Le Zhuo agreed to the proposal in front of all the media of the capital.
As he said, “I do” he put on the ring, its weight unmistakable and then threw himself into Bai Jiao’s arms.
Under countless gazes, they kissed. Someone let out a cheer, only to have their mouth quickly covered by Bai Jiao’s subordinates to avoid disturbing those nearby.
The scene was being broadcast live and the comments flooded in at a frenzy.
Some lamented their heartbreak, some offered blessings and others were still reflecting on Bai Jiao’s earlier words.
The news of Bai Jiao’s successful proposal to Le Zhuo spread rapidly across the entire nation. From that moment on, no one could stand in the way of their love or their future together.
By the time they arrived at the hospital room, Bai Jiao’s parents had just been about to greet them when they each received calls, news that their illegitimate children had gotten into a fight over a guide and they were urgently needed at the academy.
In an instant, they lost all interest in dealing with the mess between Le Shan and Bai Feng and hurriedly left.
Bai Feng and Le Shan were clearly not in a good mental state. Both remained silent, fully aware that they had done something wrong.
In truth, more than just those photos had been taken, but anything more explicit was barred from publication and even sharing it would be illegal. Both the Bai and Le families had spent a great deal of money to suppress it.
They had undoubtedly become the disgrace of their respective families.
Bai Feng held the child in his arms, rocking him gently, but the baby continued to cry. When he looked up and saw Le Zhuo, a flicker of shock and hesitation crossed his eyes.
But the moment he noticed Le Zhuo and Bai Jiao holding hands and the massive diamond ring on Le Zhuo’s finger, his pupils trembled violently, his gaze gradually clearing.
“Zhuo Zhuo…”
That form of address had only ever been used before Le Zhuo had been labeled a fool.
“Brother-in-law, we brought you a few things. Please, don’t stand on ceremony.” Le Zhuo took the gifts from Bai Jiao’s subordinate and placed them on the cabinet beside Bai Feng’s hospital bed.
“Brother, let me hold my nephew.” Bai Jiao took the child from Bai Feng’s arms. The baby, who had been crying nonstop, suddenly fell silent.
Bai Jiao clearly had no fondness for children. After holding the baby for a moment, he returned him to Bai Feng and just like that, the crying resumed.
“Brother, my nephew looks so much like you and brother-in-law. Truly worthy of being your child.”
Bai Jiao sat down on the small sofa, pulling Le Zhuo into his arms, leaning lazily against his shoulder.
Anyone could see how deeply they loved each other.
“I… is that so?” Bai Feng forced a laugh, lowering his head to look at the child in his arms.
The baby’s face was still wrinkled and not yet fully developed, there was no way to tell who he resembled.
Clearly, Bai Jiao’s words were a deliberate warning.
“Yes, don’t you think so? He looks exactly like you and brother-in-law.” Bai Jiao turned to look at Le Shan, smiling. “What do you think, brother… in… law?”
Le Shan closed his eyes in pain, his lips parting slightly, but no words came out.
“I hope you’ll register your marriage as soon as possible. Otherwise, our parents won’t be able to give the public an explanation. As for me and Le Zhuo, we’ll be registering ours as well.”
Bai Jiao stood up, brushing nonexistent dust from his clothes. “In the future, you should be more mindful even in a hospital room. I’ve already taken care of matters outside for you, but don’t let your guard down.”
His words sounded polite on the surface, yet everyone present understood their deeper meaning.
Le Shan and Bai Feng turned deathly pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. It seemed they would live under the shadow of this incident for a long time to come.
After leaving the hospital, Le Zhuo and Bai Jiao registered their marriage under the watchful eyes of the media cameras.
It was done. No one could interfere anymore.
Back home, Le Zhuo held the red marriage certificate in his hands, turning it over and over, still finding it hard to believe.
The past had scattered like illusions and he had stepped into a new beginning.
“Are we really married?” Le Zhuo asked.
