Chapter 84: Covenantor (VII)

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Chapter 84: Covenantor (VII)

The next day, Lu Xiufan took Shang Ke to the capital hospital and had the doctors give both of them complete physical examinations.

Lu Xiufan exercised regularly and possessed an exceptionally strong physique, far surpassing that of an average person. Shang Ke’s health was also above average, but because he had undergone treatment to remove the Mental Virus, the lifespan of his brain had been shortened by more than a hundred years. On this planet, a normal human brain had a lifespan of roughly 215 years. Ordinary brain cells possessed remarkable regenerative ability, but after a Covenantor turned twenty-five, their brain cells would gradually lose that ability and begin to deteriorate.

Lu Xiufan stared at Shang Ke’s medical report, his expression darkening.

“Sir, there’s no one else in Room 301V,” one of the guards reported.

“Mm.” Lu Xiufan instructed, “Take Shang Ze down to see him. If there’s nothing else, come back.”

Accompanied by the guard, Shang Ke went to Yue Cheng’s hospital room. According to the medical records, Yue Cheng had suffered an acute cerebrovascular disorder, commonly known as a stroke. With current medical technology, curing it was not difficult, but he would need time to recover normal function. During that period, half his body would remain partially paralyzed, his speech would be slurred, and he might occasionally suffer from vomiting or fainting. Emotional agitation was best avoided.

Yue Cheng was lying in bed watching television when he caught sight of Shang Ke entering from the corner of his eye. Surprise flashed through his gaze.

“…Ze.” Yue Cheng managed the muffled syllable.

Shang Ke walked to the bedside and said flatly, “Father.”

Yue Cheng stared at him blankly for a moment before closing his eyes. Yue Ze had once been his most beloved child, the son in whom he had placed his greatest hopes. Never had he imagined that Yue Ze would become a Covenantor. The blow had been so great that afterward, merely seeing that cold, emotionless face caused him unbearable pain. For more than a year, he had deliberately avoided asking about Yue Ze’s whereabouts, telling himself he simply needed time to accept reality.

But seeing him again now, Yue Cheng realized he still could not come to terms with it.

The hospital room fell silent, with only the music from the television playing in the background.

After a while, Shang Ke’s even voice reached his ears. “Father, I wish you a speedy recovery. I’ll be leaving now.”

Footsteps gradually receded, the door opened and closed, and silence returned to the room.

Yue Cheng slowly opened his eyes and stared at the closed door with a complicated expression. Then a silver glint caught the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he discovered that at some point, a chocolate wrapped in silver foil had appeared on his pillow.

A storm of emotion immediately surged through Yue Cheng’s eyes. He remembered once telling Little Ze that he loved Silver Star chocolates because Little Ze’s mother had been especially good at making them. But ever since she passed away, he had never eaten one again.

【Dad, don’t be sad. When I learn how to make chocolate someday, I’ll make it for you in Mom’s place.】 Six-year-old Little Ze had once promised him that.

Even after becoming a Covenantor, he still remembered that childhood promise? Weren’t Covenantors supposed to have no emotions? Could Little Ze possibly…

“Little… Ze…” Yue Cheng forced out the two words, his eyes filled with regret and heartache.

Shang Ke left Yue Cheng’s room and followed the guard back to the floor where Lu Xiufan was waiting.

The moment he stepped out of the elevator, a familiar voice came from the corridor. “Your Excellency, please accept my invitation and give me a chance to repay you for saving my life.”

Lu Xiufan replied coldly, “Shang Ze was the one who saved you.”

“If you hadn’t ordered him to, why would he have saved me?” Yue Xuan gazed earnestly at Lu Xiufan, his eyes shining brightly. His features were delicate and beautiful, and when he deliberately showed weakness, he naturally inspired a desire to protect him.

Ice filled Lu Xiufan’s eyes as he dismissed him. “I have other matters to attend to later. Young Master Yue, please leave.”

