ICAWZ Chapter 196

Since the day You Que left the police station, he had been quietly waiting for news from Aegis. It was clear that the other party wasn’t exactly a hard nut to crack. By the next day, he couldn’t hold out any longer and asked an officer to pass on a message, saying he wanted to meet You Que.

“There’s no need for a meeting. Let him patiently wait for my news.”

You Que said just this brief sentence before hanging up the phone. Anyway, the timing wasn’t right. He would take his time and work on Aegis’ temperament. The harsher life in prison was, the more Aegis would come to appreciate the value of freedom.

It was dinner time, and You Que had just washed a plate of fruit in the kitchen and was bringing it out. When Russell and Chairman Croney saw this, they were both startled and quickly spoke up to stop him: “Your Highness, we can handle this kind of thing. How can you…”

Ever since they learned of You Que’s true identity, Russell and the others had been quite shocked. They never expected that You Que was actually a pureblooded male zerg, and in daily life, it was inevitable that he would feel somewhat awkward.

As for You Que, his attitude toward them hadn’t changed. He was still the same as before: “You’re all elders, so just call me by my name as you did before.”

After speaking, You Que placed the plate of fruit on the table and sat down to eat with everyone. At some point, seemingly recalling something, he turned to Chairman Croney and asked, “Uncle, Aegis is still being held at the police station. Is there any way to get him released?”

Laimi and Laixing, who had gone to the military department, had been busy lately, and it was Sanya who had been cooking the meals. He was originally studying the overcooked dishes on the plate, but when he heard You Que’s question, he subconsciously looked over: “You really plan to release him?”

You Que gave a brief “Mm” in response: “He’s useful.”

When Chairman Croney heard this, he seemed to understand You Que’s meaning. After thinking for a moment, he said, “It’s not difficult to release him, but it depends on the reason. If you drop the charges, the police can process Aegis’ release tomorrow. But if…”

You Que interrupted, “I don’t want the outside world to know that I’m the one who got Aegis out.”

Chairman Croney paused for a moment before responding, “That’s easy enough. Let his family pay a large sum for bail, and you can discreetly give instructions to the police. Aegis will be released, and the outside world will only think he bought his freedom. No one will suspect you.”

Chairman Croney had been in the political scene for decades. Although he couldn’t guess what You Que’s plans were, he was still able to help with some small matters: “If you want to release him, don’t get involved. I’ll take care of it for you.”

You Que hadn’t expected Chairman Croney to be so accommodating: “Aren’t you curious why I want to release him?”

Upon hearing this, Chairman Croney sighed deeply: “Aegis is just a pawn. The real culprit is still at large. Keeping Aegis locked up for life won’t change anything. Though I don’t know what you plan to do, since you say releasing him is ‘useful’, I have no reason to oppose it. After all… you and Sanya are partners now.”

The implication was clear: they were a family of zergs, no need to keep things so strictly separate.

After speaking, Chairman Croney seemed to recall something, and he stood up to fetch a stack of elegantly packaged greeting cards from a nearby decorative cabinet: “By the way, these are the invitations and greeting cards we’ve received over the past few days. The nobles in the city heard that you recovered and were discharged from the hospital, so they’ve sent invitations for various banquets.”

Although there were two pureblooded male zergs in the South, Ah Sui was still the partner of the younger leader. Other females might want to get close, but they lacked the courage to act. In contrast, You Que, who was still “unmarried” attracted much more attention.

You Que said, “Alright, I’ll go to my room and take a look.”

Because Sanya wasn’t very skilled at cooking, dinner was served later than usual. By the time they finished eating and went upstairs to rest, it was already nearly 9 o’clock.

You Que was holding his pajamas and was about to head to the bathroom for a shower. As he passed by the desk, he suddenly noticed that Sanya was bent over, leaning on the table while counting the invitations. His footsteps faltered, and he decided to turn back, walking up behind him and pressing him against the edge of the desk.

Sanya let out a muffled grunt and lazily turned his head. “What are you doing?”

You Que felt that Sanya was pretending not to know, so he reached out and touched his reddened ear. Only then did he turn his attention to the scattered invitations on the desk. “After going through so many invitations, did you find something?”

Sanya wanted to straighten up upon hearing those words, but was held down by You Que, who lifted the hem of his clothes, exposing the crisscrossed scars on his back. Then, You Que kissed, caressed, and bit him.

