Chapter 237: Back To That Key Moment ⑦

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Chapter 237: Back To That Key Moment ⑦

During their first week in Linde Town, Shang Ke and Lu Xiufan moved between upscale hotels and distinctive guesthouses, collected more than a dozen sets of commemorative animated postcards, and took hundreds of photographs. Everywhere they went, they left traces of the two of them together.

Little by little, Lu Xiufan was filling their “treasure chest,” doing everything he could to make sure this life held no regrets.

Hand in hand, they eventually reached the scenic promenade along the river. Street performers were scattered everywhere—singers, portrait artists, carvers, and others—while groups of elderly people gathered nearby to play chess and chat.

After watching for a while, Shang Ke suddenly said to Lu Xiufan, “Want to compete?”

“Compete? At what?”

Shang Ke quickened his steps and moved to the center of the plaza. Spreading both hands as though presenting the entire world, he said, “Let’s see which of us can become the most dazzling person here today.”

Lu Xiufan gazed deeply at him. In his eyes, no one could ever be more dazzling.

“All right.” Winning or losing did not matter. The point was to enjoy themselves.

Lu Xiufan had been born into nobility and naturally carried the imposing authority of someone accustomed to standing above others. Wherever he went, he became the center of attention. To soften that overly intimidating aura, Shang Ke deliberately gave him a pair of nonprescription glasses and changed him into casual clothes. After the makeover, Shang Ke had only one verdict: sadistic elite.

Some people were simply born impossible to restyle. If they entered show business, they would spend their entire careers relying on their faces and aura to look cool. Shang Ke absolutely refused to admit that his own styling ability might be lacking—or that he had deliberately left some of Lu Xiufan’s scummy charm intact.

The makeover was not particularly successful, but at least people no longer instinctively backed away the moment they saw him.

Lu Xiufan stood among a group of chess players. His tall, straight figure immediately added a faintly murderous pressure to the atmosphere. Even the two people already playing could feel it. What should have been an ordinary amateur game somehow acquired the tension of an army bearing down on the city.

After watching several rounds, Lu Xiufan produced a limited-edition commemorative gold coin and directly challenged the local “Chess King.” The coin itself was worth only around ten thousand, but it was extremely rare and highly collectible.

As expected, the “Chess King” readily accepted the challenge the moment he saw the coin.

The two were evenly matched, their setups ingenious and excellent moves appearing one after another. The surrounding chess enthusiasts watched with immense satisfaction.

Midway through the game, Lu Xiufan habitually looked toward the place where Shang Ke had been standing earlier—only to discover that he was gone. His heart tightened. He shot to his feet so abruptly that everyone around him recoiled in alarm.

Lu Xiufan’s gaze swept rapidly across the surroundings. He had arranged for guards to protect Shang Ke from the shadows, but if Shang Ke was not within sight, he simply could not feel at ease.

Just then, the mellow sound of a suoqin—an instrument somewhat like a saxophone—floated over from nearby, carrying a cheerful rhythm into Lu Xiufan’s ears.

He followed the sound. Beneath a sculpture in the plaza, Shang Ke stood playing a golden suoqin with complete concentration. The white statue, drifting leaves, gleaming instrument, and elegant musician came together like a beautiful painting.

All the noise around him seemed to disappear, leaving only one lovestruck fool gazing at his beloved from afar.

“Hey, are you still playing or not?” The ignored “Chess King” was displeased and rapped a chess piece against the board, interrupting Lu Xiufan’s thoughts.

Lu Xiufan returned to himself, sat back down, and resumed the game. The music flowed softly through his ears like his lover’s touch. His play gradually shifted from relentless killing intent to something far more elusive—less oppressive, more graceful. The abrupt change in style caught his opponent completely off guard.

After a difficult struggle, the “Chess King” ultimately lost by half a piece. At almost the same moment, Shang Ke’s performance came to an end.

Lu Xiufan politely declined the “Chess King’s” request for another round and made his way through the crowd toward Shang Ke. On the way, he happened to notice someone selling flowers nearby. On impulse, he bought a rose.

Lu Xiufan walked up to Shang Ke and held out the rose. “Congratulations on a successful performance.”

A smile entered Shang Ke’s eyes. He brought the hand he had been hiding behind his back into view—and revealed another rose. “Congratulations on your opening victory.”

The two stood in the middle of the plaza, each holding a rose and gazing warmly at the other. A nearby photographer captured the scene at exactly the right moment, freezing it forever in a single image…

In the end, their competition dissolved into a shameless public display of affection. No one cared who had won.

“How did you know I won that chess game?” Lu Xiufan suddenly asked while they were eating.

“If you had lost,” Shang Ke replied while handling his knife and fork, “your walk would have been more elegant than usual.”

Lu Xiufan: “I… don’t normally walk elegantly?”

“It’s not that you lack elegance. It’s that the worse your mood or circumstances are, the higher your elegance level becomes. When you’re extremely happy, on the other hand, you tend to forget your manners.” Shang Ke lightly tapped his glass with his knife. “For example, right now, your fork has stolen my tenderloin, and your left leg is flirting with my right leg.”

Lu Xiufan: “…” The evidence was conclusive. He had no defense.

While the two ate and flirted with each other, a middle-aged man’s teasing voice suddenly came from the next table. “You’re a Covenantor, aren’t you? How pitiful. Sent out to work by your parents at such a young age?”

“Sir, all of your dishes have been served. Is there anything else you require?” the Covenantor waiter asked without expression.

“Yes. Come over here and eat with me.”

“I’m sorry, sir. My duties are limited to serving food. I am not responsible for entertaining guests.”

“That’s fine. As long as your employer agrees, there won’t be a problem. I’ll speak to him.” With that, the man took out his communicator and began making a call as though no one else existed.

