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Published at 11th of August 2021 08:06:39 AM


Chapter 9

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Chapter 9 - Collapse

Lieutenant General Hawk's men politely "invited" Ji Ling out. As soon as they went out the military HQ gates, they quickly let go and stood aside, lowering their eyes. "Please leave," they said respectfully.

  

Ji Ling flung off Rhodes angrily, “You lot, get out of the way! I want to go back in! "

  

However, the guard at the gate had his orders, and was immovable as a mountain this time. He insisted on guarding the gate and repeated mechanically: "You cannot enter the army base without a permit."

  

Damn him!

  

Ji Ling couldn’t take this! He hadn’t even stayed long enough for Brandon to explode at him. How could he leave like this? He tried to rush in again, but the guard would neither hit him nor scold him, and just stood there, hard as a rock, so there was nothing Ji Ling could do…

  

After a while, he became so tired that he stood there panting. Muddle-headed, he was pulled onto the hover car by Rhodes...

  

So, he had to just leave it at that?

  

Just go home like this?

  

But what could he do if he didn’t go home? He couldn’t even get through the military HQ gates! Damn!

  

Rhodes watched Ji Ling's face turn green and then white, afraid that he’d vent out his anger on him. After taking Ji Ling home, he quickly slipped away, leaving Ji Ling standing at the door of his house in a daze.

  

Even after he returned to his room, Ji Ling still hadn’t regained himself, feeling as if everything was a dream.

  

How did things end up like this?

  

Wasn’t he supposed to go *face-slapping, and get slapped instead? In the end, he should’ve been dragged out of the army base and get so humiliated that the plot would come full circle. Why didn't any of it happen? And now, he somehow came back home like this? From the start to the finish, not one person said anything harsh to him. Even Marshal Brandon, who was cold and terrifying, only gave him one, "you,” before he was interrupted by Lieutenant General Hawk who suddenly jumped out...

  

I already stuck my nose in your door to humiliate your favorite comrade-in-arms, and you didn't respond. Then, I was just sent away by Lieutenant General Hawk. Couldn’t you have prevented it? Couldn’t you have said something?

  

Weren’t you supposed to be a cold-blooded marshal who looked down on rich kids like me the most? Why’d you turn dumb at the most critical moment?!

  

Ji Ling was so angry that he whacked his chest and stamped his feet. Unreliable. They were all unreliable. 

  

He was gloomy for half the day and forgot to consider whether his face-slapping today was successful or not. He went to the army to make a fuss and even came back in one piece. Didn’t he slap Ning Yu’s face and make him suffer a loss?

  

After thinking to this point, Ji Ling’s face went pale, expression turning bleak.

  

In his two lives, this was the first time he had successfully slapped someone’s face… 

 

He panicked.

  

What in the world was the problem? Why was the second run so much harder than the first? I didn't really do anything, so why did I enter the hard mode for no reason?

  

"Knock, knock." A rapping sound came from the door.

  

Ji Ling, still immersed in his grief, looked up and saw a handsome man with silver hair and black eyes pushing open the door.

  

I had a few rare days of peace, and now this guy is here again?

  

Ji Ling hadn’t controlled his emotions for a moment, and his face turned darker. This was like the saying, ‘when it rains, it pours.’ 

  

Wen Yan heard that Ji Ling went to the military headquarters, and remembered that after he watched that piece of news last life, he was stirred up into going to give Ning Yu trouble. However, he was mercilessly thrown out of the gates by Brandon. This incident spread all over Empire Star, turning Ji Ling into a well-known laughingstock. Nobles laughed at him for aiming beyond his means, and even ordinary civilians could make stabs at him, causing him to lose all face in his circle.

  

But that wasn’t all. Soon after, the video of Ji Ling insulting Ning Yu was posted on the net anonymously. Numerous people were deeply angered by his remarks. A cowardly aristocrat degenerate was insulting and suppressing a hero who had risked his life. Ji Ling was immediately attacked by the whole online community, and people cursed him to die everyday.

  

Ji Ling not only had to endure the disdain of his peers, but also countless accounts of cyber bullying from ordinary civilians. This incident increased his hatred for Ning Yu and spurred him into making one mistake after another... but let’s not mention those for now.

  

Anyway, because of Carlos' change this life, Rhodes didn’t go to Ji Ling, and Ji Ling didn’t head to the army. Wen Yan originally thought it wouldn’t happen again this time. He never thought that, although there was a delay of one day, Ji Ling would still go to the army in the end. He was too careless.

  

Fortunately, Ji Ling left the army without incident this time thanks to Carlos’ intervention.

  

When he first learned of the result, Wen Yan breathed a complicated sigh of relief. Luckily, Ji Ling was completely fine. No matter what Carlos’ goal was, at least he had protected Ji Ling this time.

