Chapter 12
Shu Cui’s face froze after he spoke.
While it wasn’t unusual for large families to privately conduct compatibility checks, it was an unspoken rule, something that wouldn’t be brought up openly.
In a fit of anger, he blurted out what should have remained hidden!
“Wow,” Shu Cui shrunk his neck at the sound of Shu Ci’s voice. “When did he join? Was he still at our family company when you got married? Have you met him before? Do you remember what he looks like?”
Shu Cui hesitated slightly: “I don’t know…”
His words trailed off abruptly.
Shu Ci wasn’t the meek and mild person he used to be. A hint of a superior’s scrutinizing gaze appeared between his brows, his question leaving Shu Cui momentarily stunned.
He had inadvertently bowed his head to an omega!
More importantly, Shu Ci’s tone was detached, as if he wasn’t talking about his husband’s unfortunate past, but about someone else’s gossip.
“Who would remember what he looks like? Is he even worthy of my attention, or my father’s?” Shu Cui narrowed his eyes, glaring at Shu Ci.
His gaze swept past Shu Ci, and he froze.
Shu Ci’s grayish-blue eyes seemed to light up, shimmering with a jade-like gleam. His breathing was short, his pupils dilated, and a thin layer of blush colored his cheeks.
Shu Cui saw a fleeting madness in his expression.
“Interesting.” Shu Ci lifted his teacup, trying to suppress the sudden surge of excitement within him.
If he were the original owner, he should be furious at his relatives’ actions and shocked by the past they and Lu Wanqing had concealed.
But he wasn’t.
He was only interested in the face that could never be forgotten, a face that hadn’t left an impression on Shu Cui; interested in the discrepancy between the “Lu Wanqing” he knew from small details and the “Lu Wanqing” others talked about.
Contrast, danger, mystery—three elements that every director striving for the peak of art couldn’t refuse.
And now they converged on one person, someone connected to a character in the story, yet completely irrelevant to the plot all along.
He felt something churning in his chest.
It was very much like the time he lay in the bathtub, feeling the water rise to his chest, and wrote his first script—the exhilarating feeling of being unwilling to let go, fascinated by certain hidden unknowns.
Luckily, the tea soothed his inner heat somewhat.
Shu Ci put down his teacup and smiled. “Since you’re here and you’ve already said things you shouldn’t have, I also want to ask something I’m curious about. Where exactly does your and Shu Changhai’s malice towards me stem from?”
“What?”
A competent director would help actors clarify the motivation behind every word and action of their character; even a supporting character has a life worth pondering and rich emotional shifts.
The original book wasn’t like that. Besides the bloody main AO love story, everyone else seemed to be following a pre-set template.
The supporting character wore a couple filter, repeatedly reciting “You two are so well-matched”; the villain naturally carried hatred, and no matter how they died, they would eventually find satisfaction in being dealt with by Gu Lan Zhu.
These scenes were okay once or twice, but repeated over five thousand chapters, he couldn’t see any psychological activity of the supporting characters, and it became increasingly annoying.
Thus, a scene where the protagonist is bullied by the villain was transformed by Shu Ci into an interview-style exploration of the character’s inner self.
“You hate me, right? So what exactly do you hate about me?”
How could someone ask such a direct question?
Shu Cui was speechless: “I don’t know what you mean, I won’t tell you.”
It seemed that this cousin wasn’t as foolish as he could be easily tricked.
“Let me put it this way, you are the biological son of the chairman, protected by your alpha sister. My omega father has passed away, and the identity of the other A or B who provided reproductive conditions is unknown. In terms of inheritance and family background, I’m not as good as you. Why do you think I pose a threat to you, to the point of framing me?”
“You! You dare to ask! You’re pretending to be stupid!” Shu Cui’s face flushed, his anger rising. “Because you’re better-looking than me, alright!”
“…?”
Sorry, this is an unchangeable setting by the original author; the everyone-loves-him trope and classic cliché are standard equipment.
“What’s that expression? Since your father took you back and we had to be in the same class, all the A’s have only had eyes for you!”
For a moment, Shu Cui’s grievances welled up.
As long as Shu Ci was around, he would be ignored. And his personality is soft, no matter how he provoked him, he wouldn’t be angered, always making him look tasteless and clumsy.
He always lived in the crisis brought about by Shu Ci, so he asked his father to arrange a miserable, painful, and impoverished marriage for him, a marriage from which he could never escape.
Who would have thought that Shu Ci just said that he thinks his marriage is quite happy?
“This…” Shu Ci turned on the front-facing camera, examining his exquisitely crafted appearance.
He didn’t feel anything about this soft and delicate, alluring look; he wasn’t interested in the dreamlike description of the protagonist’s appearance in the original text either.
—It reminded him of the time he was crazily adding filters in his student days, only to be scolded by his tutor.
He rarely pursued looks, preferring the realism where even the wrinkles around the eyes carry drama. Over the years, only Lu Wanqing’s face had struck his heart at first sight.
“Is this how people’s aesthetics are here?” He whispered, listening impassively to Shu Cui’s accusation.
Fortunately, though the other person was agitated, he maintained the elegance of a noble O, keeping his voice low.
“Finished?” Shu Ci leaned back, cupping his teacup. “Looks are a matter of genetic inheritance, so why don’t you scold the parents who gave you your genes?”
Shu Cui: “???”
…Is that the logic?
