TCPUAAV Chapter 145

 

Thanks to Rong Heng’s generous bribes, the cubs reluctantly accepted this new “daddy.”

 

However, the next morning when they woke up and saw Rong Heng’s familiar face, they fidgeted awkwardly for quite a while, but none of them managed to actually say the words “daddy.”

 

Rong Heng waited and waited, but when he still didn’t hear what he wanted, he finally lost patience and waved his hand to chase them out. The cubs immediately gave up the act and scattered in a rush.

 

“So that’s why you suddenly let them sleep in the bedroom last night.”

 

It turned out it was all a ploy to coax the cubs into giving in.

 

Ruan Shiqing leaned against the headboard, raising a brow at him with a smile. The top two buttons of his blue plaid pajamas had come undone, revealing a delicate stretch of pale collarbone, faintly marked with a couple of red hickeys.

 

Thinking of those meddling cubs, Rong Heng couldn’t help letting out a soft snort. But his gaze was soon fixed on that half-revealed collarbone, unwilling to move away.

 

Noticing his look, Ruan Shiqing lowered his head and casually tugged his collar back into place, buttoning up with practiced ease. Then, under the covers, he gave Rong Heng a not-so-light kick. “It’s daytime. We’ve got real work to do.”

 

“……”

 

There was indeed business to attend to. Rong Heng regretfully withdrew his gaze and, with obvious reluctance, got out of bed to wash up.

 

After breakfast, Ruan Shiqing and Ruan Jiao went as usual to the underground prison to train with the Zerg. The three cubs, with nothing better to do, tagged along. 09 stayed behind, gathering Falling Star fruits in the courtyard.

 

Rong Heng stood at the door, watching them leave. Only once they were out of sight did the smile on his lips slowly fade, replaced by a faint irritability. He made his way to the backyard.

 

At first, he paced restlessly for a bit, then finally activated Noah.

 

“Your Highness, how may I assist you?”

 

Last time, when Rong Heng had asked about Queen Farah’s death, Noah’s system had glitched and been forcibly shut down. After a reboot, that portion of its memory seemed to have been automatically wiped.

 

Noah was now back to normal, and Rong Heng hadn’t brought up the incident again.

 

Today, when he reactivated Noah, his first thought was that it was likely Siyan who had tampered with her memory. He originally planned to have Noah directly contact Siyan and confront him in her presence, exposing his disguise without preamble. But at the last moment, he changed his mind.

 

“Nothing,” Rong Heng said after a brief silence. He didn’t let Noah make contact.

 

Instead, he picked up his smartbrain and initiated a call to Lucien.

 

When they had left Planet B3024, Ruan Shiqing had gotten a lot of information from No. 4, and ever since then, Rong Heng had begun to suspect that Lucien might actually be Siyan. But this was just a hypothesis that still needed confirmation… Rather than using Noah to probe, it was better to face the matter head-on.

 

After a moment of waiting, the call connected.

 

Lucien’s hologram appeared in the courtyard. His figure was hunched and his face old, but he still retained the basic decorum as he bowed in greeting. “Good day, Your Highness.”

 

Rong Heng calmly scrutinized him. He had never connected Lucien with Siyan before, had never seen any resemblance. But now, on closer observation, he noticed that even with the hunched posture and aged disguise, there was an innate elegance in the way Lucien bowed—one that couldn’t be entirely hidden.

 

Recalling his past communications with Lucien as a youth, Rong Heng mentally compared those vague memories to the present image. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became—this person in front of him wasn’t Lucien at all!

 

He was Siyan, through and through.

 

Rong Heng almost let out a sneer, tempted to directly question whether the man saw him as nothing more than a puppet, a pawn to be manipulated at will.

 

But in the end, he held it all back.

 

He kept a calm expression and chatted with Lucien as if nothing were amiss. He even casually asked about the situation on Sikkim, just as he used to.

 

Lucien replied that the situation on Sikkim was currently unclear.

 

As the safest planet in the Empire, Sikkimhad drawn nobles and wealthy elites all seeking asylum. Refugees from other planets also flooded in, hoping for shelter…

 

However, with Siyan absent and the acting government shirking responsibility, things were falling apart. Since the attack on the four conglomerates at the hotel, the major power holders had disappeared from public view. The Imperial Parliament, controlled by the plutocrats, had fallen into a state of semi-paralysis. The various military factions within the Ministry of War were all shirking responsibility, with no one willing to step forward and take the lead…

 

In short, Sikkim had nearly ground to a halt.

