Chapter 26: This Old Guy Wants to Force You into a Dead End.
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All preparations were in place, and the departure was imminent. Deputy Nord came to Zhao Jiu for the final consultation.
Their marshal had a furrowed brow, and Nord’s heart followed suit. “Twenty minutes ago, traces of star thieves were discovered in the CJ36 Nebula. We will depart at ten o’clock tonight and can arrive by one in the morning. Marshal?”
It was currently six in the evening, leaving them with four hours.
With no news from Song Youji, Zhao Jiu was restless. Unable to leave with peace of mind, he said, “Execute the plan as scheduled. I need to go out for a while and will be back within half an hour.”
Nord pondered for a moment and asked, “Is the Marshal going to the hospital?”
“Yes. Contact me if there’s anything.”
The journey from the base to the capital hospital was a twenty-minute drive. Zhao Jiu took only eight minutes. The spaceship landed in the hospital’s open space, and when Zhao Jiu came out, he saw Siwan from the Pulan family at the entrance.
Originally, he didn’t want to pay attention to the other party, solely intending to find Song Youji. However, Siwan walked up to him, hands on hips, with an annoyed expression.
“Hey, even if you’re the marshal, you can’t just abduct people privately! Where did you take Song Jing?!” Siwan questioned.
Song Jing was in trouble? Zhao Jiu’s heart sank. Where was Song Youji?!
He didn’t answer Siwan’s question and walked straight into the hospital. Siwan, ignored, felt flustered but still managed to follow. “I just talked to him on the phone not long ago. We agreed to meet, but after coming, I couldn’t find him. Did your people take him away?!”
“Don’t make a fuss,” Zhao Jiu, already feeling irritated, was still being merciful by not pushing him aside directly.
He entered Song Youji’s ward, and through the glass, he saw Song Youji peacefully sleeping on the bed, with a rosy complexion and steady breathing.
Thank goodness, he was still here.
Zhao Jiu breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to push open the door when a doctor walked out. It was a face he didn’t recognize, short and slim. Zhao Jiu had seen him before; he used to be part of the team that treated him.
“Why is it you? Where’s Song Jing?” Zhao Jiu asked.
“Dr. Song went to deliver medicine to the marshal,” Baipu smiled. “If I had known the marshal would come personally, he wouldn’t have needed to make the trip.”
Zhao Jiu looked up at Song Youji. “How is he? Is he awake?”
Baipu said, “Mr. Song is fine now, just a coma caused by excessive nervousness. He woke up an hour ago, had dinner, and went back to sleep.”
“That’s good.” A big stone hanging in his heart finally dropped. Zhao Jiu’s eyes softened as he looked at the somewhat blurry face of Song Youji behind the glass. He whispered, “Let him sleep. Don’t disturb him. When he wakes up, tell him I left a letter for him with the old man.”
“Alright.” Baipu’s smile deepened.
Reluctantly, Zhao Jiu glanced at Song Youji once more before turning to leave.
Siwan, stiff against the wall, waited until Zhao Jiu left before rushing to Baipu. He questioned, “Did he go to the hospital to deliver medicine? I just talked to my senior not long ago and said I would come to see him. Did your people take him away?!”
“Young Master, the hospital has to keep patient information confidential. Dr. Song will be back soon. If you want to wait for him, you can go to his office.”
Siwan never liked Baipu, this sycophantic person. However, from their conversation, it seemed that Song Jing did indeed have something to do and had gone out. Then why did he answer the phone just now?
Siwan couldn’t make sense of it.
At half past nine in the evening, the anesthesia had worn off, and Song Youji woke up.
The room, both inside and outside, was crowded with people. Father Zhao stood by the bed, being interviewed by reporters.
“For the matter of the Song family deceiving in marriage, we choose to forgive. But we, the Zhao family, will never form a kinship with people full of lies. I, representing my son Zhao Jiu, who is about to embark on a distant mission, formally announce to everyone that the engagement between the Zhao and Song families has been annulled. From today onwards, Song Youji has no relationship with our family.”
After saying this, Father Zhao turned and left, leaving behind Song Youji, who had just woken up, to face the reporters’ bombardment. Flashes of lights made it difficult for him to open his eyes, and reporters fired questions like rapid-fire cannons, making him feel overwhelmed.