“Mhm.” Bai Jiao leaned lazily against the sofa, his eyelids half-lowered. Seeing Le Zhuo’s delighted expression, his lips curved slightly without him realizing it.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Then we’re legally married now! Not even just fiances anymore.” It was a relationship even more intimate than being engaged.
“Mhm. Legally married.”
Le Zhuo lowered his gaze to the large diamond ring on his finger again. “When did you prepare this? How come I didn’t know anything about it?”
“Secret.” Bai Jiao tilted his head, resting it against his shoulder. “But it’s inconvenient to wear something like this every day. You can put it on occasionally when you’re free. I also ordered a plain band, but custom work takes some time, it’ll be ready by the wedding.”
“You really fell in love with me at first sight?” Only now did Le Zhuo begin to seriously think about this question.
After all, he had been pretending to be foolish before. Bai Jiao’s so-called love at first sight seemed rather unusual. Didn’t people say that love at first sight was usually just attraction based on looks? He didn’t think his appearance was anything extraordinary.
“Mhm. Do you think I’d lie about that?”
Le Zhuo choked on his words for a moment, then quickly leaned forward and kissed Bai Jiao on the lips.
They hadn’t done anything for a few days, Le Zhuo had been busy tinkering with those robots.
Bai Jiao didn’t move, his hand resting at Le Zhuo’s waist, gently kneading.
Le Zhuo had two small dimples at his lower back that fit perfectly beneath Bai Jiao’s fingers, particularly endearing.
“Jiao Jiao…”
Usually, Bai Jiao was the one to take the initiative. Now that the roles were reversed, Le Zhuo didn’t quite know what to do.
“Mhm?” Bai Jiao stilled, lifting his gaze to look quietly at the person sitting on his lap.
“You… why…” Le Zhuo trailed off.
“What about me?” Bai Jiao’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Baby, can you not speak in half sentences?”
Le Zhuo flushed with embarrassment, nestling his face into Bai Jiao’s neck in a clingy, affectionate manner.
“Jiao Jiao… I… I want…”
He was already reacting, instinctively rubbing closer against Bai Jiao.
“Want what?” Bai Jiao remained unmoved.
Le Zhuo knew he was doing it on purpose, yet he couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.
Biting his lip, he lowered his head and hastily began tugging at Bai Jiao’s clothes. “Want you…”
“What?”
“Want you!” Le Zhuo bit down on Bai Jiao’s lips. Overcome with emotion, there was a soft thump above his head as two white ears tipped with black markings suddenly appeared.
“What’s this? Partial transformation?” Bai Jiao reached up and pinched one of his ears.
The snow leopard ears trembled slightly in his grasp.
“I got too excited… couldn’t hold it in,” Le Zhuo admitted in a small, flushed voice.
“Adorable. What about your tail?” Bai Jiao’s hand slid behind him. “Let it out.”
He had learned about it before, but this was the first time he had actually seen it.
“Mm…” Le Zhuo’s waist softened at the touch and sure enough, a tail emerged.
“Where does it grow from?”
Bai Jiao lifted him up and tossed him onto the bed, becoming the one to take initiative now as he examined where the tail extended from.
It stretched out from his tailbone, long and supple, its texture just as it had always been.
“Jiao Jiao…” Le Zhuo’s tail curled around Bai Jiao’s wrist, tugging lightly, a silent invitation.
“You want it that much?” Bai Jiao rubbed at the base of his tail, drawing a soft sound from him before finally indulging him.
“Today… is our wedding night,” Le Zhuo said softly.
“Then we should indeed do what a wedding night calls for,” Bai Jiao replied, pressing a kiss to the tip of his tail. “Don’t pull it back in.”
…
By the time Bai Jiao’s parents came to their senses, everything had already been settled. They had no choice but to alter the original engagement arrangement and urge Le Shan and Bai Feng to marry as soon as possible.
Bai Jiao spent the night idly playing with his “cat,” and when he woke the next day and heard the news, he wasn’t surprised in the least.
