Chapter 43

Translated by boilpoil Edited by boilpoil

Bai Lianhua takes a step back out of reflex.

He feels like he can’t see eye-to-eye with this Shi Cangyuan right now, so he turns his head to the side, takes a deep breath, and says, “not laughable. Not laughable at all.”

After saying this, Bai Lianhua turns his head back towards Shi Cangyuan, and pauses before mumbling, “… so, please stop smiling.”

While the smile does look gentle and bright… It doesn’t feel happy at all.

——This is why he hates and doesn’t understand the antagonists’ smiles.

Antagonists before, and Shi Cangyuan, if you don’t want to smile, just don’t… This is perhaps the only part that is most in common among the antagonists with wildly varying personalities.

Shi Cangyuan touches the corner of his lips with a surprised look hearing so, “you don’t like this… but I remember you told me to smile more before.”

Bai Lianhua pauses. He did say something like that.

That was when they’ve only just met each other. Since Shi Cangyuan always looked so disinterested in everything, being broody and depressed, and looking way too dispirited. So, back then he always told Shi Cangyuan to smile more on many occasions.

Whether it might just be cold smiles or fake smiles, at least more facial expression would be better.

And especially when Shi Cangyuan has moved to his house, when he really had nothing else better to do, he’d often jokingly ‘despise’ Shi Cangyuan’s smiles telling him the angle he raised it to is odd or that eye looked too ferocious and not friendly enough…

Later, though, when Shi Cangyuan regained his glory, the confidence and brightness exuded from him yet again meant that it didn’t matter if he smiled or not, and so Bai Lianhua stopped mentioning it altogether.

That wasn’t an important episode in his memories of the world, and even Bai Lianhua almost forgot about that. Though Shi Cangyuan seems to recall it quite vividly.

There’s some semblance of disappointment on his face, “it looks like my smile is still not good enough… This is bad, during the time you were gone, I couldn’t smile, nor did anyone tell me where my smile was weird. I ended up not improving at all.”

Bai Lianhua “…”

#No, how do I follow up on this?#

#”Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” or “No, this is wrong. Why not smile at someone else?” Which one do you choose#

#Neither response seem normal#

#Too hard… I’ll stay silent#

Not receiving a reply, Shi Cangyuan sighs, “fine, I’ll stop smiling.”

“You also stop stepping backwards.”

Bai Lianhua is a bit overwhelmed.

… He didn’t want to either, but sorry. The moment the antagonist approached him, he feels like running away.

And then Shi Cangyuan naturally held and pulled Bai Lianhua’s arm to his side.

“Hungry yet? Do you want dinner?”

“Before you were back, I’ve already dealt with most of the ingredients. Just wait a bit. We can eat soon.”

——Since receiving the message that you’re back, I’ve been waiting, to see if these ingredients meticulously prepared could happen to be made into dishes in time to fill your stomach, or if they would gradually rot in waiting until they end up filling the trash.

——I’m glad, I didn’t have to wait that long. The timing is just right.

——Or, I’d be looking for you.

Bai Lianhua feels like speaking up.

Wait… What kind of development is this?

Wasn’t you like about to question me? I don’t know how we ended up jumping to such a normal topic.

Is it really normal for us to act so homely to one another?

Shi Cangyuan sees Bai Lianhua’s expression, and he lowers his eyelids, “oh? Do you not like my cooking anymore?”

Bai Lianhua shakes his head fervently, “no.”

“Then perhaps your tastes have changed?” Shi Cangyuan raises his eyebrows, “can I ask what food you like now?”

Jesus Christ, the wording… the usage of the phrase “can I” sure is particular.

Bai Lianhua answers with a dry laugh, “no change, no change… You already know the things I like.”

“That would be the best.” Shi Cangyuan nods.

Bai Lianhua watches from the side as Shi Cangyuan moves about like a busy bee without using any modern technology, and then looks at the familiar decorations placed around the place, and his mind would briefly get confused thinking nothing has changed.

Not even the taste of the cooking has changed.

——Bai Lianhua can even recall that this is exactly the last meal Shi Cangyuan fed him before he had to leave the capital planet… Even the plates are laid out exactly the same.

Time seems to be overlapping… As if he’s just had a long dream, and with this familiar taste he’s again here, having never left the world in the first place.

After realising this, Bai Lianhua feels like trembling… Why does it feel like the antagonist is going to conquer his route?

