The warship sailed through the vast expanse of the starry realm, and amidst the ever-present unfamiliar soldiers with stern faces, Jiang Ling’s sole companion was Chu Wenyu.
It wasn’t until dinner time that he caught sight of Chu Wenyu coming out from his quarters. The guy looked a bit disheveled, probably just woken up from bed. Jiang Ling, observing the slight wrinkles on the clothing, suddenly recalled he had left without helping Chu Wenyu change. Eventually, the guy must have done it himself. Jiang Ling’s gaze, like twinkling stars, flickered for a moment, dismissing these sudden thoughts.
He didn’t believe he was entirely faultless. From a certain perspective, their actions were just mutually destructive.
But what was particularly vexing was that their conflicts seemed irreconcilable.
An afternoon’s rest didn’t seem to perfectly alleviate the other party’s fatigue. He still appeared worn-out, loosely slouched in his wheelchair.
Seeing this, Jiang Ling’s anger wasn’t as intense. He didn’t want to meet Chu Wenyu with a cold face, so after a brief moment of eye contact, he decided to step out of the cabin.
No interaction, no conflict.
However, Chu Wenyu grasped the handle tightly, immediately signaling the guards to shut the door, blocking Jiang Ling’s exit.
Now the two of them were trapped in the same space again, and Chu Wenyu didn’t give Jiang Ling a chance to avoid it at all.
“Join me for a meal,” Chu Wenyu said, adding, “This is my command.”
The spiritual pressure indeed made Jiang Ling halt in his tracks, frustration rising within him. Without waiting for Chu Wenyu, he took a seat at one end of the dining table. When Chu Wenyu approached, intending to sit closer, Jiang Ling stood up again, seemingly waiting for him to settle before deciding where to sit himself.
Chu Wenyu gritted his teeth, reluctantly choosing a position not too close or too far, trying not to provoke Jiang Ling’s displeasure.
He had already instructed the kitchen to deliver the meal at a fixed time, and most of them were the ones that alpha usually enjoyed. Unconsciously, this was the first proper meal he had in days. He usually overlooked such things, only resorting to nutrient solution when his stomach protested.
Even though Jiang Ling’s expression wasn’t too pleasing, Chu Wenyu couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of happiness.
Shortly after, the meal was served.
Chu Wenyu took the initiative to scoop some food for Jiang Ling and placed it in front of him. Jiang Ling’s eyes, as dark as ink, stared at him. Initially, he had no intention of eating, but when he noticed the prominent calluses on Chu Wenyu’s fingers, there was a subtle change in his emotions.
Ever since he discovered the secret Chu Wenyu had never shared with him, Jiang Ling, in an attempt to make Chu Wenyu detest him, had refrained from pushing his wheelchair. Almost all the time, Chu Wenyu had to do things on his own. The calluses that had faded away long ago quickly grew thick again.
Yet, Chu Wenyu never brought it up.
So, he lowered his head and took a taste.
Chu Wenyu, seeing this, naturally felt happy. He served himself some as well, but due to not having real food in a while, he started to feel a bit uncomfortable after just a few bites. Consequently, he set down his utensils, no longer eating, his expression turning slightly unpleasant.
It seemed the alpha paid no attention or perhaps didn’t want to look at him much, simply burying himself in his meal.
Chu Wenyu felt a bit sad, but the fact that Jiang Ling didn’t respond with cold words and was even willing to eat the food he served was already satisfying for him.
Besides, this small matter was nothing he couldn’t endure.
Chu Wenyu thought Jiang Ling wouldn’t speak to him, but not long after, he heard Jiang Ling speak, “Did His Majesty release the people on the starship?”
The first initiative, and it was for this question.
Chu Wenyu felt both sour and uneasy.
It was hard for him not to speculate why Jiang Ling cared so much about those people, or whether Jiang Ling had grown so distrustful of him.
When searching for alpha, Chu Wenyu deliberately watched the surveillance videos from that starship. For several days, he calmly observed. He saw Jiang Ling’s figure, saw someone provoking him, and also saw someone walking with him, seeming a bit close.
“Do you care about them so much? Or are you only concerned about someone among them?” Chu Wenyu couldn’t help but sarcastically remark. He couldn’t bear the thought of Jiang Ling ignoring him but caring about others. The possibility of Jiang Ling having feelings for someone else infuriated Chu Wenyu to no end.
In his view, Alpha had a history, and the incident with Anna was already something he found unbearable.
Jiang Ling felt increasingly irritated by the sarcastic tone. Didn’t the other realize that their issues were affecting innocent people? The whole situation was already unjust to begin with. The more the other wanted to control his desires, the more Jiang Ling resisted, and he had no desire to engage in conversation.
“Go out for a while and you start flirting around? Huh?”
Jiang Ling’s silence intensified Chu Wenyu’s frustration. His fingers clenched tightly, the pain in his stomach growing more intense from the anger.
Chu Wenyu felt it was too foolish for him to act so submissive, especially since the alpha was obviously arrogant. At this point, he didn’t even care if Jiang Ling had something to hold against him.
“Do you think I’ll let them off?” Chu Wenyu spoke without restraint, deliberately steering the conversation toward a direction alpha disliked.
Jiang Ling’s actions paused, unable to maintain his silence.
“Your Majesty, you promised me with your own words.” Jiang Ling expressed some doubt about whether Chu Wenyu would break a promise. After all, the other had always been like this, hadn’t he? He spoke seriously.
