Chapter 45

Translated by boilpoil Edited by boilpoil

“It’s late today. Take a rest.”

Shi Cangyuan whose objective is achieved goes back to his gentle tone and lets Bai Lianhua go.

Bai Lianhua “…”

Seriously? Asking him to go to sleep after he’s been shocked… His sleepiness got scared away completely already, ok?

Bai Lianhua feels a bit frustrated. Though clearly, it’s also not a good idea to just stand in the mecha training room and have a staring contest with Shi Cangyuan, so Bai Lianhua obediently follows Shi Cangyuan out.

Shi Cangyuan didn’t need to guide him for Bai Lianhua to walk to the room that used to be his bedroom. He opens the door, and can see that everything still looks the same. In fact, they’re all clean and tidy, even the bedsheet and quilt have been replaced.

——He’s already left for many years, but Shi Cangyuan has continued Bai Lianhua’s almost ancient-like habits. There is no single domestic robot in the house. Therefore these things must have been personally taken care of by Shi Cangyuan.

The system can’t help but salute such dedication.

“What a complete and utterly impregnable mentality… Seriously, host, learn from Shi Cangyuan on this. If you also have such a mentality no matter how tough the antagonists turn out to be onwards they’ll still only be able to dance in your palm.”

Bai Lianhua “…”

Right. I know I’m just a salted fish of a host. Please don’t remind me of that incessantly, thanks.

Shi Cangyuan is leaning on the frame of the door, “I’m still sleeping next door… Call me if you need something.”

“Ok, alright.” Bai Lianhua nods.

“Good night, have a good dream,” Shi Cangyuan caresses Bai Lianhua’s hair, and moves that extruding bit of it back behind his ear, “I hope I’ll be in that dream.”

Bai Lianhua “…” No no no, if I dream about you, are you certain that would still be able to be called a good dream?

Bai Lianhua is dejected to find out that, through the years this place has completely become Shi Cangyuan’s home field… He’s more like the away side.

——Even back then when Shi Cangyuan just came here for the first time, he was probably feeling nowhere as uncomfortable.

He’s quite impressed by his past self’s courage too, to be able to arrange for the antagonist to live so closely to himself.

After showering, Bai Lianhua rolls himself into a roll in the quilt and rolls around but is unable to fall asleep… Sigh. He really does miss his old completely ignorant self.

When he’s struggling to fall asleep, Bai Lianhua can hear the door lightly pushed open.

Bai Lianhua freezes up, and his roll-making activity stops. He holds his breath.

In contrast, the system suddenly becomes energetic.

“Ooooh! A night-attack! Come on antagonist!”

Bai Lianhua “…”

He stubbornly says, “shut up, I don’t think he will.”

While saying so, he’s still a bit scared. He pretends to be deep in sleep.

Even when his eyes are closed, Bai Lianhua can still feel Shi Cangyuan closing in, and can feel his gaze on him.

The good thing is that Shi Cangyuan stops by the bedside, quietly standing there, apparently only just looking at him.

Bai Lianhua can’t help but complain in his mind a bit – it’s late already, so why are you antagonist just looking at me instead of going to sleep… I’ve returned already, or do you think I might sprout wings and fly away or something?

Stop looking. A flower’s not going to bloom on my face, you know.

The system adds insult to insomnia, “it can’t be helped with you the host having made the antagonist feel insecure… He’s probably afraid you’ll just disappear again without a noise.”

Bai Lianhua stops complaining.

Ugh, what’s with this sudden guilt trip.

… Sigh. Shi Cangyuan, look as much as you want. I’ll just pretend I’m a piece of wood.

——If this can help soothe Shi Cangyuan’s insecurity even slightly.

But seemingly hearing Bai Lianhua’s wishes, after a short while Shi Cangyuan leaves the room quietly.

Seeing Shi Cangyuan disappearing like that, the system gets disappointed.

“Oh, so Shi Cangyuan came… only to check if the host is still present?”

Coward. There’s a beauty in front of you, in such a defenceless, eat-all-you-want style. And you let the opportunity slip away.

Not even stealing a kiss. Just go and stay single forever.

Bai Lianhua mocks coldly, “oh, that the antagonist didn’t do anything is quite unfortunate and disappointing for you, is it?”

He’s long since figured out the shadiness of the system, perhaps even in cahoots with the antagonist, but it sure is infuriating to look at it so saddened. He really wants to either annul the contract or switch to another system.

