Chapter 226 – The Queen Arrives

Meng Chudong’s single word of “sister” left the onlookers exchanging bewildered glances—no words were needed, their eyes said it all:

[Fifth Brother: Sister?]

[Chang Xiaohu: Never heard Brother Meng mention one before.]

[Zheng Xi: I’m just a newcomer here.]

[Diamond: Who the hell are you asking!!]

[Crowd: …How did your gaze pierce through the kitchen wall like that? =_=]

While the friends’ eyes darted around like wildfire, the person in question was the complete opposite. Fang Zheng had never seen Birdy like this before. Though his face was usually expressionless, it was the calm confidence of someone in control. But now, his eyes were filled with confusion, making him look adorably clueless… Okay, Fang Zheng had to admit he was romanticizing his boyfriend a little. In reality, the guy was just straight-up dumbfounded.

The woman stood at the door, making no move to enter, and said coolly, “I went to the internet café looking for you. Lu Yue said you don’t live there anymore, so he brought me here.”

“Oh.” Meng Chudong blinked, as if finally regaining his scattered wits. Then, slowly, he turned his gaze toward the “guide.”

Lu Yue met Meng Chudong’s meaningful stare, wishing he could spirit-jump out of his own body, grab the man by the shoulders, and shake him violently: Your sister skipped a lot of details! I didn’t actually want to sell you out! I love you!!! TAT

Meng Chudong gave Lu Yue a slight nod, conveying just two words with his eyes: I know.

Lu Yue’s eyes instantly reddened, feeling that the humiliation of his desperate, life-or-death resistance before ultimately succumbing to coercion and betraying his soul hadn’t been in vain.

“Should the two of you hug and cry it out?” The sister scoffed at the brothers’ tearful soulful gaze, then turned her attention to the living room. “So you moved out to live with your lover. Compared to rotting away in an internet café, I’m actually relieved you’ve finally found a two—no, three, four, five…?” Seeming to have just counted the actual number of people in the living room, the sister’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. “A 5P? You guys are pretty avant-garde.”

Fang Zheng was on the verge of collapse. If he didn’t speak up now, the situation would escalate into something far worse: “No, no, it’s not what you think—”

The woman glanced at him, then at another corner of the room, and nodded in understanding. “Ah, 6P.”

Fang Zheng was baffled. Following her gaze, he looked over… Diamond, did you really have to come out right now on purpose?!

Diamond was speechless. He’d only been trying to sneak along the wall to eavesdrop on the gossip—how was he supposed to know he’d get caught in the crossfire?!

Just as the crowd’s inner monologues were ricocheting around like bullets, a childish voice cut through the living room:

“Which one is Uncle’s wife?”

Only then did the room full of grown men notice the five- or six-year-old boy hiding behind his mother’s long legs, peeking out with curiosity.

Hearing her son’s question, the woman simply lifted the child, putting him in front of her, and crouched down. The moment she was at eye level with him, her expression softened from that of Wu Zetian¹Empress Wu, the first and only woman emperor of China. to something like a children’s TV host—seamlessly, without a single hitch. “Mommy doesn’t know either. Who do you think it is?”

“Hmm…” The child earnestly scanned the crowd, tilting his head up to look at each of them before growing confused. “They’re all uncles… There’s no aunty…”

The “uncles” collectively facepalmed. Are you seriously asking your kid this question?!

Meng Chudong couldn’t take it anymore. “Why are you really here?”

The woman kissed her conflicted-looking son on the cheek, then stood back up and smiled at Birdy. “Can’t you invite me in for a warm drink before we talk?”

Meng Chudong’s frown deepened. He stayed silent for a long time.

The woman took a step forward, leaning in slightly to meet her brother’s gaze. Her voice was as soft as melting snowflakes:

“Don’t. Want. To?”

Meng Chudong gritted his teeth—and caved. He turned around, opened the bedroom door, and walked inside.

The woman smiled in satisfaction, then crouched back down to instruct her son: “Stay here in the living room. Don’t run around, got it?”

