Jiang Ling lay on his side, propping up his head, his disheveled hair pushed back. His gaze was fixed intently on the slender neck of the person who was still soundly asleep, as his fingers traced it with utmost seriousness.
On that graceful swan-like neck, there were ambiguous red marks like plum blossoms.
Jiang Ling found himself captivated by the sight, but in the next moment, he pursed his lips and vigorously shook his head. He withdrew his hand from its place on the back of his head and lay flat, gazing at the ceiling. His mind was still filled with the unusual marks on Chu Wenyu’s neck when he had entered the room yesterday, and he couldn’t shake the thought.
What happened yesterday while he was away? How far had things developed between this man and Zheng Ziang? And why did he need to take a bath so early?
Jiang Ling furrowed his brow, unable to find peace, a heavy feeling in his chest.
Chu Wenyu’s legs were still entwined with Jiang Ling’s body, and he felt an itching sensation on his neck. He let out a soft, impatient grumble and frowned impatiently. Just as he was starting to open his eyes with some irritation, he suddenly remembered the events of last night, and the morning grumpiness immediately subsided.
Seeing Jiang Ling’s expression, which seemed off, Chu Wenyu grew alert and reached out to turn his chin so that he was facing him directly. He stared at him and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Could it be that he was having second thoughts again?
Thinking of this possibility, Chu Wenyu’s hand on Jiang Ling’s chin exerted even more pressure.
Jiang Ling was forced to meet his gaze and involuntarily let his eyes fall on the person’s neck in front of him. His gaze seemed somewhat unfocused, and he eventually reached out to touch Chu Wenyu’s warm neck. He opened his mouth and asked, “Yesterday, I saw… what was that all about?”
Immediately after asking, he felt a bit regretful, thinking that his question was particularly foolish. Wasn’t this a case of stating the obvious?
Chu Wenyu’s hand climbed onto Jiang Ling’s hand and, following it, touched his own throat. In an instant, he understood what was going on.
So, Jiang Ling was feeling jealous.
Chu Wenyu cleared his throat, curled his lips, and explained, “What happened? I got bitten by a mosquito, so I cleaned and disinfected it afterward.” His gaze was intense, and he held Jiang Ling’s hand, preventing him from pulling it away.
Upon hearing this explanation, Jiang Ling cast a skeptical glance at him. Where did the mosquitoes come from in this weather? But then again, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Yesterday, as he watched the red marks and Chu Wenyu in a bathrobe, it was hard not to let his imagination run wild, especially considering the conversation about Zheng Ziang that followed.
Chu Wenyu’s eyes lifted at the corners. He would never tell Jiang Ling that those marks were intentionally created, along with a series of actions meant to foster misunderstanding.
“I thought you were having second thoughts again,” Chu Wenyu complained in a low, sulky voice, tilting his head with a somewhat aggrieved look.
Since Jiang Ling had already made up his mind, he naturally wouldn’t let go. He lowered his head and lightly kissed Chu Wenyu’s lips.
Their noses touched, and their warm breaths collided. Chu Wenyu realized that there seemed to be no barriers between them and instinctively touched his own face. Then, he glanced at the bedside table. It wasn’t his imagination; the mask was indeed no longer on his face.
He took a step back, supporting himself up with his hand and asked somewhat uncomfortably, “You said you saw my face under the mask last night. When was that?” After he finished speaking, he raised his eyes and waited quietly for Jiang Ling’s response.
With his line of sight unobstructed by the mask’s edge, Chu Wenyu couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease and peculiarity.
The birthmark on his face had been with him since he was born and had grown larger over time, a large dark red spot that looked very creepy. Coupled with his naturally gloomy temperament, he had always stood in the shadows, silently observing people with a mysterious gaze. When he was born, even his own mother was frightened by him.
When Chu Wenyu was still a child, his mother had sought medical help to address his peculiar birthmark. However, the doctors had found the birthmark to be strange, as if it were meant to merge with him. Removing it forcefully might affect his spiritual strength, so the matter was left unresolved.
Jiang Ling met Chu Wenyu’s eyes, sighed, pondered for a moment, and then sincerely confessed, “Actually, it was me who passed by the garden that day. His Majesty was in the wheelchair, and your mask had fallen off, so I saw it.”
Chu Wenyu raised an eyebrow, anticipating Jiang Ling to speak, but he hadn’t expected Jiang Ling to reveal this so early.
However, he still put on a show, his expression changing. “So, you have spiritual powers?” His tone was filled with questions and disbelief, even a touch of hurt.
Seeing Chu Wenyu’s reaction, Jiang Ling felt even more remorseful. He struggled to explain, but didn’t know how to begin. The original owner indeed had no spiritual powers, and he only discovered the truth when he arrived on Burke Star.
