Chapter 96 – Are you running?
Jian Luo looked at the mirror for a while, sighed, and finally decided to go out first, as there was no point in staying here. It was just a waste of time. He opened the bathroom door, intending to hurry and change into a new set of clothes. However, as soon as he opened the door, he froze. Lu Shifeng was standing there, eyeing him.
“…”
There was a moment of silence in the air. Lu Shifeng’s gaze swept over him, and there was a hint of mockery in his usually cold eyes. He smirked, his intentions unclear.
Jian Luo stood frozen in place, his ears turning bright red. He was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed. “Why did you suddenly return?”
Lu Shifeng raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t this my place too?”
“…” Jian Luo hurriedly walked towards the wardrobe, grabbed a coat to cover up his embarrassing appearance, muttering, “Yes, you just startled me.”
As he spoke, he tried to put on the coat, but when he glanced down, he realized it was blue.
Jian Luo widened his eyes. Lu Shifeng walked over, his military boots making crisp, resolute sounds on the floor. Jian Luo nervously took a couple of steps back.
Finally, Lu Shifeng stopped in front of him, extended his hand, and his well-defined fingers slowly approached. This made Jian Luo’s heart race, and he stammered, “What… what are you doing? I’m still in the early stages.”
Lu Shifeng picked up the coat in Jian Luo’s hand. “You can’t wear this.”
Huh? Jian Luo’s gaze shifted to the coat in Lu Shifeng’s hand, only to discover that it was the random piece of clothing he had grabbed, and to his horror, it was Lu Shifeng’s military uniform!
Annoyance surged within Jian Luo. He felt somewhat indignant. “I picked up the wrong one.”
Lu Shifeng responded with a simple “Hmm,” and tossed the coat back into the wardrobe. He then looked down at Jian Luo’s new outfit.
Jian Luo was initially embarrassed, but suddenly, he noticed the room had fallen silent. He raised his head inquisitively, only to be met with Lu Shifeng’s scrutinizing gaze.
What? Jian Luo instantly retreated half a meter, then leaped onto the bed, hiding under the blanket. “Don’t look!”
Lu Shifeng stood there, observing the little rabbit hopping around. The tail of his outfit swayed with each movement, giving it a dynamic quality. Originally meant to be somewhat sexy, the clothing on him appeared more like children’s attire, and it looked cute.
Lu Shifeng finally spoke, his voice exuding magnetism with a hint of huskiness. “Who gave you this outfit?”
“…” Jian Luo hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. “It was Ya Jie. Don’t blame her; it’s a gift.”
Lu Shifeng raised an eyebrow. “Ya Jie?”
Jian Luo nodded.
He had prepared himself for some strict words from the Marshal, thinking he might need to plead with him to avoid causing trouble for Ya Jie. After all, he wasn’t a heartless person. But to his surprise, Lu Shifeng casually said, “Not bad.”
Jian Luo was taken aback. “Very creative.”
Lu Shifeng sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his long legs, and looked at Jian Luo with a raised eyebrow, his tone lazy. “You just thought I neglected your needs.”
Jian Luo frantically nodded. “Of course, it’s true!”
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
In the end, Jian Luo couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the Marshal seemed a bit disappointed in the end.
What are you disappointed about?
Lu Shifeng turned around. “Go change in the bathroom.”
Jian Luo, seeing that Lu Shifeng was no longer teasing him and feeling a bit uncomfortable, found the Marshal’s behavior quite strange. When he was persistent, you wanted to retreat, and when he gave up, you felt a bit off balance. The pure human Jian Luo was now caught up in this dilemma.
In the end, he swiftly grabbed a new set of clothes and went to the bathroom to change. In passing, he said, “I’ve left some food for you in the small cupboard next to it. It’s still warm, so make sure to eat it.”
Lu Shifeng watched him dash into the bathroom, squinting his eyes. Eventually, he got up and headed to the neighboring room’s bathroom.
…
When Jian Luo emerged, the Marshal was already having his meal at the table. Jian Luo, while drying his hair, sat down and asked, “Is it delicious?”
Lu Shifeng said, “I heard the Queen visited you.”
“Yep,” Jian Luo didn’t want to tell him everything, “Because discussing herb matters is always important. We also had a meal together.”
This man was truly formidable. Sometimes Jian Luo felt a bit creepy because it seemed like he knew everything about his daily activities, whom he met, and what he did.
Lu Shifeng said, “Don’t talk to her much.”
