The pavilion was dead silent.
The busy maids and attendants around them had also held their breath. Their attention and gazes quietly focused on Xi Xiuran, all waiting for him to answer a question that was tantamount to asking, “If your mom and your girlfriend fell into the water, who would you save?”
If he didn’t see him, it implied a guilty conscience. What would Admiral Shi think?
If he did see him, the ex and the current husband would be gathered in one room. If not handled well, the Shura Field would turn into an execution ground.
Xi Xiuran lowered his eyes.
Because the look in someone’s eyes when they want to stab a person cannot be hidden.
Right now, Xi Xiuran truly wanted to stab the Emperor, this guy who thought the chaos wasn’t big enough. Right? Right? Are you a damn answering machine?!
As for Shi Xingzhou…
What fault could the boss possibly have? Moreover, he’s a terminally ill patient; I must keep the key principles of end-of-life care firmly in mind.
—Gentle and tolerant.
Xi Xiuran pursed his lips and smiled, looking gentle and tolerant. “I don’t have any thoughts on the matter. If the Admiral and His Majesty are curious, you may summon Major General Ying.”
Isn’t this just kicking the ball back?
I know how to do that too!
Whichever one of you is interested can summon him; anyway, it has nothing to do with me.
Rubbing his fingertips together, Shi Xingzhou looked at him with a half-smile.
The Emperor laughed outright. Smiling with malicious intent, he spoke with textbook “Green Tea” language: “I was just a tiny bit curious, that’s all. Cousin-in-law doesn’t need to mind me, really. If you just did this to satisfy my curiosity, Cousin-in-law would be unhappy, wouldn’t you?”
F\*\*k!
Xi Xiuran ignored him. Turning to Shi Xingzhou, he asked, “Does His Majesty really love drinking tea?”
This tea flavor is so strong. I take back the ‘internet-addicted teenager’ tag; I should bestow upon him the title of ‘Master of Tea Arts'[1]绿茶 / 茶艺大师 (Green Tea / Master of Tea Arts): “Green Tea” (or Green Tea Bitch) is Chinese internet slang for someone (usually a girl, but guys can be it too!) who acts innocent, … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2023325_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2023325_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
The corners of Shi Xingzhou’s mouth curved up silently. He cast a glance at the Emperor and gave a faint “Mm.” “He loves drinking tea.”
The Emperor: “…”
Damn it!
Before long, Ying Huachi followed the Captain of the Guard to the lakeside pavilion.
“Your Majesty—”
Ying Huachi was just about to bow in greeting when the Emperor waved his hand and said, “Dispense with that. There’s no need for these empty formalities with me. Major General Ying, did you come looking for me today for a specific matter?”
Ying Huachi was clearly very accustomed to the Emperor’s casual style of speaking and doing things. Standing up straight, he was just about to deliver the speech he had drafted in his head when he finally noticed there were two other people sitting in the pavilion.
Admiral Shi?!
He’s actually awake!
Ying Huachi’s pupils shrank violently, and he almost averted his gaze out of a guilty conscience. But then he remembered that he had handled the marriage swap very cleanly. Unless the Xi family and Deputy Director Zhao exposed themselves, there was absolutely no way Shi Xingzhou could find out anything. Besides, even if Shi Xingzhou did find out, so what? He was just a madman who could barely stay conscious and only had a few days left to live.
Ying Huachi relaxed his heart slightly. But when his peripheral vision caught sight of the person sitting next to Shi Xingzhou, he paused again, a look of uncontrollable amazement surfacing on his face.
The youth sat amidst the bright spring sunshine, his head turned to look at the lush greenery and blooming flowers of the spring scenery by the lake. The sunlight coated him in a faint layer of gold, making his features look vivid and alive, more vibrant than a courtyard full of spring grass. As if sensing his gaze, the youth turned his head. Ethereal and elegant, his eyes captivating, those clear, bright green eyes were even more soul-stirring than the ten miles of spring lake scenery behind him.
At first glance of such breathtaking beauty, I mistakenly thought it was someone else.