Oi oi oi, you’ve got it wrong!

He asks the system secretly with disbelief, “what is happening? Why do I feel like I’m trapped deep in the antagonist’s schemes?”

Influencing through gentleness? Forgiving and making light of everything? Antagonist, what are you doing stealing all my tropes! Are you trying to make me lose my job here?

The system is quiet for a moment, “Emm… This system feels that host, your sixth sense here is right.”

“From this spectator’s viewpoint, Shi Cangyuan the antagonist might look innocent enough but all the meticulous movements he’s made since your return means that he has definitely prepared for this. He’s certainly a crafty antagonist.”

“Host, you’ve met a worthy opponent this time.”

——Though its silly host seems to be quite receptive to this…

The system suddenly feels complicated seeing the antagonist finally becoming a bit more capable…

Eh, never mind. Let’s not get the hopes too high. Who knows who’ll be the one to fall in all these schemes and set-ups.

…

Finishing his delicious but at the same time almost suffocating dinner, Bai Lianhua gets led by Shi Cangyuan to the small mecha training room in the house, and the day isn’t over yet.

While Bai Lianhua doesn’t understand why, but it can’t be helped. He’s being held at his leisure… Even if this house was supposed to be his——But he’s not as imposing as the antagonist; he’s cowardly, even.

Ugh, infuriating.

Though, the moment he entered the training room, Bai Lianhua immediately notices that his mecha Shi Cangyuan has saved countless times over is still well, sitting against the wall quietly so.

It was a new model, and now it’s already become an old model.

Speaking of which, perhaps every single part on this mecha has already been ridiculously modded over by him and also personally fixed by Shi Cangyuan.

He also quietly looks at the mecha for a while before turning around and speaks to Bai Lianhua, “I’m not sure if you still like this make of mecha… I’ve always maintained the parts for you and kept the energy supply up to date. It’s still perfectly usable even now.”

Bai Lianhua appears petrified on the ground, and says his gratitudes in a flustered manner.

“Also, I’ve redesigned an operating system… This system is less reliant on physical ability and stamina, while being more reliant on the manipulation of psychic power. Perhaps it would suit you a bit more.”

Bai Lianhua can’t help but gape in shock.

A new operating system?

As expected of the antagonist, perhaps? Not forgetting to invent something new even while living his secluded life…

It’s not only him that has a mismatched psychic power and physical strength, but there has never been a solution. Now the antagonist has produced results on this, even if it’s just a pointer for further research, it’ll already be shocking enough. If this research is delved into further, a large number of people will benefit. It’ll definitely be just as much if not more shocking than those critical flaws Shi Cangyuan discovered earlier.

Bai Lianhua has thought about a lot of stuff over this short period of time. The system that’s spectating quietly tries to hold it back in but in the end still jumps out and says with a lifeless tone, “my God, host, your focus is wrong! This isn’t about how amazing the antagonist is at contributing to the world…”

“This is about you!”

“This is the result the antagonist has produced regarding the condition on your body… Everything is for your sake.”

It can suddenly sympathise with that complicated love-hate feeling the antagonists have towards the host.

Though in a way, this proves its earlier hypothesis… While he is trapped deep in the antagonists’ schemes, but for some reason, its host is always able to dodge the bullets of focus. What a scary thing for the antagonists!

Bai Lianhua “???”

#Sorry, I don’t understand how my brain works differently from yours either#

#System, your brain seems quite attuned to the antagonist. Perhaps you should be the CP?#

Sigh.

Shi Cangyuan speaks again, “interested in piloting it?”

“I’ve adjusted it for you many times, but I don’t know how you would actually feel to pilot it.”

When Shi Cangyuan looks at him expectantly like that, Bai Lianhua feels that he can’t refuse. He almost enters the cockpit in a daze.

The cockpit of the mecha is clean, clearly often used.

And only Shi Cangyuan could be the one using it.

Shi Cangyuan, ex-pilot of the number one mecha, wasting his time trapping himself in this dated cockpit… Just thinking like that is making Bai Lianhua feel uncomfortable.

He shakes his head, dumping out all the ridiculous thoughts, and tries to operate the mecha.

The system gave him the same body for returning to this world… So he’s undeniably still a psychically powerful but physically unimpressive weakling.

