Chapter 83: Covenantor (VI)

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Chapter 83: Covenantor (VI)

After the race, Shang Ke’s contact list gained a whole collection of numbers belonging to young nobles, including Prince Yi Yun’s.

Yi Yun left the racetrack with Shang Ke amid a crowd of people. The moment they stepped through the gate, they saw Lu Xiufan standing straight ahead. His solemn presence seemed to turn even the sunlight falling across him cold.

His sharp gaze swept across the group, and everyone who had been chatting and laughing fell silent at once. One after another, they composed themselves and respectfully saluted him.

Lu Xiufan acknowledged them with a slight nod, then looked toward Shang Ke.

Shang Ke inclined his head slightly to Yi Yun, then turned and walked toward Lu Xiufan.

As Shang Ke approached, the people nearby were surprised to notice a subtle change come over Lu Xiufan. It was as though a blade had slid back into its sheath, the surrounding chill quietly melting away.

Lu Xiufan lowered his head. “Did you have fun?”

“Yes.” Shang Ke answered with his usual composure. No emotion showed on his placid face, but the faint flush in his cheeks lent him a touch of liveliness.

“When did Imperial Uncle get here?” Yi Yun walked over with a smile. “Did you see Shang Ze’s race?”

“Just arrived. No.” Though he had already obtained a copy of the race recording.

“He was outstanding. He was the MVP of the race,” Yi Yun praised generously.

“Mm.” Lu Xiufan gave a simple response, his tone making it clear he considered that only natural.

Yi Yun grumbled inwardly. With a face permanently frozen like that, his imperial uncle was simply incapable of looking warm and sunny. Look at Shang Ze—even though he was expressionless too, he was much easier on the heart.

“Return to the palace. Her Majesty has arranged a family dinner tonight,” Lu Xiufan reminded him.

“I know.” Yi Yun turned to say goodbye to the others.

Shang Ke opened the car door for Lu Xiufan, and Yi Yun climbed in after him.

Lu Xiufan’s Black Wheel took the lead, followed by several escort vehicles as the convoy headed toward the palace.

Partway there, a voice suddenly came through the car’s communicator. “Your Royal Highness, Your Excellency, there has been an accident ahead. Please slow down. We’ll clear a path.”

“Understood.” Shang Ke slowed the vehicle.

A noisy crowd had gathered not far ahead, with numerous hovercars suspended at varying heights nearby, most belonging to onlookers.

The public security unit had not yet arrived, so the accident must have happened only moments earlier.

A moment later, the guards reported again. “Your Royal Highness, Your Excellency, one of the people involved is the young master of the Yue Family.”

The Yue Family’s young master? Could it be that Yue Xuan they had just met at the racetrack? Yi Yun frowned and looked toward Lu Xiufan.

Lu Xiufan asked, “How badly is he injured?”

“It looks serious. He’s covered in blood,” the guard reported.

“Shang Ze, come take a look with me.” Although the Yue Family was nowhere near as influential as it had once been, it was still a distinguished clan. If Lu Xiufan knowingly ignored one of its heirs in mortal danger, people might use it against him later.

Shang Ke retrieved the emergency medical kit from the car and followed Lu Xiufan out. Because of his status, Yi Yun could only remain inside and watch the situation through the vehicle’s cameras.

The guards cleared a path ahead, and Lu Xiufan and Shang Ke quickly reached the scene. Only after drawing closer did they realize it was a chain collision involving four or five vehicles piled together. The occupants had already been removed. Those with lighter injuries sat off to the side waiting for the authorities, while two seriously injured people lay on the ground. One of them was indeed Yue Xuan.

Yue Xuan was covered in blood, half his body unable to move as pained groans escaped him. Sensing someone approach, he turned his head. The moment he saw Shang Ke, terror filled his face. “Y-You! What are you trying to do?”

Lu Xiufan’s gaze darkened slightly. “Check his injuries.”

Shang Ke crouched and set the medical kit on the ground.

“No! Get away from me! Stay back!” Yue Xuan raised a hand and swung at him.

Shang Ke smoothly avoided the blow, though several drops of blood splattered across his face.

Lu Xiufan stared at the spots of blood on Shang Ke’s face and found them inexplicably offensive to the eye. He ordered sharply, “Hold him down. Don’t let him move.”

Two guards immediately stepped forward and restrained Yue Xuan’s arms and legs.

“Let me go! Let me go!” Yue Xuan stared at Shang Ke’s blood-speckled, expressionless face and those emotionless eyes, shouting in panic, “Help! He’s going to kill me! Cough—cough—he’s going to kill me!”

