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

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

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

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

. . . . . . 

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

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

Lucas noticed the movement and looked up at Luo Ran.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But Luo Ran did it anyway.

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

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

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

Lucas’s heart thumped.

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

For a lifetime.

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

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

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

But his sleeping appearance…..was very docile.

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

No response. He was deeply asleep.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

XXXX: I heard he was seriously injured!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luo Ran smiled helplessly at the irony.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes……”

—XXX—

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

It was like having a large pet.

And now it seemed even more so.

“Scram!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“……”

Five minutes later.

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

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

Lucas: “…….”

He had to say, it was quite comfortable.

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

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

“En.”

“Why did you learn it?”

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

“Have you ever massaged anyone else?”

“……Of course not.”

“En.”

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

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

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

“…….”

Lucas was getting goosebumps all over his body.

Fuck.

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

Why was it so troublesome to bathe?

It was as troublesome as getting him to eat.

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

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

“…….”

—Bang.

Luo Ran was shocked.

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

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

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

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

Luo Ran was also looking at Lucas.

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

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

Everything made a person’s heart race.

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

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

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

“Pfft!”

Lucas: “…….”

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

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

Luo Ran froze, staring at Lucas in disbelief.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I also want it.”

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luo Ran was stunned.

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

— It was artillery.

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

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

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

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

Could it be……a test of its strength?

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

Luo Ran’s palms were a little clammy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“En?”

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

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

Freeman was taken aback.

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

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

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

“Yes!”

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

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

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

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

“That…….”

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

“Okay.”

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

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

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

“Yes.”

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

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

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

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

Half warm and half cold.

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

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

Lucas looked at Luo Ran with a slight frown.

“The Admiral is awake……”

“Get out.”

Luo Ran was startled.

Lucas said hoarsely: “Ranran, get out.”

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

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

Luo Ran asked: “Why?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He felt like he was going insane.

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

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

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

It was so sudden.

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

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

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

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

It really hurt.

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

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

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

Just like in the mecha before.

Firelight.

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

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

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

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

“Ranran…..”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Mm……hah…….”

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

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

Luo Ran was shaking all over.

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

Admiral Alton.

. . . . . .

Seven years ago, the Ravine.

“Advance! Continue to advance!”

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

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

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

They had fallen into a trap.

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

There was no geographical advantage at all.

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

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

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

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

Boom!

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

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

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

Bang—

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

Alton shouted hoarsely: “Continue to advance out!”

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

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

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

. . . . . .

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

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

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

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

. . . . . .

“I found the Admiral and the Junior Admiral!” 

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

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

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

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

It was…..a miracle.

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

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

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

The doctors carefully pulled them out.

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

“Doctor Xia……”

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

“The Admiral……”

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

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

. . . . . .

The hospital.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Why doesn’t it make sense?!”

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

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

Xia Zhi was stunned.

He just stared at Shen Xiluo in a daze.

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

“Yes.”

Xia Zhi was trembling all over.

He had promised Lucas.

He was a doctor.

Doctors were there to save lives.

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

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

Why couldn’t they try again?

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

He knew his own uncle.

Xia Zhi stared blankly at him.

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

. . . . . .

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

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

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

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

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

He couldn’t bear to be touched by others.

Shen Xiluo was taken aback.

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

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

Lucas took the needle and looked at Alton.

Alton noticed something, and raised his eyelids with difficulty.

Then Alton gave Lucas a smile.

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

Then Lucas took Alton’s hand.

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

“Lucas.” Alton spoke in a breathy voice.

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

“Proud.”

“Don’t fall.”

—I’m proud of you.

—Don’t fall down, go forward bravely.

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

Pei Yi couldn’t help but stare—

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

It was like they had an innate connection.

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

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

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

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

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

Their silent gazes met.

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

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

“……”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

“Senior.”

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

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

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

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

“All right.”

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

Li Yuan was at a loss for words.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Then I’ll drive you back first.”

“Okay, we’ll trouble you.”

. . . . . .

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

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

“Okay, Little Sir.”

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

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

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

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

“Okay.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“En.”

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

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

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

“…….”

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

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

. . . . . .

The night was already deep.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Shh, take it easy.”

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

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

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

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

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

“……”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time passed minute by minute.

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

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

“Ah!”

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

“…….”

“…….”

Wrists intertwined, their eyes met.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Yi felt that his whole body was unbelievably hot, and his thoughts were confused. “I d-don’t know.”

Bo Yueming rubbed those thin lips with his fingertips, stroked his Adam’s apple all the way down, and then farther down. “Then I’ll help you again. You feel what I do next, all right?”

“……”

Pei Yi wanted to duck back, but his longing lurking in the depths took the lead, and he unconsciously sent himself into the other’s arms.

“En?”

The kitten’s murmur was one of resistance, but even more invitation.

Bo Yueming’s eyes darkened suddenly, and the palm that had already fallen moved for real.

Time blurred as slightly cool fingertips mixed with the rising heat, and finally blended together wonderfully.

Pei Yi let out a muffled moan, with a soft tone at the end.

He stared at the person in front of him dazedly with misty eyes, and it was too late to figure out why he was in the hands of the other person.

Bo Yueming resisted his urges, and only rubbed the hair on the other’s forehead slightly, unwilling to touch more.

Pei Yi couldn’t speak, and his mind hadn’t fully recovered yet.

He  huddled in Bo Yuemings arms as his confused thoughts wandered, and he asked uncertainly, “Bo Yueming, are we considered friends with benefits like this?”

The confirmation of their relationship didn’t involve romance, but crossed the boundaries that should be between friends and family. 

Such a relationship only indulged in the pleasure of the moment, and did not require emotional compatibility and responsibility. 

Pei Yi though inexplicably, if his title was used to label the relationship between the two of them, with proper awareness and early preparation—

Maybe in the future, when Bo Yueming’s feelings for him faded away, he wouldn’t have to bear the pain that Father Rong endured.

“…….”

Facing this sudden question from the person in his arms, Bo Yueming was stunned for several seconds, and the joy in his eyes faded away.

“Wait a minute.”

“Huh?”

The sudden loosening of the embrace created an emptiness in Pei Yi’s heart.

Bo Yueming went into the bathroom without turning his head. The sound of dripping water could be heard for a while before he brought back a warm towel. “Wipe?”

Pei Yi’s cheeks were hot. He cleaned up without saying a word.

Bo Yueming sat down on the edge of the bed and said solemnly, “Pei Yi, let’s talk.”

“What?”

“We’re not friends with benefits.”

Bo Yueming dove straight in, his eyes filled with helplessness and guilt. “I never intended to use this label to tie the two of us together.”

“Whether it was that night or just now, from beginning to end, I thought that since you agreed and didn’t resist, we had made progress.”

“It was me who forgot to take your feelings into consideration, and also me who went back on my promise.” Bo Yueming hesitated to speak.

A trace of rare remorse welled up on his face. It seemed that whatever he said would be wrong. He had clearly promised not to touch the bottom line of the other party, but he was so impatient that he lost his sense of proportion.

Two months was too short. Bo Yueming feared that there would be no time to change anything, and even more afraid that Pei Yi would leave with his suitcase again.

A soundless silence spread.

Pei Yi realized that the other party may have misunderstood his question. “Er-ge?”

“I’m sorry. It won’t be like this in the future.” Bo Yueming didn’t mention the uneasiness in his heart, but just renewed his promise.

He put the fallen quilt back onto Pei Yi. “It’s getting late. I’ll leave the master bedroom for you, and go sleep on the sofa for the night.”

“No!”

Pei Yi held him back. He wanted to explain, but was afraid that the more he said, the more confusing it would become. “It’s not what you think. I just thought that this sort of relationship is simpler.”

“Pei Yi, I don’t want to use such words to define us. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Pei Yi replied very quietly. “I just need some time to get used to it. I, I really never thought about falling in love.”

“I know, I won’t force you.” Bo Yueming didn’t want to put any pressure on him. “It’s getting late, go to bed.”

Pei Yi mumbled, “That small sofa won’t fit you.”

Bo Yueming knew what he meant. “Then I won’t go?”

“Anyway, it’s not our first time sleeping together.”

Pei Yi gave this reasoning, and Bo Yueming gave a low laugh in exchange. The two lay back on the bed again, and the bedside lamp was turned off.

Pei Yi tossed and turned in the dark, unable to sleep. His thoughts were still stuck on the conversation just now.

He hesitated for a while, and finally moved to the middle of the bed. “Er-ge.”

“En?”

“I wasn’t unwilling.” Pei Yi plucked up his courage, but couldn’t hold back the hot shyness, speaking more and more quietly. “It was actually quite comfortable.”

Before transmigrating in the book, he had very little such experience, and after transmigrating into the book, it was equal to zero.

Bo Yueming’s joy flowed from his mouth, “Thank you for your approval, Little Sir.”

Pei Yi hurriedly closed the topic. “Good night.”

“Good night, Little Sir.”

. . . . . .

Early the next morning.

Pei Yi entered the small bedroom with hangover soup and breakfast, and Li Yuan came out of the bathroom after washing up.

Their eyes met, and Li Yuan, who was struggling with a headache, was a little cautious. “Thank you, Little Young Master Pei.”

The sweater he had been wearing the night before had been washed by Uncle Kai, and the new clothes he was wearing now belonged to Pei Yi.

Although the size was a little tight, it wasn’t uncomfortable, and didn’t look bad.

Pei Yi put the breakfast plate on the desk. “I was afraid you would feel uncomfortable going downstairs to eat breakfast. You drank so much alcohol last night, so I suppose your stomach isn’t feeling well right now?”

“……”

Li Yuan started at Pei Yi without saying a word, astonishment and doubt hidden in his eyes.

Pei Yi lifted Inspector, who was at his feet begging to be picked up, and said casually, “Why are you looking at me like that? Didn’t you figure it out last night?”

“I’m neither a fool nor stupid. I was pretending before.”

Upon hearing this confession, Li Yuan realized that the remaining memories in his mind were not illusions.

He didn’t quite understand. “Since Little Young Master Pei has been pretending all this time, why did you tell me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll spread the word about this?”

Pei Yi slowly rubbed Inspector’s little head, leaning against the desk. “I’m a YWY partner, so Xiao Li won’t betray me, right?”

Li Yuan listened to Pei Yi reveal himself and stood there for a moment, then walked up in big strides—

“You’re Will?!”

Pei Yi put Inspector back on the ground with a smile, then patted his computer. “Little Mister Li, do you need me to open the Youtu website to prove it to you?”

A glimmer of light finally broke through Li Yuan’s dark and cloudy mood, and his tone relaxed. “

“No wonder you said at the beginning that it was inconvenient for us to meet. You were deep undercover!”

“I said before that one day you would know who I am.” Pei Yi stretched out his hand and gave a slight smile. “And now is the most suitable time.”

“The most suitable time?” Li Yuan was puzzled, but still reached out to take his hand.

“Pear Garden, the matter between Li and Pei has already happened, so I won’t offer cliche words of comfort.”

Pei Yi was not the kind of person who wanted to talk around things, and didn’t deliberately find an angle to comfort his friend. “I just hope you know that—”

“No matter what, you have me as a partner in business, and in life, you also have me as a friend.”

Hearing what Pei Yi said, Li Yuan finally merged the image of Will in his mind with the person in front of him.

“Thank you, I understand.”

He was no longer a fledgling university student. He had his own business, as well as his own partners, colleagues, and friends!

“Please don’t speak politely.” Pei Yi knocked on the edge of the plate and urged, “Eat it while it’s hot.”

Li Yuan sat down and pulled himself together, taking a sip of hangover soup to warm his stomach. “By the way, last night at the bar…..”

Pei Yi understood his hesitation to speak. “Last night when you were drunk and chatting, it happened that Yan Cen and the others hadn’t left yet, so I messaged them and asked them to come help.”

“Mr. Yan?”

Li Yuan recalled the scene where he was drunk, and swallowed unconsciously.

Pei Yi saw through his hidden anxiety, and pretended not to notice as he continued: “En, with that out of the blue incident, we could tell that you didn’t want to go home.”

“Originally, Yan Cen wanted to take you back to stay temporarily.”

—Clank.

The spoon suddenly slipped out of Li Yuan’s hand, splashing a few drops of soup.

Pei Yi teased knowingly, “Why so nervous? Did you not want me to bring you back here?”

“I’m not nervous.”

Li Yuan ate his breakfast with feigned calm, but rejoiced from the bottom of his heart—

Fortunately, Pei Yi brought him back, and fortunately, he didn’t follow Yan Cen back home! Otherwise, since he was so drunk last night, he might have made an embarrassing scene!

Pei Yi urged his friend to eat up the hangover soup and his breakfast before feeling around in his pocket. “By the way, I have something to return to you.”

“What is it?”

Pei Yi took out a toffee and handed it to the other party. “Your sweater was dirty last night. Uncle Kai found this in the chest pocket.”

“…….”

Li Yuan paused, and pretended to be casual. “Isn’t it just a toffee? I thought it was going to be something good.”

Having said that, he still took the toffee back with a trace of uneasiness on his face before Pei Yi could speak.

“These toffees taste extremely delicious. I will take one now and then when I want to suppress my craving for cigarettes.”

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows at his friend’s revealing and clumsy denial. 

If he remembered correctly, the last time Bo Yueming grabbed a bunch of these toffees at GM, didn’t they all come from Yan Cen’s office?

Li Yuan changed the subject. “The Last Fog 1.0” will be released in one and a half months. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the studio and check on it yourself?”

Before, it was because he hadn’t revealed his identity, but what about now?

This was Pei Yi’s plan. “All right, ba. I’ll find time to go there next week.”

In terms of overall game control, Pei Yi had always known better than Li Yuan. This close to the critical moment, as the person in charge, he couldn’t be out of touch!

What’s more, the studio had been established not long ago, and he had to formally meet Lou Yang, Xiang Nansheng, and others!

Li Yuan concurred. “Good. Make sure to tell me in advance.”

Pei Yi thought of something and said in a low voice, “However, don’t say anything for now.”

“Why?”

“It’s a long story. Er-ge…..”

Pei Yi covered his mouth and said in a very faint whisper, “It’s just Bo Yueming, he, he doesn’t know my work identity yet.”

Although Li Yuan didn’t know what kind of medicine his friend was selling in his gourd, he was not a gossip. “Okay, I’ll keep it a secret for you.”

Pei Yi smiled. “Thank you.”

Li Yuan retorted, “Don’t be polite.”

. . . . . .

After breakfast, Li Yuan left the Bo residence of his own initiative.

Pei Yi re-logged into the Youtu website. The auction of the new game “Under the Deep Sea” had successfully concluded last night, with the highest price being 880,000 yuan. 

The bidder was the well-known “Xunya Technologies.” It was also a top-level game production company in China, and had always been a clear rival of “Weiyi,” which Pei Yi had worked with last time.

Pei Yi didn’t bother caring about the competition between these big companies. He only made it clear that whoever paid more was the boss!

After confirming the auction price and making multiple agreements with the party in charge, he finally reached an intention for partnership.

This took up the whole day.

Night fell quietly.

Pei Yi broke free from work, and when he opened the door, he saw Bo Yueming sitting on the sofa in the living room.

“Er-ge, when did you get back? Was the company not busy today?” Pei Yi glanced at the electronic clock on the wall. It was not yet six o’clock.

Bo Yueming turned off the tablet in his hand and saw that there was something unusual in Pei Yi’s eyes. “I had something else to confirm today, so I came back early.”

As he answered, his eyes turned to the small bedroom.

“Mr. Li has gone back?”

“He left after breakfast.” Pei Yi walked to the water bar and poured a glass of warm water to quench his thirst, asking casually, “What needs to be confirmed, ah? Work projects?”

“No.”

Bo Yueming fixed his gaze on Pei Yi, and with a half-smile, reported a Weibo ID. “King of Drinking Capacity Will?”

— “Pfft.”

Pei Yi was so startled that he choked, and after he managed to stabilize himself, he turned stiffly.

“Ah?”

Stupid, foolish, and guilty.

Bo Yueming clearly witnessed the kitten’s reaction. He raised his eyebrows and teased, “Is that you? Great god Will?”

---

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

Just ten minutes ago, An Yang had casually inquired about the operation of Dawn Games.

Faced with his mother’s occasional questions, Li Yuan chose to be honest, and explained the company’s situation after some consideration—

At present, the operation of all the old loss-making projects had been suspended, and a new game studio had been invested in and opened. Moreover, most of the manpower and material resources were concentrated on the construction of the new studio.

Although the main signboard facing the public in the future would be YWY Studios, as long as the return funds were sufficient, Li Yuan as the main shareholder and executive party could still resume the Dawn Games projects in the future.

But when An Yang heard this, her expression suddenly changed to show some blame.

In her opinion, Dawn Games was the work of she and her husband during his lifetime, and was one of the few remaining things she had from the other party.

In the end, Li Yuan had joined forces with some unknown outsiders to create a brand new studio without discussing it with her? Even future games would be branded YWY?

This was clearly giving up on Dawn Games!

Li Yuan sensed An Yang’s mood swing, and immediately thought to admit his mistake in order to appease her, but the other party excused herself to the restroom, then got up and left.

Li Yuan was more aware of An Yang’s mental illness these past four years than anyone else. Although the other party’s health seemed to be good in the past half year, he still dared not treat it lightly.

Because there were separate restrooms for men and women, it was inconvenient for him to follow her directly, so he had to ask the female waitress for help.

The bathroom in the hallway was next to the stairs.

An Yang heard the lively party upstairs, and stopped to casually ask the waitress about it.

It should be known that people who could dine at Haodu were wealthy and respectable people.

Although An Yang’s clothes were not from expensive designer brands, because of her outstanding aura, the waitress answered her as a matter of course, “Yes, Madam, the banquet hall is booked for a birthday celebration today. It seems to be the young master from Pei Group…..”

Before she could finish, An Yang’s expression changed, and she rushed forward.

The waitress thought that An Yang knew someone from the Pei family, so she followed her up and was not in a hurry to stop her.

But then An Yang rashly rushed into the banquet hall, which aroused suspicion and discussion from the members of the Pei family and guests, and she even stared at the host of the birthday party with some abnormality.