Yet, no matter how you looked at it, he had lied to Chu Wenyu. Jiang Ling finally nodded in admission.
“I’m in the wrong here. I should have told your Majesty the truth earlier,” Jiang Ling apologized resolutely, but their identities were delicate, and he couldn’t be sure if Chu Wenyu would be suspicious of him.
“So, you’ve been lying to me all this time?” Chu Wenyu’s face turned cold, completely different from the night before, as he looked at Jiang Ling with a skeptical and withdrawn expression.
Jiang Ling had to admit, and he felt very guilty. Especially when he saw Chu Wenyu’s attitude, not only did he not immediately order his disposal, but he also looked hurt. He should have known earlier; the villain was nothing like the character in the book. Considering what he knew about Zheng Ziang, the villain was just a regular person with some personality flaws due to childhood trauma, often acting a bit foolish and craving love, entirely different from the bloody violence depicted in the novel. Otherwise, given his identity as a hostage, he couldn’t have survived for so long.
As for the reason why the original owner became cannon fodder in the book, perhaps it has something to do with the original owner himself.
“Sorry,” Jiang Ling continued to apologize.
“This makes it difficult for me to trust you in the future. I don’t know why you came, or when you plan to leave, and with your spiritual powers, I might not be able to stop you.” He still wore a hurt expression, gradually trying to lure Jiang Ling in. In reality, there was no internal turmoil, and his thoughts were terrifyingly meticulous.
Chu Wenyu’s words came from both a king’s perspective and the concern he felt for Jiang Ling in their intimate relationship.
Jiang Ling felt that he was despicable. He firmly promised, “I won’t do anything to harm Your Majesty, and I won’t leave without notice.”
Given their identities, both parties need to compromise and trust each other for a successful relationship.
Chu Wenyu’s lips curved, and he propped himself up, moving next to Jiang Ling, embracing him. Softly, he murmured, “If you were to leave in the future, anything I do wouldn’t be too much, right?” He blinked as he spoke.
“Mm, not too much,” Jiang Ling said, ruffling his hair, feeling somewhat in the wrong.
He absentmindedly touched Chu Wenyu’s birthmark and said, “I really like it when Your Majesty doesn’t wear a mask.”
He found it somewhat cute.
Chu Wenyu tilted his head back, and his long eyelashes brushed against Alpha’s palm, gently stirring his heart, and he even nuzzled against it.
“Well, then I won’t wear it,” he replied.
“But, Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with Zheng Ziang?” Jiang Ling asked awkwardly, even though he didn’t want to admit it, he was a bit jealous. Moreover, it seemed that Chu Wenyu had some affection for him, considering he wanted to give Zheng Ziang a promotion.
Chu Wenyu thought of the last time he had seen Zheng Ziang and felt a bit disgusted. He wrinkled his brows with disdain and said indifferently, “For the crime of betraying the king, he will be dealt with as such.”
Having spoken, he realized his attitude was wrong and worried that he hadn’t rounded out the opportunity for yesterday’s actions. Very naturally, he shifted all the blame for his actions onto Alpha.
“And if it weren’t for you, why would I look for someone else to distract me? You don’t think I’d change my mind so quickly, do you?” Chu Wenyu angrily pointed his finger at Alpha’s chest, poking it quite forcefully.
He knew all of this without saying a word; it was all just a part of his plan. Nevertheless, he was indeed clever, and now, in Jiang Ling’s eyes, Chu Wenyu appeared completely innocent. He even felt he had been unfair to him.
The media in Burke Star felt like they were on a roller coaster, having just finished writing praises for Burke Star’s new star therapist, Zheng Ziang, now they had to rush to the forefront to report his crime of deceiving the king.
When the royal family announced Zheng Ziang’s sentence, it was explosive news from all angles.
The first to be affected was the Zheng family.
In an instant, their family’s status seemed to plummet from heaven to hell. Many partners who had recently approached them even expressed their intention to discontinue their cooperation. The commercial issues were not the most critical; everyone in Burke Star knew the king’s reputation. The head of the Zheng family was afraid that His Majesty’s rage would lead to the entire family’s downfall and promptly issued a statement cutting ties with Zheng Ziang.
Zheng Ziang’s organization in the Interstellar Therapist Score Match also immediately responded.
Although they were an interstellar level organization, they still couldn’t afford the anger of a great nation’s king. Furthermore, it’s not like they don’t have someone as strong as Zheng Ziang.
The world forums were also in turmoil.
[I can’t believe Zheng Ziang’s good days didn’t even last two days! He’s in trouble already?]
[Everyone knows about the illness of the King of Burke. How could someone at Zheng Ziang’s level be able to treat it? I said a long time ago but you guys didn’t believe me.]
