IMAO Chapter 69

Simon’s chewing gum bubble popped with a bang, smearing all over his mouth. He sniffed the faint strawberry scent in the air and confirmed, “It really is.”

Simon turned to Ji Rong with surprise, his eyes curved into crescents, light blue irises carrying a hint of amusement.

Ji Rong felt confused by Simon’s strange look and raised an eyebrow in displeasure: “?”

Simon smiled and shifted his gaze to Lu Yan standing beside him.

Recently, their captain asked if they knew which Omega from noble families in the country used strawberry-scented concealer. Someone in the team must have spread the news, because lately, many Omegas started using this scent, along with some Betas and quite a few Alphas.

“It’s nothing,” Lu Yan coughed lightly, fist pressed against his lips. “Many people are using this concealer lately.”

Ji Rong glanced at Lu Yan and gave a faint “mm” in response.

“Your match today was brilliant. Looking forward to meeting you in the upcoming competitions,” Lu Yan extended his hand toward Ji Rong, speaking in a deep voice.

Ji Rong shook Lu Yan’s hand and nodded, “We will.”

“My teammates have individual matches coming up, so I won’t chat longer. I’ll leave first,” Ji Rong excused himself.

Lu Yan spread his hands, stepping back, “Alright, see you next time.”

As the Federation team left, Simon from the Hoyt team elbowed Lu Yan’s arm.

Lu Yan frowned, turning to look at Simon, the youngest on the team. “What are you doing? Show some respect.”

Simon winked at Lu Yan, grinning, “Captain, does Ji Rong like you?”

Lu Yan: “…”
Lu Yan: “???”

Simon: “I think you’re responsible for half the concealer sales in Capital Star lately!”

Lu Yan: “I think you are too idle, so you have time to think about this and that. When we get back, your training will be doubled.”

Simon’s face immediately fell upon hearing this. “You’re abusing your power for personal revenge!”

Lu Yan massaged his temples. He could hardly admit that his own vanity led him to think the other party was trying to get his attention… The problem was, it actually caught his attention, and he even asked around about Omegas using strawberry-scented concealers.

Thinking about it now made him feel embarrassed.

It was all his unreasonable brother’s fault. He made something out of nothing, and Lu Yan actually believed it.

Fortunately…
Ji Rong didn’t know about this.

Otherwise, it would’ve been an international embarrassment…

…

Although the Hoyt Royal Hotel was built only ten years ago, it had become a landmark of Hoyt’s Capital Planet. Its sky restaurant soared into the clouds, and the floor was made of special semi-transparent material that made guests feel as if they were walking on clouds.

Every tourist visiting Hoyt made a point to come here.

Since arriving in Hoyt, Ji Chong had spent most of his time staying at the Hoyt Royal Hotel, rarely using the Silver Palace arranged for them by the Hoyt Emperor.

He glanced sideways at the half-closed bathroom door. Steam clouded the frosted glass, outlining a human silhouette. These past few days, he’d been trying to convince the little one to open up, but the stubborn guy refused to introduce him to his family or even reveal his name.

He had his suspicions. When his lover left him, Hoyt was in chaos. The emperor before the Iron-Blooded Emperor was seriously ill and dying, and Hoyt’s noble families were vying for power…

The little one must be from Hoyt nobility. He could guess his leaving had something to do with Hoyt’s internal affairs. He initially thought the little one’s family had forced them into an arranged marriage, but on the first day they met, he confirmed that his lover’s gland had never been touched by others, and there was no trace of another Alpha’s scent.

If there hadn’t been an arranged marriage, why leave?

Ji Chong frowned. He really could not understand the reason. He considered tracking his lover’s communication number directly, but he hoped that they could be honest with each other, so he didn’t do anything yet.

There was still time. He could wait.

Horace finished his shower and stood in front of the mirror, examining his reflection.

His eyes were slightly red…

Because earlier, Ji Chong made him cry in bed.

The handsome man’s brows furrowed into a ‘川’ shape as he smacked his forehead in frustration.