The boy nodded obediently, but couldn’t suppress his childlike curiosity: “Mommy, why does Uncle seem so scared of you?”

The woman patted his head gently. “Because Uncle is Harry Potter, and Mommy is Voldemort.”

…Is it really okay to spout such nonsense to a child with a straight face?!

Watching as a tender sapling was about to grow into a crooked tree, the uncles could only seethe in silence. Though the Voldemort comparison was clearly a joke, the aura of ‘mysterious tyrannical dominance’ radiating from this spicy mother who casually asked for “warm drinks” was all too real. One wrong word, and it felt like she’d stab them to death with her high heels. TAT

As the bedroom door closed, the oppressive atmosphere in the living room gradually dissipated.

Lu Yue plopped onto the sofa, tilting his head back to gasp for air as if he’d just survived a disaster.

Fang Zheng couldn’t hold back any longer and quickly sidled up to him. Mindful of the minor present, he whispered, “What’s the deal here?”

Before Lu Yue could answer, the child piped up: “Uncle, are you secretly talking bad about Mommy?”

Fang Zheng was speechless. He wasn’t sure whether to marvel at the kid’s unnervingly sharp instincts or at the implication that his mother was the type to often be badmouthed.

Lu Yue, however, seemed unfazed. He picked up his phone, opened a game, and handed it over. The boy took it, scampered to a corner of the living room, and immediately planted himself there.

Fang Zheng was amazed and couldn’t help but praise: “You’re really…” But his words trailed off as he realized he couldn’t find the right descriptor. =_=

Finally, Lu Yue sighed and finished for him: “Well-trained.”

Fang Zheng didn’t want to dig into the blood and tears behind those words—he just wanted to hug this friend who looked completely defeated.

With the minor now occupied, Lu Yue finally began explaining: “You know, Winter is a local. But because of… that matter, after things blew up with his family, his relationship with them has been tense. So he hardly ever goes home, even during holidays. His sister, Meng Hanlu, moved to another province after getting married, but she comes back for holidays. Winter’s relationship with her is slightly better, but they still don’t talk much. So for her to suddenly show up now—not during any holiday—and immediately seek him out… I was surprised too.”

Since this involved some personal matters, Lu Yue spoke quietly, just for Fang Zheng’s ears. The others in the living room understood and kept to themselves—some still sitting at the dining table, others watching TV, and a few wandering over to observe the kid playing on the phone.

Fang Zheng had heard from Birdy that he had a sister—one so outstanding she eclipsed him in every possible way—but that was all. Family was a topic Birdy never wanted to discuss. Sometimes, when Fang Zheng pressed too much, he’d just play dead. Faced with that, Fang Zheng had no choice but to drop it.

Diamond finally came out of the kitchen with a plate of now-lukewarm food. “Alright, let’s eat.”

Fang Zheng shot him a glare. “Who’s in the mood to eat now?!”

Fifth Brother: “…”

Chang Xiaohu: “…”

Zheng Xi: “…”

Six pairs of starving eyes instantly made Fang Zheng realize how isolated his stance was: “I mean, I’m not hungry… You guys go ahead. TAT”

It wasn’t that Fifth Brother, Diamond, and the others were heartless. It’s just that even an honest official couldn’t settle family disputes. As a boyfriend, Fang Zheng could meddle. As friends, it was better to stay out of it.

With the living room now calm and the bedroom door firmly shut, Lu Yue finally voiced the decision that had been swirling in his mind: “If there’s nothing else, I should probably go…” He stood up, ready to bolt.

Fang Zheng grabbed him. “What do you mean, nothing else? There’s plenty else!”

Lu Yue affectionately covered Fang Zheng’s grip on him, then pried his fingers off one by one while speaking earnestly: “I’ve told you everything I can. The rest… Winter should explain it to you himself.”

Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes, studying the subtle expression on Lu Yue’s face. “Do you really not want to tell me more, or are you just trying to bail before his sister comes out?”

