The Whole Empire Raises Me - Chapter 40

 

Chapter 40

The next morning.

The white, soft bed was in disarray, with sunlight streaming through the window. Wen Xingze lay sprawled on the bed, hugging a SpongeBob plushie, curled up in Chi Yan's arms.

The moment Wen Xingze opened his eyes, he sharply noticed something odd about the scene described above... like the exhaust fumes after a car race!

He turned over and found himself facing Chi Yan's half-open eyes. Chi Yan's long eyelashes framed his gaze, which was somewhere between sleepy and awake. Shadows fell in his dark eyes, resembling a foggy sea.

To put it more bluntly, his eyes held a hint of accusation. Or perhaps a touch of dissatisfaction.

Wen Xingze: "?"

Wen Xingze: "Mr. Chi... last night... did I..."

Wen Xingze recalled his dream from the previous night: he was eating fish, sweet and sour flavored, but for some reason, the fish was cold and hard. He couldn't bite through it, and it had a slightly damp taste, like melting spring snow.

Clearly, that was Chi Yan's wrist.

At this moment, Chi Yan glanced at him and nodded. The man had dark circles under his eyes, as if he had stayed up all night. Confirming that Wen Xingze wasn't planning to sleep any longer, he got up to ring the bell for the butler to bring breakfast.

Wen Xingze looked at the bite marks crisscrossing Chi Yan's wrist: "I'm sorry I was born a vampire."

Chi Yan, expressionless, got out of bed to pour coffee: "Maybe you should change your music player."

Wen Xingze: "I will take responsibility for you."

Chi Yan continued pouring coffee, the cup quickly overflowing.

Wen Xingze: "?"

Chi Yan remained in the same position, bending over, his gaze fixed on the coffee cup.

Only when the coffee stopped flowing did he look at Wen Xingze: "Are you serious?"

Wen Xingze: "Of course."

Chi Yan gave a faint "hmm" and walked out the door without changing his expression.

About five minutes later, Chi Yan returned, his tailored suit accentuating his tall figure. The secretary and lawyer stood waiting at the door. Chi Yan leaned over and placed a document in front of Wen Xingze:

"Then, sign this contract."

Wen Xingze: "???"

Wen Xingze had just finished dressing and checked the time to confirm he could still make it to the recording of "Fantasy Cruise" today. He bit into a piece of bread while looking for honey butter, and then—

Wen Xingze stared at the contract in front of him: "..."

How did it come to this?

Chi Yan had really become his contract sacrifice sweetheart!

Then, the timeline jumps twelve hours ahead.

________________________

Fantasy Cruise," Day Two, 7 PM.

With one minute left in the twenty-minute discussion countdown, it was almost time to vote. After two days of games, everyone had some sense that a result might emerge today.

As for what the result would be...

Zhu Bo: "Let's vote for A'Ze today. No objections, right? He's the mermaid from the sea creatures camp, exposed yesterday."

The round table fell silent.

The cameras quietly captured the guests' expressions, creating an extremely tense atmosphere.

Wen Xingze leaned back slowly, raising an eyebrow: "Oh?"

Fang Ruxue and Jean simultaneously looked at Zhu Bo with horror, not understanding why he would lead the vote against his own teammate...

Then Fang Ruxue's expression quickly became complicated. Who was the traitor, Zhu Bo or Wen Xingze?

This was the real question on most of the table's minds. Even the sailor camp could deduce that Zhu Bo and Wen Xingze both appeared to belong to the sea creatures camp.

If Zhu Bo was the sea creatures traitor, it made sense for him to be eager to vote Wen Xingze out. If Wen Xingze was the sea creatures traitor, Zhu Bo wanting to vote him out first for a solo victory was also understandable, and the latter motive seemed stronger.

Zhu Bo couldn't admit he was the traitor, but he was desperate to vote Wen Xingze out because Wen Xingze was the only one who knew his identity. He had mysteriously escaped last night, and Zhu Bo suspected he was using magic to cheat!

Wen Xingze blinked.

After a moment, he started clapping.

Zhu Bo: "?"

"Brother, congratulations," Wen Xingze said.

Zhu Bo: "What are you congratulating me for?"

Wen Xingze: "Congratulations on not having to wear a nurse's outfit and dance."

Zhu Bo: "??? Are you mocking me??!"