The waitress realized that something was wrong, and whispered to dissuade her to no avail. Seeing that An Yang was causing the host of the birthday party to be unhappy, she hastily went downstairs to inform Li Yuan.

Upon hearing about An Yang’s “abnormality,” Li Yuan immediately rushed forward.

Seeing his friend hurrying out, Pei Yi swiftly realized that something was wrong.

He was really worried about Li Yuan going upstairs alone, and he looked at Bo Yueming with a frown. “Er-ge, let’s go up and have a look? I feel like something is wrong, and Xiao Li is your GM partner anyway.”

Bo Yueming had seen early on that Pei Yi had something on his mind, and while indulging him, he didn’t forget to make clear, “En, but don’t mess around once you go up. You must be careful.”

Since it was Pei Huan’s birthday, there must be many insiders upstairs who knew their identities. According to the relationship between Bo and Pei, they needed to be careful with their disguises, lest they tip someone off.

After less than five seconds of discussion and coming to a decision, Yan Cen stood up first and summoned a waiter. “The expenses for these two tables will be added to my account.”

Bo Yueming led Pei Yi to stand up. “Let’s go take a look.”

. . . . . .

Inside the banquet hall.

Deng Xiuya wiped at the wine stains on her expensive shawl with displeasure on her face, angry at the one who had shoved her—

The birthdays of her precious son Pei Huan in the past two years had either been outside or with friends. She had tried her best to persuade him about this twenty-fifth birthday until half a month in advance before he agreed to have a larger birthday party.

Deng Xiuya hid her self-centeredness and took a lot of trouble to invite many wealthy families to come.

Firstly, she wanted to find a good match for her son among the children of the same age in the circle.

Secondly, she wanted to be impressive and grand, so as to regain face for herself, her husband, and the Pei family.

Unexpectedly, the banquet was only halfway through when the uninvited An Yang broke in!

Facing An Yang, who refused to leave, Deng Xiuya had originally wanted to act like a good person and invite her to drink a glass of wine before leaving, but the other party shoved away the wine glass she handed over without saying a word.

Her hand trembled for a moment, and the red wine showered all over Deng Xiuya’s body. The new custom-made shawl would have to be thrown away!

In front of her, An Yang seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit. Not only did she not apologize, but she continued to stare at Pei Huan.

Such eyes made Deng Xiuya uncomfortable, and she was eager to protect her son. She disregarded the wine stains and half blocked Pei Huan from view. “Madam Li, what do you mean by staring at my son so hard?”

“Since you are here, I also treated you as a guest, but if you play dumb like that and interrupt other people’s business, then I do not welcome you!”

An Yang was indifferent, and continued to stare at Pei Huan with her head tilted, neither retreating nor stepping forward.

A guest approached to suggest, “Mrs. Pei, you’d best ask security to escort her out. I hear that Mrs. Li has been mentally abnormal since Mr. Li passed away.”

Someone responded in a whisper, “Yes, ah, that’s right.”

“Look at her eyes, if I didn’t know better, I’d think she was looking at her own son!”

Pei Huan also thought that the way she looked at him was strange, and felt repulsed, but due to the eyes of all the guests on him, he smiled in an appropriately friendly way.

Pei Huan gently rubbed Deng Xiuya’s shoulder with a light smile. “Mom, it doesn’t matter that the shawl got dirty, I’ll buy a new one for you tomorrow. It’s my birthday today, so don’t be unhappy about this little thing.”

Hearing her son comfort her and make a promise, Deng Xiuya was very satisfied. “All right.”

An Yang saw the interaction between the two, and faint jealousy appeared on her face.

She walked up at once and forcibly grabbed Pei Huan’s arm. “Xiao Huan, ah, do you remember me? We met four years ago! That was when you were in university!”

Pei Huan remembered something, and a trace of unnaturalness flashed through his eyes.

Before he could answer, An Yang couldn’t wait, and said, “Right, right, my son’s birthday is also today. Your eyes are very, very similar to someone I knew.”

“His nose was as high as yours when he was young, and, and……”

“Enough! Madam Li, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Deng Xiuya interrupted An Yang’s absurdity and raised her voice to say, “Where are the security guards? What about the manager? She still hasn’t been taken out, contact her family to take her away!”

The manager quickly came and took hold of An Yang. “Madam, please cooperate and leave.”

“I won’t! I won’t go!”

An Yang struggled desperately, but her head was terribly dizzy, and she was in an unstoppable hallucination—she firmly believed that there were villains around her, and that they all wanted her to leave her own son.

An Yang looked thin and weak, but strength came from some unknown place at this moment, and the manager could only forcibly drag her in exchange for a more frenzied struggle.

Li Yuan arrived in a hurry. When he saw this scene, he said loudly, “What are you doing! Let her go!”

The manager was stunned for a moment, and in the next second, An Yang shoved him away with all her strength, causing him to stumble backward into the wine tower.

The guests looking on retreated instinctively, and only Li Yuan rushed forward. “Mom, look out!”

The dozens of layers of the wine tower toppled over, and the sound of shattering glass was so loud that it drowned out the panic of the guests.

Pei Yi and the others came a step late, when they rushed to the door, the farce had already happened.

Broken shards of glass were all over the floor, mixed with dark red wine, and even the cakes next to the wine tower were not spared.

Li Yuan fell to the ground while protecting An Yang, and his beige sweater was soaked with wine stains.

Pei Yi instinctively felt worry for Li Yuan, and regretted that he had intervened too little in advance.

He had clearly intervened so that Dawn Games didn’t close down, but no matter how the butterfly’s wings flapped, it could not change the trajectory of fate.

“Er-ge, I’ll go take a look.”

Pei Yi made his decision quickly, but he was also thinking about Bo Yueming. “There are a lot of people, so don’t go over there.”

Bo Yueming knew that the more this was the case, the more it would be hard for him not to reveal anything, so he could only acquiesce to his kitten’s actions. “Pay attention to your safety.”

“En.”

In front of everyone, Pei Yi ran close to Li Yuan and deliberately exaggerated his worried and nervous expression.

“Are you okay?”

The greeting that fell into his ears was normal.

Li Yuan was taken aback for a moment, but before he could notice anything, An Yang’s panicked breathing drew his attention back. “Mom, how are you? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“…….”

An Yang remained silent.

She seemed to be stunned by the series of shattering glasses, and let Li Yuan help her up in a daze.

“Did you, mother and son, do this on purpose?”

Watching her carefully prepared birthday party being destroyed, Deng Xiuya’s long-suppressed anger overflowed. “You people of unknown origin, why did you come to my son’s birthday party and make a joke out of it!”

Some guests took the opportunity to comment, “That’s right, she suddenly came to ruin someone’s birthday party. Is it true that Mrs. Li’s mind isn’t normal?”

“Does this need to be said? The family member is also no good, how can he allow this kind of person to come out and make trouble?”

“…….”

Li Yuan took a deep breath and protected An Yang behind him.

He silently accepted the disgust and contempt of the people around him, and apologized with a bow, “Mrs. Pei, I am truly sorry for the loss this has caused you today. I will definitely compensate you.”

“Compensate? Can you afford it?”

“Do you know how much thought I put into Xiao Huan’s birthday party? How much effort it took?”

How could Deng Xiuya fail to see An Yang’s mental abnormality?

She remembered the other party’s inexplicable words just now, and couldn’t help but vent her anger. “What a failure are you as a son, ah? Is that why your mother keeps thinking about other people’s children?”

Pei Yi frowned and kicked a broken glass under her feet. “Shut up!”

Was she not afraid that she would regret saying this in the future?

The wine glass hit Deng Xiuya’s ankle hard, scaring her into a panic. “Pei Yi, you, you little fool, why are you making trouble with outsiders?”

Yan Cen walked up quickly. His worried gaze lingered on Li Yuan’s face for a moment, and he helped by saying, “Mrs. Pei, the matter is already over. Instead of arguing about who is right and wrong here, how about finding a solution first?”

“I’ll ask the staff to rearrange the banquet hall next door.”

Yan Cen regarded Deng Xiuya and deliberately brought up a suitable reason, “After all, today is Young Master Pei’s birthday, and there are so many guests present, so don’t make everyone unhappy.”

“…….”

Li Yuan’s dangling hand lightly clenched the corner of this clothes, and he consciously took half a step back, moving farther away from Yan Cen.

Pei Huan sensed in the depths of his words Yan Can’s protection of Li Yuan, and a rare sourness flashed in his eyes. “Mom, Mr. Li and the others didn’t do it on purpose, so let’s do what Senior wants.”

In public, and as the host of the birthday party, he naturally couldn’t be petty. “Don’t make everyone unhappy.”

For the sake of her child and her face, Deng Xiuya could only nod her head patiently.

An unknown person in the crowd whispered, “See, there is always a difference between a wealthy family and a humble family. The orphan and widow are too inferior to be shown in public.”

Another guest took the opportunity to tout, “Yes, ah, Young Master Pei has outstanding abilities and an amiable temper, and not everyone can be born like that. Mrs. Pei is very lucky.”

“Aiyo, there’s a big difference in the children people can give birth to. It would be great if my family’s punk could be as worry-free as Young Master Pei.”

The voices of deliberate public support sounded and instantly jabbed the pain deep in An Yang’s heart. Her emotions that had finally been stabilized ran out of control again.

“What do you know! Pei Huan is my son! He is my son!” An Yang ran forward with brisk steps, grasping Deng Xiuya’s hand with reddened eyes. “The wrong babies, we took the wrong babies from the beginning!”

“……..”

As soon as this earth-shattering sentence was spoken, everyone in the audience was astonished.

Deng Xiuya dismissed her in distaste, but before she could express her dissatisfaction, Pei Ruzhang rushed over to question her first. “What did you say?”

An Yang broke the jar, and said hoarsely, “Twenty-five years ago at Maria’s private maternity hospital, on November 16th, there were only the two of us who gave birth that day! There was ten minutes’ difference between the children!”

Witnessing all this, Pei Yi sighed helplessly. Some things were destined to be impossible for someone like him, an outsider, to stop.

Li Yuan couldn’t believe it. “Mom, what are you talking about? You’re tired, shall we go home?

Immersed in her own world, An Yang entirely ignored the dissuasion. She grabbed Li Yuan’s hand with force and dragged him in front of the Pei couple.

“Come, I will return your son to you, but you will return my son to me!”

“…….”

Deng Xiuya was just about to refuse, but suddenly recalled a past event. She took half a step forward and easily pulled up the cuff of Li Yuan’s loose sweater—

There was a small, light-colored birthmark imprinted on the elbow joint!

Deng Xiuya couldn’t take a breath, and almost collapsed.

Seeing Deng Xiuya’s reaction, Pei Huan’s heartstrings tightened. “Mom?”

“I-impossible.”

Deng Xiuya shook her head in disbelief, and turned around to take Pei Huan’s hand. “Xiao Huan is my son, how is this possible? What nonsense is this crazy woman talking about!”

Pei Ruzhang noticed his wife’s abnormality and straightened up.

He was the most dignified one in the past, but was a little less measured and a little more eager when it came to this matter. “What’s wrong with you? What did you find?”

Deng Xiuya continued to shake her head, and refused to say anything more—

Back then, Deng Xiuya had a particularly difficult and time-consuming childbirth. When the child was born, she only glanced at it briefly. She vaguely remembered a small mark on the child’s elbow, but before she could see it clearly, she passed out due to postpartum hemorrhage.

Deng Xiuya remembered that when she saw Pei Huan’s clear elbow, she was puzzled, but she assumed it was blood that had not been washed clean after the birth.

Twenty-five years later, this familiar birthmark appeared on Li Yuan’s body, causing a shocking rift to form in her world.

An Yang’s eyes were fixed on Pei Huan, and her tears fell in streams. “True or false, possible or impossible, you will know when you do a paternity test!”

After learning the truth, she told herself many times that she was wrong, she was just wrong, and just pretended that nothing had happened. Even if the child was returned, her husband would be unable to see him and couldn’t be saved!

But today she realized—

Looking at her own son without recognizing him? If she could hold back the first time, she couldn’t hold back the second time!

Pei Ruzhang heard An Yang’s declaration, and knowing that he was in front of everyone, he still insisted on asking, “From the looks of you, you already knew? When did you notice that something was wrong?”

“……..”

Li Yuan silently put down his sleeve, and suddenly understood everything. “Four years ago, when I was a sophomore. In October, wasn’t it?”

An Yang finally shifted her attention for a moment after hearing this time frame.

She looked at the despair in Li Yuan’s eyes that she had never seen before, and her chaotic brain instantly cleared up as her heart sank even more.

An Yang tried to hold Li Yuan’s hand. “Xiao An, listen to mom……”

“I don’t want to hear it, you go on.”

Li Yuan shook off his mother’s hand for the first time, leaving behind these almost inaudible words.

When he turned around, he met the gazes of Pei Yi and Yan Cen. There was a slight pause in his footsteps, and then he strode away while suppressing his emotions that were about to collapse.

Yan Cen followed unthinkingly.

Pei Yi’s gaze swept across the expressions of An Yang, Deng Xiuya, and Pei Ruzhang in turn, and finally realized why Li Yuan hated everything related to them after his past was revealed—

Because everyone was looking at Pei Huan.

From beginning to end, no one really cared about his feelings.

Pei Yi no longer cared about this farce with a fixed ending, and walked back to Bo Yueming’s side at the door. “Er-ge, where did they go?”

“They went in the direction of the safety access passage.”

Bo Yueming checked the situation in the banquet hall from the corner of his eye, and after confirming that nobody was paying attention, he led Pei Yi along and asked, “Was this the ‘big thing’ you intuitively felt today?”

“You already knew about the origins of Li Yuan and Pei Huan? How did you know?”

“……..”

Faced with Bo Yueming’s keen speculation, Pei Yi said guiltily, “I, I always felt that Pei Huan and Pei Ruzhang didn’t look alike. On the contrary, it’s Li……Li Yuan who combines the advantages of that husband and wife and looks better.”

Bo Yueming raised his eyes slightly. He knew that he was being perfunctory, but didn’t expose him. “Want to go have a look?”

“En.”

. . . . . . .

It was dark in the safety access passage.

Li Yuan took advantage of the weak light from the direction indicator sign to touch his pocket and take out the cigarettes and lighter he carried with him.

He took out a cigarette and held it between his teeth, wanting to get a little strength for his numb self out of it. He pointed the cigarette butt at the mouth of the lighter, but his fingers were limp from the trembling, and he couldn’t light it no matter what.

“…….”

Li Yuan gritted his teeth and slammed the lighter switch.

—Whoosh!

The flame suddenly jumped up, but failed to light the cigarette butt, and burned his finger at an angle. “Hiss!”

The lighter accidentally fell to the ground, and the door to the safety access passage opened again.

Yan Cen accurately captured this scene and quickly approached, a trace of worry flashing under his lenses. “Are you alright? Did you burn your fingers?”

Li Yuan lowered his head to avoid the other’s gaze. “No.”

Yan Cen was anxious, and tried to grab his right hand. “Let me see.”

Like a frightened bird, Li Yuan lost control and blocked Yan Cen’s concern. “I said it’s fine! Don’t touch me!”

Silence fell at once.

Yan Cen looked at Li Yuan’s faintly reddened eyes, and just as he was about to apologize, the other party took a step ahead. “S-sorry, Mr. Yan. I want to be alone for a while.”

It was always like this. He always lost face in front of him.

Li Yuan knew that his life had become a big joke, but he was still trying to hide it. He didn’t dare look at Yan Cen, and when he left to avoid him, he happened to pass by Pei Yi, who was rushing over.

Yan Cen followed two steps, unable to control himself, and when he reached the door of the safety access passage, Pei Yi stopped him. 

“Mr. Yan, you’re not suitable to go.”

Yan Cen was taken aback: “What?”

Pei Yi looked in the direction of Li Yuan’s departure, paused for a second, and made a decision. “Then I’ll follow him. Er-ge, you find a place to sit first, and I’ll contact you later.”

Bo Yueming faintly understood something, but still gave Pei Yi enough private space to ‘make friends.’ “Be careful, and contact me at any time if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Pei Yi nodded obediently.

He was afraid of losing Li Yuan, so he chased after him without wasting any time.

. . . . . .

Half an hour later.

In a small, quiet bar not far from Haodu, the specially dark environment seemed to be able to absorb all emotions.

Li Yuan drank alone until the liquor bottle was empty again. Just as he was about to call the waiter for another, a brand new bottle of unopened whiskey was placed in front of him.

“If you drink this liquor in a hurry, you’ll get drunk.”

“…….”

Li Yuan suppressed the drunkenness in his eyes and looked up to see the face of the visitor clearly. “A place like this bar is not for a little fool like you.”

Pei Yi unscrewed the bottle and slowly filled another glass for Li Yuan. “At a time like this, you’re still thinking about me?”

He had followed the other party to this bar, and stood silently at the door for a long time to make sure the other party’s emotions had settled before walking up.

Li Yuan heard Pei Yi’s overly normal way of speaking and laughed. “Then do you want to drink?”

“No, I’ll pour for you.”

Although Pei Yi was addicted to alcohol, he was clear on the situation.

If he was alone at home, or with Bo Yueming at his side, he would drink boldly.

But he couldn’t today. He had come to accompany Li Yuan, so he couldn’t let himself get drunk easily.

Li Yuan drank it all alone, and did not pressure the other party to drink. The bitter alcohol entered his throat, and his heart was even more bitter.

His cold, dim eyes reddened with a film of tears, along with unspoken grievance. “I always thought she blamed me.”

Blamed him for not being an eligible bone marrow donor, blamed him for being a child who was unable to save his biological father.

Pei Yi didn’t speak, and only poured another glass for Li Yuan. He knew that the other party needed someone to vent to.

Li Yuan continued to speak slowly, “I told myself that she was sick, and because he couldn’t control her emotions, she was lukewarm toward her son.”

But in the end, nothing was as he had thought.

Pei Yi didn’t speak. As an outsider, he could see it clearly.

Not to mention his experiences in the last twenty years, just judging from the past four years, it was obvious that his destiny had been wrongly changed—

Pei Huan was still the young master of the Pei family who never had to worry about material needs. He was able to successfully complete his studies, and then have his own business under the arrangements of his family, and there was no shortage of praise and flattering wherever he went.

And what about Li Yuan?