“Mr. Song, you have never directly responded to your relationship with Marshal Zhao. Is it true that you forced him into an engagement?”
“Mr. Song, what methods did you use to make the marshal comply? Was it with this face of yours?”
“Mr. Song, we heard that you disguised as an Omega and faked a pregnancy. Is that true?”
“Mr. Song…”
“Mr. Song…”
“….”
Song Youji felt dizzy. In the all-white hospital room, the reporters’ questions felt like thorns piercing his heart.
He clenched the bedsheets, filled with unwillingness, embarrassment, and resentment, flooding his heart.
Father Zhao only mentioned cooperating with him to put on a show for Zhao Jiu, but he didn’t tell him there would be reporters arranged.
Even if Father Zhao didn’t say it, he planned to leave the capital. However, with this move from Father Zhao, it seemed like he wanted to make him completely unwelcome in the capital and even in the entire Keya Country.
“I…”
A microphone had already been thrust into Song Youji’s mouth. The male reporter beside the bed was dressed in a neat suit, his hair perfectly combed, looking sophisticated, yet his eyes were full of utilitarianism and madness.
“Mr. Song, do you find it difficult to speak about the forced engagement? Then why did you do it?”
“Mr. Song, do you know the ancient saying on Blue Star, ‘When you erect a memorial archway, even for a b*stard, you should establish a facade’? How do you view this saying?”
“Before deceiving Marshal Zhao, did you also deceive others?”
“It is widely known that Beta has a low pregnancy rate and cannot be marked. Did you easily manipulate Alphas with this identity?”
The questions they asked became more and more unpleasant, and Song Youji felt like a rabbit thrown into a snake pit, with countless malicious eyes staring at him, wanting to peel him apart and extract all his value, but he couldn’t escape.
“What are you doing! This is a hospital. Who allowed you to come in! Get out! Or I’ll call the police!”
Outside the hospital room, Siwan held an old-fashioned fire extinguisher, dispersing the gathering of reporters in the hallway. He then rushed into the hospital room, pushing away the most intrusive journalists by the bedside.
He just took a nap in Song Jing’s office, so how did so many reporters come, all directed at Song Youji?!
“Get out, who allowed you to come in!” Siwan shouted.
The reporters recognized him as someone from the Pulan family, redirecting their focus onto him. “Young Master, we heard that before Song Youji’s deception, the Zhao family intended to form an alliance with the Pulan family but was intercepted by Song Youji. What are your thoughts on this?”
“I think your old man is an idiot, get lost! I’m calling the police.” Siwan pulled a pendant from his neck, turning it into a makeshift cudgel. He pointed it at the reporters, “Which companies are you all from? I’ll report each of you to the tax bureau for tax evasion!”
Siwan’s words were more effective than any threat. The tax issue could be big or small, and each company had its own tax evasion methods. With his sister working at the tax bureau, this group of people was willingly providing achievements.
The threat worked wonders; the reporters looked at each other and soon all ran out of the ward.
Until everyone was gone, Song Youji hadn’t yet emerged from the suffocating and oppressive atmosphere. He could already imagine the bloody storm that would follow. Once the hat of deception was firmly placed on his head, it would be impossible to remove.
“Youji, what happened?” Siwan asked.
He suddenly remembered Song Jing’s inexplicable phone call, his own medical examination a few days ago arranged by his big brother, and the sight of Baipu that Zhao Jiu saw when he came. These seemingly unrelated things suddenly formed a speculation in his mind.
He excitedly grabbed Song Youji’s hand, saying, “Youji, when I came, I encountered…”
“Siwan!”
A familiar voice sounded at the door, interrupting what he wanted to say.
Siwan’s father stood at the door, and next to him was Zhao Jiu’s father, Zhao Tong. Both were dressed grandly today, wearing the same sly fox-like smile on their faces. He beckoned to Siwan, “Come and greet your Uncle Zhao.”
Siwan looked at his father, then at Father Zhao, instantly understanding the purpose of them tricking him into coming. He asked, “Where’s Song Jing?! Where did you take him?!”