The system who’s also a chicken tries to switch topic, “cough cough… Yeah, it’s weird. Host, why were you so sure that the antagonist wouldn’t do anything bad to you just now?”

It didn’t expect the host to actually be so confident in the morality of the antagonists.

Bai Lianhua touches his nose due to embarrassment, “I don’t know either… I just feel like with how Shi Cangyuan is he won’t do anything that’s over the top.”

System “…”

Woah, and you say you’re not brainwashed by the antagonist? You’ve already let your guard down around him!

And——What a host! Making it feel as if it’s been force-fed dog food .

This is seriously picking on single systems, right?

…

Shi Cangyuan asks Bai Lianhua to give him 3 days. They’ll be living just like before in these 3 days.

So Bai Lianhua had to ‘enjoy’ this thrilling, all-encompassing caretaking of Shi Cangyuan again.

Still, it must be said that Shi Cangyuan is really multi-talented now. While he’s quite a stress-inducing character, but Bai Lianhua’s stomach is quite honestly touched and appealed by Shi Cangyuan’s cooking.

The system sighs, “sigh, this is supposed to be your characteristic, host… A gentle, homely little white lotus is such a classic. Then it turns out you only know to gobble it all up.”

“Tell me, have you ever thought about personally cooking something for the antagonist?”

“I’ve never seen white moonlights that are noble and out-of-this-world also being gluttons at the same time. The image is collapsing.”

Bai Lianhua feels this complaint is unfair, “so what if I like to eat. It’s fine as long as he’s willing, right?”

Which is also the moment when Shi Cangyuan coincidentally signals Bai Lianhua to try some new recipe of his with a tolerant and smile that makes people spoilt.

The system goes quiet for a while before saying, “… yes, you’re right, host. You’ve won.”

“ For less than $0, you can bring home a homely antagonist. ”

Bai Lianhua who’s happily consuming away almost chokes, “… no no no, please don’t.”

He doesn’t deserve such a ‘good’ antagonist.

Bai Lianhua then glances over Shi Cangyuan who is smiling next to him, and thinks, while the saying goes that it’s the hardest to repay a favour from a beauty, but for him, it’s rather hardest to repay an antagonist’s favour.

Just wait and see. What he’s eating now he’ll have to pay the price for eventually.

…

Three days later, Shi Cangyuan, like he told Bai Lianhua before, reopens his communications device.

And barely any time passes when someone already discovers such and contacts Shi Cangyuan.

In other words, they’ve been waiting for this for a long time.

It’s even so much that Shi Cangyuan had just reestablished communications this morning and the military have come by the afternoon, and immediately invites Shi Cangyuan.

While talking with them, Shi Cangyuan says that he wishes for Bai Lianhua to be his adjutant.

They come to an agreement immediately, not even wary of Bai Lianhua having disappeared for many years at all.

As long as Shi Cangyuan is willing to be the figurehead of the forces against the insectoids again, then everything goes. Don’t mistake for a moment that all this only brings glory. With the fight in such a shape, being a figurehead meant a normally unbearable amount of expectations and pressure.

Therefore, even if Shi Cangyuan doesn’t appear right now, ‘Dicarus’ would probably have to have another pilot soon.

After Shi Cangyuan joins them, they answer the video call from the present pilot of ‘Dicarus.’

As someone adoring Shi Cangyuan, he’s really happy to be able to return the number one mecha to the true number one God of War.

He admits that while he worked hard to live up to the name of ‘Dicarus,’ but his fighting strength is completely unable to keep up with ‘Dicarus.’

While he’s already the top of the class when it comes to mecha pilots, but he’s not good enough to reach everyone’s expectations of the strongest mecha pilot.

He also understands that. The whole empire understands that.

He’s unable to establish an unparalleled image with the unparalleled mecha in the battlefield. That means that it has failed to consolidate the morale of the military that is its ultimate objective.

In fact, in his many battles at the forefront of the frontlines, he’s already psychologically collapsed many times. He’s already undergone many psychotherapeutic interventions. If it were not for the fact that a worthy successor could not be found, he would have long since stepped back.

He’s really looking forward to transferring the pilotship of ‘Dicarus’ back to Shi Cangyuan, to be relieved of his unbearable duty and go back to being someone who can fight without reservations in the battlefields.

This, is what made Bai Lianhua truly realise what Shi Cangyuan choosing to return actually meant.

This kind of pressure, that failure is completely out of the option as the entire population watches, is crushing.

And Shi Cangyuan could have chosen not to step up and take over at this critical juncture.

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