He was forced to suspend his schooling, take over the soon-to-be bankrupt Dawn Games without any experience, and then while switching his major, he had to take care of his parents. Whenever it was necessary to rely on investment to maintain the company’s operation, he always received cold looks and ridicule.

In the original text, it only said the “Li Yuan” had inexplicable hostility towards the protagonist “Pei Huan”—

But which person in such a situation could forget the pain of the past generously and calmly, and laugh it off?

One shot after another of whiskey poured down his throat.

The pain in Li Yuan’s heart did not decrease with the drunkenness, and dusty memories continuously played, making him laugh and cry, cry and laugh.

“Pei Yi, do you know?”

“When I was in university, I participated in an online investment simulation competition. In more than three months, I ‘destroyed’ four to five hundred participating students and got into the top ten.”

Pei Yi came to a realization. “Is that the one Yan Cen and Pei Huan participated in?”

“Heh.”

Li Yuan nodded, then shook his head in incredulity. “The day I finished writing the last round of practical investment plans, my dad passed away without warning.

As the only son of the Li family, Li Yuan could only bite the bullet and arrange the funeral.

The company was facing bankruptcy. In order not to default on the wages of the employees, he owed a lot privately in order to shore up deficits in that area. 

The time when Li Yuan chose to take a break from school was at the time his family needed money the most.

Li Yuan paused for a while, getting increasingly drunk. “One day, my mother suddenly took my investment plan and said someone wanted to buy it for 500,000 yuan, as long as I kept it a secret.”

“…….”

Pei Yi’s expression changed at once. As keen as he was, he immediately understood the meaning behind Li Yuan’s words.

“She didn’t know how valuable that online investment competition was.”

As long as he could get into the top three, Li Yuan could enter the world’s top investment company without going through recruitment during the internship period.

“She didn’t know that I wanted, that I wanted so much……” To stand side by side with him.

Li Yuan failed to express his lost love, but drank to drown out the sadness and grievances. There was no other way. The money could solve their urgent needs, so he agreed.

Pei Yi was uncertain, and instinctively asked, “Did you get that money?”

“My mother handled it for me, and it was probably used to pay off debt.” Li Yuan didn’t dare to think too deeply. He only knew that after the final rankings and investment reports were made public, he saw everything that belonged to him in Pei Huan’s column.

“…….”

Pei Yi sneered at the absurdity. He never expected that there was such a situation that was not described in the original text!

Sure enough, when the perspective was different, the results were also different.

No wonder Li Yuan’s mood fluctuated so obviously when he heard Yan Cen praise Pei Huan for his excellence at the banquet.

Vicious supporting role? Ridiculous!

Who could be indifferent to the stolen grades, stolen appreciation, and stolen life?

After Li Yuan finished talking about this old story, he finally couldn’t resist the double exhaustion of body and mind, and buried his face in the table.

Pei Yi quit while he was ahead and put the remaining bottle of whiskey under the table.

He thought of Bo Yueming and Yan Cen who were still waiting for news, and immediately picked up his phone and opened WeChat.

Pei Yi confirmed Li Yuan’s situation, then quickly sent the location of the bar and their table number. Then, like a child obediently reporting the itinerary and waiting for someone to pick him up, he typed—

“Er-ge, this is where I am. You can come here.”

---

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

T/N: Thank you to Happy Turtle in a pond, Lim WC, and a nameless Kofi supporter for your donations! Here is the regular update and a couple of extra chapters!

In the blink of an eye, it was the evening of the next day.

Pei Yi opened the car window and gazed up at the domineering gold-letter sign board of “Haodu,” feeling a little uneasy about the impending storm—

In the original storyline, a cannon fodder character was not qualified to be involved in the core plot, but facing Bo Yueming’s invitation last night, Pei Yi was only stunned for two or three seconds before agreeing.

In addition to being curious about the development of the next plot trajectory, he also cared about Li Yuan, who was already a partner of his.

According to the development of the original plot, the other party was likely to suffer the first wave of major blows tonight, which would subsequently affect his mentality.

Pei Yi was selfish. 

He didn’t want to see Bo Yueming blacken himself for those scumbags and bring about his own tragic ending, and he also didn’t want his partner Li Yuan to meet his fate from the original text.

Bo Yueming noticed that the person next to him was lost in thought, so he asked in a low voice, “Pei Yi, what’s wrong?”

Pei Yi turned to the side. “Huh?”

Bo Yueming said, “You seem restless today. Are you uncomfortable?”

“No.”

Pei Yi shook his head, and couldn’t help but reveal a little bit, “Er-ge, do you trust my intuition? I just feel that something big is going to happen today.”

Hearing this mysterious murmur, Bo Yueming immediately grabbed the kitten’s paw. “En.”

Pei Yi lowered his eyes. “Just ‘en?’”

Bo Yueming tightened his grip on his hand. “No matter what happens, you just need to obediently stay by my side, and don’t run around without my permission.”

He didn’t care about “something big happening,” he just cared about Pei Yi himself.

“The bruise on your arm is doing well. You only need to eat a meal tonight, and not get hurt again. It makes me worry.”

Pei Yi felt heat on his palm, but couldn’t tell if he belonged to Bo Yueming or himself.

“I can take care of myself.”

Pei Yi unconsciously shook his tightly held hand, and said inexplicably, “Let’s get out of the car, it’s a little hot in here.”

“Okay.”

Bo Yueming responded with a smile, and motioned for Lao Fu to drive to the entrance of the hotel.

The two got out of the car through the same side door.

Pei Yi looked at Bo Yueming’s face and asked in a surprised whisper, “You’re not wearing the glasses?”

Bo Yueming explained in a low voice, “The tea-black lenses are uncomfortable to wear for a long time. You and Yan Cen are both aware of my situation, so I won’t wear them the few times I go out to eat.”

The Imperial Capital was so large, so how could it be easy to meet acquaintances? Even if he encountered them, he could still pretend carefully.

Even though this was what he thought to himself, Bo Yueming still leaned down and deliberately asked, “Little Sir, you keep an eye out for me.”

“……..”

His lips were nearly pressed against his ear, and warm ambiguous breath floated across, bewitching the mind.

Pei Yi dodged sensitively and said with restraint, “You, you don’t stick so close.”

Bo Yueming caught a glimpse of his red earlobes and said knowingly, “Why?”

Pei Yi feigned ignorance. “No reason.”

Bo Yueming chuckled and didn’t ask any more questions.

He just wanted to subtly get Pei Yi used to contact. Of course, if the other party showed any “discomfort,” he would stop at once.

As soon as the two of them entered the hotel lobby with a waiter’s guidance, they heard a familiar greeting, “Yueming, Little Mister Pei, this way.”

Bo Yueming and his friend shared an understanding look, and then looked away before the attendant could notice. “When did you arrive? How long have you been waiting?”

“Ten minutes ago.” Yan Cen cooperated with his acting. “I was afraid your eyes would be inconvenient, so I sat in the rest area to wait for you.”

Then, he gave Pei Yi another friendly nod.

Even if it was not the first time the two had met, Pei Yi had to admit that Yan Cen was indeed the same as in the book—he could always show his most gentle and elegant side to outsiders.

“Is it settled? Which floor?” Bo Yueming took the initiative to ask, and intentionally or unintentionally held up their joined hands. “Pei Yi is hungry.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was taken aback. When did he say he was hungry?

Yan Cen lowered his eyes slightly. Having been friends with Bo Yueming for over ten years, he saw through his friend’s little act of showing off and smiled with a casual hum. “I suddenly regret inviting you to dinner.”

Some people, ah, how could they be so childish when they had a wife?

Bo Yueming pretended not to understand his friend’s complaint, and lightly rubbed the back of the kitten’s hand with his fingertips, feeling satisfied.

“We’ll just go up now, you stay here, ba.”

Yan Cen dismissed the waiter who had led the way, and “led” Bo Yueming and Pei Yi to the elevator. “I booked the farthest seat away by the window on the seventeenth floor. Aside from the waiter serving food, there will be basically no other guests walking around.”

Haodu was the earliest star-rated high-end restaurant in the Imperial Capital. It had three floors, including a restaurant for small gatherings and a banquet hall for large events.

Pei Yi understood Yan Cen’s considerations when choosing a seat, and subconsciously said to Bo Yueming, “This is good, so you don’t have to be too cautious when eating.”

When Yan Cen heard Pei Yi’s fluent and flowing speech, a trace of uncontrollable surprise overflowed. “Little Mister Pei, you’re…….”

Pei Yi realized that he had fallen into a pit, and couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Bo Yueming.

If anything were to blame, it would be his fault for getting too used to being freely himself in front of Bo Yueming and saying anything he wanted. 

Bo Yueming understood, and took the lead in explaining briefly to his friend, “It’s a long story. Pei Yi’s situation is similar to mine. Before, he had to pretend in front of outsiders.”

Pei Yi acquiesced to Bo Yueming’s forthrightness.

Although later on in the book, “Bo Yueming” and “Yan Cen” had an ugly fight, when facing the current Yan Cen, he instinctively felt that the other party could be trusted.

It took Yan Cen a few seconds to accept this sudden reality. He thought about everything that had happened in the past, and after making a sound of acknowledgement, he didn’t ask any more questions.

Everyone had their own way of doing things, and this Yan Cen didn’t ask what shouldn’t be asked, care about what he shouldn’t care about, or say what shouldn’t be said.

He trusted Bo Yueming, a friend of more than ten years, and was willing to extend a little trust to Pei Yi.

Ding-dong.

Yan Cen saw the duo “change their faces,” and pushed up the frame of his glasses with a smile—

Seriously, it was really a match made in heaven!

The elevator door opened slowly, and the two parties inside and outside saw each other clearly. The atmosphere suddenly stagnated for a moment.

Pei Yi looked at Pei Huan and Deng Xiuya who he hadn’t seen for a long time, and a gleam of clarity flashed in his eyes as he lowered them again and outwardly played the fool once more.

“…….”

Pei Huan had come up from the underground parking lot, never expecting to meet someone he knew on the first floor.

His eyes swept across the faces of Pei Yi and Bo Yueming, and finally met Yan Cen’s gaze. “Senior, Mr. Bo, and Xiao Yi, what a coincidence.”

When speaking, he used his most commonly-used smiling expression, and took the initiative to press and hold the open button of the elevator. “Would you like to come in?”

Yan Cen calmly avoided eye contact with Pei Huan, and made a decision. “Yueming, let’s go up.”

He checked the other two elevators, but they were stuck at the top without coming down.

“Okay.”

The three of them entered the elevator.

Pei Yi couldn’t be bothered to look at the Pei Huan and Deng Xiuya mother and son, so he just shrank beside Bo Yueming and didn’t speak.

When Deng Xiuya saw this little nephew whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, the unhappiness of the past remained in her heart.

She had originally thought that within a few days after entering the Bo residence, Bo Yueming would despise him and leave him at home, communicating indifferently with him. Unexpectedly, several months had passed, and they were still going in and out together?

Deng Xiuya noticed their clasped hands and gathered her expensive shawl, feeling even more disdainful—

In the entire Imperial Capital, only a blind man would treat a fool as a treasure!

Pei Huan, who was closest to the elevator buttons, said, “Senior, which floor are you going to?”

Yan Cen replied, “The seventeenth floor.”

Pei Huan pressed the button before reaching out in active invitation, “It just so happens that I have a birthday party on the eighteenth floor today. Since we’ve met by fate, do you want to go together, Senior?”

“Birthday party?”

Yan Cen’s eyes flickered slightly. “Today is your birthday too?”

Pei Huan finally met his gaze, and his smile deepened unconsciously. “En! Will you come?”

Yan Cen looked at Bo Yueming and Pei Yi beside him thoughtfully.

It was Pei Huan’s birthday, but Pei Yi, a young master of the Pei family, didn’t receive an invitation in advance? Didn’t this show that the relationship between the two parties was not very good? Including everything he had seen and heard before—

Yan Cen regained his composure, and declined. “No need, Yueming, Little Young Master Pei, and I are just getting something to eat.”

When Pei Yi heard the changed address of “Little Young Master Pie,” a hint of understanding appeared in his eyes.

Sure enough, he was the male protagonist in the original novel who could compete with Bo Yueming. His words not only left people with sensitivity to their feelings, but also quietly gave some pointers.

Pei Huan heard the implication, and his smile froze slightly.

Before he could say another word, the elevator reached the seventeenth floor.

Bo Yueming, who couldn’t be bothered to speak the entire time, led Pei Yi out “cautiously,” and Yan Cen followed, ending the brief exchange.

The elevator doors closed again.

Pei Huan’s smile instantly disappeared, and Deng Xiuya couldn’t help but say, “Xiao Huan, what were you thinking inviting them? What if that little fool Pei Yi went crazy at the banquet and made your grandfather unhappy?”

“Mom, who said I wanted to invite him, I wanted……”

Pei Huan hesitated to speak.

He thought of Yan Cen’s indifference toward him, and felt an indescribable sense of frustration. “Forget it, it’s nothing.”

. . . . . .

Bo Yueming watched the elevator panel go up to the eighteenth floor, and looked at his friend. “I thought you might agree?”

Yan Cen raised his eyebrows. “Me?”

Taking advantage of the lack of outsiders around, Bo Yueming whispered teasingly, “You’ve talked about this junior more than once in front of me.”

Yan Cen’s eyes shifted slightly, and he said calmly, “That was before.”

Even if he recognized Pei Huan’s professional ability, that didn’t mean he fully agreed with his private conduct.

Yan Cen’s impression of Pei Huan was no longer that of a capable junior. Some people and impressions could only remain at the preliminary stage, and if you understood someone in depth, your opinion could change.

Pei Yi silently listened to the conversation between the two, thoughtful—

According to the romance in the original text, the protagonist gong and shou should already have a deep affection for one another at this juncture, but if he understood correctly, now Yan Cen had no interest in Pei Huan at all?

Yan Cen met Pei Yi’s gaze. “Little Mister Pei, why are you looking at me like that?”

Pei Yi came back to his senses and said tentatively, “I was just thinking, is there any other friend you know of celebrating his birthday today?”

Yan Cen was taken aback. “What?”

Bo Yueming glanced at Pei Yi, and added, “When you heard about Pei Huan’s birthday in the elevator just now, you asked if he was ‘also’ celebrating his birthday.”

Didn’t the word ‘also’ represent the birthday of another acquaintance?

Yan Cen raised his eyebrows. “Is the brain circuit of this husband and wife becoming one loop?”

Pei Yi was shocked by the sudden “husband and wife,” and then heard Yan Cen say, “I remembered that Xiao Li has his birthday today.”

Bo Yueming recalled such a person. “Li Yuan?”

Yan Cen repeated his cell phone number to the waiter for his reservation, and said while walking, “En, we added each other on WeChat some time ago because of investment work. I remembered the string of numbers behind his WeChat ID is 1116, which should be his birthday, right?”

Pei Yi sensed something out of the ordinary, and couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Bo Yueming—

It was not surprising that he added a friend for work, or that he happened to know his birthday, but wasn’t there something different about calculating his birthday through a WeChat ID number?

Yan Cen caught the eye contact between the two, and suddenly felt a little depressed that he had come alone. “The two of you restrain yourselves a little. If we really meet someone we know, I may not be able to cover for you in time.”

After confirming Yan Cen’s reservation information, the waiter at the front desk said, “President Yan, other gentlemen, please follow me.”

The seventeenth floor of Haodu occupied a large area. However, the restaurant only retained all the window positions, and there were stairs in the hallways on both sides that went directly to the banquet hall upstairs.

Before the waiter brought them to the designated table, the sharp-eyed Pei Yi was the first to spot an acquaintance.

Sure enough, those who should come still came.

Pei Yi spotted the target, and pretended to be a little excited as he trotted over. “Hm!”

A simple hum immediately drew Li Yuan’s attention, and he looked up.

It was still the familiar wolf tail, but it was dyed in a cool brown tone. Instead of the formal attire he had seen before, he had put on a neat beige sweater, which made his temperament even colder. 

Their gazes met.

A trace of surprise flashed through Li Yuan’s eyes. “Little Young Master Pei, what are you doing here?”

Pei Yi was used to the teasing and mocking between him and his friend online, and when he heard this polite and distant greeting, he almost couldn’t keep himself from laughing out loud. 

Fortunately, Bo Yueming and Yan Cen reacted in time and followed. The latter took the lead to greet, “Mr. Li, long time no see.”

Li Yuan rubbed his fingers in an inexplicable panic, and stood up slowly. “Mr. Yan, Mr. Bo.”

Pei Yi noticed his friend’s reaction, shifted his gaze, and saw the middle-aged woman sitting opposite Li Yuan. 

As described in the original text—

On Li Yuan’s birthday, only his mother, An Yang, accompanied him. The other party wore light makeup and had curled her hair. She looked gentle and virtuous, but there was a deep fatigue hidden in her cold eyes.

At the same time, Yan Cen asked politely, “Is this Mrs. Li?”

An Yang smiled slightly, and said in an unhurried manner, “Hello, Mr. Yan. I didn’t expect Xiao An to meet friends when celebrating his birthday.”

“Mom, Mr. Yan and the others are investors in my work.”

Li Yuan introduced them to his mother, with an unnatural avoidance in his eyes. How could they be friends, ah? The gap was too big.

Pei Yi approached Li Yuan and tried to invite him. “Together?”

If the plot of the original text was destined to happen today, he didn’t want Li Yuan to face it alone.

“No.”

Li Yuan glanced at An Yang opposite him, trying to suppress the worries in his heart. “We’re just going to eat and go, we won’t bother you.”

Bo Yueming was unaware of Pei Yi’s little plan. “Pei Yi, don’t disturb these people.”

The two parties had just met suddenly, and it would be embarrassing to join tables temporarily in unfamiliar circumstances.

Yan Cen also understood this, and looked at Li Yuan again. “Then we’ll leave you be. Mr. Li, happy birthday.”

Li Yuan paused. “T-thank you.”

. . . . . . 

A minute later.

Pei Yi sat at the reserved table and couldn’t help but take a look back—

Li Yuan lowered his head as he ordered food, while An Yang opposite him just watched silently, without the joy and excitement that a “child’s birthday” should have.

