Volume 8, The Beginning NO.7: The Serpent and the Forbidden Fruit (1/2)
Volume 8, The Beginning NO.7: The Serpent and the Forbidden Fruit
Translated by Raylight (proofread by Trespasserby; C/E edited by Taffygirl13 & lucathia)
Bai Lian Yue was completely shocked. “What is wrong? Your complexion looks terrible.”
“I have a mission for you.”
“… You really don’t treat secretaries as humans, do you?”
Bai Lian Yue’s work efficiency was only slightly worse than Kyle’s, but his ability to complain was higher than Kyle’s by at least three or four times!
“Fine, fine, wipe that scowl off your face. Just give me the job. It’s not like I won’t do it. Do you really need to put on such a frightening expression?”
“Go and kill someone.”
He casually responded, “I thought it would be some kind of grand mission. That’s simple. Who do you want me to kill?”
“Luo Ye.” I calmly said.
Bai Lian Yue’s eyes turned wide as he exclaimed, “Where did he pop up from? Wasn’t he already long dead? Are you certain it’s your fa—”
I gave him a look.
“Urgh, you don’t have to mind that much, right? It’s just your biological father.”
Bai Lian Yue still said it. This secretary was really so daring, for he still had the guts to continue on even as I shot a glare at him. “So what even if you are not Ri Ji Yan’s son? Right now, who in the Sun Alliance has the authority to question you about this? The only person qualified is your Ah Ye, but if he wanted this Alliance, you would give it to him with both hands. Need he even question you?”
Hearing Bai Lian Yue say that, it seemed like the term “biological father” held absolutely no meaning. In that case, why should I concern myself with such a thing?
I suddenly calmed down. Even if I was not Ri Ji Yan’s biological son, even if I had my hands stained in his blood for the sake of saving Ah Ye that year, he had never done anything to let me down. He only targeted Ah Ye, and later on we had also verified that it had not been completely without reason…
“Ah Yan, are you all right?”
I shook my head, and sternly declared, “My father is Ri Ji Yan, not that Luo Ye person! Don’t ever bring up biological fathers again!”
Bai Lian Yue lowered his head and admitted his mistake, “Understood. Then I’ll send people to have him killed now—”
“Hold on.” I indifferently said, “There is no rush to kill him. Go and find out who is pulling the strings first. He is my father’s brother and ought to know what our usual way of handling problems is. It was not easy for him to hide until now, so daring to appear means that he feels secure knowing that someone has his back. We must first find out who or what exactly he is relying on. Also…”
I looked toward the table. There was a folded photo frame there. The left side was Ah Ye as a child with his unbeatable cuteness, and the right side was Ah Ye’s recent photo. Initially the photo in the right frame kept on changing, but now it had not been changed for two or three years. That was because Ah Ye would never grow again. Even if his hair got longer, there was absolutely no change at all in his facial features.
A lifespan of over a thousand years… Ah Ye, what kind of arrangements do I have to make so that you will have nothing to worry about for a thousand years?
I said to Bai Lian Yue with a smile, “Perhaps Luo Ye will be a good serpent and tempt Ah Ye into eating that forbidden fruit.”
Bai Lian Yue, Yue Ya’er who had always supported me, finally showed a change in expression.
“Isn’t it just making sure Ah Ye won’t lose his life to protect you? Don’t go over the top! Ah Ye loves you very much. Wanting to protect you is natural. It isn’t because it’s set into some microchip!”
“I will not go over the top,” I calmly replied.
No matter how over the top it is, it would not top a thousand years.
“Curtis!”
I burst into the room. I originally expected to see a trussed-up Curtis, but there was nothing of the sort. Within the room, there was only someone that I would have never expected to see.
“Sorry to disappoint you. He is not here.”
How is this person here? He would actually come in person to such a dangerous place?
The Sun Emperor.
He sat behind the office table. The only person by his side was Secretary Bai. However, two whole rows of adjudication squad members stood on both sides of the room.
I sized them up. Perhaps I would not be able to defeat them all, but as long as I used my x-speed, they would likely be unable to stop me in time if I wanted to do something.
“Where is Curtis?” I asked as I walked, hoping to draw a little closer to the Sun Emperor. If I had no choice but to take action, it would be better if the distance between us was as short as possible.
“His whereabouts are not important.” The Sun Emperor answered with a smile that made me feel uneasy. He continued, “The important thing is that he made a deal with me.”
