DTTM 58

Chapter 58: As a reward, sleep with me

Chu Luo and Han Zhe’s affair was exposed without warning, starting with a few candid photos. The resolution wasn’t high, but they were clear enough—in a garden, the two walked side by side, their fingers entwined intimately in the shadows of the trees; by the window, the curtains were half-drawn, and Han Zhe lowered his head to embrace Chu Luo, her profile illuminated by warm light, looking gentle and focused; later, even a candid video of an indoor scene appeared, showing Chu Luo leaning against Han Zhe in the study, holding a blue-covered hardcover book and flipping through it, while Han Zhe held her, tenderly stroking her long hair, the two snuggling intimately on the sofa, like a couple deeply in love.

Immediately afterwards, a maid claiming to have served at the royal estate for over a decade stepped forward to “testify,” stating unequivocally that the relationship was not something that had developed overnight, but rather that the two had been entangled for several years. Furthermore, she claimed that they were very bold, making no attempt to hide their relationship from others, and that all the servants in the estate were aware of it.

State media remained completely silent, but the internet was in an uproar.

The analysis of Han Zhe’s identity was peeled back like an onion in just one morning. His background, resume, family relationships, and even the employment records of three generations of his ancestors were compiled into charts and graphs, becoming the code for generating traffic on social media.

Just a few days ago, Chu Luo publicly condemned Wuxi Kunpeng for abusing his power and illegally detaining Wo people. Today, her personal conduct was laid bare for all to see. The timing was too coincidental.

Was it Wuxi Kunpeng, or… Chu Shengcheng?

Over the years, people had always been accustomed to comparing Chu Shengcheng and Chu Luo together.

Like two ends of a scale, one end was the embodiment of kindness, compassion, and dedication to public welfare; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her the Holy Maiden of Penglai. On the other end, a mad prince who was addicted to racing gambling and capital operations, rarely appeared in public, and whose every appearance was accompanied by extravagant scandals.

Which side the scales tip toward was self-evident.

But now, the “holy maiden” was tarnished, while the “madman,” already covered in filth, appeared more open and genuine. The most insidious move in political maneuvering is never proving how good you are, but proving that the person who is better than you is not clean either.

From a political perspective, the biggest beneficiary was undoubtedly Chu Shengcheng.

I quickly browsed related topics online and suddenly came across an article discussing Zong Yanlei.

He was Princess Chu Luo’s nominal husband, and an unavoidable party in this scandal. On social media, there were certainly those who sympathized with him, but there were far more voices mocking him.

This once invincible “Demon King” on the racetrack has become a farcical figure kept in the dark about his marriage for years. Some mocked him for being “glowingly cuckolded,” while others said it was just common practice among the nobility, an arranged marriage where everyone was just playing their own game.

Indeed, everyone was having a good time. I gave that comment a thumb up.

The only saving grace was that, throughout this comprehensive investigation, no one had cast a suspicious glance at the two children. Perhaps it was because of Zong Yanlei’s almost pathological protectiveness towards them, or perhaps it was because, in the general public’s perception, royal bloodlines couldn’t be tainted, and no one dared to question the roots of the two young children.

As I was thinking, my phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Ye Shuer, containing only a short sentence.

[10 PM, Metaverse.]

I deleted the messages and put my phone away.

Just then, the van came to a stop; we had arrived at the station.

“Yi You, we’re here, wake up.” In the front seat, Tan Yunmei shook Yi You, who was dozing off against her.

The blond youth woke up groggily, his dark circles almost reaching his chin. Apparently, he’d stumbled upon a post last night where trolls were insulting him, and he’d become so enraged that he’d been arguing with them until the early hours of the morning.

“I’m so sleepy.” Before getting out of the car, Yi You took out a pair of sunglasses from his shirt pocket, put them on, and yawned as he spoke.

As the two of them got out of the car one after the other, I glanced out the dark window and caught a glimpse of a somewhat familiar figure in the distance.

