you feel sick?!” Lucas shouted under his breath, “This theory makes sense, isn’t he going too far?”

“That won’t work……will he just directly admit it if the Admiral goes to him?” Luo Ran said with a frown: “Besides, it’s not necessarily true.”

“…….”

Lucas sat down again with a fierce expression, as if he wanted to eat people.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?!” Lucas bared his teeth and grabbed Luo Ran’s sleeve, saying: “If something happens again and you keep it from me, just see how I’ll deal with you.”

“All right.” Luo Ran lowered his eyes and smiled.

At the moment, Lucas was sitting and Luo Ran was standing.

Lucas grabbed Luo Ran’s collar and pulled him down, and Luo Ran grabbed Lucas’s tie and pulled him up.

“You want to beat me up?”

“I now have a new way of beating people.” Lucas raised an eyebrow and directly pulled Luo Ran in, kissing his lips somewhat roughly.

Luo Ran closed his eyes slightly, exchanging breaths and pheromones with Lucas. 

Lucas held the back of Luo Ran’s head and said with a smile: “There are others besides this, specially learned in order to beat you.”

“…….” Luo Ran’s ears were slightly red, and he smiled as he said: “Admiral, I still have official documents to read.”

This matter could be regarded as something of the past.

But Lucas kept it in his heart. This account would not be easy to pass.

In the afternoon, the Second Prince’s secretary contacted Luo Ran, saying that the Second Prince wanted to discuss some “official matters” with him quietly.

After some thought, Luo Ran and Lucas moved back to the office from the battleship.

Now that Lucas’s situation had stabilized and his susceptibility period had passed, even if spiritual problems occurred, they could at least be controlled.

Therefore, although the battleship was a private space and the equipment was sufficient, Lucas had not appeared since the bombing of Te City, which had already stirred up panic.

Now that Lucas could deal with the outside world and control the hostility of his pheromones toward other Alphas, the two planned to go back.

. . . . . . 

The aircraft landed, and when Luo Ran and Lucas entered the office, there were many eyes observing him along the way, and everyone was relieved to see that Lucas was no different from usual.

This could pretty much dispel the rumors.

Luo Ran was holding a stack of documents, and seeing everyone looking at them, he smiled back at them one by one.

The two stepped into the elevator. Now was the time everyone was getting to work, and it was a little crowded.

Lucas automatically wrapped his arms around Luo Ran’s waist, hugging him protectively into his arms.

There were mirrors on all sides of the elevator, and the eyes of everyone inside lit up as they gasped one after another.

Luo Ran: “……”

His smile stiffened immediately.

He had almost forgotten, he and Lucas were now……

Different.

The two of them had either been in private or on Luobing.

But now he and Lucas had been together for some time, and they were back in the office…..

Luo Ran felt a little embarrassed and out of sorts at the moment.

But at the same time, there was a sense of novelty.

Lucas was now……his boyfriend.

Luo Ran smiled and let Lucas hold him.

Lucas lowered his head and asked: “What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s something.” Lucas bared his teeth. “What is it?”

Luo Ran chuckled, but didn’t speak.

The pink bubbles around the two spread out in this small space, so strong it nearly made the others faint.

After exiting, everyone took out their phones in unison.

Celebrate!

And when Luo Ran went upstairs, people from the secretary’s office immediately crowded up.

“Secretary Luo…..!!”

“Woooo, Secretary Luo is back!”

“Secretary Luo, we missed you so much, wuwuwu……”

“The Admiral is here too…..! We couldn’t get used to you not being here!”

Having returned to a familiar environment, and encountering all these familiar people and calls, Luo Ran also felt very happy. He said with a smile: “En, the military department was so busy before, so I stayed there with the Admiral.”

It was only then that Luo Ran discovered something.

He…..seemed to be so familiar with the office floor and Lucas’s spaces that he regarded them as another home.

During this period of time, he didn’t miss his small apartment, which was clearly the home he had saved up to buy. Luo Ran felt that he wanted to take good care of this home. It was clean and neat, and also provided a sense of security. Habit was one thing, but there was not much yearning and nostalgia.

What he missed was the office with the wisterias in the window, where he used to spend the night.

Luo Ran smiled, sat in his seat, and opened the official documents.

Later, Luo Ran not only received a lot of official communication requests, but Wang Zitong also called him.

Luo Ran had been wholeheartedly with Lucas before, so he didn’t communicate much with the outside world, and only reported regularly to his family that he was safe.

Wang Zitong and Luo Cheng had presumably heard the news, and were naturally very worried about Luo Ran.

“Ranran.” Wang Zitong’s voice was a little anxious at the moment. “Where are you? Are you okay? We heard……”

“It’s okay.” Luo Ran said with a smile: “Everything’s fine. I’ll come back for dinner this week.”

“Good, that’s good…..the Admiral, he……?”

“The Admiral is also fine, it’s all rumors.”

After exchanging a few words with Wang Zitong, Luo Ran was in a daze when he hung up.

He hadn’t told his family yet.

It seemed that Wang Zitong and Luo Cheng……didn’t quite approve of him being with Lucas?

After all, Luo Cheng and Wang Zitong were different from other people, who saw Lucas through the filter of a hero. Because of Luo Ran’s relationship, they only considered Lucas’s qualities as a partner.

Luo Ran scratched his cheek.

Lu Cheng especially, as an instructor, used to warn him not to fall in love. At present, they also had……opinions on Lucas.

After all, the blind dates that Lu Cheng and Wang Zitong found before were all well-behaved, engaged in civil work, refined and gentle, and seemed like the type that would be obedient to their partners.

Lucas seemed……

Luo Ran was a little distressed.

Did he need to inoculate his parents slowly and bring Lucas home for dinner later?

Luo Ran had confidence that, although Lucas was difficult to get along with at first glance, as long as they knew more about him, they would like him.

Soon afterwards, the Second Prince came.

The Second Prince got straight to the point, saying that he was also looking into the First Prince’s construction project on Apollo and planned to exchange information with the military.

As a member of the Royal Family, he had the right to muster the core data, and combined with Luo Ran’s piecemeal data, they finally made some connections.

So that day, following Yuan Han’s accusations, the First Prince Zhou Mingyu was sued again.

—This time by the military department. Lucas directly sued the First Prince for embezzlement of public funds and corruption.

Lucas submitted some evidence, and therefore, the First Prince who had planned to suppress public opinion could not do so at all. Lucas was not like Yuan Han, a commoner who had originally planned to attempt the impossible. He had the faith of the people.

After accusations from two parties, there was finally no choice — a case was formally filed.

---

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Chapter Seventy << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-Two

T/N: Thank you to Sanji for the Kofi donation! Here’s an update plus an extra chapter!

“I also want it.”

Lucas’s voice was low and hoarse. The warm air he exhaled hit Luo Ran’s earlobe, making him feel a little hot, and the pheromones made his mind even more chaotic.

Although Luo ran was an Omega, he was also a man. Lucas had tough and handsome facial features, and his body was muscular. At this moment, with the fruits on his upper body saying yes……Luo Ran naturally couldn’t resist.

Luo Ran was still held tightly by Lucas with his head resting on the other’s shoulder, and his voice was also a little hoarse with a tinge of desire.

“What do you want…..”

Lucas didn’t speak, and just grabbed Luo Ran’s wrist to put his hand on it.

Luo Ran felt that it was novel, but what he was thinking at this time was…..although it was worthy of pride, it was fortunately not as exaggerated as thirty-eight centimeters.

After all, Luo Ran once suspected that he was going to die on the first night.

Lucas breathed heavily and said, “Are you going to do it? Hurry up.”

. . . . . . .

It took Lucas a long time, especially when he looked at Luo Ran and imagined his pale hands. When it was over, Lucas’s hair was almost dry.

“Ranran.” Lucas squeezed Luo Ran’s chin and kissed his lips, exchanging breaths.

The two hugged and kissed in the water for a while, and finally the hot spring timer in the bathroom issued a notification sound to interrupt Luo Ran. He turned his head and said: “Admiral, let’s get up and dry off.”

“En.”

Luo Ran wiped his hair to the side and Lucas quickly washed the suds off his head and body.

After getting up from the bath, Luo Ran immediately stepped forward to wrap Lucas in a towel, followed by clothes.

Lucas lowered his head and looked at Luo Ran, who was buttoning him up, and couldn’t help but squeeze Luo Ran’s chin and kiss him again.

“Wu……”

Luo Ran gently pushed Lucas away, and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He said: “Don’t make trouble.”

He was also too clingy.

“I want to eat you.” Lucas bit Luo Ran’s ear and said: “You’re really delicious.”

Give an inch and he would take a mile. Luo Ran shrank all over, a little unaccustomed to such intimacy.

After Luo Ran straightened Lucas’s collar, he turned around and tried to walk away, but just as he stepped forward, Lucas snatched him back with one hand.

Lucas hugged Luo Ran’s waist and said with bared teeth: “What are you hiding from? I’m your boyfriend, you can’t hide.”

“Admiral……” Luo Ran pressed his hands against Lucas’s chest and said helplessly, “I’m not, I just have an appointment, and some official documents to read.”

“An appointment? With who?” Lucas said to him: “I want to go too.”

“……Yu Han.”

“……”

“It’s not for a blind date….!” Luo Ran pressed Lucas’s hand that was pinching his waist, and said exasperatedly: “It’s for official business. I want him to help me get some financial information on the First Prince and the planet Apollo.”

“There are so many people in the government treasury department, why must it be him!”

Luo Ran poked Lucas’s nose and said: “Admiral, you’re acting clingy.”

“……”

Lucas thought of the fact that he had mistakenly thought Luo Ran liked him, thinking that Luo Ran was clingy.

Now Luo Ran actually used this word on him.

Lucas was somewhat ashamed into anger. He hugged this person and said: “I want to go with you.”

Luo Ran had originally planned to have dinner with Yu Han outside, but now because of special circumstances, Luo Ran asked Yu Han to come to the battleship to meet and talk with him. Thus, Yu Han saw Lucas and Luo Ran coming in together.

Yu Han saw that Lucas was still a bit frustrated, and got up to greet them: “Good afternoon, Admiral……”

“Mr. Yu, I’m sorry to trouble you.” Luo Ran nodded and said: “I’ll owe you a favor this time.”

“It’s fine, it isn’t any trouble, just a trivial matter. I’m honored to be able to help Secretary Luo.” Yu Han smiled.

The three took their seats. Lucas didn’t make trouble and just sat to the side, looking at Luo Ran with eagle eyes.

A veritable surveillance monitor.

Luo Ran and Yu Han exchanged a few words before Luo Ran got to the point, saying: “The First Prince has recently started a construction project on Apollo.”

“En, that’s right.” Yu Han said: “I also participated in the cost calculation of this project, and it is said to be a military base.”

Luo Ran said: “Then I’ll be straightforward. Can I ask you for data and reports?”

“Ah…..?” Yu Han paused, and cautiously said: “It’s like this, there is a lot of information that I can’t disclose……although Secretary Luo has his position, the relationship between the royal family and the military has always been sensitive, so I have to be more cautious when it comes to finances.”

“It’s okay, I understand.” Luo Ran smiled and said: “It doesn’t matter how much you can give me, I just want to take a look.”

“Okay.”

Afterwards, Yu Han also talked to Luo Ran about the previous threats.

“There were two people who came, and they looked like thugs hired off the black market. They gave me a lot of money and told me not to look for Secretary Luo in the future.”

Yu Han subconsciously glanced at Lucas.

Lucas said coldly: “Don’t look at me, I didn’t do it.”

If it were him, he would have carried Luo Ran home.

“Then can Mr. Yu describe the characteristics of the two thugs?”

“Okay.” 

After speaking for a while, Yu Han tactfully said his goodbyes.

“Admiral, go back to your room and rest,” Luo Ran said with a smile. “I have urgent paperwork and must go to the institute in person, but I will be back after signing it. It will take about half an hour.”

“Fine.” Lucas knew that his spiritual state was not suitable for going out, let alone coming into contact with other Alphas, so he agreed with some sorrow.

Luo Ran then went to the research institute, but at the gate, he met Yuan Han, the secretary of the First Prince Zhou Mingyu.

Yuan Han, who looked very similar to him.

“Secretary Yuan.” Luo Ran greeted him with a smile, but Yuan Han ignored him, and even looked away with a cold expression.

Luo Ran was taken aback for a moment, naturally not expecting this.

The last time they met, Yuan Han was warm and friendly to him, and had a cheerful personality.

But at this moment, Yuan Han’s eyes bore dark circles. He looked a little haggard, his eyes full of negative emotions.

Luo Ran frowned slightly.

What was this……?

“Secretary Luo?”

First Prince Zhou Mingyu also came out, and handed over official documents to Yuan Han.

The two of them got along and looked at each other……without a problem?

“Your Highness.” Luo Ran nodded slightly.

“Secretary Luo, since we’ve met, shall we talk?” Zhou Mingyu said softly: “I have something to tell you, and we seem to have had too many misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstandings?” Lou Ran said, neither humble nor overbearing: “Your Highness is worrying too much.”

“Let’s talk.” Zhou Mingyu patted Yuan Han on the shoulder and said: “You can go back first. I’ll talk to Secretary Luo.”

“All right.”

Yuan Han was a little cold toward Luo Ran at first, but his attitude changed after Zhou Mingyu extended the invitation, and he seemed a little hesitant to speak.

It was a very subtle look.

Zhou Mingyu smiled and said: “Secretary Luo, let’s meet in the lounge room. There have been so many things going on recently, and I want to speak with you.”

Luo Ran raised an eyebrow.

He wanted to see what Zhou Mingyu had to say. It would be good to have more clues.

“Okay, I’ll come as soon as I hand over my paperwork.”

Yuan Han’s expression became even more subtle.

Zhou Mingyu left then, but Luo Ran was stopped by Yuan Han before going upstairs.

“You…..beware of him,” Yuan Han said. “Be careful.”

“What…..?” Luo Ran frowned slightly.

Yuan Han seemed to want to say something, but didn’t dare to. After a pause, he turned around and strode away.

Luo Ran thought to himself, it is natural to be wary. The relationship between him and the First Prince was too delicate now.

But why did Yuan Han say that? He was Zhou Mingyu’s secretary.

Perhaps…..Yuan Han had something he couldn’t say.

Luo Ran pushed open the door of the private room and saw Zhou Mingyu standing on the edge of the balcony. The sun shone on his brilliant blond hair, and the expensive clothing on his body made him look even more dignified.

Luo Ran thought to himself, if Zhou Mingyu hadn’t been involved in so many things recently and repeatedly targeted Lucas, he would really think that Zhou Mingyu was handsome.

The military department couldn’t confirm whether Zhou Mingyu had colluded with star pirates, but there must at least be some connection.

At this thought, Luo Ran felt a little more uncomfortable and nauseated.

“Secretary Luo is here.” Holding a goblet in his hand, Zhou Mingyu pointed at the low table with a smile. “Join me, Secretary.”

“No need, I’m busy with work and must return to military headquarters.” Luo Ran smiled and said: “What is it, Your Highness?”

“I…..I don’t know how to tell you, but because the admiral acted recklessly before, it seems that I was aggressive.” Zhou Mingyu shook his head and said: “I didn’t intend to target you. As I said, you can ask me for help if you need anything. Naturally, I won’t harm you.”

“Your Highness didn’t harm me. If this is the issue, please don’t worry about it, Your Highness.”

Luo Ran blocked Zhou Mingyu’s words with extreme politeness. Zhou Mingyu paused, then said with a frown: “Does Secretary Luo feel any resentment…..?”

“I really don’t.”

Luo Ran was indeed not angry at all.

He would be angry if Lucas did something he didn’t like, but Zhou Mingyu……how could it be possible to be angry or upset because of him? For Luo Ran, he was just something that had to be faced at work, one of the people he had to deal with in his daily business. It would be strange if he got angry.

Luo Ran would only be angry because of the ambiguity between Zhou Mingyu and the star pirates.

With such a reaction from Luo Ran, the keen Zhou Mingyu could immediately understand what was going on.

“Secretary Luo, I thought that since we’ve talked so many times, you would give me a place too, at least as a friend.” Zhou Mingyu lowered his eyes.

“Your Highness’s words……are a bit surprising.” Luo Ran said with a smile: “The human heart is not a stone, and we can naturally feel other people’s emotions more or less. But His Highness did not give me a place as a friend, so I judged that His Highness only regards me as an ordinary work associate.”

If Zhou Mingyu cared about him, even an ordinary friend would not neglect his spirit and body, and insist on making him melt UNK when he was mentally unstable.

Zhou Mingyu paused, then slightly tilted his head.

Luo Ran couldn’t see his expression clearly, but felt that the aura around Zhou Mingyu was a little low, and for a rare instant, he couldn’t maintain a smiling expression.

“Secretary Luo, I actually called you here today……I want to speak with you.” Zhou Mingyu raised his head and clutched the goblet tightly, his joints faintly red. “I want to confess my love to you. I’m sorry that I can’t give you a romantic confession. It’s really because you have been too difficult to date recently, so I can only say it here.”

“It is of no concern.” Luo Ran glanced at the sky and said with a smile: “I’m really too busy, and can’t breathe under the pressure of my official duties. The Admiral has been quite clingy recently. He’s a troublesome lover.”

This was a more euphemistic, but very clear rejection.

Zhou Mingyu was taken aback.

After a long pause, just when Luo Ran thought that Zhou Mingyu, with his back turned to him, was about to get angry, he suddenly turned around and smiled.

Zhou Mingyu looked at Luo Ran with that big smile and said: “Congratulations, ah.”

“Thank you.”

After Luo Ran left the room, he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was uncomfortable to be in the same space as Zhou Mingyu, let alone that he……

Luo Ran rubbed his temples.

