Chapter 21: How to Act Like a Gay Man

Chapter 21: How to Play the Part of a Gay Man

Two seconds of silence.

This wasn't really an ambiguous distance between them; instead, it reminded Qin Shu of their past roughhousing.

In one swift move, he flipped over, broke free from the restraint, straightened up, grabbed Li Wuya’s collar, and pulled him close.

They were almost nose to nose.

"Apologize to me," Qin Shu suddenly said.

"I'm sorry."

"What did you do wrong?"

Li Wuya answered seriously, "A Shu has never regretted anything. That word is an insult to your sincerity."

"You know it."

Qin Shu pinched his ear.

"It's not just 'never'—I'll never regret anything. Don’t let your own insecurity make you doubt my promises."

Every time Qin Shu said something like this, his expression was endlessly matter-of-fact, the stars in his eyes were so cold and clear.

For a brief moment, Li Wuya was dazed, as if Qin Shu had already seen through the entire ruse.

A chill crept into his ecstasy, and he regained a bit of calmness amidst the enveloping scent of mint.

"Mm," Li Wuya responded softly, "A Shu is right."

Every lie will eventually be exposed, especially such a monumental lie about his true heart...

But honestly, what did it matter?

As long as he could secure this role, as long as he could be marked with Qin Shu’s label, then the long time they would spend together afterward—whether pain or joy, as long as it came from Qin Shu—he would gladly endure it all.

In fact, perhaps he should treat him more harshly later on... otherwise, how would he repay the happiness of this moment?

Their noses touched, and Qin Shu narrowed his eyes. "What bad thing are you thinking about now?"

"No."

-

Li Wuya was going to crash at his place tonight.

"Not just tonight—this whole week," Li Wuya reminded him.

Alright, so Li Wuya would be crashing here for the whole week.

Qin Shu, freshly showered, was in his pajamas, leaning against the wall, lost in thought.

For the ten-thousandth time, he thought that he was actually married.

And his husband was going to sleep at his house.

Although it was normal for a married couple to live together, still...

Marrying his best friend, sleeping in the same place, and then having to fake public displays of affection later—wasn’t that a bit much...

Stop it.

Qin Shu, what’s wrong with you lately? Why are you always badmouthing your good buddy in your head?

Li Wuya came over carrying a bath towel.

“A Shu, where do I sleep tonight?”

Qin Shu snapped out of it, confused: “Your own room, duh.”

“…Oh.”

Qin Shu thought about it: “Or you could sleep on the couch.”

“…”

-

Li Wuya didn’t sleep a wink all night.

Luckily, Sentinels have crazy good stamina—one sleepless night didn’t show on his face.

He timed it to when Qin Shu usually wakes up and opened the door right on time.

Qin Shu was just heading into the bathroom.

The guy leaned over the sink, stared at himself in the mirror for a few seconds, and suddenly said, “Morning, gay.”

Li Wuya: ???

Too shocked, he accidentally made a noise, and Qin Shu caught his reflection in the mirror.

Qin Shu in the morning was adorable—his hair was a mess with a few cowlicks sticking up, and judging by his expression, he hadn't fully booted up yet.

He added, “Morning, you're gay too.”

What?

“Come on, starting today, I’m going to act like a gay man. Li Wuya, you can’t slack off either!”

Realizing Qin Shu was just hyping himself up, Li Wuya went quiet.

“It's okay, just be yourself.” Li Wuya walked over and patted his shoulder.

“Do you have to go to work today? How about taking a few days off to mentally prep for being gay?”

Qin Shu shook his head, looking serious: “No, I have to face it eventually.”

He couldn't just ditch work forever.

Li Wuya nodded, a little regretfully: “Alright, then I’ll head to work first. Sorry, I’ll probably have to work late today, so I’ll be home very late. I probably won’t have time to cook.”

Qin Shu: …

He started his first wave of annoyance for the day: “When did I ever ask you to cook? I’ll eat out myself!”

Li Wuya frowned: “Outside food isn’t as good as what I make—”

Qin Shu was truly losing it: “Do you want to be my mom, old man? If you’ve got work, just get out of here!”

Li Wuya: “No, to be fair, I’d rather be your dad—”

Qin Shu pushed him out of the house.

Alright, time to head to work.

-

He got into the car; his adjutant was already waiting inside.

He'd piled up a lot of work since yesterday, and today was gonna be a nightmare.

Li Wuya dealt with a few urgent things first, then grabbed a design blueprint.

The design had anemones and stars, with a semi-transparent ouroboros in the background. The adjutant noted beside it: "General, this is the final draft of the family crest submitted by the designer. Let me know if anything needs tweaking."

Li Wuya said, "It's good. Draft a request to His Majesty. If His Majesty gives the nod, switch all the decorations for the wedding banquet to this pattern."

"Add a line: tell His Majesty to hurry it up... the wedding's coming up soon."

The adjutant nodded.

Then Li Wuya opened his email and skimmed about fifty hate messages.

He figured the Empress had at least a hundred, since most people didn't have the guts to send insults directly to him.

"Liar," "cheat," "disgusting political animal," "biting the hand that feeds you," "the farmer and the snake"...

Well, looks like you all caught on?

A few 'old buddies' still at the border sent him death threats. Li Wuya lazily typed 'OK' and hit send.

The adjutant murmured something to him, and Li Wuya nodded.

He pulled out a pair of tactical gloves and put them on casually.