“The one surnamed Song is safe, but I can’t guarantee what will happen to him if you don’t behave.” Siwan’s father was shrewd and ruthless. He looked at Song Youji with contempt.
These two brothers from the Song family had always been the biggest stumbling block on the road to alliance between their families and the Zhao family. Now, dealing with them at once was indeed fortunate.
Siwan lowered his head, glaring fiercely at his father. He had always been the most favored child in the family, but his father, with a strong personality, disliked his Omega status. He had been trying to choose a suitable husband for him. Without the support of his mother and brother, Siwan couldn’t dare to act spoiled and willful in front of his father.
To be manipulated by these two old folks! Siwan felt indignant and decided to complain to his mother when he got back.
But for now, he had to obey his father’s orders and walked out with his head down.
Zhao Tong nodded approvingly at him, deliberately speaking for Song Youji to hear, “You should know, AO pairings are destined to be together, throughout history, it has always been so.”
After saying that, the three of them left the hospital, leaving Song Youji alone to digest everything that had just happened.
At 10:40, the Three Summer Legion had already left the Nine Heavens System, and Song Jing, controlled by Deputy General Zhao Tong, finally regained his freedom. He snatched back his phone, gave a fierce glare to the people who had guarded him, and hurriedly ran back to Song Youji’s hospital room, anxious to talk about everything that had just transpired.
The entire floor was very quiet. Song Youji’s ward only had him, and there were no lights on. He sat quietly, facing the pitch-black night outside the window.
“Youji, did they do anything to you?!” Song Jing asked.
Song Youji didn’t move at all, resembling a stone statue. Song Jing was worried that he wanted to come around to see him, but at this moment, Song Youji spoke, “Big brother, I want to leave here, the sooner, the better.”
His voice had no fluctuations, sounding very calm.
But the calmer it sounded, the deeper the disappointment and sadness it seemed to contain.
Song Jing didn’t press on to inquire what had happened in the past few hours. He just put a hand on Song Youji’s shoulder and replied, “Okay.”
On the second day of the Three Summer Legion’s expedition, the news of the Song family’s deception occupied the headlines of all the media in the Keya Country. It was the interview in the hospital room that day, removing Siwan’s part and leaving only Father Zhao’s announcement of canceling the engagement and the bewildered Song Youji on the hospital bed.
After many days of heated discussions, Song Youji finally revealed his true appearance. He indeed had a face that could make people pause for breath, a beautiful and cold temperament like a camellia flower. Such an Omega could make any Alpha in the world fall for him, sacrifice everything, or even give up their lives.
But he was just a Beta.
This meant that his beauty, his temperament, would only make people sigh in regret: It’s a pity he’s a Beta.
“I didn’t expect Song Youji to be so good-looking, but it’s a pity he’s a Beta.”
“Don’t know what to say. Congratulations to the Marshal for getting rid of the Song family.”
“cccccc—What’s wrong with being a Beta?! Don’t forget that some people are also Bs. B is the majority in this world, right?”
“Beauty enthusiasts are ecstatic, but deception is intolerable. Beta might be numerous, but AO love is the right path. Without pheromones, incomplete reproductive development, how can Betas match with Alphas?”
“Don’t let the beauty lead you astray. It’s still deception. The Marshal, an S-level Alpha that appears once every few centuries, should find a legitimate Omega. Why should he marry a Beta?”
“The important thing is deception! Deception! Deception! No matter how good-looking, still a snake in the heart!”
“…”
On the way home, every large screen played photos of Song Youji in the hospital room with the same title, the same scene. The news cycled through the streets and alleys of the capital. Neighbors and friends all knew that Song Youji was the one who deceived a person into marriage, and the door of Song Jing’s apartment was also painted with the words “deception.”
Although they had some grievances about Song Youji and Zhao Jiu’s engagement, they didn’t dare to offend the Zhao family after the two families were going to get married. Now that they knew the Song family was deceiving others and both families had torn their faces, now everyone could step on the Song family. They could also use the guise of upholding justice to vent their dissatisfaction with life.
Seeing those things, Song Jing had no reaction. He just made a call to the property management. The apartment was equipped with surveillance cameras everywhere, and such behavior would only land the troublemaker in prison.