People are easily influenced, especially in such tense moments. From Wen Xingze's behavior, it seemed he was the traitor, and Zhu Bo wanted to vote out the traitor for a solo victory.

But who was really acting? Each guest had their own balance scale in their mind. As for which way the scale would tip at the last second...

**Ding-ling-ling—**

The urgent ringing signaled the end of the discussion time. Wen Xingze and Zhu Bo quickly finished writing on their whiteboards and flipped them over.

After a minute, the director announced the votes:

"Guest number five was eliminated last night and has no voting rights. Today's voting results are: Zhu Bo, guest number nine, received five votes, and Wen Xingze, guest number ten, received four votes."

"Zhu Bo is the traitor of the Siren camp. As the first person to vote for Zhu Bo and cause his elimination, Wen Xingze wins alone."

"Game over!"

________________________

An hour later.

It was a mix of joy and sorrow for everyone. Wen Xingze used his winner's privilege to secure a benefit for the male guests—they could choose to perform only half of their punishment. For example, Zhu Bo chose to wear a nurse's outfit but not dance.

So, strictly speaking, Wen Xingze's congratulations to Zhu Bo before the vote, saying he wouldn't have to dance in a nurse's outfit, wasn't a lie.

Then came the much-anticipated punishment segment: Guest number five tearfully danced, Zhu Bo posed for dozens of photos in a nurse's outfit with his hairy legs exposed, holding a large syringe, and Jean, wearing a ballet skirt, performed a swan dance, even winking at the female guests...

"I'm really disappointed," sighed one of the female idol group members. "Why did A'Ze have to win?"

The director and other guests agreed.

Wen Xingze was surprised, "Am I really that unpopular?"

The female idol group member touched the maid outfit she had carefully prepared for Wen Xingze, sighed sadly, and said no more.

The classic black and white color scheme, ruffled apron, and various accessories to choose from.

Director: "Look at this maid outfit. On the surface, it's just an ordinary maid outfit, but it represents a significant part of Fantasy Cruise's popularity..."

Wen Xingze: "...I refuse."

Even though the game was over, the four members of the sea creatures group were used to gathering together, chatting, and enjoying the sea breeze on their last night in the Canary Islands.

Wen Xingze clinked glasses with Zhu Bo, leaving the game's grudges behind.

Wen Xingze: "I'm actually worried about the ratings. This intellectual battle was too dumb. There was no tension or exciting twists."

Jean, who had just been slapped by a female staff member he tried to flirt with, shrugged, "Hey, maybe the author tried their best."

"??? What are you talking about?" Zhu Bo said. "I'm more worried about whether the show will pass the review. Ah Ze, have you prepared the magic performance?"

Wen Xingze: "?"

Fang Ruxue came over with champagne and clinked glasses with them.

The bumpy first episode finally ended. Although it only lasted two days, many things happened, and both guests and staff were filled with mixed emotions.

Almost every guest and staff member toasted Wen Xingze, thanking him for broadening their horizons and reshaping their worldview.

The director even hugged him, crying, reluctant to part with his amazing magic performance.

Wen Xingze: "..."

Although Wen Xingze was half-drunk, he soon felt dizzy until the end.

"A'Ze," Fang Ruxue mysteriously pulled Wen Xingze aside, holding her jade hairpin, "I have one last request. Can you..."

Wen Xingze: "Wait, I can't use magic to duplicate the hairpin, nor can I eat it. Anything else is fine!"

The whole cruise ship suddenly fell silent.

Zhu Bo turned around in shock.

Moments later, Fang Ruxue slowly took out the maid outfit.

Wen Xingze: "?"

Wen Xingze immediately ran, and the director suddenly stood up, shouting, "Hold him down—"

...

The last night of the first episode of Fantasy Cruise remained peaceful and quiet.

________________________

On the day Fantasy Cruise finished recording, despite Zhu Bo and the others' efforts to keep him, Wen Xingze didn't stay overnight.

It was still late summer when he left, but now that he was back, it was already autumn in the country, with golden sycamore leaves piling up on the streets.

Wen Xingze's popularity had grown significantly compared to before. His fan base had become quite diverse, and dozens of fans even came to the airport to welcome him back, which deeply moved him.

He landed at around five or six in the afternoon.

Although the Dragon family offered to have a private plane land directly at Manli, Wen Xingze had to move later, and Jiang Ye also planned to pick him up, so they decided to land at the airport first.