It wasn’t until the youth slowly turned his head, revealing those signature green eyes, that Ying Huachi realized with a shock that it was actually Xi Xiuran.
The amazement in his eyes instantly transformed into disgust. Ying Huachi furrowed his brows tightly.
Why is Xi Xiuran here?
Where did he find out my itinerary this time, running over to pester me so shamelessly?
Recalling all the times Xi Xiuran had relentlessly stalked and harassed him in the past, Ying Huachi’s gaze turned icy. He was just about to shoot a warning glare at Xi Xiuran to tell him to know his place, when, to his surprise, the other party retracted his gaze first, not even sparing him a second glance.
What new trick is this guy pulling now?
Toward his fiancé, Xi Xiuran, Ying Huachi truly didn’t have a single ounce of goodwill; in fact, he loathed him from the bottom of his heart. The fact that the other party suddenly wasn’t staring at him with an infatuated gaze like before made Ying Huachi subconsciously feel he was playing some new trick to grab his attention.
Ying Huachi sneered internally. Truly as stupid and malicious as ever, only capable of playing these petty, unpresentable tricks.
As an S-rank top-tier Alpha, Ying Huachi not only possessed an enviable family background but also outstanding looks and exceptional military talent. Having reached the rank of Major General before turning twenty-five, he was hailed as the “Rising Star” of the Empire—a true favored son of heaven. Compared to other Alphas who racked their brains trying to win an Omega’s favor in hopes of successfully bonding with a partner and soothing their turbulent Mental Power before their inhibitors failed, Ying Huachi only needed to wave his hand, and there would be plenty of Omegas climbing into his bed.
However, Ying Huachi looked down on those vulgar and ordinary Omegas. He felt that the only Omegas worthy of him were the few most noble and rare S-rank Omegas in the Empire.
But Ying Huachi never expected that he actually had a marriage contract tying him down.
When he was five years old and had just been tested and predicted to present as an Alpha, his father and “papa”[2]male Omega parent jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2023325_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2023325_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); had arranged a marriage for him. It wasn’t a verbal agreement, but a legally binding contract directly submitted to the Matching Center for review and registration.
As long as the child he was engaged to didn’t present as an Alpha in the future—whether they presented as an Omega or a Beta—their marriage contract would remain permanently valid. And if they wanted to dissolve the engagement, both parties had to go to the Matching Center together after coming of age to apply, and the Alpha party would have to pay the other a massive sum of compensation.
This gambling-style method of engagement was very popular decades ago. Because Omegas were simply too rare and precious, the parents of some Alpha children would select a future partner for their child early on; it was especially popular among the upper-class nobility. But because this method practically severed the chances of middle and lower-class nobles and commoner Alphas forming bonds with high-level Omegas, the government, royal family, and parliament held multiple discussions and eventually introduced a policy banning the practice 15 years ago.
Ying Huachi was considered to have caught the final train of “state-allocated wives,” which made many people incredibly envious. Unfortunately, he himself completely looked down on this broken policy, finding it ridiculous. But thinking it was ultimately out of his parents’ good intentions, he was too lazy to argue. He figured that when that child came of age, if he found them pleasing to the eye, he would marry them to make his parents happy; if not, he would just pay them off with a sum of money. It was just the son of a minor noble, after all.
However, after meeting Xi Mengchen and falling in love with him at first sight, this marriage contract became a thorn in Ying Huachi’s heart.
His fiancé was actually Xi Mengchen’s older brother. How could he bear this?
Ying Huachi could only suppress his feelings deep in his heart, even consoling himself to trust his parents’ judgment. They were both children of the Xi family; the eldest son, Xi Xiuran, whom he was engaged to, shouldn’t be too bad. Perhaps because of their blood relation, he and Mengchen would look very similar. If all else failed, he could even use this to satisfy some dark, unspeakable psychological desires.
And so, he quietly bought a spaceship ticket to the remote planet, wanting to meet his fiancé.
However, without comparison, there is no harm; the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
Ying Huachi never expected his fiancé to be such a gloomy, silent person with absolutely no upbringing and unbearably vulgar behavior. Moreover, as an Omega, he had absolutely no self-respect, tangling with a group of shady commoner Alphas on the street, and eventually even getting into a physical scuffle.