“You think all the A’s have their eyes on me, why don’t you scold those blind A’s for not seeing your good points?”
“I—” Shu Cui froze, looking at Shu Ci’s sincere eyes, “You think I’m handsome?”
“Of course, excellent bone structure, high nose bridge, big eyes, very lively and bright, but you need to adjust your eyebrows a little for the big screen.”
After speaking, Shu Ci couldn’t help but cough, his professional habit completely uncontrollable.
Shu Cui’s face flushed red. His sister overshadowed him, and Shu Ci always stole the spotlight. He had never been recognized by others, and his heart was always unsteady.
The first person to affirm him was actually Shu Ci again.
“You’re so eloquent, are you up to something?” Shu Cui’s nerves were tense.
Shu Ci rubbed his temples and sighed. “We’re both Os, don’t be so guarded.”
He could somewhat understand that the ultimate goal of these Os was to find a reliable partner to spend their lives with peacefully. However, the behavior of squabbling to become someone else’s possession was truly unacceptable.
“You are jealous of my appearance but refuse to blame your parents for your genes. You think I’ve stolen everyone’s attention, but you refuse to blame those A’s who lack eyesight. Ultimately, it has nothing to do with how I look; you just think my personality is good, that I’m easy to bully, right?”
“I…” A look of confusion appeared in Shu Cui’s eyes.
That’s right, Shu Ci is married and has admitted to having a happy marriage. There’s no need to compete with him for a partner, why is he still targeting him?
“You consider yourself superior to me, and with your father, you decided on my marriage, but what about you? You still can’t control your own life. If Gu Lan Zhu asked your father to marry you to a low-level miner in the Far Regions, do you think he would resist or obey?”
He was referring to the original plot, Gu Lan Zhu, in order to retaliate for the original owner, even had Shu Changhai personally find a group of people to abuse his own children. Shu Changhai was so terrified of Gu Lan Zhu’s ferocity and stubbornness that he dared not resist.
Obviously, Shu Cui understood his father’s choices better than he did. He sat there speechless, clenching his fist in sudden realization.
Why did he think he was different from Shu Ci? In the end, he couldn’t protect himself either.
After a while, Shu Cui summoned the courage to look at Shu Ci: “How do you like my brooch today?”
His words were out of the blue, but Shu Ci still shifted his gaze: “Cherry blossom pink, it suits you better than the last one, the craftsmanship is exquisite, and the pattern is quite ingenious. What brand is it?”
Shu Cui lowered his eyes and didn’t speak.
After a while, he said, “I… I overheard them planning to hold a board meeting ahead of schedule. Even if the inheritance is redistributed, you won’t get much equity.”
Shu Ci was quite surprised, vaguely sensing a crack in the original plot from Shu Cui’s trembling voice.
“Don’t overthink it, I’m telling you this because you complimented my brooch, not because I want to help you.” Shu Cui turned his head.
“Thank you anyway.” Shu Ci looked at his foolish cousin strangely, smiling as he took out his marriage certificate. “Well, as a return gift for this information, I’ll show you a picture of my husband.”
Shu Cui’s eyelids twitched.
Being married is so great! Why does someone always carry their marriage certificate?
“Here you go, no matter what he was like in the past, his face is handsome enough.”
Tracing the small marriage photo with his fingertips, Shu Ci contentedly watched Shu Cui’s expression shift from disdain to shock, and then to almost bleeding.
Hey, my cheap husband can easily slap faces, who needs Gu Lan Zhu?
____
Base.
Cui You watched Lu Wanqing’s extra training in the observation room, finally understanding what his comrade meant.
He was forging his body like he was forging a blade, giving his all in every attack.
From unarmed combat to weapons training, he wasn’t bathed in his own blood, but in the simulated blood packs of his training opponents.
Cui You had done this kind of sparring before, but he never bled.
He always thought it was because the military technology products were durable and resistant, but after seeing Lu Wanqing, he understood what kind of strength was needed to push those sparring products to their limits.
Suddenly, Lu Wanqing, holding a knife, hesitated for a moment. The simulated opponent’s blade grazed his upper arm.
“Rip—”
His sleeve tore, and the first streak of Lu Wanqing’s fresh blood appeared.
Lu Wanqing’s eyes sharpened, he turned his blade, ignoring the wound and continuing.
When he came out, Cui You quickly cleaned the training room. “What happened just now? Do you need to go to the infirmary?”
Lu Wanqing shook his head.
He casually grabbed a bandage from the observation room, biting one end and wrapping it around his arm. After tying it, he raised his hand and touched his neck.
It was that same inexplicable feeling of being touched, suddenly falling upon him while he was fully focused, making his breath unsteady and his mind restless.
“Calling General Lu—”
A click from the intercom in the observation room: “Marshal He requests your immediate presence at the military hospital.”
“He knows you’re injured?” Cui You was surprised.
“It’s a routine social engagement.” Lu Wanqing’s movements slowed as he changed clothes. “Boring.”
It usually means he has to chat with retired old generals.
The person on the other side of the intercom seemed to know his weariness, and continued, “Marshal He added that the hospital called, your spouse needs a relative to accompany them.”
Lu Wanqing turned around almost immediately, picked up his coat, and instantly disappeared from the observation room.
Cui You: “…”
Author’s Note:
Foolish Cousin: Being married is so great!
Shu Ci: Ah yes, it is (hands on hips)