Chapter 44 I Feel Terrible, Comfort Me

Chapter 44: I Feel So Terrible, Please Comfort Me

An intensity that wouldn't kill but would definitely knock you out and make you feel like crap.

Su Zheng could feel Luo Yunchen's body shaking like a leaf.

But Luo Yunchen wasn't about to let go, not even a little.

On top of that, Luo Yunchen gritted his teeth through the pain and leaned in a bit.

Su Zheng: "System, keep increasing the electric shock intensity!"

"No can do, host. That last shock was already maxed out. Any more and it'd kill him!"

Su Zheng: ...

Su Zheng shut his eyes and just pretended the little wolf wasn't even there, totally ignoring him.

Luo Yunchen just gave Su Zheng a soft peck on the corner of his mouth.

Then, without another move, he let go of Su Zheng.

A dull thud, like something heavy smacking the floor.

Su Zheng opened his eyes. Luo Yunchen's body had crashed hard onto the carriage floor.

Luo Yunchen was just too weak to hold himself up for a second, but he was still totally conscious.

When he saw Su Zheng looking at him, he grinned and whined, "Brother, I feel awful. Please make it better."

Su Zheng straight-up kicked him. "Make it better? You deserve to feel like crap!"

"Mm!" Luo Yunchen grunted, then let out a low chuckle. "An angry brother is so cute. I love it. Brother, kick me again. I'll yell louder so you can let off some steam, okay?"

Su Zheng ignored the crazy guy sprawled on the floor babbling like an idiot, straightened his sleeves, and got lost in thought—really just checking in with the system.

Su Zheng: "System, what's the male lead's corruption value at now?"

"Corruption value dropped by 5 points. Current corruption value is sixty-two percent."

The corruption value had already dropped by a third. That was a great sign, so why did the male lead suddenly go full psycho?!

Was there something he was missing?

Su Zheng asked the system: "System, tell me, what did the male lead do when I wasn't looking?"

He paused, thought of something, and added, "And what did the male lead do to me without me knowing?"

The system gave Su Zheng a quick rundown of everything Luo Yunchen did while Su Zheng was asleep and when he wasn't around.

After hearing about Luo Yunchen's moves and his secret crush on him, Su Zheng facepalmed and went quiet.

It wasn't like he hadn't noticed Luo Yunchen clinging to him.

He just never thought that clinginess could mean something else entirely.

Su Zheng didn't think he was all that special.

More than likely, Luo Yunchen's dark and lonely heart made Su Zheng, who got close to him now, a temporary emotional crutch.

No matter whose mistake this was, Su Zheng wanted to shut it down before it got worse.

He was supposed to help Luo Yunchen become emperor.

An emperor couldn't not have a harem and kids.

He had zero interest in getting stuck in a bunch of women as Luo Yunchen's pet after the mission was done.

He told the carriage to head back to the alley where they'd changed before.

Xu Mo was already packed and waiting there.

Su Zheng hadn't given Luo Yunchen a single look the whole ride, and he didn't bother now either. He just hopped off the carriage and said to Xu Mo, "Go help your master down."

Xu Mo looked puzzled. Why would the master need help?

Was the master hurt?

Thinking that, Xu Mo quickly pulled back the curtain to check. The master was already up and getting ready to step out, looking totally fine.

Xu Mo was about to ask something when Luo Yunchen shot him a cold look. Xu Mo got the hint and quietly backed off.

Luo Yunchen slowly climbed down and said to Xu Mo, "Grab the two bundles from inside."

Without another word to Xu Mo, he went after Su Zheng to the carriage heading back to the palace.

After paying and sending the driver off, Xu Mo just stared at the two bundles of steamed buns in his hands, totally speechless.

Inside this carriage, by the time Luo Yunchen got in, Su Zheng had already changed into his palace clothes.

Seeing Luo Yunchen come in, Su Zheng fixed his hem and collar one last time, then silently got out again to give Luo Yunchen room to change.

Luo Yunchen watched Su Zheng's back as he left, clenching his fists and biting his lip to stop himself from saying anything.

Su Zheng stood outside, guessing the time. Figuring Luo Yunchen had enough time to change, he lifted the curtain and got back in.

Inside, Luo Yunchen was slumped in a corner of the carriage, head down, not moving.

The change of clothes was scattered on the floor, but he was still in the same dark robes, just with the collar a bit loose.

Su Zheng walked over and sat across from Luo Yunchen, finally speaking: "Why didn't you change?"

Luo Yunchen kept his head down, his voice all muffled and choked: "I'm hurting. I wanted brother to help me change, but brother wouldn't even talk to me. So I'm not changing. Even if the palace guards ask, brother won't give a damn anyway!"

"Luo Yunchen, quit the act! Talk normal!"

Luo Yunchen finally looked up, and Su Zheng saw his eyes were blood-red, like a pit soaked in blood.

Luo Yunchen slowly cracked a smile, his tone dead serious: "Brother doesn't believe me? Fine, I'll wear this as is. At the palace gate, I'll tell the guards I sneaked out. Brother doesn't have to worry about me. Worst case, I get whipped or thrown in jail. I can take it. I won't die. Think of it as letting brother blow off steam. How's that?"

Su Zheng suddenly leaned in close to Luo Yunchen, grabbed his chin, stared him down, and said coldly, "Are you threatening me with yourself?"

Luo Yunchen's smile got bigger as he stared back at Su Zheng: "If the Crown Prince brother didn't care about me at all, how could I threaten him?"

Whether he cared or not was a different story, but Su Zheng couldn't just ditch Luo Yunchen, let alone watch him get hurt.

Su Zheng figured if he actually did that, he didn't know how he'd feel.

But he knew the system would nag him to death to make it up to the male lead.

Their eyes met, one holding steady on defense, the other pressing in with relentless force.

After a moment, Luo Yunchen’s smile faded, replaced by a pitiful expression as he cautiously grasped a corner of Su Zheng’s sleeve, clutching it tightly. “Crown Prince Brother, you promised—you said you’d never abandon me, never leave me behind! But just now, you ignored me. No matter how I called you, you wouldn’t answer, and you left me alone. Crown Prince Brother, my heart hurts so bad.”

The system couldn’t help but interject: “Host, I’m detecting severe emotional distress from the male lead. He seriously looks like he’s dying of heartbreak. He looks so pitiful, it’s heartbreaking!”

“Host, please take pity on the male lead. Don’t ignore him anymore, okay?”

Su Zheng: “...”

Su Zheng: “Shut up. If you don’t stop, I’ll let him go and let you take over.”

The system promptly shut up, dead as a doornail.

Seeing that Su Zheng remained silent, Luo Yunchen slowly moved his hand to grasp Su Zheng’s wrist, not daring to apply much pressure, only holding it lightly as he pleaded, “I know Crown Prince Brother is angry with me. Hit me, yell at me, punish me—I’ll take it all, until you’re not mad anymore. Please, Crown Prince Brother, don’t ignore me, alright?”