“You still haven’t answered me. Are you fooling around outside?” Chu Wenyu wouldn’t let him ignore this question, pressing on with determination.
“Do you really not intend to fulfill your promise?” Jiang Ling maintained his composure.
“Heh, so it turns out I still have some credibility in your eyes? Even if I break the promise, what will you do to me?” Chu Wenyu sneered, increasingly sensing something between Jiang Ling and that person named Lien. Otherwise, why would they get so close, and now Jiang Ling was so concerned, even arguing with him.
Jiang Ling lost his appetite as well, setting down his utensils and rubbing his temples.
“Of course, Your Majesty’s word is law,” Jiang Ling scoffed, his options limited.
With that statement, the tension between them reached its peak.
Jiang Ling no longer paid him any attention.
On the warship, there were devices specifically designed to connect signals. Jiang Ling thought about how Lien had wanted to exchange contact information when they were on the starship before. He had refused at the time, but Lien had managed to give him his contact information anyway. Now that he was captured, Jiang Ling no longer hesitated to access the star network.
If Chu Wenyu hadn’t violated his promise, then by contacting Lien now, he should receive a response shortly.
Thinking about it, Jiang Ling logged into the star network in front of Chu Wenyu.
“Are you contacting him?” Chu Wenyu pushed the wheelchair to Jiang Ling’s side, his tone becoming more provoking.
“You’ve been avoiding the star network for days to avoid me, and now you’re deliberately irritating me by using it for someone else’s safety?” Chu Wenyu had lost his composure.
“What if I am?” Jiang Ling shrugged off his hand trying to stop him.
At this point, his actions were more about expressing his dissatisfaction with Chu Wenyu than genuinely caring about Lien or anyone else.
“Jiang Ling, you can’t betray me. You can’t treat me like this.” Chu Wenyu was infuriated, his tone becoming more aggressive.
The suffocating feeling surged like a tide again, and Jiang Ling did stop his actions. However, his tone was icy, “Your Majesty, it’s precisely because of this that I want to escape from you.”
Chu Wenyu was momentarily stunned, looking at Jiang Ling with a vacant expression.
He understood very well that everyone was afraid of him, wanting to stay away. Until today, he had paid little attention to it because he didn’t think Jiang Ling would be among those people.
He liked Jiang Ling. Even if he had to apologize to everyone else, he didn’t feel like he owed an apology to Jiang Ling.
So why did Jiang Ling want to leave him?
Jiang Ling’s attitude broke Chu Wenyu’s restraint. He couldn’t understand why Jiang Ling would treat him like this. His eyes turned red, and he couldn’t suppress the eruption any longer. “You’re angry because I lied to you. Do you think you’ve never deceived me? I thought you would wait for me, but in the blink of an eye, you disappeared without a trace. Isn’t that too much?”
“I waited for you alone for so long, and you never looked back. Aren’t you even a bit guilty?”
“You’re doing well, Jiang Ling!” His voice was hoarse, carrying a suppressed sadness.
Chu Wenyu trembled all over, completely out of control.
Every time he thought of the desolate scene when he opened the door, his emotions automatically sank, descending into an unseen abyss.
It all came down to this. Jiang Ling’s emotions couldn’t remain calm either.
He didn’t want to deceive Chu Wenyu, but if he didn’t, would the other agree to let him go? Even if he managed to leave now, wouldn’t it all still be in vain?
He had his own stance, but the overwhelming emotions brought on by the other’s hysteria at this moment overpowered his stance.
“It’s my fault,” Jiang Ling apologized, looking at Chu Wenyu with a hint of pain. In this moment, he felt like maybe the other wasn’t entirely insincere towards him, or how else could the emotions be so intense?
Softening his heart, Jiang Ling apologized, refraining from blaming Chu Wenyu for everything he had done before. He didn’t want to make Chu Wenyu feel even more miserable.
“I and the people on that starship are just acquaintances, not as close as Your Majesty imagines. I just don’t want them to be unjustly implicated,” Jiang Ling sighed.
Even Lien, in his eyes, was merely someone relatively innocent compared to the others.
Moreover, how could he have the mindset to do anything with others now? Clearly, he knew he hadn’t let go of Chu Wenyu.
Initially, he didn’t want to explain, as he had no intention of continuing with Chu Wenyu. But in the end, he didn’t want the other to misunderstand.
“Then why did you contact him privately?” Chu Wenyu spoke weakly, mentally exhausted, feeling the dampness on his cheeks.
Since getting to know Jiang Ling, he felt like his tears had almost dried up.
Chu Wenyu couldn’t control his emotions at all, even if what made him jealous was just a baseless suspicion.
“Because your misunderstanding made me a bit angry. I just pretended for you to see.”
See, Jiang Ling knew exactly what to say to make Chu Wenyu happy. However, his heart was heavy because almost every time, it was only addressing the symptoms, not the root cause. Chu Wenyu hadn’t changed at all, stubborn and unyielding.
Yet, it seemed he chose to compromise at this moment. At least, for now, he couldn’t bear to see Chu Wenyu upset, so he took a step toward the abyss on his own.
Chu Wenyu glanced at Jiang Ling with tearful eyes, no longer angry.
He enjoyed the process of being comforted by alpha; it was the first time in a long while.
At least, Alpha still cared about him to some extent, and it seemed that acting pitiful wasn’t entirely useless, contrary to what Jiang Ling said.
“Don’t worry, I let them go,” Chu Wenyu calmed down and reassured Jiang Ling.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