In the end, Zhou Mingyu was a person who put his personal interests first, and confessing to him was only for the power of the military.

Luo Ran didn’t much care about Zhou Mingyu’s feelings.

He cared more about Yuan Han, who was behaving strangely, and planned to go back and have the investigation department look into it.

. . . . . . .

That night, the investigation department had an answer.

It wasn’t about Yuan Han, but the thugs described by Yu Han.

They had quickly found these two people according to their characteristics. After all, the two were thugs, and would always show some signs. 

They were given money and asked to do a job. All customer information was fake, but it didn’t matter as long as the money was sufficient. 

Although it took a lot of money, they were hired in the end, and the person who hired them was one of Yuan Han’s subordinates.

In other words, it really was the First Prince who interfered.

Luo Ran recalled the First Prince’s unspoken confession.

This was even more of a headache.

To be honest, he didn’t like such sneaky little tricks.

“This was just a small episode, and it won’t affect what we need to investigate.” Luo Ran sighed, saying to the captain: “Don’t tell the Admiral.”

“Yes!” The captain paused and said: “As for Secretary Yuan….sorry, we haven’t found anything so far. Everything seems to be normal.”

Luo Ran nodded. This was standard. After all, he was the secretary next to the First Prince.

After a while, Lucas finished his rehab and returned from the fitness room.

“Admiral, you go to bed first.” Luo Ran smiled and said: “I’ll be there right away.”

The two had already shared the same bed, but Lucas slept very deeply at night, and Luo Ran felt that there was no difference.

“En.” Lucas may have been tired, because he didn’t make a fuss. He turned around and went to bed.

Luo Ran left just the desk lamp on, and planned on reading two or three more documents before going to sleep.

Bang—

Luo Ran looked out the battleship window toward the thunder.

Then it started to rain.

Lucas’s breathing was a little rushed, and he couldn’t sleep well. 

He woke up after a while, rubbed his hair, and said irritably: “It’s too noisy.”

Luo Ran was no stranger to such a situation.

When he first became a secretary, he was at a loss, but later Shen Shiluo explained it to him in detail.

This was the aftermath of Lucas being on the battlefield. To be precise, it was post-traumatic stress syndrome, and also the impact of a 3S Alpha being in a fighting environment all year round.

However, Lucas was very capable and had good self-control, so he suppressed it abruptly before it could get too serious. Only occasionally, in special cases, he would still have nightmares, insomnia, and mental disturbances including irritability and hypervigilance.

Luo Ran went forward to hug Lucas and said: “Sorry.”

“So noisy.” Lucas rubbed his temples moodily and whispered: “Damnit.”

Luo Ran sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Lucas to lie down.

Lucas pillowed his head on Luo Ran’s leg as Luo Ran gently rubbed his temples.

“Admiral, don’t think too much. Let your thoughts go.”

Lucas’s breathing was rapid. He held the sheets and tried to get up, looking a little anxious.

“Admiral.”

Luo Ran held him down again and bent over to embrace him, saying: “Where is the Admiral going?”

Lucas didn’t speak, mainly because he didn’t want to lose his temper with Luo Ran.

Luo Ran kissed Lucas’s forehead in this position so that Lucas could feel his pheromones better. Together with the incense in the room, the scent of white tea was mild and elegant.

Luo Ran thought to himself, Lucas said that before or now, he must rush to fight for the dead as well. This mattered little. Everyone was moving forward.

But…..how could he not care, and not be sad?

“Admiral, may I sing for you?” Luo Ran smiled and said: “I sing very well.”

Lucas didn’t answer. He turned around and hugged Luo Ran’s waist, adjusting his position, as if trying to fall asleep again.

Luo Ran sang softly.

Lucas vaguely felt that the melody was familiar, but couldn’t tell why.

Then, perhaps because of the pheromones, Lucas really fell asleep in confusion.

---

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Chapter Sixty-Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-One

The room was silent. Only a short candle flame danced with the breeze, jumping an inch high.

Liu Xian’an set down the empty cup in his hand and went to the cupboard to find a lampshade. It looked old, but was still a rare commodity. Talented scholars and beauties were portrayed in detail on it, and the two layer lampshade wobbled and turned when it was scorched by the heat. In a small river floated a lotus lantern with mandarin ducks and handkerchiefs. Liu Xian’an said: “There is a similar night parade in Baihe City, with lights floating all over the river. A-Ning and I went once.”

Thus the already crowded night parade became even more crowded as everyone stood on their tiptoes to see Second Young Master Liu, and they stopped putting handkerchiefs into the river, simply grasping them in their hands and throwing them at him. As a result, many “talented scholars” who had written poems had no girls willing to read them, and were very dissatisfied. When they returned home, they immediately wrote many sour poems to scold him.

“But my elder brother scolded them all back for me, “Liu Xian’an said.

Although Liu Xianche always used the ruler to teach his younger brother lessons, and couldn’t stand how a Liu family child could be so ignorant, once he heard outsiders chattering, and especially because his younger brother hadn’t done anything wrong and had just gone out for a bit of activity, he became immediately dissatisfied at the yammering and personally led disciples to find the homes of those sour scholars, then sat down directly in the front halls and asked for an explanation.

And The First Young Master Liu’s prestige in Baihe City was almost equal to that of Master Liu. He was even more terrifying when he was unsmiling, and those who had written poetry dared not see him at all, so it was mostly their parents who came to apologize. Liu Xianche treated them all the same, and only then did he grudgingly get up and leave. When the family was eating, he still said, it’s really unreasonable, my little brother  finally went out for a walk, how could he meet those idiots?

Liu Xian’an said: “It seems that other than my mom and dad, everyone in Baihe City is afraid of my elder brother.”

Liang Shu said: “Then the next time we go to Baihe City, I’ll treat him to a drink.”

“Elder Brother doesn’t drink much, but one or two drinks should be fine,” Liu Xian’an said. “He even wrote a letter a while ago, telling me to stay by the prince’s side with peace of mind, and whether I go south or north, in any case, I don’t need to rush home.”

Liang Shu’s opinion of this future brother-in-law was immediately elevated: “All right, then you can always stay and be at ease.”

The word “always” could be replaced by “for a lifetime,” because “always” meant continuously, constantly, and without end. Holding an empty teacup, Liu Xian’an felt that it sounded like a promise, but it was also a little weightless. He asked in a roundabout way: “The Emperor, what sort of brother is he?”

“Emperor Brother is serious in speech and manner, but is always kind in front of me,” Liang Shu said. “My mother concubine passed away very early, so my father entrusted my care to the Empress. She came from a family of military officials and seemed to be cold-spoken, but was in fact soft and kind-hearted, and Emperor Brother also treated me very well.”

Liu Xian’an asked: “Is that all?”

Liang Shu smiled: “That is all. There is no rivalry between brothers, and no calamities in the Imperial City. Brother Emperor has cared about the common people’s affairs since childhood, and has compassion for every plant and tree in Dayan territory. But I am different, I am lazy by nature and have no ambition. I simply want to keep the surrounding land safe and secure, and after it is stable, just find a tranquil place and return to the fields, and live the life of a hermit amongst the peach blossoms and flowing water.”

Born lazy, without ambition. Liu Xian’an thought, it turns out that the prince’s estimation of himself is so inaccurate.

But the life of a hermit amongst peach blossoms and flowing water could be lived together. He suggested that there was a big mountain outside Baihe City with many small villages upon it. There were streams and seas of flowers, and according to A-Ning, it was very beautiful. The prince might as well live there in the future.

Liang Shu asked: “Then what about you?”

Liu Xian’an said: “I can also go with you.”

Liang Shu looked at him: “That will be many, many years from now.”

But Liu Xian’an thought, how many years can there be, the world is only for a moment.

Liang Shu stretched out his fingers, wanting to touch that cheek that looked so soft under the candlelight, but there was a sudden, stabbing pain in his heart. In recent days, he had been spinning around endlessly day and night without a good rest, and the old injury that was not serious awoke at this time. He reached up to press his forehead and leaned forward almost imperceptibly so that the hard edge of the table was against his chest, trying to suppress the pain. But Liu Xian’an had already noticed his abnormality: “The prince is not feeling well?”

Liang Shu said: “It’s nothing.”

Liu Xian’an grasped his wrist and read it for a while, then frowned: “It is still the old injury?”

Liang Shu nodded.

“It is because you’re too tired.” Liu Xian’an released his hand. “You need much more rest.”

Liang Shu said: “I can’t sleep well. I always have dreams when I sleep.”

As for the specific dreams, he feared that if he said them, he would be treated as a scoundrel by A-Ning and be reported to the officials. But Liu Xian’an didn’t ask closely. He took his wrist and tugged him to the side of the bed. “The prince should lie down for a while, ba. I have some soothing medicated oil here, which is very useful.”

The pillow was familiar, and the quilt was also familiar, but there was a new medicinal fragrance on them. Lying on the bed, Liang Shu didn’t know why he was unable to suppress his obscene thoughts when an old injury had just recurred. Thinking that his quilt had once wrapped around his sweetheart, a wicked fire burned in his chest. Liu Xian’an, who was vigorously procuring the medicine, was also taken aback and leaned over to press the back of his hand to his forehead: “The prince has a fever? Wearing such thin underthings in such cold weather, the prince likely caught a cold.”

Liang Shu said: “I don’t have a fever.”

Liu Xian’an didn’t listen, and placed a cool handkerchief on his forehead first. He sat on the edge of the bed again and helped to untie his belt, then massaged slowly with his hands dipped in cooling medicated oil. His fingertips were soft and strong, like pieces of cool, delicate jade, very comfortable when they fell on his hot body. Liang Shu was in a daze. He put the back of his hand on his forehead and asked belatedly: “I really have a fever?”

Liu Xian’an grabbed his hand: “En, put it down, don’t move around.”

Liang Shu sighed resignedly: “This illness really picked its time.”

Under the effects of the medicated massage and the oil, the tingling pain in Liang Shu’s heart dissipated by a lot, and he stretched out. Liu Xian’an looked at the intertwined scars on his body and said: “I’ll make some scar-removing medicine another day. The prescription my elder brother developed is very useful.” 

Liang Shu asked: “They don’t look good?”

Liu Xian’an: “En.”

Liang Shu choked, and stretched out a hand to tug his hair band: “At this sort of time, shouldn’t you say a few nice words about family and country?”

“I can say something nice, but it still doesn’t look good.” Liu Xian’an wiped his hands. “I’ll ask A-Ning to cook some medicine to reduce fever and calm the nerves.”

After he went out, Liang Shu opened his clothes and looked at the criss-crossed scars on his chest. Gao Lin returned in a daze from examining the files and met Second Young Master Liu downstairs talking with A-Ning. When he went upstairs, he heard that the prince was in the next room, so he knocked on the unlocked door and stuck his head in. Before he could say “Your Highness,” he lost his words. Wasn’t this picture too strange in the middle of the night? 

With his elbows propping him up and his clothes disheveled, he turned his head to look toward the door: “Are you coveting me or something, and can’t bear to leave?”

Gao Lin’s heart crumpled. He closed the door behind his back, and his tone was like that of a thief: “Why is the prince lying on Second Young Master Liu’s bed without proper clothes?”

Liang Shu folded his hands and lay back down: “Because this lord is sick and can’t walk.”

Of course Lieutenant General Gao would not believe this sort of nonsense. After all, if his prince only had one breath left, he would still be able to kill the enemy with sword and horse. Sick and unable to walk, this was losing one’s head over lust.

Liang Shu asked: “What did you find out?”

“While the file for Wan Yuan’s case was detailed, the writing was messy and contradictory, and there were many loopholes in the logic.” Gao Lin saw that his prince had managed with difficulty to crawl into the bed of Second Young Master Liu, so he tried to keep the story short. “In short, eighty percent of the dossier was fabricated by Li Liang or someone else. There is also the information on those missing persons, which was all a mess and not up to standards.”

Compared to this, the three-page military report that he squeezed out with all his brains could be called an eloquent, eternal manuscript.

Gao Lin sighed with feeling: “It is also on this trip that I discovered I not only possess material arts strategy, but also a trace of literary talent.”

Liang Shu: “……Where can that be seen?”

There were footsteps on the stairs, and Gao Lin immediately shut up: “The prince should continue to be ill first. Don’t worry, even if the sky falls tonight, I’ll stand guard for you!”

Loyal and faithful, worth giving a raise.

Liu Xian’an carried the medicine into the room, lowering his head to stir it as he walked. He was lithe and slender, wearing white robes and walking like an immortal. As a result, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s condition worsened on the spot, and he couldn’t even lift his hands. “I have no strength.”

After Liu Xian’an stuffed his usual back pillow behind him, he spooned up the liquid medicine to feed him, and Liang Shu said: “Too hot.”

He had too many faults to count, he was pretentious, and he was just looking for trouble. In an ordinary family, it was likely that his father would have already picked up the broom and beat him. But Second Young Master Liu had a very good temper, and just lowered his head to blow on it since it was hot, coaxing this violent and fearsome demon of Dayan to such an extent that he became conceited and arrogant. Liu Xian’an felt that the other party was very well-behaved — he had seen his cousin give medicine to his little nephew, and he cried tragically. Spoons and bowls flew everywhere, and he almost got his head smashed just walking by.

Liang Shu asked: “What are you so happy about?”

Liu Xian’an replied: “Because the prince drank his medicine so nicely.”

Liang Shu was puzzled: “Hm?”

Liu Xian’an smiled and pushed him back to lie down: “I’ll burn a good-smelling incense. The prince can sleep peacefully and recover by tomorrow.”

Liang Shu held his wrist: “No need.” Then he moved his fingers up wrongly and tugged the other person’s forearm, dragging him to sit on the edge of the bed. “The scent of medicine on your sleeves smells very good.”

Liu Xian’an had never felt that there was a fragrance on his body. He thought, perhaps it had soaked in after years in Baihe Mountain Village.

He leaned down slightly, letting his sleeves spread beside the other person’s pillow. He felt tired after a while, so he just sat there on a step stool and continued to watch over the feverish person in a trance.

Liang Shu fell asleep quickly, perhaps because of the effect of the medicine. However, he had always slept lightly, and even in such a quiet and peaceful environment, he woke up in just two hours. He turned his head and saw that there was still a person lying on his stomach beside the bed, so he picked him up.

Liu Xian’an made a semi-conscious questioning sound.

“It’s nothing.” Liang Shu wrapped him in the quilt and pulled the other’s slightly cool body into his arms to warm him up. “Don’t wake up, keep sleeping.”

Thus, Liu Xian’an really didn’t wake up.

The scent of sandalwood spread throughout his dreams.

---

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Chapter Fifty-Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Nine

Lucas’s mood was fluctuating greatly at the moment, and Luo Ran was also affected after making a spiritual connection with him.

Luo Ran also felt the pain. He struggled subconsciously, and vaguely saw Shen Xiluo holding him down.

“So impulsive.” Shen Xiluo frowned and said: “How can you make a spiritual connection at this time?”

Luo Ran felt medicine being injected into his wrist, and then fell into a deep sleep.

. . . . . . 

When Luo Ran woke up again, he saw Lucas…..using him as a pillow in his arms.

Luo Ran stared down at Lucas’s messy hair in a daze.

Lucas noticed the movement and looked up at Luo Ran.

He had been awake for a long time, but his mental state wasn’t good, and he would occasionally wake up and lose consciousness again.

However, at least because of the spiritual connection, Lucas didn’t continue to have a headache and go crazy, and Luo Ran’s pheromones had indeed relieved him a lot.

Lucas looked at Luo Ran for a moment, and was taken aback.

“Why are you crying?” Lucas’s voice was hoarse, and he stretched out his hand to gently cover Luo Ran’s eyes.

Luo Ran didn’t speak, and just shook his head.

Lucas recalled Shen Xiluo’s display, felt his physical condition again, and said seriously: “I feel like I’ll live a long time, don’t worry.”

Luo Ran took Lucas’s hand away and turned around. He didn’t want Lucas to see him right now.

When he turned around, Lucas could see the gauze bandages on his back.

According to Shen Xiluo, he bit too much last night, and the glands were injured and inflamed. Luo Ran’s wrists were also wrapped in bandages.

They were all minor flesh wounds, but Lucas was naturally distressed.

He couldn’t always control his strength, let alone during the situation the night before.

“Stupid Ranran.” Lucas knew that Luo Ran had forcibly made a spiritual connection with him last night, and after some thought, he understood what was going on.

During an Alpha’s susceptible period, they were a walking disaster, and only an Omega’s marking, spiritual connection, or physical pheromones could relieve them. But Lucas’s susceptible period, in addition to a spiritual collapse disorder, was really not suitable for the above activities, because it was easy to influence and affect the Omega.

But Luo Ran did it anyway.

Lucas wrapped his arms around Luo Ran’s waist from behind and leaned his head on the other’s shoulder, saying: “I’m fine. That was all long ago.”

Lucas rubbed the top of Luo Ran’s hair and said: “It’s okay.”

“En,” Luo Ran said nasally. “Now I’m here.”

Lucas’s heart thumped.

Luo Ran turned back around, put his arms around Lucas again, and said: “Sleep, Admiral. I’ll watch over you.”

For a lifetime.

He would protect him, cherish him, and do everything possible to keep Lucas from being hurt again.

“En.” Lucas leaned into Luo Ran’s arms, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Luo Ran hugged the big lion hard. He was firm and heavy.

But his sleeping appearance…..was very docile.

Luo Ran lightly tapped the tip of Lucas’s nose with his fingertip.

No response. He was deeply asleep.

Luo Ran paused, then lowered his head to press a kiss to Lucas’s forehead.

After that, Lucas continued to sleep for two days. He woke up and fell back asleep many times, but still had the strength to attend to daily life, and even eat by himself without Luo Ran’s help.

