After marriage, everything seemed to be different, yet the same.

Lucas and Luo Ran continued to work and live the same life as before. Lucas spent most of his time at military headquarters, and Luo Ran worked at the desk, cooperating tacitly.

“I’m leaving.”

Just before he left, Lucas would pull Luo Ran over and press a kiss to his face.

The two were practically stuck together, and Lucas seemed to be doing it on purpose, wanting to paste his pheromones all over Luo Ran.

Although after the lifetime mark, even if he didn’t do this, Luo Ran’s still had the scent of white tea mixed with tobacco on his body, and he didn’t use pheromone spray to cover it up, so everyone could smell it.

Especially Rong Duo. She was shown this every day, and wanted to get married.

From covering her mouth and crying at the beginning up to now, her shock had not abated, and seeing the two of them kiss made her numb.

She had successfully risen to a higher level after being sprinkled with CP powder.

Becoming a mother at a young age.

After kissing his husband of less than a year goodbye, Luo Ran sat with his back propped up and continued to go over official documents.

Luo Ran’s stomach had grown slightly, and perhaps it was because he was thin, but it was not too big at six months along.

Rong Duo looked at Luo Ran, who was working hard with a big belly, and thought to herself, it was really hard to imagine that there were twins at this size.

Yes.

Luo Ran and Lucas had done a test, and they were male twins. Although their second genders could not be determined, the machine had detected their pheromones and spiritual power, so they would be Alphas or Omegas.

Moreover, after they got tested, they also agreed to let the hospital announce the good news. Thus, the people of the Empire rejoiced and celebrated the New Year again that day.

And as everyone expected, the combination of Lucas and Luo Ran brought about excellent and perfect heirs to the Empire.

When the pheromones were detected, the machine’s scale nearly cracked. After all, it wasn’t built for such a high upper limit. How could babies be so aggressive?

But the two babies were 3S, even if still in the womb.

It was about the same as when Lucas was born, but more dramatic, especially with two of them.

The entire Empire was with Lucas and Luo Ran, anticipating and hoping.

Luo Ran finished writing a document, clicked his tongue, and took out his terminal to send a message to Lucas.

Luo Ran: “Are you there?”

Lucas: …..

Lucas always responded in seconds, which Luo Ran always felt was miraculous.

Luo Ran: “I want to eat yogurt.”

Lucas: “En.”

Luo Ran: “From the yogurt store across from military headquarters. Thank you, ah ^ v ^”

Lucas: “En.”

After Luo Ran got pregnant, he had all kinds of strange eating habits. Most of it was sour food, so Lucas often ran errands. This was often captured by netizens, who uploaded the photos, inadvertently making soft advertisements for many businesses.

— The Secretary said this fruit yogurt was good after eating it!

—The Secretary likes to eat this dried fruit and nut snack while pregnant! After eating it, you can give birth to 3S babies just like the Secretary! Two in one year! Three in three years!

— The Marshal bought the Secretary these snack buns before dawn!

There was even a “Marshal’s errand bot” checker.

— The Imperial Marshal stirs up trouble, but he is just an affectionate errand dog.

After getting married, although Luo Ran’s work ability and external dedication had not diminished at all, Lucas had become more clingy and spoiled, perhaps because of the pregnancy. He had gradually gotten used to their status as partners, and was not discontent even when being ordered around.

Lucas returned in the evening.

In his hands were two cups of yogurt, two small cake boxes, and a bag of grilled meat.

Lucas was initially a person who only ate white rice, which mostly had to do with being on the battlefield, and then after he experienced defeat in the ravine before, he really couldn’t eat anything.

But these days, it was the comforts of daily life with Luo Ran that dominated Lucas’s world more than the battlefield.

After work, the two ate at the newly-bought heated table next to the desk.

Now that it was almost winter, the two sat on the floor and buried their legs under the quilt, where they could still touch each other’s feet.

Luo Ran took a bite of grilled meat and asked: “The Marshal went to train today?”

“Right.”

“Thanks for your hard work.” Luo Ran smiled and said: “Now that the war is over, the Marshal is training more diligently.”

“Of course.” Lucas ate some meat and said: “Without high-intensity training, my subordinates will relax, and this cannot be allowed. If there is a war after the soldiers turn into wastes, the Empire won’t be able to handle it. With the surrounding countries, planets, and other galaxies, peace may not last forever.”

Luo Ran refilled Lucas’s bowl, nodding approvingly.

After the two finished eating, they snuggled up in bed, each reading their own official documents.

Luo Ran nodded off while reading, and fell into a deep sleep with his head resting on Lucas’s shoulder.

He had also become more lethargic.

Lucas didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out to turn off the lamp, kissed Luo Ran gently on the forehead, and then lay down with the man in his arms.

. . . . . . . .

Late at night.

Lucas was awakened by Luo Ran’s movements.

He opened his eyes to see Luo Ran sitting up, his eyes distant.

Lucas was a little anxious: “Is it leg cramps again? Where is it uncomfortable?”

“It’s not.”

“Do you have to throw up again?”

“No.”

“ ? ”

Luo Ran whispered: “I want to eat ice cream.”

What?

Lucas frowned and said: “Don’t make trouble, go to sleep.”

Luo Ran shut his mouth and didn’t speak.

Lucas: “…….”

Lucas scratched the back of his head and said: “You can’t really want to eat.”

Luo Ran paused, then said: “No.”

“Then sleep. What kind of ice cream do you want to eat in the middle of the night, it’s not good for your health.” Lucas rubbed the back of Luo Ran’s head and said: “Behave.”

Lucas lay back down again.

Then he saw Luo Ran take out his terminal and click on the takeaway service.

Lucas: “……”

Lucas said helplessly: “Silly Ranran, it’s already past three o’clock in the morning. There are only two or three food delivery services still operating, and they only deliver staple foods.”

When the military department stayed up all night for drills before, most of them worked at midnight, and there was naturally no ice cream.

So Luo Ran subconsciously changed the image.

Luo Ran just sat on the corner of the bed, looking at the images silently, planning to console himself by looking at them.

Lucas: “…….”

Lucas was helpless. Knowing that pregnancy was quite a lot, he had to get up and grab his jacket, resigned to his fate.

“Lucas…..!” It was late, after all, and Luo Ran felt a little embarrassed.

“You don’t want me to buy it?” Lucas buttoned up and raised his eyebrows, saying: “If you don’t want to eat, just go to sleep.”

Now that the stores were closed, Lucas planned to go to a vending machine to buy it.

“……” Luo Ran wanted to eat, but felt that this wasn’t good, so he was a little entangled.

“Okay, don’t be like that. If you want to eat, just say so. I’m used to going to the military department in the middle of the night, so it’s not a big deal.” Lucas stepped forward and rubbed the top of Luo Ran’s hair. He took the jacket full of pheromones that he had worn during the day and put it on Luo Ran, saying: “Wait for me to come back.”

“Okay.”

Luo Ran paused, then pressed a kiss to Lucas’s cheek.

“Thank you.”

Lucas froze for a beat.

So happy.

“Then I’ll go.”

The next day, a photo of Lucas going out to buy ice cream at three a.m. was posted again.

XXXX: I’m a security guard in my neighborhood. In the middle of the night, I saw a figure from the back moving in a hurry, and I thought it was a hooligan, so I followed him! I found the other party messing around in front of the vending machine and thought he was trying to steal money from it! But I didn’t expect! To see that it was clearly our Marshal!! As a little security guard, I was lucky enough to help our Marshal use the vending machine to buy ice cream! Oh, what a blessing!

XXXX: Oh my god, this is so pampering! I’m already so detached from worldliness that I don’t even sort out the candies anymore. Every day, I just get up and wait for the candy to be put in my mouth. I just open my mouth and eat it!

It was pitch black all around in the photo, and Lucas’s solitary figure stretched in the darkness of night.

And he was standing in front of the vending machine, thinking about how to use it, his restless hands touching the buttons one by one as if opening a new type of mecha.

Just…..miserable.

XXXX: Hahahaha this photo is too miserable, right? Shocking, the Marshal of the Empire has a tense look on his face and hasn’t returned home at night. Is this the fall of society or the destruction of humanity?

XXXX: Hahahaha the Marshal seems to be trying to overcome a tribulation!

Lucas really did look like he was going through a tribulation.

But he was enjoying it.

. . . . . . .

When work was less busy, Luo Ran and Lucas also went back to the snowy mountain in Pure City.

Together with the people at the research institute, they put the female insect back in the ground. She said goodbye to Luo Ran, touching his palm with her antennae.

She seemed to be giving him blessings.

Soon after, Luo Ran watched the female insect return to her own place.

Once they had sent her away, the two of them went to the cemetery in Pure City to pay their respects.

Luo Ran didn’t know which of the headstones in the graveyard belonged to his birth parents, but…..they were here, in the end.

Luo Ran didn’t mind. With Lucas’s help, he even cleaned up the entire cemetery and set out flowers.

Perhaps it was due to the blessings of Pure City and the mother insect that Luo Ran was in good health. His pregnancy was not uncomfortable, his appetite was good, and his body was also in good shape.

In this fashion, the day of delivery finally arrived.

The hospital had prepared a few days before, and Luo Ran was sent there the moment his stomach started to hurt, in order to begin preparations for labor.

Luo Cheng, Wang Zitong, and Lucas were all waiting outside, and Lucas was so anxious that he was walking around in circles.

When the babies were born and all three were safe, Lucas rushed in swiftly, but was stopped by Xia Zhi.

It wasn’t until Luo Ran was transferred to the general ward that Lucas was able to enter.

Luo Ran was lying in bed. Although he was exhausted, his complexion wasn’t bad.

“Xia Zhi says they’re two male Alphas with 3S spiritual strength.” Luo Ran said with a smile: “Have you gone to see them?”

“N-No.” Lucas held Luo Ran’s hand, stammering a bit: “Not yet.”

He had just gotten a vague glance at them and saw two wrinkled faces. Before he could dislike how different they were from Luo Ran, Xia Zhi told him that he could come and visit his husband.

Lucas was so anxious for Luo Ran that he couldn’t think about anything else for the moment.

Luo Ran said: “The big one is like you, and the small one is like me.”

Lucas said: “Really? I think they both look like monkeys.”

Luo Ran patted the back of Lucas’s hand with a smile, and teased: “The Marshal’s tribulation is finally over today.”

He had also read the online comments.

Of course, Lucas knew that this time was just an introduction to his tribulation, and the real tribulation would be when the children grew up.

“By the way, the children’s names……” Lucas raised his eyebrows and said: “Can we say them now?”

After learning that they had two children, Luo Ran and Lucas decided that each of them would name one.

It just so happened that the Starnet was also suggesting names, and they used it as a reference.

Luo Ran smiled and said: “I’ve thought it over. One will be named Regulus Alton. Regulus is the brightest and most dazzling star in Leo.”

What Luo Ran didn’t say was that after meeting Lucas, he found that his zodiac sign was also Leo.

Lucas said: “I’ll name one Luo Xicui Aldor.”

The two children could not live without the Aldor surname. After all, the Aldor name represented military power and a military family, so Lucas had to add the surname in front.

Lucas wanted the name to be simple and straightforward. Xi, hope, was the hope of the Empire, and his concern for Luo Ran and his family on the battlefield. Cui, pure, was for Pure City, the place where they first met, and also for their pure hope and feelings.

Luo Ran paused. His ears turned red and he said: “It sounds good.”

Lucas bowed his head and kissed Luo Ran with a smile.

In the future, they would have a new family.

---

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Chapter Ninety-Five << Table of Contents >> Extra 2

Before the three of them could react, the man kicked over the pile of clutter in front of them.

Liu Zhenqing took the two of them and ran, trying to sneak away out the window.

Then a big knife swept straight toward them. If the young girl hadn’t reacted quickly to pull the two others to a sudden stop, all three of them would have been injured at this moment. 

The man rushed forward at this instant, lifting his blade and swinging it at the three of them. It turned out that he was indeed a deft and skillful man, quick to take ruthless action. They had seen him committing petty theft before and had rather underestimated him. 

Liu Zhenqing led the two others to hide here and there, shouting, “Hey, we’re only worth six thousand taels alive! Be careful when handling dangerous weapons!”

But as soon as Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, the cheating wife in the distance called anxiously: “Kill them! We can’t let them get out alive!”

The man was no-nonsense. His blade was deadly and extremely ferocious. 

Liu Zhenqing also understood that the owner of the gambling house was no good. If he discovered that his wife was having an affair with his brother-in-law, he would certainly kill these two people without further ado. Their own lives must be more important than six thousand taels.

They were in big trouble this time.

The opponent pursued them fiercely, and Liu Zhenqing was the first to be injured, as he was blocking in the front. The back of his hand was hit, and he dropped the dagger. The young girl behind him caught it and attacked, but even though she knew a few tricks, she still struggled against the fierce adult man. Her arms were soon numb under the opponent’s strength, and with a sudden swing, she flew back with a crash.

Liu Zhenqing and the young master picked up some clutter nearby and rushed forward. Both of them were injured in the melee, but Liu Zhenqing’s wounds were particularly serious. Blood flowed from the gash in his leg, and in the end, the two of them were knocked to the ground.

The young girl attacked again, likely using all the martial arts moves she had ever learned, and the man’s blade was finally knocked away. Before she had time to celebrate, the man lifted a decrepit chair and flung it her way. The girl raised her hands to shield herself and the chair smashed to pieces. The girl also fell heavily.

The man’s eyes were already red. He picked up the knife and was about to chop it down. Liu Zhenqing tried to rise, but his leg and muscles were injured, and he couldn’t move. He shouted out anxiously: “Stop! I’m Liu Xiaozhu of the Liu Imperial merchant family! I can give you any amount of money you want. I can also help you leave far away and escape safely!”

Liu Zhenqing was truly worried. Of all the difficulties he had encountered after his transmigration, none of them had made his expression change this drastically. 

If something happened to these two children, he would have to bear the blame. After all, he was the one who brought them here. No matter what, he had to save the two of them! “You can keep me as a hostage, just spare the two children!”

The man paused for a moment, but soon made the decision to kill and silence them. Liu Zhenqing’s pupils shrank. He struggled on his hands and knees to rush forward, but couldn’t make it in time.

The young master at his side rushed forward and hugged the young girl despite his pain. He turned his back to the blade and shouted at the top of his lungs: “Stop! We’re from the General’s Manor!”

The words ‘General’s Manor’ were so loud that the three adults present froze.

There had only been a single General’s Manor in the capital for generations, and it belonged to the Huo family!

Liu Zhenqing felt as if lightning had struck his soul. Shocked, but still with some sense of reason, he looked at the two siblings a few steps away. His heart gradually became swollen and hot and his eyes widened uncontrollably, as if searching for something in their features.

“You…..Huo……” The man was stunned. The general’s reputation was very intimidating.

When the young master saw this, he said quickly and decisively: “Our Second Uncle is Huo Fenglie, the great general of the country! If you don’t kill us, you still have a way to live. If you do, you will be cut to pieces by a thousand blades!”

Huo Fenglie……the general whose name had just been carved into the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar today!

