Limited Ambiguity Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Qi household.

Jiang Yunyue sat on the sofa, still wearing the expensive custom-made dress, but her hair was slightly disheveled, and her expression was not as calm as usual.

Jiang Qi had been in a daze since he got home. He lowered his head and stared at his palm, his fingers twitching as he muttered to himself, “I clearly had the trophy in my hand.”

Seemingly seeing a phantom scene, he spoke softly and dreamily, “I was holding the trophy on the award podium. I finished my acceptance speech, and everyone was staring at me, thinking I was great, I—”

“Jiang Qi!”

Suddenly interrupted, Jiang Qi’s smile faded, freezing into a rather stiff expression on his face.

Jiang Yunyue unceremoniously interrupted Jiang Qi’s fantasy, but her heart softened when her son looked over with a blank expression. “Jiang Qi, it’s okay. There will be other opportunities in the future. You are the son of the Qi family, the heir of the Qi family. Not only trophies, even stepping on Qi Yan is not a difficult thing!”

Jiang Qi stared at Jiang Yunyue, a hint of fear suddenly appearing on his face. “It’s impossible, it’s impossible!”

He remembered standing on the award podium, the cold gaze Qi Yan cast at him, sharp as a knife, causing him pain.

“The report submitted indicates that you were responsible for the data section. Can you explain how the second fixed value, SE=81.927, was calculated?”

This question was like a spell, instantly transporting him back to the awards ceremony, surrounded by the disdainful and mocking gazes of everyone, unable to do anything.

His hand resting on his thigh spasmed uncontrollably. “The second fixed quantity… I don’t know what the second fixed quantity is, why is it 81.927? I don’t know, I really don’t know, don’t ask me… don’t ask me!”

Jiang Yunyue furrowed her brow.

She hadn’t anticipated that a single awards ceremony and a few questions would frighten Jiang Qi so much so that he couldn’t even summon the courage to compete with Qi Yan again.

Her own son, Jiang Yunyue thought, how could he be so useless?

“In Leto, countless things happen every day, the spotlight will soon pass. You must endure. Once you become unassailable, who will still care about something as trivial as academic fraud?”

“Trivial? I’ve been expelled by Turan, everyone on the Starnet is criticizing me, calling me disgusting,” Jiang Qi exclaimed in fear, “The Alliance’s laws punish academic fraud severely. I could be imprisoned!”

Something seemed to dawn on him. “Mother, you clearly said that as long as I followed your instructions, nothing would happen!”

Jiang Yunyue couldn’t believe it. “Are you blaming me?”

“Shouldn’t I? I did everything you told me to!”

Jiang Yunyue’s face darkened. “Who did I do all this for? I brought you out of the ordinary residential area, transformed you into the young master of the Qi family, helped you establish yourself in the upper echelons of Leto society! Made you shine! And now, you’re blaming me?”

“For me? Isn’t it for yourself?” Jiang Qi retorted bitterly. “I’m just a means for you to win over Qi Wenshao, just a bargaining chip for you to marry into the Qi family! You wanted me to compete with Qi Yan just to vent the frustration of being overshadowed by Lin Zhi! You wanted me to please Qi Wenshao, to excel at Turan, it’s all for your own benefit!”

As Jiang Qi spoke, he felt a sense of liberation. Yes, it was all his mother’s doing! And he became even more unrestrained in his words. “If it weren’t for me, do you think you could secure the position of Mrs. Qi? You’re just someone who climbs to the top by any means necess—”

Before Jiang Qi could utter that final word, Jiang Yunyue slapped him hard across the face.

This son is already beyond redemption.

At that moment, the door swung open, and Qi Wenshao, wearing a long dark grey overcoat, hurriedly stepped inside.

Jiang Yunyue, whose face was livid, instantly burst into tears, and her hand that had hit Jiang Qi clenched into a fist.

This time, Qi Wenshao seemed to pay no heed to Jiang Yunyue’s tears. He stood a few steps away. “The evidence of your academic fraud is conclusive. Once the arrest warrant is issued, the police will come knocking.”