Bai Lianhua does a few basic movements with his mecha under Shi Cangyuan’s guidance, and is quite surprised to find that under the new system’s connection it is of course much easier to operate than he remembered.

So he practised a few more times, and then happily met his eyes with Shi Cangyuan; then he realises why Shi Cangyuan brought him to the mecha training room.

This is a scene straight out of those days!

It was the same. He’d be piloting the mecha clumsily while Shi Cangyuan guided him along. He would also be designing and working out new mods that are better for him.

This is clearly not a good sign… Shi Cangyuan is obviously trying to evoke all their shared memories.

——And he’s successful.

Bai Lianhua feels a bit defeated… He’s so proficient that he is not good enough.

And he says to the system, with a serious tone, “I feel like, this world is really headed for destruction… I’m getting led by the nose here; influencing the antagonist? It would be a favourable outcome if I don’t end up getting influenced instead.”

System “…”

Don’t worry host… We’ll see at the end!

I am oddly confident in your victory!

…

When he exits the cockpit, Bai Lianhua can’t help but think of ‘Dicarus,’ the number one mecha, when he looks over this mecha here that the antagonist has poured his soul out for.

And when he’s thinking about how he has to soothe the antagonist, he doesn’t know what to say even if he’s opened his mouth several times.

——The timing. When the antagonist has shown him such affection for him, given his basic human decency isn’t yet completely gobbled up by the system, he’ll never be able to ask such an irresponsible thing of him.

Though, unexpectedly, even if Bai Lianhua doesn’t say it, Shi Cangyuan helped him voice it out.

“So, you’re back… To persuade me to return?”

Bai Lianhua, slightly daydreaming suddenly feels like gasping for air… Huh?! Without warning, the decisive question comes up?!

When he thought this twisted day was over and he could finally rest, the antagonist strikes?

Where’s the buildup? He really can’t understand the antagonist’s thought process… No no no, more importantly, he hasn’t even indicated any meaning of the sort at all. How did the antagonist guess this?

Not saying anything about Bai Lianhua’s panicking expression, Shi Cangyuan looks right at Bai Lianhua as if waiting for an answer.

Being stared at like so, Bai Lianhua can only nod hesitantly.

Or what? Deny it right now… And then go back on his words and ask him again?

Bai Lianhua lowers his head anxiously. He speaks without much confidence, “you should’ve seen the news on the celestial Internet too… the empire needs you.”

——Oh no, he feels really scummy.

Shi Cangyuan responds with a question, “yes, the empire does… is this what you want?”

Bai Lianhua raises his head, confused.

Shi Cangyuan repeats his question with a serious tone, “I only want to know if this is what you want.”

Bai Lianhua doesn’t say anything.

Though for Shi Cangyuan, Bai Lianhua’s inaction seems to have been enough of an answer.

He chuckles, “alright… Then I’ll reconnect my communications, and make myself publicly known.”

“I’ll return.”

——For you.

Shi Cangyuan asks him, with a smile on again, “when do you wish I start?”

“Tomorrow? The day after? Or are you willing to give me some more time?”

Bai Lianhua is stupefied. What is going on?

This is not what he had imagined. Neither its beginning nor its end.

He takes a deep breath, and says, “why are you…”

And yet Shi Cangyuan appears satisfied and amused looking at Bai Lianhua who appears so shocked he’s lost.

“Confused why I’d agree?”

This isn’t confusing though… All these years, he has completely worked through all the moments, second by second, of his time together with Bai Lianhua. Now, he finally knows how to appeal to him.

At first, the first year he retook the pilotship of ‘Dicarus,’ because of his special mission, his communication with the outside world was cut temporarily. When he finally got to his annual days off, when he happily went back to the capital planet to share this sentiment with Bai Lianhua, he only heard the news that Bai Lianhua has already left. He had even arranged for his career to be succeeded.

Ah, right. Bai Lianhua even left a certified will that transferred all that he owned to him.

This is when Shi Cangyuan finally realised how disconnected from society Bai Lianhua is.

It’s so disconnected that… When Bai Lianhua leaves the research project and quits his job, and then arranges the time for him to disappear, he’s completely gone.

It is all done in an orderly fashion. Clearly, it was planned and not a sudden occurrence.

Back then, he had this thought bubble up uncontrollably… Perhaps Bai Lianhua appeared only to help him?

So when he succeeded, Bai Lianhua left… From the start, Bai Lianhua approached him knowing he would leave.

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