Sanya was forced to lie on the table, his cheek pressed against the colorful invitations. His skin appeared even more delicate and fair, and with his eyes slightly red, he smirked and gasped, “Your Excellency, you’re… more popular than I imagined.”

You Que leaned down and bit his earlobe. “Are you jealous?”

Sanya’s hair was growing longer, inevitably becoming a bit inconvenient, which made his captivating face appear even more androgynous. He reached behind to stroke You Que’s cheek, his voice trembling with a nasal tone, “If there’s jealousy… it should be them who are jealous…”

You Que was right behind him. No one had the right to make Sanya jealous; at most, he was just a little envious.

You Que thought Sanya was being very obedient, and the kisses he placed grew increasingly intense. Even after being hospitalized for so long, he hadn’t broken his restraint, and this little creature was probably starving: “Are there any from the Marlon family in the invitations?”

Sanya’s mind was clouded, and upon hearing this, he didn’t even have the strength to be angry. He stretched his arm towards the corner of the table and struggled to pull the pale gold greeting card over. “Yes… but…”

You Que: “But what?”

Sanya lay lazily on the table, too comfortable to want to speak, but out of his dislike for the Marlon family, he still lifted his eyelids slightly. “But… the invitation only has your name on it.”

Most other invitations clearly stated that guests could bring their families, but the invitation from the Marlon family only had You Que’s name on it, and the meaning was unspoken but clear.

You Que straightened up and skimmed through the contents of the invitation, discovering that the banquet was scheduled for next month. These nobles had nothing better to do and loved holding banquets—promotion parties, victory celebrations, wine-tasting events. Marlon’s invitation was simple, with the reason being that a relative from their family had received a promotion in the military, and they were inviting everyone to join the celebration.

He hated Sanya to the core, and no matter what, this invitation would never have Sanya’s name on it—understandably so.

You Que tossed the invitation aside. “I’ll go next month. You stay at home and behave.”

Upon hearing this, Sanya instantly became a little more alert. He furrowed his brows and grabbed You Que’s hand that was resting on the edge of the table, his grip so tight that it turned pale. Damp strands of hair clung to the side of his face, and a deep furrow appeared between his brows. “He definitely has ill intentions. If you go, it will only bring trouble.”

Although that incident from years ago was long past, many zergs still recognized Sanya’s face. If he appeared at the banquet, it would undoubtedly attract unnecessary attention. You Que didn’t want to alarm the snake by striking the grass.

You Que leaned down and kissed Sanya’s lips, his voice muffled, “Don’t worry, he doesn’t have the courage to touch me.”

Sanya still disagreed, but after You Que’s caressing, he was already reduced to nothing but gasps. The dominant zerg lifted him from the table and made him sit on his lap, facing him. Suddenly, as if recalling something, he lowered his voice and asked, “It seems like you’ve never called me ‘My lord’ before.”

Sanya clung to his neck, his voice hoarse and weary, with a hint of dissatisfaction. “You haven’t married me, so why should I call you ‘My lord’?”

You Que gripped the back of his neck. “Why don’t you try saying it first and see?”

Sanya pressed his lips together and said nothing.

You Que traced the cold skin of his back, the sensation causing a faint itch, and his voice, strained with restraint, became low and husky, like feathers brushing against the ear. He patiently coaxed, “Say it for me?”

Sanya struggled for a moment, but ultimately, he couldn’t resist You Que’s enticing words. He mumbled the two words, indistinctly: “My lord…”

Upon hearing this, You Que’s hand tightened around Sanya’s waist, feeling those two words scratch at his heart. He pushed Sanya back against the edge of the table with such force that books on the corner of the table crashed to the floor.

Sanya felt he couldn’t call him without getting something in return. He reached up and grabbed You Que’s collar, forcing him to look down at him. “Then you’re not allowed to go to the Marlon family’s banquet.”

You Que pulled his hand away, not falling for it at all. “You’ve already called me ‘My lord.’ Isn’t it the lord who gets to decide such things?”

Sanya was about to say more, but was silenced when You Que kissed him, his words swallowed whole, leaving only a soft whimper in their place.

You Que thought to himself that this clawing, struggling little female only became obedient and sensible when kissing. Although the process of taming was inevitably painful, they both found it enjoyable.

Altogether, there were over forty invitations sent by various families, but You Que only accepted the invitation from the Marlon family. The news that he would attend their banquet next month quickly spread throughout the South, causing a brief stir in the noble circles of the city.