Le Zhuo, on the other hand, was so happy that he clung to Bai Jiao and insisted on going another round, nearly exhausting his own waist in the process.
Worse still, every time, Bai Jiao would heighten certain of his senses, making it impossible for him to stop, unwilling to let go. When it was over, the contrast was overwhelming, the pleasure had been intense, but so too was the lingering ache, leaving him feeling utterly undone.
If ordinary mental suggestion had worked on Le Zhuo, Bai Jiao would have long since experimented with using mental power in more intimate ways.
That opportunity came soon enough.
After working tirelessly for over half a month, Le Zhuo finally completed the remaining nine robots Bai Jiao had ordered.
He stopped pretending altogether and came clean, dragging Bai Jiao straight into his office and making him carry them downstairs himself.
“Since when does a shop owner make the boss carry their own delivery home?” Bai Jiao leaned against the doorframe, unmoving, a faint smile in his eyes.
His transfer order had been revoked, though his promotion remained intact. He now held the rank of lieutenant general, his rise could be called unprecedented.
“I can’t carry them all by myself,” Le Zhuo said, his voice unconsciously tinged with a hint of coquettishness.
What he really wanted was to see where Bai Jiao would take the robots. These past few days, he had noticed that the robots would often show as being in use, yet every time he went to look for Bai Jiao, Bai Jiao appeared perfectly normal.
The whole thing had become a mystery in his mind.
“Why not just turn them on and let them walk themselves?” Bai Jiao posed the question plainly.
Le Zhuo fell silent.
Bai Jiao activated all the robots. Nine identical versions of Le Zhuo stood in a row, neatly greeting him in unison as “Master.”
It was a rather peculiar feeling.
Bai Jiao looked at the real Le Zhuo, amusement flickering in his eyes as he reached out and pinched his cheek. “Well done.”
This was simply part of the robots’ default settings, not something Le Zhuo had deliberately programmed so that they would call Bai Jiao “Master.”
“Why did you buy ten robots modeled after me?” Le Zhuo finally couldn’t hold back his question.
“I’m supporting your business, but I don’t like other designs, so I customized them according to my preference. Is that not allowed?”
“So you recognized me at a glance and everything after that was just you teasing me?”
“You were the one deceiving me first, hiding the fact that you weren’t actually a fool. I figured it out myself, how does that count as me deceiving you?”
Everything he said was true. Le Zhuo found himself unable to argue and could only wrap his arms around Bai Jiao, apologizing softly, admitting it was all his fault.
“All that is in the past now. We’re together now, so you’re not allowed to lie to me again in the future.” Bai Jiao pinched his cheek lightly.
“Okay, I won’t ever lie to you again.” Le Zhuo nodded obediently.
Bai Jiao simply lifted him into his arms and headed downstairs, the robots following along behind them.
Le Zhuo clung to Bai Jiao like a koala, but when he noticed a whole row of identical robots behind them staring at him, he shut his eyes in embarrassment.
“Where are you going to put the robots?”
Being stared at by nine robots that looked exactly like himself felt far too strange.
“In the wardrobe,” Bai Jiao replied.
“Huh?” Le Zhuo had always shared a room with Bai Jiao, yet he had never seen any robots in the wardrobe.
Bai Jiao led him to a room on the first floor and opened the door. Inside was an array of dazzling… intimate clothing.
Le Zhuo was stunned, his expression turning odd, clearly not expecting Bai Jiao to have such preferences.
“Jiaojiao, you…”
Bai Jiao ushered the remaining nine robots inside and shut the door.
“What’s wrong? These robots are just sitting around anyway. Might as well use them as mannequins.”
He seemed quite satisfied with his arrangement.
He wouldn’t do anything excessive with the robots, playing dress-up hardly counted as anything serious.
Besides, he had his own private motives.