Luo Ran moved a table beside the bed to edit official documents and continued to deal with the handover and military affairs.

When Lucas wasn’t on leave, he had a lot of work, and now that Lucas was on leave, he had even more work.

In addition to his regular work, Luo Ran had to deal with online public relations.

After the incident in Te City broke out, the Empire and Luobing were in a bleak state, and everyone’s morale was extremely low.

The people of Luobing were naturally forlorn. After all, it was their society and city that was destroyed, and so many people had died—one hundred and thirteen.

This was only a piece of data, and didn’t sound like much, but each one was a person with a name and a life.

For many years, Lucas had led the army to victory and had never been defeated.

Although this time was not a failure, but a deliberate demonstration by the star pirates rather than a battle. No matter how strong the Empire and Lucas were, they would not be able to do anything. However……

The losses were too heavy, and the incident was too tragic. It was like a hard fist slamming into the defensive line of the military headquarters and the Empire.

As for the people of the Empire, even though the people of Luobing’s Te City were not their own comrades, they died under a Meteor Shower.

A Meteor Shower was the weapon that had killed Admiral Alton and 185 other elite soldiers in the Ravine.

Of course, Admiral Alton exerted his spiritual strength at that time, and at the last moment before abandoning the mecha, he shot down the aircraft of Huntsman’s father, the leader of the star pirates, and took him to die together.

In any case, the loss of Alton and the elites around him was a painful past event, and now that the star pirates had successfully made such a weapon, no one could be happy.

Every page of the Starnet had turned gray and were full of mourning and praying posts.

XXXX: Admiral Alton died with the former leader of the star pirates, and now there is a tug-of-war between Admiral Lucas and Huntsman. Admiral Alton died under a Meteor Shower back then, and now the Meteor Shower is back in action…..could it be…..it was pre-arranged? When I think about it, I feel such despair.

XXXX: Forget about it, I’m also in despair. Upstairs, do you know that there is an organization in the Empire that specializes in research and development and encourages the cultivation of offspring, and strives to cultivate excellent genes? One of them is Dr. Shen, who followed Admiral Alton back then, and now the biggest goal of their team is the Admiral’s offspring.

XXXX: Wu…..I hope the Admiral will have offspring soon. I hope the Admiral’s end will come at 100 years old and in his own bed.

XXXX: I don’t understand, I really don’t understand. For the sake of the peace of the entire galaxy, even though the Empire has the ability to use such a weapon, they won’t do it. This is understandable, but why are the star pirates capable of doing it? How much money and resources does this require, ah? The star pirates were beaten silent by Admiral Lucas, right? After a losing streak of so many years, why do they still have the ability?

XXXX: I also don’t understand…..Meteor Showers not only consume a lot of money and resources, but they take several years to make, right? Doesn’t it take a long time? How come the star pirates have gold mines and wormholes in their stronghold? Do they have a mountain of diamonds?

XXXX: I heard there’s insider information that Admiral Lucas was injured……that’s why he didn’t show up.

XXXX: I heard he was seriously injured!

Some took the opportunity to make trouble, some had malicious intentions, and some were speaking on hearsay evidence, quietly spreading news about Lucas.

Some even said that Lucas was in peril and his life would not be long. Although the articles were quickly deleted, they were still seen by many people.

The atmosphere was not very good. Sky lanterns had been sent up for many days, and Luo Ran had to ask the military department and several military leaders to come out and speak to stabilize the people’s hearts.

The First Prince also gave several speeches to encourage everyone and say that the Empire would definitely overcome this difficulty.

“These are the recent movements of the two princes.”

The head of the investigation team handed Luo Ran a document.

Luo Ran sat on the desk beside the bed and took the file, reading it over.

The Second Prince, Zhou Mingjing, had actually been traveling quietly between Luobing and the Empire for a while. After this incident, he immediately left for Luobing to accompany Mu Yuan.

Mu Yuan was good at fighting, but his mind was not very flexible in other aspects. Zhou Mingjing had helped him a lot in the past, and could meticulously take care of every detail.

“It turns out to be like this. No wonder the capital seems to be controlled exclusively by the First Prince these days.” Luo Ran shook his head.

In the past few days, the First Prince’s inspirational speeches and stage skills had been perfect, and he won a lot of people’s hearts, but the Second Prince remained silent.

Luo Ran smiled helplessly at the irony.

At this time, the First Prince was doing superficial work everywhere, but actually contributed nothing but chicken soup for the soul.

And the Second Prince personally went to the front lines to help rebuild Te City, appease the families of the victims, and contribute money and effort.

But the former was more profitable and brought in more rewards.

“Continue to investigate the First Prince, mainly focusing on his finances.” Luo Ran said with a smile: “Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s not difficult.” The captain glanced at Luo Ran and frowned, saying: “Secretary Luo, I may be stepping over the line, but……I suggest that you also find a time to rest.”

Lucas was not in good condition, and Luo Ran was on guard almost twenty-four hours a day, not to mention the occasional spiritual connection and pheromone blending. Coupled with his official duties, it was indeed too much of a physical load for one person.

Luo Ran’s eyes were all bruised and purple, and he looked haggard.

“It’s fine, this doesn’t happen often.” Luo Ran laughed and said: “It’s only a matter of a few days. I’ll just read a few more documents and be done.”

“Yes……”

—XXX—

This continued for another two days. For Luo Ran, nothing much seemed to change, other than Lucas having a little more time to sleep and rest.

It was like having a large pet.

And now it seemed even more so.

“Scram!”

Lucas stood in the bathroom of the suite and looked at Luo Ran, who was about to come in. He bared his teeth: “I can do it myself.”

Luo Ran coaxed: “I’ll help the Admiral wash his hair and scrub his back. It’s no problem.”

“Fuck, I’m spiritually unwell, not disabled.” Lucas pressed on the door panel and said: “I don’t need your help.”

Lucas was stubborn, and Luo Ran was even more stubborn.

Luo Ran blocked the door and said earnestly: “Admiral, don’t hold onto your tenuous masculine dignity at a time like this.”

“…….” Lucas sneered: “Are you courting death?”

Luo Ran continued to dance on the edge of danger, saying: “Admiral, you’re not a cat, so don’t resist taking a bath.”

“……” Lucas said fiercely: “Don’t try to divert my attention, I’m not resisting taking a bath.”

Luo Ran was really worried. After all, Lucas was in a bad spiritual state now, and if he fainted or had an attack while bathing, it wouldn’t be good.

Luo Ran paused, and could only say: “……That.”

Seeing that it was hopeless, he could only go on recklessly.

Luo Ran closed his eyes and said: “Doesn’t the Admiral want to bathe with me?”

“……”

Five minutes later.

The bathroom was foggy, and Lucas was sitting on a stool in a pair of pants, feeling like something was wrong.

Luo Ran sat behind him on a relatively high chair, washing his hair with his head bowed.

Lucas: “…….”

He had to say, it was quite comfortable.

Luo Ran lowered his head and concentrated. His ten fingers rubbed through Lucas’s hair, his fingertips massaging his scalp with just the right strength.

Lucas frowned and said: “You learned how to do this?”

“En.”

“Why did you learn it?”

“To massage my father’s shoulders and feet before.”

“Have you ever massaged anyone else?”

“……Of course not.”

“En.”

Lucas became more comfortable and grudgingly forgave Luo Ran for his evil deeds.

But although he was very comfortable, Lucas still felt a little awkward. “Okay, stop rubbing, there’s no need to be so coquettish. You go out.”

“Admiral, I’ll wash off the suds for you.”

“…….”

Lucas was getting goosebumps all over his body.

Fuck.

“Admiral, please be good.” Luo Ran was helpless.

Why was it so troublesome to bathe?

It was as troublesome as getting him to eat.

“Do you think I’m a cat or a dog?” Lucas bared his teeth.

Luo Ran stood on tiptoe and reached out to lightly pat the top of Lucas’s head. He said softly with a smile: “Meow.”

“…….”

—Bang.

Luo Ran was shocked.

Because the next moment, he was directly thrown down by Lucas.

The two fell into the bathtub. Luo Ran was wearing a thin white shirt, which was immediately soaked through by water.

Lucas looked at Luo Ran, who was passed beneath him with half his body in the water, and his breathing gradually became heavy.

Luo Ran’s hair was wet, and the white cloth was plastered to his fair skin, collarbones, chest……and the two berries, then down to his tight waist.

Luo Ran was also looking at Lucas.

The impact on Lucas was even greater. After all, Lucas wasn’t wearing anything on his upper body. Luo Ran could clearly see the drops of water rolling down his Adam’s apple, flowing down Lucas’s firm chest and hard eight-pack abs.

Lucas’s complexion was a healthy wheat color, and the large and small scars covering him made him look very fierce.

Everything made a person’s heart race.

Luo Ran swore that he didn’t mean to, but he saw Lucas pressing him down, making this extremely aggressive and sexy gesture, and his gaze moved upward……

And he saw the suds on Lucas’s head that hadn’t been washed off, bubbling like a big cabbage flower.

Luo Ran’s heartbeat became faster and his ears turned red, but he suddenly couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Pfft!”

Lucas: “…….”

Lucas scoffed and plunged into the water, shaking his head around. When he got up again, the suds were nearly re-applied, and his dripping wet black hair stuck to his cheeks.

Before Luo Ran could react, he watched Lucas put his palm on his chest.

Luo Ran froze, staring at Lucas in disbelief.

“Don’t twist it…..” Luo Ran groaned in pain, and helplessly grabbed Lucas’s shoulder.

Lucas embraced the man, both of them half soaked in water.

Under the water, one could vaguely see the devil’s claws resting on Luo Ran’s leather belt.

“Wait, Admiral……” Luo Ran hugged Lucas and was shackled by Lucas’s other hand. “Admiral, I’ll go out. I won’t wash you anymore, you bathe yourself, I won’t bother you……”

“Secretary Luo, why don’t you keep your word?” Lucas started to move his hand, and kissed Luo Ran’s ear. “Aren’t you saying one thing while meaning another? Look at this, you’re standing upright.”

Lucas thought to himself, the study materials of that guy Shen Xiluo were really useful.

Luo Ran’s ears were flushed, and Lucas’s pheromones were presently making his mind more and more confused.

Lucas sneered: “Don’t you like meowing very much? Why don’t you meow a few times for me to hear now?”

“…….” Luo Ran buried his face in Lucas’s neck.

Lucas’s hand was mostly mechanical, and the feeling when rubbing was very indescribable.

Luo Ran thoroughly understood what it meant to shoot himself in the foot, and the risk of dancing on the edge of death.

When it was finally over, Lucas didn’t need to wash his hands, as the water in the bathtub washed it away.

Lucas bit Luo Ran’s ear, very much like a child right now.

“I also want it.”

---

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Chapter Sixty-Eight << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy

T/N: Thank you to the nameless Kofi supporter for the donation! Here is the regular chapter and an extra.

Lu Cheng swiftly and silently led Shen Xiluo around the military headquarters pathways.

Wang Qiuyang remained calm and stood guard nearby, not letting anyone approach.

The medical equipment and pharmaceuticals on the battleship were abundant, and Lucas was not in need of more major equipment, so Shen Xiluo only brought along a small medical bag.

Luo Ran stood by the bed, looking down at Lucas.

The big, tall man was lying unconscious at this moment, seeming no different from usual.

If someone else hadn’t mentioned it, he would not have noticed that Lucas was injured.

Luo Ran lowered his eyes and said: “What happened?”

Freeman, who had been traveling with Lucas, whispered: “We……didn’t fight at all in Te City in the Southeast. There was no win or loss. The star pirates took hostages and didn’t intend to negotiate with us at all.”

“Then the hostages held by the star pirates are……?”

“It was a declaration of war. A demonstration.”

Two days had passed, and Freeman still gritted his teeth when he spoke of it: “They directly……blew up Te City with a Meteor Shower when we arrived.”

Luo Ran was stunned.

The Meteor Shower was the star pirates’ ultimate weapon, and it was not frequently used.

— It was artillery.

Its power was such that the entire sky was covered by artillery fire after launch, as if a meteor shower was falling, and it was enough to destroy a small city.

It was only that it took a terrible amount of money, material, and time to construct such a weapon.

Luo Ran did not expect that the star pirates would use it here. This was not an important battle.

As it turned out, this wasn’t their only Meteor Shower.

Could it be……a test of its strength?

And while testing it, it could also serve as a warning to the Empire and Luobing?

Luo Ran’s palms were a little clammy.

“The Admiral had already half-entered the susceptibility period, but during the battle, Lion One was affected by the artillery fire. Lion One and the Admiral are fine, but the Admiral has a spiritual illness……”

“Te City was half-destroyed, and all the hostages were left with wreckage and broken bones. This matter…..has affected everyone’s moods and morale very much, so the matter of the Admiral’s fall must be kept secret. After two days, the Luobing unit will officially return and pretend that the Admiral came back with them.”

Freeman spoke in a clear and orderly manner, but there was still an uncontrollable waver in his tone.

For soldiers, no matter how strong their hearts were, seeing hundreds of people being blown up before their eyes, there was still……

Terror, disgust, anger, sadness……and even more powerlessness and self-blame.

And Lucas, as the Admiral who charged forward and took the lead, naturally saw this most clearly from the frontlines.

It was an Admiral’s failure to predict this catastrophe.

Luo Ran paused for a long time, then said in a low voice, “Adjutant Freeman.”

“En?”

“When was the last time a Meteor Shower appeared?”

Freeman said: “It was the Ravine Operation, and also……”

Freeman was taken aback.

It was also at the first battle of Admiral Alton’s unfortunate campaign.

“That……that……” Freeman stared at Lucas blankly.

“It’s okay, I’ll stay with him. You just got back, so go home and have a good few days’ rest.” Luo Ran stepped forward and gently patted Freeman’s shoulder. “Have the soldiers who participated in this battle go home and rest well. You can help me deal with that, can’t you?”

“Yes!”

Shen Xiluo stood to the side and injected Lucas with medicine while inspecting the equipment.

An Alpha’s rut could be relieved by an Omega of the same level or higher, but spiritual breakdowns also required medication.

Luo Ran kept out of the way, not daring to disturb him.

Shen Xiluo sent Luo Ran a glance and said: “The accompanying doctor did a good job. Since there was some uncertainty involved, he directly put the Admiral into a deep coma so that his body and mind could repair themselves.”

“That…….”

Shen Xiluo said in a calm tone: “It’s fine, if you use your pheromones and the Admiral regularly injects medicine, it will pass in a few weeks, similar to your previous situation. Both you and the Admiral are spiritually wounded people, so there is naturally more risk for injury, but at the same time, your bodies are used to it and know how to repair themselves.”

“Okay.”

Shen Xiluo said: “I’ll be staying in the next room. If something is wrong, don’t panic, just come to me.”

“Okay,” Luo Ran said gratefully. “Thank you.”

Shen Xiluo hesitated, then said: “I learned a little bit about the situation from Adjutant Freeman. Did the star pirates really create a Meteor Shower again?”

“Yes.”

“En.” Shen Xiluo said nothing more, and turned around to leave.

Luo Ran was subtly aware of Shen Xiluo’s low mood.

But Luo Ran had no mind to pay attention to Shen Xiluo. He only sat on the bed and gently held Lucas’s hand. 

Lucas’s hand was half flesh, half hard machinery.

Half warm and half cold.

Now that he had returned to the capital, Shen Xiluo was also there, so Lucas was not injected with sleeping medication and woke up in the middle of the night.

Luo Ran was sitting on the edge of the bed with his eyes closed, resting and still holding Lucas’s hand. He opened his eyes immediately after noticing movement.

Lucas looked at Luo Ran with a slight frown.

“The Admiral is awake……”

“Get out.”

Luo Ran was startled.

Lucas said hoarsely: “Ranran, get out.”

Lucas had a headache. It was extremely painful, and his mind wasn’t completely clear at the moment.

A spiritual disorder was different for an Alpha than for an Omega. Although it hurt the same, an Omega would experience hallucinations and weakness, while an Alpha would have an endless desire to destroy, attack, and go wild.

Luo Ran asked: “Why?”

“I said, get out,” Lucas said. “Believe it or not, I’ll do beastly things.”

“How beastly?” Luo Ran smiled and promptly climbed onto the bed, laid down beside Lucas, and hugged him gently. 

Lucas felt himself being tenderly enveloped in white tea pheromones, which relieved much of the pain and agitation that was driving him out of his mind.

“You can’t imagine.” Lucas gave a light gasp, not daring to move.

“Then don’t think about it. Just have a good rest, Admiral. The Admiral can’t beat me at the moment anyway, don’t worry.” Luo Ran looped his arms around Lucas’s neck, letting him lean against his chest.

“Luo Ran.” Lucas’s eyes were red, as if he was desperately enduring the howling anger and destructive desire. “You don’t know how much strength and out-of-control Alpha has.”

Lucas felt like a monster was living inside his body, clamoring to come out and destroy everything around him, and bully Luo Ran fiercely.

It was the ugliest possessive desire in his heart, stealing away his breath.

He felt like he was going insane.

“I understand.” Luo Ran said seriously, “Now that I’m here, and preparations have been made, the Admiral doesn’t have to endure.”

Luo Ran couldn’t imagine how painful a rut must be for an Alpha. He hadn’t experienced it, but he thought, at least his presence could ease Lucas’s pain and help him get better sooner.

“You bastard.” Lucas’s eyes went completely red, and he pressed Luo Ran down directly, then bit his gland.

It was so sudden.

“Ah…….!” Luo Ran trembled all over, physical tears dripping from his eyes because of the pain.

Lucas was indeed much stronger than usual at the moment. When he bit the back of Luo Ran’s neck, Luo Ran had the illusion that his neck was about to be bitten off.