When the two lovers heard this name, their faces filled with panic and they seemed unable to digest this fact.

Hearing this answer at last, Liu Zhenqing felt as if every part of his body was about to explode.

It was really them!

Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo’s twins!

But they had clearly looked like carbon copies when they were young! Why did they grow up and……

Before Li Zhenqing had a chance to recover from his shock, he saw a silver glint falling in his peripheral vision. 

Yes, ah, the general could not be offended. But now that he had been offended, the man naturally thought that if they let these people go, the other person would not let them go. They were like ants to that kind of person, so it was better to have faith that they could hide the truth and have a better chance of survival. 

With the exposure of their identities, their original desire to kill and silence them became even stronger. Even the slicing motion turned into a more deadly stab.

“Yunqian! Run!” Huo Yunci also tried to push her brother away and block in front of him, giving him a chance to escape. She deeply regretted being so impulsive and reckless as to come to the gambling house, which caused harm to her brother and others.

Although Huo Yunqian was the weaker one and usually only followed his sister’s lead, how could a member of the Huo family run away and abandon their loved one at the critical moment? He tried to backhandedly push his sister away, otherwise with their small bodies, the enemy would certainly be able to pierce them together.

But at this critical moment, a slender figure flashed before the eyes of both siblings.

There was a muffled cry, and the childrens’ pupils shrank. They were stunned at the sight before them.

The blade pierced through green brocade clothing. Blood bloomed like a flower and ink-black hair flew messily. The seemingly helpless figure completely blocked their vision so that they couldn’t even see the danger on the other side, nor could they see Liu Zhenqing’s expression at that moment.

The man opposite saw.

The light in Liu Zhenqing’s eyes seemed to have been killed by his sword. It sank and disappeared, not as if the man was weakening, but as if he had been awakened. His face instantly filled with fury, and his eyes were like icy poisoned arrows, making the one who looked at him shudder like a sinner being looked down on by a judge high above.

That was the look in the eyes of Liu Zhenqing, who held the regent’s golden seal and the power of the entire government. Even a desperate criminal couldn’t help being stunned and weak in the legs when faced with such an imposing manner.

The white jade hairpin that had originally been holding up Liu Zhenqing’s hair was clenched tightly in his right hand, and it swung upward as his left hand held the opponent’s blade-wielding wrist. He turned his body into a shield, preventing the other person from drawing out the blade or even retreating half an inch.

This finishing move had been taught to him by Huo Feihan, but he had only been taught to clamp the opponent’s blade with his arm. Unfortunately, this “apprentice” had not learned it well, and couldn’t control the timing in this moment of crisis. He could only rely on his little medical knowledge to instinctively choose the appropriate position, letting the blade stab in so that he could control the enemy.

The tip of the jade hairpin pierced the opponent’s throat. The man was stunned, and his reaction was a little slow, but he still tilted his head to avoid it at the critical moment, and the hairpin only sliced into the side of his neck. Huo Yunci saw this clearly and felt that this move was too easy to defeat. 

But when Huo Yunqian saw Liu Zhenqing’s hand moving forward, he held his breath for a moment. Sure enough, Liu Zhenqing turned his wrist and swung down suddenly.

The target was never the throat, which couldn’t be pierced by ordinary force.

This killing move had originally been thought up by Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo. The side of the neck……was the place closest to the carotid artery.

“Ah!” Blood spurted out, accompanied by a scream. The man held his neck with one hand and broke the other out of Liu Zhenqing’s grasp. Then he grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s neck, intending to drag him into death with him!

The two siblings rushed forward and grabbed the man’s hands.

Liu Zhenqing’s stance was already unsteady. He disregarded the other’s strangling hand, and a proud smile appeared on his face, his eyes filled with a hint of light once more.

Just as Liu Zhenqing’s vision went dark, he heard the faint sound of a door breaking.

A completely black and extremely familiar sharp sword flew past and pierced directly through the back of the man’s head. 

This time, the man had no chance to struggle. He fell straight down and out of sight without making a sound.

“Second Uncle!” Two thrilled cries burst out in his ears. 

However, Liu Zhenqing could no longer remain upright. His knees softened, and he went down on one knee. The two children quickly supported him.

Liu Zhenqing saw the figure duck forward and crouch down as if to inspect his injuries.

He knew that the person who had come was Huo Fenglie.

He hadn’t intended to see what the young boy from back then had grown into now, but he raised his head instinctively.

The first thing he saw were the extended hands. When had his hands gotten so big? There were long joints and blue veins, and the palms were covered by callouses from practicing martial arts. They weren’t ugly, and only felt steady and powerful. Then came the arms wrapped in black cloud-patterned sleeves, with beautiful, solid lines faintly visible beneath. Then the strong, broad shoulders, the distinct skin texture of the neck, the knife-like jawline, the sharp eyebrows and eyes like stars, the straight nose and exceptional lips.

If one ignored the coldness of his face, he was a handsome man with an elegant demeanor that could stir up the hearts of women.

He was both familiar and unfamiliar.

The last time they met was when the young man took up the duties left behind by his older brother, to fight under the banner of the Huo family and defend the western battlefield.

The boy was seventeen that year, and one year later…..it was nine years until they saw each other again.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t dare to take a closer look, but he still accidentally fell into the other’s pitch black eyes.

He didn’t know if he saw wrong, but Huo Fenglie seemed to be stunned for a moment, mist drifting across those eyes that were as dark as night.

Liu Zhenqing instinctively tried to smile, but a mouthful of blood spurted out.

“Young Master Liu?” The voice was low and dry, but had the slight effect of splendid ice and snow.

Young Master Liu? Liu Zhenqing wanted to laugh even more. He was Young Master Liu now.

But he didn’t have the strength to laugh. He fell backward, but felt big hands catch the back of his neck and head.

They were steady.

---

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Chapter Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Nine

“I’m here.”

Bo Yueming lowered his head and kissed Pei Yi’s hair, trying hard to suppress the heartache in the air. 

He gently rubbed the back of his lover’s neck and didn’t push him away, but said, “Come on, let me carry you.”

Pei Yi buried his head in Bo Yueming’s arms and hugged him tightly, crossing his legs behind him in a clever move. “Er-ge.”

“En, I’m here.”

Bo Yueming did not neglect to respond, and walked into the room with his koala-like lover in his arms. He held Pei Yi and easily sat down on the sofa. “Have you been tired these days? Let me hug you.”

Pei Yi took a small breath, still leaning into his arms in order to draw strength. The faint scent of ebony lingered around him, draining away his fatigue from the past few days.

The grievance, unwillingness, and even the sadness of having to hold on from the first day the game script leaked reached its peak at this moment.

Pei Yi never liked to show weakness, but now he couldn’t hold on any longer. “Er-ge, I’m exhausted.”

Bo Yueming felt a cool wetness on his shoulder and hugged him tighter in response. “I know. Rest if you’re tired, I’ll stay with you.”

Pei Yi paused, then tried to resolve his emotions using childishness. “…..How about you make money to support me.”

Bo Yueming softly pinched the soft flesh on the back of his neck and coaxed, “If you really don’t want to do more, then rest.”

Not to mention the Bo family’s huge company, even if Bo Yueming relied on himself, he could still make enough money for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

Pei Yi nuzzled Bo Yueming’s shoulder again. When he raised his head, his eyes were still a little red, and he looked cute and pitiful. “Why are you here?”

Bo Yueming held his face and said both jokingly and dotingly, “If I didn’t come, my baby would be wronged to death.”

The two had been together for so long, but this was the first time Pei Yi had heard the name ‘baby.’ Warmth suddenly appeared on his cheeks.

His eyes flickered shyly, and he deliberately changed the subject. “Did Qiao Dong tell you? I told him long ago to keep it a secret, but this guy still couldn’t hide it.”

Bo Yueming heard his complaint and said helplessly, “Even if Qiao Dong didn’t tell me about this, did you think you could hide it from me?”

The first two or three days were normal, but in the following days of video calls, Pei Yi’s condition visibly declined and he would find various reasons and excuses to end the video calls.

How could Bo Yueming, his lover, not notice because of the distance between them?

Bo Yueming said honestly, “I initially wanted to come as soon as possible, but after some thought, I held back.”

Not to mention that Bo Group had a major project to push forward, which was truly inseparable from him as the chairman at the helm, Pei Yi would definitely not agree with him leaving Bo Group to accompany him.

Pei Yi murmured, “Thank you for hiding it and holding back from coming. Otherwise, I would have felt guilty and uncomfortable.”

Bo Yueming asked knowingly, “Why would you feel uncomfortable?”

“We both work and have responsibilities. Neither is more important than the other.”

Adults were allowed to be carried away by love, but they must learn restraint and responsibility.

“If you had come a few days earlier, I would have been busy with work and probably wouldn’t have had time to talk with you.”

Pei Yi thought carefully and spoke very softly.

“In that case, not only would your work be delayed, but I would be distracted. I don’t want that.”

A relationship must not be based on one-sided giving or one-sided companionship.

Bo Yueming knew that Pei Yi would have such thoughts, and asked, “Then it’s okay that I came now?”

“I just finished work and need to recharge my batteries.”

Pei Yi found an excuse for himself and then asked in concern, “What about you? Coming to Haishi temporarily really won’t delay the progress of the work at hand?”

Bo Yueming shook his head. “No, the most important signing period of the international project has been completed, so I can spare some time.”

Pei Yi’s eyes lit up. “Then how many days will you stay here? Even if the script is approved for a re-shoot, I might still have to stay in Haishi for one and a half to two months.”

Bo Yueming heard the dependence hidden in his lover’s words and teased, “I’m not staying long, I’ll leave tomorrow afternoon.”

“…….”

The curve of Pei Yi’s mouth froze, and he couldn’t help but lament, “Ah?”

Bo Yueming laughed and said, “Didn’t we just vow to take care of our responsibilities at work? You don’t want to affect my work, do you?”

Pei Yi felt that he had been slapped in the face, and muttered in a low voice, “That’s what my reasoning thinks, but it doesn’t matter to my selfishness.”

Pei Yi was not used to and didn’t like to rely on anyone in the past, but since falling in love with Bo Yueming—

He felt that his clinginess had begun to rise without him knowing, and he couldn’t hide it even if he wanted to.

Bo Yueming saw the depression of the person in his arms, and was honest, “I estimate conservatively that I can stay for four or five days. If there is nothing important at the company, I can stay longer.”

In any case, the most important work had been completed, so he took time off to come to Haishi for a few days and left the rest of the work to Bo Jiao and others to handle.

Pei Yi immediately smiled again. “En.”

Bo Yueming asked him, “Are you hungry? It’s already lunchtime.”

“En, I’m hungry.”

Pei Yi glanced toward the door. “Qiao Dong said that he booked the hotel’s delivery service before going out. Why hasn’t it come yet?”

“I’ll call guest services and ask.”

Bo Yueming stared at the dark circles around Pei Yi’s eyes and relaxed his embrace. “After eating, shall I sleep with you for a while? Your job is done, so catch up on sleep and I’ll celebrate your birthday with you tomorrow.”

Pei Yi was confused. “B-Birthday?”

Bo Yueming reminded him, “June 16th.”

Pei Yi came to a sudden realization. “Right, I’ve been so busy lately that I almost forgot about it.”

Pei Yi had been abandoned as a baby and never knew his actual date of birth.

When he was a child, he stayed at the orphanage, and when he was adopted later and applied for an ID card, he simply regarded the day of his adoption as his birthday.

Later on, his birthday became a regret that he deliberately ignored.

Bo Yueming noticed his lover’s absent-mindedness. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing.” Pei Yi shook his head, still smiling happily. “Er-ge, thank you for coming all the way to celebrate my birthday.”

June 16th was the birthday of the original owner.

But for Pei Yi, his actual date of birth was not the most important thing. What mattered most was that Bo Yueming cared about him.

Bo Yueming heard this sudden thank you and solemnly explained, “Pei Yi, we don’t say thank you to each other.”

“Okay, I get it.”

Pei Yi went to kiss him, but immediately held back and stood up numbly. “I’m going to wash up first!”

Bo Yueming’s eyes were gentle as he agreed. “En.”

. . . . . . . 

The two had a brief lunch before holding hands and returning to the master bedroom.

Bo Yueming saw the coat on the bed at a glance, and there was a smile in his eyes. “Little Sir, does the coat or the person work better?”

Pei Yi pretended not to understand. “I’ll rinse my mouth before sleeping.”

Although this was not the first time he had brought a coat with him on a business trip, he was a little shy when asked about it on the spot.

Bo Yueming hurriedly followed.

The two tidied up simply, then closed the curtains and lay down in bed.

Pei Yi still felt a stiffness on the left side of his neck and shoulder, so he leaned forward and asked, “Er-ge, please massage me.”

Bo Yueming doted on him, following his instructions step by step. “Is there any problem with the second revision of the script?”

Pei Yi gave a heavy sigh. When facing his lover, he was used to letting go of all pressure and defenses.

“There are basically no problems. We’ll discuss the details of the revision at the meeting today, and then start it on the 17th.”

Bo Yueming clearly understood Pei Yi’s outstanding abilities, but still affirmed, “My family’s Little Sir is really amazing.”

Pei Yi smiled and leaned more comfortably into Bo Yueming’s arms, telling him about the twists and turns of the previous days.

He added a question at the end, “Er-ge, I think that what happened this time is very strange. What do you think?”

He had previously been busy with the script rewrite, and really had no time to find the person behind the scenes.

Now that he was free, he must make up for the losses he had suffered!

Bo Yueming gave his analysis, “If you hadn’t forced yourself to change the script in front of Weiyi’s senior management, the biggest beneficiaries would be Gao Pingfeng and Weiyi headquarters itself.”

The former for fame, and the latter for profit.

Pei Yi had thought this at first, but felt a little strange. “But Gao Pingfeng has been with Weiyi for fifteen years and finally reached the position of chief planner. If he leaked the script and stabbed the company in the back—”

“Once this comes to light, won’t his career in the industry be over?”

Bo Yueming gave him a new perspective. “What if he had the tacit approval of the top management?”

Pei Yi responded, “Tacit approval? Er-ge, do you mean that Weiyi’s senior management secretly instructed him to do this?”

Bo Yueming said, “It’s not impossible.”

In this matter, it was not Gao Pingfeng who backstabbed his own employer, but Weiyi’s senior management who backstabbed Pei Yi and YWY Studios as a partner.

From a 40-60 split to 20-80, this exchange of interests had obviously been prepared in advance.

Pei Yi felt that his long-lost headache was coming back. “I don’t have much contact with Weiyi’s senior management, but Gu Jianshen in the copyright department is not that kind of person.”

“Ning Jing has more power than Gu Jianshen. The profit sharing came from her mouth, but I’ve always felt that she is looking forward to long-term cooperation with me.”

Otherwise, Ning Jing would have tried every means to make things difficult for his script the past two weeks and delay him as much as possible, instead of giving him the green light and accepting all his script proposals.

Bo Yueming kept moving up. “Then it was the top level above Ning Jing.”