Jiang Ye had just returned from overseas the day before. Looking at Wen Xingze, he asked, "Haven't adjusted to the time difference?"

Wen Xingze, wearing sunglasses and a mask, nodded sleepily, "A bit."

"Okay," Jiang Ye said, letting him sit in the back seat. After Wen Xingze fastened his seatbelt, Jiang Ye continued, "Fantasy Cruise has concluded, and Encounter with the Dragon is about to air. The schedule is excellent... I've seen the final cut, and the promotional lineup is impressive. It should easily rank in the top three in ratings this year."

Earlier today, the official Weibo of Encounter with the Dragon released the official trailer and two episodes in advance, receiving unexpectedly positive feedback.

Wen Xingze exclaimed, "Wow."

Honestly, it felt like hearing about someone else's life.

"Until Christmas, you only need to cooperate with the promotion of Night of the Dragon and shoot the Blod endorsement," Jiang Ye said. "By the way, the supporting cast for One Day is almost finalized. The two leads are still being selected. If you want to try, you need to start preparing in a couple of days. The last public audition is in November."

Wen Xingze instantly woke up, "I want to go!!!"

If he could participate in One Day, it would mean he could truly work with Chi Yan, even if it was as a director and actor. The thought of appearing on the same cast list as Chi Yan was a dream come true.

Jiang Ye: "Alright, it's all about participation."

Wen Xingze: "What? You don't have confidence in me? The outcome is still uncertain, and we are both in the dark—"

Then, Jiang Ye casually handed Wen Xingze a list of the stars currently competing for the two lead roles. Wen Xingze started reading from the bottom up: top-tier celebrities, popular male stars, Golden Horse Award winners...

Jiang Ye: "You're doing well right now. If you continue on this trajectory, after a few well-received TV dramas and starring in four movies, you could become the lead actor in 'One Day' in about twelve years."

Wen Xingze: "..."

Damn, but he makes a good point.

Wen Xingze had an insurmountable experience gap with these actors, and Chi Yan took his work very seriously. Even though Chi Yan was now his contract sacrifice sweetheart, he wouldn't go easy on him because that's not who Chi Yan was.

Moreover, Wen Xingze didn't want to get a role through such means.

Wen Xingze: "Sigh."

Wen Xingze: "Amitabha, friendship first, competition second."

Jiang Ye flicked her long hair: "Don't be too discouraged. Besides 'One Day,' there are many other scripts suitable for you at this stage. By the way, I haven't asked yet, did you gain anything from recording 'Fantasy Cruise' this time?"

She already knew that Wen Xingze had unexpectedly gained some popularity in Spain, attracting quite a few overseas fans and even catching the eye of a famous producer.

The producer expressed a desire to collaborate in the future.

Just for that, even if 'Fantasy Cruise' flopped after airing, Wen Xingze's trip wouldn't be in vain.

Wen Xingze: "I did gain something, though not a lot."

Jiang Ye: "Tell me about it."

Wen Xingze: "I won solo in 'Fantasy Cruise,' rescued dolphins, performed magic, became China's top Feng Shui master, and signed a cohabitation agreement with Chi Yan..." (Note: 同居协议 [Tóngjū xiéyì] = cohabitation agreement, signed when two people live together)

Jiang Ye stared straight ahead, calmly driving: "Oh, not bad. Congratulations."

Wen Xingze: "Yeah."

Jiang Ye continued to drive calmly.

After a full thirty seconds, Jiang Ye slammed on the brakes and let out a loud "What the—"

Wen Xingze: "?"

Jiang Ye: "You—"

Jiang Ye's wavy hair seemed to explode into the air, making her look like Medusa. Wen Xingze stared at her in horror: "Me?"

Jiang Ye, as if in a dream: "This Chi Yan you mentioned, he—?"

Wen Xingze reflexively entered a famous scene: "It's not about whether he's attractive. He's really that kind of... rare kind of..."

Jiang Ye: "..."

Jiang Ye: "Wen Xingze, I'm not joking with you!"

________________________

Mechanical Star E19, Base.

The delivery robot sent by the Light Tower hovered at the door. They could hand over the items they wanted to send, and the robot would deliver them directly to His Majesty. Because they won the PK task, their long-awaited delivery was finally scheduled.