The waiter stood silently at one side until the middle-aged man finished the call and a message arrived from his employer ordering him to satisfy the customer’s demands unconditionally for the day. Only then did he raise his head slightly, his vacant eyes quietly taking in everything before him.

The middle-aged man pulled him close and began groping him openly despite the public setting, a lewd smile spread across his face. The waiter merely endured it in silence without making a sound.

Lu Xiufan’s expression darkened. He set down his knife and fork, took out his communicator, and swiftly transmitted a string of codes. Before long, several tall men entered the restaurant, walked straight to the middle-aged man’s table, and hauled him toward the exit without a word.

“Who are you? Where are you taking me? Security! Security!” the middle-aged man shouted as he was dragged out of the restaurant. A security guard tried to intervene along the way, but the moment he saw the credentials the men presented, he immediately stepped aside.

Shang Ke looked at the Covenantor waiter’s numb expression and said nothing.

Lu Xiufan comforted him. “He’s fine now. Don’t worry.” As for that disgusting middle-aged man, there was no avoiding the fate of having all three of his legs broken.

“He escaped this time, but there will be a next time,” Shang Ke said calmly. “Did you notice the bruises beneath his collar? He may be abused regularly.”

Because Covenantors lacked emotion, their instinct for self-protection was weak. Even if they were tortured to death, they would not grieve for themselves.

This kind of systemic injustice could not be changed by passing a few laws and regulations. At the very least, it would not disappear within a few decades.

“What are you planning to do?” Lu Xiufan asked when he saw Shang Ke fall into thought.

“I want to… build a school.” Shang Ke looked up at Lu Xiufan and said seriously, “A school exclusively for Covenantors.”

The first generation of treatment drugs could repair a Covenantor’s brain and extend their lifespan, but they could not reconstruct the damaged emotional centers. Covenantors were still accustomed to living strictly according to rules and routines. In that case, Shang Ke wanted to establish a basic code of conduct and teach every Covenantor how to protect themselves and how to fight for their own rights.

“Then we’ll build one.” Whatever Shang Ke wanted to do, Lu Xiufan would support him unconditionally.

Shang Ke paused. “I plan to spend three years preparing.”

In the past, he had always carried a Heroic Death Mission, so he had no scruples and no fear of attracting trouble. But things were different now. He wanted to grow old with the man he loved and live a happy life with him. Before taking action, he had to consider Lu Xiufan’s position.

He could be Lu Xiufan’s soft spot, but he could not become a weakness other people could exploit against him. For the next three years, he would conceal his identity, keep a low profile, and prepare carefully for the future. Once Lu Xiufan eliminated every remaining hidden threat, Shang Ke could stand openly beside him and do everything he wanted to do.

He could afford to wait that long.

Lu Xiufan was somewhat surprised that Shang Ke intended to delay the school project for three years, but he did not think much of it at the time. Only later, when he happened across a business plan on Shang Ke’s computer, did he understand what Shang Ke had been thinking.

Shang Ke wanted enough wealth to protect himself and enough strength to fight at Lu Xiufan’s side. He did not want to remain hidden beneath Lu Xiufan’s wings, constantly afraid that he might become a burden.

“Keke, I love you.” Lu Xiufan decided to cultivate the habit of confessing his love once every day.

Shang Ke lay sprawled drowsily across the bed. Could you maybe not confess right after you come? I don’t have any strength left to answer you. Mm… and don’t confess while you’re coming either. Otherwise, every time you say “I love you” during sex, I’ll think you’re about to come, get myself ready for it, and then if you don’t actually come, wouldn’t that be incredibly awkward…?

A month later, Lu Xiufan received an encrypted message from his subordinate. Translated into plain language, it read: 【Little brother, hurry back already! Without you here to keep everyone in line, the capital has turned into a gathering of demons again. The Queen is so worried she’s making herself sick, your elder brother’s private life is tragically “unhappy,” and the whole world has turned gray!】

Lu Xiufan ignored his brother’s complaints. Lu Xiuqi was good at almost everything; his one major flaw was laziness. He hated dealing with official affairs. And Lu Xiufan still remembered that his brother had once accidentally killed Shang Ke. He did not truly blame or resent him for it, but he could not simply let the matter go either.

The thought immediately made Lu Xiufan wary. No. He had to warn Shang Ke to stay far away from Lu Xiuqi in the future, just in case the man suddenly went berserk and hurt him again. Who knew whether history might repeat itself? As far as Shang Ke was concerned, Lu Xiuqi was absolutely a dangerous individual who had to be kept under strict guard!

“Keke, if you ever see this man, turn around and leave immediately. Don’t come within twenty meters of him, and definitely don’t speak to him.” Lu Xiufan pointed at a photograph of Lu Xiuqi and issued the warning with extreme seriousness.

Shang Ke stared at the photograph for a moment, then hesitantly said, “…If I’m not mistaken, isn’t he the Queen’s husband—and your elder brother?”

“That’s right, but he isn’t a good person.” To make sure Shang Ke fully understood how dangerous a certain someone was, Lu Xiufan slandered his own brother’s character without the slightest restraint.

“All right. If you insist, I’ll try to avoid him.”

“As expected, my Keke is so considerate.” Satisfied, Lu Xiufan immediately started behaving shamelessly again.

Sure enough, the moment a certain someone was in a good mood, his true nature came right back out…

Omake:

Brother Lu: Why does Keke run away whenever he sees me?

Lu Xiufan: Because you look horrible.

Brother Lu: That’s not true. Even if I take a punch, I still won’t look as horrible as you.

Lu Xiufan: All right, thank you for giving me this opportunity Y(^_^)Y

Brother Lu: ○|￣|_┌

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