Chapter 143

Chapter 143

The young man in the photo had an unfamiliar face, with long black hair hanging over his shoulders, and a thin, frail figure.

Kaiser's pupils flickered slightly.

This silhouette... the black hair...

"Major General, the ship is ready to launch," a subordinate reminded softly.

"Stop!"

The man was stunned, then quickly saw Kaiser stand up and stride out: "Postpone our return to the Vanguard Legion; we're heading to the Imperial Prison!"

Soon, the car stopped in front of the Imperial Prison's main gate. Kaiser marched down the long corridor, his tall and straight figure like a sharp sword, radiating an intimidating presence that no one dared challenge, and then forcefully kicked open the door to the Warden's office.

But the room stood empty.

"Where the hell is Bush Meihua?"

Several prison guards followed behind, exchanging glances, one of them cautiously said: "The Warden's out on personal business today..."

Kaiser suddenly glared over, scaring the guard into a whimpering, chicken-like state and tightly closing his mouth.

He frowned and turned back, then after a moment said in a deep voice: "Take me to that pirate leader, now!"

"That, that..." the prison guard swallowed, thinking why this person really came back for that leader, "With the dry spell over the last couple of days, there was a fire in the prison, and that pirate leader happened to be inside... the remains have already been processed."

"Just happened to, huh?" Kaiser narrowed his eyes, "It's barely been two days since I last interrogated him, and he just happened to be burned to death?"

The prison guard felt guilty under his gaze, wiping his temples: "It's, it's just the heat! Over the past couple of years around this time, there have been fires in the prison... perhaps with the recent surge in arrests, so the control was not proper, we will definitely be more careful in the future!!"

"That's bullshit."

"What about the other pirates?"

"They're all held in the death row section—wait, Major General!" He hurriedly stopped Kaiser who was about to head to the death row area, "No one sees them without the Warden's approval!"

"Move it!"

"Major General!" The prison guard mustered the courage to raise his voice, "I-I'm really sorry, but you can't go in there, please don't make things difficult for us..."

Kaiser furrowed his brow, his expression turning fierce.

He lifted his foot, and just as the guard braced for a kick, he immediately closed his eyes in fear!

But the pain did not come, he cautiously opened his eyes to see the Major General's face twisted in a complex expression, suddenly turned around, and left the prison without a word.

...

In the room.

Yi Ye listlessly spun his wheelchair, nearly making himself sick from spinning before he stopped, but with nothing else to do, he listlessly tilted his head.

In just half an hour, he had explored every corner of the room.

When he first saw it, he thought, as expected of a rich person, even the bedroom is as big as a basketball court. But in such a short time, he had already explored every corner, even counting the dust particles in the wall cracks.

If this keeps up, he'll end up like a piece of moldy tofu with long hair.

Yi Ye thought for a moment, realizing he couldn’t keep wallowing in this slump, and quickly came up with an idea.

He went to the door, banged on it, and then pinched his nose to mimic a desperate cry for help. Sure enough, within a few minutes, hurried footsteps echoed outside the door.

Yi Ye quickly retreated, flung his arms out, rolled his eyes back, and played dead.

The door swung open in a hurry, and he heard the butler’s frantic voice right by his ear, followed by footsteps fading away, as if going out to call for help.

Seizing the moment while the butler was gone, Yi Ye’s hands moved like lightning as he spun his wheelchair out. Once he was sure the hallway was clear, he hurried to the end of the corridor, found the elevator, and jabbed the button.

The floor indicator above shifted from “1” to “2,” and with a ding, the door slowly opened. The butler came into view at the far end of the hallway, and upon discovering this “fugitive,” he yelled his name as he hobbled as fast as his old legs could carry him.

“Take it easy, old man. I’m just heading out for some fresh air.”

Yi Ye grinned, giving him a cheerful wave, and turned to enter the elevator.

Looking up, he locked eyes with someone.

Yi Ye: “...”

The other person: “...”

The butler rushed over, gasping for breath, and following his gaze, he was stunned.

“Sir...”

The newcomer, of all people, was Judge Ai Linya, whom he hadn’t seen for five years.

His gaze swept over Yi Ye and the butler, showing no surprise at the stranger who’d somehow shown up in the mansion.

Instead, he remained eerily calm: “I didn’t expect you to still be alive.”

Yi Ye pointed at himself: “You can still recognize me, even with this mask on?”

“You think I don’t know what goes on in Mei Hua’s mansion?” Looking at the wheelchair he was sitting in, “Do you want to go down?”

