Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Su Xi took a taxi to lunch. But upon entering the private room, only the seat next to Huo Jingchuan was empty. While Mother Huo kindly waved to her, “Xi Xi, come sit here. You two children can sit together.”
“The sun must have risen in the west! You actually dressed up a little?” Huo Jingchuan looked Su Xi up and down, his face full of shock. Before he could finish speaking, his mother slapped him on the back and scolded, “How can you talk like that? Don’t you know how to get up and pull out a chair for a girl? Don’t you have any gentlemanly manners?”
Huo Jingchuan was startled by his mother’s beating, but he could only stand up with a grin and pull out a chair for Su Xi: “Please.”
Seeing the harmonious atmosphere in the private room, Su Xi felt a headache coming on. She said “Thank you, Auntie” and went to sit down.
Next, she and Huo Jingchuan ate like starving ghosts, frantically picking at their food and eating in silence. Meanwhile, their parents chatted happily, talking about their childhood anecdotes of playing house and wetting the bed, their upcoming senior year of high school, the independent enrollment exam, and which city they would attend university in.
The two families lived in the same neighborhood, and their parents were best friends. They had looked after each other for over a decade and were as close as family. When Su Xi was little, her parents were too busy to cook, so she would go to Huo Jingchuan’s house for her meals. Similarly, when Huo Jingchuan was in kindergarten, his father often forgot to pick him up, and Su Xi’s father would always pick up both children.
Therefore, such gatherings were held every few months, and the content of the conversation between the two sets of parents was exactly the same each time. They chatted about everything under the sun, and in the end, they always laughed and brought up the topic of Su Xi and Huo Jingchuan being childhood sweethearts and them getting married in the future.
Su Xi and Huo Jingchuan had heard these words so many times they were practically sick of them, but they never took them seriously.
As the two frantically shoveled rice into their mouths, they exchanged a helpless glance.
Su Xi covered her face with a bowl, hunched over, and whispered to Huo Jingchuan, “Let me make this clear beforehand: I will choose which university to attend based on my grades. If, by some unfortunate chance, we end up in the same school again, it’s definitely not me who wants to go with you. I see you the same way I see Gu Qin; I have absolutely no interest in you.”
Huo Jingchuan also used a large bottle of orange juice to cover his face and lowered his voice, saying, “Do you think I wasn’t dragged here by my parents? Aren’t I the same? Looking at you is no different than looking at my right hand.”
Su Xi snapped, “Then at least try to argue with your parents in the future and say these things to them! Don’t always pass the buck to me!”
Huo Jingchuan looked at Su Xi with some confusion and said, “They’ve been saying these things for years, just ignore them. You’ve never been this agitated before, why are you so bothered by it lately… Oh my god! Su Xi, are you dating someone?! That school heartthrob from the other day—”
Before he could finish speaking, Su Xi interrupted him, her face flushed: “No, shut up.”
When the two parents saw the two children whispering together, they laughed even harder, especially Mother Huo, who looked at them with the happy look that said, “They really are childhood sweethearts, my daughter-in-law is settled.”
The two looked up, immediately feeling immense pressure: “…”
The two moved their chairs as far apart as possible, trying their best to distance themselves from each other.
Su Xi tried her best to minimize her presence, but for the rest of the day, Huo Jingchuan’s words kept replaying in her mind.
Yes, she and Huo Jingchuan had been forced into marriage by their parents for more than a year or two. She was so used to it that she was practically numb to it and could pretend she didn’t hear it at all. But why was she particularly bothered by it today? Even before she left the house, when she received the text message from her mother, she felt like she had betrayed someone…
Su Xi couldn’t help but picture the two boys’ expressions— the one on the left with the chubby face downcast, shoulders slumped, on the verge of tears, while the boy on the right, with a melancholy expression, tried his best to restrain himself, smiling at her and saying, “I’m not angry.”
…She already felt a chill on her neck from the air conditioning, and now she shivered even more.
She couldn’t help but look up at the sky, a little worried that her son had overheard the jokes between both sets of parents.
But then she realized something was wrong— no, why was she feeling so guilty? She didn’t owe anyone anything!
….
Su Xi was right; Lu Huan had indeed overheard the conversation between the two families in the private room. When Su Xi and Huo Jingchuan were whispering together, his gaze seemed to want to bore a hole through Huo Jingchuan’s head.
Staring at the two heads getting closer and closer, so close it was almost blinding, Lu Huan almost wanted to pull them apart.
Before he knew who she was, his greatest wish was to exchange notes with her every day without interruption. Having finally found out who she was and after gaining her companionship, he longed to see her in person. When he finally received the screen, got to know her appearance and voice, and could finally speak to her face-to-face, he discovered how vast her world was. Even after spending six months learning her language, culture, and way of life, he found that although she seemed so close, he could never truly grasp at her.
He also wanted to walk beside her, breathe the same air as her, be face to face with her, and feel her warmth, instead of being separated by thousands of years of time, facing each other through a cold and empty curtain.
Lu Huan suppressed his desires and urges, calmed himself down, and accelerated the handling of his own affairs.
Rumors were already rampant in the capital, with no one knowing when a ninth prince had appeared. When an official accused the emperor of this in court, the emperor changed the subject and did not refute it.
This matter was a source of amusement for the common people of Yan, but it was far from pleasant among the various factions in the capital.