I froze in my tracks, lifting my head to look at the Sun Emperor. His smile was extremely carefree and relaxed, as though he was completely unafraid of me verifying that. I held my earpiece and quietly called out, “Curtis.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
Curtis truly is all right. I opened my mouth, and in that moment, I actually did not know how I should begin my line of questioning.
“Where are you?”
“I have already evacuated the premises.”
I fell silent for a while, and then asked, “The Sun Emperor said that you made a deal with him. Is that correct?”
“… Indeed.” Curtis’s tone was a little hesitant, and he seemed apologetic as he said, “My apologies, Family Head, I—”
Even after a drawn out wait, Curtis did not continue on. He was likely at a loss as to how to begin. I removed the earpiece, but then heard the sound of something shattering. Looking down, I belatedly realized that I had actually crushed the earpiece.
“There’s still the phone.” The Sun Emperor appeared to be unfazed by my actions and even reminded me of that with what appeared to be kind intentions.
Once he said that, my phone coincidentally started ringing. I reached my hand into my pocket, and with the use of my blood ability, the thing in my pocket shattered to pieces. Since the other person was at a loss as to how to tell me, then why must I hear an explanation?
“I told you before.” The Sun Emperor remained unruffled as he said, “Playing your butler game is one thing. Opposing me is an entirely different matter.”
I calmly answered, “He originally did not need to protect me anyway. Now we are only returning to how it was before.”
“How open-minded.”
The Sun Emperor’s elbow rested on the completely empty table. Rather, it was Secretary Bai seated beside him who was awfully busy. Even under such a situation, he was still glued to his laptop, typing away with furious speed. In comparison to his busy secretary, the Sun Emperor appeared very idle, making it hard to believe that he was the leader of the world’s biggest economic alliance.
He asked with a smile, “But now, what will you use to protect your beloved vampire?”
X…
“While saying that you don’t need authority, you use the Elysees family as a shield against the Church, and also turn to them when necessary to protect those you wish to protect.”
The Sun Emperor scoffed and said disdainfully, “Giving up your authority? How pretentious! From the beginning up until now, you have never ‘given up’ on authority! It’s just that I use my organization, money, and power to get people to work for me, while you use emotions and you bloodline to tie them down, Charles Elysees.”
“I am Charles Endelis!” The roar came out of me before I realized that I had opened my mouth… I clenched my hands into a fist, my nails digging into my flesh. The pain made me a little calmer, and only then could I continue, “Sun Emperor, stop sowing discord. What exactly do you want? I have nothing!”
“Since you want me to be straightforward, fine—I have already given the Church X’s whereabouts, Charles ‘Endelis.’”
I stared at him, stunned.
The Sun Emperor indifferently stated, “Not to the two outside. Since you are already here and to make up twenty minutes, there’s still… ”
He glanced at Bai Lian Yue lazily, and the other did not even look up as he answered, “Eight minutes.”
“That was worse than what I expected. Clearly, their obstruction failed, so of course they won’t be rewarded.”
“Why?” I yelled agitatedly, “Is it because I did not hand Luo Ye over to you? You said ten days! It has not even reached the set date!”
“I exchanged a kind of ‘merchandise’ with the Church.” The Sun Emperor paid no mind as he said, “I am a businessman. If someone is willing to pay for my product upfront, why should I wait for a customer like you, who might not pay up even after a few days? Furthermore…”
He looked at me, with a smile of understanding as he said it in a matter-of-fact tone, “You did not intend to bring Luo Ye out to hand over to me, isn’t that so?”
Indeed… If I could hand him over, then why would I be so troubled about it! However, I cannot admit that now. Perhaps the Sun Emperor is only testing me and is not that certain about it.
I forced myself to stay level-headed, and then asked back in confusion, “Why are you so certain about this? To me, Luo Ye definitely cannot be compared to X. He is not the least bit important to me.”
The Sun Emperor kept his smile and asked, “Luo Ye is not important to you, but how about Ah Ye?”
I froze.
He no longer seemed relaxed as his expression turned stern and he proclaimed, “You are right. Luo Ye isn’t important, but Ah Ye is extremely, extremely important! Everyone who stays by Ah Ye’s side must revolve around him as the center, and never ever betray him!”
The Sun Emperor growled in fury, “Today for the sake of X, you can be threatened by me and debate whether or not to betray Ah Ye. Tomorrow for the sake of something else, you could betray him once more!”
His expression was unstable as he muttered, “You are even involved with the Elysees family and the Church… If I had known beforehand that you were such a troublesome character, I absolutely would not have let you stay by Ah Ye’s side!”