How could Bo Yueming fail to see Pei Yi’s concern for Li Yuan? He questioned intentionally, “Yan Cen, how much do you know about the Li family’s affairs?”

“I remember that the Li family has been focusing on the game industry, and I heard that it was considered one of the best companies in the domestic game industry back then.”

Yan Cen thought for a moment, and could only come up with a general idea, “Li Xiao, the former Executive Director, passed away three or four years ago. I don’t know the exact cause.”

Pei Yi took a sip of water, saying nothing.

There were also distinctions from industry to industry. 

It was normal for Yan Cen and Bo Yueming, who were from a younger generation, to be unclear on this, but it was clearly explained in the original text—

Li Xiao, the former Executive Director, was Li Yuan’s nominal father.

In Li Yuan’s sophomore year, when the company’s projects were failing one after another, Li Xiao was suddenly diagnosed with acute leukemia. He was a high-risk patient.

The situation was urgent, and everyone close to Li Xiao was identified for a possible bone marrow donation, including his son, Li Yuan.

It should be known that one of the bone marrow transplant matching tests was also a paternity test.

At that time, Li Yuan was busy with his university studies, and it was his mother, An Yang, who learned the result of the test first.

Therefore, An Yang not only learned about the matching failure, but also received a bolt from the blue—

Li Xiao and Li Yuan weren’t biologically related! In other words, Li Yuan was not Li Xiao’s son.

An Yang was stunned upon receiving the news, and assumed that the hospital had made a mistake.

In order to avoid complications and suspicion, she secretly checked two more paternity test reports without telling her son, who was still in school, and her husband, who was seriously ill.

The results were obvious.

The son who had been raised for over twenty years was not their own? What about their biological son? Where was he?

An Yang didn’t even have time to digest this fact. On the other side, Li Xiao, who couldn’t wait for a bone marrow match, passed away due to his high risk condition and could not be rescued.

This series of events caused An Yang to collapse completely, but she persisted in secretly having the relationship investigated—

Back then, there were not many wealthy people who chose to go to that private maternity hospital in the Imperial Capital, and even fewer who gave birth on that same day.

At the end of the investigation, there was the one and only Pei family who lived in the Imperial Capital.

An Yang tried her best to confirm that Pei Huan was her own son, and unexpectedly discovered that the two children attended the same university and had the same major.

The only difference was that Pei Huan was still a pampered young master from a wealthy family, while Li Yuan, who was with the Li family, had to face the predicament of family collapse and company bankruptcy.

Her husband died, her son was not her own, and she wanted to recognize her biological son but dared not.

An Yang suffered from schizophrenia for a time, and her condition fluctuated from good to bad, but what could be confirmed was that she concealed all this without authorization—

For nearly four years, Pei Huan and Li Yuan, who had been switched at birth, continued on their different destinies.

Until their twenty-fifth birthdays.

With apologies, Li Yuan informed An Yang of the bankruptcy of Dawn Games, and the other party unexpectedly lost control of her emotions. She was so agitated that she began to curse and go crazy, and even broke into the birthday party upstairs by mistake.

After a series of farces, the completely out of control An Yang publicly revealed the truth of the two children’s switched backgrounds.

. . . . . .

Pei Yi recalled the plot of the original work that he knew so well, but was still a little uncertain—

Because of his accidental transmigration, he entered the game early and Li Yuan became his partner. Therefore, the Dawn Games that the other party took over did not go bankrupt, but started again under the name YWY Studios with a new look.

That being the case, shouldn’t there be no reason for An Yang to go crazy?

But the “main characters” of the book had already arrived, so why did it feel like it was still going to happen?

While he was thinking, Bo Yueming suddenly handed a peeled shrimp to his mouth and whispered, “Kitten, what’s going on with you today?”

Pei Yi instinctively took the bait and ate the shrimp, his thoughts sluggish. “Huh?”

Bo Yueming was helpless and indulgent. “You’re not concentrating on eating. From the very start, you’ve been eating whatever I feed you.”

Yan Cen opposite them was stuffed full of dog food, and couldn’t help but complain, “It’s a good thing we didn’t meet any acquaintances from the Bo family today. Otherwise, with him feeding you this way, your secrets would be revealed in the first minute.”

“……..”

Pei Yi blushed as he belatedly realized this.

He hastily took a few sips of water and let out a muffled cough. “Sorry, I got a little lost in thought.”

Bo Yueming knew that he couldn’t get any answers from him, so he could only scoop him up a bowl of soup. “Eat a little more and think less.”

Pei Yi nodded, glancing sideways—

Li Yuan was the only one left at the dining table diagonally behind them. An Yang was nowhere to be seen.

Startled, Pei Yi blurted out, “Why is Pear Garden the only one over there?”

Pear Garden?

Hearing this address, Bo Yueming frowned uncertainly.

Yan Cen was the first to react, and answered, “Young Mr. Li greeted a waitress, who led Mrs. Li to the restroom. He has been sitting alone for nearly ten minutes.”

Hearing his friend’s answer, Bo Yueming said speculatively, “It seems it isn’t just Pei Yi. You’re also not thinking about the food on our table?”

Yan Cen took a sip of warm water and didn’t deny it.

Suddenly, a waitress hurried back from the hallway. “Mr. Li, it’s not good!”

When Pei Yi and the others heard the urgency that she failed to suppress, they swung their gazes over at the same time.

Li Yuan realized that something was wrong and stood up suddenly. “What is it?”

The waitress could barely catch her breath, and just picked the key point first. “Ms. An suddenly ran upstairs to the banquet hall. I couldn’t stop her at all. Now she’s making trouble with the guests up there!”

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

The weather was cold and the wind was a bit chilly. At this time, the news about Wan Yuan’s body being exhumed had spread throughout the city. Some people also said that the bones were not Wan Yuan’s, but those of an unknown woman who died unjustly. Although this statement was closer to the truth, it was even more frightening, so everyone closed their doors and declined guests. Most of the shops on the street were closed. Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an walked the city from east to west, and only found one rice noodle shop that was still open.

“I’m not afraid of ghosts,” the boss boasted while cooking rice noodles. “I used to do manual labor in my early years. As long as I have money, I can deal with corpses.”

Liu Xian’an thought to himself, then the poor business of your store may not be entirely due to the haunting.

There were also freshly baked flower cakes at the counter, soft and sweet. Liang Shu ordered two for Liu Xian’an as a snack. The boss waited for a long time, and before the guest could open his mouth, he stretched out his neck and asked in a low voice: “Hey, how are you two going to catch the ghost?”

“There are no clues yet,” Liang Shu said. “We are investigating the identity of the nameless corpse.”

“That isn’t easy to investigate. The city has been a disgrace for the last few years,” the boss said. “Lives were lost, and my mother was almost kidnapped by a trafficker back then. It was my father who grabbed a hatchet and snatched her back. I was in my mother’s womb at the time, and had great luck.”

Liang Shu examined him. This person was about thirty years old. Thirty years ago in Huaizhen City, the human trafficking business became popular. Seven or eight years ago, there were still women and children missing, and the matter could be called rampant. He asked: “Those who were abducted, have they returned?”

“No, not a single one, and everyone thinks it is very strange. It stands to reason that if they were kidnapped and sold, even if they are sold to the horizon, one or two would still come back, right? But there is no trace of them at all. In that case, ah…..” The boss let out a long, profound breath. He didn’t speak more, but his meaning was clear. They were most likely not abducted, but dead. Now that an unknown corpse was dug out of a grave, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Liu Xian’an said: “It wouldn’t be surprising if an unknown corpse is dug out of a mass grave, but that corpse was found in Wan Yuan’s tomb.” There were two points in this matter that he couldn’t parse out. First, who was the person who robbed the tomb? Second, if they stole it, why put another female corpse inside? Even if they wanted to avoid discovery, just putting the coffin back to its original state would be enough, right? Why bother to put another person into an empty grave.

Hearing what he said, the boss didn’t answer, but straightened up with a smile. Getting the hint, Liang Shu casually tossed him a small ingot of broken silver: “The boss seems to know a lot of inside information. Let’s hear it.”

“It isn’t much.” The boss collected the money. Seeing that the guests had no intention of eating, he simply brought a stool over and sat in front of them to speak, “When it was buried, Wan Yuan’s coffin was empty.”

Liu Xian’an’s eyelids twitched at these words: “Empty?”

The boss didn’t speak again.

Liang Shu flicked his finger, and this time it was a thin leaf of gold. The boss was so happy that his eyebrows flew up, but he still wanted to continue extorting them, so he made a secretive expression and crossed his arms. He shifted his eyes in awkward distress – and was unlucky enough to meet Liang Shu’s gaze.

And His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s eyes were truly murderous.

The boss’s back broke out in sweat, and he forced a stiff, embarrassed smile.  He didn’t dare play tricks anymore, and honestly confessed that the coffin was indeed empty back then. Although he didn’t carry it himself, a brother Yu who was working in the government office back then went to carry it, and when he returned, he murmured that the coffin was too light, and even if he shook it back and forth, it made no noise.

“If the coffin was empty, is Wan Yuan not dead?”

“Maybe she’s still alive,” the boss said mysteriously. “Everyone says she committed suicide in prison by bashing her head in, but nobody saw it. I’m a meddlesome person, so I made a special inquiry after the accident, and even the jailor said he didn’t see it with his own eyes. The person guarding in the morning went out for a meal at noon, and when he returned, there was only a dark coffin left.”

Such a flimsy story was actually accepted by the government and was spread all over the city. That Li-daren back then had likely contributed a lot to the process, but at this time he had already died, and they couldn’t find out even if they wanted to. The owner of the rice noodle shop received the gold and silver and was extremely active and diligent in his work. He knew he could make more money, so he took Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an to find a few old guards, and sure enough, everyone said that they had never seen Wan Yuan’s body.

Liu Xian’an asked: “Then are there any other rumors related to Wan Yuan?”

“None, we’re also puzzled,” the boss said. “Even if it was human traffickers, wouldn’t they pick someone who was more docile and obedient? Just due to her aggressive personality, who would dare to abduct her? That girl was also not a prominent person, and was just trying to make a living. No death and no corpse, and even the officials were silent and hastily buried the coffin…..tsk, it’s not easy.”

Things were becoming more and more complicated. There were many clues, but they became increasingly inexplicable. If Wan Yuan wasn’t dead, then the one floating around the city might indeed be her, but why would she want to come here? It didn’t seem like revenge. The people in the city were frightened at most, and no one had suffered substantial losses because of this.

Liu Xian’an said: “It turns out that investigating cases is also a troublesome thing.”

Liang Shu asked: “Troublesome? Then do you also want to run away?”

It was normal to run away, because Second Young Master Liu was a person who was most afraid of troublesome things. But he said at this time: “Then I’ll continue to investigate with the prince.”

Liang Shu asked: “You’ll accompany me?”

Liu Xian’an nodded: “I’ll accompany the prince.”

The two walked slowly down the street, and the colorful ropes hanging from the eaves on both sides still swayed beautifully in the wind. Liu Xian’an thought, it would be great if there was no case, only a Many-Color Festival with singing and dancing all over the city. Recently, he had slowly experienced worldly affairs and daily life. There were also troubles, but of course, the premise was that he didn’t go through those troubles alone.

Another gust of cold wind hit. Liang Shu took off his cloak to wrap it around him, and they returned to the government office together. Gao Lin was still leading his subordinates to study by lamplight, and he was dizzy from reading, sighing that if he had worked half this hard when in school, he would have already honored his ancestors by ranking first in the Imperial examinations. 

He studied at the wrong time, ah, the wrong time. He yawned dimly and continued to act as a paving stone on the road of love.

But His Royal Highness Xiao Wang didn’t lose his head over lust. Instead, he and Liu Xian’an went to the morgue again, wanting to continue investigating the nameless bones. However, there were already four or five people in the courtyard, and judging by their clothing and weapons, they should be from the Southwest garrison.

Hearing the sound of the wooden door, the man standing next to the corpse turned around. He had a rough face, and one could tell from his figure that he came from a military camp. But his official position was not high, and because he didn’t know Liang Shu at all, he just nodded slightly in greeting and said: “I hear that the female corpse was pregnant. Are you sure?”

“Sure.” Liu Xian’an pointed out to him, “There is a deformation here, it’s easy to identify.”

“What about this injury?” The man asked about a dark streak on the leg bone.

“There was a fracture. It was not serious, but there is an eighty-percent chance that she didn’t see a doctor and get a splint, and just let it heal on its own, so this slight deformation appeared.” Liu Xian’an said, “The forearm, as well as the phalanx, also suffered bone injuries.”

“All of them healed by themselves?” After the man asked this with a frown, he felt that his tone seemed to be bad and clasped his fists again, saying, “This one is Tong Ou, commander of the South 35th Battalion of the Southwest Garrison. I was ordered by the Commander to investigate the haunting of Huaizhen City. I heard some things on the way here, but the two of you don’t seem like ghost-hunting wizards.”

“We are indeed not wizards, but doctors,” Liu Xian’an said. “We were just passing by here, and thought it was absurd for a female ghost to crawl out of her grave, so we came to take a look.”

Liang Shu suddenly asked: “Is the East Ninth Battalion busy lately? I have an elder brother there, and if he is free, we will go and visit him.”

Tong Ou shook his head: “It’s not busy. The East Battalion just finished reorganizing a while ago, and happens to be resting in batches recently.”

Liang Shu smiled: “Understood, many thanks.”

Liu Xian’an didn’t know what the purpose of this question was, but Liang Shu had already pressed his shoulder and pushed him forward: “Since Commander Tong came here specifically for the female ghost, you tell him all about the abnormalities of the female corpse in detail. Perhaps there will be some clues.”

Liu Xian’an still didn’t understand. Nameless bones, no matter how carefully he spoke…..wait, unless he knew these bones? Liang Shu shook the hand on his shoulder slightly. Liu Xian’an understood, and started from the small wound on the corpse’s skull, explaining carefully one at a time. The skeleton’s age should not be very old, and although there were many bone injuries, they were not serious.

“This one is an exception,” Liu Xian’an said. “The injury here is very serious, and should have happened during childhood, which made it impossible to lift heavy objects when she grew up.”

Tong Ou was puzzled: “You mean the wrist bones?”

“En, but it is not certain. After all, she has been buried underground for many years.” Liu Xian’an stood up straight. “That is all.”

Tong Ou said: “All right, thank you, doctor. I must see Dan-daren, so I will leave first.”

He led his people out of the small courtyard. Liang Shu gestured, and some people immediately flew down from the shadows: “Your Highness.”

“Go and watch him.”

“Yes!”

They came and went like the wind as Liu Xian’an watched on in amazement: “They have been following the prince?”

Liang Shu nodded: “Yes, Emperor Brother’s Imperial guards. Are they interesting?”

“Wouldn’t this be……” Liu Xian’an thought to himself, what is so interesting about being watched all the time? The volumes of history books in his mind were all dug out, with all of their intrigues and shocking changes. Looking at his frown, Liang Shu could naturally guess what the other person was thinking at this moment, and tapped his fingers with a smile: “Don’t be anxious, it’s not what you think.”

“Then what is it?” Liu Xian’an asked.

“He feared I would run away on the road to Baihe Mountain Village to propose marriage,” Liang Shu said. “I often do this sort of thing, so Emperor Brother put countermeasures in place.”

Doing it often meant that someone often proposed marriage to His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. Facing this high risk of him getting married at any time, Liu Xian’an felt a headache. He tried his best to exhibit the authority of a forty-eight thousand-year-old and said calmly: “There is nothing good about getting married.”

“There is nothing good, so don’t get married.” Liang Shu asked, “Then do you still say ‘anyone is fine?’”

Liu Xian’an answered immediately: “Then nobody is fine either.”

From “anybody is fine” to “nobody is fine.” Liang Shu didn’t know whether he should laugh or get angry, so he raised his hand and flicked the other’s head, wanting to see what was inside that was so capable of choking him to death. But Liu Xian’an had already run away with his head in his arms, thinking, why is the prince like this, I just suggested that no one had to get married and he hit me.

Liang Shu ordered: “Come here.”

Liu Xian’an refused to come over, asking: “Why did the prince send someone to watch Tong Ou?”

“The East Ninth Battalion is only eight days away from Huaizhen City. Even in the worst case, the East Third Battalion, East Twelfth Battalion, and even the North Fourth Battalion are closer than the East Thirty-Fifth Battalion in the south.” Liang Shu said, “I appointed the Commander of the Southwest Garrison, and I know his temperament best. He never wastes manpower, let alone reaches far while neglecting what is close, so unless Tong Ou voluntarily requested to come to Huaizhen City and the entire garrison was idle, only then would he give the nod and agree.”

Liu Xian’an understood. There was a little ghost in the city, and even if the case was investigated as quickly as possible, it would not be considered a military merit. There was really no need to travel across a dozen camps to come here, so he said: “When I was explaining the other bone injuries just now, he only nodded, but when I made up the wrist bone injury, he actually questioned it, which means Tong Ou probably knew there was no injury there.”

Liang Shu said with a smile: “You’ve learned to lie.”

“It’s not called lying, it’s called all is fair in war,” Liu Xian’an said. “Let’s go and tell Lieutenant General Gao about this.”

“What can he do if we inform him?” Liang Shu disagreed. “Gao Lin may only read books seriously this one time in his life, and you still want to disturb him.”

Liu Xian’an said, not going is also fine.

The two returned to the inn to rest together, leaving Lieutenant General Gao alone in the cold and frosty dilapidated file room.

Those who heard it would simply weep.

That night, Second Young Master Liu suffered from insomnia again, so A-Ning took out the medicine box and suggested that he give the young master acupuncture.

Liu Xian’an slipped on soft shoes and sat on the edge of the bed, thinking it over for a while before saying: “You go see if the prince is asleep or not.”

A-Ning agreed, and tiptoed to stand in the corridor and eavesdrop, but happened to be caught by His Royal Highness Xiao Wang who opened the door. He was immediately embarrassed: “The prince s-s-still hasn’t rested yet?”

“No.” Liang Shu swept behind him. “Is something the matter?”

A-Ning maintained an awkward but enthusiastic smile, and also turned to look at his young master. I don’t know, ah, is there something wrong?

Liu Xian’an felt that he could stay up for a while, since he couldn’t sleep anyway.