He’d definitely be laughed at later. The Iron-Blooded Emperor, brought to tears…

Thinking of this, Horace held his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Ji Chong’s appearance completely disrupted all his plans. Without Ji Chong, he should be reviewing documents in the palace, not here…

But seeing this man threw his heart into chaos. He could have shaken off Ji Chong’s hand, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he wanted to hold the man’s hand tighter.

For them to be together, one of them would have to give up everything they have.

Who would make that sacrifice?

Horace bit his lower lip hard.

The throne.

Or…

“Knock knock knock.”

“Are you done?” A rhythmic knocking accompanied by a deep, liquor-like voice asked, pulling Horace back from his thoughts.

Horace snapped out of it and lazily pushed open the bathroom door. “What are you rushing for?”

“I miss you after not seeing you for a moment,” Ji Chong leaned against the door, one hand on the handle, speaking with a half-smile but his tone was serious.

Horace smacked the towel he was using to dry his hair against Ji Chong’s chest. “You’re quite smooth with words now. You used to be like a wooden block. You only did what I told you. I even needed to remind you about holidays.”

“No,” Ji Chong lowered his gaze, “I mean it.”

“You… really missed me?”

“Yes, I’ve always missed you, but I couldn’t find you. This time, I won’t let you disappear. No matter who you are or what your family situation is, I want to be with you. I’ll work hard to get their approval.”

“My family…” Horace felt a warmth in his heart and almost felt compelled to reveal his identity. His family wasn’t the obstacle; what made him hesitate was himself. “They…”

“Tell me when you’re ready. Whatever obstacles there are, I’ll solve them. Just tell me the problems. I don’t want to be apart from you anymore.”

“What if being with me means giving up everything you have in the Federation?” Horace asked. “Including everything you’ve earned through your military achievements?”

Ji Chong replied without hesitation, “I can do that.”

Horace: “Do you know what you’re saying?”

Ji Chong: “I said I can.”

Horace: “Are you crazy? That’s your country… you’re the Federation’s War God.”

Ji Chong looked at Horace in the bathroom. Behind him, steam curled upward, shrouding his face in a translucent haze. His wet hair clung to his forehead, soft and disheveled.

Ji Chong pressed his hand against Horace’s mouth to silence him. “I’m not crazy. The Federation has no wars now. It’s the same with or without me. The army won’t stop being an army without me, and Planet Noth won’t fall without me to guard it.

“When you ask if I can give up everything, what you mean is that to be with you, I can’t be the Federation’s Marshal. That’s fine, I can give that up.

“But if one day the Federation faces war again and needs me, I’ll return to fight for it.”

Hearing Ji Chong’s words, Horace’s heart felt like something had grabbed and squeezed it tight. Clearly, Ji Chong had considered this issue long ago, thought about it more thoroughly, and seen further ahead than he had.

Horace bit his lower lip hard and asked, “You can give up your position as Marshal for me…”

“Yes.” Ji Chong answered without hesitation, his voice brief but firm.

Horace avoided Ji Chong’s gaze and said in a muffled voice, “I’m sorry, Ji Chong, I need some time to think.”

Ji Chong gently tapped Horace’s forehead with his elegant index finger and said softly, “Alright, I’ll give you time.”

“Come here, let me dry your hair,” Ji Chong said.

“Mm.” Horace followed Ji Chong into the room.

Ji Chong’s bright eyes sparkled with a gentle smile as he carefully and tenderly dried the hair of the person before him, unconsciously radiating warmth from his gaze.

Horace: …

If he had told Ji Chong everything back then, instead of leaving alone and shouldering all the burdens himself…

No, he left Ji Chong because he wasn’t sure he could truly control Hoyt, wasn’t sure how long he’d live, worried he might meet the same fate as his father in a car accident, or end up like his brother… dying from illness.

Back then, he couldn’t even protect himself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have secretly given birth to Ji Rong and had his brother send the child to Ji Chong.

After drying his hair, they got intimate again, which left Horace’s face unusually flushed when they went out for lunch.

The restaurant wasn’t crowded. Although the Hoyt Royal Hotel was a popular tourist destination, few could afford to dine here. Only Ji Chong, Horace, and a handful of other guests were present.

Horace had noticed earlier that these guests weren’t Hoyt nobles but foreigners.