Compared to the clean, gentle, kind, and exceptionally well-bred Xi Mengchen, Xi Xiuran was truly unpresentable. The mere thought of being engaged to such a person made Ying Huachi sick to his stomach, but he still stepped in to save him, and then turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
Returning to the Capital Star, Ying Huachi immediately went to the front-line battlefield, wanting to accumulate more military merits and wealth as quickly as possible. He wanted to earn the right to break the engagement from his father through his own strength. But he never expected that just as he was fully prepared, Xi Xiuran would arrive at the Capital Star from the remote planet a step ahead of him, and from then on began to stalk and pester him relentlessly, refusing to be driven away.
Thinking of this, Ying Huachi shot another warning glare at Xi Xiuran, hoping that after yesterday’s lesson, this brat would behave honestly and stop his wishful thinking and unreasonable pestering.
Xi Xiuran was baffled by the glare. Bro, what is your problem?
Instead of hurrying up and begging the Emperor to approve your marriage contract, why are you wasting time glaring at me here?
Do you think this Shura Field isn’t awkward enough? You want something more stimulating, so you want me to add fuel to the fire?
Xi Xiuran lowered his eyes, trying hard to suppress his restless heart that wanted to stir up trouble.
Really, if this wasn’t in a novel, and if this wasn’t the highly sweet main plotline of the Protagonist Gong and Shou, Xi Xiuran would have already started roasting him non-stop.
I’m begging you, hurry up and finish your plotline and get lost.
Just looking at you is annoying.
Xi Xiuran lowered his eyes to try and rein in his temper, but it looked different in the eyes of the bystanders. The youth had a slight figure, and with his thick black eyelashes lowered, he looked exceptionally submissive and innocent.
Ying Huachi was taken aback. Submissive and innocent?
Shi Xingzhou took in both of their reactions and scoffed silently. Infatuated stalking?
“Major General Ying, what exactly did you come looking for me for?” Not seeing the expected Shura Field, the Emperor couldn’t help but speak up to remind him, interrupting Ying Huachi’s scrutiny of Xi Xiuran.
Ying Huachi snapped back to reality and bowed to the Emperor: “Your Majesty, I have come this time to ask for a favor.”
Because there were too many monks and not enough meat[3]high demand, low supply jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2023325_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2023325_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, even though Ying Huachi was a Major General and had accumulated enough military merits, after dissolving his old engagement, he still needed to wait in line for a month to submit a new marriage contract.
But Ying Huachi couldn’t wait that long.
He liked Xi Mengchen, having yearned for him for so many years that he even dreamed about him constantly. Having finally waited until Mengchen accepted his proposal, he just wanted to quickly marry him and bring him home.
Especially last night, while he was taking care of the poisoned and comatose Xi Mengchen, Mengchen suddenly grabbed his arm. Mengchen seemed to be trapped in a terrifying nightmare, crying continuously as he said, “I’m sorry… Brother… Brother, I beg you to forgive me… Don’t kill me… I was wrong… But I really like Major General Ying… I’m sorry…”
Ying Huachi felt as if he had been struck by lightning at that moment. His pheromones exploded with excitement, making him even happier than when Xi Mengchen had accepted his proposal.
The possessiveness and desire for control carved into an Alpha’s bones reached their peak.
—He wanted to marry Mengchen, mark him, possess him, and make him belong to him forever!
“Your Majesty, I wish to implore you to approve the marriage contract between myself and the Second Young Master of the Xi family, Xi Mengchen.”
In the entire Empire, only His Majesty the Emperor could bypass the Matching Center and directly command the Mainframe to approve a marriage contract.
The air in the pavilion stagnated once again.
Everyone’s gazes, including Ying Huachi’s, converged on Xi Xiuran.
Xi Xiuran: “…”
Oh, this familiar, stinging sensation.
It’s the taste of a Shura Field and melons.
But why am I the person involved!
Xi Xiuran: TOT
T/n: You can support the original author here. Happy Reading 💅
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