OL CH58

Chen Tian had no idea what Li Xiaochan was thinking, and if he did, he probably wouldn’t be pleased. However, the admiration in her eyes was crystal clear to him.

Having no ill will toward the female lead of this minor world to begin with, Chen Tian naturally didn’t mind lending her a hand.

Knowing that this world placed great importance on a woman’s reputation, and seeing that Li Zixiu had already lost consciousness, Chen Tian walked up to the female lead and comforted her, “You only need to tell your family about this. Do not leak it to anyone else, as it concerns your reputation.

As for Li Zixiu, leave him to us. I guarantee he won’t dare breathe a word of this.

Your family will be heading to town for business soon, right? If you encounter any difficulties, you can go to the bookstore and look for Manager Wang. He will help you contact the relevant proprietors and find a good place to settle, saving you some trouble.”

Hearing this, Li Xiaochan was naturally endlessly grateful.

The person before her was her savior, and now he had pointed out a clear path for her family. How could she not be thankful?

Li Xiaochan simply felt that Chen Tian was beautiful inside and out. Worried that her reputation would be damaged, he had specially comforted her.

She had attended their wedding earlier and naturally knew that the wife Scholar Bai had married seemed to have an extraordinary background.

Now, her respect and gratitude toward Chen Tian deepened even further. She said earnestly, “Thank you, Sister. I will engrave this great kindness in my heart. If there is ever an opportunity in the future, I will definitely repay you!”

Chen Tian’s mouth twitched at being called “Sister,” while Bai Su held back a laugh beside him.

However, he ultimately nodded and didn’t say anything like ‘there’s no need to repay us.’

After all, she was a future imperial merchant. If something were to happen in the country in the future, the Li family might actually prove useful. Accepting this favor from Li Xiaochan was a strategic move.

As for Li Zixiu, once Li Xiaochan left, Chen Tian directly had the remaining servants call for Manager Wang and handed the man over to him.

Because of Chen Tian’s kick, Li Zixiu was thoroughly ruined. Not only would he be impotent for the rest of his life, but his shattered foot bones also meant he would be a cripple forever.

Yet, having suffered such torment, he didn’t dare breathe a single word of it to the outside world.

Although Manager Wang appeared mild-mannered, someone who could be kept by the Second Prince’s side and highly trusted obviously possessed more than just ordinary methods.

Whatever Manager Wang did to him, Li Zixiu completely shut his mouth. He could only suppress the hatred in his heart, sinking into depression day by day.

Somehow, not long after, he contracted a gambling addiction just like in his past life. He and Li Ergou frequented the gambling dens together, living the same muddle-headed days as before.

One could easily imagine that their ultimate ending would likely be even more miserable than in their previous lives.

As for Li Xiaochan’s family, after instructing Manager Wang to look after them, Chen Tian paid them no more mind. He directly accompanied Bai Su to the capital to prepare for the upcoming metropolitan examination.

After returning to the capital, Chen Tian specifically made a quiet trip back to his own estate, but he didn’t widely announce his return.

The incident of Huo Tianchen’s disappearance had never been publicized. The First Prince, who knew the inside story best, was holding his troops back, seemingly waiting for an opportune moment to expose the news.

As for everyone else, they still believed the Second Prince was running errands near the border.

The tasks the old Emperor had entrusted to the original host had naturally been handled by Chen Tian’s subordinates long ago.

His low-profile return this time was partly to personally oversee the political situation in the capital, and partly to accompany his partner.

Although Chen Tian had arranged for a quiet, secluded courtyard the moment they entered the capital, they didn’t move in immediately. Instead, they stayed at the Zhuangyuan (Top Scholar) Pavilion, where many students resided.

The Zhuangyuan Pavilion gathered scholars from all over who had come for the exam, many of whom came from prominent families. Making friends through literature here was also a way to build connections with future colleagues.

Although Bai Su possessed extraordinary talent, he was adept at making friends, making people feel he was approachable and amiable. As a Jieyuan, he already had some fame, and after getting to know his character, the crowd admired him even more.

When the metropolitan examination concluded in February, Bai Su shone brightly, unsurprisingly taking first place as the Huiyuan.

As long as he performed well in the subsequent palace examination, he would absolutely secure a spot in the top three (the Sanjia).

Thus, after the metropolitan exam results were posted, a flood of people came to visit and congratulate him. Naturally, this also drew the curiosity and attention of many.

The crowd made plenty of inquiries and discovered that Bai Su had no major clan backing him, nor any famous mentors. To be able to claim the title of Huiyuan relying solely on his own abilities meant his talent was truly exceptional.

Since the political situation was currently unstable, considering Bai Su’s safety, Chen Tian didn’t reveal his special connection to the Second Prince’s estate. Bai Su handled social interactions flawlessly, never leaving any vulnerabilities for others to exploit.

However, the sheer number of visitors became truly exhausting. It was inconvenient for Chen Tian to show his face, so after discussing it with Bai Su, the two moved out together and relocated to the courtyard Chen Tian had prepared earlier.

With their own courtyard, Chen Tian had his people lock down some of the information, finally allowing Bai Su to enjoy some peace and quiet. He only met with a select few who were absolutely necessary.

Then, one day, Young General Qi and Pei Meng, the heir of the Marquis’s estate—who had just returned to the capital—found his courtyard and submitted a visiting card.

These two were Huo Tianchen’s confidants. If they knew the location, it was naturally because Chen Tian’s people had leaked it to them.