“It’s nothing… I just didn’t expect you to like these.” Le Zhuo’s face reddened. His gaze landed on the rabbit outfit worn by the first robot that had been delivered, lingering on the tail behind it and he suddenly understood why his system had shown that the robot had been in continuous use.
“Want to try one? No matter what they wear, it definitely won’t look as good as it does on you.” Bai Jiao took his hand and led him around to admire the collection.
Le Zhuo fell silent.
“Well, if you don’t want to, that’s fine. Go take care of your things first.” Bai Jiao kissed his neck and, being considerate, didn’t push him further, even walking him out.
Le Zhuo was completely dazed, his mind filled with those outfits, unable to react for quite a while.
Inside, Bai Jiao curved his lips slightly before turning back to dress his other nine “mannequins” in equally adorable outfits.
Sure enough, not long after, Le Zhuo pushed the door open again. His cheeks were even redder than before and he could barely bring himself to look inside.
All the robots that looked exactly like him had been dressed and were now walking in a runway-like display.
The wardrobe room was enormous. The floor was covered with a soft pale pink carpet and there was a large sofa placed inside. Bai Jiao lounged on it, holding a tablet as he browsed for new outfits. Hearing the door open, he glanced up.
“What is it?”
Le Zhuo slowly edged closer to him, glancing at the identical robots dressed in sheer, half-revealing fabrics, then turned his head to look at Bai Jiao.
His voice was barely above a whisper. “Jiaojiao… which one do you like the most?”
Bai Jiao liked every single one, otherwise, he wouldn’t have bought them.
“Today, I like this one the most.”
Clearly prepared, Bai Jiao picked up an outfit from beside him that resembled a sailor uniform.
“…You were waiting for me here, weren’t you?” Le Zhuo took the clothes, intending to return to the bedroom to change, but Bai Jiao caught hold of him.
“Mm. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, so I don’t want you going somewhere else to change,” Bai Jiao tugged lightly at his already loose sleepwear. “Change here for me, alright?”
What could Le Zhuo possibly say? Bai Jiao had practically asked him, there was no way he could refuse. With trembling hands and flushed cheeks, he shyly began to remove his clothes.
“Good boy.”
Bai Jiao’s hand traced over his firm upper body, his fingers lingering as he toyed with him.
Le Zhuo’s senses had been adjusted by Bai Jiao to their peak, every touch amplified countless times over.
Which meant that even such simple movements were enough to make him lose all strength.
“Looks like you can’t dress yourself anymore.”
Bai Jiao unfolded the outfit and carefully helped Le Zhuo put it on. The skirt, however, was a bit troublesome, requiring Le Zhuo to stand up.
Le Zhuo had very little body hair, his legs long, pale and strikingly beautiful.
In a good mood, Bai Jiao slipped the skirt onto him along with the small triangular undergarment, the skirt only covering half of it.
Like admiring the finest piece of art, now that the original was right in front of him, Bai Jiao no longer had any interest in those imitation robots.
“Jiaojiao…” Le Zhuo looked down at the scant fabric on his body, a trace of pleading in his voice.
The outfit was far too embarrassing. The oversized bow at the collar did nothing to conceal what lay beneath.
Moreover, with his senses heightened by Bai Jiao, even the softest fabric felt like constant friction against his skin.
“Look at what you’re wearing now, doesn’t it look like a school uniform?”
Bai Jiao applied a mental suggestion, clearly conveying within his consciousness that he wanted to alter Le Zhuo’s current perception, seeking his consent.
Le Zhuo’s mental strength was completely compliant. Without the slightest resistance, he agreed.
“It does…”
“It’s not just similar, this is a school uniform and right now, school has just ended.”
As Bai Jiao’s words fell, Le Zhuo felt the surroundings rapidly shift.
He found himself standing in a sparsely populated subway carriage. There weren’t many people, just a few scattered passengers, each occupied with their own affairs.
Le Zhuo blinked in confusion and saw Bai Jiao beside him, also dressed in a school uniform.