A young man with brown hair, red eyes, and a wheatish complexion, wearing a dark blue down jacket and carrying a simple, faded backpack, was walking into the station with the flow of people. Coincidentally, Mu Ke was also leaving Zengcheng at this time.

After the group arrived at the VIP lounge, I excused myself to go to the restroom. While the bodyguards were not paying attention, I put on sunglasses and a mask and went around to the public waiting area.

I was just trying my luck, but after walking a few steps, I bumped into Mu Ke under the huge electronic timetable at the station.

“Mu Ke,” I called him softly.

He turned to look at me, paused for a moment, and then asked, “…Mr. Jiang?”

I pulled down a corner of my mask, nodded at him, and asked him where he was going.

“Fantong.” As he spoke, a small but strained smile appeared on his face. “I have a few friends there who said they can introduce me to a good job.”

Actually, I didn’t know why I specifically came to find him. This wasn’t like me at all; I’ve never been a person with such a strong curiosity.

“Miss Wen is right not to go with you.” I heard my own cold voice.

At the same time, I wasn’t a cruel person either.

Even I was confused. What kind of feedback was I hoping to get by directly poking at his sore spot?

Mu Ke gave a wry smile, not annoyed by my bluntness: “I understand, she has her reasons. Besides, she asked me to wait for her. She said… give her some time to sort out her family matters, and one day, we will be reunited.”

Miss Wen Fu was really good at making empty promises.

“If she doesn’t come looking for you in the end,” I stared into his eyes, “would you hate her?”

Mu Ke paused for a moment, then lowered his head and thought seriously for a few seconds before giving me a hearty laugh and a definite answer: “No. If choosing not to be with me makes her happier, why should I hate her? It’s not her fault, it’s mine.” He was completely sincere. “From beginning to end, I only had one goal, which was to make her happy.”

I fell silent and didn’t say anything more.

At that moment, I finally understood why I had come to him. I was confirming that my thoughts, my logic, and my choices were correct and beyond approach from beginning to end.

This wasn’t a perfect ending that allowed everyone to bask in the halo of “happiness,” but undeniably, it was the most appropriate and fitting conclusion.

A “perfect” ending.

That was enough.

Mu Ke waved goodbye to me and disappeared through the turnstile.

Back in the VIP lounge, I checked my phone, but there was still no message from Zong Yanlei. I figured he was probably busy mitigating the public backlash and calming everyone down, and didn’t have time for me.

At 10 pm that night, I entered the neuro-navigation pod.

As soon as I entered the “Sky Domain,” a private invitation popped up in the system. The moment I clicked to confirm, a black door appeared before me.

There was no handle on the door, only a slightly raised scanning hole.

I pressed my eyes against it, and the black door quickly completed the biometric verification. After confirming that I was an invited guest, it silently opened inward.

I walked in slowly. It was a huge conference room with black and white diamond-patterned floor tiles, deep red walls, and black tables and chairs. The light was deliberately dimmed. Ye Shuer and Yu Xuan were already seated on either side of the long, wide table.

Without exchanging pleasantries, I had barely sat down when Yu Xuan looked up and immediately began presiding over today’s three-person meeting.

“Let Xiao Ye start.”

The red walls surrounding the room resembled some kind of enormous life form, which would slightly expand every now and then, revealing wound-like cracks, beneath which shimmered a golden-red light.

Ye Shuer flipped through the virtual projection on his fingertips, the blue data stream casting a cold light on his handsome face.

“…Recently, public support for the ‘Jing Shi religion’ and the Chu family has plummeted to an all-time low. Those doctrines once considered ‘divine pronouncements’ now seem like a joke after being bombarded with scandals these few past months. It’s believed that just one more spark could ignite a full-blown rebellion from the grassroots…”

I listened quietly, my fingertips tapping rhythmically on the black tabletop.

Perhaps it wasn’t Chu Shengcheng either? After all, there was another, more secretive beneficiary.

