The Emperor’s Runaway Lover

The Rong family’s Imperial Masquerade was, of course, dazzling, full of grand costumes and beautiful people, so much so that it was dizzying.

The lobby of the White Rose Palace combined two styles: classical Chinese style and modern minimalism. The main color was milky white, with many light gold decorations adorning the reliefs. Every detail was extremely exquisite and elegant, and the lobby looked high class without being extravagant.

Fu Yucheng leaned back against a column, holding a glass of champagne in his hand and looking at the guests quietly through the emerald-colored mask over his eyes.

Besides Bai Mo standing next to him, Liang, Xie Ling and Reid had also arrived.

There were two young twin girls holding chocolate muffins and chatting at a long buffet table across the room. They were probably the other two Dark Knights, Xiao Mei and Xiao Hua. The twin knights, who were special system manipulators, were capable of controlling the physiology and metabolism of animals and plants. Although they seemed to be just eight or nine years old, their actual age would be hard to discern.

The six Dark Knights had all arrived, but all the Light Knights were yet to show up.

Fu Yucheng raised his eyebrows. He originally thought that, since Rong Yuan was going to be attending the Masquerade, all the six Light Knights would also be present.

That way, he could get to work earlier.

However…

“Yu-ge, what’s the matter?” Bai Mo asked him, tilting his head to the side and seemingly sensing something.

Fu Yucheng glanced at him. The boy was wearing a mask made of white peacock feathers, which looked very unique.

Bai Mo took the glass from his hand. “Don’t drink so much.”

At that moment, some rustling came from the entrance of the hall, and then someone announced loudly, “His Royal Highness is here—”

For a while, the eyes of the hundreds of people in the hall gathered at the door.

Except for Bai Mo’s.

He turned his head slightly to look at Fu Yucheng, and saw that Fu Yucheng was staring at the door intently.

The young man’s eyes flickered, and he lifted his gaze to look at the door.

Surrounded by two Light Knights and several guards and maids, Rong Yuan slowly walked into the hall.

The Prince Regent, who had a position as high as the Sun, walked ahead staring forward without blinking, and the nobles on both sides stepped aside one after the other, parting like the Red Sea, and bowed respectfully to salute him. After all, the Regent Prince was the actual head of the Central Empire during the years while the Empress was ill and lived in seclusion.

He was extremely good looking, with distant, arrogant features and an air of meanness and contempt that turned somewhat melancholic when he looked at people.

Next to Fu Yucheng, an aristocratic lady wearing a lace mask was whispering to her companion. “This is the first time I see His Royal Highness, he’s much more beautiful than those ‘Counter-revolt’ sculptures. How could they replicate his atmosphere, huh…?”

Fu Yucheng chuckled quietly.

Bai Mo watched his eyes follow Rong Yuan and, feeling extremely uncomfortable, he gently pulled at his sleeve. “Yu-ge, let’s go eat. You didn’t have any lunch today.”

At that point, Rong Yuan had already crossed a door on the side of the hall, and a scarlet curtain had been dropped. He had probably gone to change clothes.

Fu Yucheng came back to his senses and, realizing he was a bit hungry after all, he said, “I’m not going. Get me two cakes.”

Bai Mo pursed his lips lightly but nodded. “What kind of pastry do you want to eat? Mousse cake? Tiramisu?”

“Whatever,” Fu Yucheng answered absent-mindedly, staring at the door Rong Yuan had entered.

Bai Mo glanced at him, then turned to get the pastries.

Fu Yucheng stared at the door, all kinds of thoughts pouring in. Rong Yuan had only taken two Light Knights with him that day, and the other four Light Knights did not appear. The four of them should be guarding the Tower of Light, the Imperial Prison… and maybe some other places.

Where could his teacher, who had been hidden away by Rong Yuan, be now?

And the Tower of Light…

He had his head down, deep in thought, when he suddenly heard a deep, pleasant voice. “May I have this dance?”

Fu Yucheng was startled by this voice and his whole body froze in place.

For a moment, the only thing he felt was a layer of cold sweat covering his back.

He took a quiet breath and controlled his emotions, then slowly he raised his head.

The man in front of him was wearing a gorgeous Venetian-style mask. Amidst all sorts of inlaid gems and black crow feathers, Fu Yucheng could only see a pair of light brown eyes, as cold as glass.

Fu Yucheng looked into those eyes that he hadn’t seen in years, so strange yet familiar, and was unable to speak for a while.