The hands that grabbed his wrists were also very firm, the pain turning his fingers numb.

Luo Ran lay on the bed and bit the pillow to endure the pain, allowing Lucas to bite his neck as he suppressed his subconscious instinct to resist.

It really hurt.

Behind him, Lucas bit his gland and injected his own pheromones, while also frantically absorbing Luo Ran’s.

Like there was poison in his mouth, and he was absorbing the only antidote that could relieve his chaotic spiritual realm.

Luo Ran cooperated with Lucas, attempting to establish a spiritual connection with him.

Just like in the mecha before.

Firelight.

At the moment of spiritual connection, Luo Ran saw flames in the sky.

They were just like the images he saw when he occasionally had hallucinations before, and presumably completed a haphazard spiritual connection during the intimate pheromone blending.

Luo Ran’s pheromones made Lucas increasingly satisfied, and the restlessness and rage in his body lessened. After completing the temporary mark, Lucas took a few breaths and then bit Luo Ran’s ear again.

Lucas turned Luo Ran over and bit down on his lip.

“Ranran…..”

“En.” Luo Ran’s hand was injured, and he couldn’t move for the time being. He just raised his head slightly in cooperation.

Luo Ran’s cooperation satisfied the lion inside him even more, and Luo Ran said faintly: “Admiral……make a spiritual connection with me.”

As long as the spirit was temporarily bound to an Omega, the Alpha in his susceptible period could get more relief.

It was unknown if Lucas heard him or not, but he was indeed controlling his spiritual power, trying to combine it with Luo Ran’s.

The Alpha’s door was wide open, and the Omega could easily find the way.

The lights in the room were not turned on. Lucas felt around in the dark and held Luo Ran’s cheeks, pressing him down to deepen the kiss.

“Mm……hah…….”

Luo Ran could feel that the spiritual connection was complete, and their pheromones in the air became more intense, as if they had been fused together.

Perhaps it was because Lucas’s thoughts were confused now, but Luo Ran felt he had even gone a little overboard.

Luo Ran was shaking all over.

He saw the flames, he saw the wreckage, he saw……

Admiral Alton.

. . . . . .

Seven years ago, the Ravine.

“Advance! Continue to advance!”

A tall and stalwart man piloted the mecha and led his troops to rush forward through the narrow ravine.

There were stone walls on both sides, and light only spilled down through a small area above.

Lucas squeezed the communication device in the mecha and shouted: “Admiral, the enemy is only six hundred meters away from us!”

They had fallen into a trap.

They had originally wanted to go around the ravine and surprise the star pirate headquarters, which they had finally located, but their movement was noticed by the star pirates, and then they were forced into this place where it was easy to attack and hard to defend…..or in other words, they could only passively endure the attacks.

There was no geographical advantage at all.

“Advance! We can only advance! We can’t fight here!” Alton snapped, “Advance to victory!”

Large and small artillery fire fell from the sky, testing the control of the mecha and aircraft.

Lucas twisted the control level vigorously, dodging the fireballs coming from the front left.

All eyes were fixed on the opening of the canyon in front of them, a place shining with sunlight.

Boom!

At this moment, a Meteor Shower suddenly fell from the sky.

“Abandon the mechas!” Alton could tell at a glance that the mechas could not withstand such a bombardment.

Everyone abandoned the mechas and had them cover the ships underneath.

Bang—

As expected, the mechas were blown into pieces. If anyone was inside of them, they would surely be dead.

Alton shouted hoarsely: “Continue to advance out!”

“Everything but the feet on that mecha is gone!”

But at this moment, an unusual light once again came from overhead.

The Second Meteor shower rained down, larger and more violent.

. . . . . .

When the army brought Shen Xiluo, Xia Zhi, and their medical team to the scene, no one could speak.

Mecha wreckage and human limbs were strewn everywhere in the ravine, small mountains of corpses everywhere, and the ravine was soaked in blood.

The military officer steadied his emotions and voice, giving an order, “Search……search to see if anyone survived……try…….”

“Try to splice the severed limbs together to verify identities.”

. . . . . .

“I found the Admiral and the Junior Admiral!” 

In the foremost mountain of corpses, the ‘people’ whose flesh, organs, and bones were fused together were pushed aside to reveal Admiral Alton.

Perhaps because so many soldiers had been piled on top of him, although the state of his body was horrifying and his facial features could not be seen clearly, he still had breath.

In Alton’s arms was his little nephew Lucas, who had been well protected by him.

Lucas didn’t have too many injuries except for his exposed hand, which was covered in blood.

It was…..a miracle.

When the Meteor Shower landed, this layer upon layer of protection was a miracle.

“Doctor Shen, Doctor Xia…..hurry up! Hurry!”

“The Admiral and the Junior Admiral are still alive!”

The doctors carefully pulled them out.

Lucas grabbed Xia Zhi’s sleeve with his few remaining fingers.

“Doctor Xia……”

The pale-faced Xia Zhi nodded and said: “En.”

“The Admiral……”

“En, don’t worry. We will do our best to save Admiral Alton.”

“En.” Having received this promise, Lucas seemed to have reached his limit, and lost consciousness.

. . . . . .

The hospital.

Lucas stood outside the glass isolation window. Alton was lying on the hospital bed inside, his body covered in wounds and gouges. His facial features were indistinguishable, and not half of his former grandeur and appearance could be seen.

Lucas’s hand was wrapped in thick bandages, and his quiet demeanor was in sharp contrast to the noisy dispute between the two doctors not far away.

“Euthanasia is the only way now.” Shen Xiluo pushed up the frame of his glasses and said: “This will quickly end Admiral Alton’s suffering.”

“Why not try surgery to save him?” Xia Zhi almost collapsed, and said with red eyes: “We can try again!”

“There’s no need, this will only prolong the pain.”

“We can still try, we really can try again…..I did a test report and checked it, it’s really okay…..”

“It’s not necessary.” Shen Xiluo said: “It really doesn’t make sense to try to bring him back.”

“Why doesn’t it make sense?!”

Xia Zhi couldn’t hold back his tears anymore, and shouted: “Are you emotionless? Do you have no feelings?!”

“Xia Zhi, Doctor Xia, as a partner and direct supervisor, I warn you, please do not let emotions affect your good judgment.”

Xia Zhi was stunned.

He just stared at Shen Xiluo in a daze.

“In the end…..” Xia Zhi said shakily: “Even if I object, it won’t work, right?”

“Yes.”

Xia Zhi was trembling all over.

He had promised Lucas.

He was a doctor.

Doctors were there to save lives.

That was Alton, the admiral who had been with them through thick and thin.

The boss who promoted him, who protected him as a doctor on the battlefield, the comrade who drank with him.

Why couldn’t they try again?

“Stop arguing.” Lucas had been listening without their knowledge. “Euthanize him.”

He knew his own uncle.

Xia Zhi stared blankly at him.

Lucas lowered his eyes and said: “I’ll do it.”

. . . . . .

Xia Zhi was emotionally broken. He had already lost the professional qualities a doctor should have, and was taken away by Shen Xiluo.

Inside the ward, Lucas stood beside the bed and took the needle from Shen Xiluo.

Shen Xiluo maintained a perpetually calm appearance, and as Xia Zhi had said, he didn’t show the slightest emotion.

Lucas inadvertently touched Shen Xiluo’s hand when he took the needle.

He withdrew his hand subconsciously and turned his head, wanting to vomit.

He couldn’t bear to be touched by others.

Shen Xiluo was taken aback.

He remembered how Lucas was pulled out of the sea of corpses—covered in the flesh and blood of his comrades and uncle.

It took the medical staff a long time to wash it all off. Even so, there was still some filth that couldn’t be removed. Lucas had still had a strong smell.

Lucas took the needle and looked at Alton.

Alton noticed something, and raised his eyelids with difficulty.

Then Alton gave Lucas a smile.

Of course, this was mostly in Lucas’s imagination, as all he could see was flesh being pulled.

Then Lucas took Alton’s hand.

Two hands were clasped together, one bloody and one mutilated.

“Lucas.” Alton spoke in a breathy voice.

Lucas bowed his head to listen, he faintly heard something.

“Proud.”

“Don’t fall.”

—I’m proud of you.

—Don’t fall down, go forward bravely.

Lucas nodded solemnly, said “En,” and injected the needle into Alton’s wrist.

Shen Xiluo turned around and left, leaving space for the two of them. Those guarding outside the ward could see that his footsteps were disordered, as if he had lost his direction and senses.

The peaks and dips of the heart monitor eventually trended to a straight line.

Lucas stood in front of the hospital bed and gave a firm military salute.

---

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Chapter Sixty-Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Nine

Less than ten minutes after the WeChat message was sent, Bo Yueming and Yan Cen appeared at the door of the bar.

Pei Yi couldn’t help but stare—

The indoor environment of the bar was very dim, and the downlights all around shone on Bo Yueming’s features, presenting a kind of cold and inviolable aesthetic. 

It was like they had an innate connection.

Bo Yueming had never set foot in this bar before, but he located Pei Yi at first glance. His eys were deep and calm, with an attraction that only belonged to him.

Pei Yi noticed that his heartbeat was out of control, and he inexplicably wanted to crash into the other’s arms.

Only a few steps away, Bo Yueming and Yan Cen approached with long strides.

Yan Cen’s eyes were fixed on Li Yuan’s figure, and his worry was beyond words. “How much did he drink?”

“Less than a bottle and a half of Wei Sparrow,” Pei Yi replied truthfully, raising his eyes toward Bo Yueming.

Their silent gazes met.

Pei Yi seemed to clarify and ask for credit, “I didn’t drink a sip! Not a drop.”

Bo Yueming’s lips curved up. “En, you were very well-behaved tonight.”

“……”

Who wants you to praise me for being well-behaved?

I can tell the difference between what’s important and what isn’t!

Pei Yi thought this to himself and pretended to calmly change the subject, “Let’s get out of here first, shall we? So we don’t attract the attention of others.”

Bo Yueming and Yan Cen were the two representatives of good looks in the original text. One was usually enough to attract attention, but now that there were two, it would inevitably attract even more if they stayed for a long time.

Yan Cen nodded. “En, my car is parked outside.”

Pei Yi tried to wake this person up. “Yuan?”

The drunk Li Yuan snorted, closing his eyes and leaning back in the booth. He felt dizzy, and his stomach burned uncomfortably.

“Don’t try to call for him, I’ll carry him out,” Yan Cen volunteered. “Pull him up for me.”

His first thought was to directly carry him in his arms, but this was a public place, after all. He was afraid that Li Yuan would try to save face and refuse to cooperate while half asleep.

Pei Yi didn’t want to waste time here, so he stepped forward to assist.

Li Yuan, who was drunk and dizzy, felt his body suddenly soar into the air, and in the blink of an eye, he landed on a broad back. The familiar fragrance of tea leaves met his nose, a splitting ray of clarity in the chaotic drunkenness.

“…….”

Li Yuan felt an inexplicable sourness in his heart and couldn’t help but clench his hands to hold on tightly, regardless if this was an illusion or reality.

“Senior.”

The low sob hit his ears, ineffably burning Yan Cen’s heart. He tilted his head and whispered softly, “Don’t cry.”

The group of four left the bar, and a car stopped at the main entrance.

Bo Yueming suggested, “Pei Yi and Mr. Li should sit in the back.”

Yan Cen placed Li Yuan in the back seat. “Yueming, you take co-pilot. I’ll drive.”

“All right.”

The sound of the closing door awakened Li Yuan for a moment of sobriety. He struggled to confirm his surroundings, and then tried to get out of the car.

“Don’t take care of me, I, I’ll go back by myself.”

Pei Yi stopped his friend’s movements and buckled his seatbelt for him. “Where are you going to go back to now?”

As far as he knew the Li Yuan in the original text lived with An Yang before his past was revealed. 

This kind of farce happened today, and he was so drunk. How was it suitable for him to go home?

“…….”

Li Yuan was at a loss for words.

Yan Cen watched his expression through the rearview mirror. “How about I take Mr. Li to stay with me?”

Just as Li Yuan shook his head, Pei Yi beside him refused on his behalf. “No.”

Pei Yi leaned closer to the passenger seat. “Er-ge, can I take Yuan back to the villa for the night first?”

It wasn’t that Pei Yi didn’t want to give Yan Cen and Li Yuan a chance to be alone, but he could see his friend’s unspeakable feelings and thoughts, and understood his sensitivity and self-esteem—

For Li Yuan, such an outrageous and absurd event had happened tonight, and Yan Cen saw all of his embarrassment before he could hide.

If he had to stay with him in this situation, even if he could drunkenly get through tonight, he might not be able to face Yan Cen properly when he woke up the next morning.

Bo Yueming thought for a moment, and agreed. “There is Uncle Kai at home, in case Xiao Li feels uncomfortable, so there are more people to take care of him.”

Yan Cen wanted to say something more, but considering his unfamiliar relationship with Li Yuan, he could only suppress his worry.

“Then I’ll drive you back first.”

“Okay, we’ll trouble you.”

. . . . . .

Forty minutes later, Pei Yi and Uncle Kai helped the drunk Li Yuan back to the small bedroom.

Pei Yi assisted his friend in taking off his stained sweater, and set it outside. “Uncle Kai, prepare the hangover medication and so on for Yuan tomorrow.”

“Okay, Little Sir.”

Pei Yi didn’t want to disturb the already drunk and drowsy Li Yuan, and there was still a little worry that couldn’t be explained. “Right, are there any extra quilts at home?”

This could be regarded as a small selfishness. He really didn’t like to let his quilt be stained with another person’s scent.

Uncle Kai replied, “There is, I’ll get it now.”

Pei Yi added, “Bring another glass of water. It’s easy to get thirsty in the middle of the night with a hangover.”

“Okay.”

After Uncle Kai left, Bo Yueming continued to lean against the door of the bedroom without moving.

He watched Pei Yi bustle around Li Yuan with a lot of attention to detail, and felt a bit of indescribable sourness in his heart. “You’re going to sleep with him tonight?”

Pei Yi answered as a matter of course, “En. Didn’t Uncle Kai say that the guest room on the first floor hasn’t been cleaned?”

Bo Manor covered a large area, and had single family villas prepared for guests. As for the villa where Bo Yueming lived, apart from the space they usually stayed in, there was only one guest bedroom.

They brought Li Yuan back so suddenly that Uncle Kai didn’t have time to prepare the bedding, and it would be too much trouble to tidy it up now.

Bo Yueming was about to say something more, when Uncle Kai came back with the quilt in his arms. “Little Sir, here it is.”

“En.”

Pei Yi quickly settled Li Yuan, then turned around and found that Bo Yueming was still motionless at the door. “Er-ge?”

Bo Yueming looked at him. “What is it?”

Pei Yi recalled his biological clock. “It’s almost eleven o’clock, aren’t you going to hurry to wash up and sleep?”

“…….”

He finally got the kitten to say a few words to him, the result was to issue an order to drive him away?

Bo Yueming’s mood was low, but he didn’t show it outwardly. “En, I’ll go back.”

. . . . . .

The night was already deep.

After washing up, Pei Yi wrapped himself in his quilt and lay down. He looked at Li Yuan, who had fallen asleep drunk on the bed, and inwardly prepared for insomnia until dawn.

He could never get used to sleeping in the same bed with outsiders, even friends who had been with him for many years.

Pei Yi buried half his face in the quilt, but an out of the ordinary thought popped up in his mind—

It would be great if Bo Yueming was next to him. Then he wouldn’t have to worry about insomnia, and he could sleep well.

As soon as this idea was formed, a slight click sounded from the closed door.

Inspector, who was huddled in the cat nest, got out. “Meow-wu~”

Pei Yi opened his eyes vigilantly, and the second he saw the person clearly—

Bo Yueming picked him up horizontally, both the person and the quilt!

Pei Yi instinctively grabbed the other party’s arms, and called the other’s full name uncontrollably, “Bo Yueming, what are you doing?”

“Shh, take it easy.”

Bo Yueming went out with him. “Go sleep in my room.”

Pei Yi resisted slightly. “That won’t work, hurry and let me down.”

After Bo Yueming confirmed that Inspector had left the room with them, he softly closed the bedroom door. “I remember that you’re not used to sleeping with strangers. Do you want to lose sleep tonight?”

Pei Yi, who was poked at the heart of the matter, muttered softly, “I can’t sleep with you either.”

Bo Yueming lowered his head and drew closer. “You really don’t want to? We’ll both be covered with our own quilts, what are you afraid of?”

“……”

Pei Yi thought of his inexplicable thoughts not long ago, and had a guilty conscience.

Bo Yueming smiled without saying a word, and continued to take Pei Yi to the master bedroom.

The reason he agreed to take Li Yuan home for the night was because he was waiting for this opportunity. How could he give it up easily?

A soft pillow was placed under his head. Pei Yi gave up struggling and hid under the quilt like a turtle.

Bo Yueming chuckled, reminding him, “The heater in the room is turned on. It will get hot if you cover up like this.”

“Not hot.” Pei Yi said stiffly, “Don’t worry about it, go to sleep.”

Bo Yueming unexpectedly cooperated, and didn’t speak further.

Time passed minute by minute.

The sultry heat wrapped around him gradually permeated his entire body. Pei Yi opened his eyes a bit, and after confirming that Bo Yueming was not looking at him anymore, he planned to admit defeat quietly.

It was a pity that he miscalculated the distance between himself and the edge of the bed, and as soon as he turned to kick the quilt off, most of his body suddenly fell into the air.

“Ah!”

Having expected this for a long time, Bo Yueming firmly grasped Pei Yi’s wrist, spun around, and pressed him halfway underneath him.

“…….”

“…….”

Wrists intertwined, their eyes met.

Pei Yi was enveloped in that familiar scent and weight. In a trance, he seemed to have returned to that turbulent, lingering night. Everything around him was swaying, like drifting in the clouds or falling into a lake.

