Future's First Marriage, Later Love - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

And instructed him as such.

Mai Hai said, “Alright, goodnight.”

As he spoke, he climbed into bed. It was already late at night, and dawn was not far off.

“Goodnight.” With those words, Pollack put down what he was reading, reached out to turn off the bedside lamp, and lay down as well.

The two lay back-to-back, but neither was asleep. They were simultaneously guessing at each other’s thoughts; this must be what it means to be “together in the same bed but dreaming different dreams.”

Meeting Again at the Cocktail Party (Part II)

Just as Mai Hai was about to fall asleep, he heard the rustling sound of Pollack getting up and dressing in a daze. He rolled over, his eyes misty, and looked at Pollack. “You’re getting up already?”

Pollack said, “Mm.”

Although he was very sleepy, Mai Hai couldn’t stay in bed. He struggled to get up, took a warm shower, and went downstairs to eat a little something with Pollack. Then, the two went out to pick formal wear. It was said that at tonight’s gathering, the ten generals and some of the leaders would be present; all generals and leaders with families were expected to bring them along. This was why Kedexin had come to see Pollack—to inform him of this.

Choosing the formal wear took the entire morning. In the afternoon, Pollack had Mai Hai go home first while he went to handle some other matters. Once back home, Mai Hai was still a bit uneasy about yesterday’s events, so he called Spinai: “You didn’t run into him when you left yesterday, did you?”

“No,” Spinai said, puzzled. “Did something happen on your end?”

Mai Hai said, “That’s good, then. There shouldn’t be any problems.”

He chatted with Spinai for a few more minutes before hanging up.

Pollack didn’t return until evening. Mai Hai had already changed into his formal wear and was waiting for him at home. Pollack didn’t say a word to Mai Hai; he went straight upstairs, changed, and came back down. When they left, Pollack didn’t pilot his own ship today but hailed a small public spaceship at the door.

When they arrived at the destination, Mai Hai discovered it was a building similar to a church. As soon as they stepped off the ship, Pollack offered his bent arm to Mai Hai. Mai Hai looked at him strangely and was just about to ask what he was doing, but fortunately, he didn’t say it. He immediately realized Pollack wanted Mai Hai to take his arm.

Mai Hai obediently took Pollack’s arm with a smile. Only then did Pollack lead him into the venue with satisfaction. The entrance was equipped with automatic sensors; they were both wearing special badges that triggered the sensors to open the doors automatically.

The exterior was church-style architecture, but the interior was a whole different world. Upon entering, Mai Hai was captivated by the decor of the banquet hall. Numerous glowing lamps, looking like small balloons, floated in mid-air. The walls would display different colors when touched, and long, multi-functional tables were filled with an array of food…

As soon as Pollack and Mai Hai walked in, many people came up to greet Pollack. When their gazes landed on Mai Hai, their eyes showed some contempt, though their mouths spoke words of flattery.

Mai Hai knew he wasn’t considered good-looking, so he didn’t care much about their remarks. Pollack, however, was somewhat dissatisfied—especially when others looked down on Mai Hai. He told himself this was merely a matter of face as one of the ten generals; if they looked down on Mai Hai, it was equivalent to looking down on him.

Pollack saw his superior and had to go greet him. Mai Hai didn’t want to go, so he made an excuse to stay behind. He took a glass of lemonade from a robot’s tray and found a slightly quiet corner to sit down. However, he didn’t expect someone to break his peace.

“Hey, I didn’t expect we’d meet again.” A man holding a wine glass looked at Mai Hai with a meaningful smile on his face.

Mai Hai looked up at the man, searching every corner of his brain, but found no impression of the person in front of him. Still, out of politeness, Mai Hai asked good-naturedly, “I’m sorry, do we know each other?”

The man sat down familiarly beside Mai Hai and said, “Last time at Blues—perhaps you don’t remember me, but I have a deep impression of you…”

Mai Hai smiled indifferently: “Is that so?”

There was no emotion in his tone. The man boldly leaned a bit closer to Mai Hai and said, “Why don’t we go out and chat privately?”

Mai Hai followed the man’s gaze toward a small courtyard. He nodded readily and thought that the soundproofing here should be quite good. The two stood up together, placed their glasses in the recycling area, and walked out.