“Was today’s incident with Chu Luo your doing?” I suddenly interrupted Ye Shuer’s report.

“Chu Luo?” Ye Shuer blinked innocently, somewhat bewildered. “No, ge, didn’t you say that this information couldn’t be used?”

After eliminating one, I looked at Yu Xuan on the other side of the long table: “Is this related to you?”

“Me?” He sat there, the red light flowing slowly in the wall behind him, making his gentle and refined face look even more eerie. “These things have always been under Xiao Ye’s management, how could I do them?”

I scrutinized his expression: “What about Chu Shengcheng? He didn’t do it either?”

Upon hearing the name “Chu Shengcheng,” a small bubble rose from the fissure behind him, like boiling magma.

“It wasn’t him. He wouldn’t do something so pointless.” Yu Xuan said, his expression becoming even more indifferent.

It wasn’t us, nor was it Chu Shengcheng. Then this fire….burned in a strange way.

“Is this really that important?” Yu Xuan looked at me questioningly. “Isn’t the focus right now the ‘key’ to the metaverse? There’s only a month left until the celebration, and you still haven’t found it…” He paused, his tone turning cold. “Didn’t you say the key is likely with Zong Yanlei? If all else fails, I see he really cherishes that bastard child, so perhaps…”

On the four walls, cracks suddenly burst open, and golden-red light surged out from them, splashing onto the ground like lava, only to be quickly swallowed by the floor tiles.

“I’ve said it before,” my voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough, “I’ll handle Zong Yanlei, and no one is allowed to interfere.”

Yu Xuan’s gaze swept over the slowly closing cracks, and a slight sneer appeared on his lips: “This room is very sensitive to emotions. I didn’t know you could get so emotional.”

I smiled at him without explaining, then turned to Ye Shuer and asked, “Did the report you stayed up all night to write last time get approved?”

The words had barely left my mouth when the cracks on all the surrounding walls erupted simultaneously, one after another, as if the entire room were screaming.

Ye Shuer clutched her head, looking dazed: “No, it got rejected.”

I shrugged at Yu Xuan, gesturing for him to look: “This doesn’t mean anything.”

Yu Xuan frowned as he glanced at Ye Shuer. He pursed his lips, and said nothing more.

After a brief commotion, the space returned to calm.

“Anyway,” I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms, “I’ll get the key. Until then, don’t bother me.”

‎

‎

It was already late at night when I was ejected from the neuro-navigation pod.

The weightlessness of falling from the cold digital world back into my physical body made me shake my head uncomfortably.

Back in the dorm, I saw Zong Yanlei curled up awkwardly on the living room sofa, fast asleep. He hadn’t even taken off his coat; it looked like he’d been waiting for me and was thinking of taking a nap, but had accidentally fallen asleep.

He didn’t have to come over this late.

I walked over quietly and reached out to brush aside the silver hair that fell across his forehead. Even in his sleep, his brow was furrowed, as if he were dealing with endless official duties and scandals even in his dreams.

“Young Master…” I called to him softly.

Zong Yanlei’s eyelashes trembled, and then he slowly opened his eyes. Those beautiful eyes, which were always full of aggression and attracted attention, were now filled with weariness.

“Where did you go?” His voice was hoarse, and he exuded a lazy, sleepy vibe.

“I went to training. I can’t afford to slack off for the young master’s championship.” I lied skillfully, my fingers sliding down his face to his jawline.

“So diligent?” He stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and pulled me onto him with a brute force.

I fell into his strong embrace and was held tightly in his arms.

“That deserves a reward.”

I obediently nestled against him: “What’s the reward?”

“As a reward…” He rubbed his chin against the top of my head, his few words already tinged with sleepiness, “As a reward, sleep with me. Don’t move, just sleep like this.”

What a capricious reward! Why insist on squeezing onto the sofa when there is a bed?

Despite my grumbling, I obediently closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep, listening to the strong beating of the heart I had saved in his chest.