Lu Xiufan’s icy stare sent a chill through Yue Xuan, but he still gathered his courage. “Your Excellency, please honor me with your presence tomorrow. I’ll wait for you at the Water Palace!” He had originally intended only to establish a connection with Lu Xiufan, but after meeting the man himself, he… had fallen for him. Noble status, striking looks, and that sharp, commanding presence—Lu Xiufan was practically Yue Xuan’s ideal partner.

At that moment, Lu Xiufan suddenly stood and walked toward him. Yue Xuan’s heart immediately began pounding, a flush rising to his cheeks. But Lu Xiufan did not stop in front of him. Instead, he walked straight past and headed toward the person behind him.

“You saw him?” Lu Xiufan asked.

Shang Ke nodded, his gaze passing over Lu Xiufan’s shoulder toward Yue Xuan.

Without looking back, Lu Xiufan casually slipped an arm around Shang Ke’s waist and ordered the guards, “Back to the mansion.”

Seeing Lu Xiufan, who had just treated him with frigid distance, act so intimately with Shang Ke made Yue Xuan’s jealousy and hatred surge uncontrollably. He stared at their retreating backs, his fists clenched tight. Even after becoming a Covenantor, Yue Ze still managed to steal the spotlight from him. If he had known this would happen, he should have simply killed him from the beginning.

At that moment, Yue Xuan truly wanted Shang Ke dead.

Shang Ke resisted the urge to glance back and calmly followed Lu Xiufan out of the hospital. He had assumed the man would say nothing about what had happened, but to his surprise, Lu Xiufan actually explained, “Yue Xuan invited me to dinner. I refused.”

Shang Ke felt that Lu Xiufan had always treated him as a normal person rather than an emotionless Covenantor. Bringing him to visit Yue Cheng, voluntarily explaining Yue Xuan’s presence, and countless small details in their daily lives all revealed the same thing: beneath this man’s cold exterior was a surprisingly gentle heart.

After returning to the mansion, Lu Xiufan went into his study and inserted the data chip he had just received from the guard into his computer. The moment he pressed play, footage of Shang Ke visiting Yue Cheng appeared on the screen.

He had instructed the guard to record the visit for two reasons: first, because he was worried Shang Ke might encounter trouble; and second, because he wanted to know whether sending him to see Yue Cheng had been the right decision.

When he watched Shang Ke approach the bedside and call Yue Cheng “Father,” only for Yue Cheng to close his eyes without responding, anger immediately rose in Lu Xiufan’s chest.

Ignored by Yue Cheng, Shang Ke stood quietly beside the bed for several minutes. Then he left something beside the pillow, offered a calm blessing, and departed. Perhaps it was merely the angle, but at the instant he turned away, Lu Xiufan thought he saw a faint trace of sorrow flash deep within his eyes.

Lu Xiufan studied Shang Ke’s eyes for a long while, then enlarged the footage and finally saw that the object he had left beside the pillow was a chocolate.

What did the chocolate mean?

That evening, Lu Xiufan conducted a thorough investigation into the meaning behind that chocolate—with Shang Ke himself.

The moment Lu Xiufan brought it up, Shang Ke knew this guy had ordered the guard to secretly record him earlier. Fortunately, Shang Ke maintained his poker face at all times. Otherwise, Lu Xiufan would have caught him slipping long ago!

Although he grumbled inwardly, he answered honestly. “Father liked the chocolates Mother made. After Mother passed away, I promised I would make them for him someday.”

Lu Xiufan stared at him for a long moment, then pulled him closer and said gently, “Shang Ze, you’re a good person. Truly.”

Who said Covenantors had no emotions? Perhaps they simply expressed them differently. Shang Ze had carried a childhood promise with him all these years. Outwardly, he appeared to care about nothing, yet he had deliberately brought his father a chocolate. Through that precious memory, he had silently expressed the affection he still held for his family. That kind of Shang Ke was deeply moving and made Lu Xiufan’s heart ache for him.