Several mouthfuls of blood spilled from Yue Xuan’s lips. Agony wracked his entire body and dizziness washed over him, yet his fear that Shang Ke would seize the opportunity to take revenge kept him desperately clinging to consciousness.

Lu Xiufan watched coldly from the side, suspicion beginning to form about the relationship between the two.

Shang Ke looked at Yue Xuan’s distorted expression without a ripple on his face. Relax, Yue Xuan. Not only will I not kill you, I’ll do everything I can to save you. The Yue Ze who became a Covenantor has no attachment to the past and holds no resentment. He can save even his enemy without the slightest grudge. But you’re different. You have a guilty conscience and a petty, narrow heart. One day, you’ll repay kindness with malice and reap the consequences yourself.

Shang Ke skillfully administered emergency treatment without the slightest hesitation or error. By the time the medical personnel arrived, he had already stabilized Yue Xuan’s injuries.

After examining Yue Xuan, one of the medical workers praised Shang Ke. “It’s fortunate you treated him in time. Otherwise, he probably would have died before we arrived.”

Only then did everyone realize just how serious Yue Xuan’s injuries were. He had been shouting so loudly that they had assumed he couldn’t be in that much danger.

Shang Ke showed no reaction to the praise. He removed his gloves, picked up the medical kit, and returned to Lu Xiufan’s side.

“Leave the rest to public security and the medical personnel. Let’s go.” Lu Xiufan led Shang Ke away from the chaotic accident scene.

Shang Ke opened the rear door. After Lu Xiufan got in, he beckoned Shang Ke closer.

Shang Ke leaned closer, and a wet wipe reached out to carefully clean the blood from his face.

Shang Ke, whose face had just been wiped so thoroughly it practically gleamed: “…”

Yi Yun, struck speechless as though by lightning: “…”

That hand that just wiped Shang Ze’s face really belonged to Imperial Uncle?! Don’t try to deceive my eyes! Be honest—that was actually a monster disguised as a human hand, wasn’t it?!

After Lu Xiufan and the others left, Yue Xuan was taken to the hospital. Thanks to the timely treatment, his life was no longer in danger, though multiple fractures meant he would need a period of recovery. The cause of the accident was painfully simple. Still furious after humiliating himself at the race, Yue Xuan encountered a sports car cutting into his lane on the way home—and the other driver even flashed a string of mocking virtual emoticons at him.

Naturally, Yue Xuan flew into a rage and immediately ordered his driver to chase them. The two cars began racing through the streets, but neither driver had the skill to handle it. They collided while taking a turn and triggered the chain accident.

“Mother, I saw him.” Yue Xuan lay weakly in bed, looking at his mother as though seeking help.

Lady Chang stroked his head soothingly. “Don’t rush. Who did you meet?”

“Yue Ze!”

Lady Chang frowned. “What exactly happened?”

Yue Xuan told his mother everything that had happened that day, omitting only the fact that he had deliberately ordered someone to sabotage Shang Ke during the race—and that Shang Ke had just saved his life.

Lady Chang thought for a moment. “There’s no need to worry. Yue Ze is a Covenantor. Even if he returns to the family, he can’t threaten your position as heir. What you should be doing now is building good relationships with the capital’s powerful nobles.”

Yue Xuan’s expression turned ugly. “Yue Ze stole the spotlight during the race and indirectly caused everyone else to reject me. How am I supposed to build relationships with them?”

“Silly child. Didn’t you just say His Excellency helped save you?” Lady Chang prompted. “Once you recover, shouldn’t you visit him personally to express your gratitude?”

Yue Xuan seemed to understand, a vague figure surfacing in his memory. He had been too disoriented at the time to pay much attention to Lu Xiufan. But for someone of Lu Xiufan’s rank to lower himself enough to come help him personally… perhaps he was not as unapproachable as the rumors claimed.

That night, after returning to the mansion and bathing, Lu Xiufan lay comfortably in bed watching the racing footage he had copied earlier that day.

Less than a minute into the race, he noticed one vehicle deliberately crowding Shang Ke’s car and repeatedly attempting to knock him off the track.

Lu Xiufan’s gaze chilled. He quickly looked up the racer and discovered that his employer was none other than Yue Xuan, the man they had encountered at the accident scene.

Him again? Lu Xiufan’s earlier suspicions resurfaced. Just what was the connection between Yue Xuan and Shang Ze?

The video continued. After shaking Yue Xuan’s racer, Shang Ke sped through the remainder of the course and claimed first place through his superb driving skills and extraordinary ability to anticipate what lay ahead. When he stepped out of the car, graceful and brimming with confidence, something stirred in Lu Xiufan’s heart. He froze the image there and stared at it for a long time.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Lu Xiufan closed the video. “Come in.”