Was this his chance?

Yi Ye immediately pretended to cry: “I’ve been cooped up in that room so long, I’m going stir-crazy. Your Honor, fair and just, let me breathe some fresh air, won’t you?”

The butler: “...”

“Quit the act! You’ve already run this old man ragged!”

“Sir, he—”

Ai Linya waved his hand at the butler, “No need to bring him back.”

The butler hesitated, with his hands hanging in front of him, and nodded: “Alright, sir.”

The two took the elevator down to the first floor and exited through the ramp next to the main door.

Mei Hua’s estate sprawled across a vast area, and the villa where Yi Ye was located was on the far east side, surrounded by various buildings and facilities. There were courtyards in the front and back, with ornamental plants in the front and Judge Ai Linya’s personal plantation in the back.

When he first came, Bush Meihua told him that Ai Linya liked to tinker with gardens, planting his favorite cherry tomatoes or broad beans. This season was just the time when the cherry tomatoes were about to ripen, and as soon as Yi Ye entered the garden, he saw strings of red lanterns hanging from the trellises.

“Want some?” Ai Linya picked a bunch, took a handkerchief to clean them, and handed them to him.

Yi Ye didn’t hold back, took the tomatoes, and ate them. After eating two, he asked: “You don’t seem surprised at all that I’m still alive.”

"If you've been a judge long enough, nothing surprises you anymore," he said, taking the watering can beside him to water the tomatoes, his expression indifferent. "But I was indeed surprised at first. The exploration team that returned from Blue Flower Star said you died in the explosion. Surviving must have been tough."

"But I won't ask how you survived," he turned to look at Yi Ye. "Welcome back, member of the Twelve Seats."

"..."

Yi Ye chuckled: "You're the first person to say that to me. I don't know what Bush Meihua has learned from you, he's nothing like you at all."

"He's not like anyone in the Meihua family."

Alynya made an ambiguous remark but didn't elaborate. He plucked two more clusters of cherry tomatoes and tossed them to Yi Ye, as if feeding a child. Yi Ye's stomach slightly protruded after eating, and he patted his abdomen and let out a burp.

Seeing that the sun was about to set, Bush Meihua was about to return, and he'd have to return to that dull room.

Yi Ye thought for a moment and called out to Judge Alynya who was walking ahead.

The other stopped and turned to look at him.

"I want to go out, can you help me?"

"No."

Yi Ye frowned: "You're not into that whole confinement thing, are you?"

Alynya's mouth twitched: "What I'm saying is, I won't meddle in his affairs. In the five years you've been gone, many people have been struggling, including him."

"But I'm alive now."

"But he's still in pain."

Seeing Yi Ye's puzzled expression, Alynya sighed silently: "I'm not sure how you see your relationship, but as a father, I know very well how he feels about you."

"He really cares about you."

To be more precise, he adores and desires you.

"Cares about me... and that's why he locks me up?"

"I know you don't understand, but that's just how he expresses it," Alynya put down the watering can and clapped his hands. "Did he ever tell you he killed someone once?"

Yi Ye recalled, it seemed like he had.

"I thought he was joking."

"It's true."

"The one he killed was his own brother."

Yi Ye was stunned, "But Finnian died on Blue Flower Star—"

"I had three sons," Alynya lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on his knees. "Finnian died on Blue Flower Star, and there was an eldest son, Adrian, who Bush killed when he was just 15."

"But it wasn't his fault. When I was young, I was rebellious and made a lot of enemies and political foes due to my responsibilities. Once, while handling a case, political opponents sent mercenaries to kidnap my eldest son and Bush, who was only 9 years old at the time, and threatened me that only by doing as they said would they spare my children."

"So... you didn't comply?"

Alynya was silent for a moment: "If I agreed, I'd be setting a precedent for future threats. So I didn't directly refuse, but chose to delay. But I was too late, the mercenaries guessed what I wanted to do, and perhaps they had suffered at my hands before, so they took the opportunity to torture the two children."

"They bound the eldest to a chair, handed Bush a dagger, and declared: Only one of you brothers will leave here alive. Kill your brother, and we'll set you free."

"Actually, the relationship between the eldest brother and Bush wasn't good. The eldest was proud and passionate, while Bush was always quiet. The eldest often told me he didn't like this younger brother, annoyed by his always expressionless face, no wonder others didn't like him; Bush would also tell me he didn't like this older brother, too fierce, too irritable, speaking without thinking."