“I checked the recent flights. The only flight leaving the planet is to the Fairy System a week later. The environment in the Fairy System is complex, and you’ll encounter many problems there. But within the Keya Country, there’s a place with limited information, but pleasant surroundings. It used to be under the jurisdiction of the Kexi Country. After the merger, due to lack of management, it gradually fell out of modernization.”
“Xiaoman City?”
“Yes. Xiaoman City is surrounded on three sides by mountains and on one side by water. There’s even a magnetic field in the sky to prevent spaceships from entering. Although it’s a bit backward in terms of lifestyle, it’s actually a very suitable place to live.”
Song Youji looked at the packed luggage in the living room and his siblings silently watching him from the corner. He felt infinitely lonely in his heart and asked, “What will you do after I leave?”
“The hospital needs me. My job won’t be stopped because of this. In the end, we haven’t committed any crimes. At most, we’ll face some gossip for a while. You don’t need to worry.”
But if he left like this, wouldn’t Song Jing and his siblings have to endure the disdain of those people on their own?
Song Jing saw through his concerns and said, “People gossip about this not because they really care about the Zhao family. Essentially, it’s the curiosity and herd mentality in their hearts. If they don’t talk about this, they’ll find other gossip to discuss. Don’t worry; it won’t take long before they get attracted to other things.”
“I hope you can live well and return to the right track.”
Song Youji understood what Song Jing meant. He also hoped to return to his previous life, without the need for great wealth or excessive attention. Just being able to do what he liked with family and friends around would already be a great blessing.
But now everything was ruined. He even dared not look at his own photos on the way, afraid to hear his name called out by others. He had always been obedient from childhood, never causing trouble. Although not particularly likable, he got along well with others, and no one would dislike him.
Now?
A fraud, a heart like a snake, debauchery… So many unbearable words almost crushed him.
The two brothers reached an agreement. Song Youji would take the train to Xiaoman City tomorrow, a journey of forty-eight hours.
Before that, Song Youji had to resign with Jia Suiyu. He had turned off his phone, and this time, he didn’t plan to inform anyone when leaving. However, Jia Suiyu had helped him a lot, and as the immediate superior, Song Youji had to inform her.
He called Jia Suiyu with Song Lan’s phone. As it was an unknown number, Jia Suiyu answered only after two attempts, asking coldly who he was.
“Sister Jia…” When Song Youji spoke, Jia Suiyu’s tone became stimulated.
“Where are you, Song Youji?! I told you that if something happened, you must tell me. You didn’t say a word and even turned off your phone. You worried us to death!”
Song Youji was momentarily speechless. “Sister Jia…”
“Alright, alright, you don’t need to say anything. I already know what happened. I sent someone to investigate. The media reports were bought by an old man surnamed Zhao. He wants to force you away while his son is away. Your information is already on the aviation blacklist. Now, the only places you can go are remote planets.” Jia Suiyu sounded indignant. “This old guy wants to push you onto a dead end.”
Song Jing tried, and indeed, only tickets to some remote planets were available. Either icy landscapes or perilous jungles, making him curse softly, “D*mn old man.”
Did Zhao Tong want him dead? Song Youji felt as lifeless as ashes, his whole body devoid of strength.
Jia Suiyu continued, “Come to see me tomorrow. I have an approval document for establishing a branch. Bring a few trustworthy people with you and help me manage the branch. The location is in Xiaoman City. Although it’s far, the environment is good…”
“Take me, take me! I’m strong!” Talina’s voice came from the other side.
“Count me in too. My grandfather is from Xiaoman City,” Tan Yi also chimed in.
Jia Suiyu scolded them to be quiet, then said to Song Youji, “One thing you can be assured of is that with me around, that old guy Zhao Tong won’t dare to do anything to you.”
Jia Suiyu continued, “One thing you can rest assured about is that with me around, that old guy Zhao Tong wouldn’t dare to do anything to you.”
Nearly a day had passed since the incident, and Song Youji felt the urge to cry for the first time. Holding the phone, he sobbed, “Sister Jia, thank you. Thank you all.”
“Alright, stop crying. Pack your things, and I’ll pick you up tomorrow. See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.”
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