Upon hearing that the only two pureblooded nobles in the South had accepted Marlons’ invitation, the nobles were both envious and jealous, with a hint of schadenfreude. They’d heard that the pureblooded male was now Sanya’s male lord, and it was possible he was going to avenge his female. No matter how powerful or influential the Marlon family was, they could never openly oppose a pureblooded male. The Marlon family was likely in for a rough time.

That said, while the nobles were talking, they were all eager to get their hands on an invitation to the Marlon family’s banquet just to catch a glimpse of the pureblooded male’s elegance. Soon, it became a frenzy. One simple invitation was being sold for sky-high prices on the black market, with each zerg trying all sorts of tricks to acquire one.

Marlon, for reasons unknown, had decided to send out even more invitations after hearing the news, and almost every influential zerg in the city received one.

Thus, You Que realized that Marlon was playing the same game as he was, but only the day of the meeting would reveal what the other side was truly up to.

At the same time, Aegis was finally released from the police station. He knew this was You Que’s subtle signal and didn’t dare stay outside for long. He quickly took his female, Lichi, home and locked themselves inside, appearing like someone who had been thoroughly scared.

Lichi, Aegis’ female, held a small position in the military, and seeing his male lord so thin and haggard from the torture, he couldn’t help but feel sympathy. “My lord, I was going to bribe them to get you out, but the police refused to take the money. A few days ago, for some reason, they agreed. Could it be that Lord Marlon helped you from the inside?”

Aegis sat on the sofa, sneering coldly when he heard this. “Marlon? If Marlon really helped, he would have acted the first time I begged him. Why would he wait until now?!”

Lichi thought for a moment and hesitated before advising, “You shouldn’t get too close to Lord Marlon in the future. It’s a thankless task. If anything happens again, I’m afraid he’ll let you take the fall.”

Aegis had already secretly sided with You Que, so he didn’t dare get tangled up with Marlon anymore. He sat on the sofa, sighing deeply, then suddenly asked, “I heard that Lord Marlon is hosting a banquet. Did he send us an invitation?”

Lichi pulled a pale gold invitation out from the drawer of the coffee table. “He did. Are you planning to attend the banquet?”

Aegis took the invitation, thinking to himself that this was no celebration banquet, but clearly a ‘Hongmen Banquet’—who knew how many zergs would be dragged into it? Gritting his teeth, he muttered, “I don’t want to go, but I’ll have to.”

If he didn’t go, You Que would find another reason to throw him back in the police station. Aegis had no choice.

The Marlon family’s banquet was set for 7 p.m. at their mansion. Whether it was because of the rumors that You Que would be attending, even Chief Harrington and Blairand had shown up, along with Ah Sui, the pureblooded male.

As they entered, they immediately caused quite a stir. Marlon, seeing this, greeted them with a wide smile and hurried forward to welcome them. “Your Highness Ah Sui, Chief Harrington, Major General Blairand, I extend the warmest welcome.”

Chief Harrington actually didn’t like Marlon, but since it was You Que’s first time attending a public event, as the leader of the South, he had to show up to make his presence known. It was both a way to align with him and also to ensure his safety.

Chief Harrington’s attitude toward Marlon was neither warm nor cold. He politely clinked his wine glass with Marlon’s. “Lord Marlon, I’m just here for a casual visit today. You don’t need to be too formal.”

Ah Sui was looking around with curiosity, his eyes full of interest. He had only heard that You Que would be attending the banquet, so out of boredom, he had asked Blairand to bring him along for a look. He wasn’t paying much attention to Marlon, that cunning old male.

Some guests had arrived early. They were gathered together, holding wine glasses and chatting, occasionally glancing over at Ah Sui. However, they quickly looked away.

Ah Sui was pureblood, yes, but he had already married a female, and with both Chief Harrington and Major General Blairand standing nearby, no one dared approach him.

Although You Que was with Sanya, they weren’t engaged, right? As long as they didn’t marry, there was still a chance for him.

All the guests were eagerly awaiting, anxiously waiting for You Que’s arrival. When the decorative clock on the wall struck seven, the sound of a landing aircraft echoed from outside, followed by the appearance of a tall, slender figure at the grand entrance. Everyone turned their gaze toward the sound and unconsciously held their breath.

 

 

 

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