"But on the day of the kidnapping, it was the eldest who rushed over to hold Bush's hand and stabbed himself in the abdomen."

At this point, Alynya's voice revealed a hint of guilt: "When I arrived with my men, it was already too late. Bush was sitting in a pool of blood, with the body of his elder brother in front of him. I was silent for a long time before I dared to call their names, but only Bush turned to look at me."

"His mouth was curved, the smile was ugly and terrifying, yet he kept smiling like that, constantly, even in his sleep, never relaxing. Later I learned that it was the eldest who told him when he died: Don't always wear that silent dead face, smile more so others will like you."

"He was clearly a very smart child, but awkwardly remembered these words, and has stuck to it ever since."

"Everything from the past often made him sick, unable to control his emotions, relying solely on doctors and therapy," Alynya closed his eyes, "As a father, I feel guilty, but there's nothing I can do to help him... but luckily, you came along."

"After you appeared, he improved a lot."

"But then, you disappeared."

"For five whole years, his condition worsened. So I understand why he locked you here, because he's more afraid of losing you than you might think."

"The Bush Meihua you know is actually someone who fundamentally lacks any sense of security."

People always move forward and live on.

But Bush Meihua isn't; he's stuck in place, sometimes even regressing, that insecurity hidden beneath a calm exterior, seeping out from every glance and gesture. Especially when looking at Yi Ye.

Yi Ye lowered his head, speechless for a long time: "Why are you telling me all this suddenly?"

"I hope you feel sorry for him."

Alynya said bluntly: "I'm not just making small talk so you don't take it to heart. I brought you out to tell you about his past, to make you pity him, sympathize with him, to really understand him."

"Yi Ye, you'll eventually leave here, but before you leave, I hope you and he can have an open and honest conversation."

"Do you want me to counsel him?" Yi Ye retorted.

Alynya shook his head: "I just want you to pay more attention to him."

"You really want to leave, don't you? Believe it or not, whatever you ask for, he'll agree."

"Even if it means letting you go."

…………

After talking with Judge Alynya, Yi Ye returned to the room.

The slanting sun outside the window set, dusk fell. He sat on the bed, pondering what Alynya had said.

Honestly, if he really had to talk with Bush Meihua, he didn't know what to talk about.

Just as Yi Ye was lost in thought, there was a knock at the door.

He came back to his senses and looked up to see Bush Meihua pushing the door open, holding a box in his hands, the packaging surface adorned with exquisite cartoon characters.

"Yi Ye, I'm back."

Yi Ye: "..."

"I brought a new game console, aren't you bored? And game cartridges, should keep you entertained for a long time." He unpacked the items, hoping to show Yi Ye and cheer him up.

"I don't want to play."

Bush Meihua paused, his eyelashes trembling slightly as he packed the items back one by one, smiling gently, "It seems I was wrong. I'll bring you something more interesting tomorrow."

"I want to play Gomoku," Yi Ye suddenly said, referring to the traditional Japanese board game.

As if he hadn't immediately processed the request, Bush Meihua took a long time before he looked at him.

Yi Ye extended his hand, "Paper and pen. You have 20 seconds to get them."

Bush Meihua: "..."

He almost ran to fetch the paper and pen, his movements awkward. Yi Ye, who rarely saw him like this, propped his chin and watched leisurely, waiting for him to bring the items, then directly flipped the blanket and dragged his legs back.

With his other hand, he pointed across, signaling Bush Meihua to sit.

As if granted a favor, Bush Meihua carefully sat down, his gaze fixed on him without moving. After Yi Ye placed the first piece, he had to nudge Bush Meihua several times before he made his move.

Playing Gomoku with Bush Meihua was still as frustrating as ever. Yi Ye couldn't tell if his next move was obvious or if Bush Meihua could predict the outcome. Yi Ye kept losing but kept trying.

Eventually, his confidence completely crumbled, and he started playing reckless moves out of frustration. Bush Meihua likely noticed and subtly let him win, but Yi Ye caught on and angrily said he'd rather lose fairly than be pitied.

But as soon as the word "die" left his mouth, Bush Meihua pounced and covered his mouth.

The sound of fabric rustling filled the room as Yi Ye was pushed down onto the bed.

The Alpha's broad shoulders pressed down like a fortress, cutting off all escape.

The room, already dim with the setting sun, grew darker.

Yi Ye slightly widened his eyes, meeting Bush Meihua's gray-green eyes.

He covered his mouth, whispering softly, "Don't die..."

"Yi Ye, don't die."