  

It’s just that Wen Yan was too worried about Ji Ling, and couldn’t restrain his impulse to come over again. As a result, the first thing he saw when he came in was a disconcerted Ji Ling. That figure immediately grabbed at his heart strings. Had something else happened that he didn’t know of?

  

Wen Yan asked in a low voice: "What's the matter? Are you not happy?"

  

Ji Ling looked at Wen Yan in a bad mood. Happy? How could he be happy? Under normal circumstances, he should’ve become a laughingstock after failing to slap Ning Yu’s face, and then been insulted by the whole online community. As a result of that, he would’ve gone to make trouble for Ning Yu again out of resentment and dissatisfaction… Now that everything was going so well for him, what excuse would he have to hate Ning Yu? How would the following plot unfold?

  

Ji Ling said unhappily, "What did you come here for?”

  

Wen Yan was silent for a moment and said, straight to the point, "I heard you went to the army headquarters."

  

Ji Ling thought, good for you, little rascal. So you sneakily inquired about my whereabouts, after all. You’re not even hiding that fact, because you think I’m a fool! He remained calm and continued his performance, saying, "Yes."

  

Wen Yan looked at the disappointment and gloom in Ji Ling’s eyes. The youth’s anger couldn’t be concealed. He had clearly succeeded, so why was he still angry like this? Was it because of Emperor Sui's kindness to Ning Yu?

  

In fact, that was really nothing. Everyone knew that it was just for show, but the biased youth took it for truth. Looking on it, it may not have been because he was foolish… but because he cared too much about that person so he couldn’t take the dust out of his eyes to see clearly. His original intention wasn’t actually to suppress Ning Yu, but to get that person’s attention.

  

Wen Yan felt jealous and sour in his heart. Do you love him that much?

  

But he will never love you. Why can't you understand that?

  

Wen Yan's lips motioned to speak, but he couldn’t bear to see the youth looking so sad. He comforted him against his will: "If you’re sad about what happened with Ning Yu, you don't have to take it to heart. His Majesty won't like him."

  

Ji Ling didn’t believe it. Last life, I saw Jing Sui liking Ning Yu with my own eyes! He asked back, "How do you know he won’t?”

  

Wen Yan said: “You know how noble His Majesty’s status is. Only you are worthy to stand beside him with your background. Ning Yu is just an ordinary civilian, so how could His Majesty ever like him?"

  

The man's voice was gentle, and his expression sincere. These remarks were logical and justifiable. If Ji Ling was the original... he’d definitely be overjoyed with this coaxing, and not give the matter a second thought.

  

Unfortunately,  this was Ji Ling now. Not only was he not comforted, he became even sadder... It was his dream for Jing Sui to like Ning Yu!

  

Your little mouth really doesn’t know how to talk. Way to pick at my sore spot. Why don’t you add fuel to the fire already?! Take out your specialty and sow discord between us. Have me continue to give Ning Yu trouble and dig a pit for me to jump into. Who wants you to comfort me? What benefit is there for you in comforting me? !

  

This villain was too incompetent.

  

Ji Ling was despondent, but he knew that he had no reason to continue venting. His expression contorted a bit, and he forced down his sadness. He looked into Wen Yan’s eyes and said, "Do you really think His Majesty won’t fancy him?”

  

Wen Yan said earnestly, "Yes, you can rest assured."

  

Ji Ling: "......"

  

Two people, and four eyes looked at each other.

  

Wen Yan's expression was deep and gentle, incomparably sincere, while Ji Ling's expression was dim and his mind was dazed.

  

The second run was too hard. Too hard.

  

All the partners who had cooperated happily with him last life turned their backs and started to drag him down. Even the villains looked like they were going to change their evil ways for good. Ji Ling's heart went cold, and he didn't want to deal with Wen Yan any more. He waved his hand, wanting to send him out. As a result, a servant rushed over and respectfully said to Ji Ling, “Young Master, Archduke Carlos is coming."

  

Ji Ling wanted to slam the table and say, "Not seeing him! Scram!”

  

They’re just coming one after another, with no end in sight. Can’t you let me catch my breath?

  

However, what he actually said was: "Please invite Uncle Carlos in."

  

In order to live, there were times you needed to play dumb to be smart.

  

Turning back, he found that Wen Yan was still standing there and hadn’t left yet, but it was too late to rush him out, because Carlos had already entered.

  

Ji Ling quickly came back to himself.

  

Carlos was dressed in a subtle yet luxurious double-breasted suit, wearing white gloves, and holding the silver and black cane that hardly ever left his hand. He looked up with a gentle expression, warm eyes and a playful voice: "Look at this face... Who made our little cutie unhappy?"

  

Little cutie... Ji Ling almost shivered all his goosebumps off.

 

He couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly: Who else but you? He also figured out later that Hawk was probably one of Carlos' men. That was because after his rebirth, this guy was the one with the most discrepancies, coming out of nowhere every day.

  

Ha ha, coming over to show off that you’ve ruined my good work. You really are great.