Jian Luo was indignant, “Why?”
“Most likely, she’s faking her illness,” Lu Shifeng scooped some soup with a spoon, “Staying here is probably just a ploy to find an opportunity to escape.”
“…”
Really? Jian Luo suddenly felt his perspective had shifted a bit. Why was the Queen getting close to him? Could she have some ulterior motive, planning to use him? The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. “Are you afraid she’ll use me to escape?”
“No,” Lu Shifeng raised an eyebrow, leaning back on the couch, his tone relaxed. “I’m afraid you’ll be wasting your effort.”
“What…” What is this man thinking? However, Lu Shifeng’s warning did make Jian Luo more vigilant in dealing with the Queen. They might need to stay on the Industrial Star for a few more days because Lu Shifeng had strict requirements for custom-made defense shields, and they had to work with the local engineers. As a family member, Jian Luo had some leisure time on the Industrial Star. He suddenly received a message from the Little Emperor: “Luo Luo!”
When the message arrived, Jian Luo was still organizing the herb inventory he had collected from Earth. He was startled and sighed before replying, “What’s up?”
The Little Emperor quickly responded, “Just missed you. How’s the honeymoon going? If Lu Shifeng isn’t treating you well, I can find someone else for you!”
“…” Jian Luo still valued his life, and he didn’t want the Little Emperor to badmouth him behind Lu Shifeng’s back. So, he replied, “It’s okay.”
But he couldn’t help but wonder why the Little Emperor was suddenly reaching out to him. After all, the Little Emperor was, well, the Emperor. Although he had a somewhat casual demeanor, he was still the Emperor. Now, the Emperor was humbly saying he wanted to discuss something with him?
Jian Luo put down his work and asked, “What is it?”
“I want you to livestream every day when you have time,” the Little Emperor said. “You can share some information about our offspring, or even just cooking.”
“… Why?” Jian Luo was puzzled.
The Little Emperor answered straightforwardly, “Because the data from the Phoenix Platform in the past two days shows that after your last livestream, the overall national happiness index increased by 20%, social benefits went up, and even Dark Star’s stocks hit the limit up. Moreover, more people who were originally resistant to the idea of having offspring are now signing up for it.”
“???” Jian Luo widened his eyes. “Is that for real?”
The Little Emperor sighed and finally got to the point, “So, Luo Luo, I want you to consider it. If you can spare time for daily livestreams, we’ll treat it as a job, and you’ll receive 1 million credits in your account every month. As a significant contributor to humanity, we’ll also waive various taxes for you.”
Jian Luo pondered for a moment. It seemed feasible. He was in dire need of money to invest in building factories and acquiring new protective shields. Earlier, he had calculated that he would need at least a billion credits as initial capital. Additionally, the interstellar delivery company he had planned, along with the research and development of bubble tea, required funding. Now, he had a job that could earn him money without much hassle, so how could he refuse?
Thinking it over, Jian Luo responded, “Alright, I agree. I’ll make sure the minimum length of each livestream is not less than one hour, or I won’t be comfortable taking the money.”
The Little Emperor chuckled, “You’ve got it. Otherwise, if the stream is too short, Lu Shifeng may not approve.”
“…”
Jian Luo suddenly had a frightening thought, “Did you discuss this with Dragon Brother?”
The Little Emperor sighed, “I did, but he declined. He said you should rest properly and not tire yourself every day.”
Of course, he did. Jian Luo sighed inwardly. He wasn’t tired at all. As long as there was money to be made, he would gladly go out and make it.
…
After brushing off the Little Emperor, Jian Luo began organizing the herbs. Although Lu Shifeng had mentioned that the Queen was pretending, Jian Luo took the herb mixing seriously.
After consulting with a traditional Chinese medicine recipe and double-checking the dosages, he began brewing the medicine. During the process, Secretary Jin came by and was nearly overwhelmed by the scent, “Luo Luo, what are you cooking?”
“Medicine,” Jian Luo replied without looking up. “Want to taste it?”
“No, thanks. Enjoy it yourself,” Secretary Jin declined.
“…”
Not just Secretary Jin, even Lu Shifeng could detect the herbal aroma that seemed to cling to Jian Luo. Although the Marshal never voiced his aversion, it was clear that he noticed it.
Jian Luo was puzzled, “Is it really that bad?”
The answer became clear during one of his livestreams that evening. While he was cooking, the nearby pot of medicine was almost done, so Jian Luo went to check it. When he lifted the lid, an intense medicinal smell filled the entire livestream room, nearly driving away the viewers who had some reservations about the odor.