No matter how large a group or company was, there would still be short-sighted shareholders and executors. These people only pursued short-term interests, regardless of the long-term benefits of cooperation.

Bo Group couldn’t avoid this, and it was likely that major game companies such as Weiyi could not avoid it either.

“Did Weiyi give you an explanation for the script leak these days?”

“No.”

Pei Yi shook his head, and couldn’t help but yawn a little.

He didn’t know what was going on, but he was sleepy again even though he had only just woken up.

Bo Yueming could see his fatigue. “You’re still tired?”

“I guess it’s because I didn’t get enough sleep during this period, and my nerves can’t hold on now that I’m relaxed.” As Pei Yi spoke, he raised his head and kissed the corner of Bo Yueming’s mouth.

Bo Yueming kissed him back, sucking lightly at his thin lips and then easily prying open his teeth. He heard a pleasant muffled sound, carrying the tenderness of a reunion after a long separation.

Concerned about his lover’s body, Bo Yueming stopped after a brief taste. “Be good, will you sleep for a while?”

Pei Yi thought of that kiss that was long overdue, and said with some satisfaction in his eyes, “Er-ge, please help massage my shoulder and neck for a while, they’re still sore.”

“Okay, go to sleep.”

“En.”

Pei Yi closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

Bo Yueming heard his long, slow breathing, and his heart settled down again. He lowered his eyes to look at the sleeping face of the person in his arms who couldn’t be more obedient, and the accumulated heartache surged again—

Not to mention the dark circles under his eyes, he had even lost some weight in his cheeks. When he held him in his arms and walked, he felt a lot lighter. It had taken him nearly a year to regain weight, but he had lost most of it in just half a month!

Bo Yueming thought of the deliberate treatment his lover had received in Haishi, and a frightening dark light flashed through his eyes.

He stopped his massage and carefully picked up the cell phone placed beside the bed, calling his assistant Lin Zhong.

Lin Zhong had followed him to Haishi and was staying downstairs at the moment.

It connected within three seconds.

“Hello, Mr. Bo.”

“Investigate the situation of Weiyi’s current high-level shareholders. Also pay attention to Xunya Technology and Gao Pingfeng. Find out who he is close to.”

Bo Yueming knew that Pei Yi had the ability to fight back on his own, but as his lover, he really couldn’t remain indifferent.

Lin Zhong had also roughly learned about Pei Yi’s recent experiences from Qiao Dong’s mouth, and responded firmly, “Okay, Mr. Bo. I will find out as soon as possible.”

Bo Yueming hung up the phone simply and neatly, and tightened his grip on his lover again. He had purposely caught an early flight, and was a little tired now.

Being in the arms of his lover was the greatest stability.

. . . . . . .

Pei Yi had a particularly comfortable sleep this time, and when he woke up, he felt that all the bones in his body were numb. He looked at the dim light filtering in through the gaps in the window, and his mind slowly recovered.

“…….”

Er-ge seemed to have come to Haishi?

Pei Yi suddenly recalled this important matter and looked around at once. He saw the empty bed—

It seemed that Bo Yueming’s sudden appearance was a dream.

Pei Yi’s heart tightened and he quickly got out of bed, calling outside the room, “Er-ge!”

The sound of slippered footsteps on the floor echoed.

Within three seconds, Bo Yueming opened the door and walked in. “You’re awake?”

Pei Yi stopped and breathed a sigh of relief. “Where have you been?”

Bo Yueming noticed his flash of panic and drew closer to comfort him and explain, “I didn’t go anywhere. I was afraid of waking you up when I got a call, so I stayed outside in the living room.”

Pei Yi accepted the explanation. “En.”

Bo Yueming pulled his lover into his arms and asked, “Did you get enough sleep? I have something to ask you.”

As he spoke, he pulled the other person to the computer desk, opened the drawer, and took out the cigarettes and lighter.

“Explain, when did you smoke? It was packed with twenty cigarettes, and there is only one left.”

“…….”

Like a guilty kitten who had been caught, Pei Yi bravely changed the subject. “Why were you rummaging through my drawers?”

“Okay, I’ll apologize first.” Bo Yueming blocked him between himself and the edge of the table. “It’s my fault for going through your drawers without permission, but I only wanted to find a pen and write something down.”

Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the drawer, he received an extra “surprise.”

Pei Yi had no real intention to blame Bo Yueming, and as soon as he heard this apology, he felt even more guilty. “I don’t blame you. I…..I also didn’t smoke.”

When Bo Yueming heard Pei Yi stutter, his hand fell down from his waist and hit him on the butt with a pa.

The force was a bit heavy, but not painful.

“W-Why did you spank me again!”

Pei Yi’s eyes immediately widened. He blushed and tried to escape, but his back was pressed against the desk and he couldn’t go anywhere.

Bo Yueming blocked him further. “Be honest, when did you start smoking? How many cigarettes did you smoke?”

Pei Yi was reluctant to admit his mistake. “I took it from Li Yuan some time ago just to show off. When he gave it to me, there was only one left.”

Bo Yueming was so angry that his teeth itched. “Why don’t you tell the truth?”

Another pa!

“…….”

Pei Yi took a deep breath and said, “Just one pack! I’ve been under a lot of pressure at work lately, and sometimes I’m very tired after working late at night!”

“It’s not like you don’t know that I get drunk whenever I drink. I wouldn’t be able to continue working, so I smoked a few to relax!”

After this explanation, he avoided Bo Yueming’s eyes and complained, unresigned, “You promised not to spank me, so why didn’t you keep your word?”

How could Bo Yueming not know that Pei Yi had been wronged at work during this period? He gently lifted his lover onto the table, his temper abating. 

“Does it hurt?”

“…….”

Was this a question of pain or lack thereof?

He was spanked twice this time! Did he want to make him lose face?!

Holding a grudge, Pei Yi ignored him and didn’t say anything.

“Okay, I was wrong.”

Bo Yueming simply admitted his mistake and advised, “Smoking is bad for your health. Let’s try our best not to smoke, all right?”

Pei Yi continued to pretend to be mute.

Bo Yueming could do nothing about him, and softened his attitude further. “Little Sir, please pay attention to me?”

“……”

“Kitten?”

“……”

“Baby?”

Each name that was never spoken to others was more lethal than the last.

Pei Yi tried hard to be strong for half a minute. Then his cheeks turned red and he surrendered, admitting his mistake.

“I know I was wrong. I won’t smoke next time.”

---

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Chapter Ninety-Two <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Four

In the end, everyone went to the Valley of Ten Faces together.

Sitting in the carriage, Liu Xian’an looked outside. Every now and then, a village would appear on the side of the road. They were all neat and tidy, and even the cured pork hanging at the doors of the houses was cut more squarely than others. The shadow of military camp life could indeed be seen.

“These are also some of the most stable and affluent villages in the Southwest,” Ku You said. “The land is fertile and the population is prosperous. They not only respect martial arts, but also culture. No matter how small the village is, the villagers will raise money to hire a teacher. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation, and today, almost everyone is literate and sensible.”

“Look, Young Master!” A-Ning pointed into the distance and said in surprise, “There are words on the cliff!”

A wall of stone soared into the clouds. There was a neat cross-section, as if it had been split open by the giant ax of a god, and quartz fragments shimmered in the sunlight. Like a river of stars pouring down, it was as if an immortal had used a sword as a brush to engrave eloquent, thousand-character prose. Even in the Three Thousand Worlds of Second Young Master Liu, it was difficult to find such a marvelous heavenly text.

“To carve out such characters on such a precarious cliff is as difficult as climbing to the sky. You would have to attach someone to a rope and slowly lower them from the top.” Riding on horseback, Gao Lin squinted his eyes to look into the light, and looked carefully for a long time. Although Cheng Suyue’s body had not recovered, she still found the carriage stuffy and rode a horse most of the time. At this moment, seeing that her older brother was looking intently, she moved closer to look together. The two traveled in unison until His Royal Highness Xiao Wang said coldly: “Can you understand the words?”

Gao Lin: “……”

Cheng Suyue: “……”

We can’t read the words, but can we not simply appreciate the beauty?

Liang Shu ignored the two bitter-faced subordinates, galloping forward alone to bring Liu Xian’an out of the carriage.

Gao Lin: It’s started, the prince is about to start showing off again, and he’s going to let Second Young Master Liu perform a show for us soon!

Naturally, Liu Xian’an could understand this ancient text. Although the handwriting had been worn away by the wind and rain, the full text could be inferred based on the context. He said: “It’s a folk tale.”

“Someone took so much effort just to carve a folk tale?” Cheng Suyue couldn’t quite believe it. “I still think it must at least be a secret martial arts text.”

Gao Lin knocked on her forehead, which had nothing behind it. What “secret,” it could at most be regarded as an “ancestral record.” From his point of view, such carefree things were generally not worth anything.

“It’s the origin of the Valley of Ten Faces,” Liu Xian’an said. “It says that hundreds of years ago, the gates of heaven suddenly opened, and a group of immortals descended. Upon coming here, they saw the beautiful scenery, with springs and clear, quiet mountains, and simply settled down. They multiplied from generation to generation, forming today’s Valley of Ten Faces.”

Cheng Suyue commented that there was no beautiful immortal insisting on marrying an idle villager, and there was no cowherd who hid the clothes of a beautiful woman to prevent her from leaving. Although it was boring, it was still a good, law-abiding and virtuous story.

Gao Lin insisted on being disagreeable: “There are so many words on the cliff. Second Young Master Liu just gave us the general idea, how do you know there aren’t some unsavory hidden details?”

“There really aren’t,” Liu Xian’an said. “But the rest of the story isn’t interesting, and is not worth telling. I’m thirsty.”

As soon as these words fell, Liang Shu handed over his water bag and said: “It’s windy here. Don’t talk too much, and be careful not to get cold.” While speaking, he untied his cloak and wrapped the other person up tightly until only his eyes were exposed. Then he nudged the horse’s belly with his feet, and the two of them walked away.

Cheng-guniang, who had just become part of a new family, was not quite used to this kind of scene. She held back for a long time before she couldn’t help asking: “Ge, why doesn’t the prince hide?”

“Hide from what, you mean the Imperial Guards? There’s nothing to hide from,” Gao Lin said, waving his hand. “Our prince has personally written a secret letter, reporting his love story to the Emperor in detail.”

“Ah?”

“It was about four or five sheets of paper.” Gao Lin gestured, the text was long, and the writing flowed like a spring. If he was taking the Imperial Examination, there would only be three lines left.

Cheng Suyue: “……”

It’s really too terrible.

The garrison camp was halfway up the mountain, surrounded by villages in the front and deep, dense forest in the back. Bamboo buildings, tiled houses, and tents were scattered in an orderly manner, and for the people at the foot of the mountain, this was the most secure protective barrier.

Although Ku You’s eyesight was impaired, he basically didn’t need any help walking. He was very familiar with this large camp, and didn’t even need a cane. He just strode forward, his silver blindfold and silver hair blown back by the wind, his figure neat and capable. Liu Xian’an imitated him by closing his eyes and raising his leg to take a steady step forward, but was grabbed by Liu Xianche, who said with a frown: “There are dead vines everywhere, how can you fall asleep while walking?”

“First Young Master Liu misunderstands, Xiao An wasn’t sleeping.” Liang Shu helped explain behind him, “He’s just learning how to walk like Ku You.”

Learning how to walk like Ku You was better than sleepwalking? First Young Master Liu thought coldly, it really isn’t, ah. The custom of Liu family disciples was that when walking, they walked with their necks straight, solemn and dignified, all of them like green pines in the wind. What sort of method was this to lazily close your eyes? Thus, he seriously criticized his lazy little brother.

Liu Xian’an shrugged and said: “Hmm.”

There are too many rules, ah, I want to go to Xiao Wang Palace where there are no rules.

After Liang Shu sent this person back to his residence, he went to the front hall to deal with military matters. Liu Xianche sat at the table and watched A-Ning organizing the luggage. Nine out of ten items were from Xiao Wang Palace. The most outrageous thing was that there was a pair of clearly oversized night clothes.

First Young Master Liu suddenly had a headache again, and thought about whether he should take his little brother back to Baihe Mountain Village for a period of time after this matter was over, so as to save him from becoming more and more unreasonable. Just as he was thinking this, A-Ning took out another stack of rice paper from the bag and stacked it neatly on the table.

They seemed to be portraits.

Liu Xianche picked up one of them: “These were drawn by Xiao An?”

“They were drawn from the Second Young Master’s imagination,” A-Ning said. “First Young Master, if you take a closer look, you will find that each face is different.”

It depicted a woman with raised fox eyes, flirtatious and charming, leaning on a railing. This was the beauty in the painting that he had carefully sketched based on the information Liu Hengchang sent, combined with Feng Xiaojin’s appearance.

“Da-ge.” Liu Xian’an came in with a plate of pastries, his cheeks puffed out. Seeing that he was looking at the portraits, he said, “It’s a pity that A-Chang doesn’t know how to draw, otherwise he could copy it as it is, and save me from having to guess based on the description in the letter.”

“This girl…..” Liu Xianche frowned slightly. “Her behavior is too frivolous.”

“The prince also says that she looks like a dancer,” Liu Xian’an said. “And also like a prostitute. Anyway, she can’t be from an ordinary family.”

In Liu Hengchang’s description, the beauty in the portrait had almost the same face as Feng Xiaojin, but her features were more delicate and small, and her figure was also graceful. He even inquired about Feng Xiaojin, wanting to find out if he had any sisters.

Liu Xianche asked: “Are there any?”

Liu Xian’an shook his head: “No, it doesn’t look like there are. A-Chang said that the leader of the Baifu Sect looks to be about forty or fifty years old. If this portrait was painted more than ten or twenty years ago, then the person in the painting may also be Feng Xiaojin’s mother. I think this guess is more reasonable.”

With such a beautiful face, if she was a dancer or a prostitute, she should be very popular and highly sought-after. That the leader of the Baifu Sect still hung her portrait in his room after many years was iron proof.

“The prince has already sent people to investigate,” Liu Xian’an said. “I had originally wanted to ask Da-ge if there is any way to spy and gather information.”

“Then why didn’t you come and ask?” Liu Xianche actually did know a few well-informed jianghu people.

“Because the prince said there was no need.”

“Why not?”

“I didn’t ask.”

It had been very late at night. Liu Xian’an was laying in bed, talking very sleepily, and when he heard “no need,” he just nodded his head, “En, en, okay,” and then inadvertently fell asleep. After waking up, this conversation was lost in the clouds. He only remembered that Liang Shu said there was no need, so he definitely wouldn’t do it.

It would take less effort for himself.

In the end, this lazy person was still very lazy, and was tired after drawing so much. It was better to lie down and analyze. After Liu Xian’an finished eating the pastries, he took out another portrait and lay down on the table while saying to his brother: “This is what I speculated. If Feng Xiaojin’s mother really has a family background, and Feng Xiaojin hated Tan-daren in the court, could Tan-daren be his father?”