Pei Yi’s breathing became disordered. “You did that on purpose?”

Bo Yueming drew closer without concealment, trying to fully expose his true self. “Yes, I did it on purpose.”

When he carried Pei Yi to bed, he speculated that the other party would definitely avoid getting close to him, so he only left him a little room to turn around.

Bo Yueming was like a cheetah lurking in the dark night, waiting for the moment his prey fell into his trap and was captured by him. 

Bo Yueming approached the sound of his breathing. “Little Sir, I forgot to ask that night. Did it feel good?”

Pei Yi felt that his whole body was unbelievably hot, and his thoughts were confused. “I d-don’t know.”

Bo Yueming rubbed those thin lips with his fingertips, stroked his Adam’s apple all the way down, and then farther down. “Then I’ll help you again. You feel what I do next, all right?”

“……”

Pei Yi wanted to duck back, but his longing lurking in the depths took the lead, and he unconsciously sent himself into the other’s arms.

“En?”

The kitten’s murmur was one of resistance, but even more invitation.

Bo Yueming’s eyes darkened suddenly, and the palm that had already fallen moved for real.

Time blurred as slightly cool fingertips mixed with the rising heat, and finally blended together wonderfully.

Pei Yi let out a muffled moan, with a soft tone at the end.

He stared at the person in front of him dazedly with misty eyes, and it was too late to figure out why he was in the hands of the other person.

Bo Yueming resisted his urges, and only rubbed the hair on the other’s forehead slightly, unwilling to touch more.

Pei Yi couldn’t speak, and his mind hadn’t fully recovered yet.

He  huddled in Bo Yuemings arms as his confused thoughts wandered, and he asked uncertainly, “Bo Yueming, are we considered friends with benefits like this?”

The confirmation of their relationship didn’t involve romance, but crossed the boundaries that should be between friends and family. 

Such a relationship only indulged in the pleasure of the moment, and did not require emotional compatibility and responsibility. 

Pei Yi though inexplicably, if his title was used to label the relationship between the two of them, with proper awareness and early preparation—

Maybe in the future, when Bo Yueming’s feelings for him faded away, he wouldn’t have to bear the pain that Father Rong endured.

“…….”

Facing this sudden question from the person in his arms, Bo Yueming was stunned for several seconds, and the joy in his eyes faded away.

“Wait a minute.”

“Huh?”

The sudden loosening of the embrace created an emptiness in Pei Yi’s heart.

Bo Yueming went into the bathroom without turning his head. The sound of dripping water could be heard for a while before he brought back a warm towel. “Wipe?”

Pei Yi’s cheeks were hot. He cleaned up without saying a word.

Bo Yueming sat down on the edge of the bed and said solemnly, “Pei Yi, let’s talk.”

“What?”

“We’re not friends with benefits.”

Bo Yueming dove straight in, his eyes filled with helplessness and guilt. “I never intended to use this label to tie the two of us together.”

“Whether it was that night or just now, from beginning to end, I thought that since you agreed and didn’t resist, we had made progress.”

“It was me who forgot to take your feelings into consideration, and also me who went back on my promise.” Bo Yueming hesitated to speak.

A trace of rare remorse welled up on his face. It seemed that whatever he said would be wrong. He had clearly promised not to touch the bottom line of the other party, but he was so impatient that he lost his sense of proportion.

Two months was too short. Bo Yueming feared that there would be no time to change anything, and even more afraid that Pei Yi would leave with his suitcase again.

A soundless silence spread.

Pei Yi realized that the other party may have misunderstood his question. “Er-ge?”

“I’m sorry. It won’t be like this in the future.” Bo Yueming didn’t mention the uneasiness in his heart, but just renewed his promise.

He put the fallen quilt back onto Pei Yi. “It’s getting late. I’ll leave the master bedroom for you, and go sleep on the sofa for the night.”

“No!”

Pei Yi held him back. He wanted to explain, but was afraid that the more he said, the more confusing it would become. “It’s not what you think. I just thought that this sort of relationship is simpler.”

“Pei Yi, I don’t want to use such words to define us. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Pei Yi replied very quietly. “I just need some time to get used to it. I, I really never thought about falling in love.”

“I know, I won’t force you.” Bo Yueming didn’t want to put any pressure on him. “It’s getting late, go to bed.”

Pei Yi mumbled, “That small sofa won’t fit you.”

Bo Yueming knew what he meant. “Then I won’t go?”

“Anyway, it’s not our first time sleeping together.”

Pei Yi gave this reasoning, and Bo Yueming gave a low laugh in exchange. The two lay back on the bed again, and the bedside lamp was turned off.

Pei Yi tossed and turned in the dark, unable to sleep. His thoughts were still stuck on the conversation just now.

He hesitated for a while, and finally moved to the middle of the bed. “Er-ge.”

“En?”

“I wasn’t unwilling.” Pei Yi plucked up his courage, but couldn’t hold back the hot shyness, speaking more and more quietly. “It was actually quite comfortable.”

Before transmigrating in the book, he had very little such experience, and after transmigrating into the book, it was equal to zero.

Bo Yueming’s joy flowed from his mouth, “Thank you for your approval, Little Sir.”

Pei Yi hurriedly closed the topic. “Good night.”

“Good night, Little Sir.”

. . . . . .

Early the next morning.

Pei Yi entered the small bedroom with hangover soup and breakfast, and Li Yuan came out of the bathroom after washing up.

Their eyes met, and Li Yuan, who was struggling with a headache, was a little cautious. “Thank you, Little Young Master Pei.”

The sweater he had been wearing the night before had been washed by Uncle Kai, and the new clothes he was wearing now belonged to Pei Yi.

Although the size was a little tight, it wasn’t uncomfortable, and didn’t look bad.

Pei Yi put the breakfast plate on the desk. “I was afraid you would feel uncomfortable going downstairs to eat breakfast. You drank so much alcohol last night, so I suppose your stomach isn’t feeling well right now?”

“……”

Li Yuan started at Pei Yi without saying a word, astonishment and doubt hidden in his eyes.

Pei Yi lifted Inspector, who was at his feet begging to be picked up, and said casually, “Why are you looking at me like that? Didn’t you figure it out last night?”

“I’m neither a fool nor stupid. I was pretending before.”

Upon hearing this confession, Li Yuan realized that the remaining memories in his mind were not illusions.

He didn’t quite understand. “Since Little Young Master Pei has been pretending all this time, why did you tell me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll spread the word about this?”

Pei Yi slowly rubbed Inspector’s little head, leaning against the desk. “I’m a YWY partner, so Xiao Li won’t betray me, right?”

Li Yuan listened to Pei Yi reveal himself and stood there for a moment, then walked up in big strides—

“You’re Will?!”

Pei Yi put Inspector back on the ground with a smile, then patted his computer. “Little Mister Li, do you need me to open the Youtu website to prove it to you?”

A glimmer of light finally broke through Li Yuan’s dark and cloudy mood, and his tone relaxed. “

“No wonder you said at the beginning that it was inconvenient for us to meet. You were deep undercover!”

“I said before that one day you would know who I am.” Pei Yi stretched out his hand and gave a slight smile. “And now is the most suitable time.”

“The most suitable time?” Li Yuan was puzzled, but still reached out to take his hand.

“Pear Garden, the matter between Li and Pei has already happened, so I won’t offer cliche words of comfort.”

Pei Yi was not the kind of person who wanted to talk around things, and didn’t deliberately find an angle to comfort his friend. “I just hope you know that—”

“No matter what, you have me as a partner in business, and in life, you also have me as a friend.”

Hearing what Pei Yi said, Li Yuan finally merged the image of Will in his mind with the person in front of him.

“Thank you, I understand.”

He was no longer a fledgling university student. He had his own business, as well as his own partners, colleagues, and friends!

“Please don’t speak politely.” Pei Yi knocked on the edge of the plate and urged, “Eat it while it’s hot.”

Li Yuan sat down and pulled himself together, taking a sip of hangover soup to warm his stomach. “By the way, last night at the bar…..”

Pei Yi understood his hesitation to speak. “Last night when you were drunk and chatting, it happened that Yan Cen and the others hadn’t left yet, so I messaged them and asked them to come help.”

“Mr. Yan?”

Li Yuan recalled the scene where he was drunk, and swallowed unconsciously.

Pei Yi saw through his hidden anxiety, and pretended not to notice as he continued: “En, with that out of the blue incident, we could tell that you didn’t want to go home.”

“Originally, Yan Cen wanted to take you back to stay temporarily.”

—Clank.

The spoon suddenly slipped out of Li Yuan’s hand, splashing a few drops of soup.

Pei Yi teased knowingly, “Why so nervous? Did you not want me to bring you back here?”

“I’m not nervous.”

Li Yuan ate his breakfast with feigned calm, but rejoiced from the bottom of his heart—

Fortunately, Pei Yi brought him back, and fortunately, he didn’t follow Yan Cen back home! Otherwise, since he was so drunk last night, he might have made an embarrassing scene!

Pei Yi urged his friend to eat up the hangover soup and his breakfast before feeling around in his pocket. “By the way, I have something to return to you.”

“What is it?”

Pei Yi took out a toffee and handed it to the other party. “Your sweater was dirty last night. Uncle Kai found this in the chest pocket.”

“…….”

Li Yuan paused, and pretended to be casual. “Isn’t it just a toffee? I thought it was going to be something good.”

Having said that, he still took the toffee back with a trace of uneasiness on his face before Pei Yi could speak.

“These toffees taste extremely delicious. I will take one now and then when I want to suppress my craving for cigarettes.”

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows at his friend’s revealing and clumsy denial. 

If he remembered correctly, the last time Bo Yueming grabbed a bunch of these toffees at GM, didn’t they all come from Yan Cen’s office?

Li Yuan changed the subject. “The Last Fog 1.0” will be released in one and a half months. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the studio and check on it yourself?”

Before, it was because he hadn’t revealed his identity, but what about now?

This was Pei Yi’s plan. “All right, ba. I’ll find time to go there next week.”

In terms of overall game control, Pei Yi had always known better than Li Yuan. This close to the critical moment, as the person in charge, he couldn’t be out of touch!

What’s more, the studio had been established not long ago, and he had to formally meet Lou Yang, Xiang Nansheng, and others!

Li Yuan concurred. “Good. Make sure to tell me in advance.”

Pei Yi thought of something and said in a low voice, “However, don’t say anything for now.”

“Why?”

“It’s a long story. Er-ge…..”

Pei Yi covered his mouth and said in a very faint whisper, “It’s just Bo Yueming, he, he doesn’t know my work identity yet.”

Although Li Yuan didn’t know what kind of medicine his friend was selling in his gourd, he was not a gossip. “Okay, I’ll keep it a secret for you.”

Pei Yi smiled. “Thank you.”

Li Yuan retorted, “Don’t be polite.”

. . . . . .

After breakfast, Li Yuan left the Bo residence of his own initiative.

Pei Yi re-logged into the Youtu website. The auction of the new game “Under the Deep Sea” had successfully concluded last night, with the highest price being 880,000 yuan. 

The bidder was the well-known “Xunya Technologies.” It was also a top-level game production company in China, and had always been a clear rival of “Weiyi,” which Pei Yi had worked with last time.

Pei Yi didn’t bother caring about the competition between these big companies. He only made it clear that whoever paid more was the boss!

After confirming the auction price and making multiple agreements with the party in charge, he finally reached an intention for partnership.

This took up the whole day.

Night fell quietly.

Pei Yi broke free from work, and when he opened the door, he saw Bo Yueming sitting on the sofa in the living room.

“Er-ge, when did you get back? Was the company not busy today?” Pei Yi glanced at the electronic clock on the wall. It was not yet six o’clock.

Bo Yueming turned off the tablet in his hand and saw that there was something unusual in Pei Yi’s eyes. “I had something else to confirm today, so I came back early.”

As he answered, his eyes turned to the small bedroom.

“Mr. Li has gone back?”

“He left after breakfast.” Pei Yi walked to the water bar and poured a glass of warm water to quench his thirst, asking casually, “What needs to be confirmed, ah? Work projects?”

“No.”

Bo Yueming fixed his gaze on Pei Yi, and with a half-smile, reported a Weibo ID. “King of Drinking Capacity Will?”

— “Pfft.”

Pei Yi was so startled that he choked, and after he managed to stabilize himself, he turned stiffly.

“Ah?”

Stupid, foolish, and guilty.

Bo Yueming clearly witnessed the kitten’s reaction. He raised his eyebrows and teased, “Is that you? Great god Will?”

---

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Chapter Fifty-Nine <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-One

Just ten minutes ago, An Yang had casually inquired about the operation of Dawn Games.

Faced with his mother’s occasional questions, Li Yuan chose to be honest, and explained the company’s situation after some consideration—

At present, the operation of all the old loss-making projects had been suspended, and a new game studio had been invested in and opened. Moreover, most of the manpower and material resources were concentrated on the construction of the new studio.

Although the main signboard facing the public in the future would be YWY Studios, as long as the return funds were sufficient, Li Yuan as the main shareholder and executive party could still resume the Dawn Games projects in the future.

But when An Yang heard this, her expression suddenly changed to show some blame.

In her opinion, Dawn Games was the work of she and her husband during his lifetime, and was one of the few remaining things she had from the other party.

In the end, Li Yuan had joined forces with some unknown outsiders to create a brand new studio without discussing it with her? Even future games would be branded YWY?

This was clearly giving up on Dawn Games!

Li Yuan sensed An Yang’s mood swing, and immediately thought to admit his mistake in order to appease her, but the other party excused herself to the restroom, then got up and left.

Li Yuan was more aware of An Yang’s mental illness these past four years than anyone else. Although the other party’s health seemed to be good in the past half year, he still dared not treat it lightly.

Because there were separate restrooms for men and women, it was inconvenient for him to follow her directly, so he had to ask the female waitress for help.

The bathroom in the hallway was next to the stairs.

An Yang heard the lively party upstairs, and stopped to casually ask the waitress about it.

It should be known that people who could dine at Haodu were wealthy and respectable people.

Although An Yang’s clothes were not from expensive designer brands, because of her outstanding aura, the waitress answered her as a matter of course, “Yes, Madam, the banquet hall is booked for a birthday celebration today. It seems to be the young master from Pei Group…..”

Before she could finish, An Yang’s expression changed, and she rushed forward.

The waitress thought that An Yang knew someone from the Pei family, so she followed her up and was not in a hurry to stop her.

But then An Yang rashly rushed into the banquet hall, which aroused suspicion and discussion from the members of the Pei family and guests, and she even stared at the host of the birthday party with some abnormality.

The waitress realized that something was wrong, and whispered to dissuade her to no avail. Seeing that An Yang was causing the host of the birthday party to be unhappy, she hastily went downstairs to inform Li Yuan.

Upon hearing about An Yang’s “abnormality,” Li Yuan immediately rushed forward.

Seeing his friend hurrying out, Pei Yi swiftly realized that something was wrong.

He was really worried about Li Yuan going upstairs alone, and he looked at Bo Yueming with a frown. “Er-ge, let’s go up and have a look? I feel like something is wrong, and Xiao Li is your GM partner anyway.”

Bo Yueming had seen early on that Pei Yi had something on his mind, and while indulging him, he didn’t forget to make clear, “En, but don’t mess around once you go up. You must be careful.”

Since it was Pei Huan’s birthday, there must be many insiders upstairs who knew their identities. According to the relationship between Bo and Pei, they needed to be careful with their disguises, lest they tip someone off.

After less than five seconds of discussion and coming to a decision, Yan Cen stood up first and summoned a waiter. “The expenses for these two tables will be added to my account.”

Bo Yueming led Pei Yi to stand up. “Let’s go take a look.”

. . . . . .

Inside the banquet hall.

Deng Xiuya wiped at the wine stains on her expensive shawl with displeasure on her face, angry at the one who had shoved her—

The birthdays of her precious son Pei Huan in the past two years had either been outside or with friends. She had tried her best to persuade him about this twenty-fifth birthday until half a month in advance before he agreed to have a larger birthday party.

Deng Xiuya hid her self-centeredness and took a lot of trouble to invite many wealthy families to come.

Firstly, she wanted to find a good match for her son among the children of the same age in the circle.

Secondly, she wanted to be impressive and grand, so as to regain face for herself, her husband, and the Pei family.

Unexpectedly, the banquet was only halfway through when the uninvited An Yang broke in!

Facing An Yang, who refused to leave, Deng Xiuya had originally wanted to act like a good person and invite her to drink a glass of wine before leaving, but the other party shoved away the wine glass she handed over without saying a word.

Her hand trembled for a moment, and the red wine showered all over Deng Xiuya’s body. The new custom-made shawl would have to be thrown away!

In front of her, An Yang seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit. Not only did she not apologize, but she continued to stare at Pei Huan.

Such eyes made Deng Xiuya uncomfortable, and she was eager to protect her son. She disregarded the wine stains and half blocked Pei Huan from view. “Madam Li, what do you mean by staring at my son so hard?”

“Since you are here, I also treated you as a guest, but if you play dumb like that and interrupt other people’s business, then I do not welcome you!”

An Yang was indifferent, and continued to stare at Pei Huan with her head tilted, neither retreating nor stepping forward.

A guest approached to suggest, “Mrs. Pei, you’d best ask security to escort her out. I hear that Mrs. Li has been mentally abnormal since Mr. Li passed away.”

Someone responded in a whisper, “Yes, ah, that’s right.”

“Look at her eyes, if I didn’t know better, I’d think she was looking at her own son!”

Pei Huan also thought that the way she looked at him was strange, and felt repulsed, but due to the eyes of all the guests on him, he smiled in an appropriately friendly way.