However, Bai Jiao’s uniform was different, simple black-and-white sportswear that made him look much younger, with a hint of youthful innocence in his features.
“Jiaojiao, where is this?” Le Zhuo instinctively moved closer to him, trying to cover the exposed parts of himself.
“This is a place I constructed within my mental world,” Bai Jiao explained.
When one’s mental strength reached a certain level, it could create illusions, just like now, with Le Zhuo immersed in the illusion Bai Jiao had built.
Under the influence of the suggestion, Le Zhuo couldn’t clearly distinguish what was real and what was not.
Suddenly, the carriage doors opened and a crowd of people poured in, quickly filling the subway until it was packed tight.
Some of them lowered their heads to fiddle with their personal terminals, some turned their backs and others chatted among themselves, instantly turning the once-quiet carriage into a noisy, bustling space.
An elderly man entered and Bai Jiao pulled Le Zhuo aside to give up their seat, squeezing into the corner of the carriage.
This kind of “squeezing” wasn’t real, of course, it was the robots cooperating, but to Le Zhuo, it all felt completely real.
“Zhuozhuo… are you… leaking?”
Sentinels didn’t have this kind of reaction, but Bai Jiao could fabricate the illusion. The moment he said it, Le Zhuo’s whole body heated up, his legs going weak as Bai Jiao half-held him in his arms.
A single thread naturally couldn’t hold back the flow. Panicked, Le Zhuo tried to stop it, pressing his legs tightly together, terrified that someone might notice.
“Jiaojiao, what do I do?” Le Zhuo clutched Bai Jiao’s arm, seeking help.
In his memory, they were simply on their way home from school, just two ordinary students. Bai Jiao wasn’t even his lover, just a neighbor who lived across the hall and walked home with him.
But because of his own subconscious influence, the storyline Bai Jiao had originally set began to deviate. In Le Zhuo’s perception, he was secretly in love with Bai Jiao.
“Turn around, let me take a look,” Bai Jiao said “kindly,” helping him check before concluding, “There’s too much. You need something to block it.”
“B-block it?” Le Zhuo was stunned.
But it seemed there was no other way.
He bit his lip and asked, “Then… how do you block it?”
“I’ll help you?”
Bai Jiao’s expression remained calm, though the tips of his ears were faintly red.
Facing Le Zhuo like this, even his own emotions were no longer steady.
Le Zhuo trusted Bai Jiao completely and nodded without hesitation.
Bai Jiao drew out the thread, pressing close to Le Zhuo as he murmured softly by his ear, “Zhuozhuo, keep your voice down, or someone will notice.”
“Mhm…” Le Zhuo glanced around nervously, making sure no one was looking. “Y-you… hurry up.”
Bai Jiao lifted the hem of Le Zhuo’s skirt and began to help him.
“Can’t hurry.”
The moment Le Zhuo was “blocked,” he almost cried out.
“W-what… ah…”
There wasn’t a single bit of space left. It felt like he was being stretched to the limit. Not only did the “flow” not lessen, it seemed to increase instead.
“Don’t talk. Someone’s watching.”
Bai Jiao turned his face toward him and kissed him, muttering indistinctly, “Let me block your mouth too.”
Le Zhuo couldn’t even stand anymore, his entire body relying on Bai Jiao for support. Even so, faint, uncontrollable whimpers escaped his throat.
Doing something like this on the subway… in front of so many people…
“No… ah, no… mm… mm… Jiaojiao… Jiaojiao…” Le Zhuo begged softly.
The fabric at his front had long since been pulled aside. Bai Jiao turned him around, lifting his legs to wrap around his waist, completely ignoring Le Zhuo’s pleas.
Though his lips begged for mercy, his body was painfully honest.
Clinging, responding, kissing back, tears slid from the corners of his eyes, only fueling Bai Jiao’s rising excitement.
People came and went all around them. Le Zhuo felt as if someone had seen, yet also as if no one had. He vaguely wondered if they had already passed their stop. In the end, his consciousness blurred, leaving behind only tearful pleas and broken cries.