After all, this sort of story about an infatuated woman meeting a flirtatious man was very common in books, and ten out of ten would not have a happy ending, which was very consistent with reality. Liu Xian’an continued to analyze: “The prince says that Tan-daren came from a noble family, and his family education was very strict. He would definitely not be allowed to go out and court prostitutes, and it would be even more impossible for him to marry a concubine.”

But no matter how strict his family education was, it couldn’t control the love between men and women. One spring night sowed evil roots, and that son of a noble family returned to the Dream Capital Wangcheng to continue to be a favored young master, perhaps forgetting about it soon after. Thus, there was a poor orphan and widow pair in this world. One was no longer beautiful, and was forced to remarry a vulgar tofu man, and the other grew up with hatred, lurking on the mountain road and just waiting to kill his heartless father with his own hands.

Liu Xianche said: “It seems that you have indeed read a lot of idle books these years.”

“…….” Liu Xian’an kept his mouth shut and didn’t speak. The prince clearly praised my analysis as very reasonable, comparable to that of a military advisor.

Liu Xianche was somewhat amused: “What are you muttering?”

Liu Xian’an shook his head: “Nothing, nothing, ah.”

In any case, there was no ruler in the military camp, so he was very presumptuous now. Liu Xianche had initially not wanted to hit him at all, but seeing his present unruly appearance, he wanted to hit him again.

A piece of sun-dried medicinal herb hit Second Young Master Liu’s palm until it was burning hot. He was awfully depressed, and still had to sit at the table and silently write the family rules as punishment. The calligraphy brush in his hand flowed eloquently across the paper like dragons and snakes, with the last stroke dragged out. All of it revealed the mentality of being impatient to sue.

Liu Xianche stood at the door: “Why are you running?”

A-Ning was also panting as he followed behind his young master. Why was he running so fast? It wasn’t as if he had never been beaten by the First Young Master before, so why did he react so violently this time?

Liang Shu watched the person running toward him in the distance, and was also very surprised: “What happened?”

“Da-ge beat me again.”

Liang Shu held his palm and looked at it for a long moment, then asked wonderingly, “It looks fine, where were you hit?”

Liu Xian’an calmly withdrew his hand: “On the hand, the swelling has subsided.” But I really fled very fast.

It wasn’t red or swollen, but Liang Shu still rubbed it cooperatively, holding back a smile: “Let’s hear it, what was the mistake?”

“No mistake.” Liu Xian’an said, “I spoke of my analysis of Feng Xiaojin’s past, but Da-ge beat me.”

So unreasonable, ah!

---

Chapter Ninety-Three << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Five

“Jiejie, we’d better send someone home to get the money. Continuing on like this won’t solve the problem.”

“If Mother finds out, the two of us are dead.”

“But…..”

“I’ll think of another way…..”

The two children discussed amongst themselves, then looked at the taciturn fellow squatting in the corner.

“Hey, Liu Xiaozhu…..”

LIu Zhenqing sniffed, comforting himself: Forget it, I’m going to leave the capital. I was just showing off and messed up. Anyway…..this life will pass quickly.

He looked up and said: “Are we of the same generation? Can you just call me by name so casually? Whose children are you?”

The girl choked, and looked at him a little strangely. “You really…..don’t remember anything.”

The young master also looked at Liu Zhenqing curiously.

Liu Zhenqing just nodded. The two of them revealed subtle expressions, which were extremely close to that expression of “Can there be such a good thing?”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s lips twitched, but after some thought, there couldn’t be such a coincidence. Boy and girl twins……could it be……Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed, and he seemed to have thought of something impossible.

“What are you doing? Are you bullying me for losing my memory?” Liu Zhenqing said with dissatisfaction.

The young girl opened her eyes wide and said: “Who’s bullying you? Anyway, you can’t remember, so there’s no need for you to remember. Trouble can be avoided this way.”

Who knew if this guy was pretending to be on their side for the sake of deceiving and getting close to them…..Otherwise, how could he, a young master from an Imperial merchant family who was always covered in gold, be imprisoned alongside them without revealing his identity or calling someone to redeem him? Although they didn’t want to make malicious assumptions about people, this person’s previous behavior had been dramatic enough and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The young master said with gentle politeness: “Liu-shishu, we will find someone to come and release the three of us. As agreed, all compensation will be our responsibility. We have troubled you today.”

The young girl also cupped her hands and said: “Although you didn’t help much……I still thank you!”

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t much concerned with their identities. The reason was the same. He was leaving here anyway, and there was no need to get to know people.

“No need to go to such trouble. Are you willing to pay this kind of money? Accepting a bet doesn’t always require being willing to accept defeat.” Liu Zhenqing chuckled and stood up. He wasn’t terribly aggrieved, otherwise he would have just sent someone to ask Jin Li outside to send the money in.

“What do you mean?” The young girl said in surprise.

Liu Zhenqing hooked his fingers and said: “Give me the dagger.”

The young girl hesitated for a moment. Then she pulled out the dagger and gave it to Liu Zhenqing, watchin him walk to the southeast corner of the room.

The rooms here only contained some miscellaneous items, and were used to imprison those who could not afford their bets.

The two of them gave Liu Zhenqing strange looks as they watched him step on the empty boxes in the corner and climb to the top. He reached up and groped at an indent before stopping at a certain place, then pierced it with the dagger. An entire wooden board fell down from the top, revealing an entrance big enough for a person to crawl through.

The two were both stunned, until Liu Zhenqing waved to them and said: “Let’s go, ba. They don’t know who we are anyway, so we can just run away.”

“You!” The young girl had no time to be surprised. She jumped up quickly and looked inside. It was a shallow passage near the ceiling, which was big enough for an adult to fit inside.

“Don’t worry, there’s a utility room at the other end of the passage, and that room has a window facing the street. The second floor is low enough for us to jump down, then we can disappear into the crowd and escape,” Liu Zhenqing said proudly.

Hearing this, the young girl immediately revealed an expression of joy. Although running away was disgraceful, it was better than the frustration of having to give that grandson six thousand taels.

The young master climbed a little slower, and asked puzzledly when he came up and also saw the passage: “Didn’t Liu-shishu lose his memory?”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback, and the young girl also reacted and looked at him suspiciously.

“Cough, cough, cough, I remembered this passage as soon as I came in,” Liu Zhenqing said without a change of expression.

“You…..are so skilled. Have you done this before?” Asked the young girl.

Liu Zhenqing said awkwardly: “Just once.”

The young girl reacted at once and shouted angrily: “And you had the nerve to say that you won every bet before!

Liu Zhenqing felt as if he had taken an arrow to the knee. How could he have known that when he changed bodies, even his golden finger would be gone?

“Right, you’ve lost your memory. How did you know you’d always won every bet?”

After being called into question, Liu Zhenqing touched his hot ears and could only explain vaguely, “It was true in the past, ah. This is what I recalled after entering the gambling house.”

The two siblings felt that this person was unfamiliar, completely different from what they had seen before. It was as if he had become a different person.

“Then why were you locked up in here?” the young master inquired.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but think back, and almost laughed out loud. “It wasn’t because of a loss, but because of a win that went too far. They suspected me of cheating, but couldn’t figure out how I had done it, so they got angry and locked me up first.”

It was the day the gambling house opened for the first time. He just happened to discover his golden finger when he was a little older than these two, so he came over with Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo to play, but it turned into a huge mess.

He couldn’t fight with his fists, and he didn’t dare to reveal his identity, for fear of being punished by the family elders. Thus, he used the opportunity to try to figure out a way out of prison, and discovered this secret passage in the end.

“Then you just ran away from here?” the young girl asked, drawn in by this bizarre matter.

Liu Zhenquing cocked his head and raised his eyebrows, saying: “Of course we couldn’t run away empty-handed. We snuck into the boss’s warehouse through the empty room in the back and made off with three boxes of silver.”

“What?!”

“Then we sent it to the government and said that since it was Longxing Gambling House’s first day open, all profits would be donated to express their determination to operate a conscientious business,” Liu Zhenqing said, holding back a smile.

The two siblings were astonished, and couldn’t help but burst into smiles, but the two had already pasted the word “wicked” onto Liu Zhenqing.

“What happened in the end?”

“In the end……the small flag of honor at the entrance of Longxing Gambling House was awarded by the government.”

When Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, the two siblings finally couldn’t hold back their laughter.

The two were young and didn’t notice the time discrepancy. The flag at the entrance of Longxing Gambling House was over twenty years old. Who could still remember where it came from?

Liu Zhenqing had just said it as a joke. He looked at the two innocent children, then said seriously: “That said, if you don’t have the ability to clean up your messes, don’t get into trouble when you shouldn’t. You two must not do this again in the future.”

“You just got lucky.” The young girl wiped away her tears of laughter.

“Yes, yes, yes. But you can’t rely on luck for everything. At the very least, you two are too young now, so be careful what you do.” Speaking of this, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but ask curiously, “By the way, why are you here?”

The two exchanged glances, then roughly explained that they had come to expose the scam and help the people who had been deceived.

They had pure and innocent hearts like that of a newborn. Liu Zhenqing led the two of them up the passage without saying another word.

They soon arrived at the room Liu Zhenqing had spoken of, but as soon as they came down, there was the sound of the door opening as someone stumbled in. The three of them had no time to jump out the window on the opposite side, so they could only hide behind a pile of clutter.

A strange sound came, and Liu Zhenqing’s face changed at once. Seeing that the two children didn’t understand, he quickly motioned for them to cover their ears.

The two siblings saw Liu Zhenqing’s anxious expression and could only lift their hands obediently to block their ears. Although the sounds of affection couldn’t be heard, the voices speaking were still very clear. 

“Whatever you do, be careful not to be seen.”

“Everyone regards us as siblings. Even if your husband, that cheap brother-in-law sees us, he won’t say anything. Come on, I just won six thousand taels today, just be happy.”

“What? Why so much……didn’t you promise me that you would just cheat a little every day for fun? If your brother-in-law finds out that something isn’t right, he’ll……”

“Don’t worry, this time I won fair and square. It’s fine.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows in amusement as he ate these ethical melons. It was broad daylight, so these people would probably leave soon. In the end, he wasn’t paying attention to the two young ones next to him.

Hearing this conversation, they were immediately enraged, especially the grumpy young girl. Although she had no urge to jump out, and only took a deep breath in place, there was a lot of dust accumulated here. She breathed in so hard that she started coughing, which startled the two people outside.

“Ah!”

“Who is it! Come out!”

---

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Chapter Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eight

Half a month later.

The Empire’s people erupted again.

— Admiral Lucas and Secretary Luo were going to get their certificate! It would be broadcast live from the Civil Affairs Bureau!

Post-war activities had been completed, all of the star pirates had been wiped out, and the army had been reorganized.

Studies had found that the plant growing alongside UNK that Luo Ran had found could restrain the side effects of UNK, so it began to be mined again along with common ore. The Second Prince and Lucas would control the use of UNK so as to ensure that it would not be abused and lead to loss of control.

But the female worm was presently being kept in the research institute after being injured, and would be put back in the ground. There may not be UNK in the future.

In any case, the attitude of the Empire was that they would not discard it, but they would not fear it. There were ways to control it as long as they weren’t too greedy. For example, the director of the research institute, Shi Xiuqi, still insisted on imprisoning the female insect to produce UNK, so he was fired by the Second Prince without hesitation.

Presently, the Empire was beginning to prepare for the enthronement ceremony of the Second Prince and the canonization ceremony for Lucas.

Aldor had held the title of Marshal from generation to generation. Originally, Lucas had to be thirty-five years old in order to inherit it from his father, but because the Marshal himself was unwilling to hold the title anymore, and because Lucas was the god of war who destroyed the star pirates, the thick shield and sword that had made the Empire’s defensive line indestructible in the past few years, he was conferred the title.

In the future, Lucas would not be the Admiral, but the Marshal.

Equivalent to another leader of the Empire.

Lucas was busy with UNK after the war, and Luo Ran not only had to assist Lucas, but was also responsible for preparing the canonization ceremony. Thus, he was so busy that he barely touched the ground as soon as he got out of the hospital bed.

But no matter how busy they were, they had to get the certificate.

XXXX: I haven’t recovered from the joy and victory of finally annihilating the star pirates, and now this! I can’t ! ! ! Ahhhh it’s so great. It’s really so great, everything is so great! At this moment, please let me say the Admiral is victorious, long live the Empire! What a wonderful love!

XXXX: Ahhhh we said every day that they would go to the Civil Affairs Bureau, and now they are! What a wonderful love!

XXXX: I’m not a CP fan, but I’m also very excited right now. I even want to cry a little. The star pirates have finally been wiped out, and the Admiral and the Secretary can finally focus on their own lives. Just, I really appreciate Secretary Luo. Thank you for always being by this hero’s side.

The Starnet fell into unprecedented excitement.

The Second Prince Zhou Mingjing was about to ascend the throne, the star pirates were wiped out in one fell swoop, and the Admiral was getting married…..!

The Starnet was filled with cheers and joy. For several days in a row, discussions about the wedding and the Admiral’s victory for the Empire were lively from morning till night.

The old was replaced with the new.

On the day of the live broadcast, it was not an exaggeration to say that almost all the people in the entire country were squatting.

XXXX: My parents skipped work to watch the live broadcast…..these people are about to retire, can you believe it?

XXXX: Ah, this…..to be reasonable, the whole company here is on holiday! I asked the people around me, and they all went on vacation. The sister and parents upstairs are too miserable…..

XXXX: My grandparents also happily asked us to broadcast it for them!

XXXX: Ahhhh sisters, it’s about to start. I’m so nervous, so nervous!

. . . . . . .

“I’m a little nervous too.”

Luo Ran sat next to Lucas, reading the comments on the web. His parents were also squatting, so……

He suddenly felt a sense of shame.

“Why are you nervous, we’re just signing our names and taking a photo.” Lucas raised his eyebrows and smiled: “You are so inexperienced.”

“…….”

Luo Ran frowned and said: “The Admiral isn’t nervous?”

“Nope.” Lucas loved to show off how capable he was in front of Luo Ran. He held the other’s hand and smiled: “Don’t be nervous, just hold my hand.”

Luo Ran gently batted Lucas’s hand away and said with a smile: “Stop making trouble, it’s about to start.”

The camera was in place. The two sat up straight at a table, and the Civil Affairs Bureau workers also brought out two small notebooks.

“Admiral and Secretary, please sign.”

Luo Ran took the pens and handed one to Lucas.

With a serious expression, Lucas reached out to take it.

—Clack!

The pen fell to the floor.

Lucas: “…….”

Luo Ran looked at him with a smile.

That look seemed to say, don’t be nervous.

Lucas’s eyes shot daggers at Luo Ran.

He leaned over to pick up the pen, took the book, and was about to sign it.

“Admiral.” Luo Ran immediately took the notebook and said: “That’s the wrong page.”

“…….”

Luo Ran tried his utmost to hide the way his lips were rising. Holding back his smile, he placed his hand under the table beside Lucas.

Luo Ran winked.

—If you’re nervous, you can hold my hand, Admiral.

Lucas: “…….”

Lucas turned his head away from the camera and gave Luo Ran a fierce look.

—I’m going to teach you a lesson when we get back.