“The music is about to begin.” Seeing that he hadn’t replied after a minute, the other man directly took hold of his waist, not allowing him to refuse, and pulled him onto the dance floor.

A soft waltz, the Blue Danube, slowly began to play, and everyone on the dance floor followed the music in unison, very pleasant to the eye.

Fu Yucheng lowered his eyes, making it hard to guess his thoughts.

“You’re not paying any attention. What are you thinking about?” The other man whispered as he made him twirl gently.

Fu Yucheng’s mouth twitched and he said dryly, “I’m wondering why would you invite a… stranger to dance?”

The man smiled faintly. “Because you remind me of a friend of mine.”

Fu Yucheng felt his hands get a bit clammy. “Really? But I’m wearing a mask, how would you know that?”

“Appearance is secondary… You have the exact same personality.” The man stared intently at him. “You’re both very cunning.”

“Cunning? That doesn’t seem like a good word to use to describe a friend.” Fu Yucheng laughed reluctantly.

“Indeed, it’s not an accurate description… I should rather say that he’s cunning, ruthless and cruel.” The man paused, then he asked slowly, “Do you want to know how we got to know each other?”

Fu Yucheng turned his head away and didn’t answer.

The man spoke unprompted. “When I was a child, I was rejected by almost all of my peers because of my outstanding psionic talent. At that time, I was very lonely, but I still had a lot of self-esteem, so I pretended to look down on them as well.”

He paused before continuing. “I had been pretending ever since I was just a few years old all the way until I was a teenager. By then, almost everyone thought that I was a loner, arrogant and inaccessible, except for this one friend. He wasn’t much older than me, but he had a lot of life experience already, and he was capable of seeing through people, and he saw through my poor heart at a glance. And he realized that it was an opportunity.

“He tried his best to approach me, trying to become friends with me. However, I didn’t appreciate it. I was as prickly as a hedgehog, refusing him repeatedly… I did not dare accept his kindness, and I hated people’s pity.”

Fu Yucheng muttered, “That was not pity.”

“Yes, I realized later that he didn’t pity me, and instead wanted to deceive me and use me.” The man smiled mockingly before continuing, “My friend was an extremely tenacious person, you see. Of course, he wouldn’t get frustrated and give up just because I refused him a few times. He repeatedly tested me and attempted everything he could to get me to come out of my shell.

“I was scared. I was hidden inside of my shell, rejecting him desperately, yet faintly yearning… He was like a warm flame in the cold winter. I knew it’d burn, yet I felt irresistibly attracted.

“Later, by chance… To sum it up, my hard shell collapsed like a dam after a rainstorm, completely destroyed. I finally accepted him and let him enter my life.”

Fu Yucheng murmured, “Then you became friends.”

The man smirked slightly. “Yes, friends. He was the sort of person that, once you get burnt by him, it’s hard to stop, and then you get consumed by the fire. During the next years, I was around him all day and completely lost myself. I would do everything he wanted to do, and I would do my best to help him. I didn’t care about the things he did, I just wanted to make him happy… I was simply possessed.”

“And he thought you were like-minded.” Fu Yucheng closed his eyes wearily.

The other man let out a sound similar to a chuckle. “Like-minded? That was the most ridiculous part. He would always be excited, talking about these weird ideals, speaking of an incomparably beautiful future… He seemed to shine. And I, I just admired him blindly, worshipped him, followed him… just like a shadow chasing the light, running after him desperately, for fear of being left in the dark.

“It wasn’t until a long time after that I understood… that his light was fake. His ideals were also false. Everything he showed me was false.

“He was, from head to toe, from the inside out, nothing but falsehood.”

The man whispered, “He pretended to be perfect, but he just wanted to use me. He loved power, he was full of lies, and he’d do anything to achieve his goals. And I was nothing but a tool for him to take advantage of, that was all.”

Fu Yucheng was silent for a long time before asking, “A tool? That’s what you think?”

“Was I not?” The man gritted his teeth and lowered his voice. “I finally realized, right before things became irreversible… He was caught off-guard and thrown into a panic by my counter-attack. Back then, he even had the galls to ask me why I betrayed him and why I killed his companions… He didn’t even consider how he had provoked me first, then deceived me, and finally took advantage of me.”

Fu Yucheng said in a dull voice, “He explained the matter to you.”