“Biochemical weapon?”
“I’ve never smelled anything so bad in my life.”
“Jian Luo, you work so hard.”
“Poor guy, experiencing this pain when giving birth.”
All at once, there was a surge of virtual gifts, and everyone expressed sympathy for Jian Luo, advising him to take care of his health.
Jian Luo, “…”
Due to the viewers’ comments, Jian Luo felt a bit disheartened. That night, he received a bit of a shock when Lu Shifeng returned home.
Jian Luo sniffed himself and moved closer to Lu Shifeng, almost squeezing himself into the man’s arms. He extended his arm and brought it close to Lu Shifeng’s face, saying, “Do you think the medicine smell on me is bad?”
Lu Shifeng raised an eyebrow and said, “Not unpleasant.”
“Stop lying.” Jian Luo wanted to expose his true thoughts, so he moved even closer, almost pushing himself into Lu Shifeng’s embrace. He held his arm up to Lu Shifeng’s face, “Smell it again.”
Lu Shifeng had nowhere to escape but chose to remain still. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Jian Luo.”
Jian Luo, “Hmm?”
“If you keep doing this, I won’t go any further.”
“I just remembered something.”
Of course, the person who suffered the most from the smell was the Queen, who had to drink the unpleasant medicinal soup even though she was pretending to be ill.
Jian Luo couldn’t fathom what the Queen was thinking. It could be due to her control being compromised, but her illness actually began to improve. On the day they were leaving, a grand farewell banquet was held.
Jian Luo wiped away the sweat on his forehead and commented, “Is the room decoration on the Industrial Star always this hardcore?”
Secretary Jin replied, “Seems like it.”
The entire venue was filled with various metallic and mechanical elements, making it look more like a factory than a banquet hall, which was quite unusual.
The Queen and the Commander were standing together in front, looking exceptionally harmonious. She was dressed in a red gown today, and her complexion had improved significantly. Her once innocent appearance had transformed into something entirely different. She seemed to sense Jian Luo’s gaze and looked over.
Jian Luo quickly averted his eyes.
The Queen might have choked on something because she suddenly started coughing violently, gasping for breath. Her hand holding the red wine glass trembled, causing some of it to spill.
The Commander was anxious, “Vanessa, Vanessa?”
The Queen’s face turned pale, and she shook her head lightly, “I’m fine, Your Majesty. You don’t need to worry.”
“Where’s the royal physician? The royal physician?” The Commander looked around frantically, finally spotting Jian Luo. He hurried over and said, “Can the divine physician take a look at my beloved Consort?”
Jian Luo hesitated for a moment, “Of course.”
He took a few steps forward to stand beside the Queen. She whispered, “I feel a bit short of breath. It’s nothing serious, divine physician, don’t worry. I’ll rest in my room.”
That was just perfect.
Jian Luo stepped back a pace, “In that case, Your Excellency, please go and rest.”
The Queen smiled and stepped down, saying, “Luo Luo, if you have the chance, you can come back and play here.”
Jian Luo nodded.
With the Queen’s departure, his nervous energy dissipated somewhat, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that this woman was quite peculiar.
Secretary Jin, who was nearby, was eating, “These energy candies on Industrial Star are really good.”
Jian Luo, after taking a bite, savored the taste and praised, “Indeed, they are.”
However, something unexpected happened. Soon after eating, his stomach began to feel uncomfortable.
This can’t be right…
Jian Luo furrowed his brow and told Secretary Jin, “I need to use the restroom.”
Secretary Jin was still eating, and not far away, Lu Shifeng was finalizing some discussions with the Commander. She said, “I’ll come with you.”
Jian Luo didn’t want a girl to accompany him to the restroom, so he replied, “Wait for me outside.”
Secretary Jin agreed.
After entering the restroom and relieving his discomfort, Jian Luo sighed and decided that he would avoid eating alien food in the future. It didn’t seem to agree with his digestion.
As he turned to leave the restroom, just as he was about to step out, a protective shield blocked his way. Then, a figure wearing a red dress appeared in the doorway. It was the Queen.
Jian Luo asked, “Your Excellency?”
The Queen leaned against the door, “You’re not going outside?”
Jian Luo said as he washed his hands, “I’m going outside. But it’s almost as if I expected you to be here, considering you’ve had your eye on me for a while.”
The Queen even admired Jian Luo’s boldness by now.