However, what the two didn’t know was that there were cameras in all directions, in addition to the one in front of them.

So everyone on the Starnet died together.

XXXX: Ahhhh why did I click in! Why!! Is it popular to trick a dog inside and then kill it now? I thought I just came to see the national CP sign their names, but unexpectedly, I’m watching an idol love drama?! What a wonderful love!

XXXX: Thank you, I was not a CP fan before, but now I am. Their interactions are so natural, hahahaha. Look at these two Imperial elites who’ve become so innocent after falling in love, with cameras everywhere, ah!!

XXXX: I’m dead. The Admiral is iron-blooded, but he’s so fond and gentle in front of the Secretary. And I didn’t expect the Admiral to be nervous. It’s obvious that he really likes him, and the Secretary is also very gentle. What a wonderful love!

XXXX: Hahahaha it looks like they’ve turned the two chairs into one, and they don’t even notice. Isn’t it so natural? 

XXXX: Hahaha don’t talk about the Admiral being nervous anymore, haven’t you noticed? Secretary Luo’s ears are so red that they’re about to bleed. His face is calm, but his whole body is red. Why is he so cute!

And after Lucas and Luo Ran signed their names, they went to take their photo.

The two stood leaning against each other in front of a red curtain, and Lucas subconsciously put his arms around Luo Ran’s waist.

Luo Ran had specially ordered a pair of suits for today, both of them white.

One was tall and imposing, and the other was elegant and handsome.

One looked stern and serious, as if he was accomplishing some important life event, while the other smiled gently.

When the two stood together, they were radiant.

Ka-cha—

The photo of the two of them was complete.

After all was said and done, they each had a small notebook. After returning to the office, Luo Ran was pressed on the desk by Lucas.

“Little bastard, are you laughing at me?”

“No.” Luo Ran said with a smile: “It’s human nature to be nervous. I think the Admiral is very cute.”

“Call my name.”

Lucas bowed his head and kissed Luo Ran.

“By the way…..” Luo Ran pushed Lucas away and said: “I just looked at the comments on the way back…..they seemed to have seen it.”

Everyone was very excited during the live broadcast, but when it was over, they had time to re-watch the recording slowly. Turning on their microscopes one by one, they found that Luo Ran’s stomach seemed to be slightly rounded, especially when viewed from the side.

XXXX: It can’t be, it can’t be, it can’t be?! Is that what I think it is?! Ao ao ao ao, my excellent heir to the Empire is finally coming?!

XXXX: Could it be that…..the Secretary has been nourishing~ and replenishing~ lately and eating a lot, so he gained weight? [covers face]

XXXX: It can’t be fat. If it’s really fat, how can it be possible to only have a fat belly? Taking a step back, let’s say that the Secretary has a special physique and only has a fat belly. Then the fat should first be on the lower abdomen, not the entire belly. Don’t ask me how I know. [crying]

Luo Ran showed the Admiral everyone screaming like groundhogs on the Starnet.

“Then let’s announce it. Now that the situation is stable, the military department can make an official announcement.” Lucas hugged Luo Ran’s waist with a smile and took him onto his lap, gently rubbing Luo Ran’s stomach with the other hand.

His and Luo Ran’s child.

It was the continuation of his and Luo Ran’s blood, and also a part of their future family.

It felt like landing on the ground, coming ashore, having a home.

He had finally walked out of the flaming battlefield and come to a place of warmth.

Luo Ran asked: “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking, if Zhou Mingyu hadn’t drugged me, would you have been my subordinate for the rest of your life?”

Luo Ran chuckled.

At the beginning Zhou Mingyu guessed that Lucas would fall to Zhou Mingjing. The two had different principles, and Zhou Mingyu had always liked Luo Ran. Therefore, he intended to use drugs to destroy Lucas’s reputation and gradually wear down the people’s trust in him, paving the way for future corruption.

Zhou Mingyu arranged for a tryst, deceived the princess, cut off the surveillance in the hotel, and put the drugs in Lucas’s drink. Everything was ready.

But Zhou Mingyu didn’t expect that Lucas had a strong physique. As a 3S Alpha, the drug was not only non-addictive to him, but the onset was delayed.

The people on Zhou Mingyu’s side saw that Lucas hadn’t had symptoms for a long time, and didn’t dare to take any action.

Then Luo Ran went upstairs, catching up with Lucas’s belated attack by accident.

“No way.” Luo Ran said with a smile: “I think…..even if such a thing didn’t happen, it would have been something else. Even in the worst case, we would be together until we retired, and when we were old, it would only make sense to marry each other.”

After all, they only had each other.

“That sounds pretty miserable.” Lucas raised his eyebrows.

Lucas was sitting on the office chair, with Luo Ran on his lap. Luo Ran put his arms around Lucas’s neck and rubbed against him, saying: “En, I would work for you the rest of my life. So miserable.”

In response, Lucas said vigilantly: “What do you mean? Is there anything you need from me? Let me tell you, I’m not buying it.”

Luo Ran said: “My spiritual state isn’t fully recovered, but I still have to work. I’m tired and need spiritual treatment.”

—Spiritual treatment would get twice the result with half the effort after a lifetime mark, and the effect was so great that it would help Luo Ran recover quickly.

Lucas tentatively asked: “Then I’ll give you a vacation?” 

Luo Ran still had to help Lucas read official documents during holidays, and even at home, so this was meaningless.

Luo Ran smiled and said nothing, just burying his head in Lucas’s neck.

Omegas had a special physique, which was different from a Beta. Intercourse was not affected during pregnancy. After all, an Omega also needed Alpha pheromones to prevent a miscarriage.

Especially for a 3S like Luo Ran. Half a month later, he was ready.

“Ranran…..” Lucas took a deep breath and said: “Are you sure? Once the lifetime mark is set, it can’t be washed away. You know the consequences.”

“En.”

“You’re sure?” Lucas asked again: “Don’t you want to think about it?”

His tone was a little solemn.

Lucas knew that as an Alpha, he had an advantage in terms of gender, so he didn’t want to act rashly.

“Lucas……”

Luo Ran grabbed the tie around Lucas’s neck and gave it a light tug. He raised his eyebrows and said: “Are you not okay with it?”

He had been taking the medicine for half a month, so why would he have to think about it more?

“…….”

“Wu…..”

Lucas put one hand on the back of Luo Ran’s head and kissed his hair, while his other hand started to wander.

Lucas asked hoarsely: “I’ll ask you one last time. Are you sure?”

“En.” Luo Ran blushed and hugged Lucas, saying: “But for the sake of the baby, you…..you take it easy.”

“Okay.”

Lucas undid Luo Ran’s hair tie.

With a swish, Luo Ran’s hair loosened and fell over his shoulders messily.

Lucas tied Luo Ran’s wrists with the hair tie.

Luo Ran: “ ? ”

Lucas raised an eyebrow and said: “Didn’t you tell me to take it easy? So don’t struggle, I don’t play well.”

“…….”

Lucas picked Luo Ran up horizontally and walked toward the bedroom.

. . . . . . .

Two months later, the Imperial wedding of the century arrived.

The national CP — through the efforts of all parties, the wedding of Marshal Lucas and Secretary Luo Ran was prepared in a short period of time.

The wedding took place on a planet full of flowers, and all the important figures in the Empire and the galaxy were in attendance.

The best man and the bridesmaid were Adjutant Freeman and Rong Duo, and everyone teased them, trying to match them up.

On this day, the citizens squatted in the live broadcast room as usual.

In the video, the sky was purple-blue with clusters of nebulae, and the sides of the elevated platform where they swore their oaths were wreathed in purple wisterias.

It was a military wedding after all, and the scene was not very extravagant, but with the natural wooden arbor, the wisterias, and the decorations, it still looked very grand.

It was finally time to take their oaths.

Lucas and Luo Ran stood on the elevated platform together.

Lucas was dressed up for once. His hair was neatly combed, and he wore a close-fitting black suit. In the words of the adjutants, he looked like he was putting on airs, and was completely unrecognizable.

Luo Ran wore his usual white suit, but the accessories were more refined, and the clothes of the two were studded with jewelry.

Lucas held the manuscript, stood up straight, and said resoundingly: “Before the god of love and all the witnesses today, I, Lucas Aldor, am willing to marry Luo Ran. Now and forever, in good times and bad, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, in happiness and sadness. I will always love you, cherish you, and be true to you until death do us part.”

Luo Ran also said: “In front of the god of love and all the witnesses today, I, Luo Ran, am willing to marry Lucas Aldor.  Now and forever, in good times and bad, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, in happiness and sadness.  I will always love you, cherish you, and be true to you until death do us part.”

And forevermore.

— The End

---

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Chapter Ninety-Four << Table of Contents >> Extra 1

T/N: Double update for the last two chapters! The extras will be posted within a week.

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Ten, nine, eight…..

Ten seconds.

This time passed in the blink of an eye, too little and too fast.

Lucas and Luo Ran could see a red light appear over them.

The star pirates had buried a Meteor Shower on top of the mine early in the morning, and the detonation would cause the entire cave to collapse.

“Retreat! Everyone retreat!” Lucas squeezed the mic and said: “There’s a Meteor Shower in ten seconds, don’t try to fight, retreat!”

“Yes!”

Before coming here, all of the soldiers had already made preparations to fight against a Meteor Shower. They had prepared themselves mentally, and were even prepared to sacrifice themselves. Therefore, they didn’t panic when hearing this now, and methodically retreated with the detained star pirates.

Both the mecha and aircraft had been modified. Now, one button could quickly locate the shortest route out and start the boosters.

When the boosters were activated, the mecha and the aircraft’s iron skin and excess shell would be separated, leaving only the light inner core. Then it would enter overload mode at the expense of damaging the engine, and eject away.

This was new research and development that Lucas and the Empire had been busy with recently.

Now that the Meteor Showers had reappeared, the Empire couldn’t just sit idly by. They had to find a way to deal with them.

But although the army had time, Lucas and Luo Ran did not.

They were too deep in the mine.

Huntsman accelerated his aircraft to the highest speed and rushed toward one of the passages.

But he could also only do his best.

At the moment the Meteor Shower was activated, Huntsman was actually not that concerned with getting out.

It was only ten seconds, and even if he did get out, he would be intercepted by the Empire.

Lucas stared at Luo Ran with the utmost intensity.

This scene seemed to overlap with the scene several years ago.

This was how he had looked at Alton back then.

They were both the people he cherished the most.

“Admiral. Admiral.” Luo Ran had already transferred from the aircraft to Lion One. He sat next to Lucas and held his hand tightly: “It’s okay, we’re facing it together. We’ll live or die together!”

Lucas could feel the white tea pheromones emanating from Luo Ran, soothing his agitation.

Luo Ran said firmly: “I am willing to live and die with the Admiral, and I will have no regrets if I can die by your side!”

As long as they were not separated.

As long as they were together, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Lucas paused, then said: “Yes.”

Luo Ran was his partner, not just the person he wanted to protect, but Secretary Luo who was equal to him and could also protect him.

Luo Ran and Lucas had moved very swiftly, everything happening with a snap of their fingers. Five seconds had passed by now.

Only five seconds left!

Lucas snapped: “Let’s go down!”

It was impossible to go up. Even if they entered overload mode, Lion One still couldn’t escape.

At the most dangerous moment, Lucas’s duty as an admiral made him give orders to the troops first. And Lion One was underground at the moment. It was too late.

The Meteor Shower was buried at the top of the mine, so…..since they were underground, why not rush in!

“Okay!”

Luo Ran established a spiritual connection with Lucas, making Lion One charge into the depths.

Three…..

Lucas did not command Lion One to remove its outer iron skin.

They were going underground, and although the distance, soil, and rock could block the bombing and artillery fire of the Meteor Shower for them, they had to face the weight of the collapsed mine.

The sturdiness of Lion One was their biggest trump card at this time.

Two……

One……

Boom—

The Meteor Shower fell.

The entire mine collapsed with a roar of fire.

Lucas and Luo Ran held each other’s hands tightly, rushing into the dark underground without fear.

They could feel Lion One gradually being overtaken by the collapsing rubble, boulders, and mine tracks above them. They seemed to be fighting against the speed of gravity.

Lion One’s glass windows began to crack from the pressure and collisions. Luo Ran could feel the entire mecha being shaken by the constant beating. He held the console tightly with one hand and protected his stomach with the other, trying to avoid being bumped here and there.

But even so, Luo Ran could still feel several wounds and bruises from his elbows and head being knocked around.

Lucas swiftly took Luo Ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.

The cabin was shaking so much that his mind was dazed as he looked down at the other person’s face, but Luo Ran rested his head on Lucas’s chest and could feel Lucas’s strong hands wrapped around his waist.

Then, the earth above their heads began to crumble, the light of flames shining through.

Lucas whispered: “Ranran, I love you.”

“Me too,” Luo Ran said. “Lucas, I love you.”

After Lion One was completely crushed by the things overhead, perhaps it would be strong enough for them to survive, perhaps they would be seriously injured, or perhaps they would die.

But they would not be afraid.

Zhi—!

However, at this moment, Luo Ran vaguely saw something rush out ahead. It shot toward Lion One, covering the mecha with its huge body.

Luo Ran’s eyes widened.

Was that…..the mother insect?

Loud booms exploded overhead, but Luo Ran couldn’t see anything. The insect’s body was the only thing visible through the window.

The female insect was protecting them with its huge body.

Living in magma all year round, the female insect was not afraid of fire. But no matter how thick its armor was, it couldn’t withstand the weight of the entire mine above as it collapsed. They could see the feet of the mother insect slowly sliding down. It seemed to be struggling hard, but it still insisted on providing shelter for its “child” and fulfilling the responsibility of its species.

The body of the female insect gradually pressed down, thus crushing Lion One and leaving less and less space for Luo Ran and Lucas.

Luo Ran and Lucas looked at each other and held hands.

“Can you do it?” Lucas asked in a low voice. “It might hurt your spiritual strength.”

Back then at the wisteria cottage, it was Lucas who had caused spiritual harm to Luo Ran.

Lucas had always been brooding over it.

But now, he had to make a spiritual connection to Luo Ran, so that they had enough spiritual power to create a huge barrier that could protect them and the mother insect.

This was an almost impossible task, but Lucas was 3S, and Luo Ran had evolved higher than 3S. They had each already succeeded once, albeit individually.

“I’ll try.”

Luo Ran smiled and said: “If something happens, we’ll at most……see each other at the wooden cabin.”

“Okay.”

Boom—

The mine finally collapsed. And at the same time, a transparent barrier rushed up from the ground.

The spiritual power construct covered half the mine, glowing with a pure light.

“A miracle…..!” Wang Qiuyang stood outside the mine, his eyes wide.

“It’s a miracle, ah!”

How could there be such…..such a huge spiritual power construct?

Luo Ran and Lucas were too astonishing…..!

Although the soldiers had won the battle, their morale had been getting lower and lower. The army surrounded the mine, but no one spoke and no one tried to leave.

Wang Qiuyang, Luo Xingyuan, Mu Yuan, and the other adjutants hadn’t even recovered yet, and their minds were dazed.