  

Ji Ling's eyes were dejected. "Nothing," he said faintly.

  

“Really?” Carlos chuckled. Then, his line of sight passed over to where Wen Yan stood, and his eyes flashed coldly. I see that you’re also here for Ji Ling. It seems that you didn't take my warning last time to heart.

  

Wen Yan looked into Carlos' eyes and after a few moments, moved out of his sight naturally. Arguably, it wouldn’t be appropriate for someone of his status to continue staying in the room, but he didn’t trust Carlos being alone with Ji Ling. That’s why he ignored Carlos' warning and stayed there quietly without moving.

  

Carlos slowly withdrew his line of sight and pressed down the chill in his eyes. He could clean up Wen Yan later. It was more important to comfort his little cutie at the moment.

  

He took two steps forward, and came to Ji Ling's side, He lowered his eyes, and gave a low laugh, “Your unhappiness is written all over your face. It doesn’t look like it’s nothing. You just don't want to tell me."

  

The atmosphere immediately turned awkward, but he was forced to continue chatting with the villain, something Ji Ling was completely uninterested in.

  

He looked at Carlos' gently smiling eyes, and couldn’t help but get cold feet. However, his dissatisfaction overcame his fear in the end. If it wasn’t for Carlos, there wouldn't have been so many changes. Now that the plot had deviated like this... How was it supposed to develop later? All this made Ji Ling feel troubled and confused.

  

Speaking of which, this book was called “Everyone is Charmed in Interstellar Space.” As the name implies, this work was about everyone falling in love, and it also featured a power couple (strong gong and strong shou). Everyone in the good camp and the bad camp all loved the main shou, Ning Yu. Even the big villain, Carlos, wasn’t an exception. Although he didn’t explicitly express that he liked Ning Yu, he also competed for him in order to go against Jing Sui. While he did have ulterior motives, if you rounded it up, you could say that he had a thing for Ning Yu, right? Otherwise, with Carlos' character, he’d never involve himself with lower beings at all. 

  

Carlos should’ve noticed Ning Yu by now. Going by how things worked last life, it was very likely that Carlos would show goodwill to Ning Yu, and win him over in order to destroy Jing Sui's plans. Seeing how he’d intervened today, could Carlos have already started making his move? 

  

He’d successfully slapped Ning Yu in the face today, all because Brandon was too incompetent to protect his own people. With this, Carlos would then extend an olive branch to Ning Yu. Even if he couldn’t bring this important chess piece over, he could at least put a wall between Brandon and Jing Sui... Ji Ling was suddenly enlightened when he thought of this point.

  

Sinister. Really sinister!

  

Ji Ling thought he had seen through Carlos' plans, and his heart moved. He pretended to be disappointed and lowered his head, saying: "...I heard His Majesty really likes that Ning Yu a lot.”

  

Carlos looked at him and said slowly, “Over this little thing?"

  

Ji Ling sounded like he was wronged, and plastered his eyes open, staring at him while saying: “You didn't see what people are saying on the net. What should I do if His Majesty really likes him?  His Majesty... he’s never been so good to a civilian before… "

  

See, Ning Yu is different. Go and steal him from Jing Sui!

  

Carlos looked at the youth’s slightly red eyes, and his eyes gradually turned dark. That man's heart is a stone that will never feel warmth. Do you like him that much? And what is this pent-up anger in my heart? Is it jealousy?

  

Carlos spoke in a deep voice: “He’s just a lower being who’s not even comparable to the toes on your feet. Why get angry over someone like that?”

  

Oh, you old thing. You really are bad, spouting lies one after another. Don't think I don't know that you look down on me the most. In your eyes, trashy rich kids like me have no value compared to Ning Yu, a pawn who’s a popular national idol.

  

Ji Ling said in a sour tone: "But His Majesty..."

  

Carlos looked at him calmly. After a moment of silence, he said, “You really hate him that much?"

  

Ji Ling nodded vigorously!

  

I will never give up on Jing Sui, and I will always oppose Ning Yu!

  

Carlos’ thin lips raised up slightly. He stared fixedly at Ji Ling. After a long time, he slowly said: “In that case..."

  

Ji Ling looked at him expectantly.

  

Carlos' expression was gentle as he whispered, "I'll help you kill him, okay?"

  

Ji Ling: "......"

  

In the man’s brown pupils, gentleness and cruelty were perfectly blended together. When he spoke these words, he said them as lightly as if he were coaxing an impossible child who fussed about everything. You don’t like those toys? I’ll help you break them, okay?

  

Ji Ling looked at Carlos, his expression stiffening little by little. His mouth hung wide open, and the words he wanted to say were all stuck in his throat.

  

You... Why don't play your hand the usual way?!

 

Translator’s notes

 

*By the way, all mentions of face-slapping are never literal. Haha, don’t worry, Ji Ling will never be charged with physical abuse, just verbal and emotional cuz he’s actually successful this time ^^





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