So A-Ning was sent downstairs to make a pot of herbal tea. Liu Xian’an sat at the table and looked at His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, who was only wearing one robe over his nightclothes. This outfit was much better than the outfits he had drawn, showing that the craftsmanship of the court tailor was really extraordinary.

Liang Shu asked: “What are you looking at?”

Liu Xian’an answered: “Clothes.”

Liang Shu said: “If you like them, then I will give you some when we return to Wangcheng in the future.”

Liu Xian’an thought, if you like it, you like it, but I don’t want to wear it. It looks cold. The neckline was open, and the fabric of the robe was as thin and soft as running water, gently covering His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s muscles, which were lean and beautiful due to years of fighting.

Liang Shu tugged at his hair band: “Why don’t you restrain your eyes at all?”

Liu Xian’an frowned in discomfort: “Because the prince is not restrained in his clothing.”

One sentence exposed His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s courtship, seemingly inadvertently. In fact, this peacock spirit who had changed clothes for a long time in his room was indeed worthy of a Sleeping Immortal who had lived for forty-eight thousand years.

Liang Shu snatched the teacup from his hand: “Don’t drink.”

Liu Xian’an didn’t grab it, and only brought another teacup over, bowing his head to take a sip.

His lips were red and moist.

Regardless of whether or not the act of grabbing the cup was childish, not even Zhao Xiaomao could understand His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s mood at the moment.

It was a prairie fire.

The Author Has Something to Say:

Zhao Xiaomao is the palace steward’s son, who only knows how to pull little girls’ braids.

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Chapter Fifty-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Eight

After Luo Ran returned to the room, his heart was still beating a bit fast.

Luo Ran thought to himself, if he and Lucas were ordinary lovers, he could talk to Lucas about those videos a little more frankly.

But they had been together for so many years, and always had a serious superior-subordinate relationship. Suddenly changing the pattern still felt quite……awkward.

Luo Ran felt ashamed to talk about these topics with his boss.

Like this……wouldn’t it seem like he was conservative and boring?

Luo Ran frowned slightly.

But it seemed even weirder to go back and talk to Lucas about it now.

Ah……when it came to watching videos, Luo Ran suddenly remembered that he hadn’t read the short stories that Shen Xiluo helped him get from Rong Duo.

But the notebook was back at his home in the capital.

Luo Ran scratched his cheek.

He…..could take a good look when he went home?

After this small episode, an emergency notification came the next day on Luobing.

— An ice mine in Southeast Luobing was being raided by star pirates.

Not only the ice mine, but the star pirates also invaded a nearby small town and took a group of hostages.

Just like the usual looting, but this time there were more hostages.

Presumably, since the star pirates had lost UNK, they were continuing to attack ice mines.

Mu Yuan immediately assembled his army and prepared to go.

The Southeast Region happened to be were the Empire and Luobing met, and Luobing’s army now belonged to Lucas, so he planned to go along with Mu Yuan.

“Wait for me to return.”

Beside the battleship, Lucas opened his arms to Luo Ran and smiled. “Come here, give me a hug and some good luck.”

Luo Ran stepped forward and hugged Lucas.

“Three days. I’ll come back as soon as possible,” Lucas said in a low voice. “Take care of yourself.”

Luo Ran chuckled: “Don’t be anxious, Admiral. Leave the capital to me.”

“En.”

This trip was dangerous. The Lion Hunters had made a fortune in the capital and purchased a lot of weapons and equipment, and the star pirates were being continually suppressed now, holding their breath, and a small town had been occupied.

If Luo Ran wanted to follow, Lucas would naturally have a way to protect him, but the capital was unstable now, and Cyril wanted to take over the military.

Luo Ran consciously proposed to go back to the capital, where he was effective and good at what he did.

Then Lucas and Mu Yuan boarded the battleship, and it took off slowly along with countless troops and aircraft.

They drifted away, and ultimately vanished into the horizon.

Luo Ran paused for a moment, and then turned to board his own aircraft — returning to the capital.

He and Zhou Mingjing were together on this trip, both returning to the capital in the end.

Inside the ship, Zhou Mingjing spied Luo Ran sitting alone on the edge of the deck reviewing official documents, so he sat opposite him.

“Your Highness.” Luo Ran nodded.

Zhou Mingjing crossed his legs, saying with raised eyebrows: “The Admiral is willing to let you go with me. A decision has been made?”

Luo Ran just smiled and didn’t directly answer.

Zhou Mingjing didn’t mind, either. He tore open a packet of nutrient solution and drank it while sitting by his side, opening his terminal to review official documents.

The two of them were sitting in the best position, which was also where the battleship leader preferred to stay.

There was a natural observation deck, where the surrounding could be viewed, but it was not as cramped and boring as the monitoring room.

. . . . . .

The battleship sailed for two days and reached the capital smoothly.

Lucas and the others must have already gotten to the small planet in the Southeast.

The expedition was in Mu Yuan’s name, so no one was on the Star Network praying for blessings, and there were no fireworks or sky lanterns.

After disembarking the battleship, Luo Ran went straight to military headquarters.

“Secretary Luo……! You’re finally back!”

Upon the battleship’s landing, Lu Cheng immediately brought people out to greet him.

From his tone, Luo Ran gleaned joy……and resentment.

Then Luo Ran saw Cyril walking behind him.

“Secretary Luo.” Cyril nodded at him with a smile.

Luo Ran smiled.

He pretty much understood.

“It’s good that Secretary Luo is back, so that I can have personal discussions with him when making decisions.” Cyril said warmly: “I’ve taken over the military department these past two days, and there are many changes I want to make, but Adjutant Lu seems to be more conventional.”

Lu Cheng stood aside and said stiffly: “I think it was pretty good before.”

Naturally, neither Lu Cheng nor the other people in the barracks were willing to listen to Cyril. They only recognized Lucas, and if Lucas wasn’t there, then Luo Ran.

But not Cyril.

The officer brought by Cyril scoffed coldly: “It’s good that Secretary Luo is back. Adjutant Lu and the other adjutants are unwilling to cooperate these days.”

Lu Cheng also lowered his face and said: “I’m happier than you are that Secretary Luo is back.”

Luo Ran raised an eyebrow.

It seemed that many things had happened in the past two days. Lu Cheng and Cyril were so at odds that they didn’t even want to make a superficial effort.

Moreover, Cyril’s wording was rather subtle, saying that he wanted to “discuss” rather than “listen to his opinions.”

Luo Ran said with a smile: “It’s our fault. Adjutant Lu, why didn’t you prepare our usual welcome ceremony for a new officer taking his station?”

“……..Ah?”

Lu Cheng was stunned for a moment, and then realized, this is really Secretary Luo!

Lu Cheng immediately hooked his lips into a smile. “I’ll do it now!”

Cyril frowned slightly: “What……?”

Luo Ran explained: “It’s a military department tradition. The daily pastime of the barracks is fighting in the arena, and anyone can participate. Whenever there is a new officer, we will also let him on the stage to fight others, so that he can quickly integrate with everyone.”

Cyril’s expression immediately became complicated, and he turned around to ask: “Is there such a tradition?”

“……..Yes,” Cyril’s adjutant whispered. “There really is.”

This was already a well-known tradition. Cyril couldn’t refuse, firstly because it would be too embarrassing, and secondly because it would indirectly deny that he was a member of the military department.

Luo Ran smiled and said: “It’s our negligence. We didn’t consider that you are also newcomers.”

“…….” The smile on Cyril’s face immediately stiffened.

Wang Qiuyang followed Luo Ran to say with a smile: “Right, ah! I also watched the video that day. His Royal Highness said that Mr. Cyril is the most suitable candidate, not only because he is the Admiral’s elder brother, but as the eldest Aldor son, he must be as capable as the Admiral!”

Luo Ran smiled harder: “Adjutant Wang seems to want to fight Mr. Cyril.”

“That’s right.” Wang Qiuyang hehe’d. “Isn’t it said that Mr. Cyril can fight like our Admiral? I won’t hold back……!”

Cyril: “…….”

Cyril couldn’t smile at all.

. . . . . .

The arena.

Cyril stood as if facing something far beyond his abilities, with Lu Cheng opposite him.

Everyone below was cheering.

Wang Qiuyang stood aside and said: “Mr. Cyril, you can do it, ah! I’ll wait until you beat Lao Lu into the ground, and then it’s my turn!”

Wang Qiuyang spared no effort in poisoning the milk.

Lu Cheng covertly glanced at Luo Ran under the stage. The other party smiled with a slight nod, and even winked.

Having received permission to show no mercy, Lu Cheng grinned. After Wang Qiuyang’s signal to start, he rushed at Cyril.

Bam!

Cyril was of the Aldor family, after all. He had graduated from the military academy and had been on the battlefield for three months before, so he had naturally learned how to fight.

However, he was beaten down by Lu Cheng in one blow, and fell to the ground.

It was a good start.

Wang Qiuyuang: “Pfft.”

Luo Ran lowered his eyes.

He had always been restrained in demeanor, and always told Lucas not to be too impulsive.

But this was different.

Cyril’s face was slightly red at this moment inside the ring. He got up, and hadn’t even taken a defensive posture yet when he was knocked down again by Lu Cheng.

It could be seen that Cyril really tried his best, and could occasionally block Lu Cheng’s moves, but the gap was still evident.

Lu Cheng pointed to Wang Qiuyang and said: “Lao Wang, where is your energy, ah? You yelled so softly that Mr. Cyril didn’t hear it, so he didn’t know we had started!”

Wang Qiuyang said: “How about this, let’s change positions. You come down to call, and I’ll go up to fight?”

“Okay, ah!”

After Cyril fell for the third time, his adjutant, surnamed Chen, was so angry that he cursed on the spot.

This was too embarrassing.

If it really went on like this today, then how could he and Cyril last half a month here? He feared they really wouldn’t have the right to speak in the future.

Cyril’s adjutant immediately stepped forward to request a fight.

“Allow me.” Luo Ran said with a smile, “They played a round with Mr. Cyril, and they’re tired.”

Everyone below held back their laughter.

Everyone knew that Luo Ran was taught by Lucas, so his ability must not be bad, but Luo Ran seldom showed it. Adjutant Chen said strangely: “This……I don’t fight civilians.”

“It’s fine.” Luo Ran habitually tied his hair back and straightened the collar of his shirt before jumping into the ring. “I’m durable.”

“Pfft…….”

The people below suppressed their laughter even more.

There were also some people who were really worried about Luo Ran. Cyril himself was incompetent, but his adjutant was quite good.

Adjutant Chen was originally a member of Lucas’s military troops, and a candidate for adjutant, with very good skills. It was only that his character was not good. It was said that he almost violated an Omega, so Lucas had him punished with army batons, and he was beaten half to death before being driven out.

It stood to reason that an attempted violation shouldn’t have ended up like this, but Lucas could not tolerate certain things or people.

Later, Cyril saw that his ability was really outstanding, so he asked him to come over to his side on the grounds that he was also a member of the Aldor family.

Adjutant Chen’s heart was full of resentment, and Luo Ran was well-known as Lucas’s “lover.”

Lu Cheng and Wang Qiuyang looked at each other with slight frowns.

Cyril stood aside and clenched his fists tensely, full of anticipation.

“Firstly.” The big, tall adjutant Chen said, “We’re just sparring, so you can’t just turn your head and complain to the Admiral. The Admiral doesn’t let anybody in the Empire get a pass.”

Luo Ran smiled.

“Okay.”

“Start!”

Whoosh—

At the moment Wang Qiuyang shouted, Adjutant Chen saw the person in front of him vanish.

The next moment, Luo Ran’s fist was about to hit his nose.

Adjutant Chen was taken aback, and automatically raised his head and protected his face. This exposed his waist, which was punched hard.

“Wu…….!”

Adjutant Chen’s eyes widened, and he almost fell to his knees.

Luo Ran had created a diversion!

There were immediate cheers below.

Adjutant Chen had originally underestimated the enemy, but now he regained twelve points of spirit.

The two came and went with no distinction between superiors and inferiors in the ring.

The people below were dumbfounded.

Wang Qiuyuang and Lu Cheng almost held their breaths as they watched, and didn’t bother to pretend. Their expressions became heavy when Luo Ran was suppressed, and they couldn’t help applauding when Luo Ran gained the upper hand.

After all, Luo Ran was an Omega, and his figure was rather slender. This was better for light footwork, but he was slightly inferior in strength.

Adjutant Chen abruptly caught Luo Ran’s fist that hit his stomach, and stretched out his hand without hesitation, about to wrap his arm around Luo Ran’s waist and knock him down.

“Too bad.” Lu Cheng frowned slightly.

Luo Ran’s strength was inferior to that of Adjutant Chen, and it would be difficult if the place where he exerted his core strength was grasped.

However, at the next moment, Luo Ran jumped straight up on the spot with astonishing strength, and arced up to ride directly on Adjutant Chen’s shoulders.

“Ah—!”

“Take him down! Secretary Luo, take him down!”

“Oooooh!”

Adjutant Chen grabbed a handful of air. His neck was pinched by Luo Ran’s legs, and he was about to counterattack when Luo Ran hooked his legs and leaned back.

Bam—!

Luo Ran led Adjutant Chen to make a 180-degree turn, and used his leg strength to immediately knock him to the ground.

Adjutant Chen’s big, strong body hit the ground, and Luo Ran quickly pressed his knees against the other’s neck, suppressing him.

“Three ! !”

“Two ! !”

“One ! ! !”

“Secretary Luo wins!”

Luo Ran smiled and said: “As agreed, it’s just a spar, you can’t turn your head and complain to Mr. Cyril. Our admiral won’t fight his brother.”

Adjutant Chen: “…….”

Adjutant Chen’s face changed colors, and he gave a low curse.

But he couldn’t help giving Luo Ran a few more glances.

Fuck, he was pretty good-looking.

“Fuck!!” Wang Qiuyuang slapped his thigh fiercely. “Secretary Luo is amazing! As expected of the Admiral’s family, why are you so abnormal!”

Lu Cheng was also stunned, and grabbed Wang Qiuyang: “So cool! So cool!”

Only then did the two understand.

It would be rumored that Cyril couldn’t beat his adjutant, and the strongest adjutant under his hand couldn’t beat a civil servant.

It sounded so goddamn embarrassing.

This was obviously a simple and crude way of dealing with things, but after this, Cyril really couldn’t give orders and take charge of things in the barracks.

Wang Qiuyang glanced at Lu Cheng, thinking that Secretary Luo didn’t accompany the Admiral this time, and his purpose in coming back was to defend the power of the military department and not give up a single cent to others.

“Secretary Luo ! ! !”

“Secretary Luo ! !”

The cheers below seemed to be ready to overturn the arena.

. . . . . .

Luo Ran’s battle in the barracks became famous.

In this way, Luo Ran’s abnormal combat strength attracted a lot of attention and spread on the Star Network.

XXXX: Secretary Luo is amazing ! ! I heard that when he competed with Cyril’s adjutant, everyone was blown away!

XXXX: Aaaaaah, wife got in a fight, ah! I have a friend who wants to watch it! Wuwuwu the Admiral is so blessed.

XXXX: The Admiral’s secretary is able to take care of daily life, the only difference is that he isn’t an Omega and can’t have children.

So Luo Ran could see that there seemed to be more eyes on him these days.

He still did his usual work as three days passed, and Lucas had still not contacted Luo Ran.

Luo Ran sat at the desk and tapped his pen lightly, thinking things over.

His workplace had been moved from the office to the barracks, and he had already made an appointment with Yu Han.

Prince Kleiman of Saturn finally replied to him, and made an appointment to meet him when he came back in a few days.

Luo Ran rubbed his temples in distress.

He had been deceiving Lucas from the beginning, and up to this point, one lie had turned into countless lies, and it was a bit difficult to put a stop to them.

Lucas hated being deceived by others the most. He got so angry when Luo Ran passively lied to him before, and ignored him. If they hadn’t been together, there would have been a lot of trouble.

And after Lucas found out about his concealed Omega status, Lucas was also so angry that he teased and bullied him in turn. If it wasn’t because he was injured and extremely vulnerable, truly in need of Lucas’s pheromones, there would have been no end to this matter.

Therefore, if this secret was revealed rashly, would Lucas be angry, uncomfortable, and even embarrassed?

Luo Ran thought that if it were him, he would be very angry.

He would feel that he had been tricked.

He must find a very good moment to confess.

Then when should that be……? After his birthday? In case he got hurt someday, should he take the opportunity to say it?

Luo Ran picked up the pen and twirled it in his hand.

Not to mention this, Lucas hadn’t contacted him privately for three days.

But there was nothing wrong with the battle reports from the front lines.

Luo Ran rested his chin in his hand.

Why wasn’t he talking to him?

Didn’t Lucas miss him?

Was he busy fighting?

Luo Ran was taken aback.

No, Lucas used to be like this too, so it wasn’t surprising.

He was behaving rather strange.

It was only three days.

Luo Ran was thinking wildly when Lu Cheng knocked hard on the door and opened it. 

“…….Secretary Luo!” Lu Cheng panted, “The Admiral’s back!”

“H-h-he came back quietly, he’s injured!”

Click. The pen in Luo Ran’s hand fell to the ground as he stood up and shouted, “Where is he!”

“The battleship landed in the 5b air bay…..hey, Secretary Luo, wait for me!”

. . . . . .

Luo Ran pushed open the door of the battleship and saw the accompanying doctor standing aside, injecting Lucas with medicine.

Lucas’s body was unscathed, but he lay with his eyes closed, presumably sedated and unconscious.

The air was saturated with tobacco pheromones, and they were even a little disordered.

Lu Cheng felt oppressed as soon as he came in, and there was no way to get close to Lucas.

Lucas’s pheromones were unconsciously attacking any Alpha who stepped into his territory at the moment, at the same time making the Beta doctor uncomfortable.

Seeing Luo Ran, the doctor said with a bitter expression: “The Admiral’s rut has come. A normal rut would be fine, but the Admiral was spiritually damaged somehow, so he is now entering a period of pheromone disorder collapse.

SSS Alphas and Omegas had always been prone to spiritual breakdown and pheromone disorders, not to mention Lucas’s spiritual wounds after being poisoned when he was young.

Thinking about it now, he was entering his susceptibility period and was spiritually fragile, and something happened on the battlefield this time to make it break out.

