Chapter 139

Chapter 139

It made sense.

Before descending from the heavens, a celestial being having a celestial child was a perfectly normal occurrence.

Besides, the similarity between the names Rong Tang and Tongtong was strikingly close, hard not to raise suspicions.

Su Huaijing even briefly pondered, if this orb of light truly was Rong Tang's son, could he feel jealousy, and how would he help Rong Tang raise the child?

Perhaps his contemplative expression was too apparent, as the system almost blurted out "I'm his dad" but held back.

It really wanted to say: "I'm his dad, and yours too, you idiot!"

But after a brief silence, it said softly and sweetly, "Oh, right, I am, you caught me."

The carriage fell into an eerie silence, with the system staring at Su Huaijing, who silently gazed back, while Rong Tang slept soundly.

After a while, just before the orb dimmed completely, the system couldn't hold back and asked eagerly, “So, are you going to divorce Rong Tang? You don’t want to be called a homewrecker, right?”

Su Huaijing, unfamiliar with the term 'homewrecker', was skeptical of Tongtong's words. He paused for a few seconds, a genteel smile emerging on his lips, and shook his head slightly: "No, I don’t."

He said, “I’m your stepfather, come on, call me ‘Dad’.”

The system was infuriated, already temperamental and particularly fond of Rong Tang, yet it often quarreled with him. It snarked back at the despicable villain who coveted its precious Rong Tang: “I am your dad!”

Su Huaijing replied airily, “My father is dead.”

The system retorted, “I am your mother!”

Su Huaijing: “My mother is dead too.”

“I am your father-in-law!”

Su Huaijing: “I plan to kill Rong Mingyu.”

“...I am your mother-in-law!”

The antagonist finally nodded and smiled, “Alright then, Queen Mother.”

System: "..." It felt like it had won, but also like it hadn't.

Feeling a mix of frustration and anger, and not wanting to waste time bickering with the foolish antagonist, it swiftly changed direction and pressed itself against Rong Tang's face in contentment.

As the orb of light grew dimmer, looking as though it would disappear, Su Huaijing watched silently for a while before speaking softly, "Take care of yourself, Rong Tang is very worried about you."

The system stiffened for a moment, then muttered, "Okay."

The atmosphere turned slightly awkward. After what seemed like a long internal struggle, though reluctantly, it said, "You take care as well, Rong Tang really likes you."

Su Huaijing was briefly stunned, then smiled, "Alright, thank you."

"I don't need your thanks," the system grumbled under its breath, "Idiot."

Su Huaijing: "?"

Somewhat amused and puzzled, he spoke softly, "You swear quite a lot. Didn’t Rong Tang teach you manners?"

"You stole my Rong Tang and still expect me to be polite to you?" the system retorted incredulously, as if its eyes would pop out if it had any.

Su Huaijing, feeling somewhat guilty, touched his nose and remained silent.

Just before disappearing, the system, feigning generosity, dropped a remark: "It's fine, I am magnanimous and won't stoop to your level. You're childish, but I'm not."

Su Huaijing: "..."

"What should I do? I really want to be angry."

"But I just can't seem to get angry."

As the light in the carriage faded, only the faint red glow from the charcoal brazier remained. The carriage stopped at the entrance of Tang Jing Manor. Rong Tang miraculously woke up, and upon seeing Su Huaijing, he reflexively wanted to kick him, but hesitated upon noticing a sulking expression on Su's face. Confused, he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Su Huaijing looked pitifully at him and whispered in complaint, "Someone scolded me."

"?" Rong Tang was surprised, as it was rare for anyone to scold the notorious antagonist. His voice slightly choked, he sat up quietly, straightened his clothes, and nodded in approval while moving towards the carriage door, softly saying, "Good scolding."

He then swiftly jumped out of the carriage, not allowing Su Huaijing to catch even a glimpse of his clothes.

The antagonist: "..."