Pei Huan gently rubbed Deng Xiuya’s shoulder with a light smile. “Mom, it doesn’t matter that the shawl got dirty, I’ll buy a new one for you tomorrow. It’s my birthday today, so don’t be unhappy about this little thing.”

Hearing her son comfort her and make a promise, Deng Xiuya was very satisfied. “All right.”

An Yang saw the interaction between the two, and faint jealousy appeared on her face.

She walked up at once and forcibly grabbed Pei Huan’s arm. “Xiao Huan, ah, do you remember me? We met four years ago! That was when you were in university!”

Pei Huan remembered something, and a trace of unnaturalness flashed through his eyes.

Before he could answer, An Yang couldn’t wait, and said, “Right, right, my son’s birthday is also today. Your eyes are very, very similar to someone I knew.”

“His nose was as high as yours when he was young, and, and……”

“Enough! Madam Li, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Deng Xiuya interrupted An Yang’s absurdity and raised her voice to say, “Where are the security guards? What about the manager? She still hasn’t been taken out, contact her family to take her away!”

The manager quickly came and took hold of An Yang. “Madam, please cooperate and leave.”

“I won’t! I won’t go!”

An Yang struggled desperately, but her head was terribly dizzy, and she was in an unstoppable hallucination—she firmly believed that there were villains around her, and that they all wanted her to leave her own son.

An Yang looked thin and weak, but strength came from some unknown place at this moment, and the manager could only forcibly drag her in exchange for a more frenzied struggle.

Li Yuan arrived in a hurry. When he saw this scene, he said loudly, “What are you doing! Let her go!”

The manager was stunned for a moment, and in the next second, An Yang shoved him away with all her strength, causing him to stumble backward into the wine tower.

The guests looking on retreated instinctively, and only Li Yuan rushed forward. “Mom, look out!”

The dozens of layers of the wine tower toppled over, and the sound of shattering glass was so loud that it drowned out the panic of the guests.

Pei Yi and the others came a step late, when they rushed to the door, the farce had already happened.

Broken shards of glass were all over the floor, mixed with dark red wine, and even the cakes next to the wine tower were not spared.

Li Yuan fell to the ground while protecting An Yang, and his beige sweater was soaked with wine stains.

Pei Yi instinctively felt worry for Li Yuan, and regretted that he had intervened too little in advance.

He had clearly intervened so that Dawn Games didn’t close down, but no matter how the butterfly’s wings flapped, it could not change the trajectory of fate.

“Er-ge, I’ll go take a look.”

Pei Yi made his decision quickly, but he was also thinking about Bo Yueming. “There are a lot of people, so don’t go over there.”

Bo Yueming knew that the more this was the case, the more it would be hard for him not to reveal anything, so he could only acquiesce to his kitten’s actions. “Pay attention to your safety.”

“En.”

In front of everyone, Pei Yi ran close to Li Yuan and deliberately exaggerated his worried and nervous expression.

“Are you okay?”

The greeting that fell into his ears was normal.

Li Yuan was taken aback for a moment, but before he could notice anything, An Yang’s panicked breathing drew his attention back. “Mom, how are you? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“…….”

An Yang remained silent.

She seemed to be stunned by the series of shattering glasses, and let Li Yuan help her up in a daze.

“Did you, mother and son, do this on purpose?”

Watching her carefully prepared birthday party being destroyed, Deng Xiuya’s long-suppressed anger overflowed. “You people of unknown origin, why did you come to my son’s birthday party and make a joke out of it!”

Some guests took the opportunity to comment, “That’s right, she suddenly came to ruin someone’s birthday party. Is it true that Mrs. Li’s mind isn’t normal?”

“Does this need to be said? The family member is also no good, how can he allow this kind of person to come out and make trouble?”

“…….”

Li Yuan took a deep breath and protected An Yang behind him.

He silently accepted the disgust and contempt of the people around him, and apologized with a bow, “Mrs. Pei, I am truly sorry for the loss this has caused you today. I will definitely compensate you.”

“Compensate? Can you afford it?”

“Do you know how much thought I put into Xiao Huan’s birthday party? How much effort it took?”

How could Deng Xiuya fail to see An Yang’s mental abnormality?

She remembered the other party’s inexplicable words just now, and couldn’t help but vent her anger. “What a failure are you as a son, ah? Is that why your mother keeps thinking about other people’s children?”

Pei Yi frowned and kicked a broken glass under her feet. “Shut up!”

Was she not afraid that she would regret saying this in the future?

The wine glass hit Deng Xiuya’s ankle hard, scaring her into a panic. “Pei Yi, you, you little fool, why are you making trouble with outsiders?”

Yan Cen walked up quickly. His worried gaze lingered on Li Yuan’s face for a moment, and he helped by saying, “Mrs. Pei, the matter is already over. Instead of arguing about who is right and wrong here, how about finding a solution first?”

“I’ll ask the staff to rearrange the banquet hall next door.”

Yan Cen regarded Deng Xiuya and deliberately brought up a suitable reason, “After all, today is Young Master Pei’s birthday, and there are so many guests present, so don’t make everyone unhappy.”

“…….”

Li Yuan’s dangling hand lightly clenched the corner of this clothes, and he consciously took half a step back, moving farther away from Yan Cen.

Pei Huan sensed in the depths of his words Yan Can’s protection of Li Yuan, and a rare sourness flashed in his eyes. “Mom, Mr. Li and the others didn’t do it on purpose, so let’s do what Senior wants.”

In public, and as the host of the birthday party, he naturally couldn’t be petty. “Don’t make everyone unhappy.”

For the sake of her child and her face, Deng Xiuya could only nod her head patiently.

An unknown person in the crowd whispered, “See, there is always a difference between a wealthy family and a humble family. The orphan and widow are too inferior to be shown in public.”

Another guest took the opportunity to tout, “Yes, ah, Young Master Pei has outstanding abilities and an amiable temper, and not everyone can be born like that. Mrs. Pei is very lucky.”

“Aiyo, there’s a big difference in the children people can give birth to. It would be great if my family’s punk could be as worry-free as Young Master Pei.”

The voices of deliberate public support sounded and instantly jabbed the pain deep in An Yang’s heart. Her emotions that had finally been stabilized ran out of control again.

“What do you know! Pei Huan is my son! He is my son!” An Yang ran forward with brisk steps, grasping Deng Xiuya’s hand with reddened eyes. “The wrong babies, we took the wrong babies from the beginning!”

“……..”

As soon as this earth-shattering sentence was spoken, everyone in the audience was astonished.

Deng Xiuya dismissed her in distaste, but before she could express her dissatisfaction, Pei Ruzhang rushed over to question her first. “What did you say?”

An Yang broke the jar, and said hoarsely, “Twenty-five years ago at Maria’s private maternity hospital, on November 16th, there were only the two of us who gave birth that day! There was ten minutes’ difference between the children!”

Witnessing all this, Pei Yi sighed helplessly. Some things were destined to be impossible for someone like him, an outsider, to stop.

Li Yuan couldn’t believe it. “Mom, what are you talking about? You’re tired, shall we go home?

Immersed in her own world, An Yang entirely ignored the dissuasion. She grabbed Li Yuan’s hand with force and dragged him in front of the Pei couple.

“Come, I will return your son to you, but you will return my son to me!”

“…….”

Deng Xiuya was just about to refuse, but suddenly recalled a past event. She took half a step forward and easily pulled up the cuff of Li Yuan’s loose sweater—

There was a small, light-colored birthmark imprinted on the elbow joint!

Deng Xiuya couldn’t take a breath, and almost collapsed.

Seeing Deng Xiuya’s reaction, Pei Huan’s heartstrings tightened. “Mom?”

“I-impossible.”

Deng Xiuya shook her head in disbelief, and turned around to take Pei Huan’s hand. “Xiao Huan is my son, how is this possible? What nonsense is this crazy woman talking about!”

Pei Ruzhang noticed his wife’s abnormality and straightened up.

He was the most dignified one in the past, but was a little less measured and a little more eager when it came to this matter. “What’s wrong with you? What did you find?”

Deng Xiuya continued to shake her head, and refused to say anything more—

Back then, Deng Xiuya had a particularly difficult and time-consuming childbirth. When the child was born, she only glanced at it briefly. She vaguely remembered a small mark on the child’s elbow, but before she could see it clearly, she passed out due to postpartum hemorrhage.

Deng Xiuya remembered that when she saw Pei Huan’s clear elbow, she was puzzled, but she assumed it was blood that had not been washed clean after the birth.

Twenty-five years later, this familiar birthmark appeared on Li Yuan’s body, causing a shocking rift to form in her world.

An Yang’s eyes were fixed on Pei Huan, and her tears fell in streams. “True or false, possible or impossible, you will know when you do a paternity test!”

After learning the truth, she told herself many times that she was wrong, she was just wrong, and just pretended that nothing had happened. Even if the child was returned, her husband would be unable to see him and couldn’t be saved!

But today she realized—

Looking at her own son without recognizing him? If she could hold back the first time, she couldn’t hold back the second time!

Pei Ruzhang heard An Yang’s declaration, and knowing that he was in front of everyone, he still insisted on asking, “From the looks of you, you already knew? When did you notice that something was wrong?”

“……..”

Li Yuan silently put down his sleeve, and suddenly understood everything. “Four years ago, when I was a sophomore. In October, wasn’t it?”

An Yang finally shifted her attention for a moment after hearing this time frame.

She looked at the despair in Li Yuan’s eyes that she had never seen before, and her chaotic brain instantly cleared up as her heart sank even more.

An Yang tried to hold Li Yuan’s hand. “Xiao An, listen to mom……”

“I don’t want to hear it, you go on.”

Li Yuan shook off his mother’s hand for the first time, leaving behind these almost inaudible words.

When he turned around, he met the gazes of Pei Yi and Yan Cen. There was a slight pause in his footsteps, and then he strode away while suppressing his emotions that were about to collapse.

Yan Cen followed unthinkingly.

Pei Yi’s gaze swept across the expressions of An Yang, Deng Xiuya, and Pei Ruzhang in turn, and finally realized why Li Yuan hated everything related to them after his past was revealed—

Because everyone was looking at Pei Huan.

From beginning to end, no one really cared about his feelings.

Pei Yi no longer cared about this farce with a fixed ending, and walked back to Bo Yueming’s side at the door. “Er-ge, where did they go?”

“They went in the direction of the safety access passage.”

Bo Yueming checked the situation in the banquet hall from the corner of his eye, and after confirming that nobody was paying attention, he led Pei Yi along and asked, “Was this the ‘big thing’ you intuitively felt today?”

“You already knew about the origins of Li Yuan and Pei Huan? How did you know?”

“……..”

Faced with Bo Yueming’s keen speculation, Pei Yi said guiltily, “I, I always felt that Pei Huan and Pei Ruzhang didn’t look alike. On the contrary, it’s Li……Li Yuan who combines the advantages of that husband and wife and looks better.”

Bo Yueming raised his eyes slightly. He knew that he was being perfunctory, but didn’t expose him. “Want to go have a look?”

“En.”

. . . . . . .

It was dark in the safety access passage.

Li Yuan took advantage of the weak light from the direction indicator sign to touch his pocket and take out the cigarettes and lighter he carried with him.

He took out a cigarette and held it between his teeth, wanting to get a little strength for his numb self out of it. He pointed the cigarette butt at the mouth of the lighter, but his fingers were limp from the trembling, and he couldn’t light it no matter what.

“…….”

Li Yuan gritted his teeth and slammed the lighter switch.

—Whoosh!

The flame suddenly jumped up, but failed to light the cigarette butt, and burned his finger at an angle. “Hiss!”

The lighter accidentally fell to the ground, and the door to the safety access passage opened again.

Yan Cen accurately captured this scene and quickly approached, a trace of worry flashing under his lenses. “Are you alright? Did you burn your fingers?”

Li Yuan lowered his head to avoid the other’s gaze. “No.”

Yan Cen was anxious, and tried to grab his right hand. “Let me see.”

Like a frightened bird, Li Yuan lost control and blocked Yan Cen’s concern. “I said it’s fine! Don’t touch me!”

Silence fell at once.

Yan Cen looked at Li Yuan’s faintly reddened eyes, and just as he was about to apologize, the other party took a step ahead. “S-sorry, Mr. Yan. I want to be alone for a while.”

It was always like this. He always lost face in front of him.

Li Yuan knew that his life had become a big joke, but he was still trying to hide it. He didn’t dare look at Yan Cen, and when he left to avoid him, he happened to pass by Pei Yi, who was rushing over.

Yan Cen followed two steps, unable to control himself, and when he reached the door of the safety access passage, Pei Yi stopped him. 

“Mr. Yan, you’re not suitable to go.”

Yan Cen was taken aback: “What?”

Pei Yi looked in the direction of Li Yuan’s departure, paused for a second, and made a decision. “Then I’ll follow him. Er-ge, you find a place to sit first, and I’ll contact you later.”

Bo Yueming faintly understood something, but still gave Pei Yi enough private space to ‘make friends.’ “Be careful, and contact me at any time if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Pei Yi nodded obediently.

He was afraid of losing Li Yuan, so he chased after him without wasting any time.

. . . . . .

Half an hour later.

In a small, quiet bar not far from Haodu, the specially dark environment seemed to be able to absorb all emotions.

Li Yuan drank alone until the liquor bottle was empty again. Just as he was about to call the waiter for another, a brand new bottle of unopened whiskey was placed in front of him.

“If you drink this liquor in a hurry, you’ll get drunk.”

“…….”

Li Yuan suppressed the drunkenness in his eyes and looked up to see the face of the visitor clearly. “A place like this bar is not for a little fool like you.”

Pei Yi unscrewed the bottle and slowly filled another glass for Li Yuan. “At a time like this, you’re still thinking about me?”

He had followed the other party to this bar, and stood silently at the door for a long time to make sure the other party’s emotions had settled before walking up.

Li Yuan heard Pei Yi’s overly normal way of speaking and laughed. “Then do you want to drink?”

“No, I’ll pour for you.”

Although Pei Yi was addicted to alcohol, he was clear on the situation.

If he was alone at home, or with Bo Yueming at his side, he would drink boldly.

But he couldn’t today. He had come to accompany Li Yuan, so he couldn’t let himself get drunk easily.

Li Yuan drank it all alone, and did not pressure the other party to drink. The bitter alcohol entered his throat, and his heart was even more bitter.

His cold, dim eyes reddened with a film of tears, along with unspoken grievance. “I always thought she blamed me.”

Blamed him for not being an eligible bone marrow donor, blamed him for being a child who was unable to save his biological father.

Pei Yi didn’t speak, and only poured another glass for Li Yuan. He knew that the other party needed someone to vent to.

Li Yuan continued to speak slowly, “I told myself that she was sick, and because he couldn’t control her emotions, she was lukewarm toward her son.”

But in the end, nothing was as he had thought.

Pei Yi didn’t speak. As an outsider, he could see it clearly.

Not to mention his experiences in the last twenty years, just judging from the past four years, it was obvious that his destiny had been wrongly changed—

Pei Huan was still the young master of the Pei family who never had to worry about material needs. He was able to successfully complete his studies, and then have his own business under the arrangements of his family, and there was no shortage of praise and flattering wherever he went.

And what about Li Yuan?

He was forced to suspend his schooling, take over the soon-to-be bankrupt Dawn Games without any experience, and then while switching his major, he had to take care of his parents. Whenever it was necessary to rely on investment to maintain the company’s operation, he always received cold looks and ridicule.

In the original text, it only said the “Li Yuan” had inexplicable hostility towards the protagonist “Pei Huan”—

But which person in such a situation could forget the pain of the past generously and calmly, and laugh it off?

One shot after another of whiskey poured down his throat.

The pain in Li Yuan’s heart did not decrease with the drunkenness, and dusty memories continuously played, making him laugh and cry, cry and laugh.

“Pei Yi, do you know?”

“When I was in university, I participated in an online investment simulation competition. In more than three months, I ‘destroyed’ four to five hundred participating students and got into the top ten.”

Pei Yi came to a realization. “Is that the one Yan Cen and Pei Huan participated in?”

“Heh.”

Li Yuan nodded, then shook his head in incredulity. “The day I finished writing the last round of practical investment plans, my dad passed away without warning.

As the only son of the Li family, Li Yuan could only bite the bullet and arrange the funeral.

The company was facing bankruptcy. In order not to default on the wages of the employees, he owed a lot privately in order to shore up deficits in that area. 

The time when Li Yuan chose to take a break from school was at the time his family needed money the most.

Li Yuan paused for a while, getting increasingly drunk. “One day, my mother suddenly took my investment plan and said someone wanted to buy it for 500,000 yuan, as long as I kept it a secret.”

“…….”

Pei Yi’s expression changed at once. As keen as he was, he immediately understood the meaning behind Li Yuan’s words.

“She didn’t know how valuable that online investment competition was.”

As long as he could get into the top three, Li Yuan could enter the world’s top investment company without going through recruitment during the internship period.

“She didn’t know that I wanted, that I wanted so much……” To stand side by side with him.

Li Yuan failed to express his lost love, but drank to drown out the sadness and grievances. There was no other way. The money could solve their urgent needs, so he agreed.

Pei Yi was uncertain, and instinctively asked, “Did you get that money?”

“My mother handled it for me, and it was probably used to pay off debt.” Li Yuan didn’t dare to think too deeply. He only knew that after the final rankings and investment reports were made public, he saw everything that belonged to him in Pei Huan’s column.

“…….”

Pei Yi sneered at the absurdity. He never expected that there was such a situation that was not described in the original text!

Sure enough, when the perspective was different, the results were also different.

No wonder Li Yuan’s mood fluctuated so obviously when he heard Yan Cen praise Pei Huan for his excellence at the banquet.

Vicious supporting role? Ridiculous!