Luo Ran stepped forward, his blood a little chilled.

The last time this happened to Lucas was when he returned from the battlefield and Luo Ran had just taken office as a secretary.

“Secretary Luo……” Lu Cheng was also a little nervous.

Luo Ran took a deep breath: “Go and call Dr. Shen over, don’t tell anyone else.”

“Yes!”

Wang Qiuyang had also rushed over and stood by the door, saying with a grimace: “Cyril heard that a battleship has landed and plans to come over!”

“Don’t let him come here.”

Luo Ran sat down by the bed and said coldly: “Guard well.”

This was not the Marshal’s Manor, nor was it Lucas’s childhood.

---

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

Pei Yi was awakened by a tickle on his face, and when he opened his eyes with difficulty, he found that Inspector was patting his face with its small paw, as if urging him to get up.

“Meow-wu~”

“Good morning, Inspector, don’t make trouble.”

Inspector obediently retracted its paw and crouched on the edge of the bed, waiting for its master to wake up.

Pei Yi’s head was still dizzy, but he didn’t have the uncomfortable hangover feeling from the previous few times, probably because he didn’t drink too much and get too drunk. He still vaguely remembered the scene of when he was inebriated the night before.

Bo Yueming had stopped his excessive drinking in time, and seemed to have taken him back to the small bedroom on his own initiative.

— You have to give me a chance to prove it to you, okay?

This sentence flashed through Pei Yi’s mind, and he frowned. He couldn’t remember if it really came from Bo Yueming’s mouth, or whether it was a drunken hallucination.

Pei Yi looked sideways at the empty right side of the bed, but his mood was filled with a subtle sense of satisfaction.

He remembered that Bo Yueming seemed to be coaxing him to sleep last night, but for some reason, when he was with the other party, he could always sleep more peacefully and securely.

Inspector crouched obediently by the side and waited with some anxiousness, urging in a low tone, “Meow-wu~”

Pei Yi smiled lightly and rubbed his pet’s little head. “Understood, I’ll get up right away.”

He stopped lingering in bed, got up, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

When Pei Yi led Inspector to the kitchen on the first floor, only Uncle Kai was still sitting and waiting silently. “Little Sir, you’re awake?”

“En.”

Pei Yi responded and then subconsciously glanced at the study.

Keenly aware of his meaning, Uncle Kai smiled. “Little Sir, the Second Young Master went to headquarters early this morning. A position in senior management has changed, and there are a lot of things to keep him busy.”

Uncle Kai had seen through his intentions to “find someone,” and Pei Yi coughed uncomfortably. “Uncle Kai, I’m a little hungry.”

“Breakfast was left for you in the kitchen, I’ll ask a servant to bring it.” Uncle Kai said, as if recalling something important, “Little Sir, sit down, I’ll go and bring it to you myself.”

“En, thank you, Uncle Kai.”

After a while, Uncle Kai came back with a tray. “Little Sir, it will soon be noon. You should drink some light porridge to fill your stomach. And this—”

He emphatically handed over a small cup of hangover soup. “Second Young Master cooked this for you, and it has been kept warm.”

Pei Yi was a little surprised. “Er-ge cooked it himself?”

There were no outsiders at the moment, so Uncle Kai said truthfully, “Yes, ah. Second Young Master dismissed the servants and got up early to cook it himself.”

Although Bo Yueming didn’t let Uncle Kai reveal anything before he left and didn’t plan to ask for credit from Pei Yi for his kindness, as someone who had been there, Uncle Kai still felt that some things should have light shone on them.

Pei Yi chuckled and put down the bowl of porridge, taking the lead to drink the cup of hangover soup.

Uncle Kai sat to the side, feeling a little emotional. “When the Old Lady and the Second Young Master had accidents one after another, I was really afraid that the Second Young Master would be unable to make a comeback. Since Little Sir came to this house, everything has changed for the better.”

He sometimes felt that Pei Yi was the lucky star of their small family.

“Me?”

Pei Yi took a sip of the soup. It was tasty.

Uncle Kai nodded. “I used to work with the Old Lady, and I watched the Second Young Master grow up. He knew that he was ‘unfavored’ in this family. He had been alone since he was a child, and didn’t like to speak out.”

“Over the years, I think that Mr. Yan Cen is the only one who could be considered a close friend of his. If you ask me, the Second Young Master is the most vulnerable person in this family, and he takes everything into account.”

Previously, he thought that Pei Yi was a “little fool” and wouldn’t understand much, so Uncle Kai didn’t say what was in his heart.

Pei Yi drank the soup a little slower.

Uncle Kai hesitated for a moment, and then spoke with the caring tone of an elder, “Little Sir, did you have an argument a few days ago?”

Pei Yi thought of the ridiculous failure of his “escape” that night, and felt guilty. He said faintly, “Huh? There was no argument.”

“Really?”

Uncle Kai hesitated to speak, and paused for a moment before disclosing, “But the Second Young Master sat alone in the living room all night.”

“…….”

Pei Yi at once stopped drinking the soup, and felt indescribably sour. “He didn’t sleep all night?”

Why?

Was Bo Yueming afraid that he would sneak away again?

Uncle Kai met his doubtful eyes and nodded.

He had discovered it by accident when he woke up at three or four in the morning. He stood at the door and voiced a few words of persuasion, but Bo Yueming urged him to go back and “not disturb Pei Yi’s sleep.”

Uncle Kai didn’t get to the bottom of it, but said in a roundabout way, “Little Sir, if you encounter any unhappy things in the future, don’t keep it inside without saying anything. Just say it up front.”

“Otherwise, with the Second Young Master’s temperament, the more he cares about a person, the more he will care about that person’s thoughts.”

He would keep guessing about the thoughts of the person he cared about, and take into account his bottom line. He would have grievances, confusion, and sadness, but keep silent.

The wine wall was Bo Yueming’s collection, and was one of the few outlets for him to vent over the years.

Pei Yi thought this over, and responded in a low voice, “I see.”

Uncle Kai quit while he was ahead. “Look at me, I talk more the older I get. Little Sir, hurry and eat.”

Pei Yi laughed and casually changed the subject. “Uncle Kai, I’m craving spicy crab for lunch today.”

“Ai! I’ll have the servants prepare it straight away!”

After Uncle Kai left, Pei Yi finished drinking the hangover soup that Bo Yueming had personally made. He noticed the bruise on his arm, and when he brought it closer, he smelled medicinal wine.

He didn’t think too deeply. It should be the medicine that Bo Yueming applied when he was asleep.

Pei Yi recalled what Uncle Kai had said just now, and after hesitating for a moment, he still picked up his phone and opened WeChat.

Even though Bo Yueming had already been added as a friend, the chat box between the two was blank.

Pei Yi thought for a while, then took a picture of the bottom of the soup cup—

“Er-ge, it was a bit salty.”

Pei Yi had originally thought that Bo Yueming would be busy with work and not reply immediately, but he unexpectedly heard the vibration of his cell phone within half a minute.

“—Okay, I’ll pay attention next time. I applied the medicinal wine to your arm while you were asleep this morning. Don’t lift anything heavy for a couple of days.”

A smile flashed through Pei Yi’s eyes, and he typed, “Got it, aren’t you busy right now?”

“—Busy, there’s a meeting.”

He had typed a long paragraph just now, but now that it was down to business, his answer became extremely concise.

Pei Yi became playful, and typed teasingly.

“Tsk, tsk.”

“The General Manager also slacks off during meetings?”

“You’re not concentrating, Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming’s reply came quickly: “Don’t make trouble on purpose. Be good.”

“…….”

Pei Yi stared at this pampering and helpless request, and felt that he could imagine Bo Yueming’s expression and tone when he said this.

He inexplicably let out a hot breath of air, and was just about to put down his phone, but it vibrated again with a notification.

He tapped on it, and saw a picture of a white cat curled up sleeping.

Pei Yi was taken aback, thinking that Bo Yueming had sent it by mistake, but the text sent by the other party immediately explained everything—

“This came up on my feed. It looks like you when you’re sleeping, very cute.”

“……..”

Pei Yi’s eyes moved back and forth between the picture and text, and within ten seconds, the roots of his ears turned red.

. . . . . . 

Imperial Capital First Central Hospital.

Pei Yi looked at the multistory building and mumbled grumpily, “If I had known, I would have stayed at home and not gone to headquarters to find you.”

The structure of “The Last Fog 1.0” had been completed, and now the art team was the busiest department.

Pei Yi had completed the script structure of a new game this week, and the auction was still in progress. He had nothing to do at home, and wanted to go to the legendary “Bo Group” to widen his horizons.

Unexpectedly, Bo Yueming brought him there as soon as he finished his work.

Bo Yueming noticed Pei Yi’s unwillingness. “Don’t go up, stay in the car and wait for me.”

Nine days ago, Cheng Yangshan collapsed in a fit of anxiety and was sent to the hospital by Bo Lihong for emergency treatment

The old man had a strong will to live. It was said that after an hour, there were no major problems after various inspections.

Logically speaking, he should have been discharged from the hospital a long time ago, but he just stayed in the ward and refused to leave.

Pei Yi sneered in disdain. “The old man felt ashamed and deliberately pretend to be ill in order to attract the attention of the second branch, so that he could regain the prestige of the ‘head of the family?’”

Bo Yueming didn’t deny it. “En, I’ll go through the motions and come back.”

Even if he didn’t like it, he still had to put on a show so that outsiders couldn’t use it against him in the future.

Cheng Yangshan’s VIP ward was on the top floor of the inpatient department, and there was an exclusive elevator that went directly to it.

When Bo Yueming and Lin Zhong arrived at the door of the ward, the steward Lao Shen came over with an understated deterrent in his tone. “Second Young Master, the Old Sir has already fallen asleep after getting an injection.”

Bo Yueming’s eyes hidden under the lenses shifted—

Cheng Yangshan was lying on the hospital bed with his eyes closed. Whether he was really sleeping or pretending to do so, each of them knew in their hearts. 

“Then I won’t bother him.” Bo Yueming didn’t intend to waste time here. “When the old man wakes up, Steward Shen, please let him know that I came here.”

He casually said a few words, then left the ward with Lin Zhong’s assistance.

The door slammed shut.

Cheng Yangshan on the hospital bed opened his cloudy eyes, and there was no joy in them. “Lao Shen, please call and ask if Guancheng left the detention center today. It’s already this late, why hasn’t he come out yet?”

Steward Lao Shen approached. “Don’t worry, Old Sir, I will call and ask.”

. . . . . .

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Bo Yueming dropped his disguise.

Lin Zhong wondered in a low voice: “Mr. Bo, the old man was just pretending to be asleep, right?”

Bo Yueming was indifferent. “That’s right. I was afraid Pei Yi would be bored waiting in the car.”

Lin Zhong ate a mouthful of dog food out of the blue and endeavored to get back on topic. “Mr. Bo, the old man is not still siding with the main branch at this time, is he?”

Bo Yueming shook his head, seeing everything clearly. “No matter who he is siding with, it is impossible for that person to be me.”

After that last dispute at the main house, Cheng Yangshan may continue to assist Bo Lihui and Bo Guancheng, and it was also possible to change his stance and stand in line with Bo Lihong and Bo Jiao of the second branch, but the only one he would not favor was Bo Yueming.

The reason was very simple. Bo Yueming had always been on Old Mrs. Bo’s side.

Whether in the past or in the future, his surname would always be Bo Peizhi’s “Bo,” and never Cheng Yangshan’s “Cheng.”

The elevator went straight down.

The moment Bo Yueming stepped out of the elevator, he bumped into a familiar figure.

Lin Zhong standing behind him reacted in a timely manner and sounded a reminder: “Mr. Bo, the Eldest Young Master is here too.”

“…….”

When Bo Guancheng heard this address, hatred flared up in his eyes. “I haven’t seen you for a few days, and your assistant has changed the way he addresses me very quickly.”

After ten days of absence, Bo Guancheng’s status seemed to have changed a lot.

Without the fancy, luxurious clothing of the past, he only wore a light gray-black sweater at the moment.

His overly long hair covered a portion of his eyebrows and eyes, and gray-blue stubble hung on his face, making him look so humble that he didn’t have the slightest aura of a wealthy man.

Faced with Bo Guancheng’s questioning, Bo Yueming calmly pretended to be ‘blind.” “Dage? Why didn’t you tell me in advance you were coming back today, so that your family could welcome you home?”

“Stop with your fake kindness!”

“Bo Yueming, to this day, do you still really think I will be fooled by you? Tell me! Did you bribe Lin Na?”

Bo Guancheng’s originally gentle mask at last could not hold up at all, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke.

Ten days of detention seemed like ten years to him, a painful torture that took him from heaven to hell!

Bo Guancheng was replaying it all every day, resenting every day—

His self-control had always been good, so why did he lose control of himself after drinking that day!

Cloudtop’s confidentiality measures had always been safe, so how did the police get his room number that day!

Sister Qiu was the boss of Cloudtop, and her guests being arrested was of no advantage to her. Besides Bo Yueming, who else would drive him to his doom in such a way?

Facing Bo Guancheng’s anger, Bo Yueming calmly took the upper hand. “Since Dage suspects me and Lin Na, why don’t you confess to the police and ask them to investigate all of this? Do you dare not?”

“…….”

Bo Guancheng couldn’t speak due to anger, and his hands clenched into fists. 

Why did he not confess? Why did he not dare?

Bo Yueming’s eyes were frigid, and he knew the answer better than the person in front of him—

Because the drugs came from Bo Guancheng and Cloudtop, even if Lin Na was found, what evidence was there that she drugged him? If they got to the bottom of it, it was Bo Guancheng who first thought of setting up the trap to hurt someone!

It was lifting a rock and dropping it on his own foot!

Now that it hurt, what right did he have to cry out?

“This time in the detention center was difficult, wasn’t it? Dage might as well take the opportunity to stay at home and rest.” Bo Yueming hid his ruthlessness behind a gentle facade. “Our second branch will take over your position as general manager, as well as your projects.”

Hearing these words, Bo Guancheng’s heart burned fiercely. He had already learned about the general situation from Bo Lihui—

First, it was Bo Yueming’s schemes that caused him to be arrested, and in the end, it was Bo Jiao who brought this matter to the shareholders with decision-making power, which resulted in him being suspended and losing his projects!

And because Old Mr. Bo was eager to protect him, he lost the hearts of the second branch and the family in general.

Bo Yueming had not been accepted by Bo Lihong and his wife Xue Min for more than twenty years, but now they had joined hands to deal with the main branch? He was not a family member, and truly couldn’t enter the family. 

Bo Guancheng scoffed coldly. “Bo Yueming, what are you so proud of? Do you think that my uncle and aunt will treat you as their own son? They just want to use your hands to bring me down.”

“Yes, my general manager position is temporarily suspended, but the benefits all fall on Bo Jiao.”

Bo Guancheng approached Bo Yueming and patted his shoulder hard. “Tell me, are you still satisfied to be used by others? After you were blinded, is this the only ability you have left?”

When Lin Zhong nearby heard Bo Guancheng’s words, he lowered his eyes to hide his contempt.

This young man had only been in the detention center for ten days, so why was his mind so broken?

Mr. Bo just couldn’t be bothered to take over the mess and projects he left behind, and Third Young Lady Bo was at best a deputy general manager. After this series of incidents, she was only in charge for the time being.

Wasn’t it clear who would win and who would lose?

Bo Yueming took Bo Guancheng’s hand on his shoulder and flung it off. “Don’t worry about it.”

Bo Guancheng narrowed his eyes and said harshly, “Bo Yueming, don’t think that these ten days will change everything. Just wait and see.”

Bo Yueming ignored his meaningless provocation. “Lin Zhong, let’s go.”

“…….”

The “punch” he had accumulated for ten days hit cotton, and there was no way to vent his grievances.

Bo Guancheng stared at their backs as they left, the hatred in his heart growing more and more until Bo Yueming’s figure completely disappeared from sight. He just got on the elevator without looking back.

. . . . . .

Inside the car.

Bo Yueming briefly described to Pei Yi what had happened just now.

Pei Yi nodded knowingly. “I wondered why you hadn’t come out after so long. It turned out that you met that dog again halfway.”

Lin Zhong in the front row couldn’t help but turn around and join the discussion. “If you ask me, it’s too cheap to detain him for only ten days!”

“The longest detention of this nature is fifteen days. Bo Lihong was sure to seek out many connections for this affair.” Bo Yueming was unsurprised by the length of Bo Guancheng’s sentence. “Ten days is already longer than I had estimated.”

Lin Zhong nodded. “Mr. Bo, I almost didn’t recognize Bo Guancheng just now. Doesn’t he spend a lot of time on his appearance?”

He didn’t take care of it at all today.

The comparison just now made Bo Yueming’s facial features even more superior in contrast, and Bo Guancheng’s more mediocre.

Pei Yi understood the strangeness, and was disdainful. “As soon as he came out, he planned to sell his misery. It seems that Chang Yangshan’s heart is still inclined toward Bo Guancheng, and there is no way to deter him.”

The driver Lao Fu glanced into the rearview mirror. As a layman, he worried, “Bo Guancheng just temporarily put aside the position of general manager. He has come out now. If the old man is still helping the main branch, will he return to headquarters soon?”

“Return?”

Pei Yi and Bo Yueming looked at each other with tacit understanding.

Now that they had pulled Bo Guancheng from his high position in Bo Group, the other party could not return easily.

Bo Yueming asked, “Lin Zhong, I asked you to contact the online media earlier. Have you settled it?”

Lin Zhong replied, “En, they’ve already been contacted, and are just waiting on Mr. Bo to speak.”

Bo Yueming said calmly, “Okay, have them expose Bo Guancheng’s arrest for soliciting prostitutes, and find a wave of trolls in the industry. The more hype public opinion holds, the better.”

Initially, it was suppressed because Bo Guancheng was still in the position of general manager, and too much commotion would affect headquarters, but now it was just the opposite—

This sort of scandal was more irritating than time sensitive. If they wanted to make a big fuss, it was best for the group to issue an official announcement to make clear Bo Guancheng’s resignation, completely killing any possibility of him making a comeback.

Lin Zhong said: “Okay, I’ll make the arrangements now.”

