Is it the original body that Chaoge had when she came to the empire, or is it the body belonging to Yan Chaoge of the Yan family?
Yao Chen remained silent for a while before honestly answering, "It's that person from the Yan family. According to the law that two objects cannot coexist in the same space, her original body was squeezed out of this space and cannot be found in the past. Because the soul belongs to a higher dimension of energy, I only possess the power to protect the host's soul..."
By the end, its tone was almost embarrassed. It should have been aware of this, but because it felt that it was normal for Chaoge to react this way after encountering these things, it forgot to explore the real reason behind it.
Therefore, Yaochen was actually keeping something from Chaoge. Before he awakened, the system automatically prioritized finding energy as its first task, irrationally sending Chaoge to the distant Red Cloud Star System.
It also caused her to lose her own body due to the laws of space, and she almost got possessed by Yan Chaoge, who should have died long ago.
She just didn't know it.
Feeling a pang of guilt at Qin Muge's words, Yao Chen became even more hesitant to challenge her. He simply pretended to be on standby, muttering to himself in a small module: This woman is terrifying. Not only does she always try to kill two birds with one stone, but she also easily leads others by the nose. I don't want Chaoge to be with her at all.
The teleportation time seemed long, but it only appeared long within the teleportation channel. In reality, if someone could see the process, they would find that the teleportation between the two landing points took less than a second.
The time was 20:47 PM on June 11, 2015.
If Chaoge were conscious at this moment, she would realize that the long years she had spent there were only two hours at home.
Qin Muge stopped in place, glanced around at the structure and furnishings of the room, and sensed the presence of someone in a room not far away. Holding the person in his arms who had not yet recovered, he walked towards the empty room.
After avoiding his parents' room, Qin Muge found the right one. He had just settled the person on the bed and covered them with a blanket when he heard a few knocks on the door, followed by the unlocked doorknob being turned.
"Kid? When did you go back to your room? Remember to charge your PSP after playing with it for so long."
Chapter 90: The Seventh Way to Win Over a Wife
Chao Ge vaguely heard about the PSP charging, and somewhat dazedly regained her senses, opening her eyes to a scene that made her wonder if she was hallucinating:
The older brother remained in the open-door position, looking at him, while Qin Muge, dressed in a white military uniform, stood in front of the bed.
Chaoge instantly snapped back to reality and tentatively called out in her mind, "Yaochen?"
At the same time, he didn't forget to confirm with a hint of doubt, "...Brother?"
Fortunately, Yaochen was very perceptive and quickly explained the situation to Chaoge: "Qin Muge followed! I temporarily used reflective material to block her view so your brother can't see her. You're back on Earth!"
Chaoge gave a cold "oh" in her heart, thinking to herself why she couldn't just listen to good news for once.
"Oh? You were just sleeping?" The boy's face, which resembled hers by three parts, belatedly showed an apologetic expression, as if he had disturbed his sister's strangely irregular 'afternoon break' time.
"Um, right... what time is it now?" Chaoge answered guiltily while glancing at Qin Muge out of the corner of her eye. Fortunately, she didn't have anything she wanted to say to that person at the moment, so ignoring him was the most comfortable option.
The boy turned to look at the clock hanging in the living room. His gentle voice suggested that his temperament was mostly like that: "It's a little past eight. Your mom said that you're having guests over later."
Chaoge's thoughts hadn't yet drifted back from the Empire, so she could only pretend to get up and reply perfunctorily, "Oh, okay, I'll get up first." She hoped that her brother would understand her hint that she needed to change clothes, close the door, and allow her to deal with her issues with Qin Muge in this short time.
As it turned out, the older brother did understand the hint. He took a step back and suddenly gave a mischievous, expectant smile: "I'm still waiting for you to get up and make dinner."
Yan Chaoge: ...Did I promise you this five hundred years ago??
"Okay, okay, I got it. Go outside and wait for me for ten minutes." Chao Ge waved her hand at him with a bit of a headache, signaling him to close the door and leave quickly.
The door closed softly, and the room returned to silence.
Qin Muge's breathing was so light it was almost inaudible. Yao Chen recreated a human form and stood next to Chaoge, as if he were supporting her.
It was Qin Muge's presence that instantly overshadowed her joy at returning home. Chaoge even wondered helplessly, "Why is it that Qin Muge seems to be bound to me, impossible to shake off no matter where I go?"
Neither of them spoke first. Qin Muge simply smiled at her, seemingly certain that she would speak first.
Chaoge's gaze shifted slightly downwards, avoiding eye contact, her eyes fixed on Chaoge's neck. Just as she was about to speak, Qin Muge interrupted, smiling gently as she asked:
"What do you want to say? How did I get here? Or do you not want to see me and want me to leave?"
She wanted both. Chaoge calmly withdrew her gaze, staring at the pattern on the bed sheet in front of her, her eyes unmoving as if she were in a daze, but it was unclear what she was thinking.
It seemed as if he had no intention of speaking at all, and didn't even have the mood to refute or ridicule Qin Muge.
Silent resistance.
"Chaoge, you don't believe me anymore, do you?" Qin Muge's gaze became somewhat complicated. Whether it was Chaoge's imagination or not, it seemed that she could hear the heartache in her words.
So you're going to abandon me in this strange world, is that it?
Yao Chen, standing to the side, watched as the arrogant person who had just silenced him with his sharp retorts suddenly began to act as if he was about to be abandoned.
I couldn't help but quietly compliment her: Her acting is superb!
“But I only made a mistake once, and I’m trying to change, Chaoge. You can’t always connect this kind of thing to the previous time and then block my path. Besides, I’ve never lied to you.” Qin Muge said as she took two steps toward her, trying to communicate with her at close range, as if to let her see how sincere the light in her eyes was.
