The Eleventh Year of Making Hate with My Lover - Chapter 21

Sliyn fiddled with the object briefly. “What an ancient relic. Does this thing even work?” She handed the lantern to the servant following behind her. “Take this and register it at the lost and found.”

She then checked her wrist. “It’s getting late. Sister, let’s hurry.”

Shen Wang silently memorized the license plate number before following Sliyn toward the city gates. They arrived after crossing two more streets. To his surprise, a large crowd had gathered at the entrance, and the guard detail was cordoning off a safe perimeter. Are researchers in this era really this popular?

As if answering his silent question, the onlookers nearby began whispering among themselves.

“I heard the research institute detected a mysterious species during their polar expedition this time.”

“Did they bring it back?”

“How could they? It’s buried deep within the subterranean ice layers. It looks like they’re setting up a permanent base out there for long-term study.”

Others were there purely for the spectacle.

“I don’t care about any of that. I’m just here to see the young masters of the Three Great Families. It’s rare to see all these heavyweights in one place… By the way, is the one from the He family still unmarried?”

“Stop daydreaming. Do you even know what ‘social standing’ and ‘political marriage’ mean? The young master of the He family is already betrothed to Miss Sliyn.”

“So what? We aren’t even allowed to look anymore?”

“Your head is filled with nothing but romance. The official expedition reports didn’t go into detail, but word is that the research team and the military are setting up a long-term deployment in the Far North. If you ask me, the danger level must be quite high… What if they dig up some unknown creature…?”

“You worry too much…”

“What perfect timing!” Sliyn watched the research institute’s dedicated transport vehicle pull up to the city gates, pure joy radiating from her face.

Shen Wang’s mind, however, was entirely occupied by the child who had looked exactly like Wu Que, leaving his mood rather subdued.

“Sister! You’re about to see your fiancé, why the gloomy face? Is it because you haven’t seen each other in so long that you’re nervous?” Sliyn asked, bewildered.

“No, I’m quite happy,” Shen Wang replied with a perfunctory smile, keeping his eyes on the group of people disembarking from the vehicle.

Sliyn stood on her tiptoes, scanning the crowd. A moment later, she waved her arm frantically. “He Di! Over here, over here!”

Following her gaze, Shen Wang saw a man with a tall, straight posture clad in a black military uniform. He had neatly cropped brown hair, sharp brows, piercing eyes, and a deep, sternly contoured face.

He Di… the young master of the He family and the young lady of the Sliyn family…

Ah… so this is Sliyn’s fiancé. No wonder she’s so excited.

Upon seeing Sliyn, the man’s cold countenance softened. A faint smile played at the corner of his lips as he walked toward them.

There was someone else beside the He family’s young master, trailing about half a step behind. Slender and graceful, this individual walked with a lazy, unhurried gait. He wore a light gray shawl wrapped around him, burying the lower half of his face so his features were obscured, but his long, snow-white hair was far too striking to miss.

“You…” Shen Wang’s pupils dilated slightly in shock.

Sliyn had already dragged He Di off to a corner to share an intimate moment. Shen Wang watched as the white-haired man pulled down his shawl. His pinkish-blue eyes curved into crescent moons, practically overflowing with amusement.

“Ah, it suits you well. It makes your shoulders look broad, your legs look long, and your waist look quite slender.”

He was referring to the black gown Shen Wang was currently wearing. Even though Shen Wang considered himself thick-skinned, being teased like this made the tips of his ears turn red.

It doesn’t just make my waist look slender, he thought bitterly. The corset is practically snapping my spine.

Wu Que lightly circled him, the tips of his white hair brushing against Shen Wang’s face, leaving behind a subtle, sweet fragrance. His voice carried an irrepressible excitement. “What should I call you now? Miss Sliyn… or Madam Wu?”

“And that’s what happened.”

In a quiet corner of a coffee shop, Shen Wang helplessly adjusted the hem of his gown as he recounted his experiences upon entering the Cocoon Domain to Wu Que. However, many specific terms were automatically censored by the domain’s rules, leaving gaps in his explanation.

Wu Que took a small sip from his cup, clearly in an excellent mood. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy his current identity.

Shen Wang asked, “Who are you playing?”

“The main lineage. Strictly speaking, I should be the second head of the Wu family.” Wu Que paused, a teasing tone entering his voice. “Your husband.”

“…”

Though he had already guessed as much, hearing the words come directly from the man’s mouth made Shen Wang feel incredibly bizarre.

At the table next to them sat He Shu and Lang Xi. After separating from Shen Wang earlier, Lang Xi had been assigned to the expedition’s security detail. By a stroke of luck, Wu Que recognized him and transferred Lang Xi to his personal guard, which was why Lang Xi hadn’t been surprised to see Shen Wang arrive.

“Bwahaha! Hahaha!” Lang Xi slammed his hand on the table, laughing hysterically. Who would have thought that in his lifetime, he would see his stone-faced team captain forced to wear a dress?

Shen Wang threw a spoon that struck Lang Xi squarely on the head. “Shut up. You’re giving me a headache.”

Beside him, He Shu stirred her coffee, her eyes darting toward Wu Que from time to time. She had only ever seen the Chief Inspector from a distance before. She wasn’t particularly fond of pretty boys—her ideal type was a rugged, stoic man like Captain Shen. Yet, she had to admit that Wu Que was easily one of the most breathtaking beauties she had ever laid eyes on. No wonder Shen Wang was so fixated on him.

Although they were technically divorced and the rumor back at the base claimed they hated each other to the core and would throw blows the moment they met the entire squad knew their captain was desperately trying to win his ex back.

Of course, he was constantly rejected and avoided.

But looking at them now, they seemed to be getting along remarkably well. It was truly baffling.