Shang Ke entered carrying a tray. He walked to the bedside, arranged the tea and snacks on the nightstand one by one, then bowed and prepared to leave.

“Wait.” Lu Xiufan patted the bed beside him. “Sit down and talk with me for a while.”

Shang Ke set down the tray and sat on the edge of the bed.

A faint smile flashed through Lu Xiufan’s eyes. Anyone else would probably have been too intimidated to sit there, yet Shang Ke did so as naturally as though it were nothing.

“Shang Ze, do you know Yue Xuan?” Lu Xiufan asked.

“Yes.” Shang Ke answered frankly.

“What is your relationship?”

“Half-brothers.”

Lu Xiufan paused. “As far as I know, Yue Xuan has only one paternal half-brother, named Yue Ze.”

“Yue Ze was my former name. After I became a Covenantor, my name was changed to Shang Ze.”

“Who changed your name?” Lu Xiufan asked in a low voice. “And how did you end up at the Placement Center?”

Yue Ze was the son of a prominent family. Even after becoming a Covenantor, there should have been no reason for him to be sent to the Placement Center.

“My stepmother. I don’t know.”

Lu Xiufan stared at the indifferent Shang Ze as darkness slowly gathered in his eyes. There was no need to think too hard—it was obviously another struggle for power within a wealthy family. But once Shang Ze became a Covenantor, he was already out of the competition. Why send him to the Placement Center as well? Did they not know the kind of abuse Covenantors could suffer there? If Shang Ze had not happened to end up with Lu Xiufan, with his looks, he might already have become some powerful noble’s private plaything.

The thought sent an inexplicable wave of fear through Lu Xiufan, followed by a surge of anger he could barely suppress.

He finally understood why Yue Xuan targeted Shang Ze so obsessively. Yue Xuan had been one of the people responsible for sending him to the Placement Center and feared Yue Ze would retaliate. Ridiculous. Shang Ze no longer harbored resentment at all, so where would revenge even come from? Yue Xuan was simply judging others by his own nature because of his guilty conscience.

Had Lu Xiufan known earlier, he never would have allowed Shang Ze to save him.

“Shang Ze.” Lu Xiufan took his hand and asked seriously, “Do you want to return to the Yue Family?”

Shang Ke looked at him. “You don’t want me anymore?”

How could I possibly not want you?! Lu Xiufan felt as though that unexpectedly “sexy” question had struck him squarely in the heart.

“You’re mine for this entire lifetime.” Lu Xiufan himself did not know whether he meant their lifelong employment contract or something more, but saying it filled him with a mysterious sense of satisfaction. “Since you’re with me now, you’re one of mine. I won’t let anyone mistreat you again.”

Excellent. I’ll be counting on you from now on! Shang Ke gave his man a mental thumbs-up.

Then Lu Xiufan added, “Do you want to sleep together?”

Lu Xiufan made the invitation with an utterly upright expression.

According to the professional ethics of a Covenantor, there seemed to be no reason to refuse an employer’s invitation. Shang Ke felt he ought to nobly climb into bed and quietly fulfill his duties as a qualified bed-warmer. So just agree already—it was only two people innocently sleeping in the same bed. Nothing worth making a fuss about!

Although his soul had already enthusiastically tucked itself beneath Lu Xiufan’s blankets, Shang Ke fought to maintain his expressionless face, calmly meeting the man’s gaze while desperately resisting the blatant temptation of the gorgeous man before him.

Just when Lu Xiufan thought he would agree, Shang Ke suddenly opened his personal terminal, pulled up his employment contract, carefully reviewed the clauses, and finally said, “Sir, the contract doesn’t include a ‘sleeping together’ clause.”

Lu Xiufan: “…”

Lu Xiufan imported the employment contract into his own terminal and quickly added a clause: 【With the other party’s consent, the employee may accompany the employer for meals, sleep, and…】 He abruptly stopped there, his heart beating uncontrollably several times. After a long moment of contemplation, he finally added: 【…have sex with the employer.】

After adding the clause, he sent the revised contract back to Shang Ke. “Have Butler Fei get it notarized later.”

Shang Ke stared speechlessly at the new clause, especially those final three words, yet still had to maintain an indifferent expression without showing the slightest contempt for Lu Xiufan’s blatantly ulterior motives.

“Now, come here.” Lu Xiufan patted the space beside him.

Shang Ke put the contract away. “Wait until the revised contract takes effect.”

Lu Xiufan: “…” What happened to Covenantors obeying their employers without question?

