Chapter 98 - President Xie Teaches You How to be a Good Person
Translated by Eve
Edited by Kitty, Serefina
15. President Xie Teaches You How to be a Good Person
Xie He looked at Lance in disbelief. “What did you say?”
Lance met his gaze. There was only seriousness in his eyes. His tone was gentle. “If you’ll be my Empress, I’ll let her go.”
“You’re crazy!” Xie He widened his eyes. “How could I be your Empress?!”
Lance raised the corner of his lips, and his tone was chilly. “Why not? If you’re not willing to even do this much, why should I let her go? In other words… your love for her only amounts to this.”
Xie He grit his teeth, eyes blood red. A long time later, he spat out, “You… better keep your word.”
Lance smiled. His eyes became gentle at once. He kissed Xie He. “I’m a man of my word.”
Xie He stopped struggling. He let Lance kiss him. Clearly, he loathed it greatly but he endured it as this man’s plundering aura swallowed everything up madly. In any case, Xie He would soon die. If he could help Joanna like this, then why not?
Before coming here, he had already prepared himself to bear everything and anything.
Lance meticulously traced the outline of the face of the person below him with his lips. He kissed his eyes, his nose, his lips, his Adam’s apple….
Even if there hadn’t been Joanna, only Xie He could ever be his Empress.
Lance really wanted to directly have the person beneath him. But when he thought of how Joanna rebuked him, he ended up letting Xie He go and didn’t continue to force him.
He held him in his arms, eyes warm and full of affection.
………………………………
【Xie He：I’m a bit disappointed in Lance, this little vixen. Such a good opportunity and he didn’t do it in the end. Him not getting it up severely decreases my goodwill towards him.】
【444：……O(∩_∩)O~】
【Xie He：If this continues, then even with that face, there will be no way of saving my love for him. 🙂 】
【444：……】Really can’t even laugh. _(:зゝ∠)_
Except for forbidding Xie He from leaving the Imperial Palace, Lance did not restrict him in any way. The Empire’s Imperial Palace was immense. It was not easy to stroll through its entirety.
Since he had agreed to being Lance’s Empress, Xie He did not stay in his own palace anymore. Instead, he gradually began to explore the Imperial Palace. There were some prohibited places in the palace, but no one dared stop Xie He. The guards that hadn’t been deferential enough towards Xie He had been executed by Lance. Therefore, wherever Xie He went, the imperial guards treated him extremely reverently. Inwardly, they complained incessantly… secretly reproaching the Emperor for bringing an enemy into the Imperial Palace.
One must know that the Imperial Palace was the core of the Empire’s Capital. It was not just a simple palace… it was not a place that they should allow their enemy to enter casually.
【444：Host dada, what are you doing? Could it be that you’re preparing to escape?Σ( ° △°|||)︴】
【Xie He：Baby, I’m just familiarizing myself with the surroundings. As the future Empress of the Empire, isn’t it normal for me to gain an understanding of my own home? Smile.JPG】
【444：Is that so…?】
【Xie He：Yes, ah. 🙂 】
&#k3010;444&#kUU1J;(&#k2299;o&#k2299;) Oh! &#k3011;It sounded really reasonable. However, why did it feel perfunctory? Was it his imagination?
Xie He had practically explored every inch of the Imperial Palace. The last place he visited was the main hall. When Xie He went over, Lance had just come out with a group of ministers, so they bumped into each other.
Lance was really surprised. He promptly headed over to Xie He and asked softly, “Why did you decide to come over here today?”
Xie He gave him a cold look. He didn’t give Lance any face in front of outsiders, “None of your business.”
Lance didn’t mind Xie He’s attitude. However, those ministers disliked it. They had incessantly tried to persuade Lance to act against the Federation but were vetoed by him! Right now, when they saw Xie He act so disrespectfully towards Lance, they became even more furious! His Majesty was unable to differentiate between good and bad because of this captive from the Federation!
Preposterous! It was too preposterous!
“Mind your status! A captive actually dares speak to his Majesty like this?!” One of the ministers pointed at Xie He’s face.
Xie He glanced towards her. There was undisguised disgust in his eyes. He was about to retort when Lance suddenly pulled his hand and dragged him back.