“Little Ze, I like red wine pudding and Brittany pastries. Will you make them for me someday?” Lu Xiufan held Shang Ke’s hand, letting his warmth seep into him.

“All right.”

Looking into those clear eyes, that familiar stirring once again rose in Lu Xiufan’s heart.

Shang Ke noticed that the way Lu Xiufan was looking at him was becoming increasingly dangerous and quickly said, “There are still quite a few chocolates left from the batch I made yesterday. Would you like some?”

Lu Xiufan nodded, indicating that he very much wanted to eat both the chocolates and the person offering them.

Shang Ke seized the opportunity to escape his arms and headed to the kitchen for the chocolates.

Lu Xiufan followed him out.

Shang Ke had made twenty-three chocolates, each in a different shape. The only Silver Star chocolate among them had been given to Yue Cheng.

Lu Xiufan casually picked one up and put it into his mouth. The sweetness was perfectly balanced and the texture silky smooth. Somehow, it tasted like happiness.

Lu Xiufan did not eat many, however. Dinner was coming soon, and he needed to save room for the main meal.

Not long afterward, Lu Xiufan noticed that whenever Shang Ke made chocolates again, he shaped every single one into a square. At first, he found it strange. Only after pondering it for quite some time did realization suddenly strike: Shang Ke was making them square because the first chocolate Lu Xiufan had chosen that day had been square!

After discovering this “secret,” Lu Xiufan deliberately praised a heart-shaped chocolate one day, saying it looked beautiful. Sure enough, every chocolate Shang Ke made for him afterward became heart-shaped.

As Lu Xiufan ate the heart-shaped chocolates, he wanted nothing more than to pull Shang Ke into his arms and shower him with affection. The gesture had completely melted his heart.

After that revelation, Lu Xiufan began noticing just how carefully Shang Ke observed every detail of his daily life—what he liked, what he disliked, his habits, and even things he had mentioned in passing. Shang Ke remembered all of it and faithfully adjusted the way he cared for Lu Xiufan’s food and daily needs according to those preferences.

Lu Xiufan felt that Shang Ke had to be a treasure bestowed upon him by heaven. Shang Ke might supposedly be incapable of feeling affection, yet he warmed Lu Xiufan’s heart every moment of every day.

“Little Ze.” Lu Xiufan stood beside the bed, watching Shang Ke make it. “I received word from Butler Fei today. The revised contract is officially in effect.”

Shang Ke’s hands paused for half a second before he calmly resumed making the bed as though nothing had happened.

“So sleep with me tonight.” Lu Xiufan leisurely began undoing his clothing.

By the time Shang Ke turned around, Lu Xiufan had already stripped completely naked and was standing openly in front of him.

Shang Ke rigidly kept his gaze above Lu Xiufan’s neck, desperately controlling both his heartbeat and his facial muscles.

“Want me to carry you to bed?” Lu Xiufan opened his arms toward him.

Shang Ke made an immediate decision. Turn around. Undress. Get into bed. Lie flat. Pull up the blanket. Close his eyes. The entire sequence flowed so smoothly it looked rehearsed.

Lu Xiufan: “…”

Looking at Shang Ke lying perfectly straight beneath the blankets, a faint trace of affection and regret crossed Lu Xiufan’s eyes. He lay down beside him, slipped one arm around his waist, and whispered near his ear, “Good night, Little Ze.”

Lu Xiufan understood his own feelings for Shang Ke perfectly well. He also knew that even if he tried to possess him now, Shang Ke would not refuse. But Lu Xiufan wanted Shang Ke to truly accept him—not merely submit because the contract permitted it.

Lu Xiufan: Don’t make me wait too long.

Shang Ke: I should seriously think about how I’m supposed to maintain my perfectly aloof, expressionless Covenantor image while having sex…

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