The Admiral and the Secretary were still inside.

They hadn’t come out.

Whether they were okay or not was unknown, and only a rumbling sound could be heard.

Until that light appeared.

Only at this time did the Empire truly usher in its victory.

“The Empire is victorious! The Empire is victorious!

“The Admiral is victorious! The Admiral is victorious—!”

The cheers practically overturned the heavens.

“What are you doing just standing there…..!” Wang Qiuyang turned to his team amidst the cheers and said: “”Get ready! We’re going down to find them after the collapse is over!”

“Yes ! !”

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . .

Wu…..

Luo Ran dreamed of many things, as if playing a flashback of his life.

Meeting Lucas for the first time, quarreling for the first time……so many things.

Then, Luo Ran woke up.

He lay on the bed, staring blankly at the wooden ceiling.

The ceiling was so old-fashioned that Luo Ran didn’t realize where he was at the moment.

There was a good smell……

It was the fragrance of flowers.

Luo Ran blinked, then turned his head and propped himself up in bed.

Luo Ran was stunned.

He was in a small wooden cabin, and he could see the sea of wisteria flowers outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“You little jinx, we really met at the wisteria cottage.” Lucas walked in from outside. He pressed his hand to the doorframe and said with a smile: “The little jinx is awake.”

“…..What’s going on?” Luo Ran stared blankly at Lucas.

Lucas sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Luo Ran’s hair, saying: “Silly Ranran. We made a spiritual connection in the mine that day, and you finally couldn’t hold on anymore and fell into spiritual disorder after the battle. So I handed the battlefield over to Mu Yuan and Xingyuan, and brought you here to recuperate.”

Luo Ran asked: “How many days have I been out…..?”

“You were out for four days and then woke up, but you were confused and not quite conscious for three more days. Judging by your state now, you should be completely awake.” Lucas raised his eyebrows and said: “The tables have turned. Now it’s my turn to give you peace of mind.”

“Ah…..” Luo Ran was stunned.

After being informed by Lucas, he also slowly remembered.

“Does it hurt?” Lucas reached out and rubbed the back of Luo Ran’s head.

“A little bit,” Luo Ran said honestly. “But it’s bearable…..”

It was only then that Luo Ran noticed a large glass case in the corner of the room, inside of which was a jet-black insect with a square head.

Lucas explained: “Your mother insect became like this.”

That day the adjutants took half the army to dig, quickly removing all the objects that were pressing down on Lion One and the insect.

What they found was the tattered Lion One, Luo Ran and Lucas nestling in the cabin and hugging each other tightly, and this insect on Lion One’s shoulder.

The once enormous giant insect was now only the size of a child.

Lucas said with a smile: “The research institute said that the hard shell of the female worm was smashed, and it returned to its ordinal flesh and blood size.”

“That means she can’t be a mother anymore, and she won’t pester you to go back with her. Xia Zhi said that we can take her back to the cave and put her back underground, so that she can continue to grow a hard shell.”

“I just brought her back for now to let her recuperate in a safe place.”

“I see.” Luo Ran looked at the rather reticent insect facing the glass wall, and felt simultaneously distressed and amused.

With Lucas’s assistance, Luo Ran stepped forward and poked the insect’s head.

The insect stretched out its thick feet and patted Luo Ran’s hand vigorously.

Zhi!

Even its antennae were shaking.

Luo Ran said with a smile: “She’s angry, and scolding me.”

“You should be scolded.” Lucas pinched Luo Ran’s nose. 

“That’s right.” Luo Ran paused, and asked: “Huntsman…..”

“Dead.”

Lucas lowered his eyes and said: “Lao Wang found his body that day. It was crushed under a stone slab, and already in bad shape.”

All those star pirates were wiped out, and the remnants were still being tracked down by the Empire.

“Ah……” Luo Ran felt a little complicated.

Although Huntsman was vicious and the leader of the star pirates, he was also a person.

Unexpectedly, he died in the Meteor Shower he personally created.

Luo Ran remembered that when they met in the bathroom before and he splashed dirty water on Huntsman’s face, the man’s angry appearance at that time was no different than a normal person’s.

“Don’t think so much.” Lucas took Luo Ran’s hand and led him out.

The two came to the glass conservatory outside. Luo Ran gazed at the endless sea of purple flowers before him, and a smile spread across his face.

“How beautiful.”

In the next moment, Luo Ran saw Lucas go down in front of him on one knee.

“……Lucas?”

Lucas took a small red box from his pocket and opened it in front of Luo Ran, saying: “Luo Ran, I want to propose to you.”

A silver-blue ring lay on the velvet, shining brightly. It didn’t have too many designs, but was simple and beautiful.

“In the future, I will protect you, love you, and respect you.” Lucas was very stiff, and his ears reddened as he said in a forceful, resounding voice: “You are my only person. I like only you, I will only treat you specially, and I will give everything to you. The office, the military department, my people, I will give you everything I have.”’

“I will also listen to you and do my best to take care of you. I’ll do whatever you want.”

Lucas was uncharacteristically nervous as he said: “Will you marry me?”

Luo Ran was completely stunned.

The tall man in front of him was half-kneeling in the sea of flowers, his expression as serious as if he were in battle.

Behind him were wisteria flowers hanging on their wooden frames, swaying slightly in the breeze.

Luo Ran found himself speechless.

“Luo Ran?” Lucas said: “Otherwise, you can make a few more conditions, and I’ll do whatever you say. I promise to obey.”

“Pfft……” Luo Ran looked down, his eyes slightly hot.

He took off the necklace around his neck. It was a gemstone given to him by Luo Cheng, and could be regarded as an ancestral item in a sense.

But anything was fine for now. Luo Ran just needed something to use.

“I’ll marry you. I’m willing.” Luo Ran knelt down halfway and held up the necklace, saying: “I also want to propose to you, Lucas.”

Luo Ran gave a huge smile and said: “I have nothing to give, but I will listen to you in the future and work to solve your problems for you, whether in daily life or in the workplace. I will make you happy, and do my best to protect you.”

Luo Ran’s long, blue-ish silver hair was not pulled up. It fell softly over his shoulders, and the look in his eyes was as gentle as water.

Fuck…..!

Lucas’s eyes and heart were hot. He said loudly: “Put it on for me!”

Luo Ran couldn’t laugh or cry. He put the necklace on Lucas.

Then Lucas grabbed Luo Ran’s hand and put the ring on his slender ring finger.

“Mine.” Lucas hugged Luo Ran.

They embraced each other in the sea of flowers.

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Chapter Ninety-Three << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Five

The man was from Longxing Gambling House and should abide by the rules, otherwise, how could such a large gambling house continue to operate? Misconduct was punishable by having one’s hand chopped off and then being kicked out of the establishment, so people generally dared not cheat.

But there were also some unruly tightrope walkers.

Liu Zhenqing regarded the two children. The young lady looked cute and clever, with pretty features, but also seemed to be a martial arts practitioner and had a dagger strapped to her waist. The young master was pure and gentle, refined in manner. He didn’t look like someone who could fight, but he still had a heroic spirit. One was in red and one was in white, which was very eye-catching. Although the fabric was ordinary, the details were exquisite. These should not be ordinary children.

There was no prohibition against minors in the gambling houses here. As long as you had enough money, you could enter. But most of them were accompanied by adults.

The man gave a bellow at this moment, which instantly attracted the thugs who maintained order in the gambling house. The people around moved out of the way in order to avoid being implicated, though they still couldn’t help but watch the excitement and wag their tongues.

Even now, no adults had come to take care of this mess, which showed that the two children were alone. They were surrounded by other adults at this time, and although their stances appeared calm, their eyes were somewhat wild.

“What are you trying to do! Cheating while gambling, and even intimidating people!” The young girl said angrily: “Aren’t you afraid that the government will arrest you?”

The man sneered and said: “The ones making trouble right now are you two! This is a bunch of nonsense. If you have the money, pay it, and if you don’t have money, just charge it to your family. We won’t embarrass you little demons!”

The young master glanced around. Seeing that the situation was obviously not going to be rectified, he tugged his sister’s sleeve and said: “Jie, the situation isn’t right.”

“Of course I know it isn’t right, but we can’t charge this to our family, ah!” The young girl glared fiercely at the people around her and said: “Haven’t some of you been cheated? Do you not plan to seek justice together? If you don’t believe it, then search him, he really has special dice!”

But how could the people around her stand on the side of a ten-year-old girl? Although they were suspicious now, when they thought of the man’s identity and considered their own losses, they all kept pretty much silent.

Presently, Liu Zhenqing heard from someone on the sidelines that the man was the brother-in-law of the owner of this gambling house. No wonder he was so lawless.

It seemed that what the two little brats said was true.

Relying on his status, he wanted to get a piece of the pie from his brother-in-law. Even if others knew about it, they could only turn a blind eye. And his brother-in-law was probably giving him preferential treatment, so he wouldn’t go too far and get into trouble.

Seeing that no one was responding, the little girl’s anger was not small. The man laughed loudly and said: “We are a serious gambling house here. If you talk nonsense again, we’ll pluck out your tongue!”

“You! If you have the ability, this great aunt will bet again!” The young girl stomped angrily and said: “We’ll bet according to my rules. If you win, I’ll double the thousand taels to you. If you lose, I want you to admit that you cheated and pay back all the people you defrauded!”

Hearing this, not only the man, but the people around him also laughed together. This was a typical case of not admitting defeat, which led to bigger and bigger bets. 

Liu Zhenqing also shook his head helplessly and chuckled. His smile was naturally different from the others, as he was only laughing at the child’s impulsiveness and naive arrogance.

“How do you want to bet?” The man said mockingly.

The little girl’s heroism truly reached to the clouds. She picked up the dice on the table, pulled out the dagger, and carved a cross on it, saying: “Only use this dice. We’ll directly guess low or high, and the outcome will be decided in one round!”

When the little girl finished speaking, the man’s expression froze and he looked at her viciously.

“What? You don’t dare?” The little girl said sarcastically: “That’s basically a confession. If you don’t have special dice, you don’t have a sure win, right?!”

It was no big deal for the people around to watch some entertainment, so they went along with it and jeered. This made it impossible for the man to stop halfway.

The man had an eerie smile on his face, and said directly: “It is possible for me to bet this way, but the counter-bet is not enough. I don’t want a thousand taels. Little girl, if I win, I want you to sell yourself to me. If I lose, I will sell myself to you.”

The young girl’s face instantly turned red with a look of humiliated rage. The young master tugged at the young girl and glared at the man angrily as if wanting to kill him with his gaze. Then he said: “Jiejie, don’t! If the other party dares to bet like this, there must be some fraud.”

But the young girl was already agitated. She was just about to agree when the young master said first: “We won’t gamble. We’ll take the loss and our family will send the money!”

“No way! We can’t let them know!” The girl became anxious at once.

The young master also had a troubled look on his face, and was about to persuade her when suddenly an unhurried voice came, like a gently gushing spring or slightly rippling water.

“I’ll take the bet. It’s only a thousand taels. If I win, the debt of these two little friends will be waived. If I lose…..” With a chuckle, Liu Zhenqing slowly walked out of the crowd and approached the two children, saying to the man: “How about I pay you five thousand taels?”

When these words came out, everyone was astonished. This was a big one, ah!

The man saw his righteous courage and gave him a look of impatient consideration. Even if Liu Zhenqing wasn’t wearing gold and silver, his clothes were of extraordinary quality.

Unfamiliar, young, rich. He looked easy to bully. Why not make five thousand taels for nothing?

“Okay!” The man readily agreed.

Liu Zhenqing smiled at this outcome and said: “Although I believe that the people of Longxing Gambling House are unlikely to be cheaters, I still want to bet the way this young lady just mentioned, and use her dice for peace of mind. Is that alright with you?”

The man frowned and was about to say that it was against the rules, but although there was a smile on Liu Zhenqing’s lips, his eyes were a bit cold. “It’s already five to one, so why not use a safe gambling method? Unless you really are…..”

“Fine!” the man immediately said in a cold voice. It was okay to deny the child, but it wouldn’t be justified if he denied another guest. Anyway, he wouldn’t suffer a loss, and this newcomer was also an idiot. Did he think that he was certain to lose? If the other party was skilled in martial arts, he might have to worry about him cheating, but this was a frail and vulnerable scholar.

Naturally, Liu Zhenqing knew what the man was planning. Such a professional must be trained, and was better at throwing dice than normal people. Those who were good enough at it could even control the numbers.

But it was a pity that he had encountered a gambling bug. He didn’t know if the heavens had compensated him for traveling to such an inconvenient place in ancient times, but he was born with a golden finger where he would win every time he gambled.

Thinking back, he was the one who nearly caused Longxing Gambling House to close down.

The man called someone to clean the gambling table, and only then did Liu Zhenqing finally turn his attention to the children.

There was none of the expected overwhelming gratitude, just two astonished faces looking back at him.

Liu Zhenqing blinked, then heard the young girl suck in a breath and say in surprise: “You!”

“Liu…..Liu…..” The young master was so shocked that he almost choked.

Oh-ho? They knew him? But judging from their voices and expressions, it seemed a little……complicated?

“You…..who wants your help, ah, we don’t need it! Don’t even think about blackmailing us with this, we…..” The young girl spoke anxiously.

The young master suddenly tugged at the young girl and said, “Jiejie, I seem to have heard that he lost his memory.”

Okay, from these odd looks, their relationship didn’t seem to be good. Was he wasting his time?

Whatever, he would just ignore these two little brats.

“Right, I’ve lost my memory, this is just a matter of doing the right thing. Saying thank you is enough.”

The two of them were stunned by Liu Zhenqing’s attitude, and seemed a little unused to it. But the young master honestly saluted and thanked him, and was stopped by the young girl.

She looked at Liu Zhenqing suspiciously. “It’s too early to say thank you. Are you so sure you can win?”

This little girl was so unlovable. But the two anxious little ones were oddly cute. He really wanted to take a picture.

“I haven’t lost at the gambling table since I came to this world.” In the past, no matter what number he got at the gambling table, he would definitely beat his opponent. Of course, the most common number he threw was a few sixes, so the gambling house gave him the nickname Old Six Liu.

“Hah! I don’t believe your boasting,” the young girl muttered, and then said a little arrogantly, “But this time, I’ll trust you for the time being.”

The young master was a little more normal. “We respectfully ask this of you. If you win, we will repay you one thousand taels. If you lose…..we will also find a way to compensate you for the five thousand taels in the future.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and let the man across the gambling table go first.

The man fiddled around for a long while, but really didn’t cheat this time. When he opened the cup, there was a four.

Various voices sounded from around them, their hearts beating faster for this simple five-to-one bet.

Liu Zhenqing’s chance of winning was relatively low. Both siblings watched nervously.

In Liu Zhenqing’s heart, he was sure to win. So he smiled and raised his slender white hands, gently shaking the cup with momentum that was neither arrogant nor impatient.

At this sight, everyone around couldn’t help but murmur, with this posture, was he really a master or someone with good gambling luck?

Even the man opposite couldn’t help but hold his breath.