………
Le Zhuo passed out.
Bai Jiao carried him to the bathroom and carefully cleaned him up.
It wasn’t the first time, but it was probably the fastest he had ever fainted.
Bai Jiao had forgotten to adjust Le Zhuo’s stamina, but it was good enough for today. He had no intention of pushing him any further.
In the end, Bai Jiao went to sleep contentedly, holding Le Zhuo in his arms, having gained a new understanding of his abilities in this world.
Now that Bai Jiao no longer needed to train new recruits, the next morning after finishing his workout, he brought back several portions of highly-rated breakfast from outside the academy. However, at the villa entrance, he saw Bai Feng, who had grown gaunt and frail.
He was completely different from before. The pampered young master he once was had vanished, leaving behind a haggard face, as though he had aged twenty years.
“Brother, what brings you here? Where are my sister-in-law and nephew?” A trace of mockery flickered in Bai Jiao’s eyes as he spoke indifferently. “I heard you’ve been busy enjoying your honeymoon lately. How did you find the time to come see me?”
“Jiaojiao… I… I came to find you. I have something to ask.”
Upstairs, Le Zhuo was still asleep, unaware of everything.
Bai Jiao had no intention of letting him in. “What is it that can’t be said over the phone?”
“Jiaojiao, I beg you…”
Bai Feng had barely begun before Bai Jiao interrupted him. “Brother, back then, Mom and Dad both opposed it. I was the only one who supported you being with Le Shan. What could you possibly need to beg me for now?”
Those words did nothing to stop Bai Feng.
He pressed his lips together and made as if to kneel.
Bai Jiao cut him off again. “Wait. Don’t kneel yet. Speak first.”
“I regret it.” Bai Feng lowered his head, not daring to meet Bai Jiao’s gaze.
“Regret what?” Bai Jiao wasn’t surprised; he had already expected this. “Don’t tell me you regret being with Le Shan? But you already have a child together. If you really regret it, I support you getting a divorce. If Mom and Dad don’t support you, I will, as your younger brother. I’ll help you. But beyond that… brother, my abilities are limited.”
The meaning in Bai Jiao’s words couldn’t have been clearer, yet Bai Feng seemed not to understand at all. He knelt down anyway.
“I regret it. I truly regret it. Jiaojiao, this is the last time. Please… give Le Zhuo back to me. I’m begging you. Give him back to me…”
The capital, where it felt like spring all year round, wasn’t cold. The ground was soft and damp; when he knelt, there was not even a sound.
Bai Feng truly regretted it. His once-controlled mind had finally cleared, but it was far too late.
“Brother, what are you talking about? Le Zhuo has always been my fiance. When was he ever yours? It’s something the whole world knows. How could you not?”
Bai Jiao stepped back, turning to open the villa door, with no intention of helping Bai Feng up.
Still clinging to old habits, Bai Feng crawled forward on his knees, trying to grab him. “No, no, that’s not true. He used to be my fiance. I was wrong. I truly know I was wrong. Please, just give him back to me, Jiaojiao. I’m begging you. The one I love is him. I just realized it too late. I really can’t live without him… without him, I won’t survive…”
“Brother, I’ve already done everything I possibly could.”
Bai Jiao let out a sigh, feigning helplessness, then shut the door directly in Bai Feng’s face. He even activated the soundproofing system, so no matter how Bai Feng knocked or pleaded outside, not a single sound could be heard from within the villa.
He set the breakfast down properly before heading upstairs to the bedroom. Seeing Le Zhuo sleeping peacefully on the bed, a faint warmth rose in his heart.
Bai Jiao reached out, pinched Le Zhuo’s cheek and leaned down to kiss him lightly.
“Zhuozhuo, wake up. Time to eat.”
“Mmm…” Half-awakened, Le Zhuo groggily wrapped his arms around Bai Jiao, his voice soft and drowsy. “Sleepy… kiss me again.”