Jiang Yunyue looked at Qi Wenshao through tear-filled eyes, her lips moving but producing no sound.

Qi Wenshao grew impatient, suppressing his anger. “Who are you crying for? I’ve only been gone a few days, and you two have already stirred up such a mess! Not satisfied with tarnishing the reputation of the Qi family?”

Jiang Yunyue wiped away her tears, choked up. “It’s not like that. You know, Lin Zhi is so clever, and Qi Yan has inherited all of her traits. He doesn’t want to see me and Jiang Qi anymore, so he deliberately targeted us!”

Having spent over twenty years with Qi Wenshao, Jiang Yunyue knew exactly where his vulnerabilities lay.

Why was it that despite her mediocrity and mere hint of cleverness, she still garnered Qi Wenshao’s favor? It was simply because Lin Zhi was too beautiful and too brilliant.

Qi Wenshao was indeed smitten at first sight, enamored by Lin Zhi’s beauty and the elusive aura she exuded. He couldn’t fathom Lin Zhi, and desperately wanted to understand her.

However, he gradually realized that there was an insurmountable gap between genius and ordinary people. He couldn’t grasp the goals Lin Zhi pursued, nor could he comprehend the theorems and experiments she casually mentioned.

Standing beside Lin Zhi, his self-esteem crumbled to dust, replaced by an overwhelming sense of inferiority.

Hence, she had the opportunity to get close to Qi Wenshao, bolstering his wounded pride.

She remembered vividly that at the age of two, Qi Yan had already displayed intelligence and logical abilities far surpassing ordinary people. Jiang Qi, only three months younger than Qi Yan, had average looks and intellect, and even learned everything slowly. She worried deeply. Yet, after some time, she realized that Qi Wenshao detested Qi Yan and favored Jiang Qi instead—because Qi Yan resembled her mother, triggering feelings of inferiority and fear in Qi Wenshao.

In their conversations, Qi Wenshao would even refer to Qi Yan as “the little monster.”

Mocking this man’s fragile ego, she found her opportunity and gradually secured her current position.

After listening to Jiang Yunyue’s words, Qi Wenshao saw Jiang Yunyue’s tear-streaked face and Jiang Qi’s bewildered expression, as if he were their only reliance and pillar of support. His anger dissipated a little.

Qi Wenshao knew that Jiang Yunyue and Jiang Qi possessed a limited kind of cleverness, but faced with any real challenge, they’d crumble, utterly lost and without direction.

Qi Wenshao’s voice softened. “This has escalated. When the police come knocking, cooperate. According to Alliance law, imprisonment will be for at least nine months or more. But I’ll hire the best lawyer and pay hefty fines.”

Jiang Qi wanted to say something but was stopped by a single glance from Jiang Yunyue.

Qi Wenshao: “Once you’re released from the prison, Jiang Qi, you won’t be able to attend Turan Academy anymore. It’s best to stay away from Leto for now. Find another school. Yunyue, let go of the foundations and charity projects you’re managing. Leave with Jiang Qi to avoid the limelight.”

Jiang Yunyue panicked. If she really left Leto, would the position of Madam Qi still be hers when she returned? But she knew that right now, she and Jiang Qi could only rely on Qi Wenshao. So, she obediently said, “I understand. We’ll follow your arrangements.” With that, her eyes welled up again.

Qi Wenshao comforted her. “As long as we’re not involved with the military, it’s easily solvable. It’s just a Roentgen Award. Don’t worry, I’ll get you both out soon.”

Jiang Yunyue nodded tearfully. “We’ll wait for you.”

No one knew what she was truly thinking.

The next day, the front page of the Leto Daily featured images of Jiang Yunyue and Jiang Qi being escorted away from the Qi residence by the police. For a while, discussions about the Roentgen Award heated up on the Starnet once again.

And on the front page of this issue of the Leto Daily, there were two bold lines in pure black.

One line read: “Nie Huaiting, you’re a warmonger!”

The other line read: “Klimo, you have a tunnel vision!”

The former referred to Nie Huaiting, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Space Force, current Commander of the Central Army, and a four-star general of the Alliance. The latter, Woodrow Klimo, was the Commander of the Joint Operations Command, also a four-star general of the Alliance.

Nie Huaiting was a staunch advocate of the hawks, a symbol of the pro-war factions. In his inaugural speech, he vowed to spare no effort to eradicate the rebels during his tenure, fighting for the stars of the Alliance.

Klimo, on the other hand, was a proponent of the doves, advocating for peace. He believed that the rebels shared the same origins as the Alliance and publicly stated that although they have gone in different directions due to the Great Technological Catastrophe, if one day the rebels were willing to return to the Alliance, they would still be brethren.

The two had been at odds for a long time, often openly criticizing each other. However, due to the long-term deployment of the Expeditionary Force on the front lines of the Southern Cross Region for nearly a decade, where they had been suppressing the rebel forces for nearly a decade, they achieved great military exploits. Lu Fenghan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force, was also closely associated with Nie Huaiting, so Nie Huaiting had always had the upper hand over Klimo.

It was unheard of for their public spats to make the front page headlines of the Leto Daily, let alone for Klimo to openly accuse Nie Huaiting of “warmonger.”

Seeing Lu Fenghan not flipping through the front page, Qi Yan, chewing on his bread, asked him, “What are you looking at?”

“The repercussions of the Expeditionary Force’s secondary defeat on October 3rd have begun to manifest,” Lu Fenghan said. Looking up, he saw that Qi Yan’s cheek was bulging, and there was a circular arc bitten out of the bread slice. His originally stern expression softened instantly.

Qi Yan’s current expression reminded him of a hamster. He couldn’t help but think that there couldn’t possibly be a hamster in the entire Alliance that looked as cute as Qi Yan.

Qi Yan swallowed his food, finished reading the front page, and continued Lu Fenghan’s statement, “Because of the consecutive defeats on the front lines, the Expeditionary Force have retreated to York Star. So, General Nie Huaiting’s influence has waned, and the doves are gaining ground?”

“Not just that.” Lu Fenghan twiddled his fingers. “The successive surprise attacks and assassinations of individuals on the blacklist by the rebels have instilled fear in the ordinary populace, acting as a catalyst.”

His tone was somber. “When everyone feels afraid and apprehensive, the distinctions between war and peace, hawks and doves, lose their meaning. In the end, the military is but a blade of the Alliance, and its handle is firmly gripped by every citizen of the Alliance.”

“To yield without fighting? We’re not there yet.”

“Indeed, but the signs have emerged.” Lu Fenghan’s tone betrayed neither joy nor anger. “Klimo dares to accuse Nie Huaiting of warmongering and disregarding human life. He’s got some nerve, that old coot. The reason the military holds a special status within the Alliance today is because, among peers in the military and politics, military personnel typically outrank their civilian counterparts by at least half a rank. Even a colonel like Meng Ge appearing at the Qi family’s celebration banquet would be lavishly praised by everyone because of the ongoing frontline conflicts.”

He didn’t shy away from criticizing the Commander of the Joint Operations Command. “Klimo has tasted the sweetness of power and wants to ensure the military maintains its superior status indefinitely. He fears the day when the rebels are completely wiped out, leaving the Alliance with no more wars to fight.”

Seeing the words “warmonger” on the front page, Lu Fenghan snorted. “He’d love it if the Expeditionary Force suffered a couple more defeats, prolonging the confrontation with the rebels on the front line for decades.”

Qi Yan pondered for a moment. “This isn’t good.”

“Everyone knows it’s not good. How many lives are lost in even a minor skirmish? Perhaps in Klimo’s eyes, the casualty reports and damage assessments submitted each time are just numbers.”

Lu Fenghan’s sarcasm grew more pronounced. “If Klimo were in power, I’d believe he would sign a ceasefire agreement with the rebels tomorrow and hand over the entire Southern Cross Region to the rebels.”

Qi Yan sensed Lu Fenghan’s irritation and frustration.

He calculated the progress of “Pojun”, then reassured Lu Fenghan, “I will work harder.”

Work harder to finish “Pojun” sooner.

Lu Fenghan was amused by his earnest promise. “What are you working harder for?” He bent his fingers and touched Qi Yan’s face with his knuckles. “You, you should first work harder to eat and gain some weight.”

After breakfast, Qi Yan took Lu Fenghan to school. As they entered the classroom, they heard Mondrian saying, “…the relentless efforts of countless individuals, day and night…”

Seeing Qi Yan enter, Xia Zhiyang exclaimed excitedly, “I was just listening to you talk about voluntarily giving up the Roentgen Award, and the next second, you’re here in front of me!”

Qi Yan took his seat and asked, “Are you guys watching yesterday’s awards ceremony?”

“Yes, wasn’t the Roentgen Award ceremony supposed to be live? I missed it at the time, so now I can only find videos to watch. But the views are amazing, even higher than the live broadcast of Fugilina’s concert!” Xia Zhiyang exclaimed excitedly. “You guys are so cool!”

Qi Yan thought of the other teams that went on stage later and borrowed Xia Zhiyang’s adjective. “Yeah, they were all so cool.”

” ‘Here, all glory belongs to truth!’ I just found out that this sentence is written on the stone tablet at the entrance of the school’s Museum Hall!” Xia Zhiyang beamed with pride, then sighed. “But Turan is too big. It’s my second year here, and I’ve never wandered over to the Museum Hall, so I didn’t know there was a stone tablet there. Can’t blame me, really.”

Qi Yan thought, he was the same. Since he enrolled, he had been going back and forth between the classroom and the laboratory. When he was free, he would go to the library

Xia Zhiyang’s cherubic face was full of smiles, his enthusiasm palpable. “Oh, right, right! I was just thinking, the image of Jiang Qi and his mom being taken away by the police was so refreshing! I felt so liberated from head to toe! And really, I don’t understand, why go through the trouble of cheating? So what if you’re not top-notch academically? As long as you’re not stealing or causing harm, isn’t striving to graduate good enough?”

After finishing, Xia Zhiyang shot a sly glance at Qi Yan. “Actually, what I really want to ask is, did anything interesting happen on your way to the classroom just now?”

Qi Yan carefully recalled his memories. “Nothing, just that there were more people on the road today.”

Xia Zhiyang clutched his chest dramatically. “What a disappointment! I came to school early and overheard several groups of people planning to intercept you and confess their feelings to you, but not a single one actually did it?”

Before Qi Yan could respond, Lu Fenghan spoke up. “Confess?”

His tone carried a hint of displeasure.

“Yes, actually quite a few people have had their eye on Qi Yan for a while now, but Qi Yan seems aloof and hard to approach, so they’ve only dared to admire from afar. This time at the awards ceremony, Qi Yan garnered even more admiration, so those who had been watching from afar realized the competition was fiercer and planned to confess first!”

Lu Fenghan’s tone carried an unintentional hostility. “The Alliance’s Strongest Spendthrift still have time for such nonsense?”

“You can’t say that. The gender ratio at our school is pretty balanced, and relationships formed out of love contribute to human reproduction!” Xia Zhiyang countered, then added, “Of course, the school across the river has a severely imbalanced gender ratio. It’s a whole different story there, with everyone being brothers-in-arms, so let’s not discuss that.”

Lu Fenghan recalled—so all those people who kept blocking the way were planning to confess to Qi Yan?

Confess?

Ha, overestimating themselves.

Xia Zhiyang touched the metal ring on his earlobe. “Hey, Qi Yan, could it be that because he’s always by your side, others dare not approach?”

“He” naturally referred to Lu Fenghan.

Lu Fenghan thought, was this a way to prevent Qi Yan from bringing him along to give those unknown people a chance to get close?

Lu Fenghan leaned back in his chair, eyes darkening as he spoke, “On the contract I signed, it’s written that I’m responsible for protecting my employer’s safety at all times and in all places.”

He looked at Qi Yan. “Isn’t that right?”

Qi Yan nodded. “Yes, he protects me.”

Hearing this, Lu Fenghan felt a bit relieved.

It seems I need to be more vigilant in the future. Can’t let Little Delicate be swayed by others.

If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))