 

Meanwhile, the general public—bombarded with endless news in the holonet—were reacting in different ways. Some demanded that Siyan abdicate and called for the Crown Prince’s return. Others joined church organizations, preaching on the streets, spreading fear to recruit followers…

 

Now, the square in front of the Palka Palace was packed with people every day—some protesting, others preaching and recruiting believers—creating a chaotic scene more akin to a marketplace.

 

And while internal unrest boiled, the threat of the Zerg loomed externally.

 

Amid this chaos, panic was only escalating. Sikkim was like a taut bowstring stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment. When it did, the resulting civil unrest would be explosive.

 

But all of this had been foreseen.

 

It was the result of Siyan’s long-laid schemes, subtly steering events to create this very scenario.

 

“According to the latest online polls, nearly sixty percent of the population wants you to return and take the throne.”

 

“You know I never intended to inherit the throne.”

 

Rong Heng crossed his legs in a relaxed pose, but his eyes stayed locked on Lucien. “Still, I suppose it is about time I return to Sikkim.”

 

Even if he didn’t claim the crown, someone still had to clean up the mess.

 

He had already made his calculations, but on the surface he remained nonchalant. “That said, I’m short on manpower right now. Once I’m back on Sikkim, it might be time I met the other members of the Elder Council.”

 

The Bai Pao Council, founded by Queen Farah, had gathered thirteen of the most elite minds across all industries.

 

But to this day, Rong Heng had only ever met Lucien.

 

His request now was entirely reasonable.

 

Yet Siyan knew Rong Heng well—knew he would never say such things without reason. Since Rong Heng’s assassination attempt, the two had worked together with a kind of tacit understanding for nearly two years, both aware that they didn’t fully trust each other. Neither had ever dared make a direct move.

 

But now, Rong Heng had made the first move.

 

It could only mean he had realized something—or rather, that he had already confirmed it. This call wasn’t a test.

 

It was a confrontation.

 

A trace of helplessness flashed across Siyan’s face as he bowed slightly. “Your Highness, I suppose you’ve already guessed it. The Bai Pao Council… has only ever had one member.”

 

Ever since Queen Fara’s death, the council had disbanded.

 

Back then, it was Farah who had singlehandedly established the Elder Council. But before she had the chance to let it play any meaningful role, she died on the front lines. The others, disillusioned by the collapse of that ideal, scattered in all directions. Grand Elder Lucien had wanted to support the Crown Prince, but Rong Heng had been too young at the time—unpredictable in temperament—and Lucien hadn’t dared place too much hope in him. He had merely kept in touch, neither too close nor too distant.

 

Besides, Lucien had been far too old. Over the years, chronic illness and organ failure had left him powerless, even if he had the will.

 

Later, after Rong Heng’s assassination and disappearance, Siyan learned through the reactivated Noah that he was still alive. After many twists and turns, he finally confirmed Rong Heng’s location and decided to use Lucien’s identity to assist him.

 

His original plan had never involved revealing his true identity. The real Lucien had passed away not long ago, and once Rong Heng returned to Sikkim, he was supposed to receive Lucien’s “final words” as a farewell.

 

Unfortunately, the boy turned out to be even sharper than Siyan had expected. In the end, he still failed to keep it hidden.

 

The two stared at each other in silence, neither willing to break the thin veil between them.

 

Rong Heng fixed his gaze on him for a long moment before suddenly rising with a burst of frustration. His movements were too abrupt—he knocked over the chair behind him, which hit the ground with a heavy thud.

 

He stood there like a furious beast with nowhere to vent its rage, snarling low at Lucien’s image, “Who do you think you are? You think everyone has to follow your plan? Let you push them forward like pieces on a board?”

 

“You want to avenge your wife—I want to avenge my mother! I’m not one of those idiots who’ll let you control me!”

 

His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Siyan, rage churning in his chest. If Siyan had been physically in front of him, he would have launched himself at him without hesitation.

 

But Siyan only looked at him calmly. No longer bothering to maintain the disguise, his once-hunched back straightened. Even with the mask of age and graying hair, it was now impossible to mistake his identity.

 

“I’m not trying to control you,” he said, as though carefully choosing his words. After a long pause, he continued. His voice remained cool, but for once, there was a rare trace of gentleness in his gaze. “You’re not like them.”

 

“Avenge Farah—that’s something I must do. But it’s not your burden to bear.”

 

He knew all too well what it was like to be trapped in hatred—how it corroded the soul day by day, wearing you down to nothing.

 

That agony was his punishment to carry. It wasn’t something Rong Heng should have to endure.

 

He couldn’t bear it. And he feared that if Farah knew, she would blame him even more—blame him for dragging her child into this, for still being unforgiven.

 

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We finally have the “confrontation” between them

 

 

Thanks for reading!

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