Pei Yi thought of something, and smiled slyly. “By the way, you can contact the Third Young Lady later and ask her to tell Xue Min that if there are any banquets or afternoon tea parties recently, she will go out and stretch her legs more.”

The phrase “stretch her legs” had a particularly connotative bite.

Lin Zhong couldn’t figure it out. “Little Sir, what do you mean?”

Bo Yueming heard his bad intentions and smiled.

On the surface, this wealthy family was dazzling, generous, and decent, but in private, there was no shortage of gossip and ridicule.

Public opinion that broke out online could be said to be “fake,” but what about getting the same facts about a person “whoring” from his close relative?

Pei Yi not only wanted to make Bo Guancheng lose his position as the general manager of the group, but also wanted to make him lose his reputation in the wealthy circle!

Back then, didn’t they want to use “same-sex marriage” to cut off Bo Yueming’s future and make him a joke among the wealthy families? Then let him ask, who would be willing to marry off their precious daughter to a person with a record of “soliciting prostitutes?”

If you did something bad, people would naturally hear about it.

Bo Guancheng used to hide so much malice beneath a gentle and decent facade, but now, he should prepare to be maliciously counterattacked!

Bo Yueming had to admire his kitten’s ability to play tricks on people, and indulged him. “Lin Zhong, just do as he said. The Aunt Xue and Bo Jiao mother and daughter will understand.”

Lin Zhong and Lao Fu exchanged glances and were in agreement.

Seeing how confident the Second Young Master and Little Sir were in their strategizing, they knew that Bo Guancheng would have no good fruit to eat in the future. The wretch deserved it!

. . . . . . .

Dinner ended.

Pei Yi, who had returned to the room, opened the auction page of Youtu to have a look.

His newly-designed game was called “Under the Deep Sea.” As the name suggested, it was an adventure story about the deep sea, with different diving heights as the divisions between levels.

The biggest highlight of this game was the construction of marine life. Some of the biological content that appeared in the game was derived from actual nature, and another part from fiction.

Of course, text content alone was not enough.

If this game was to achieve a “small explosion,” money must at least be spent on the game screens and sound effects, and he must strive to create a top-notch “deep sea fear” experience for gamers.

Pei Yi set the auction price of “Under the Deep Sea” at 300,000 yuan, with an additional auction starting at 50,000 yuan. 

One was his responsible attitude toward original games, and the second was to use high prices to deter some small companies that were temporarily unable to make money.

But it was only one day since the auction began, and the current copyright price was stuck at 550,000.

Pei Yi was already very satisfied with the progress of the price, and was about to go offline when he glimpsed the time and date in the lower right corner of his screen from the corner of his eye—

November 15th?

Wasn’t tomorrow Pei Huan and Li Yuan’s birthday?

Pei Yi’s expression grew tangled when he remembered this important matter—

According to the plot development in the original text, tomorrow would be the juncture where the histories of the “True and False Young Masters” would be revealed. It was only that many “plot trajectories” had changed since he transmigrated.

Then would everything happen the next day like it did in the book?

Pei Yi thought of Li Yuan’s change after learning about his past, and unconsciously became anxious for his friend.

Knock, knock—

The knock on the door interrupted Pei Yi’s muddled thoughts. He opened the door to find Bo Yueming holding a plate of freshly prepared fruit. “Uncle Kai asked me to bring this up for you. Do you want to eat in the living room?”

“Meow-wu~”

Inspector pulled at Bo Yueming’s trouser leg, tilting its head curiously.

Pei Yi responded affirmatively and picked up Inspector on the way.

The two people sat down on the sofa.

Bo Yueming placed the fruit tray in front of Pei Yi, asking casually, “Do you have time tomorrow night?”

Pei Yi forked up a small piece of apple. “Huh?”

“Yan Cen just called. He said it’s been a long time since we got together, and he wants to make an appointment for dinner tomorrow.” Bo Yueming confessed straightforwardly, with a hint of invitation. A family member can be brought. Do you want to go with me?”

He always felt before that Pei Yi paid too much attention to his friend, but now he had no such extraneous thoughts. Instead, he just wanted to show the kitten off in front of the other party.

Pei Yi was distracted by the phrase “family member,” and asked unthinkingly, “Where are you going?”

“Yan Cen determined the location.”

Bo Yueming thought about it for a moment. “Haodu. Their family has two dining floors, and they do a good job.”

“……..”

When Pei Yi heard the name of this overly-familiar restaurant, his heart skipped a beat.

How had he forgotten?!

On the day that the pasts of the “Real and Fake Young Masters” were revealed, along with Pei Huan and Li Yuan, the core characters Bo Yueming and Yan Cen were naturally present as well!

Now that they were at this juncture, would the gears of fate continue to turn?

---

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Chapter Fifty-Six <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Eight

Liu Meng lived across the street from Mou Cuihua, less than fifty paces away. The courtyard door was wide open at this time, and he was sitting on the steps and basking in the sun while tears strips of bamboo. There were many colorful papers piled up beside him, and when he heard movement outside, he called without lifting his eyes: “Dad, Mom, you’re back.”

Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an stood in front of him.

Liu Meng’s eyes caught on the hems of their clothes, and his hands paused for a moment. He gave an inward groan. Slowly raising his head, he saw that they were indeed the old acquaintances from the night before, so he drove them away in a low voice: “Isn’t it okay to pretend that we’ve never met? My parents will be back soon, so hurry and leave.”

Liang Shu said: “We were passing by and came in to ask for a cup of water.”

Liu Meng was not easy to deceive, so he narrowed his eyes and said: “Did that stingy Mou Cuihua not pour water for you just now?”

Judging by his tone of voice, the relationship between the two families was not very good, and it could be seen that Aunt Mou had really offended the entire city from east to west. Liu Xian’an casually picked up a pinwheel from the ground: “You made these to sell them?”

“What does it look like?” Liu Meng continued to cut lantern wire. “I’m dismantling them, not making them. The Many-Color Festival has been canceled, and these things won’t be needed in the short term, so they’ll take up less space if they’re dismantled and stored. If you like them, just pick a few to play with. No need to pay, just leave quickly.”

Liu Xian’an really liked them. He could play with some, but he couldn’t leave quickly. He looked at the courtyard. It was very big, with a simple warehouse on the left half. There were a lot of messy goods piled up inside, along with some gongs and drums covered with blankets to shield them from the rain. Liu Meng originally didn’t want to deal with these two people further, but seeing him looking left and right, his brain really buzzed, so he simply stood up to chase the guests away.

There was the squeak of wheels outside the gate.

A middle-aged couple entered with a small cart, and were taken aback to see guests in their home. Liu Meng hurriedly said: “I don’t know these two people, they’re here to ask for water.”

Liang Shu gave a slight nod, and Liu Xian’an said: “Sorry to bother you two.”

Uncle Liu wasn’t eloquent, but Aunt Liu could still speak a few words. She asked her man to unload the cart, and smiled at the guests: “When I was doing my work in the morning, I heard that two rich and noble foreign young masters had come to the city. Please sit down, I will have A-Meng make tea.” While speaking, she took a basket of bright red dried meat from the cart and invited the two of them to eat. After Liu Xian’an declined, she brought out two red eggs dyed with fresh flower juice.

“A lot of food.” Liu Xian’an glanced at the cart. “Is there a wedding at home?”

“A-Meng is a bachelor, this is no such happy event,” Aunt Liu said. “I’m a servant at Master Yu’s residence. He originally had this food prepared for the Flowing Water Banquet of the Many-Color Festival. They will spoil if left unattended, so the Madam rewarded us all today.”

Master Yu’s name was Yu Cong, and he had one of the wealthiest households in the city. Although he was very old, his body was strong, and he often kicked the shuttlecock in the streets with the little children. He usually looked like a big child who was out of tune, but he was reliable for the big things. This time, the city was haunted by a ghost, and the government could do nothing about it. It was also him who invited a wizard from other places, and he spent a lot of money.

“Has the wizard come?”

“Not yet, but I heard that he is psychic, so he must be able to catch the female ghost.”

“Auntie.” Liu Xian’an carried a stool over. “You also hope the wizard will catch Wan-guniang? I heard that she didn’t do any evil deeds during her lifetime. She’s not eating people now, just wandering around the city. Perhaps she is looking for her father, and if she can’t find him, she’ll leave.”

Hearing this, Aunt Liu hesitated, and then sighed: “That’s right, she was a good child.”

“Can you tell us about her?” Liu Xian’an continued to ask, “As for the matter of catching ghosts, me and…..” He glanced at the prince. Naturally, he couldn’t address him as the prince at this time, so he said, “Me and my gege know a little bit.”

He said it purely, but His Royal Highness Xiao Wang didn’t hear it purely, and actually managed to glean a hint of forbidden secrets from this one simple word. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t heard of such indecent things in those sandy and windy tea shacks in the northeast while leading his soldiers. But he only listened to them and forgot after a while, only feeling very bored and not understanding what there was to be happy about. Now that he had a sweetheart, he mulled over a bit of ambiguity that couldn’t be understood by outsiders.

But before he could think about it, there were noisy footsteps on the long street. Uncle Liu poked out his head to take a look, then immediately closed the door and said in a panic: “It’s the group of officials who are usually out catching ghosts, and they seem to be headed right for our house!”

“What are they doing at our house?” Aunt Liu turned pale with fright. Liu Meng threw away the things in his hands. “I’ll go have a look!”

“A-Meng!” She reached out to grab him, but the officials had already barged in, and she was so frightened that she quickly pulled her son aside to hide him. 

After the officials lined up neatly in two rows, a man walked in and asked: “It’s you two who were poking around the city?”

He was a local magistrate named Dan Qing. Huaizhen City was haunted by a ghost, and all the foreigners had left in a hurry. But this group of people not only didn’t leave, they even rented an inn and questioned people all over the city about the female ghost. It was really suspicious, so he simply brought troops to interrogate them himself.

“There is a bulletin posted in the city that says those who catch the female ghost will be rewarded,” Liang Shu said. “We want to earn this silver, so naturally, we must work hard.”

Dan Qing didn’t believe it. Considering the cost of booking an inn, and the clothing of the two people before him, no matter how he looked at it, they didn’t appear to be ordinary ghost hunters. “Since it is for the reward, why didn’t you go to Yu Manor upon first entering the city?”

“We inquired around first to see if this ghost would be easy to catch.” Liu Xian’an said, “If it wasn’t easy to catch, we wouldn’t bother with it further, and we could avoid having to bargain with Master Yu.”

The two sang the same tune, and what they said was perfunctory and reasonable. Dan Qing’s expression became worse and worse. He knew that there was a ghost, and there wasn’t any excuse to drive them out of the city, so he said: “Then you’ve finished investigating now. Can the ghost be caught or not?”

“It can be caught.” Liang Shu nodded. “Please take us to Yu Manor to discuss the matter of payment.”

“Bold!” An officer next to him reprimanded, “Who are you to tell a lord to lead the way?”

“Magistrates and officials should make decisions on behalf of the common people. Now that Huaizhen City is haunted, people are panicking. Since we can catch ghosts, Dan-daren doesn’t even want to lead the way?” Liang Shu’s eyes were slightly cold, and with just one glance, the officer was covered in sweat. He retreated awkwardly and didn’t speak again.

Dan Qing couldn’t figure out the identity of these two people for the time being, so he could only judge from their accents that they were from the north, and the most well-known folk rumor about the north was that if you dropped a brick from the wall of the capital and hit ten people, eight of them would be high officials. He was cautious and prudent, and already had some guesses about these “high officials in modest attire,” so he adjusted his attitude and said: “Since the two of you intend to hunt the ghost, what is your plan?”

Liu Xian’an asked: “After the haunting started, did the government check Wan-guniang’s grave?”

Dan Qing shook his head: “We didn’t dig it up, just went to see it. The ghost crawled out on a rainy night and lightning blasted the grave into a big hole surrounded by wooden slag.”

Liu Xian’an said: “I want to open the tomb to see if the bones are still inside.”

The people around looked at each other in blank dismay. Digging up a grave was one of the most immoral things, and this was not a criminal case. Was there really any need for an autopsy? Dig up the grave and if the bones were gone, there was a haunting, and if the bones were still there, it was also a haunting. Wasn’t this a waste of time?

Dan Qing readily agreed. The Wan family has no relatives in the city, it is a lonely grave, dig as you please, ba. He didn’t have to offend others over this kind of thing. Thus, he immediately sent someone to fetch a fellow, and taking advantage of the bright sunlight during the day, he went along with Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an to dig up a grave outside the city.

Liu Meng and other bold young people in the city also followed. Under the sunlight, the scorched black tomb didn’t look so frightening. The tombstone was tilted, with only half remaining, the other half having been blasted to nothing by the lightning. Liang Shu smelled the very faint scent of kerosene and tilted his head, warning softly, “Explosives.”

“There should be no thunderstorms in the southwest this season,” Liu Xian’an said. “The tomb was not pierced by lightning, but blasted open with explosives.”

Only the layer of soil on the surface was blown away, but the coffin was still intact. It could be seen that the person who used the kerosene was not attempting to steal graveyard property, but simply wanted to create the illusion of a haunting. But having said that, the Wan family father and daughter had gone crazy and died that year, and even this coffin was donated by Master Yu, so it was impossible for it to contain anything of value.

The nails were pried open, and there were neat white bones in the coffin. Liu Xian’an covered his mouth and nose with a cloth towel and took a closer look, then frowned slightly.

Liang Shu asked: “What is it?”

Liu Xian’an said: “This doesn’t appear to be Wan-guniang’s body.”

Everyone around was taken aback at these words, and Liu Meng squeezed ahead: “Can you tell this sort of thing? It can’t be a man’s bones.”

“It is a woman, but a woman who has given birth to a child.” Liu Xian’an asked, “Did Wan-guiniang give birth to a child?”

Everyone shook their heads, and an elderly gentleman also firmly denied it. Wan Yuan and the hunter had lived on the mountain together for two months. Later, when the hunter left and there was no news of him, Wan Yuan returned to the city and waited less than three months before dying in prison. This was a total of five to six months, so how could there have been time for a baby?

Liu Xian’an said: “But this skeleton did give birth, it can be seen from the pelvis.”

Someone in the crowd slapped their thighs. No wonder there was grievance enough to crawl out while the sky exploded with thunder, ah! A person with no name was buried in this wilderness as Wan Yuan, with not even someone to burn paper for them, so why not float around to seek justice?

“But……but everyone who saw her said she looked like Wan Yuan back then, how can this be explained? And where did the real Wan Yuan go?”

Liu Xian’an also wasn’t clear, so he asked: “Can we still look up files from years ago?”

Dan Qing was looking at the bones, and thought it was himself being addressed when he heard this, but before he could raise his head to speak, someone answered: “We can.”

“……..”

Liang Shu looked at Dan Qing.

Dan Qing immediately nodded: “Yes, of course.”

He was well-versed in the methods of officialdom, and was determined not to find trouble for himself. Since he didn’t know the identities of these two people, then he would treat them as someone he couldn’t afford to offend. As long as the other party’s request was not excessive, even if he agreed to everything – the case had happened seven or eight years ago, and had nothing to do with him, so why bother to make a fuss? 

When everyone returned to the government office, the skeleton was placed in the autopsy room as it was. The coroner examined it, and said that the shape of the bones could only occur after giving birth. All the old files from seven or eight years ago were dug out, and there were also records of people who disappeared over those years, totaling to about one hundred. Liu Xian’an stood in the doorway and asked: “This Huaizhen City doesn’t look very big. How could so many people go missing?”

“Those who disappeared were all children and women. There was a drought in those years and a bad harvest, and public security was not good. There were traffickers everywhere.” The old man in charge of the files said, “There were also those who walked up and kidnapped people in broad daylight. It was not uncommon. The past two years have been much better.”

He spoke with a heavy accent that Liu Xian’an could barely understand, so he didn’t ask further questions. After the old man left, the two entered the room, and before turning over two pages of the files, Liu Xian’an was so choked that he sneezed more than a dozen times. Liang Shu covered his mouth and nose and carried him outside: “I’ll have someone read through them, you can’t do this work.”

Second Young Master Liu: “Achoo!”

Liang Shu laughed, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, and wiped his red nose. When Gao Lin came in, he saw this intimate scene and took a deep breath. Feeling that he would go blind sooner or later, he said: “I will leave immediately.”

“What are you doing, come back,” Liang Shu said. “I was about to look for you.”

Gao Lin was very vigilant. You’re being so friendly, what do you want me for?

Liang Shu pointed to the room: “Go and read through the files, then tidy them up and come see me.”

Gao Lin looked inside and got a headache. He was not afraid of dust, but this made him dizzy. Writing three pages of military reports in the northwest almost required him to lay down and rest five times. So he urged in a low voice, how can I do this job, this place is quiet and no one is here. Shouldn’t Second Young Master Liu go through the files? The prince has red sleeves next to him……they’re not really red, but that’s pretty much what it means. Grinding ink and adding fragrance, romantic to the end.^[1]

Unmoved, Liang Shu kicked him through the door: “Tomorrow at this time, if it is poorly organized, one year’s salary will be deducted.”

Lieutenant General Gao: The heart is bitter.

After leaving the dusty study, Liu Xian’an’s nose felt much better. He was still holding the used handkerchief in his hand, and he naturally couldn’t return it, so he folded it and placed it in a small pouch, saying: “I’ll compensate the prince.”

Liang Shu smiled: “All right.”

He liked this little trick of exchanging things with one another, kneading their lives together bit by bit. And Liu Xian’an also enjoyed it very much. The big, fluffy quilt was his favorite thing at the moment, and he truly wished he could wrap himself in it for ten hours a day, fully confirming his title as a Sleeping Immortal.

The only downside was that the sandalwood fragrance had gradually faded, and was so faint that it could barely be smelled. Once A-Ning saw him frowning and sighing, and asked: “Which sage did the young master lose an argument with?”

“I didn’t, that isn’t it.” Liu Xian’an said, “I was thinking that this quilt doesn’t smell as good as before.”

A-Ning didn’t expect that his young master had not been floating off just now, and was thinking about such a practical thing, so he also went to smell it. “After we got this quilt, we didn’t smoke it with incense specially. There is only a little sandalwood scent. If you like it, then we will find someone to smoke it again.”

“Don’t.” Liu Xian’an stopped him. “It’s not the same.”