“You two little friends, watch and behold what it means to have absolute luck with every gamble!” Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows and smiled, then instantly uncovered the cup.

Open!

Everyone fell silent, and then sucked in a breath.

A one…..it was a one!!

The siblings turned their heads mechanically to stare at Liu Zhenqing, their expressions distorted. They had almost believed him just now, and had looked at him in a new light with surging hearts!

And currently, Liu Zhenqing’s foolish posture when opening the cup hadn’t changed.

Where…..where was his golden finger that was sure to let him win every bet? Such a big golden finger! Had the heavens taken it back?

Wasn’t this playing a prank on his small life?!

The man at the table was also stunned at the moment, and finally burst out laughing!

No money? Then lock him up and wait for him to be redeemed!

---

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Chapter Five << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seven

Along the way, Jin Li tried to persuade Liu Zhenqing against going to the gambling house. The Liu family’s Old Master didn’t like his family’s children to gamble.

“I heard my kidnappers mention this gambling house, so I want to go see if there are any clues,” Liu Zhenqing said simply.

Jin Li immediately became nervous and said: “Then do we have enough people, ah? Do you want to report to the officials together? Master, why didn’t you say anything before!”

Because I just made it up at the last moment.

“It’s okay, la. I’m just going to take a look. Come on, give me a few spins for good luck.”

Jin Li was pulled in circles by his master again with a confused look on his face.

The carriage swayed toward the east of the city, passing by the central avenue. When the curtain was opened, one could see the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar towering in the square from a distance. It was a gift from various countries from all over the world hundreds of years ago when they came to pay homage to the Emperor and Empress, who had made extraordinary achievements at that time. It symbolized the most prosperous time of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The top section was engraved with the names of the Emperor and Empress of that time in golden font, and the middle section was engraved with the names of every ruler of the Zhou Dynasty. In fact, it was supposed to be engraved with the rulers who had made great achievements, but in the end, it became possible to be added if one didn’t make any major mistakes. For example, the current Emperor’s grandfather, the fatuous and confused Emperor Zhou Shun, had made the list.

And the bottom section divided the pillar into three sides: loyal ministers and good generals, talented scholars and beauties, and treacherous sinners. Naturally, there must be strict requirements in order to be listed on these three sides.

“Master, it’s better not to read it, so as not to feel sad again,” Jin Li said worriedly.

Liu Zhenqing chuckled and said: “You’ve forgotten again. I’ve lost my memory.”

He naturally knew what Jin Li was talking about. Liu Xiaozhu had probably felt that there was a stain on his body that couldn’t be washed away each time he saw the bad reputation of his distant relative.

Even Liu Zhenqing himself felt that life was constantly changing and things were impermanent. Back then, the young emperor had promised him that he would have his name engraved on the list of loyal ministers and good generals without having to wait for a hundred years.

That was a great honor for a minister. After all, the names on the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar were mostly only engraved after death, once the merits and demerits had been weighed. It was rare for someone to have their name listed on the pillar while they still lived.

Just as he was thinking, he heard Jin Li say in surprise: “So the rumors are true.”

Liu Zhenqing looked at him curiously, and saw that his eyes had just moved back from the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar. He said excitedly: “Master, I just saw the palace official who specially engraves names. It has been rumored that His Majesty ordered General Huo’s name to be engraved. The Huo family is full of loyal people. I don’t know how many generals named Huo are on the list, but not many of them have been engraved while they still lived. General Huo is truly amazing!”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback for a moment, and said in surprise: “How much merit do you have to earn, ah?” Back then, after Huo Feihan died, he presided over the engraving.

“Master, you’ve forgotten that the general is very capable. When he was eighteen years old, he became a war god. At that time, Xiheng was invading, and the general avenged his brother and killed three Xiheng generals. In the end, the Xiheng army was leaderless for a while, with no one to lead the troops, and they could only send for peace talks in despair.”

Eighteen? At that time, Liu Zhenqing was floating in the sky.

“Later the northern barbarians took the opportunity to invade the Zhou Dynasty, and General Huo sent his troops north and hit the northern desert directly, causing the Mongolians to no longer have a royal court. This restored the northern part of our Great Zhou Dynasty to its farthest extent. It is said that the ceremony to worship heaven was held beside the Tianchi lake where the Huo family ancestors once watered their horses. At that time, General Huo became famous all over the world.”

The more Jin Li talked, the more enthusiastic he became. “Later, His Majesty intended to make General Huo the King of Beiding, but General Huo wouldn’t accept it, so he only received the title of General of the State. However, the people regard him as the King of Beiding. There is also a well-known song about the King of Beiding that was written for General Huo. It tells of when General Huo went to support the besieged city, and led a thousand cavalry into the encirclement of ten thousand people to break the siege. As a result, the morale of the defenders was greatly boosted, and they joined forces to repel the enemy. One musician stood on the city wall to watch the battle. He wrote the song ‘King of Beiding Enters the Battle,’ which has been sung everywhere since then. Rumor has it that the wind carries that song from the victims who perished on the yellow sand frontier, which frightens intruders to the point of urinating and not daring to invade. Master, you also learned to play this song.”

“The battle in these past two years was even more shocking. Three countries in the southwest joined forces to attack us, and General Huo led the army to defeat them. His words ‘Withdraw to the river border, or your souls will be buried here’ directly scared those juniors to tears. Now, there are wolf-headed human statues at regular intervals along the border. When the enemy comes, they first see the intimidating stone statues that intimidate everyone, making them open their dog eyes wide in terror!”

Unexpectedly, Er-gou had grown so much after his death. Liu Zhenqing reached up to wipe off the saliva sprayed onto his face by Jin Li’s great and momentous speech. It was a pity that the boy wasn’t a storyteller. With such a lively demeanor, one would think that he had witnessed these several battles in person.

It could be seen that Jin Li was truly Huo Fenglie’s fanboy. Liu Zhenqing seriously suspected that this was why someone like Liu Xiaozhu would dare to pursue Huo Fenglie, the god of death. It was unavoidable that with this guy spouting off about his idol in his ear every day, he was brainwashed into obsession. 

Liu Zhenqing just listened to these things casually. After all, they had nothing to do with him.

Soon after, they arrived at Longxing Gambling House.

Jin Li wanted to accompany Liu Zhenqing in with the two guards, but how could that be done? Liu Zhenqing had to waste a lot of time deceiving him to make him stay in the carriage.

After all, what he wanted to do could not be known to others.

Longxing Gambling House was the largest gambling house in the capital. It was bustling with people in broad daylight, and was very lively, with people coming in and out of the door crying and laughing. There were so many different kinds of people, from all different aspects of life.

Liu Zhenqing walked in with his face half-covered by a decorative fan, and went directly to the cockfighting area on the second floor. He carefully scanned everyone present, and finally saw a man with an inverted triangle wooden sign hanging around his waist.

The man was shouting excitedly, and it wasn’t until one of the roosters was defeated that he let out a few curses and stepped aside in frustration. “Damn it, lost again! I’m unlucky today, no more gambling.”

Although he said that he wouldn’t gamble anymore, the man did not intend to leave. Instead, he glanced around. After all, it was his task to stay here today.

Suddenly, a fresh scent drew near, completely different from the current smokey atmosphere. Lao Zhao was just growing curious when he heard a low voice ask in his ear: “Don’t beg the heavens for new clothes to wear?”

Lao Zhao was suddenly stimulated, and turned around to see a young man covering his face with a fan. Naturally, people in their line of work knew the rules and wouldn’t look directly at their employer, so after taking a quick glance to identify the speaker, he lowered his head and spoke the code, “Just ask a person to make new clothes.”

“Come, first things first.” The voice was filled with a satisfied smile.

“What do you need, Young Master?”

“Male, in his twenties, a loner and a scholar, just traveling around.”

“No problem. One thousand taels, with a hundred-tael deposit. The construction period will be one month.”

Liu Zhenqing frowned slightly. “I’ll add money for you to make it quicker.”

“Young Master, if we could gain profit this way, wouldn’t we do so? But recently it’s the Spring Plowing Ceremony to bring spring forward in advance. We’re being watched closely and managed strictly, and it’s hard to create a new identity, ah. We also need to ensure that our employers use their new identities safely and with peace of mind, right? Since you could match the code and find me, we naturally wouldn’t dare to deceive you. One month is the fastest.”

Liu Zhenqing had no choice but to acquiesce. Without a new identity, it would be difficult for him to fly far away no matter how wealthy he was, unless he planned to be an isolated savage in the mountainous wilderness. He felt that he, as a layman, was not capable of that. He also wanted to find a place to live, live a good life, and fulfill the dream he had never completed in two lifetimes – to have a wife and children.

Lao Zhao took the money, agreed with Liu Zhenqing on the delivery time and location, and left in a hurry.

After concluding this important matter, Liu Zhenqing relaxed and looked at the people at the gambling tables around him. He thought, should he make some money here? In any case, he was born to win every bet.

Forget it, winning this kind of money wasn’t practical. It was better to go to a teahouse and find out which city in the south was the best to live in nowadays.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed an uproar in the middle of the second floor.

“You’re just a cheater!”

The childish tone of this voice made Liu Zhenqing look up curiously. He saw a girl around ten years old or so suddenly leap onto a gambling table, grab the man opposite by his collar, and reach out to remove his clothes. “You hid the dice in your clothes, I saw it!”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned when he took in this scene. It could be said that other than the young Li Xingruo, he had never seen such a tough little girl in his life.

At this time, a boy of about the same age rushed over from the side and awkwardly tugged at the girl’s skirt. “Jie, women can’t do this.” But then he turned around and said gravely, “We just saw it. You did hide the dice. This is a fraudulent bet, we didn’t lose at all! Those who lost to you before were also cheated by you! Everyone, don’t believe him!”

Liu Zhenqing was mystified as to why two children had appeared here, but looking at the clothing of the man called into question, he couldn’t help but hold his forehead and think to himself, this is bad.

Sure enough, the man’s face was livid. He furiously pushed the girl away and said fiercely: “Where did these little children come from? I’m someone from Longxing Gambling House! How could I be a cheater! Don’t you understand the rules? If you agree to bet, you must accept the loss. Either hand over the thousand taels or be locked up until your family’s lord comes to redeem you!”

---

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Chapter Four << Table of Contents >> Chapter Six

Three days later, Haishi Airport.

Qiao Dong handed the boarding pass back and said, “Mr. Li, it’s almost time for you to go through the security check.”

Li Yuan took it with a nod, then moved his eyes back to Pei Yi. “Are you okay to stay in Haishi alone to confirm that there are no problems with Weiyi? Otherwise, I can……”

Pei Yi understood his friend’s meaning. “No problem, don’t I still have Qiao Dong? Also, I can communicate with our employees online about the script, so I won’t be working alone.”

He patted Li Yuan on the shoulder and said, “You can go back without any worries. Our studio can’t survive without a boss in charge.”

The mobile version of “The Last Fog” had been officially released online, and the current operating data coming from the background operations was pretty good.

Even though Lou Yang and Xiang Nansheng were in charge in the capital, and there wouldn’t be any problems running the game, the two core bosses couldn’t stay in Haishi in case of an emergency.

Li Yuan glanced at the time on the screen in the lobby. “Then I’ll go first and keep in touch. It’s getting dark now. Qiao Dong, please drive carefully.”

Qiao Dong nodded at once. “Don’t worry, Mr. Li. I promise to take good care of Brother Yi!”

Pei Yi urged teasingly, “Go quickly, ba. Your man is probably already waiting anxiously at the airport”

Li Yuan clicked his tongue. “Don’t talk nonsense, I’m leaving.”

“En, land safe.”

“All right.”

Pei Yi and Qiao Dong saw Li Yuan off, the first person to complete his contract tasks, then walked to the underground parking lot.

It was not time to work, so Pei Yi didn’t deliberately maintain the distance between superiors and subordinates, and instead put his arm around Qiao Dong’s shoulders.

“Walk slowly, I have something to ask you.”

Qiao Dong was confused. “Ah?”

Pei Yi’s hand on his shoulder tightened, and he pretended to be stern. “Mr. Bo asked you to report on me at all times?”

Qiao Dong’s entire body tensed up, and he was so nervous that he stuttered. “B-Brother Yi, I-I was wrong.”

“What are you apologizing for? I don’t blame you.”

Pei Yi took the opportunity to rub his head, and said, “Remember, you are my assistant. The main thing is that you are on my side. If I drink occasionally or something, don’t let him know.”

After all, he definitely didn’t want another punishment such as “spanking.”

Pei Yi couldn’t help but add that last sentence, and Qiao Dong’s head shook like a rattle. “Brother Yi, I promise not to tell!”

“En, that’s my good assistant. When we go back this time, I’ll increase your salary.”

Pei Yi waved his hand and muttered with a hint of pride, “Actually trying to bribe my assistant, how can this be possible?”

Qiao Dong smiled.

Although he was just a bystander, he knew that Pei Yi’s outward and inward attitudes were particularly different—

The contrast was cute.

“What are you smiling about?”

Pei Yi rubbed his head again and said with interest, “Since we’re free tonight, how about I treat you to the Japanese restaurant downstairs in the hotel?”

Qiao Dong lost his previous restraint and became more cheerful. “Thank you, Brother Yi!”

The two got into the car together.

Pei Yi sat in the passenger seat and opened WeChat on his phone. He did not directly open the pinned account, but scrolled down and found Lin Zhong’s WeChat ID, then typed a request without a blush or racing pulse:

“Lin Zhong, report today’s situation!”

“…….”

Qiao Dong saw it, but pretended not to.

. . . . . . .

The original movie game structure was divided into two parts. The script of the first part had been adapted well, and the preparatory work had been fully completed. 

Once Pei Yi held a detailed three-day meeting with the filming team headed by Kong Li, he finally entered the most important stage of filming.

Knock knock.

There was a knock on the door.

Pei Yi turned over in his sleep and habitually shrank his head into the bed.

But the knocking on the door outside didn’t stop. At the same time, it was accompanied by Qiao Dong’s cautious yet urgent call, “Brother Yi, are you awake?”

Pei Yi gradually recovered his clarity. After checking on the sky through the window, he squinted in confusion—

Hadn’t he set the alarm for nine-thirty? He shouldn’t have overslept, right?

It wasn’t like Qiao Dong didn’t know his work and rest habits, so how could he suddenly knock on the door and wake him up?

“…….”

Pei Yi realized something was wrong and struggled to get up and open the door.

The moment his gaze fell on Qiao Dong’s anxious expression, the remaining sleepiness in his mind dissipated. “What’s going on?”

“Brother Yi!”

Qiao Dong was still holding his cell phone in his hand, and it was clear that he had just received some news. “Mr. Gu called and said that our first game script has been leaked and exposed on the internet!”

Pei Yi’s expression changed at once, but he quickly calmed down. “Get ready to go to Weiyi headquarters. You and Brother Gu keep in touch, we’ll meet up later.”

“Okay.”

. . . . . . .

Forty minutes later, Pei Yi and Qiao Dong arrived at Weiyi headquarters and immediately saw Gu Jianshen waiting at the gate.