Ordinarily, a mere Huiyuan might not necessarily pique the interest of a Young General and a Marquis’s heir. However, they had previously received a letter from the old manager mentioning that Bai Su had once saved the Second Prince’s life.

Hearing further that this man possessed unfathomable talent and was highly regarded by the Second Prince, they figured they would likely be working together in the future and naturally wanted to make his acquaintance early on.

Chen Tian had long intended to introduce Bai Su to his inner circle. Hearing the news, he didn’t stop them. He simply gave Bai Su a brief introduction to the two men beforehand and decided to accompany his partner to meet them.

Thus, when Young General Qi and Pei Meng were ushered into the main hall by the gentle, jade-like Huiyuan, they discovered a tall, straight-backed man sitting in the seat of honor.

Seeing the familiar figure, Young General Qi quickened his pace. Crossing the threshold, he saw that the person sitting inside was indeed the Second Prince they served.

Young General Qi and Pei Meng exchanged a glance. Once they processed it, joy appeared on both their faces.

“Your Highness, why are you here?!” Young General Qi exclaimed. He had returned somewhat late and hadn’t seen Chen Tian since arriving in the capital. Seeing him now, Young General Qi was not only happy but deeply moved.

This dignified, seven-foot-tall man actually found his eyes growing red, unable to control his emotions.

He was the descendant of a military family and had served under the Second Prince at the border, fiercely loyal to Huo Tianchen. Back then, when he learned the Second Prince had been assassinated, he had been the most frantic of all.

Hurriedly lowering his head to hastily wipe his face, Young General Qi looked up and smiled at Chen Tian, “Your Highness, it is truly wonderful that you are safe!”

Chen Tian could see his deep loyalty and affection. Smiling, he nodded, stood up, walked over, and patted his shoulder. He then gestured for them all to sit down and talk slowly.

Young General Qi nodded. As soon as he sat down, he couldn’t wait to bombard Chen Tian with rapid-fire questions about the ambush, completely forgetting about Bai Su, the person they were actually supposed to be visiting.

“Thank you, Mister, for saving His Highness! Brother Qi just has this kind of temperament; please don’t take it to heart.”

Seeing this, Pei Meng hurriedly explained and smoothed things over with Bai Su.

Bai Su smiled and nodded, calmly taking a sip of tea. He conversed with Pei Meng from time to time, but his gaze remained fixed on Chen Tian and Young General Qi not far away.

Young General Qi was young, a sunny and handsome youth radiating vibrant energy.

At this moment, the youth was looking at Chen Tian with pure admiration, his eyes seeming to sparkle with starlight. This made Bai Su’s heart subconsciously sink.

He naturally knew exactly how outstanding his sweetheart was. It was perfectly reasonable for him to be admired and adored. Yet, actually seeing it still filled his heart with an uncontrollable, gloomy heaviness.

His sweetheart had said earlier that he wanted to tag along to casually introduce him to two of his confidants. Bai Su had originally been happy about it. But thinking about it now, to be considered confidants, they must be people Tianchen deeply trusted.

They had known Tianchen longer than he had, and were likely very close to him in daily life. They marched and fought together, sharing many experiences he had no part in. Just thinking about this made the jealousy stick to him like a shadow, slowly eroding his reason bit by bit.

Yet, no matter how his emotions churned, Bai Su’s face remained entirely impassive.

Once Young General Qi snapped out of it, he also felt apologetic for neglecting their host and hurriedly apologized to Bai Su.

Afterward, the four of them chatted together. On the surface, it seemed like both hosts and guests were having a delightful time.

However, when the conversation shifted to the internal political situation of the court—a topic Young General Qi was not adept at—he inevitably found it somewhat boring.

As the number one fanboy of Dongye’s God of War, Young General Qi’s attention remained firmly fixed on his idol.

So, after listening to them for a while, he found an opportunity to steer the topic back to Chen Tian.

Yet, the more admiration Young General Qi showed toward Chen Tian, the darker the shadows in Bai Su’s heart grew.

Although the person in his heart remained by his side, and the tone in which he spoke of him to the others was full of high regard, Bai Su still didn’t feel satisfied.

Their relationship had not been disclosed to these two men—a request Bai Su himself had made earlier.

Chen Tian respected his lover’s decision. Although he desperately wanted to publicly declare his ownership, he also knew that, at this current juncture, keeping their relationship hidden was the right move.

Rather than having Bai Su slapped with his label and subjected to strange looks and deliberate difficulties from those around them, it was better to let Bai Su demonstrate his own strength first. Once the people around them witnessed it, they would naturally be utterly convinced of Bai Su’s worth.

Moreover, even while conversing with Young General Qi and Pei Meng, Chen Tian kept part of his attention on Bai Su, constantly checking on his sweetheart’s state, and didn’t notice anything amiss.

Only Bai Su himself, who maintained a constant smile, knew clearly that his sanity was being chipped away bit by bit.

It was as if something ugly was slowly rearing its head from the depths of his soul, gradually causing his negative emotions to expand endlessly.

Bai Su knew the person he loved had a complicated identity, and his future would undoubtedly face immense resistance.

Favored sons of heaven like Young General Qi, who admired and adored the Second Prince, were everywhere. Could he truly remain in this person’s heart forever?

If one day, someone who better suited his tastes appeared, would Tianchen leave him?

The thought that all their past tender affection might one day belong to someone else—that if this man became Emperor, he might even have three palaces and six courtyards—made violence surge wildly in Bai Su’s heart.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck Bai Su’s chest. His mind went blank for a second, and he lost consciousness.