Who could be indifferent to the stolen grades, stolen appreciation, and stolen life?

After Li Yuan finished talking about this old story, he finally couldn’t resist the double exhaustion of body and mind, and buried his face in the table.

Pei Yi quit while he was ahead and put the remaining bottle of whiskey under the table.

He thought of Bo Yueming and Yan Cen who were still waiting for news, and immediately picked up his phone and opened WeChat.

Pei Yi confirmed Li Yuan’s situation, then quickly sent the location of the bar and their table number. Then, like a child obediently reporting the itinerary and waiting for someone to pick him up, he typed—

“Er-ge, this is where I am. You can come here.”

---

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Chapter Fifty-Eight <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty

T/N: Thank you to Happy Turtle in a pond, Lim WC, and a nameless Kofi supporter for your donations! Here is the regular update and a couple of extra chapters!

In the blink of an eye, it was the evening of the next day.

Pei Yi opened the car window and gazed up at the domineering gold-letter sign board of “Haodu,” feeling a little uneasy about the impending storm—

In the original storyline, a cannon fodder character was not qualified to be involved in the core plot, but facing Bo Yueming’s invitation last night, Pei Yi was only stunned for two or three seconds before agreeing.

In addition to being curious about the development of the next plot trajectory, he also cared about Li Yuan, who was already a partner of his.

According to the development of the original plot, the other party was likely to suffer the first wave of major blows tonight, which would subsequently affect his mentality.

Pei Yi was selfish. 

He didn’t want to see Bo Yueming blacken himself for those scumbags and bring about his own tragic ending, and he also didn’t want his partner Li Yuan to meet his fate from the original text.

Bo Yueming noticed that the person next to him was lost in thought, so he asked in a low voice, “Pei Yi, what’s wrong?”

Pei Yi turned to the side. “Huh?”

Bo Yueming said, “You seem restless today. Are you uncomfortable?”

“No.”

Pei Yi shook his head, and couldn’t help but reveal a little bit, “Er-ge, do you trust my intuition? I just feel that something big is going to happen today.”

Hearing this mysterious murmur, Bo Yueming immediately grabbed the kitten’s paw. “En.”

Pei Yi lowered his eyes. “Just ‘en?’”

Bo Yueming tightened his grip on his hand. “No matter what happens, you just need to obediently stay by my side, and don’t run around without my permission.”

He didn’t care about “something big happening,” he just cared about Pei Yi himself.

“The bruise on your arm is doing well. You only need to eat a meal tonight, and not get hurt again. It makes me worry.”

Pei Yi felt heat on his palm, but couldn’t tell if he belonged to Bo Yueming or himself.

“I can take care of myself.”

Pei Yi unconsciously shook his tightly held hand, and said inexplicably, “Let’s get out of the car, it’s a little hot in here.”

“Okay.”

Bo Yueming responded with a smile, and motioned for Lao Fu to drive to the entrance of the hotel.

The two got out of the car through the same side door.

Pei Yi looked at Bo Yueming’s face and asked in a surprised whisper, “You’re not wearing the glasses?”

Bo Yueming explained in a low voice, “The tea-black lenses are uncomfortable to wear for a long time. You and Yan Cen are both aware of my situation, so I won’t wear them the few times I go out to eat.”

The Imperial Capital was so large, so how could it be easy to meet acquaintances? Even if he encountered them, he could still pretend carefully.

Even though this was what he thought to himself, Bo Yueming still leaned down and deliberately asked, “Little Sir, you keep an eye out for me.”

“……..”

His lips were nearly pressed against his ear, and warm ambiguous breath floated across, bewitching the mind.

Pei Yi dodged sensitively and said with restraint, “You, you don’t stick so close.”

Bo Yueming caught a glimpse of his red earlobes and said knowingly, “Why?”

Pei Yi feigned ignorance. “No reason.”

Bo Yueming chuckled and didn’t ask any more questions.

He just wanted to subtly get Pei Yi used to contact. Of course, if the other party showed any “discomfort,” he would stop at once.

As soon as the two of them entered the hotel lobby with a waiter’s guidance, they heard a familiar greeting, “Yueming, Little Mister Pei, this way.”

Bo Yueming and his friend shared an understanding look, and then looked away before the attendant could notice. “When did you arrive? How long have you been waiting?”

“Ten minutes ago.” Yan Cen cooperated with his acting. “I was afraid your eyes would be inconvenient, so I sat in the rest area to wait for you.”

Then, he gave Pei Yi another friendly nod.

Even if it was not the first time the two had met, Pei Yi had to admit that Yan Cen was indeed the same as in the book—he could always show his most gentle and elegant side to outsiders.

“Is it settled? Which floor?” Bo Yueming took the initiative to ask, and intentionally or unintentionally held up their joined hands. “Pei Yi is hungry.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was taken aback. When did he say he was hungry?

Yan Cen lowered his eyes slightly. Having been friends with Bo Yueming for over ten years, he saw through his friend’s little act of showing off and smiled with a casual hum. “I suddenly regret inviting you to dinner.”

Some people, ah, how could they be so childish when they had a wife?

Bo Yueming pretended not to understand his friend’s complaint, and lightly rubbed the back of the kitten’s hand with his fingertips, feeling satisfied.

“We’ll just go up now, you stay here, ba.”

Yan Cen dismissed the waiter who had led the way, and “led” Bo Yueming and Pei Yi to the elevator. “I booked the farthest seat away by the window on the seventeenth floor. Aside from the waiter serving food, there will be basically no other guests walking around.”

Haodu was the earliest star-rated high-end restaurant in the Imperial Capital. It had three floors, including a restaurant for small gatherings and a banquet hall for large events.

Pei Yi understood Yan Cen’s considerations when choosing a seat, and subconsciously said to Bo Yueming, “This is good, so you don’t have to be too cautious when eating.”

When Yan Cen heard Pei Yi’s fluent and flowing speech, a trace of uncontrollable surprise overflowed. “Little Mister Pei, you’re…….”

Pei Yi realized that he had fallen into a pit, and couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Bo Yueming.

If anything were to blame, it would be his fault for getting too used to being freely himself in front of Bo Yueming and saying anything he wanted. 

Bo Yueming understood, and took the lead in explaining briefly to his friend, “It’s a long story. Pei Yi’s situation is similar to mine. Before, he had to pretend in front of outsiders.”

Pei Yi acquiesced to Bo Yueming’s forthrightness.

Although later on in the book, “Bo Yueming” and “Yan Cen” had an ugly fight, when facing the current Yan Cen, he instinctively felt that the other party could be trusted.

It took Yan Cen a few seconds to accept this sudden reality. He thought about everything that had happened in the past, and after making a sound of acknowledgement, he didn’t ask any more questions.

Everyone had their own way of doing things, and this Yan Cen didn’t ask what shouldn’t be asked, care about what he shouldn’t care about, or say what shouldn’t be said.

He trusted Bo Yueming, a friend of more than ten years, and was willing to extend a little trust to Pei Yi.

Ding-dong.

Yan Cen saw the duo “change their faces,” and pushed up the frame of his glasses with a smile—

Seriously, it was really a match made in heaven!

The elevator door opened slowly, and the two parties inside and outside saw each other clearly. The atmosphere suddenly stagnated for a moment.

Pei Yi looked at Pei Huan and Deng Xiuya who he hadn’t seen for a long time, and a gleam of clarity flashed in his eyes as he lowered them again and outwardly played the fool once more.

“…….”

Pei Huan had come up from the underground parking lot, never expecting to meet someone he knew on the first floor.

His eyes swept across the faces of Pei Yi and Bo Yueming, and finally met Yan Cen’s gaze. “Senior, Mr. Bo, and Xiao Yi, what a coincidence.”

When speaking, he used his most commonly-used smiling expression, and took the initiative to press and hold the open button of the elevator. “Would you like to come in?”

Yan Cen calmly avoided eye contact with Pei Huan, and made a decision. “Yueming, let’s go up.”

He checked the other two elevators, but they were stuck at the top without coming down.

“Okay.”

The three of them entered the elevator.

Pei Yi couldn’t be bothered to look at the Pei Huan and Deng Xiuya mother and son, so he just shrank beside Bo Yueming and didn’t speak.

When Deng Xiuya saw this little nephew whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, the unhappiness of the past remained in her heart.

She had originally thought that within a few days after entering the Bo residence, Bo Yueming would despise him and leave him at home, communicating indifferently with him. Unexpectedly, several months had passed, and they were still going in and out together?

Deng Xiuya noticed their clasped hands and gathered her expensive shawl, feeling even more disdainful—

In the entire Imperial Capital, only a blind man would treat a fool as a treasure!

Pei Huan, who was closest to the elevator buttons, said, “Senior, which floor are you going to?”

Yan Cen replied, “The seventeenth floor.”

Pei Huan pressed the button before reaching out in active invitation, “It just so happens that I have a birthday party on the eighteenth floor today. Since we’ve met by fate, do you want to go together, Senior?”

“Birthday party?”

Yan Cen’s eyes flickered slightly. “Today is your birthday too?”

Pei Huan finally met his gaze, and his smile deepened unconsciously. “En! Will you come?”

Yan Cen looked at Bo Yueming and Pei Yi beside him thoughtfully.

It was Pei Huan’s birthday, but Pei Yi, a young master of the Pei family, didn’t receive an invitation in advance? Didn’t this show that the relationship between the two parties was not very good? Including everything he had seen and heard before—

Yan Cen regained his composure, and declined. “No need, Yueming, Little Young Master Pei, and I are just getting something to eat.”

When Pei Yi heard the changed address of “Little Young Master Pie,” a hint of understanding appeared in his eyes.

Sure enough, he was the male protagonist in the original novel who could compete with Bo Yueming. His words not only left people with sensitivity to their feelings, but also quietly gave some pointers.

Pei Huan heard the implication, and his smile froze slightly.

Before he could say another word, the elevator reached the seventeenth floor.

Bo Yueming, who couldn’t be bothered to speak the entire time, led Pei Yi out “cautiously,” and Yan Cen followed, ending the brief exchange.

The elevator doors closed again.

Pei Huan’s smile instantly disappeared, and Deng Xiuya couldn’t help but say, “Xiao Huan, what were you thinking inviting them? What if that little fool Pei Yi went crazy at the banquet and made your grandfather unhappy?”

“Mom, who said I wanted to invite him, I wanted……”

Pei Huan hesitated to speak.

He thought of Yan Cen’s indifference toward him, and felt an indescribable sense of frustration. “Forget it, it’s nothing.”

. . . . . .

Bo Yueming watched the elevator panel go up to the eighteenth floor, and looked at his friend. “I thought you might agree?”

Yan Cen raised his eyebrows. “Me?”

Taking advantage of the lack of outsiders around, Bo Yueming whispered teasingly, “You’ve talked about this junior more than once in front of me.”

Yan Cen’s eyes shifted slightly, and he said calmly, “That was before.”

Even if he recognized Pei Huan’s professional ability, that didn’t mean he fully agreed with his private conduct.

Yan Cen’s impression of Pei Huan was no longer that of a capable junior. Some people and impressions could only remain at the preliminary stage, and if you understood someone in depth, your opinion could change.

Pei Yi silently listened to the conversation between the two, thoughtful—

According to the romance in the original text, the protagonist gong and shou should already have a deep affection for one another at this juncture, but if he understood correctly, now Yan Cen had no interest in Pei Huan at all?

Yan Cen met Pei Yi’s gaze. “Little Mister Pei, why are you looking at me like that?”

Pei Yi came back to his senses and said tentatively, “I was just thinking, is there any other friend you know of celebrating his birthday today?”

Yan Cen was taken aback. “What?”

Bo Yueming glanced at Pei Yi, and added, “When you heard about Pei Huan’s birthday in the elevator just now, you asked if he was ‘also’ celebrating his birthday.”

Didn’t the word ‘also’ represent the birthday of another acquaintance?

Yan Cen raised his eyebrows. “Is the brain circuit of this husband and wife becoming one loop?”

Pei Yi was shocked by the sudden “husband and wife,” and then heard Yan Cen say, “I remembered that Xiao Li has his birthday today.”

Bo Yueming recalled such a person. “Li Yuan?”

Yan Cen repeated his cell phone number to the waiter for his reservation, and said while walking, “En, we added each other on WeChat some time ago because of investment work. I remembered the string of numbers behind his WeChat ID is 1116, which should be his birthday, right?”

Pei Yi sensed something out of the ordinary, and couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Bo Yueming—

It was not surprising that he added a friend for work, or that he happened to know his birthday, but wasn’t there something different about calculating his birthday through a WeChat ID number?

Yan Cen caught the eye contact between the two, and suddenly felt a little depressed that he had come alone. “The two of you restrain yourselves a little. If we really meet someone we know, I may not be able to cover for you in time.”

After confirming Yan Cen’s reservation information, the waiter at the front desk said, “President Yan, other gentlemen, please follow me.”

The seventeenth floor of Haodu occupied a large area. However, the restaurant only retained all the window positions, and there were stairs in the hallways on both sides that went directly to the banquet hall upstairs.

Before the waiter brought them to the designated table, the sharp-eyed Pei Yi was the first to spot an acquaintance.

Sure enough, those who should come still came.

Pei Yi spotted the target, and pretended to be a little excited as he trotted over. “Hm!”

A simple hum immediately drew Li Yuan’s attention, and he looked up.

It was still the familiar wolf tail, but it was dyed in a cool brown tone. Instead of the formal attire he had seen before, he had put on a neat beige sweater, which made his temperament even colder. 

Their gazes met.

A trace of surprise flashed through Li Yuan’s eyes. “Little Young Master Pei, what are you doing here?”

Pei Yi was used to the teasing and mocking between him and his friend online, and when he heard this polite and distant greeting, he almost couldn’t keep himself from laughing out loud. 

Fortunately, Bo Yueming and Yan Cen reacted in time and followed. The latter took the lead to greet, “Mr. Li, long time no see.”

Li Yuan rubbed his fingers in an inexplicable panic, and stood up slowly. “Mr. Yan, Mr. Bo.”

Pei Yi noticed his friend’s reaction, shifted his gaze, and saw the middle-aged woman sitting opposite Li Yuan. 

As described in the original text—

On Li Yuan’s birthday, only his mother, An Yang, accompanied him. The other party wore light makeup and had curled her hair. She looked gentle and virtuous, but there was a deep fatigue hidden in her cold eyes.

At the same time, Yan Cen asked politely, “Is this Mrs. Li?”

An Yang smiled slightly, and said in an unhurried manner, “Hello, Mr. Yan. I didn’t expect Xiao An to meet friends when celebrating his birthday.”

“Mom, Mr. Yan and the others are investors in my work.”

Li Yuan introduced them to his mother, with an unnatural avoidance in his eyes. How could they be friends, ah? The gap was too big.

Pei Yi approached Li Yuan and tried to invite him. “Together?”

If the plot of the original text was destined to happen today, he didn’t want Li Yuan to face it alone.

“No.”

Li Yuan glanced at An Yang opposite him, trying to suppress the worries in his heart. “We’re just going to eat and go, we won’t bother you.”

Bo Yueming was unaware of Pei Yi’s little plan. “Pei Yi, don’t disturb these people.”

The two parties had just met suddenly, and it would be embarrassing to join tables temporarily in unfamiliar circumstances.

Yan Cen also understood this, and looked at Li Yuan again. “Then we’ll leave you be. Mr. Li, happy birthday.”

Li Yuan paused. “T-thank you.”

. . . . . . 

A minute later.

Pei Yi sat at the reserved table and couldn’t help but take a look back—

Li Yuan lowered his head as he ordered food, while An Yang opposite him just watched silently, without the joy and excitement that a “child’s birthday” should have.

How could Bo Yueming fail to see Pei Yi’s concern for Li Yuan? He questioned intentionally, “Yan Cen, how much do you know about the Li family’s affairs?”

“I remember that the Li family has been focusing on the game industry, and I heard that it was considered one of the best companies in the domestic game industry back then.”

Yan Cen thought for a moment, and could only come up with a general idea, “Li Xiao, the former Executive Director, passed away three or four years ago. I don’t know the exact cause.”

Pei Yi took a sip of water, saying nothing.

There were also distinctions from industry to industry. 

It was normal for Yan Cen and Bo Yueming, who were from a younger generation, to be unclear on this, but it was clearly explained in the original text—

Li Xiao, the former Executive Director, was Li Yuan’s nominal father.

In Li Yuan’s sophomore year, when the company’s projects were failing one after another, Li Xiao was suddenly diagnosed with acute leukemia. He was a high-risk patient.

The situation was urgent, and everyone close to Li Xiao was identified for a possible bone marrow donation, including his son, Li Yuan.

It should be known that one of the bone marrow transplant matching tests was also a paternity test.

At that time, Li Yuan was busy with his university studies, and it was his mother, An Yang, who learned the result of the test first.

Therefore, An Yang not only learned about the matching failure, but also received a bolt from the blue—

Li Xiao and Li Yuan weren’t biologically related! In other words, Li Yuan was not Li Xiao’s son.

An Yang was stunned upon receiving the news, and assumed that the hospital had made a mistake.

In order to avoid complications and suspicion, she secretly checked two more paternity test reports without telling her son, who was still in school, and her husband, who was seriously ill.

The results were obvious.

The son who had been raised for over twenty years was not their own? What about their biological son? Where was he?

An Yang didn’t even have time to digest this fact. On the other side, Li Xiao, who couldn’t wait for a bone marrow match, passed away due to his high risk condition and could not be rescued.

This series of events caused An Yang to collapse completely, but she persisted in secretly having the relationship investigated—

Back then, there were not many wealthy people who chose to go to that private maternity hospital in the Imperial Capital, and even fewer who gave birth on that same day.

At the end of the investigation, there was the one and only Pei family who lived in the Imperial Capital.