She straightened up a bit, “Aren’t you afraid of what I might do to you?”
Jian Luo shook his head, “If I were you, I wouldn’t be foolish enough to take action. At least there’s some value in me as a hostage.”
The Queen chuckled, “So, did you intentionally let me succeed?”
Jian Luo shook his head, “I’m not supporting you.”
There was a moment of silence in the air.
The Queen’s face darkened, and after a while, she said, “You know, he forced me to steal, to treat me during my illness. You’ve seen the bruises on my body. On the surface, he treats me well, but in private, he’s been abusive. If I don’t feign illness, he’d subject me to even more torture.”
Jian Luo let out a soft sigh.
The Queen leaned against the door, “I need your help. Your man is Lu Shifeng, and even if you do something, no one will dare to hold you responsible.”
That was her plan.
Jian Luo scoffed, “Do you think I’m a fool? If I help you, what about Dragon Brother’s order for protective shields? And you’re joking about the lives of the soldiers in the military. Do you think I’m a saint?”
The Queen looked surprised. She stood up straight, incredulously gazing at Jian Luo, “You really care about those people?”
Jian Luo, “…”
Not really, I just don’t want to die.
Jian Luo looked at the red-eyed Queen and thought back to the injuries he had seen when diagnosing her illness. It left him feeling sympathetic. He had always been against domestic violence and mind control, even with Lu Shifeng. Although Lu Shifeng often appeared domineering, in reality, he was very gentle and considerate.
In their relationship, when Jian Luo said no, Lu Shifeng wouldn’t force him. Moreover, Lu Shifeng was not a dictator; they could discuss any issue, no matter how frustrating it might be. They always found a reasonable solution.
Jian Luo considered for a moment, “What’s your plan?”
Seeing a slight softening in his attitude, the Queen continued, “Luo Luo, I already have someone ready to receive me. I’ve made thorough preparations for this day, all to escape the grasp of these people.”
Jian Luo was a little surprised but nodded, “Then why bother stopping me?”
The Queen removed the protective shield and approached Jian Luo, taking his hand, “Let’s leave together!”
Jian Luo, “?!!”
Standing in front of him, the woman in the red dress took out a magnet from her pocket, a style Jian Luo had seen on the Dark Star. She said, “This can disable the tracking device specially designed by the Dark Star. I’ve been in the palace all this time just to obtain this magnet. When your Dark Star’s warship passed by, they removed the magnet for the protective shields, and I managed to copy one.”
“Beep.”
Before Jian Luo’s eyes, the Queen’s information bracelet was deactivated.
Jian Luo stared, “You really opened it.”
“Luo Luo, I genuinely want to save you. I can see that you’re not truly willing to be with him either, because there is love between you. I am a telepath, and I can sense it.” The Queen tied up her hair, revealing the wounds on her neck. She continued, “And I have some knowledge about Dark Star. Some things I don’t know if you’re aware of, but I must tell you…”
Jian Luo asked, “What?”
The Queen smiled and said, “If you think Lu Shifeng truly loves you, you’re mistaken. If I remember correctly, during the upheaval on Dark Star, when the planet’s magnetic field was disturbed and the environment became harsh, each planet has its own unique energy. For this, Lu Shifeng ordered the slaughter of many lower civilizations and took their planet’s core crystals.”
Jian Luo stared at her, unable to believe what he was hearing.
“The Earth, the mother planet of humanity, was also on that list,” the Queen said to convince him. “Have you ever found Dark Star to be strange? Why are there infertility and physical deficiencies among their people? It’s because they were a doomed race to begin with, but they forcibly altered their fate by taking the energy from other planets.”
Jian Luo’s face darkened, and he asked, “So, what are you saying?”
The Queen waved her hand, “My planet was also on the list. The act of taking the planet’s core was taboo, and most civilizations that were affected were eradicated. Only a few exceptions exist, and I am one of them. I was taken. As for humanity, the reason why they are kept by the people of Dark Star might be a way for the Dark Star to delude themselves and seek redemption.”
Jian Luo’s heart was racing, his palms were sweaty, and he resisted, “Do you have any evidence?”
The Queen didn’t argue, “Whether it’s true or not, you will find out one day. I don’t need to deceive you. I’m just telling you the truth. Today is the only chance to escape. If you miss it, the next opportunity may be much harder to come by. I’ve already chosen a place where no one will find us, and we can start over. There will be no inequality there, and no one will force us to do anything. Will you come with me?”
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
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What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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