The Heroic Master Is Tough-Talking but Soft-Hearted: The Aloof Major General Has Fallen - Chapter 21

Early the next morning, a series of clattering and crashing sounds echoed from the kitchen.

Cen Li heard it clearly the moment he stepped downstairs. He steered his wheelchair toward the noise and, from a distance, saw Sia and Asher locked in a confrontation.

“What are you doing?”

Cen Li’s gaze moved from the shattered porcelain scattered across the floor back to the two of them. At the sudden sound of his voice, both bugs turned their heads almost simultaneously. Then, as if struck by lightning, they froze in place.

“Master, you,” Sia began.

A strange feeling welled up in Cen Li’s heart. Normally, these two would never dare to stare at him or meet his eyes for such a long time. Asher was relatively composed, not being so blatant, but Sia had a look on his face as if he had seen a ghost. His eyes were practically glued to Cen Li, as if trying to stare a hole through him.

Cen Li frowned. “Why are you all looking at me like that? Do you not recognize me anymore?”

Had the original owner not always looked like this? Their shocked expressions truly made Cen Li feel a bit congested. Was he really that terrifying to look at? As Cen Li threw out one question after another, Sia, who was looking directly at him, wore an expression that was somewhere between a cry and a smile.

How could they possibly recognize him? Under the pressure of Cen Li’s gaze, the shock in Sia’s eyes had not yet fully faded. He spoke with a mix of terror and helplessness.

“Master, your face is completely healed!”

Cen Li was stunned. No wonder the system had told him it had good news the moment he woke up. This must be it. Since taking over this body, he had inherited the original owner’s habit of avoiding mirrors. The primary reason, of course, was that looking at his face was depressing, so he simply chose to stay out of sight and out of mind.

The system suddenly chimed in, “Host, do you regret blocking me now? Otherwise, you would have known a few minutes earlier.”

Cen Li thought, “Not at all.”

At the time, he thought the system was about to issue another mission, so he had unilaterally blocked it before it could finish speaking. However, he did not exactly regret it; did he not know now anyway?

Cen Li did not miss the flash of awe in the depths of Sia’s eyes. He suddenly felt an itch of curiosity to see what the original owner actually looked like. Just as he was about to ask for a mirror, a hand reached out beside him. Resting quietly in the palm was a small, ancient-looking mirror.

Cen Li looked up and saw it was Asher. On the surface, Cen Li remained expressionless, but internally, he was impressed by how perceptive Asher was. Without any pretense, Cen Li took the mirror.

The male in the mirror had cold, white skin and rosy lips. The corners of his eyes tilted up slightly, and his eyes were long and narrow; they were the classic shape of “peach blossom eyes.” Yet, the gaze was faint and cool, casting an air of aloofness and indifference over his entire being. His irises were a beautiful lake blue, clear and deep. Under the soft light, they looked like vast waters shimmering with ripples of light, making it impossible to look away.

After checking himself out, Cen Li felt satisfied and stuffed the mirror back into Asher’s hand. The topic returned to the previous matter.

“What exactly were you doing just now? Or are you playing some kind of plate-throwing game?”

Asher glanced at Sia. Cen Li followed his gaze and shot a suspicious look toward Sia.

“Are you picking a fight?”

Sia flinched under the gaze, inwardly grumbling about Asher. What does this guy mean? Is he intentionally letting the Master misunderstand me? He immediately defended himself. “I am not, Master!”

“Oh? Then explain yourself.”

Cen Li looked at him with interest, giving Sia a chance to explain. Sia struggled to say a word for a long time, his lips trembling. Finally, he closed his eyes and said with great momentum, “It was Asher!”

Meeting Cen Li’s gaze, he articulated clearly, “Asher accidentally dropped the plate. I heard the noise and came to take a look, but he was afraid you would punish him if I told on him, so he threatened me not to say anything.”