An Yang tried her best to confirm that Pei Huan was her own son, and unexpectedly discovered that the two children attended the same university and had the same major.

The only difference was that Pei Huan was still a pampered young master from a wealthy family, while Li Yuan, who was with the Li family, had to face the predicament of family collapse and company bankruptcy.

Her husband died, her son was not her own, and she wanted to recognize her biological son but dared not.

An Yang suffered from schizophrenia for a time, and her condition fluctuated from good to bad, but what could be confirmed was that she concealed all this without authorization—

For nearly four years, Pei Huan and Li Yuan, who had been switched at birth, continued on their different destinies.

Until their twenty-fifth birthdays.

With apologies, Li Yuan informed An Yang of the bankruptcy of Dawn Games, and the other party unexpectedly lost control of her emotions. She was so agitated that she began to curse and go crazy, and even broke into the birthday party upstairs by mistake.

After a series of farces, the completely out of control An Yang publicly revealed the truth of the two children’s switched backgrounds.

. . . . . .

Pei Yi recalled the plot of the original work that he knew so well, but was still a little uncertain—

Because of his accidental transmigration, he entered the game early and Li Yuan became his partner. Therefore, the Dawn Games that the other party took over did not go bankrupt, but started again under the name YWY Studios with a new look.

That being the case, shouldn’t there be no reason for An Yang to go crazy?

But the “main characters” of the book had already arrived, so why did it feel like it was still going to happen?

While he was thinking, Bo Yueming suddenly handed a peeled shrimp to his mouth and whispered, “Kitten, what’s going on with you today?”

Pei Yi instinctively took the bait and ate the shrimp, his thoughts sluggish. “Huh?”

Bo Yueming was helpless and indulgent. “You’re not concentrating on eating. From the very start, you’ve been eating whatever I feed you.”

Yan Cen opposite them was stuffed full of dog food, and couldn’t help but complain, “It’s a good thing we didn’t meet any acquaintances from the Bo family today. Otherwise, with him feeding you this way, your secrets would be revealed in the first minute.”

“……..”

Pei Yi blushed as he belatedly realized this.

He hastily took a few sips of water and let out a muffled cough. “Sorry, I got a little lost in thought.”

Bo Yueming knew that he couldn’t get any answers from him, so he could only scoop him up a bowl of soup. “Eat a little more and think less.”

Pei Yi nodded, glancing sideways—

Li Yuan was the only one left at the dining table diagonally behind them. An Yang was nowhere to be seen.

Startled, Pei Yi blurted out, “Why is Pear Garden the only one over there?”

Pear Garden?

Hearing this address, Bo Yueming frowned uncertainly.

Yan Cen was the first to react, and answered, “Young Mr. Li greeted a waitress, who led Mrs. Li to the restroom. He has been sitting alone for nearly ten minutes.”

Hearing his friend’s answer, Bo Yueming said speculatively, “It seems it isn’t just Pei Yi. You’re also not thinking about the food on our table?”

Yan Cen took a sip of warm water and didn’t deny it.

Suddenly, a waitress hurried back from the hallway. “Mr. Li, it’s not good!”

When Pei Yi and the others heard the urgency that she failed to suppress, they swung their gazes over at the same time.

Li Yuan realized that something was wrong and stood up suddenly. “What is it?”

The waitress could barely catch her breath, and just picked the key point first. “Ms. An suddenly ran upstairs to the banquet hall. I couldn’t stop her at all. Now she’s making trouble with the guests up there!”

---

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Chapter Fifty-Seven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Nine

The weather was cold and the wind was a bit chilly. At this time, the news about Wan Yuan’s body being exhumed had spread throughout the city. Some people also said that the bones were not Wan Yuan’s, but those of an unknown woman who died unjustly. Although this statement was closer to the truth, it was even more frightening, so everyone closed their doors and declined guests. Most of the shops on the street were closed. Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an walked the city from east to west, and only found one rice noodle shop that was still open.

“I’m not afraid of ghosts,” the boss boasted while cooking rice noodles. “I used to do manual labor in my early years. As long as I have money, I can deal with corpses.”

Liu Xian’an thought to himself, then the poor business of your store may not be entirely due to the haunting.

There were also freshly baked flower cakes at the counter, soft and sweet. Liang Shu ordered two for Liu Xian’an as a snack. The boss waited for a long time, and before the guest could open his mouth, he stretched out his neck and asked in a low voice: “Hey, how are you two going to catch the ghost?”

“There are no clues yet,” Liang Shu said. “We are investigating the identity of the nameless corpse.”

“That isn’t easy to investigate. The city has been a disgrace for the last few years,” the boss said. “Lives were lost, and my mother was almost kidnapped by a trafficker back then. It was my father who grabbed a hatchet and snatched her back. I was in my mother’s womb at the time, and had great luck.”

Liang Shu examined him. This person was about thirty years old. Thirty years ago in Huaizhen City, the human trafficking business became popular. Seven or eight years ago, there were still women and children missing, and the matter could be called rampant. He asked: “Those who were abducted, have they returned?”

“No, not a single one, and everyone thinks it is very strange. It stands to reason that if they were kidnapped and sold, even if they are sold to the horizon, one or two would still come back, right? But there is no trace of them at all. In that case, ah…..” The boss let out a long, profound breath. He didn’t speak more, but his meaning was clear. They were most likely not abducted, but dead. Now that an unknown corpse was dug out of a grave, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Liu Xian’an said: “It wouldn’t be surprising if an unknown corpse is dug out of a mass grave, but that corpse was found in Wan Yuan’s tomb.” There were two points in this matter that he couldn’t parse out. First, who was the person who robbed the tomb? Second, if they stole it, why put another female corpse inside? Even if they wanted to avoid discovery, just putting the coffin back to its original state would be enough, right? Why bother to put another person into an empty grave.

Hearing what he said, the boss didn’t answer, but straightened up with a smile. Getting the hint, Liang Shu casually tossed him a small ingot of broken silver: “The boss seems to know a lot of inside information. Let’s hear it.”

“It isn’t much.” The boss collected the money. Seeing that the guests had no intention of eating, he simply brought a stool over and sat in front of them to speak, “When it was buried, Wan Yuan’s coffin was empty.”

Liu Xian’an’s eyelids twitched at these words: “Empty?”

The boss didn’t speak again.

Liang Shu flicked his finger, and this time it was a thin leaf of gold. The boss was so happy that his eyebrows flew up, but he still wanted to continue extorting them, so he made a secretive expression and crossed his arms. He shifted his eyes in awkward distress – and was unlucky enough to meet Liang Shu’s gaze.

And His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s eyes were truly murderous.

The boss’s back broke out in sweat, and he forced a stiff, embarrassed smile.  He didn’t dare play tricks anymore, and honestly confessed that the coffin was indeed empty back then. Although he didn’t carry it himself, a brother Yu who was working in the government office back then went to carry it, and when he returned, he murmured that the coffin was too light, and even if he shook it back and forth, it made no noise.

“If the coffin was empty, is Wan Yuan not dead?”

“Maybe she’s still alive,” the boss said mysteriously. “Everyone says she committed suicide in prison by bashing her head in, but nobody saw it. I’m a meddlesome person, so I made a special inquiry after the accident, and even the jailor said he didn’t see it with his own eyes. The person guarding in the morning went out for a meal at noon, and when he returned, there was only a dark coffin left.”

Such a flimsy story was actually accepted by the government and was spread all over the city. That Li-daren back then had likely contributed a lot to the process, but at this time he had already died, and they couldn’t find out even if they wanted to. The owner of the rice noodle shop received the gold and silver and was extremely active and diligent in his work. He knew he could make more money, so he took Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an to find a few old guards, and sure enough, everyone said that they had never seen Wan Yuan’s body.

Liu Xian’an asked: “Then are there any other rumors related to Wan Yuan?”

“None, we’re also puzzled,” the boss said. “Even if it was human traffickers, wouldn’t they pick someone who was more docile and obedient? Just due to her aggressive personality, who would dare to abduct her? That girl was also not a prominent person, and was just trying to make a living. No death and no corpse, and even the officials were silent and hastily buried the coffin…..tsk, it’s not easy.”

Things were becoming more and more complicated. There were many clues, but they became increasingly inexplicable. If Wan Yuan wasn’t dead, then the one floating around the city might indeed be her, but why would she want to come here? It didn’t seem like revenge. The people in the city were frightened at most, and no one had suffered substantial losses because of this.

Liu Xian’an said: “It turns out that investigating cases is also a troublesome thing.”

Liang Shu asked: “Troublesome? Then do you also want to run away?”

It was normal to run away, because Second Young Master Liu was a person who was most afraid of troublesome things. But he said at this time: “Then I’ll continue to investigate with the prince.”

Liang Shu asked: “You’ll accompany me?”

Liu Xian’an nodded: “I’ll accompany the prince.”

The two walked slowly down the street, and the colorful ropes hanging from the eaves on both sides still swayed beautifully in the wind. Liu Xian’an thought, it would be great if there was no case, only a Many-Color Festival with singing and dancing all over the city. Recently, he had slowly experienced worldly affairs and daily life. There were also troubles, but of course, the premise was that he didn’t go through those troubles alone.

Another gust of cold wind hit. Liang Shu took off his cloak to wrap it around him, and they returned to the government office together. Gao Lin was still leading his subordinates to study by lamplight, and he was dizzy from reading, sighing that if he had worked half this hard when in school, he would have already honored his ancestors by ranking first in the Imperial examinations. 

He studied at the wrong time, ah, the wrong time. He yawned dimly and continued to act as a paving stone on the road of love.

But His Royal Highness Xiao Wang didn’t lose his head over lust. Instead, he and Liu Xian’an went to the morgue again, wanting to continue investigating the nameless bones. However, there were already four or five people in the courtyard, and judging by their clothing and weapons, they should be from the Southwest garrison.

Hearing the sound of the wooden door, the man standing next to the corpse turned around. He had a rough face, and one could tell from his figure that he came from a military camp. But his official position was not high, and because he didn’t know Liang Shu at all, he just nodded slightly in greeting and said: “I hear that the female corpse was pregnant. Are you sure?”

“Sure.” Liu Xian’an pointed out to him, “There is a deformation here, it’s easy to identify.”

“What about this injury?” The man asked about a dark streak on the leg bone.

“There was a fracture. It was not serious, but there is an eighty-percent chance that she didn’t see a doctor and get a splint, and just let it heal on its own, so this slight deformation appeared.” Liu Xian’an said, “The forearm, as well as the phalanx, also suffered bone injuries.”

“All of them healed by themselves?” After the man asked this with a frown, he felt that his tone seemed to be bad and clasped his fists again, saying, “This one is Tong Ou, commander of the South 35th Battalion of the Southwest Garrison. I was ordered by the Commander to investigate the haunting of Huaizhen City. I heard some things on the way here, but the two of you don’t seem like ghost-hunting wizards.”

“We are indeed not wizards, but doctors,” Liu Xian’an said. “We were just passing by here, and thought it was absurd for a female ghost to crawl out of her grave, so we came to take a look.”

Liang Shu suddenly asked: “Is the East Ninth Battalion busy lately? I have an elder brother there, and if he is free, we will go and visit him.”

Tong Ou shook his head: “It’s not busy. The East Battalion just finished reorganizing a while ago, and happens to be resting in batches recently.”

Liang Shu smiled: “Understood, many thanks.”

Liu Xian’an didn’t know what the purpose of this question was, but Liang Shu had already pressed his shoulder and pushed him forward: “Since Commander Tong came here specifically for the female ghost, you tell him all about the abnormalities of the female corpse in detail. Perhaps there will be some clues.”

Liu Xian’an still didn’t understand. Nameless bones, no matter how carefully he spoke…..wait, unless he knew these bones? Liang Shu shook the hand on his shoulder slightly. Liu Xian’an understood, and started from the small wound on the corpse’s skull, explaining carefully one at a time. The skeleton’s age should not be very old, and although there were many bone injuries, they were not serious.

“This one is an exception,” Liu Xian’an said. “The injury here is very serious, and should have happened during childhood, which made it impossible to lift heavy objects when she grew up.”

Tong Ou was puzzled: “You mean the wrist bones?”

“En, but it is not certain. After all, she has been buried underground for many years.” Liu Xian’an stood up straight. “That is all.”

Tong Ou said: “All right, thank you, doctor. I must see Dan-daren, so I will leave first.”

He led his people out of the small courtyard. Liang Shu gestured, and some people immediately flew down from the shadows: “Your Highness.”

“Go and watch him.”

“Yes!”

They came and went like the wind as Liu Xian’an watched on in amazement: “They have been following the prince?”

Liang Shu nodded: “Yes, Emperor Brother’s Imperial guards. Are they interesting?”

“Wouldn’t this be……” Liu Xian’an thought to himself, what is so interesting about being watched all the time? The volumes of history books in his mind were all dug out, with all of their intrigues and shocking changes. Looking at his frown, Liang Shu could naturally guess what the other person was thinking at this moment, and tapped his fingers with a smile: “Don’t be anxious, it’s not what you think.”

“Then what is it?” Liu Xian’an asked.

“He feared I would run away on the road to Baihe Mountain Village to propose marriage,” Liang Shu said. “I often do this sort of thing, so Emperor Brother put countermeasures in place.”

Doing it often meant that someone often proposed marriage to His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. Facing this high risk of him getting married at any time, Liu Xian’an felt a headache. He tried his best to exhibit the authority of a forty-eight thousand-year-old and said calmly: “There is nothing good about getting married.”

“There is nothing good, so don’t get married.” Liang Shu asked, “Then do you still say ‘anyone is fine?’”

Liu Xian’an answered immediately: “Then nobody is fine either.”

From “anybody is fine” to “nobody is fine.” Liang Shu didn’t know whether he should laugh or get angry, so he raised his hand and flicked the other’s head, wanting to see what was inside that was so capable of choking him to death. But Liu Xian’an had already run away with his head in his arms, thinking, why is the prince like this, I just suggested that no one had to get married and he hit me.

Liang Shu ordered: “Come here.”

Liu Xian’an refused to come over, asking: “Why did the prince send someone to watch Tong Ou?”

“The East Ninth Battalion is only eight days away from Huaizhen City. Even in the worst case, the East Third Battalion, East Twelfth Battalion, and even the North Fourth Battalion are closer than the East Thirty-Fifth Battalion in the south.” Liang Shu said, “I appointed the Commander of the Southwest Garrison, and I know his temperament best. He never wastes manpower, let alone reaches far while neglecting what is close, so unless Tong Ou voluntarily requested to come to Huaizhen City and the entire garrison was idle, only then would he give the nod and agree.”

Liu Xian’an understood. There was a little ghost in the city, and even if the case was investigated as quickly as possible, it would not be considered a military merit. There was really no need to travel across a dozen camps to come here, so he said: “When I was explaining the other bone injuries just now, he only nodded, but when I made up the wrist bone injury, he actually questioned it, which means Tong Ou probably knew there was no injury there.”

Liang Shu said with a smile: “You’ve learned to lie.”

“It’s not called lying, it’s called all is fair in war,” Liu Xian’an said. “Let’s go and tell Lieutenant General Gao about this.”

“What can he do if we inform him?” Liang Shu disagreed. “Gao Lin may only read books seriously this one time in his life, and you still want to disturb him.”

Liu Xian’an said, not going is also fine.

The two returned to the inn to rest together, leaving Lieutenant General Gao alone in the cold and frosty dilapidated file room.

Those who heard it would simply weep.

That night, Second Young Master Liu suffered from insomnia again, so A-Ning took out the medicine box and suggested that he give the young master acupuncture.

Liu Xian’an slipped on soft shoes and sat on the edge of the bed, thinking it over for a while before saying: “You go see if the prince is asleep or not.”

A-Ning agreed, and tiptoed to stand in the corridor and eavesdrop, but happened to be caught by His Royal Highness Xiao Wang who opened the door. He was immediately embarrassed: “The prince s-s-still hasn’t rested yet?”

“No.” Liang Shu swept behind him. “Is something the matter?”

A-Ning maintained an awkward but enthusiastic smile, and also turned to look at his young master. I don’t know, ah, is there something wrong?

Liu Xian’an felt that he could stay up for a while, since he couldn’t sleep anyway.

So A-Ning was sent downstairs to make a pot of herbal tea. Liu Xian’an sat at the table and looked at His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, who was only wearing one robe over his nightclothes. This outfit was much better than the outfits he had drawn, showing that the craftsmanship of the court tailor was really extraordinary.

Liang Shu asked: “What are you looking at?”

Liu Xian’an answered: “Clothes.”

Liang Shu said: “If you like them, then I will give you some when we return to Wangcheng in the future.”

Liu Xian’an thought, if you like it, you like it, but I don’t want to wear it. It looks cold. The neckline was open, and the fabric of the robe was as thin and soft as running water, gently covering His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s muscles, which were lean and beautiful due to years of fighting.

Liang Shu tugged at his hair band: “Why don’t you restrain your eyes at all?”

Liu Xian’an frowned in discomfort: “Because the prince is not restrained in his clothing.”

One sentence exposed His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s courtship, seemingly inadvertently. In fact, this peacock spirit who had changed clothes for a long time in his room was indeed worthy of a Sleeping Immortal who had lived for forty-eight thousand years.

Liang Shu snatched the teacup from his hand: “Don’t drink.”

Liu Xian’an didn’t grab it, and only brought another teacup over, bowing his head to take a sip.

His lips were red and moist.

Regardless of whether or not the act of grabbing the cup was childish, not even Zhao Xiaomao could understand His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s mood at the moment.

It was a prairie fire.

The Author Has Something to Say:

Zhao Xiaomao is the palace steward’s son, who only knows how to pull little girls’ braids.

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Chapter Fifty-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Eight