The two parties met face to face, and neither side wasted time on being polite.

Pei Yi got out of the car and asked directly, “Brother Gu, have you found out who posted it?”

In fact, he already understood the general situation while they were on the way here—

At 12 o’clock in the morning, the content of the first part of their movie game was simultaneously sent to the gaming circle on the Youtu forum, Weibo, and multiple social platforms.

Among them, the most comprehensive script content was on the Youtu forum.

Because the posting time was so tricky, Weiyi’s network monitoring took almost an entire night from its discovery to contacting the relevant platforms to delete the posts.

Unfortunately, the effect of withdrawing the posts was not clear, and it was difficult to guarantee that other users wouldn’t save and repost them.

Gu Jianshen shook his head. “Not yet. The account that initially posted it was an original one, and the IP address was specially encrypted.”

Pei Yi frowned slightly. “Specially encrypted?”

Gu Jainshen added, “Based on the effectiveness of exposure in such a short period of time, we initially suspect that Xunya Technology gave it a push.”

The two companies were already fighting openly and in secret, and their relationship was like fire and water.

A while ago, Xunya Technology suffered a loss in its investment in the original game design competition, and was currently using this method to make up for it.

Although it was vile, this was also the law of competition.

Qiao Dong spoke carefully, “Even if the people at Xunya Technology are involved, the script still leaked from within, right?”

How could Pei Yi not know this? His eyes became darker again.

He gazed at the slowly rising floors of the elevator and selected the first priority, saying, “The most urgent thing is to think of remedial measures.”

Gu Jianshen nodded. “Boss Ning is already in her office. Let’s talk in detail there.”

—Ding dong.

The elevator door opened.

With Gu Jianshen in the lead, Pei Yi and Qiao Dong walked straight into Ning Jing’s office.

Ning Jing had already prepared tea, and invited them to sit down. “Mr. Yi, you already know the specific situation?”

Pei Yi nodded, and spoke sharply, “Boss Ning, regarding the script, I have to ask your company to root out the mole.”

Ning Jing and Gu Jianshen exchanged glances, then turned their attention back to Pei Yi. “Is Mr. Yi so sure that there is something wrong with our staff?”

“If not?”

Pei Yi narrowed his eyes slightly. When he came to related interests, he resolutely safeguarded the interests of his studio.

“The contract has been signed, and the funds have been invested in proportion. Before the official filming of the movie game begins, our YWY are the ones who have invested more in the script.”

“Boss Ning, do you think our studio would do something to harm ourselves in this situation?”

Pei Yi pointedly made clear, “Mr. Gu also told me just now that Xunya Technology is the driving force behind this matter.”

Ning Jing sighed and admitted, “Yes. I will ask someone to investigate this matter, but the most urgent thing is to think of a solution.”

“Before you arrived, I already asked Director Kong to suspend the rest of the filming.”

Pei Yi had anticipated that they would stop filming, and acquiesced.

What did such a script leak mean?

It was like putting the entirety of the secrets and game story in front of the players!

In that case, what strategy was there in the game? It would only greatly reduce the interest of players.

Ning Jing presented the facts, “Mr. Yi, the crew and actors have been hired and the contracts have been signed. The current situation is this—”

“If we continue filming, there is a nine out of ten chance that the subsequent benefits will not meet expectations, and if the script is exposed again, the visible benefits will be even fewer.”

“But if we stop filming, the crew will lose an extra day of time.”

“Furthermore, I think that Xunya Technology will definitely make a move, and may even rush ahead of us to seize the title of ‘China’s first movie game’ for publicity.”

From filming, to production, to obtaining distribution rights, the conservative estimate was that it would take four months.

If progress continued, their profits would definitely not be up to standard. If they gave up and started over, they would easily miss the market opportunity. Now they were in a dilemma!

Pei Yi was a clever person, and understood the hint in Ning Jing’s words. “Boss Ning wants to shoot with a new script?”

Ning Jing said honestly, “The crew can only wait until the 15th at the most. I just don’t know if Mr. Yi and YWY can come up with the script…..”

“The 15th?”

In other words, including today, there were only twelve days left?

Qiao Dong calculated the time and couldn’t help but say, “A new game structure needs to be completed in twelve days? How is this possible?”

Pei Yi’s eyelids drooped slightly, casting a dark and gloomy light in the silence.

Gu Jianshen glanced at Ning Jing, but didn’t speak.

He knew how difficult this requirement was, but as a member of Weiyi, he couldn’t ignore the company’s interests and devote more time to Pei Yi by lobbying his senior management.

Ning Jing’s voice slowed a little. “Mr. Yi, I know that a new script is a bit difficult to handle, but if the entire crew waits until the 15th, all the lost time and expenses incurred will be borne by Weiyi. This is the company’s maximum concession.”

She paused. “Perhaps…..I have another suggestion here.”

Pei Yi looked over. “What is it?”

“Actually, before accepting YWY’s partnership, we also had a completed game script that we can use directly.”

Ning Jing further explained, “If this is the case, we at Weiyi will be responsible for everything from the script, to filming and post-production. Other than in promotion and operations, YWY’s status would be equivalent to a stock investment.”

“On this basis, then the original 40-60 split would revert back to 20-80.”

Gu Jianshen frowned deeply and sent Ning Jing a questioning look—

The other party never told him about this!

The party at fault this time was clearly not YWY Studios, so how could they let the other party bear the most losses?

Qiao Dong looked directly at Pei Yi, feeling aggrieved at this injustice as his assistant.

He had clearly given it his all, but now he was forced to accept a new profit share because he couldn’t hand over a new script?

Weiyi was indeed a major game company, but the water may not be clear and their hearts may not be pure! They didn’t even blink an eye to trick people for profit!

Pei Yi rubbed the edge of his cup and suppressed the coldness in his heart, asking, “A full script? Who wrote it?”

As soon as he spoke, there was another knock on the office door.

After being told by Ning Jing to come in, Gao Pingfeng pushed the door open and entered. He glanced briefly at the people in the office.

Gao Pingfeng’s eyes met Pei Yi’s, and he suppressed the malice and gloating in them.

Before he came, Ning Jing had told him on the phone that there might be changes with the movie game project, and to come prepared for a possible handover.

Gao Pingfeng came over and feigned confusion. “Boss Ning, what do you need from me?”

Ning Jing seemed to have understood Pei Yi’s choice in his silence. After a couple seconds of hesitation, she began, “Teacher Gao, it’s like this, our……”

“Boss Ning.”

Pei Yi interrupted her, responding lightly, “I will hand over a brand new script before the 15th.”

Everyone present was stunned when these words came out.

Pei Yi was at the center of these gazes as he continued to take his stance, “I’ll need to make daily handovers with Director Kong and the film crew. As for the cooperation and shares agreed upon between YWY and your company, everything will remain unchanged.”

Twelve days?

Complete a new game script?

Without absolute capability, who would dare to accept this task?

Ning Jing was truly impressed by Pei Yi’s courage, and asked repeatedly, “Mr. Yi, are you sure?”

All partnership conditions had been negotiated.

If things could proceed as planned and the current losses were minimized, Ning Jing would naturally be willing to cooperate with Pei Yi long-term.

“I’m sure. Please also ask your company to find the person who leaked the script within this period of time.”

Pei Yi pushed back the untouched coffee with a hint of sharpness in his eyes. “After all, we must be given an explanation for this matter.”

“…….”

Ning Jing and the others sensed Pei Yi’s dissatisfaction and fell into an awkward silence.

Pei Yi stood up and said, “Time is of the essence, so I won’t delay any longer. I’ll contact you when I’ve written a new version of the script structure. Goodbye.”

Saying this, he walked out without looking back.

Qiao Dong saw this and quickly followed.

. . . . . . .

The two quickly returned to the car.

Qiao Dong finally expressed his worries. “Brother Yi, don’t you need to discuss this matter with Mr. Li and the others?”

Pei Yi shook his head. “Even if I tell Li Yuan, the result will be the same. If I don’t agree to write a new script, then the terms we negotiated before will be in vain.”

He still had the same considerations as before. Their studio had only been established for less than a year, and they must rely on the cooperation of major companies to expand their reputation.

Pei Yi closed the door and said, “I think it’s really strange that the game’s script was leaked.”

Qiao Dong started the car. “Something is strange?”

Pei Yi explained to him, “Think about it. Even if Xunya Technology was behind this matter, they are definitely not the ones who took the opportunity to ‘leak’ the script.”

“Qiao Dong, tell me, if they are enemies of each other and Xunya Technology held Weiyi’s script, how would they maximize the damage?”

Qiao Dong thought for a moment. “Release it halfway through the filming? Or directly before the movie and game were completed and about to be released?”

This sort of expensive filming would cause greater losses.

Pei Yi revealed the pleased expression of ‘a child can be taught.’ “Clever.”

The people at Xunya Technology were no fools, so how could they not understand the most basic of tricks?

Since the leaker chose to make it public in the early hours of this morning before the filming of the movie started, it could only mean that he was not from Xunya Technology.

“Having access to Weiyi’s internal script files, and being able to gain interests for himself after the incident…..”

Pei Yi came to the end of his point, and Qiao Dong quickly understood.

“Brother Yi, you mean it was Gao Pingfeng? That’s why you agreed again before Boss Ning could speak?”

Pei Yi did not do things arbitrarily. “There is no way to be one hundred percent certain of this. 

After all, Gao Pingfeng had been with Weiyi for fifteen years, so he wouldn’t easily ruin his future.

“I just looked at him and got annoyed. I’m unwilling to give up the opportunity that should belong to our YWY.”

Qiao Dong caught a faint glimpse of Pei Yi’s ambition and competitive spirit, but his tone was still anxious, “But Brother Yi, we only have twelve days. Isn’t it too late?”

“With hard work, we’ll make it in time.”

Pei Yi had not agreed blindly, and had a general idea.

“Now that the first script has been leaked, isn’t the second part still there? I plan to change it to an infinite streaming game format and work backwards from the second part.”

This would not only reuse the unexposed content, but also free up time for subsequent new games plots, and the cast and locations of the crew would not need to be rearranged.

“Work backwards?”

“En, what ‘you’ think is the beginning of the story is actually the ending. ‘You’ think that the strategy is at the end, but it is actually the beginning of the game loop.”

Pei Yi’s inspiration came at once. “Qiao Dong, when we get to the hotel later, contact Xiao Zhou and Sister Ling from the studio to hold a brief online meeting.”

“Have them work hard in the next two weeks. In the current difficult situation, they must continuously cooperate with my work needs.”

Qiao Dong responded at once, “Okay.”

“There’s more, ah.”

Pei Yi remembered another thing. “Don’t talk to Mr. Bo about this. He has a new project in his hands nowadays and is busier than me. Don’t distract him.”

Hearing this, Qiao Dong whispered, “I understand.”

. . . . . . .

Upon returning to the hotel, Pei Yi first made a video call with the relevant studio employees. Then he sat in front of the computer and pulled up a document to write the specific game plot framework.

This busy schedule lasted until half past nine in the evening.

It wasn’t until Bo Yueming’s inevitable evening video call came in that Pei Yi hurried to the bedside and answered the phone.

“Hey, Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming asked first, “I heard that the script was leaked online?”

Pei Yi was unsurprised by his lover’s question, and answered evasively, “It’s nothing serious, I’ll just re-write it.”

Bo Yueming’s eyes flickered. “Really?”

“Of course, what would I lie to you for?”

Pei Yi smoothly changed the subject, “I heard from Lin Zhong that you have an international video conference tonight?”

Two months ago, Bo Group established a new branch overseas. As the executive director, Bo Yueming must take into account all aspects of this.

Bo Yueming explained warmly, “It’s in ten minutes. Tonight’s meeting might last an hour or two.”

“Okay, got it.”

Pei Yi didn’t mention the pressure on him at work, and said with a smile, “I’ll be busy this week, but I’ll reply to you when I have time, okay?”

Bo Yueming hesitated to speak, and said with some gentle coaxing, “Kitten, if you encounter any difficulties, please tell me, okay?”

Pei Yi felt his heart grow warm. “Okay.”

The two talked briefly but intimately for ten minutes, and ended the call at the last moment before Bo Yueming was to conduct the video conference.

Pei Yi took the opportunity to shower, then he wrapped himself in a bathrobe and sat back in front of the computer. He looked at the progress plan he had written down during the day—

Thinking that he might have to work all night, he felt his temples twitch.

No matter how relaxed he seemed on the surface, the pressure inside him was still heavy.

Pei Yi suddenly wanted to eat sweets, but unfortunately, it was late at night. The dessert shops were probably closed, and he couldn’t be as willful as he was at home.

Thinking of this, Pei Yi had no choice but to get up and open the drawer of the bedside table.

There was a box of cigarettes and a lighter placed quietly inside. He had borrowed them from Li Yuan and forgot to return them last time. The number of cigarettes was still the same now.

After a moment’s hesitation, Pei Yi took out a cigarette, opened the ventilation window, and leaned against the window to light it—

The lingering smoke numbed the fatigue in his nerves.

He took advantage of the nighttime to settle his thoughts, and within three to five minutes, he regained his composure and sat back down at the computer desk to continue working.

Pei Yi had developed his abilities in the real world.

The new method of game architecture had been recognized by Weiyi’s senior management and had successfully entered the adaptation phase.

In order to avoid unnecessary complications, in addition to the remote assistance of studio employees, Pei Yi only discussed and connected with Kong Li for this script adaptation.

She personally helped with every detail in order to reduce the burden on Pei Yi, and was a sincere and serious director.

The group of people worked continuously, and at last completed the handover in the early morning of the 15th.

. . . . . . . .

“Wu.”

Pei Yi woke up with a headache.

His brow furrowed, and he found that he had slept in front of the computer desk all night, which resulted in his neck being stiff.

“…….”

Pei Yi fumbled for his phone and looked at it. It was only after eleven in the afternoon, but Qiao Dong had sent a WeChat report at 7:30 in the morning—

“Brother Yi, have a good rest. I’ll go to the team meeting for you. I asked the hotel to arrange a meal delivery at noon, remember to eat when you wake up. Contact me at any time if you need anything.”

Pei Yi smiled slightly in his fatigue.

Nearly two weeks of high-intensity work overload was not only a test for him, but also allowed Qiao Dong to grow rapidly as an assistant.

Thinking about it this way, it was not a waste of time.

The headache and dizziness accumulated over the past few days continued. Pei Yi just wanted to drink some warm water and calm down, and when he unlocked the door of the room—

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Pei Yi remembered Qiao Dong’s report in the WeChat message and thought it was the hotel staff delivering his meal on time.

He forced himself to lift his spirits and open the hotel room door, but was stunned in a flash.

The person he had been thinking about day and night suddenly appeared in front of him. Pei Yi blinked uncertainly, and the fatigue accumulated within him transformed at this moment.

It was sour and astringent.

When Bo Yueming stretched out his arms, Pei Yi practically ran into them. His sleepy voice still contained a hint of grievance. “Er-ge.”

---

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Chapter Ninety-One <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Three