Shang Ke stood. “Does Sir have any other instructions?”

“…No.”

Shang Ke picked up the tray, bowed, and left the room, abandoning Lu Xiufan to lie alone in bed, thoroughly frustrated and unable to sleep.

Lu Xiufan’s main purpose in coming to the capital was to investigate a major leak of classified information. The case involved several powerful nobles and officials and seriously threatened national security and the Empire’s technological advantage. If the people responsible could not be rooted out quickly, state secrets would continue leaking until the damage became irreversible.

Lu Xiufan knew perfectly well that the deeper he investigated, the greater the danger to himself. But if he refused to pursue it, there was probably no one else in the Empire who would dare.

After spending an entire day dealing with officials who each harbored their own schemes, Lu Xiufan left the palace with a grim expression. Then he looked up and saw Shang Ke standing quietly beside the car, waiting to take him home.

Lu Xiufan’s gaze warmed, and his steps unconsciously quickened.

Shang Ke drove him back toward the mansion. As they rounded a corner, they spotted an unfamiliar vehicle parked outside the gates.

Lu Xiufan narrowed his eyes and quickly recognized the visitor. It was Yue Xuan, who had not appeared for some time.

“Your Excellency!” The moment Yue Xuan saw Lu Xiufan’s car, he hurried toward it delightedly.

Lu Xiufan did not even lower the window. “Ignore him.”

As soon as the mansion gates opened, Shang Ke drove straight inside.

Yue Xuan tried to follow but was stopped by the guards. He stamped his foot, unwillingness flashing through his eyes. After waiting outside for another half hour and realizing Lu Xiufan truly had no intention of receiving him, he had no choice but to leave.

Over the next several days, Yue Xuan appeared at the mansion almost every day but never once managed to see Lu Xiufan. Eventually, out of options, he intercepted Shang Ke instead.

“Come with me,” Yue Xuan said bluntly.

Shang Ke looked at him indifferently without responding.

“Father is in the hospital. He was transferred to the capital hospital the day before yesterday. Shouldn’t you at least visit him?”

Yue Cheng is ill? Shang Ke could not help questioning whether the news was genuine.

“Here are his medical records and room number.” Yue Xuan placed the documents on the roof of the car. “You don’t have to come with me today, but don’t forget—even if you’ve become a Covenantor, Yue Family blood still runs through your veins.”

With that, Yue Xuan hurried away without waiting for Shang Ke’s response, as though remaining near him even a moment longer was unbearable.

Shang Ke opened the documents, looked through them briefly, then put them in the car and gave them no further attention.

After dinner, Lu Xiufan suddenly said, “Come with me to the capital hospital tomorrow.”

Shang Ke looked up at him.

Lu Xiufan explained calmly, “I need a health examination.”

Who are you trying to fool? You have a private physician!

Lu Xiufan knew Covenantors supposedly had no emotions, but even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance Shang Ze might someday regret not seeing his father, he did not want that regret left unresolved. He could treat the visit as helping Shang Ze put one unfinished matter behind him.

Shang Ke was speechless. Lu Xiufan, where did your usual intelligence go? This is obviously bait meant to lure you in!

According to the information provided by the System, Yue Xuan was destined to fall for Lu Xiufan at first sight. Who knew whether this visit would result in a certain someone attracting an unwanted romantic entanglement?

And Shang Ke clearly remembered hiding those documents. How had Lu Xiufan learned about Yue Cheng’s hospitalization?

Shang Ke returned to his room, retrieved the documents from beneath the cabinet, and confirmed no one had touched them. In that case, Lu Xiufan must have learned about Yue Cheng through another source.

Shang Ke tapped a finger against the space between his brows. How should I handle tomorrow?

While he was thinking, the internal line chimed with a summons from Lu Xiufan.

Recently, Lu Xiufan had been calling him to his room every night to “have a heart-to-heart.” Neither of them was particularly talkative, so sometimes they simply drank tea together in silence, watched movies in silence, browsed the web in silence, or played chess in silence…

Shang Ke had no idea whether Lu Xiufan was doing it deliberately, but the man seemed to wear less and less every night. At first, his pajamas had covered him from head to toe. Then they became increasingly loose and revealing. Eventually, he simply wore underwear, leaving his entire upper body bare and parading all those hard, powerful muscles back and forth right in front of Shang Ke’s eyes. Did he have any idea how damn irritating that was?! Had he ever considered how hard life was for someone forced to maintain a poker face? If this kept up, Shang Ke’s self-control was going to snap! And if he ended up forcing himself on Lu Xiufan, the bastard had better not regret provoking him!

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