Once outside, Mai Hai looked around and saw that there was no one else besides the two of them…

Although Pollack had left Mai Hai’s side, his gaze would drift over from time to time to see what he was doing. When he saw Mai Hai find an obscure corner to sit in, he thought to himself that Mai Hai was being sensible. But then he felt he was overthinking it; with no shortage of beautiful men and women at this party, who would bother striking up a conversation with someone of Mai Hai’s mediocre appearance?

But just as he thought that, someone actually did go up to talk to Mai Hai. Pollack’s face instantly darkened. Someone beside him asked, “Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”

Pollack shook his head and said, “It’s nothing.”

He had originally thought that with him present, Mai Hai wouldn’t do anything out of line. He didn’t expect Mai Hai to go outside with that man, chatting and laughing. He couldn’t sit still anymore. After saying a word to the person beside him, Pollack followed the route Mai Hai and the man had taken to the small courtyard.

Just as he closed the door, Pollack heard a muffled groan. He froze for a moment, thinking something had happened to Mai Hai, and quickened his pace to go check. However, he stopped when he saw Mai Hai walking out with a smile. When Mai Hai saw Pollack, he also paused for a second before asking calmly, as if nothing had happened, “What is it?”

Pollack frowned and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, it’s nothing major.” Mai Hai smiled. “Let’s go back in.”

Pollack looked toward the dark area behind Mai Hai and asked suspiciously, “What happened over there just now?”

“Haha, nothing,” Mai Hai said. “Just a gentleman who said he was feeling a bit unwell and wanted to come out for some air. I was just being helpful.”

Pollack clearly didn’t quite believe Mai Hai’s words. He asked, “Is that really it?”

“Yes.” Mai Hai’s smile was as harmless as a lamb’s. “What else could it be?”

Looking at Mai Hai, he didn’t seem to be lying. Although he still felt something was off, as soon as the two returned from the courtyard to the banquet, Kedexin and Chris looked at them teasingly and joked, “Do you two have to be so sweet? You couldn’t even wait that long before slipping out for some ‘two-person world’ time?”

Hearing this, Pollack retorted with a bit of guilt, “No, I went to greet the boss and he vanished, so I went to find him.”

“Oh.” Kedexin and Chris nodded with knowing smiles.

Suddenly, all three of their communicators rang. They exchanged glances, and Pollack said to Mai Hai, “You can get home on your own later, right?”

“Mm, no problem.” Mai Hai nodded.

Only then did Pollack nod to the other two, and several other people in the venue followed them out. Seeing them leave, Mai Hai looked at the now somewhat empty hall and thought that something big must have happened.

Drunken Charm

Once Pollack left, there was no need for Mai Hai to stay. He had only come today as a “green leaf” to set off Pollack; now that the “red flower” was gone, he could make a graceful exit. However, he didn’t realize that while coming was easy, leaving would not be. Just as Mai Hai was about to slip out the door, he was suddenly blocked. He remembered this tall woman with long red hair; when he and Pollack first entered, she was the first to greet him. She was reportedly the daughter of Pollack’s superior, named Agnes.

Mai Hai knew full well why Agnes was seeking him out now.

She looked at Mai Hai and said, “Why don’t you come and play with us?”

Mai Hai declined, “No thanks, you guys go ahead.”

“What, not giving me face?” Agnes slightly raised an eyebrow.

Mai Hai looked at her speechlessly, thinking to himself: Don’t tell me I’m about to act out an 8 o’clock idol drama scene like the ones I used to see on Earth?! However, he had to keep up appearances; otherwise, if this young lady said a few words to her daddy, who knows what Pollack would do to him when he got back.

“Haha, of course not,” Mai Hai said with a beaming smile. “I’m just too dull; I’m afraid I’d spoil your fun.”

Agnes grabbed Mai Hai’s arm and dragged him toward the group, saying, “Don’t worry, you won’t, you won’t.”

“Alright then.” Mai Hai was now in a difficult position and had to steel himself for it.

When they reached the group, Mai Hai saw that everyone except him was a beautiful man or woman. Agnes shot a deliberate look at Mai Hai and then introduced him with a smile: “This is Feibul’s partner, this is…”

Mai Hai was well aware of Agnes’s intentions; she simply wanted him to feel ashamed of himself. As a partner of one of the ten generals…