Lu Yue’s eyes widened in surprise. “Was I that obvious?”

Fang Zheng nodded firmly. “Extremely obvious.”

“Fine,” Lu Yue gave up struggling and admitted frankly, “Since you already know, you should let me go now, right?”

“Know what?!” Fang Zheng’s face darkened. “Did you date her?”

“No!” Lu Yue shook his head so hard it looked like he’d been electrocuted.

Fang Zheng was puzzled. “Then why are you so scared of her?”

Lu Yue leaned in, carefully lowering his voice to a near-whisper: “She once chased me…”

Fang Zheng was surprised, but this only deepened his confusion. “Then you should be less scared of her, no?”

Lu Yue turned his head slightly, gazing out the window as if his lost childhood resided in the distant sky.

“Chased me… to beat me up.”

After sending off Lu Yue with heartfelt sympathy, Fang Zheng sank back into the sofa. The cushions were soft, and it would’ve been nice to just stay buried there, not thinking about anything. But his eyes kept drifting toward the bedroom.

According to Lu Yue, Birdy’s sister wouldn’t show up without a reason. If she was here, something was up. But what? He had no idea.

Just yesterday, the two of them had been so close—close enough that Fang Zheng thought they were inseparable. Now, he realized that there had always been a part of Birdy’s heart closed off to him. No matter how much he pretended not to notice, pretended life was still sweet and simple, this bubble would eventually burst. Maybe from a needle prick, maybe from the slam of a door. And on the other side of that door was a voice he’d never heard, a woman he’d never met, a world he didn’t know, a Birdy he didn’t understand.

“Uncle, why aren’t you eating?” With Lu Yue gone, the child had lost his “game console,” so now he wandered over to the only unoccupied uncle for some small talk.

The boy’s features bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Meng Hanlu’s, but with a boyish handsomeness mixed in. His still-chubby, milky-white cheeks looked like delicious steamed buns. Unable to resist, Fang Zheng pinched them lightly—the bouncy texture instantly dispelling some of his gloom. “Uncle isn’t hungry. What’s your name?”

“Meng Zhuo. Mommy says jade must be carved to become treasure, so she often ‘carves’ me, and I’ll grow up to be an amazing person like a precious gem!”

Though Fang Zheng was morbidly curious about how exactly Birdy’s sister “carved” her child, Lu Yue’s tragic backstory served as a cautionary tale. He decided not to pry, lest he create a second childhood trauma. =_=

“Meng Zhuo…” Fang Zheng murmured, then suddenly realized something. “Ah, so your dad’s surname is Meng too?”

But the boy shook his head. “Mom and Dad got divorced. Mommy changed my name. I used to be surnamed Fang.”

“…” Though with over a billion people in China, sharing a surname was inevitable, Fang Zheng couldn’t help feeling like he’d taken an arrow to the knee. TAT

“Uncle,” Meng Zhuo suddenly tiptoed closer, whispering, “Don’t tell Mommy I told you about Dad, okay?”

Fang Zheng nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, Uncle won’t say a word. I won’t make Mommy angry.”

Meng Zhuo shook his head. “I’m not scared of Mommy getting angry. I’m scared of Mommy getting sad…” His voice, still babyish, carried a faint tremble. “Every time I talk about Daddy, Mommy gets sad.”

Fang Zheng’s eyes stung. He pulled Meng Zhuo into a tight hug. Every family had its struggles, but the child was innocent. This little one was so young—he should be carefree…

“Uncle,” the boy sniffled and suddenly looked up. “Are you my uncle’s wife?”

Fang Zheng almost immediately said no, but faced with those bright, earnest eyes, he hesitated. Maybe in a child’s world, things weren’t so complicated.

Finally, he nodded slowly and whispered, “Yeah.”

The boy blinked twice, his chubby face scrunching in confusion.

“Why does Uncle like fat guys?”

……Whose brat is this? Someone come get him!!!

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  Empress Wu, the first and only woman emperor of China.