“Right,” Shen Wang tapped the tabletop. “On my way here, I saw a child who looked exactly like you.” He recalled the image. “White hair, blue eyes… and he still possessed your physical traits from when you were a jellyfish.”

Wu Que looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes. “You ran into him?”

Shen Wang found his reaction odd. “You seem like you already knew he existed. Is he your… son in this simulation?”

Wu Que nearly choked on his water. “Why don’t you just ask if he’s my ancestor?”

Shen Wang nodded. “That’s not out of the question either.” But they looked identical the boy was practically a miniature clone.

Wu Que bit his lower lip, hesitating for a moment. “Just treat him as an NPC within this illusion.”

Seeing that Wu Que didn’t wish to elaborate, Shen Wang didn’t press further. After all, it had nothing to do with breaking the Cocoon Domain. He shifted the subject. “You’ve been trapped here for so long. Did you run into trouble?”

Wu Que shook his head. “Not really. I’m just looking for something. You…” He carefully chose his words before tossing the question back. “You said you met a child who looked like me. Was he holding anything unusual?”

Something unusual. Shen Wang thought back to when the child crashed into him. The boy’s hands had been empty…

Ah, right.

“On the ground, there was…” There was a lantern.

The moment he tried to speak the core keyword, the domain’s restriction kicked in, rendering him mute.

Wu Que understood instantly. They were currently trapped in the Cocoon Domain’s illusion; certain critical pieces of information could only be exchanged within an entirely isolated, secure space.

The conversation had reached its limit here. Wu Que paid the bill and picked up his shawl, wrapping it around himself once more.

As he stood up, he extended an invitation to Shen Wang, acting the part of a gentle gentleman waiting for his beloved. “My dear wife, shall we return to our bridal chamber tonight?”

Looking at the strikingly beautiful man before him, Shen Wang felt a wave of goosebumps at the phrase “my dear wife.” He couldn’t help but think that their roles should be reversed. If Wu Que were the one wearing the dress…

He immediately shook his head to clear the thought. What am I even imagining?

“Yes, let’s go back.” Shen Wang lifted the hem of his skirt and stood up. “Don’t wait for tonight, let’s go now.” He really didn’t want to hang around Sliyn any longer, only to be dragged around by the arm while she called him “Sister” over and over.

The car traversed several grand avenues before pulling up to a beachside villa.

When they stepped out, a row of servants bowed deeply, greeting them as “Master” and “Madam.” The titles alone made Shen Wang’s skin crawl, but what made it truly unsettling was that every single servant’s face was a blurred mass of pixelated mosaic.

Shen Wang muttered, “How can you stand looking at their faces every day?”

Wu Que led the way, pushing the door open. “I don’t. Usually, I just tell them to get lost and stay out of my sight.”

A vein throbbed on Shen Wang’s forehead. So, the man had kept them around just to mess with him.

Inside the living room of their “new home,” a massive wedding portrait hung on the wall. However, the image only displayed two blurry silhouettes, their features completely indistinguishable.

They were indeed newlyweds in this simulation; the red “Double Happiness” characters pasted around the house hadn’t even been peeled off yet, and even the bedsheets were a vibrant, traditional red.

Once the door was firmly shut, Shen Wang let out a long, exhausted sigh. He impatiently ripped off the suffocating silk sash around his waist and tossed it onto the bed. He reached behind his back to pull down the zipper, but it jammed halfway.

A pair of hands reached out from behind, smoothly sliding the zipper all the way to the bottom.

Staring at the thin layer of firm, tight muscle lining Shen Wang’s back, Wu Que felt a sudden urge to peel him entirely out of the garment. Shen Wang caught his straying hands and stepped away with a frown. “That’s enough.” He only wanted to breathe; he had no intention of stripping naked in front of Wu Que.

Wu Que’s pale hand remained resting lightly on Shen Wang’s shoulder. He leaned in, his voice whispering right against his ear. “Out there, certain things couldn’t be spoken. Do you want to find a place free of restrictions so we can talk properly?”

“Where?” Shen Wang had a faint inkling.

Wu Que took Shen Wang’s right hand, lifting it up to press his own cheek into Shen Wang’s palm. “Come inside my mental sea.”

Shen Wang’s fingertips twitched slightly.

He had heard that one could enter another person’s mental sea, but he had no idea how to actually execute it. Under normal circumstances, no one would ever invite an outsider into their mental terrain. The risk was astronomical it was equivalent to handing over your life force entirely to someone else.

Just how deeply did Wu Que trust him… or rather, trust the original owner of this body?

Shen Wang did not verbally agree, but he didn’t refuse either, allowing Wu Que to guide him. Wu Que sat before him, pressing his cool forehead against Shen Wang’s. Shen Wang instinctively tried to pull back, but he was firmly yet gently held in place.

The moment their foreheads touched, Wu Que’s lake-blue eyes rippled with a pale pink hue. Several tiny slits cracked open beneath the corners of his eyes, and within those slits, translucent eyeballs seemed to rotate silently.

Shen Wang’s vision blurred, gradually swallowed by a vast, hazy expanse of deep blue.

By the time his sight cleared, he found himself standing in an endless void of grayish blue. Beneath his feet was a shallow expanse of water, and tiny raindrops rippled across the surface.

“Wu Que!” he called out, his voice echoing heavily.

Suddenly, two colossal, translucent peaks rose from the abyss ahead. Beneath the peaks emerged a massive, arched dome the silhouette of a incomprehensibly titanic, alien creature.

Wu Que sat atop the entity, entirely bare and radiating a faint, golden luminescence. Two-pointed, translucent ears sprouted from his hair, while countless flat, clear tentacles drifted and cascaded behind him.

“Come here.”