A-Ning thought he was talking about different fragrances, and just said: “Then I’ll ask Lieutenant General Gao what type of incense the prince uses. It would be better if I could get some……wu.”

Liu Xian’an pinched his mouth relatively flat and stared at it for a moment. He thought it was quite amusing, so he let go with a smile. A-Ning was very innocent and didn’t know what happened, but seeing his young master smiling so happily, he followed suit. The two smiled inexplicably for a while, and A-Ning said: “But the prince is always giving the young master things, so maybe the sandalwood will be delivered one day, and there will be no need to make a special trip.”

Liu Xian’an didn’t have many friends in this world, so he naturally had not received any proper gifts – in fact, having said that, the gifts the prince gave were not very proper, but he couldn’t put them down, and kept everything by his side like a squirrel hoarding food. A-Ning saw his young master’s innocently happy look, and was joyful, but it was also a little sad and pitiful, so he said: “Actually, Liu-furen and the Third Young Lady have also given the young master a lot of good things.”

“It’s not the same,” Liu Xian’an said.

His mother treated him as a child, and the things A-Yuan gave, though expensive and carefully selected, were truly useless. For example, an exquisite wooden bird that could flap its wings and fly high had been purchased at a sky-high price in the market. Liu Nanyuan bought it with great difficulty, and immediately held it in both hands to celebrate her second brother’s birthday: “Look, isn’t it rare?”

Liu Xian’an saw through all the mechanics at a glance, and thought in confusion, what is the rush? I can make twenty of them in a day, and if Da-ge doesn’t scold me with that ruler for not working properly, it is possible to make thirty.

Thus, Liu Nanyuan happily took the bird away after giving the gift, and played with it herself.

Liu Xian’an was not bothered. He had no need to accept gifts.

A-Ning quickly folded the quilt and said: “It’s really great that the young master met His Royal Highness Xiao Wang.”

He had said these words more than a dozen times on the way, so much so that Second Young Master Liu couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. It really was great. Regardless of whether it was a normal person or a forty-eight thousand-year-old immortal, he would naturally yearn for “good things,” so he came to a decision: “Then let’s follow the prince all the time.”

He finished speaking, and before the boy could utter a sound, he pinched his mouth again.

A-Ning was speechless. I didn’t say anything about the prince getting married this time, what am I guilty of?

“Don’t talk about it in the future.” Liu Xian’an let go of his grip. “The prince said he won’t marry.”

A-Ning saw through it at a glance: “Which prince, the one in your dreams doesn’t count.”

Liu Xian’an listened but did not hear, and fell down on the bed.

Asleep.

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[1] This whole reference comes from the poem “Mr. Shou Jianzhai,” in which there is a passage of a man in green clothes grinding ink while a woman with red sleeves accompanies him. Gao Lin just kind of……butchers it. ⮐

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

After Zhao Sui’s thirteenth birthday banquet, Zhao Yelan resigned from the position of regent.

Nowadays, the world was peaceful and the common people lived and worked in peace and contentment. Zhao Sui was brought up by him and taught by Yan Mingting, and had grown into an emperor with both civil and military skills. What’s more, there were talented people such as Kan Chuan to advise and accompany him.

It was time for Zhao Yelan to enjoy a happy retirement with Yan Mingting.

They had agreed to go on a trip to the mountains and rivers, and didn’t rest long before they started packing their luggage.

On the day of departure, Yan Mingting looked at the luggage that filled a carriage. There had been no prior discussion about what to bring. He said wonderingly: “You’re not bringing a carriage of clothes?”

“I wanted to, but I couldn’t fit anymore,” Zhao Yelan said. “Half of this stuff was given by others, and some of it is for us to bring to others.”

“Who sent it?”

“Li Yucheng sent half a chest of ready-made clothes, Pinglu sent some books about miscellaneous rural interests to pass the time on the way, Ruan Xian prepared a lot of dry food, Kan Chuan sent a lot of snacks, He Cuizhang added a few swords, and some soldiers asked us to bring some things to their brothers at the border……”

These people all of a sudden seized the time to rush over and see them off, and even Zhao Sui came in person.

The mountains were high and the roads far away. There was no telling when they would be able to return from this trip. Everyone exhorted them earnestly, as if this was a parting for life.

“If you discover any other ways to make money outside, please let me know.” As soon as Li Yucheng finished speaking, he was pinched by his wife.

His wife was that A-Chang whose music Zhao Yelan had been dragged to Hongxiu House to listen to as Li Yucheng said how pure, kind, and beautiful this lady was while not knowing that A-Chang was one of Zhao Yelan’s people.

Li Yucheng later went to Jiangnan with Zhao Yelan, and this matter was nearly forgotten, but then something happened with Gu Niaoniao.

The people of Hongxiu House scattered in all directions, and A-Cheng, carrying a pack on her back, met Li Yucheng, who had been waiting a long time at the gate of the city. The other party proposed to her on the street, and was ridiculed by the common people for a long time, but the relationship between the two had been good since then and they had raised three children.

“General, we brought some dried meat for Yuehong, don’t steal it on the way!” He Cuizhang said.

He Cuizhang had also married a wife, the daughter of a civil official. She had a gentle disposition, but her discipline of his uncouth habits was not half-hearted at all.

“I’ve cashed all these bank notes for you, so you can use them on the road.” After Yin Pinglu spoke, Zuo Ran at the side added, “We also made a few pairs of shoes that you can wear on the road.”

“Be careful on your travels,” Kan Chuan urged.

“Don’t worry, ba. You all go back quickly, don’t delay our departure,” Zhao Yelan said.

Everyone laughed, and only Kan Xingyue cried aloud. She was already an engaged girl, and still cried at every turn. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief Zhao Yelan had given her: “Wuwuwu, Yifu, you need to come back early. If you aren’t present when I get married, then I won’t marry!”

“Look at yourself, getting married is not child’s play.” Kan Chuan lectured her, mainly for the sake of Zhao Sui’s face. But unexpectedly, Zhao Sui also nodded in agreement: “Right, if you don’t come back, we’ll postpone the marriage.”

Everyone was moved by the words of these two, but Zhao Yelan said: “Then you can postpone it for eight to ten years.”

Kan Xingyue and Zhao Sui were stunned. Why wasn’t this person following the routine?

“As expected of Yifu, he has such a hard heart!” Kan Xingyue murmured to Zhao Sui, and the other party nodded in agreement.

After bidding farewell to everyone, the two got into the carriage. Xiao Gao sat outside and drove, and they were followed by another carriage carrying luggage.

Zhao Yelan lifted the curtain and looked at the group of friends who were still waving at them, the big and small all standing in a cluster. The scene was quite spectacular.

Yan Mingting also leaned over to wave at them, and said with a smile: “All the kids are here. In the blink of an eye, they’ve grown so big.”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him and asked suddenly: “Are you envious?”

Yan Mingting looked at him sideways and said: “I don’t envy them. They have their children and they will naturally be distracted, unlike you, who after so many years still has only me in your eyes.”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

Zhao Yelan took out a map: “After we visit the border, where do you want to go?”

“It’s up to you. Everything is up to you.” Yan Mingting had kept clamoring to go out, but at this time, he seemed very casual again. He stretched out his legs comfortably and put his arms around Zhao Yelan: “It’s finally just the two of us. We can go anywhere.”

Because there was a lot of luggage, they took the official road and stopped here and there, arriving in the border town after more than ten days.

Only then did Yan Mingting’s pent-up desire to say everything on his mind become stronger.

Although it was remote, poor, and very small, this was practically half his family. When he was in the army, he could come to the town occasionally when he was free.

“There used to be an old man here who would go out from time to time, and when he came back, he’d sell some odds and ends at his stall. It was the same every time. As soon as people were free, they would go and see what novelties he’d picked up.” Yan Mingting pointed to a corner of the road and said, “This small town is far less prosperous than the capital city, but everyone knows one another, and the folk customs are very simple.”

As soon as these words fell, there was a “crash” not far away. It seemed that someone was fighting. When Zhao Yelan turned around, he saw two groups of people scuffling, one group dressed as people from the Western Regions.

Seeing that the two groups had drawn their swords, Zhao Yelan turned his head and said: “Simple folk customs?”

Yan Minting touched his nose in embarrassment: “This doesn’t count. There are quite a few people from the Western Regions here, and friction often arises over trivial matters.”

“Not going to do something about it? That’s not your style.”

“Don’t worry, someone will take care of it.”

Just as Zhao Yelan was pondering this, he saw a group of soldiers appear with haste, suppressing the two groups and escorting them in other directions.

“It used to be more violent, and the government had too little manpower, so I arranged for people to take charge of this sort of thing,” Yan Mingting explained.

No wonder there was such a big commotion, yet the common people looked extraordinarily calm. It was because they knew that someone would come forward to put an end to it.

The inn here was very simple. The wind and sand blew from time to time, and the room was full of dust.

Yan Mingting and Xiao Gao wiped the table and benches with a rag, and finally cleaned up the place. After sitting down, Yan Mingting ordered a few special dishes and asked: “Do you want to watch orchid dancing?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him: “Does it look good?”

“It looks good, ah, don’t you want to see something new?” Yan Mingting felt that wherever he went to visit, he must experience the local traditions. This border town really had nothing to offer, but these Orchids danced well, so he ordered an attendant to find one.

After a while, an Orchid dressed in Western Regions clothing came up with a jug of wine. Her head was covered with a veil, including half her face, and her shirt was short, revealing a section of her belly. There were also bells around her ankles.

The Orchid poured a cup of wine for each of them, and then danced barefoot beside them. She had a flexible figure, attractive features, and the sound of her kicking footsteps intertwined with the sound of the bells. Xiao Gao was stunned, but was too embarrassed to look directly at her. After all, she was wearing so little clothing.

The Orchid carried a special fragrance, which caused Zhao Yelan to turn his head and look at her a few more times.

Yan Mingting saw this, then suddenly reached out and pulled his head back: “Eat.”

Zhao Yelan ate a few mouthfuls, and couldn’t help but turn his head. He wanted to ask what incense the other party used, but the Orchid was still dancing, so he waited quietly.

“Eat well.” Yan Mingting pulled his head back again.

“Why did you invite her here if I’m not allowed to watch?”

“I didn’t expect you to be so fascinated……how about looking at me instead?” Yan Mingting said.

“What’s so good about you, do you have a softer belly than her, or do you look better dancing?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“My belly cannot be compared, but I can dance for you!” Yan Mingting regretted it after saying this, because Zhao Yelan definitely wanted to see it.

“All right, if you lie, you’re a dog.” Zhao Yelan immediately agreed, and inexplicably leaned in toward his ear and whispered, “Put on this Orchid’s clothing, too.”

“Never mind, never mind.”

“If you don’t want to dance, then I have no choice but to continue to admire the girl. Xiao Gao, go call all the Orchids in town.”

“……I’ll dance!” Yan Mingting gritted his teeth and agreed.

After a stick of incense, Zhao Yelan called: “Have you changed yet?”

“What’s the rush? You wear it if you have the ability, ah. These clothes are all tattered.”

Yan Mingting awkwardly put on the Orchid’s clothing. He was desperate not to go out, but under Zhao Yelan’s constant and heartless urging, he put on the veil and walked out.

After a moment, Zhao Yelan and Xiao Gao filled the room with laughter.

This was perhaps the most unrestrained laughter Yan Mingting had ever heard from Zhao Yelan.

He had never, ever seen Zhao Yelan laugh until he beat the table and wiped tears away.

Fine, fine, just be happy.

Yan Mingting let go of his shame and raised his hands in a twist. The tight, curvaceous clothes had an incongruous effect on his body, and his dance movements were also very stiff. It really made people laugh out loud.

Zhao Yelan’s face was a rictus of laughter. He grasped his cheeks on both sides, and had just taken a deep breath when a button suddenly fell on his face.

The shirt was overwhelmed and tore on Yan Mingting.

“Hahahahahaha!” Xiao Gao laughed so hard that he fell off his stool. Zhao Yelan’s face was sore from laughing. He picked up the button and walked in front of him, then closed the open front for him. When he raised his head and saw the big eyes protruding from the top of his veil, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud again.

Yan Mingting: “…….”

At this time, footsteps sounded outside the door. It was pushed open as Zhong Yuehong’s voice sounded: “General, I heard that you are looking for an Orchid again? Does Zhao-daren know about this?”

Yan Mingting was startled, and didn’t want to be seen by his subordinate, so he quickly gave Zhao Yelan a meaningful look. But Zhao Yelan gazed at him cooly: “Again?”

“It’s not like that, listen to my explanation……” As soon as Yan Mingting finished whispering, he looked over Zhao Yelan’s head and met Zhong Yuehong face to face.

Yan Mingting: “  .  ”

Zhong Yuehong was stunned for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

About a quarter of an hour later, the laughter of the three people in the room had just barely come to a stop.

Zhong Yuehong had received a letter from them stating that they would come to the border, so she sent people to the town to inquire from time to time. Today, she had just received news that the two had arrived, so she rushed over from the military camp immediately.

“There are too many people at the inn. Why don’t you stay at my house? It’s in this town, and although it isn’t big, it’s cleaner.” Zhong Yuehong addressed this question to Zhao Yelan, knowing who the real boss was here.

“That’s fine.” After Zhao Yelan agreed, the group of people followed her to her home.

Mother Zhong was usually the only one who stayed at the house, and she cleaned it every day, so it was very tidy and clean. When she saw them come in, she hurriedly stepped forward to greet them: “General, Zhao-daren, I’ve been looking forward to your visit!”

They hadn’t seen her in a long time. Mother Zhong looked older, but she was in good spirits, very enthusiastic as she poured tea and water.

At this moment, a handsome-looking man came out of the kitchen, rubbed his hands on his apron, and said somewhat cautiously: “General Yan, Zhao-daren, I’ve admired you for a long time.”

The two exchanged glances, and Zhao Yelan asked: “You’re Yuehong’s husband?”

“Yes.”

Zhong Yuehong mentioned in a letter a few years ago that she was going to get married, and that the other party was a physician.

This physician came from a bad background, and was abandoned by his family when they couldn’t support him. Fortunately, an old physician picked him up. After the old physician passed away, he was homeless, so he simply worked as a traveling doctor for many years, but unexpectedly encountered bandits nearby and nearly lost his life.

At that moment, Zhong Yuehong arrived with her soldiers, exterminated the bandits, and then took him back to the military camp to treat his injuries.

But he knew that Zhong Yuehong was also injured, only it was a chest wound. She likely didn’t want to be treated by a military doctor, so he didn’t mention it.

He covertly placed healing medicine in front of Zhong Yuehong’s tent, and the two got acquainted with each other after several exchanges.

Zhong Yuehong waited until he was almost recovered before asking him when he would leave. He faltered, and said that there were always injured people in the military camp, and that he wanted to stay and help with their treatment.

After staying for two or three years, someone teased him that he was already in his twenties, so why wasn’t he married yet? He secretly glanced at Zhong Yuehong and said: “Isn’t Lieutenant Zhong also unmarried?”

Everyone started to heckle them, and Zhong Yuehong herself could see his intentions, only she didn’t dare make such a decision casually. Then one time, she rescued a child from a wild horse, and the horse’s hoof stomped on her face so hard that she was disfigured.

Unexpectedly, the physician proposed marriage to her. She asked him, don’t you think I’m ugly now?

The physician said, you’re not ugly, you are the bravest and most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I will never be able to go into battle and fight the enemy like you, but I also want to protect you. I can heal your wounds and take care of you for the rest of your life, but I fear that I’m not good enough for you, and that I can’t give you a happy life of great wealth.

The facial injury was completely healed half a year after they married. She married with the ugliest appearance, but did not see herself as inferior like she had before, because when her husband looked at her, it was always with a light in his eyes.

The two had a child now, who was still training at the military camp today. Zhong Yuehong shyly introduced her husband to Yan Mingting and Zhao Yelan, for fear that they wouldn’t like him.

“It’s enough that he treats you well, and doesn’t seek fame, but only seeks a person’s heart,” Zhao Yelan said with a smile. 

“Exactly, exactly.” Yan Mingting grasped his hand affectionately. “It’s okay to be famous. As long as it’s you, you can do anything.”

“En.” Zhao Yelan pulled his hand back expressionlessly and took a sip of tea to relieve the lovey-dovey-ness.

Seeing this, Zhong Yuehong and her husband snickered.

After a meal, Zhao Yelan asked Xiao Gao to take out the things in the carriage, saying: “This is the dried meat that He Cuizhang gave you. He fears that you won’t be able to eat well here, and if you lose weight from hunger, you won’t be able to beat him in the future.”

“That braggart.” Zhong Yuehong disdained it with her words, but she still smiled and took it. In addition to these, there were the gifts that Zhao Yelan brought for their family, including clothing, shoes, hats, and weapons.

“When you come here, it’s like celebrating the New Year!” Zhong Yuehong said with a laugh.

Zhao Yelan smiled as well. Then he thought of something and raised his head to look elsewhere, suddenly asking in a low voice: “Where is she staying?”

“She should be at home. I’ll take you there.” Zhong Yuehong led the two of them west alone. The houses became fewer and fewer, and it was very quiet. At last, they came to a solitary house and knocked on the door.

The tall man who answered the door was Yu Dali, who had worked successively under Yan Mingting and Zhao Yelan. He was overjoyed to see them, and said: “You’re really here! I heard from Yuehong a few days ago that you both were going to come here to visit, but I still can’t believe it! Come, please come in!”

Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting walked in and took a look around. It was comparable to Zhong Yuehong’s home, which showed that the owner had put their heart into it. There were also several long calligraphy copybooks hanging on the earthen wall, which seemed to have just been written and hung to dry.

Putting his hands behind his back, Zhao Yelan carefully inspected the beautiful handwriting, and the corners of his mouth gradually curled up. He asked: “These were written by your cousin, right?”

“They were. She’s still writing inside,” Yu Dali replied. Then he led them into the house and pushed open one of the doors. There was a woman in common clothes standing inside, bent over to write, and she looked up at the sound of the door.

This cousin had a beautiful appearance. Only, it was unfortunate that there was a long scar from her brow to the side of her cheek.

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Extra 3: Afterwards <<Table of Contents >> Extra 5: Memories