"Well, this identical behavior makes it hard not to believe in a blood relationship."

Su Huaijing faintly smiled, deciding not to tell Rong Tang what he had missed for the moment.

So frustrating.

Not only did he not manage to truly bully Rong Tang, but he also got scolded continuously.

For several days, Su Huaijing's mood was noticeably low, and his melancholy look worried Rong Tang, who couldn't find any troubling matters in the court affairs from Mu Jingxu either.

Rong Tang, clueless about what was bothering Su Huaijing, had no choice but to try to cheer him up in his own way.

One evening after dinner, Rong Tang asked, "There's a new play at the Ziyu Theatre. Do you want to go see it?"

Su Huaijing sarcastically asked, "Is it the play where a young master and mistress get divorced and then look for a stepfather and stepmother for their three-year-old child?"

Rong Tang: "?"

He was a bit at a loss for words, silently watching Su Huaijing for a long while before going out to find Shuangfu: "Go to the other courtyard tomorrow and ask Bi Xin to come back, Su's brain seems to be broken."

Su Huaijing: "..."

The antagonist broke a fine Cangzhou brush in his hand and interrupted them: "It's not broken; it's perfectly fine."

Then, taking Rong Tang's hand, he headed outside: "Aren't we going to watch a play? I wouldn't dare stop you. You didn't marry me to be controlled."

Rong Tang's head ached, pressing on his temples where veins throbbed, shook his head at Shuangfu, and left with Su Huaijing.

The carriage soon arrived at the entrance of the Ziyu Theatre. Rong Tang reserved a private room, with a locked door, small windows on the wall, offering an unobstructed view of the stage, and an inside scene as dreamy as an illusion.

As the play reached a blatantly romantic part, Su Huaijing found it boring and looked away, but Rong Tang quietly crouched down, giving him a look that was part warning, part shyness, and completely nervous.

He whispered, "If you keep sulking, I won't bother with you anymore."

Su Huaijing was startled, surprised, and the next second saw Rong Tang lifting his hem.

The prestigious young master sat on the floor, his fair, beautiful hands moving upward, his head nudging inside…

Su Huaijing panicked and immediately closed the window, sealing the private room into an intimate space.

Su Huaijing stopped him: "It's dirty—"

"Just this once," Rong Tang lightly breathed out these four words, implying that a refusal would mean no more opportunities.

Su Huai Jing struggled for two seconds, then looked down to meet his gaze, ultimately succumbing to human weakness.

……

The play on stage was lively, while the atmosphere below was charged with ambiguity.

As time slipped away and the performance ended, doors of private rooms opened, revealing more indulgent than innocent occupants. Su Huai Jing finally understood the purpose of Rong Tang bringing him here, feeling both exhilarated and irked.

The young lord was wrapped in a cloak, his lips red, walking out with his head down, not daring to make eye contact with anyone.

Su Huai Jing’s eyes wandered, and the next day, when Ke Hongxue visited to invite Rong Tang out, he was politely yet firmly turned away at the gate.

Baffled, Ke Hongxue reported back to his senior brother, Mu Jingxu, who looked at him coldly, saying, "Who asked you to lead Rong Tang astray?"

"I didn't!" protested Ke Hongxue, feeling wronged. "He's more familiar with those places than I am."

Mu Jingxu didn't believe his excuses, giving him a cold glance before returning to his official duties.

Frustrated, Ke Hongxue clung to him, coaxing, "Senior brother, why don’t we go out? The spring night is gentle, the lanterns are charming, and even the night view is much more beautiful."

Mu Jingxu, unfazed, continued approving documents, saying indifferently, "I’m not going."

Ke Hongxue persisted, "The Fengyue House has new dancers from the Western Regions, aren’t you interested in seeing them?"

The tip of Mu Jingxu's pen halted on the document. Without looking up, he softly called, "Ke Hanying."