He felt relieved. In fact, he’d been considering whether to ask Ji Chong to change hotels since the probability of meeting someone who knew him here was too high.

The two sat down to eat.

Not far from them, a group of young people were talking quietly.

“Sigh, I really don’t understand why they won’t let us stay to watch the rest of the competition before going home?”

“Right? We finally made it to Hoyt, and not making it to the top 16… isn’t that normal? Our country only made it to the top 16 once, nine years ago, but even they got to watch the whole competition before going home!”

“How would I know… The instructor said so, we have to go back.”

“My eyelid has been twitching these past few days, feels like something’s about to happen…”

The dark-skinned young man speaking furrowed his brows into a ‘川’ shape, and his eyelid actually twitched as if proving his point.

“What could happen?”

“Actually… something did. Did you watch today’s match between the Federation and Leia? Damn! Even with teleportation, they were crushed by the Federation. That Federation captain RONG, those infinite combo god-tier moves, both matches followed his rhythm completely. And that YUAN, with those insane reflexes. The Federation might actually win the championship this year.”

“If they win, someone in our team will have to do a handstand while shitting! Hahaha!” They all turned to look maliciously at one of their teammates.

That young man’s face turned ashen as he huffed angrily, “The Federation is only in the quarter-finals! Don’t talk nonsense! The Hoyt team won’t lose!”

“I heard the Hoyt team went to watch the Federation versus Leia match today. That shows Hoyt is starting to take the Federation seriously!”

“Can’t you think positively? The Federation can’t win the championship!”

“Alright, alright… Hoyt must win!”

These people were from the North Mali team, and that young man was ‘Beacon Unextinguished’ who had previously exposed himself in the group chat.

Hearing the North Mali team talk about his son Ji Rong, Ji Chong’s lips curved slightly as he said, “Ji Rong performed quite well this time.”

Horace agreed with this assessment. He hadn’t missed any of Ji Rong’s matches, and if they were talking about contenders for the championship this year, it would definitely be either Hoyt or the Federation.

Compared to Hoyt… he actually hoped the Federation would win.

As the host country, Hoyt would provide both the trophy and prize money.

“Last time at the arena, I only saw him briefly. I didn’t even get a chance to talk to him…” Thinking of Ji Rong, Horace sighed. Shortly after Ji Rong was born, his royal brother was already on his deathbed, and the country had fallen into chaos. One day it was threats from one person, the next day from another. They’d had so little time together, and even now they still hadn’t managed to have a proper conversation…

“There’s no match tomorrow. Let’s invite him over, and have a meal together as a family,” Ji Chong suggested, knowing Horace missed their son.

Horace hesitated, expressing his worry, “What if he doesn’t like me? After all, I haven’t been there for him all these years…”

“It’ll be fine, I’m here.”

“Mm…”

Horace nodded.

Just then, Horace’s communicator vibrated with a message notification.

Ji Chong reflexively glanced over, catching only a name – Hans.

The Hoyt Minister of Military was called that.

Horace picked up the communicator and frowned slightly as he suddenly stood up. “I have something to attend to, I need to go back.”

“Alright, go ahead. I’ll ask Ji Rong to come at this time tomorrow night. We’ll wait for you to have dinner together,” Ji Chong didn’t offer to escort Horace, knowing his nameless lover wouldn’t agree.

“Okay, I’ll be here on time!”

Horace hurriedly left the hotel and returned to the palace. The royal family had the most advanced medical equipment, and Hosea was currently lying in it.

Horace raised an eyebrow, looking unhappily at Hans as he demanded, “I said to protect his safety! How did this happen?”

Hans knelt on the ground, not defending himself. Instead, the guard beside him hurriedly knelt to explain, “Your Majesty, the Prince was with those people promoting constitutional monarchy. During their gathering… someone planted a remote-controlled bomb. If the General hadn’t taken a bullet for Prince Hosea, the Prince would be dead!

“The General has been kneeling here since he returned. We tried to persuade him to heal his wounds, but he refused…”

Hearing this, Horace noticed the blood running down Hans’s sleeve. “Get up, go get treatment first.”

Hans: “Yes.”

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