Lance didn’t look at Xie He. He tightly held his hand and said to that minister, “Zoe gexia, he is not a captive. He is my future Empress. I have already annulled my engagement to Miss Joanna Gallagher. Aside from Loren, I will never marry anyone else.
“Therefore, the one who should mind their status is you. You have no right to criticize his wording,” Lance said frigidly.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked!
That minister was dumbfounded. She looked bewildered as she stammered, “Your Majesty, are… are you serious? You want to marry this Federation captive and make him your Empress?”
Her gaze seemed to be asking if Lance had gone crazy!
If he hadn’t gone crazy, then how could he do such a thing? It couldn’t be that he didn’t know how big of an impact this would have or how great the backlash would be?
If he really liked him, why not just keep him as a slave? There was no need to make him his Empress, ah!
No noble of the Empire would approve of this. Although there had been news of Loren defecting from the Federation, they all knew that it had only been announced for the Federation’s benefit. The Empire’s nobles knew the truth. Moreover, Loren’s identity was too sensitive of a topic.
As an Emperor, Lance was going against the Empire’s rules and marrying a captive as his Empress! He was allowing a lowly slave to step over the heads of the nobles! Lance was, without a doubt, facing off against the entirety of the Empire by himself!
Lance’s eyes were clear. His voice was calm and unquestionable. “I am very serious. Very soon, I will announce this matter.”
That minister finally recovered from her shock, “You cannot, Your Majesty! You absolutely must not!”
The rest of them also tried to persuade him.
Lance said, “Don’t try to persuade me. I will not change my mind.”
After saying that, he didn’t pay any more attention to the flabbergasted ministers and led Xie He back to their palace by the hand.
Xie He followed Lance back without uttering a single word.
Lance smiled at him, expression gentle. “If you want to go to the main hall, wait until no one is there. That way, no one will provoke you. But it’s your choice as to when you want to go. As my Empress, you have no need to care about them.”
Xie He looked at him, expression slightly complicated. In the end, he asked, “Why are you so insistent on having me be your Empress?”
He hadn’t asked this before because he didn’t take Lance’s words seriously. He thought that Lance was just using this as a new way to tease him. But today… he personally saw Lance protect him in front of everyone without any hesitation. He had also spoken with a serious expression and tone. Xie He was a bit moved.
What that minister could think of, how could he not think of it too? How could he not know what pressure Lance would face if he did this as well as what price he would pay…?
He wasn’t actually that slow. After coming back this time, it wasn’t that he didn’t perceive Lance’s change in attitude towards him. However, he was never willing to dwell on it. They were irreconcilable enemies. Why must he think about something that would only add to his troubles? In any case, it wouldn’t change anything.
But at this moment, he didn’t know why, he asked that question.
Lance looked at Xie He. He pursed his lips. After a long time, he said, “I want to take you somewhere.”
………………………………
Lance brought Xie He onto a spacecraft. The spacecraft flew for a whole day before finally stopping at a beautiful little planet.
Lance was the first to step out of the spacecraft. He reached a hand out to Xie He. “Come with me.”
Xie He hesitated for a second before holding onto Lance’s hand. He debarked the spacecraft and stepped onto soft sand. In front of the sand was a dark blue sea. The light of the setting sun reflecting off the clear water entered his eyes. It was more beautiful than anything he could imagine. Along the beach was an interesting looking building. The multi-coloured house looked comforting and adorable.
Xie He was startled. He looked behind him. On the distant highland was an expanse of blue grass swaying in the wind.
Aside from the two of them, there was no one else. The quiet world was beautiful, as if it was a painting. Xie He looked at everything before him, and his eyes suddenly began to sting.
Lance pulled Xie He by the hand. As they walked, he said, “I ordered my subordinates to look through countless resources. In the last one, they found several pictures. Before the Sea-Blue Planetary System disappeared, there was a famous citizen of the Empire who liked to travel. He took many pictures previously and collected a lot of data. Fortunately, with this data, I was able to reconstruct everything…. Of course, it’s only based on some images and data. It is inevitably a bit different from your memory.
“Also, we were rushed. Because we lacked data on many things, we couldn’t restore it…. Sorry, I could only do this much.” Lance’s voice was as light as a feather, falling into Xie He’s ears with the wind.
Xie He didn’t respond. His hand began to tremble slightly.
The two of them had walked without paying much attention. In the end, they stopped at a blue meadow. Xie He bent down and gently caressed the grass swaying in the wind. This was the special Lanling grass of his homeland. At night, it would emit a faint fluorescent light. It was an extremely beautiful sight, turning the world into a wonderland.
He looked up and glanced all around him. Lance had restored this planet for him.
He knew that everything was fake—he had no kin or friends here. It was as empty as a grave… but… it was still a beautiful scene that he had only ever seen in his dreams.
The reason he gave everything in his fight and never gave up his determination was because he didn’t wish for there to ever be someone like him—that someone would ever lose their home, lose everything and become a vagabond as he had.
He could not turn back time, but he could protect the future.
Xie He reached up to touch his face. He discovered that he had begun to cry at some point. He was not a weak person. The last time he had cried was when he had been forced to abandon his homeland, when he had personally watched as everything he loved deeply was destroyed. He had stood there in the empty, ice-cold spaceship, staring in the direction of his homeland in the distance, tears streaming down his face.
From that moment on, no matter how much suffering and pain he experienced, he had never cried again.
This was the second time he ever cried.
And it was because of a fake display.
No one knew just how much he missed and longed for it all. This was his ‘Pure Land’ that existed solely in his heart.
The memories that had been hidden in the depths of his heart broke through uncontrollably. He recalled how he and his family sat in a little warm house many years ago. They gazed at the full moon outside, listening to melodious and soothing songs. They ate pastries made out of the Lanling grass’ juice….
Everything that happened afterwards seemed like they had become an illusion.
“I’m sorry.” Lance saw Xie He crying silently. He watched as this strong man showed his vulnerable side for the first time. Lance’s chest was filled with anguish.
Lance’s tone had helplessness overlaid atop of it, “If you don’t want to look at this, we can go back.”
He only wanted to do everything he could to make it up to Xie He. He wanted to search for all that the other had lost… but perhaps to Xie He, this was only a painful memory.
He could only restore these ice-cold things. He could not bring back the lives lost.
At this moment, he suddenly understood how Xie He felt. He understood his determination. The reason humans were considered alive was that their hearts were beating and their blood was warm. People would involuntarily fall in love and feel happiness, sorrow, anger and pain.
Everyone had their own happiness, sorrow, anger and joy. And others had no right to take that away.
The weak also had the right to live.
Xie He turned to look at Lance. His lips parted, “No, I like it here.”
A light suddenly appeared in Lance’s golden eyes. His expression softened. “It’s good that you like it.”
As he said this, a suspicious flush appeared on his face. Lance knelt on the blue grass and pulled out from his pocket a silver ring identical to the one he wore. He grabbed Xie He’s hand and slowly but resolutely put it on his finger. He looked up and said, “My Empress, I still owe you a proposal.”
Xie He looked down. This handsome, arrogant person, the most esteemed person in the entire universe, was currently kneeling before him and looking at him with deep love, as if he was the most important person in his life….
At this moment, Xie He didn’t throw Lance off of him. He looked at him with a complicated gaze again. He slowly began to say, “You fell in love with me, didn’t you?”
Lance lowered his head and gently placed a kiss on Xie He’s finger before saying, “Yes.”
At this moment, he threw away his dignity and arrogance. He was glad to serve at this person’s feet as a testament to the love he could not put into words. He was willing to gouge out his heart and offer it to this person, for him to tease and judge.
Because he loved Xie He, he was willing to walk into the depths of his heart, to understand his own emotions.
Because of love, he had no fear.
【Ding, the target Lance’s Favourability Value +3. The current Favourability Value is 99.】
【444：Yingyingying, it’s so touching. QAQ】
【Xie He：……】
【444：Yingyingying….】
【Xie He：Baby, how about you go out and play?】
【444：Why? QAQ】
【Xie He：I’m afraid of hurting your worldviews. 🙂 】
【444：……】
Eve: Oh…my heart.
Kit: My heart broke for both of them??? Xie He because of the memories of his home and Lance because he’s probably going to have his heart broken soon…
sere: ahhhh built a planet for him T.T Xie He acknowledged his love for once O.O