So today's commute got a little interesting.

Halfway there, Li Wuya got out of the hovercar and suddenly decided to walk.

The adjutant quietly stepped back.

The next second, Li Wuya turned sideways, catching the dagger thrust at him with his bare hands, and with his other hand grabbed the attacker, twisting and yanking.

A face twisted in rage.

The adjutant said from beside him, "The sniper's been taken out."

He should be glad he didn't want to cause A Shu more trouble...

Otherwise, these idiots would be all over his news feed as headlines.

-

Half an hour later, Li Wuya reached the imperial palace.

He was late today; the conference room was packed, everyone waiting.

Li Wuya pushed open the door.

A faint scent of blood.

Seventeen assassination attempts on the way, all handled by him personally, and Li Wuya hadn't bothered to change out of his bloodstained uniform.

Some people need a good scare to fall in line, and besides, Li Wuya hated people who used 'defending A Shu' as an excuse to spew their own jealousy and spite.

He and A Shu were married—why couldn't they just show up at the wedding like normal people?

Why can't some people just accept reality?

The meeting hall was dead silent, like a winter snowstorm, with a faint undercurrent of murderous intent.

The grim-faced man suddenly cracked a slight smile: "Morning, everyone. I got married."

The Marshal was the first to blow his top: "You...!"

The Empress coughed: "Marshal, take it easy."

-

This was supposed to be a routine meeting.

Three months after the war, he'd been settling family scores, crushing the nobility, and leaning on the White Tower, Li Wuya had risen from the military to build his own faction at an insane speed, and now he was practically all-powerful.

He could stick his nose into any political matter—no, what pissed most people off was that they had to let him meddle.

Routine reports and discussions dragged on, and to the Empress's right, the bloodstained sentinel sat there in a good mood.

The Marshal leafed through documents: "Regarding post-war handling at the border, some remnants of the Third Army cannot be resettled. The regiment commander claims illness and refuses to serve, and they are dissatisfied with the environment in the Eastern District..."

"Li, General, what do you think?"

Li Wuya smiled: "You mean the Third Army's regiment commander, Yu Huaicheng? The invitation to the wedding banquet has already been sent to him. His reply email was particularly vehement, and he seems full of vitality. Rest assured, Marshal."

The newly appointed Minister of Finance stammered: "The reconstruction budget for the Western border has exceeded by sixteen percent. The Ministry of Finance believes the military should bear part of the cost..."

The Marshal pointed at Li Wuya: "Ask him."

Li Wuya nodded: "That's only proper. Send the budget table to my adjutant later. Speaking of which, my spouse also donated a sum of money to the Western border reconstruction."

The head of the White Tower had been replaced; this middle-aged guide was a tough nut—at least tougher than the previous one who resigned in disgrace.

He was full of anger: "Regarding the management issues at White Tower headquarters, many high-level guides believe the White Tower cannot provide them protection and have left the capital star. It's all because someone set an extremely bad example!"

Li Wuya: "Mm."

Everyone's gaze gathered in shock.

Li Wuya smiled again: "On the day of the wedding banquet, I might as well open up the Star Network

?—if my spouse agrees."

The meeting hall fell into deathly silence.

With a "slap," the Marshal slammed the documents onto the table.

He said to the Empress, "Your Majesty, I apologize, but I'm feeling unwell. Please allow me to take my leave!"

The Empress watched helplessly as the Marshal walked out.

As the door opened, Li Wuya raised his voice: "Marshal."

The Marshal paused in his steps.

"The wedding banquet is on Saturday at the Duke's residence. Please be sure to arrive on time," he said. "You are a respected elder to my spouse, and I hold you in high regard as well."

As his words fell, the Marshal's door-slamming sent the tea trembling with slight ripples.

The Empress, who was holding court, sighed: "General, Colonel Qin must be very fond of you."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Our relationship is excellent. A few rumors outside cannot harm our relationship in the slightest."

When he said "rumors", Li Wuya's gaze swept over the assembled ministers.

The Empress seemed kind and gentle: "General, now that you are a married man, you should be more prudent in your conduct."

Li Wuya remained noncommittal.

The Empress shook her head.

The meeting ended in an eerie atmosphere. As the meeting adjourned, officials and nobles stood up in twos and threes, then froze at the sound of Li Wuya's boots striking the floor tiles.

With a "clack", Li Wuya stood up from his seat. "The wedding invitations should have been delivered to you all. You are welcome to come."

No one answered.

Li Wuya didn't mind. He smiled again and pushed open the door and left.

-

The first thing Li Wuya did upon returning to the Military Affairs Bureau was to change out of his dirty military uniform.

A preliminary report was already in: among the assassination attempts against him, eight were instigated by bored nobles.

Another four were personal vendettas, and the rest had not yet been fully investigated, but Li Wuya already had suspects in mind.

One or two of them were probably feelers from the royal family, and the others... the buddies from the border were about to arrive, and this was probably their welcome gift.

The sunlight outside the window was just right. A Shu was probably taking a nap; he must be having a hard time handling those team members, right?

His team members were all very loyal, but a bit noisy.

But when you think about it, it was still his fault.

A deluge of news reports and media buzz...

If I failed to notify even one dog in the capital, it would be his negligence as Qin Shu's spouse.

"Adjutant, you haven't wished me a happy wedding yet."

"...Happy wedding, General."

"Thank you."