The Gloomy Paper-Man Came to My Door to Pursue His Love - Chapter 11

In the evening, Bardis’s communication line dialed in again.

After some adjustment, Bardis had regained his shrewd appearance. The disheveled state he displayed when he hurriedly logged off earlier was nowhere to be seen.

“Good evening, Mr. Qin Fei.” In the projection, Bardis sat with his hands folded on the desk, looking up to stare at Qin Fei.

Since they had not completely burned bridges yet, Qin Fei returned the greeting. “Good evening, Minister Bardis. Is there something I can help you with?”

Bardis said, “I realized there were some matters I did not clarify during our last communication.”

Qin Fei made a gesture of invitation. “Please, go ahead.”

Bardis gave Qin Fei a complex look. Truthfully, Bardis had been very surprised by Qin Fei’s performance in the previous call. This was not the Qin Fei he remembered. In his memory, Qin Fei was supposed to be weak, a dodder flower that had to attach itself to an Alpha to grow. He had not expected to be threatened by Qin Fei in such a calm, breezy tone.

In this call, Bardis could not find a single crack in Qin Fei’s composure. He finally had to admit that he had misjudged the man.

This person was a better actor than he was!

Bardis composed himself and said, “The Imperial Marriage Law stipulates that an Omega must marry an Alpha, but it only mandates the second gender. It indeed does not explicitly state that the partner must be a human.”

Qin Fei watched him. “Continue.”

Bardis said, “The Ministry of Marriage respects and blesses the choice of every Omega, and promises to safeguard their happiness. For single Omegas, the Ministry will select a compatible Alpha. For Omegas who already have a partner, the Ministry must record the Alpha’s information and send a specialist for periodic follow-up visits until they bond and produce offspring. If after three visits the Alpha and Omega pair has not bonded, the Ministry will declare their marriage invalid. This is to prevent reckless Omegas from finding any random Alpha just to evade the Marriage Law.”

By the end, Bardis’s tone was pointed. “Our workflow is entirely in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.”

Qin Fei gave an “oh” and asked, “How frequent are these periodic visits?”

In a vengeful tone, Bardis replied, “Generally speaking, once a year. But, you are different.”

Having said that, Bardis stared intently at Qin Fei, watching every inch of his expression, attempting to find a trace of panic on this Omega.

Unfortunately, Qin Fei’s expression remained indifferent, his cold aura lingering around him. “Hmm?”

Bardis said, “You were too deeply involved in your previous marriage. For the sake of your health, we will conduct follow-up visits once a month.”

Qin Fei looked at Bardis.

Bardis wore a triumphant, arrogant expression.

Since the death of that Plague God, Bardis had actually been waiting for the day Qin Fei’s mourning period ended.

The untouched ex-wife of the little Prince, this gimmick would make many Alphas flock to him. Moreover, Qin Fei came from the Qin family, and many Alphas had their eyes on him.

He had already received many hints and suggestions. Money and expensive gifts were constantly being sent to his office.

Arranging a marriage for an Omega was something Bardis, as the Minister of Marriage, could accomplish with a snap of his fingers.

“Bardis.” Qin Fei’s polite upbringing vanished as he addressed him directly by his last name.

Bardis did not mind. He had finally seen a crack in Qin Fei’s expression as he intended, and he was gloating.

In this confrontation, he had won!

“I do not know if you have gone senile or if you were always this stupid,” Qin Fei said regretfully. “Do you think I do not know what you are scheming?”

Qin Fei’s gaze was colder than his voice. “You think I have no backing now, so you are eager to manipulate me and use my marriage for your personal gain. Guess why His Majesty let me go instead of making me the First Prince’s second wife to claim the Qin family’s vast wealth? Guess why the Qin family let me go instead of marrying me off to another family to consolidate their status?”

Bardis froze suddenly. “You.”

Qin Fei said, “I do not want to spell everything out. That would take the fun out of it.”

Bardis looked like he had been caught by the tail. He asked cautiously, “Did His Majesty assign you some kind of mission?”

Qin Fei said, “Surely you know I am currently on my way to Obsidian Star. Think about why I am alone, and think about why the destination happens to be Obsidian Star.”

Bardis’s eyes darted around, hesitating. “But I did not receive any word from His Majesty.”

Qin Fei said, “I have said enough. If you insist on this path, there is nothing I can do. You will have to explain it yourself.”

Bardis was silent.

Without waiting for Bardis to say anything else, Qin Fei cut the communication.

The Terminal said with genuine admiration, “You sounded like you were telling the truth.”

Qin Fei stuck to his previous reasoning. “As long as it bluffs him.”

Terminal said, “But this is not a long-term solution.”

For a while, Bardis would likely try every means to investigate the doubts Qin Fei raised and would not dare trouble him. Eventually, Bardis would discover that the Emperor let Qin Fei go likely to protect the Royal Family’s reputation. The phrase inheriting a younger brother’s wife was simply too ugly, and the First Prince’s reputation was already bad enough.