After finishing this long speech, it sounded like a very reasonable explanation. Usually, if Asher made even a small mistake, the original owner would unceremoniously pick him apart. Cen Li nodded noncommittally and looked at Asher. “Is it as he says?”

Cen Li had seen Sia’s subtle, threatening glares toward Asher. He was curious: would Asher choose to endure in silence again, just like before? Asher remained silent for a while.

Cen Li patiently asked again, “Is what Sia said true?”

The Master’s voice circled in his ears, and Asher did not understand. Why would the Master ask him twice? Normally, at a time like this, would the punishment not have already fallen? If he said it was not true, would the Master believe him? The answer was no. Through repeated lashings and the male’s indifference as he bled, Asher had long ago learned the answer.

Asher was silent for a long time; he was silent for so long that it seemed Cen Li had already anticipated the answer before he even spoke. Sia grew anxious and urged him, “Asher, speak up! You are not refusing to admit you broke the plate because you are afraid of the Master’s punishment, are you? I am warning you, do not you dare try to pin this on me!”

Even though Asher had not shown any intention of doing so, Sia had already rattled off a whole list of accusations. Perhaps Sia’s urging finally had an effect, as after a moment, Asher slowly nodded. He was like a long-neglected machine finally starting to operate again.

Watching the silent Asher, Cen Li felt a strange tightness in his heart. It was a stifling feeling, as if a stone were pressing against his chest. Thick eyelashes hid the expression in Asher’s eyes, while Sia looked relieved, his eyes darting around. When he met Cen Li’s gaze, he shrank back like a turtle.

Cen Li gave a neutral hum, not indicating whether he believed it or not. Seeing that Cen Li did not press further, Sia assumed he believed him entirely and felt even more at ease. However, Sia was a bit disappointed that the Master did not mention punishing Asher.

This morning’s farce temporarily came to a close. Shortly after, the three of them sat down at the dining table. Before the Master picked up his chopsticks, the female attendant was not allowed to eat.

Cen Li picked up his porridge. He surreptitiously noticed Sia’s shifty eyes. Just as the bowl drew closer to his lips, the bug beside him suddenly reached out and knocked the porridge over. The slightly hot porridge instantly made a mess on the floor.

Cen Li turned his head to look at Asher, a complex emotion in his eyes. Asher knew that punishment was unavoidable and knelt to plead guilty. “I apologize, Master. I was not paying attention.”

Asher’s sudden move had actually startled Cen Li. Then, he heard the logic-defying words from Asher’s mouth. Cen Li was speechless. “Major General, your arms reach that far? Did you do that on purpose?”

A flash of annoyance appeared in Asher’s eyes. He realized that the excuse he had hurriedly pulled out was exceptionally clumsy and difficult to believe. His expression was tense and his voice stiff. “It was not intentional, Master. I just, I do not know what happened to me.”

Asher pushed through with his explanation, his words coming out in fits and starts. After two seconds, he heard a very faint voice.

“Why?”

Asher did not understand what the Master meant and looked up in confusion. Cen Li’s narrow eyes squinted. He had not expected Asher to risk being punished just to knock over a bowl of drugged porridge. Cen Li had never intended to drink that porridge; he just wanted to see Sia’s reaction.

A few minutes ago, he had learned from the system that the bowl in his hand was drugged. While Asher had been sent away, Sia had slipped into the kitchen to mix a drug into Cen Li’s food. This drug was only effective on males, so they were not afraid of accidental ingestion. However, Sia had not expected Asher to return so quickly and catch him in the act. This had made Sia both anxious and afraid.

Although he felt Asher would not have the courage to tell on him, he feared the possibility. Like Renzo, Sia had tried to win Asher over and turn him into an ally, but he had also failed. Sia and Asher had gotten into an argument, leading to the scene Cen Li witnessed.

Cen Li thought Asher was quite contradictory; he was actually willing to help a male who did nothing but hit and scold him.

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