[Tsk tsk, look at all of you, acting like you never supported him, but now you’re piling on? This time, it’s really well-deserved, considering his character.]
The members of the Warwick Team were pleased to hear the news, as Zheng Ziang had offended them before. During Zheng Ziang’s rise to power, many forces had even inquired about Jiang Ling’s information to please him.
The captain watched the news turning the world upside down online, feeling that something was a bit strange. He thought about the news of Zheng Ziang’s overturn on the famous therapist forum on Burke Star a couple of days ago and couldn’t help but feel that there was some connection between the two incidents, but he didn’t know what it was specifically.
But since he had nothing better to do, he spent some time seriously browsing the internet for gossip and was shocked to find a common point: the person who had been criticized by Zheng Ziang on the Burke Star therapist forum a couple of days ago also seemed to be an anonymous user named Little Jiang.
The captain instinctively thought of the Little Jiang in their organization.
Same name, both therapists; he reasonably suspected these two were the same person!
Otherwise, Little Jiang wouldn’t have come forward so quickly. Perhaps they were rivals from the same galaxy!
As for the complete downfall of Zheng Ziang, it all seemed to be related to Little Jiang’s incident, and he only knew there might be a connection but couldn’t figure out how.
At the same time, it was revealed on the Burke Star’s therapist forum that the supervisors who had facilitated the internet violence had already been dismissed from their jobs. Furthermore, several master-level therapists clarified and explained the questions Zheng Ziang had raised about Jiang Ling in the aftermath.
[I always thought this so-called elite therapist had too much arrogance. When someone else answered a question, he had to chime in.]
[Tsk tsk, now what about Zheng Ziang’s fans? They used to insist someone was framing Zheng Ziang, but now the teachers have personally clarified. Let’s see how you dance now.]
[Seems like there’s someone backing Zheng Ziang, the way the website shields him, even sneakily banning others – just shameless.]
Officially, facing government pressure and online criticism, they couldn’t do a thing but sneakily eliminate Zheng Ziang’s account, hoping the storm will blow over and calm things down.
Even Zheng Ziang’s alma mater, not wanting the name linked to the academy’s reputation, posted about how long it’s been since he last attended classes, stating their position. The academy leaders didn’t want their prestige lowered among other top academies across the galaxies because of this incident.
The students who once envied Zheng Ziang now understand that taking shortcuts won’t do; they have to continue enduring the grind for exams, even if it’s a struggle.
The reputation of the small therapist in the interstellar world completely ruined, and he was locked away in a private prison without a clue about life or death.
The orchestrator of it all was somewhat nervously looking at himself in the mirror, feeling displeased, thinking he still had the same ugly face.
The steward summoned to meet their monarch was also startled at the sight. He had been in the palace for so many years, and the last time he saw His Majesty’s true face was when he was just seven or eight years old.
A small figure sitting in a wheelchair, obviously not doing anything, yet his presence alone sent shivers down people’s spines, similar to a demon child. The palace attendants breathed a sigh of relief once the mask was on his face.
Chu Wenyu, observing the steward’s expression, casually grabbed a nearby teacup and threw it at him, showing extreme malice without holding back.
The steward, enduring the pain, stood there obediently.
“What’s wrong, steward, scared?” Chu Wenyu raised an eyebrow, playing with his faint eyebrows.
The steward, sweating profusely at the question, trembled, “N-no, just a bit intrigued. It’s the first time Your Majesty has taken off the mask.”
Chu Wenyu looked at the few sparse strands on his fingers, then put his hand down, knowing they would vanish if he pulled them out again.
He chuckled but showed no sign of happiness. “I just wanted to scare you, hehe.”
The steward found nothing humorous, only feeling more frightened.
Chu Wenyu paid no attention to his thoughts. He didn’t care if these people would be frightened to death or if, before that, his bad mood would get them killed. It was just someone’s arrogant demand that he couldn’t refuse.
As long as the Alpha was pleased.
Chu Wenyu remembered the reason for summoning the steward, pushing the wheelchair closer to him. He leaned in, warning in a tone neither light nor heavy, “Steward, those matters I tasked you with these days, make sure they stay secret. Or else, the fate of the person in the private cell will be yours.” His eyes carried a chilling smirk.
After speaking, he looked at the steward calmly.
The steward shivered, his mind filled with Zheng Ziang’s chest wound and how the person lay every day in a damp cell, barely alive. Despite knowing this was their monarch’s nature, it didn’t diminish his fear every single time.
“I-I’ll be careful,” the steward said, wiping his sweat.
Chu Wenyu, annoyed, dismissed him. He needed more mirror time to get used to his current appearance. Sometimes, he’d startle himself, wondering who this person was.
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)