And the reason the Qin family gave up on Qin Fei was due to his threat. Qin Fei had sent messages to everyone in the family, including his three-year-old nephew and two-year-old niece. He told them that if he were forced to return, he would choose an auspicious day to come home, right after completing a gland removal surgery.

An Omega who disappointed the family, failed to capture the little Prince, and lost their glands would truly become the family’s greatest shame.

As for why Obsidian Star? It was because it was very far from the Capital Star, and there just happened to be tickets available.

Qin Fei took a drink from the cabinet. “No need to remind me of the harms of alcohol. I want to drink right now.”

Terminal said, “I was not going to stop you. I perfectly understand the behavior of drowning one’s sorrows in wine. I am just feeling that the road ahead is difficult for you.”

Qin Fei openly drank a glass. He was not actually sorrowful; he was just craving it. “As long as I can reach 100% intimacy with Sha Bei before Bardis finishes his investigation, it will be fine.”

With 100% intimacy, any move Bardis made would, in the eyes of the audience, look like a villain trying to tear a young couple apart.

The Terminal could not help but ask, “Increasing intimacy with a 2D character is your last resort for freedom. If I may ask, what is your last, last resort?”

Qin Fei still did not plan on saying. “We will talk about the last, last resort if the last resort fails.”

After drinking a bit, Qin Fei did not plan to play the game yet. He re-read the intimacy guide and found a blind spot. Perhaps the side effects of the inhibitor last time had caused him to miss some content.

This time, he saw a passage in the guide. Exclusive ABO is a romance game, not a strategy game. Players only need to be themselves. Do not worry; the characters will have countless reasons to fall in love with you because you are worthy of love. You should love happily and enjoy the romance; this is the original intention of Exclusive ABO. This was taken from the official website announcement.

Having finished his drink, Qin Fei’s face was slightly flushed. He had a sudden realization. “Is it because I have not shown my true self?”

Even though Qin Fei did not appear drunk and the Terminal had not checked his blood alcohol level, the Terminal knew he was a bit tipsy.

How could a game know if he was showing his true self? This was just drunk talk.

However, according to big data, arguing with a drunk person is the most meaningless thing one can do.

The Terminal said, “Perhaps that is it.”

Qin Fei said, “Then I am going to show my true self.”

Terminal said, “I look forward to it.”

Qin Fei, however, looked up and drained the rest of his glass with a touch of melancholy.

Terminal asked, “Do you have any concerns?”

The overhead lights were bright, but Qin Fei’s eyes dimmed. Perhaps because he lived every day on thin ice, even though his head was foggy now, he knew exactly what could be said and what could not.

The thought that he seemed to have forgotten what his true self was like was something that could not be said even while drunk.

Night arrived, and Qin Fei had a dream. He dreamt of his life in the Qin family.

In this generation of the Qin family, there were 17 commodities. Alphas and Omegas were raised separately.

Qin Fei and his Omega cousins had finished the course on how to be a qualified commodity and how to demonstrate your value. In this area, Qin Fei showed a unique talent. He was very good at using his appearance to achieve his goals. This once led the Qin family to believe that Qin Fei was the most expensive commodity of his generation.

But in the next course, Qin Fei’s performance shocked the family.

The next topic was how to assess the value of others.

On that day, the Qin family elders presented several examples.

The profile of an Alpha was projected into the spacious room. As the younger generation looked up at the data, the elder had already extracted the keywords. “Chief Officer of the Second Galaxy, 68 years old, widowed. Tell me in one minute if he is worth approaching.”

The room used to teach Omegas was magnificent. The curtains were delicate silk, draping luxuriously onto the carpet. The carpet was also made of silk, like a floor covered in extravagant soft gold. The cost of just the curtains and carpet could buy a minor planet.

This was the result of every Qin family member’s hard work.

The youngsters nervously studied the Alpha’s data on the light screen. This was not just a simple question. If they performed poorly in class, they would face unbearable punishment.

One minute later, they anxiously filled in their answers on the terminals in front of them.

There was no need for the Alpha’s name; the focus was his status. Being the Chief Officer of the Second Galaxy meant he possessed power unattainable by others. Even just the aviation management rights of the Second Galaxy were enough to bring massive profits to the Qin family, as the family had interests in the aerospace industry.

The youngsters’ answers were, “Yes.”

Except for Qin Fei.

The elder looked toward Qin Fei and questioned his answer coldly. “Why?”

Faced with Qin Fei’s silence, the elder raised his voice. “Why no!”

Qin Fei’s eyelashes trembled as he spoke his mind. “He is 68 years old.”

“You think he is too old?” The elder looked at him as if his answer was an unforgivable sin.

Qin Fei could only say, “I am sorry.”

The elder did not accept the apology and said sharply, “I am telling you, never mind 68, even if he were 86 with that status, you would have to use every means possible to please him.”

Qin Fei wanted to say “I understand,” but he opened his mouth and found he could not say it.

But I am only 16, Qin Fei thought to himself. In the files, that man already had a granddaughter. How would he be expected to address a beautiful, vibrant version of himself? Would he have to call him Grandpa?

The elder did not give Qin Fei time to reflect and immediately put up the second Alpha’s profile. His tone was beyond dispute. “One minute.”

On the light screen, the complete profile of the second Alpha appeared before the little Omegas.

Qin Fei saw the Alpha’s surname was Hawthorne. Hawthorne was one of the ancient families of the Empire. The Queen herself came from the Hawthorne family. His gaze moved down quickly, seeing the Alpha’s age was 24, and then he saw the Alpha’s appearance.

“Time is up.” The elder received the answers.

An Alpha from the Hawthorne family was obviously worth approaching. With the backing of the Queen and the First Prince, the Hawthorne family was in its prime.

However, the elder saw another outlier answer, and once again, it came from Qin Fei.

The elder’s sharp gaze aimed at Qin Fei like an arrow. It felt as if Qin Fei did not provide a reason, he would be pierced through.

Qin Fei pursed his lips and gave a difficult explanation. “So ugly.”

He had never seen such an ugly Alpha. It was the kind of face that would give you nightmares. If he met this Alpha, whose face looked like it had been in a car wreck, at night, he would find it hard to maintain his manners and not ask, “Are you a person or a ghost?”

The elder operated the terminal and projected a third Alpha into the air.

The Omegas looked on with curious eyes. This Alpha was very handsome and young, but the screen showed only a photo without detailed data.

The elder did not ask the other Omegas to explain. She said, “21 years old, a popular Imperial star, with over 80 million followers on StarBlog. Qin Fei.”

She called Qin Fei’s name specifically. This was a question for him alone. She said, “Do you think he is worth approaching?”

However, before Qin Fei could answer, her cold voice crashed down. “You are a Qin family Omega. You would not need to do anything; this Alpha would accept you immediately. During the day, he crawls like a dog at the feet of the elite for an endorsement worth tens of millions of StarCoins. At night, he will reclaim his dignity as an Alpha upon your body.”

Qin Fei’s lips moved.

The elder immediately said, “What do you want to say.”

Qin Fei actually wanted to say, “Why can’t the elite he crawls to be me?” But that was too defiant. The etiquette he studied daily did not allow him to do so. He could only swallow the words. “Aunt, I have nothing to say.”

The elder said, “I will tell your parents about your performance today.”

Qin Fei’s face paled.

He answered well in the subsequent tests, attempting to change the elder’s mind, but it could not be saved. The elder still told his parents exactly how he had performed.

Qin Fei faced a punishment he could not bear.

He was forced by his parents to take off his expensive outer clothes, leaving him in only a thin inner garment, and was made to kneel before the door. His parents looked at him coldly. There was no familial affection in their high and mighty gazes.

“You have disappointed us too much.”

Perhaps because his brain was fuzzy from the cold, or because he was rebellious deep down, Qin Fei could not help but say, “But Father, Mother, is the probability of being treated violently not higher if I marry the elderly Chief or the ugly Hawthorne Alpha? They are the ones who need to find their dignity the most.”

His parents were unmoved. “But you would be making a contribution to the family.”

Qin Fei’s thin frame swayed. For a moment, his brain was like the falling snow, blank and misty.

His parents said, “The family grants you a privileged life. As a member of the Qin family, you must protect the family’s glory.”

They warned, “From today on, throw away all your childish and ridiculous thoughts. Your surname is Qin. This is the responsibility you must carry.”

Snowflakes pressed down on him one by one, making it hard to breathe.

He was covered in frost. He felt as if he were going to be crushed to death by the snow.

Qin Fei snapped his eyes open. The Terminal on his wrist flashed, monitoring his emotions. “Are you having a nightmare?”

It took a good while for Qin Fei to come to his senses, his hand supporting his forehead.

The Terminal detected Qin Fei’s long, drawn out breaths. “You can tell me about the dream. Once a dream is spoken aloud, it is not scary anymore.”

“I dreamed of the year I was punished and made to kneel.” Recalling the swamp-like nightmare, a look of accustomed indifference surfaced in Qin Fei’s eyes.

“I got the answer wrong that year.” Like a flash of inspiration, Qin Fei suddenly changed the subject, his tone rising. “Hey.”

Terminal asked, “Hmm?”

The first-class cabin fell silent.

Qin Fei mused, “I think I have found a bit of it.”

The Terminal was puzzled. “Found what?”

Qin Fei hesitated for a moment. “My true self.”

The Terminal was pleasantly surprised. “You found your true self?”

It asked curiously, “What is the true you like?”

Qin Fei did not answer immediately. He first thought seriously about the nightmare. After fifteen minutes of contemplation, he finally tried to speak. “The real me likes people who are young and good-looking.”

Terminal said, “Huh?”

“Young and good-looking.” At first, he was uncertain, but as he spoke, he became more sure of himself. “I am a lecher.”

Terminal was silent.

Compared to the Terminal’s deafening silence, Qin Fei became excited. He said to the Terminal, “Open Exclusive ABO.”

Terminal said, “It is late at night. I suggest you continue to rest.”

“No,” Qin Fei refused.

He said, “I want to see Sha Bei.”

“As my true self.”