But they didn't want to send that gift anymore. They decided to wait until the Cub arrived to give it to him in person. Instead, they planned to send some items that would make the Cub feel 'joyful.'

They had no idea what kids liked these days.

Led by No. 015, a dozen square-headed robots gathered, chattering about what to send to the Emperor.

"The Parenting Guide says, toys, puzzles, building blocks."

"The Emperor is different. Maybe he likes particle cannons."

"Energy bar..."

At that moment, a black-haired youth walked out from the depths of the base. He was barefoot, and his long, curly black hair reached down to his heels.

The youth was still unclothed, holding only an old blanket in his arms. The blanket's patterns had faded over time.

About thirty years ago, when the Emperor found No. 011 in a garbage heap, he covered him with this blanket. Each dormant robot had a small storage box, containing all their connections to this world.

No. 011's storage box contained only this blanket.

So far, No. 011 is the only humanoid robot qualified to leave the cabin. No. 08 and the others also want to leave, but despite multiple attempts, they still can't pass No. 015's "socialization test."

While the robots were still discussing, a sudden "beep" sounded, and the Light Tower robot announced:

"Package received. Would you like to notify the Cub via text message?"

Black-haired youth: "Yes."

Light Tower robot: "Alright! Thank you for using our service!"

No. 015: "???"

"What did you send?" No. 015 walked up to the black-haired youth, its square head filled with big question marks.

The black-haired youth replied, "Some things kids like."

He hadn't communicated with others for a long time, so his voice was stiff and hoarse, with a slight electrical buzz, similar to No. 015 and the others.

After saying this, the black-haired youth stopped talking, hugged his blanket, and lay down in a corner of the base, closing his eyes.

Meanwhile, on the live channel of "Cub Raising Plan":

[Not Changing My Name Until I Pass Level 4 Elvish: ???? Cohabitation agreement???? What does cohabitation mean?]

[Yayaya Astor: I haven't heard of this. I don't agree. How could His Majesty sign this? Ahhhhh]

[Ansel: I'm going to kill someone]

[Y: Haha]

________________________

In the presidential suite on the top floor of Manli.

In the hallway, Wen Xingze's private chef and tailor stood by, while waiters and executives pushed carts in and out, helping to pack and organize luggage. The Chi family's butler stood aside, checking the luggage list with the head attendant.

The CEO, dressed in a suit, held a microphone and directed everything in an orderly manner:

"Move that packing box a bit to the right." "Store the new season's items next to it; Mr. Wen said he doesn't need them." "Always maintain Manli's standards and elegance, showcasing our corporate spirit to Mr. Wen."

An executive asked the CEO, "These SpongeBob shorts are a bit old. Should we buy new ones for Mr. Wen?"

Another executive said, "But there are no luxury brands collaborating with SpongeBob."

The first executive started making a call: "We can contact them now. Maybe we can get it done before Mr. Wen returns..."

"Put those shorts in the safe," the CEO interrupted, sternly. "All SpongeBob-related shorts, T-shirts, and accessories must be free of any wrinkles or damage."

The executives immediately straightened up.

When Wen Xingze arrived, three executives wearing white gloves were nervously carrying a pair of SpongeBob shorts, carefully passing by him and locking them in the safe.

Moments later, an executive returned, took the SpongeBob watch off Wen Xingze's wrist, put it in a dust bag, and carefully placed it in the safe, locking it again.

The safes were already piled up like a small mountain, teetering on the edge.

Wen Xingze: "..."

Wen Xingze felt utterly embarrassed: "I never gave such instructions!"

"Shh, don't make noise!" the CEO turned and scolded him. "What if you disturb Mr. Wen's SpongeBob... Oh, Mr. Wen, never mind."

Wen Xingze: "..."

Wen Xingze had only sent a text to the head attendant before returning to the hotel to pack, not expecting things to escalate like this.

It seemed SpongeBob was getting better treatment than Wen Xingze himself.

In just half a minute of standing there, three groups of people had come by. First, they took his SpongeBob watch and put it in the safe. Then, they took his SpongeBob phone case and put it in the safe. They almost took his hoodie too.

Wen Xingze was starting to forget what the words "SpongeBob SquarePants" even looked like.

Lilith, wearing black lace gloves and holding a small parasol, floated in the air, looking down on everyone with disdain. She said sourly, "In the end, he's just a lackey of the Dragon Clan. If it were me, I would find a way to balance taking care of His Majesty and SpongeBob."