"I'm here," Ke Hongxue responded with a sly smile, his fingers already climbing up Mu Jingxu's collar, subtly playing with the knot, nearly untying it.

Mu Jingxu declared, "You need discipline."

Ke Hongxue whispered in his ear, voice fading into the air, "Ruler, bamboo whip, rattan stick… Whatever senior brother wishes to use to discipline me, I’ll bring it to you."

Official documents lay before him, but not a single word could be read.

Mu Jingxu's gaze lowered to the sacred texts and poems on the desk. With refined grace, he placed the brush back on its stand and stood up, pushing Ke Hongxue towards the bed, asking softly, "What makes you think I need you to teach me how to discipline someone?"

A light laugh escaped from Ke Hongxue as he deftly undid Mu Jingxu's necktie, dragging the saintly man into worldly desires, his eyes gleaming with longing.

Ke Hongxue spoke, "Indeed, this humble official misspoke. Please, Your Highness, administer your punishment."

Mu Jingxu’s eyes darkened slightly as he casually picked up a candle from the desk, used for illumination.

Ke Hongxue felt a chill between his teeth, his gaze flickering.

Hiss —

It seems he'll have to prepare some low-temperature candles to bring back. Elder Brother's...preferences...

The charming and amorous top scholar smiled.

Just to his liking.

In the pleasant spring, ripples danced on the water, migratory birds returned to the capital, birds joyfully chirped on the branches, and the window cast undulating tree shadows.

Entwined and overlapping, they vowed to continue until death...

-

After that day, Su Huaijing no longer acted petulantly, and Rong Tang enjoyed a few days of peace.

He never revealed the reason for his mood; Rong Tang asked several times, but Su Huaijing simply said he was scolded, which Rong Tang didn't believe at all.

The great antagonist was not one to suffer in silence. If he was scolded, not immediately severing the offender's arm would be considered merciful.

— Of course, this rule did not apply to Rong Tang.

Rong Tang couldn't remember ever scolding Su Huaijing; the banter in their intimate moments was all in good fun, and Su Huaijing couldn't possibly be genuinely angry about it.

As time passed, Rong Tang simply stopped asking.

Until the 14th of March, when Su Huaijing suddenly asked him, "Do you know Tongtong?"

Rong Tang was taken aback, "I don’t know," he blurted out, then quickly realized and widened his eyes in surprise, "Which 'Tong'?"

"Tong as in ‘reign,’ like a glowing orb," Su Huaijing got straight to the point.

Rong Tang froze on the spot, his mind racing. After a brief silence, he quickly caught on, "It scolded you?"

Su Huaijing nodded, "Yes."

“……”

Rong Tang took a strategic sip of tea and then spoke with barely noticeable glee and relief, "It’s amazing."

Indeed, it was a system he had nurtured!

Rong Tang felt a bit happy, his worries of three months seeming lighter as he casually asked Su Huaijing, "What did it say to you?"

The antagonist fell into a prolonged silence, staring at Rong Tang for a long while before slowly forming a mischievous smile, "It said it won’t come to see you again."

Rong Tang’s expression stiffened, and his tea cup fell to the ground, shattering into pieces, an utter loss of composure.

“……”

Su Huaijing’s playful mood dissipated as he bent down to pick up the shards, carefully checking if Rong Tang was hurt, mumbling, "It said it wants to acknowledge me as its stepfather and will come tomorrow to pay respects and kneel. Now that you've broken the cup, how will I receive a son?"

"Will you compensate me for it?" Su Huaijing looked up, his phoenix eyes brimming with grievance, insisting Rong Tang owed him a son.

Rong Tang: “...?”

You’re so absurd. The system would rather be my father, how could it possibly want you as a stepfather?

Author’s note:

Tongtong: This is slander!!! Big dumb antagonist!!!

·

What is this? This is a limited-time return of the sun ball. I hope the sun ball can stay permanently, thank you! (Don't mind me, I'm already mentally deranged, wuwuwu)