The man sneered. “Explained? He made up a big lie and deceived me for so many years… He had countless opportunities to confess the truth to me, but he chose to deceive me until the end. Until I discovered his true face and drove him to a desperate situation, only then did he admit it… However, he didn’t think he had acted wrong, or even that he owed me anything.”

He paused, and then shook his head as if laughing at himself. “But, even so, I still wasn’t able to be cruel to him. I put him in jail and tried every means of torture on him. I thought that, after being hurt, he’d understand that he had acted wrong. And after a few months, he actually relented and asked to see me.

“That day, I was very happy. I thought in advance about how I’d forgive him, and even secretly imagined how I’d hold him and comfort him if he cried.

“As a result, he attacked me by surprise. He snatched my knife and slit my throat without hesitation. I was in the intensive care unit in a coma for a whole week… Because of that incident, he was sentenced to death by the Central Court. I tried my best to save him and mediated to change the terms of his sentence. Everyone told me I was crazy.

“In the end, he was exiled to Earth,” the man whispered.

Fu Yucheng was silent for a long time before muttering softly, “Is that all? Have you forgotten what you did?”

The man said coldly, “Since he lied to me, it’s natural that he’d have to pay a small price for it. But I also know that he’s not the sort of person who would be willing to remain in exile for a lifetime. He’s the sort of person who likes to make waves.

“After all these years, I’ve also grown to understand that he’s simply like that. He craves power, he’s ruthless, he’s vulgar and full of lies… I acknowledge it. As long as he would come back to me, I’d give him everything.”

He closed his eyes, and then slowly said, “But this time, he’s taken the wrong path again. He found someone… who he thought he could use to deal with me.” The man’s voice was slow and soft. “Back in the day, he was willing to say anything, act friendly and display false enthusiasm in order to use me to deal with others. Now, what would he be able to give to others in order to use them to deal with me?”

He stared at the man before him, almost gritting his teeth, and enunciated clearly, “He made me… see him in a new light. I’m full of regrets. Why didn’t I ask him for more…?” He stared at Fu Yucheng intently. “For a man like him… Even if he wouldn’t want to do something in a million years, in order to achieve his goals, he’s capable of giving anything, selling anything… isn’t he?”

Fu Yucheng looked at the other man, not knowing anything to reply with.

“It seems that I was right.” Seeing him speechless, the man couldn’t help but sneer. “However, it’s not too late to make up for it. I’m still willing to give him another chance. As long as he takes the initiative to admit his mistakes, I can let those around him go free. I can also give him the power and wealth that he wants so much.”

He leaned forward slightly, his thin lips touching Fu Yucheng’s ear, and gently uttered a list of names, one by one. “Bai Mo, Mo Ziran, Song Lan, Old Sun, Grandpa Lu, Lin Su… and your teacher.”

Fu Yucheng closed his eyes and said, “That’s enough. Your Royal Highness, what do you want?”

Rong Yuan stared at the other man intensely, and spoke clearly. “Come back to my side.”

Fu Yucheng hesitated. “Do you want to… go back and be the same as before? Are we still friends?”

“No, not friends, not anymore.” Rong Yuan shook his head slightly. “I want you to be mine. I want you from head to toe, every hair, every breath, every drop of sweat, every shiver, I want all  of it to belong to me. No matter what I want to do to you, you won’t refuse, you will only obey gently… Fu Yucheng, am I clear enough?”

Fu Yucheng couldn’t bear it anymore and asked, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Since you can sell yourself to others, why can’t you sell yourself to me?” Rong Yuan asked coldly. “You never understood what I really wanted. At first, I respected you like a deity, never daring to overstep, not even slightly. I didn’t even dare to let you know what I desired. At that time, I never thought that you could actually… sell yourself in order to achieve your goal.”

As he spoke, Rong Yuan paused, unable to bear it anymore, the line of his jaw tightening.

Then, he slowly raised his eyelids and cast a cold glance at someone standing in a corner of the hall. “That Bai Mo, he is looking at us. He’s so pitiable, really, he doesn’t know anything. You’ve been playing with him, just like you were playing with me back then. But when I think about him touching you… I want to skin him alive.”

Fu Yucheng said coldly, “I don’t care what you are mad about or what grievances you have, or even if you come after me. However, the grievances between us have nothing to do with him.”

Rong Yuan stared at him, gritted his teeth lightly, and asked in a harsh tone, “Why are you so anxious to protect him? Do you like him? Could it actually be that you… caught feelings after he fucked you? You really are cheap.”

 

 

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