Wen Xingze: "?"

Wen Xingze: "You can't say that."

Lilith ignored him.

Wen Xingze: "...Lilith?"

Lilith twirled her parasol, turning her back to Wen Xingze. Two and a half hours ago, she had said that if Wen Xingze didn't give up on cohabiting with Chi Yan, she wouldn't speak to him for the next three months.

"Technically, it's not really cohabitation," Wen Xingze said. "You all know I was looking for a suitable place, and I will pay him rent."

Chi Yan's apartment was in a good location and had ample space. The rent was reasonable and not specially discounted for Wen Xingze.

Moreover, if Wen Xingze activated his vampire filter in the future, it would be bad if Chi Yan wasn't around.

And most importantly... he had promised to take responsibility. How could he go back on his word?

"I don't understand why you all have such hostility towards Chi Yan," Wen Xingze sighed. "Can you tell me?"

Lilith: "He is—"

Lilith only said two words before snorting and stopping.

She wasn't like that fool Ansel, who would never engage in any confusing behavior to assist.

The enemy monarch had given their Emperor a ring, and many years ago, a blind officer had said something similar to a confession.

What if the Cub found out that Chi Yan = Utopia's monarch = the blind officer from many years ago? The Cub already admired Chi Yan a lot, and the line between admiration and liking is very blurry.

This is also the true thought of most parents.

As promised, Lilith didn't speak to Wen Xingze until the end of today's Soul Casket time.

However, when Wen Xingze talked to others, she seemed very unhappy. Eventually, Lilith turned her back on Wen Xingze completely, holding her umbrella and starting to sew a doll.

Yes, sewing a doll.

Lilith's umbrella was one of the sacred artifacts of the Blood clan, similar to Os's shoulder-mounted particle cannon. The threads extending from the shadow of the umbrella could manipulate everything like a puppet, with the power to destroy several planets.

And she was using those threads to sew a doll, lemon yellow, with a very obvious SpongeBob color scheme. It quickly took shape. Wen Xingze guessed it was for him and tried several times to use this as an excuse to talk to Lilith, but she clearly refused to engage.

Lilith sewed quickly, and the final SpongeBob doll was very lifelike, including the long nose, two front teeth, and cheerful smile.

In the last half-minute of the Soul Box time, Lilith looked at the doll she had just sewn and started to get jealous — actually, the Blood clan had been jealous of SpongeBob for a long time — but at this moment, Lilith seemed to be indirectly expressing her frustration:

"This useless sponge, old, can't talk, has poor eyesight, why does the Emperor like him?"

Then she angrily crushed the SpongeBob doll and left...

Wen Xingze: "..."

Wen Xingze suddenly felt a chill on his neck.

Suddenly, his phone received a new text message. Wen Xingze picked it up and saw the words "Light Tower." He thought it was a delivery, but it wasn't. It read:

[Light Tower Travel] Dear Mr. Wen! All the procedures for your first Muse trip have been completed. The Light Tower Travel system will officially start next month. Detailed instructions will be sent to your email tonight. Please pay attention...

Wen Xingze: "?"

Muse trip?

He could go to that universe?!

Wen Xingze was shocked. It wasn't even seven o'clock yet, so he couldn't chat with the Dragon clan parents on WeChat. Lilith had been sulking and hadn't spoken to him, so Wen Xingze had just found out about this.

It took Wen Xingze a few minutes to digest this fact. However, since there were still half a month before it started, the more pressing issue was how to handle the relationship between the parents and Chi Yan...

At this time, the packing of the luggage was almost done.

The Chi family butler, who came to hand over the luggage, looked up at the mountain of safes and various luggage and boxes, calmly called for a helicopter.

The CEO saw Wen Xingze's troubled expression and quickly walked over, respectfully asking, "Mr. Wen, is there anything troubling you? Manli will do everything possible to help you."

Wen Xingze, desperate for help, sighed and said, "My family and another person who is very important to me have a very bad relationship... I don't know what to do. My family hates him, but I don't know why."

The CEO and the executives frowned in thought.

After a moment, the CEO suddenly clapped his hands, as if he had an epiphany: "Ah!"

Wen Xingze listened attentively: "?"

CEO: "Isn't this just like the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law?"

Wen Xingze: "............???"

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter