Chapter 67: The Weight of Secrets and a Risky Deal

A long sigh of relief escaped Chi Congyu as she finally departed, murmuring to herself.

“Phew,” she exhaled, a profound sense of relief washing over her. “My dear wife couldn’t have possibly noticed I was withholding information from her, could she? May the Holy Light protect me! I pray she didn’t, or else! I certainly don’t wish to spend another year kneeling on that washboard! Honestly, it’s all Grandpa’s fault for making me conceal the news. But why must I hide it from my beloved wife? Ah, forget it, no point dwelling on it. My best bet is to make a swift getaway.”

Soaring through the air on her long spear, Chi Congyu departed from St. Sea International Academy with impressive speed. Yet, her heart remained aflutter with anxiety throughout the journey, a nervous tremor that inexplicably diminished her pace. Was this truly the burden of a henpecked spouse? Surely, none of you, my esteemed readers, can relate to such a predicament, can you? No, surely not, *pfft*.

****

Having already changed for bed, Ouyang Xiyue lay restless, his thoughts spiraling as he struggled to process the evening’s revelations. He spent a moment sifting through his memories, mentally arranging the fragments of information Chi Congyu had imparted.

A persistent feeling of unease nagged at Ouyang Xiyue, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint its source. What precisely felt wrong? He mused, ‘Hmm…’

As Ouyang Xiyue pondered, a sudden spark ignited in his mind. He swiftly retrieved his phone, illuminating the screen, and opened a blog application. Typing “Ouyang Xiu” into the search bar, he watched as several related keywords appeared below, one of them glaringly prominent:

“Ouyang Xiu, the Continent’s Strongest Fire Element Controller, Shares a Profound Connection with Ren Linglong, Saintess of the Holy Light Church.”

“Ouyang Xiu, the Continent’s Strongest Fire Element Controller, Fathered an Illegitimate Child with Ren Linglong, Saintess of the Holy Light Church.”

Countless similar headlines proliferated across the screen. Ouyang Xiyue gazed at them, his mind struggling to fully grasp the implications; this news, to him, was nothing short of a bombshell.

For as long as Ouyang Xiyue could recall, his mother had been absent from his life. His memories offered only the faintest impression: a fleeting silver silhouette, a face too blurred to discern clearly. Yet, the elegant contours hinted at a woman of unparalleled beauty. And that potent aura—his mother, he was certain, had been a formidable powerhouse…

A deluge of information, like a rushing river, surged into Ouyang Xiyue’s mind. He felt a heavy dullness, his thoughts momentarily scattered and blank, yet just as swiftly, he snapped back to full awareness.

Ouyang Xiyue’s mind now swirled with a multitude of perplexing questions. What had truly transpired all those years ago? Who, precisely, was his mother? What was the actual nature of the relationship between his father, Ouyang Xiu, and Ren Linglong, the Saintess of the Holy Light Church? Could the whispers and rumors truly hold such devastating truth?

Could the Saintess of the Holy Light Church truly be his mother? If that were the case, why was such a monumental fact kept hidden from the world? What profound secrets lay buried beneath this enigma? What had truly transpired?

In that instant, Ouyang Xiyue became a walking embodiment of a thousand unanswerable questions. He yearned for every truth, desperate to uncover the identity of his mother.

After a brief moment to compose himself, Ouyang Xiyue tapped his phone screen once more, dialing Chi Congyu, who had departed just moments prior. The phone buzzed with an expectant ring. Five seconds stretched into ten, then fifteen, only to be met by the familiar, slightly automated voice: “The number you have dialed cannot be reached at this time. Please try again later…”

Presuming Chi Congyu was simply too preoccupied with her journey to notice or hear the calls, Ouyang Xiyue proceeded to dial her number three or four more times in quick succession. Each attempt, however, returned the identical, disheartening message: “The number you have dialed cannot be reached at this time. Please try again later…”

Even then, Ouyang Xiyue wrestled with his thoughts. ‘Perhaps the surrounding noise was simply too overwhelming for her to hear,’ he mused. Opting for one final attempt, he dialed the number again, clinging to a sliver of desperate hope. This time, the automated response was markedly different: “We’re sorry, the mobile phone you are calling is currently switched off. Please try again later…”

A flicker of irritation now sparked within Ouyang Xiyue, yet he maintained a surprising degree of calm. ‘Well, well, Chi Congyu,’ he mused, a dangerous glint in his eyes. ‘So you’ve become quite audacious, haven’t you? Barely two days into your mission and you’ve already grown so bold. Fine, fine. If that’s how it is, just watch me make you regret it.’

****

The scene transitioned. Chi Congyu, already fraught with apprehension on her journey, suddenly flinched at the abrupt ringing of her phone. She gradually slowed her pace, retrieving her device to reveal the caller ID on its screen.

“❤️My Dearest, Dearest, Dearest Wife❤️”

One could only describe the label as incredibly saccharine, but that was hardly the point. What truly mattered was that Chi Congyu, who typically yearned for calls from her wife, now found herself utterly paralyzed by fear.

In that very moment, Chi Congyu’s mind was consumed by the certainty of her impending doom; a monumental disaster had befallen her. What if her dear wife was genuinely furious, refusing to acknowledge her? Should she even dare answer the phone? Yet, explaining this to Grandpa would prove equally impossible.

“No, never mind,” she decided, “self-preservation takes precedence. I’ll simply vanish for a while. Perhaps after some time, my dear wife will cool down, and then I can carefully deploy my ‘sugar-coated bullets’ to win her back. For now, with her temper likely blazing, it’s best I make myself scarce!”

Chi Congyu muttered a stream of words to herself, then made a remarkably decisive choice. With unwavering resolve, she powered off her phone. *Pfft*. This way, if questions arose later, she could simply claim her phone was broken or invent some other excuse to buy herself time. Though she knew its efficacy would be limited, it was certainly preferable to offering no explanation at all.

Her series of decisive actions concluded, Chi Congyu quickened her pace, vanishing into the depths of the night.

The following morning, Ouyang Xiyue, meticulously dressed, ambled through the campus with an unhurried grace. Should any students offer a greeting, he would respond with courteous acknowledgement. Upon entering the academic building, he did not head towards his classroom.

Instead of proceeding to his classroom, Ouyang Xiyue made his way to the Student Union President’s office, located on a different floor.

“Knock, knock, knock,” Ouyang Xiyue inquired politely, rapping on the door. “Is anyone here?”

“Click.”

The door swung open on its own accord. Witnessing its automated invitation, Ouyang Xiyue stepped inside.

“Oh, my, what a truly rare guest indeed,” a voice drawled. “Isn’t this none other than our academy’s celebrity, Miss Ouyang Xiyue? What auspicious wind has carried you to my humble abode? My small office is genuinely honored by your radiant presence.”

A clear, cool voice emanated from within. It belonged to Night Xuehui, the Student Union President, who sat leisurely in her chair, a playful smirk dancing on her lips.

“Heh-heh,” Ouyang Xiyue chuckled, a smile gracing his lips. “True enough, after even a day apart, you still possess that remarkably punchable demeanor.” Internally, however, he thought, ‘Night Xuehui, this stubborn tsundere, remains as exasperating as ever, *pfft*.’

“Alright, alright, I won’t waste any more breath on you,” Ouyang Xiyue continued, maintaining his smile. “Emm, I’m actually here to ask for a favor. Please don’t rush to refuse; we can certainly discuss the terms, emm.”

“A favor from me? You flatter me immensely. Does the Princess’s current favorite truly require my assistance? If there’s nothing pressing, please feel free to leave,” Night Xuehui stated, a slight disdainful curl to her lips.

“Ugh! You, Night! Xue! Hui! You ungrateful scoundrel! I should have known better than to save you yesterday! I ought to have just left you to your own devices, you wretch!” Ouyang Xiyue instantly turned as if to depart.

At this, Night Xuehui seemed utterly amused, a laugh bubbling forth. Ouyang Xiyue, still slightly vexed, found himself momentarily stunned by Night Xuehui’s radiant smile.

‘This Night Xuehui fellow is almost too beautiful,’ Ouyang Xiyue mused. ‘Even though he’s a boy… No, no, no! What am I even thinking?! This scoundrel, no matter how handsome, cannot change the fact that she is a scoundrel!’

As Ouyang Xiyue remained momentarily lost in thought, Night Xuehui slowly reined in her laughter and began to speak.

“Alright, alright, I can’t stand you. I’ll agree,” Night Xuehui said with a mischievous grin. “Tell me, what do you want me to do? I won’t sell myself, but other things can be considered.”

“Ugh, sell yourself? What on earth are you talking about? It’s really nothing much. I just want to use you to force someone to reveal themselves, that’s all. The general plan is as follows…”

[One thousand words omitted here!]

“Intriguing,” Night Xuehui remarked, her expression alight with interest. “And what benefits will this bring me?”

“Benefits, benefits…” Ouyang Xiyue gritted his teeth. For the sake of uncovering the truth, he finally blurted it out.

“I’ll be your… your… maid… maid… for a month! How about that?” Ouyang Xiyue stammered, his face flushing crimson. As a male, uttering such words—offering to be someone’s maid—was truly mortifying!

“Oh? It’s a deal. I trust you’ll honor your promise. I’ll cooperate with you. There’s nothing else, you may leave now. Class is about to start,” Night Xuehui said, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“Hurry, hurry, all you ever do is rush me! I’m leaving now, hmph. Just wait for my message and cooperate with me. Goodbye!” Ouyang Xiyue slammed the door shut once more as he departed.

‘She’s so beautiful, yet when she gets angry, her face becomes so round and cute, but her temper is a bit explosive. Still, I like this kind… No, no, that’s wrong, wrong, what am I thinking? Get back to work, process these files!’

At this moment, Night Xuehui was entirely focused on calming herself, trying to find inner peace.

Meanwhile, Chi Congyu, who believed she was safe by hiding for a while, remained oblivious to the imminent catastrophe awaiting her.