Especially the Fifth Prince and the Crown Prince.
Upon hearing the news, the Fifth Prince’s face darkened. He volunteered in the Golden Palace to arrest the person spreading the rumors. The Prime Minister and Empress, who were on the Crown Prince’s side, also looked rather grim, but they were not as impulsive as the Fifth Prince and decided to hold back for the time being.
This Ninth Prince— perhaps the newly appointed officials in recent years don’t know him, but the princes and long-serving officials knew him very well. Didn’t they hear that after Consort Qing fell into the pond and was rescued, the pond was filled with blood, and an unborn stillborn infant was found— a double tragedy? After that incident, everyone in the palace remained silent about Consort Qing and the unborn Ninth Prince, afraid to mention them again.
But why, after seventeen years, were people bringing up this old story again, saying that the Ninth Prince actually didn’t die, but was raised by the Emperor in Changchun Temple?
The people were unaware that the news was spread by the emperor’s personal eunuchs at his own behest, and they found it utterly unbelievable.
However, upon seeing the Emperor’s reaction to the rumors in the Golden Palace, some of the civil and military officials guessed what was going on: Could it be that the Emperor, in order to balance the power among the princes in the court, had actually created a ninth prince? Or was there something fishy about what happened back then, and that the ninth prince really didn’t die?!
In short, the truth of the matter was still unknown, but the capital city was already in an uproar because of it.
Only the Minister of War, who knew some of the truth, decided to write a letter to General Zhenyuan, instructing him not to act rashly after returning to the capital and to wait for him to visit his residence to discuss matters.
….
When Su Xi went back online that night, rumors about the Ninth Prince were already rampant in the capital and even throughout the entire Yan Kingdom.
Lu Huan did not discuss the matter with Su Xi. Su Xi only found out about it when she saw Lu Wenxiu grumbling to Ning Wangfei in the initial Ning Wang’s Mansion interface.
She paused for a moment.
Currently, only she, her child, the Taoist nun at Changchun Temple, the Minister of War, and the Emperor, who had already guessed the Ninth Prince’s true identity, knew his true identity.
This rumor was probably spread by the Emperor. But Su Xi guessed that the cub was definitely involved in stirring things up.
She didn’t quite understand. When they were at Changchun Temple, the cub told her that he didn’t want to get involved in the capital’s conflicts and wasn’t very interested in the position of prince. But why was he doing this now, as if he was determined to take the position of prince?
She was a little conflicted at the time because if she continued to complete the tasks according to the game’s instructions, it would go against her child’s will.
But now the little one had changed his mind.
Why was that?
Was it because he also received those two new missions? Did he change his initial plan to complete them? Or was he actually after the points?
After 100 points, a new bridge of communication appeared between the two. After 200 points, the big gift package mentioned by the system should be… a further meeting?
A sudden thought popped into Su Xi’s mind: Could it be that after reaching 200 points, one can travel through time?! Otherwise, why would the little one start actively completing tasks and even studying and leading troops into battle after he could see her at 100 points? Was it all for… to see her?
If she could actually see him after 200 points— Su Xi’s heart started pounding, and she was overwhelmed with excitement.
She frantically completed the tasks before 100 points, hoping to communicate with her child as soon as possible. Before that, as the game gradually approached its final chapter, she felt a sense of loss, because she was afraid that once the final chapter was reached, she would never see her child again.
They’ve known each other for so long, strolled through the market together, studied late into the night together, and worked together to solve many thorny problems, yet they’ve always existed in two different timelines.
They could talk and meet, but there was no warmth between them.
So she felt the same way as the cub; she also wanted to see him.
But at the same time, she felt a little uneasy, not to mention they didn’t know for sure whether he would be able to come to her time and space after two hundred points.
If he could come, and he did, then what? Would he regret it?
For the past year and a half, she had been by his side and had witnessed him gradually break free from the difficult situation of the Ning Wang Mansion, deal with Ning Wangfei and the two Lu brothers, bring down the Shangguan family, govern the Ministry of War, manage the farms, gain the appreciation of General Zhenyuan and the Minister of War, and have them stand behind him. He led troops into battle, covered in countless wounds, and finally got to where he was today… The position of crown prince was within his grasp, the hearts of the people were won over, and his subordinates were well-governed.
He was just one step away from realizing his initial ideal of a peaceful and prosperous world.
He had worked so hard and achieved all this. If he came to her world, wouldn’t he have to start all over again from scratch?
…Am I worthy?
The excitement in Su Xi’s heart was gradually extinguished by unease.
After she guessed that her son had gone against his initial wishes and decided to accept the mission to regain his princely position in order to see her, she even felt a little uneasy.
…But it’s uncertain what will happen after the final chapter. Perhaps, after 200 points, the big gift package won’t be a meeting at all— after all, communicating across time and space is one thing, but time travel is too far-fetched and impossible.
Su Xi was conflicted. On one hand, she longed to see the cub, but on the other hand, she didn’t want him to lose everything he had worked so hard for because of her.
However, perhaps the big gift package after 200 points wasn’t about time travel at all. She didn’t know what would happen then, so there was no need to worry unnecessarily. Thinking this way, Su Xi decided to put the matter aside for now. Since her son had made his decision, she would accompany him on the rest of the journey.
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