So how can you not believe me?
Chaoge couldn't help but shrink back, and this dodging action made Qin Muge's pupils darken—it's all that guy's fault for showing up at such a bad time, of all times, to provoke her darling.
Chaoge felt her mind was in a mess and didn't want to be led by her train of thought. She rubbed her temples and said wearily, "I don't want to discuss these things with you right now, and don't force me."
As she spoke, she reached out and threw off the blanket, looked at her clothes on the dressing table next to her, took out her usual clothes from the wardrobe, and changed her clothes without paying attention to Qin Muge's questions.
Fortunately, her brother is the kind of guy who never cares about her clothes, otherwise he would have noticed when she got out of bed that the clothes she was wearing were not the same as before.
Since becoming a powerful figure in the empire, Qin Muge had rarely felt this kind of being treated like she was invisible... and yet she encountered it twice in one day. But what could she do? It was Chaoge, so she could only endure it no matter how dissatisfied she was.
So Yan Chaoge changed her clothes and went out, leaving Qin Muge and Yao Chen staring at each other in the room.
Qin Muge lowered his eyes slightly, chuckled, and turned to look at Yao Chen: "Let's make a deal."
Yao Chen actually wanted to refuse, but even without using the thinking module, he knew that Qin Muge would definitely hold onto that handle from before and use it to blackmail him.
However, he cared a lot about Chaoge's feelings, and was undoubtedly completely controlled by this ruthless general.
Even though he was unwilling, Yao Chen could only put on a stern face and negotiate with her: "Tell me what you want to do first."
"Of course, I'll make her come back with me~" Qin always smiled so sweetly when he was scheming against others.
Yao Chen refused without hesitation: "I can't do it."
"Tsk, what use are you?"
"It wasn't originally intended for you to use."
...
Seeing that the topic was about to veer off in a strange direction, they all tacitly brought it back. Qin Muge compromised: "Then find a way to let me stay. If you can't even do that, then you might as well go die."
If he could, Yaochen really wanted to exchange for the highest-level cannon and blast it at this guy.
How did it accidentally input the strategy game mode in the first place? How did it encourage Chaoge to provoke this guy when it was completely unaware of the main system's consciousness?
...One wrong step can lead to eternal regret, a regret that will last forever.
"I'll give it a try." Yao Chen didn't dare to make any promises, after all, this was covering for Qin Muge while Chaoge was in a bad mood, and if he was not careful, he would lose the emperor's favor and be immediately banished to the cold palace as well.
Qin Muge raised his eyebrows, having achieved another goal, and looked much more relaxed.
Chapter 91 The Eighth Way to Win Over a Wife
Chaoge casually grabbed an iced tea and coconut juice from the freezer and headed to the checkout. Because it was a large shopping mall, the cashier on the first floor could see the restaurant chains outside, such as the long-lost McDonald's and other fast food restaurants.
In terms of sheer abundance of food, the food on Earth is certainly far more delicious than that of the Empire and the Federation.
Qin Muge felt a pang of nostalgia for that taste, his gaze lingering between Chaoge and the fast food restaurant over there, glancing at Chaoge and then at the restaurant.
Chaoge pretended to be temporarily blind.
After returning home and putting down her drink, Chaoge took her takeout back to her room. The woman who had made a big splash on the street was sitting on her bed, behaving very well and obediently.
...Wait, obedient? The moment Chaoge associated this word with Qin Muge, she felt the hairs on her body stand on end.
"Why hasn't she left yet?" Chaoge turned to look at Yaochen standing in the corner, pointing expressionlessly in Qin Muge's direction.
Yao Chen didn't quite understand this habit of having to go through a third party to relay messages even when both parties were present.
Qin Muge sighed softly, walked to the window, and with one hand supporting her, climbed out, showing great respect for Chaoge's opinion.
Yao Chen glanced at the person who had completely disappeared out the window, then looked back at Chao Ge. He sat helplessly at his desk, planning to wait until Chao Ge calmed down before playing the victim card for that hateful woman.
Before bed.
Chaoge took her change of clothes and headed to the bathroom. She glanced at the clock in the living room; it was 10:30. The distant relatives who had come to visit had all left. Since it wasn't the weekend, her parents were probably asleep by now, and her brother was likely playing games in the guest room.
I went into the bathroom, took off my clothes, and turned on the shower.
Using the sound of water as cover, Chaoge let out a soft breath. August is the hottest time of the year, and even warm water feels unbearably hot on the skin.
"Yaochen, my brain isn't working properly, can you help me analyze this?" She finally whispered the request she had been holding back all day.
"All the information we have so far is here." Steam rose, but a faint blue light screen appeared clearly in front of him. This chaotic scene of time travel made Chaoge think that he had not yet returned.
But now that I'm back... I feel a little lost about what to do next.
The affairs of the three major families are only halfway through; Zhou Jue of the Yan family has only just been exposed; Ling Tianji's purpose is still unclear; there's been no news from Ritter; and Chaoge can't even guarantee Sibo's safety 100%. If something happens to this person under the protection of Yin Yang Group, Ritter, who has infiltrated the enemy, could become their greatest enemy.
Then Luo Qinghe returned.
The guy she was determined to avenge, the one who destroyed the Federation, she herself could get Chaoge to remove half of the shackles binding her.
Life instantly returned to a peaceful era far removed from the smoke of war. In this world, the only issues she needed to consider were studying, working, and then her future life.
There was no hatred, no war, and no infighting among powerful families.
Chaoge pursed her lips, letting the water wash over her. After a while, she asked in a low voice, "...Little Red Riding Hood, shall I not go back?"
"Okay." Yao Chen answered her without hesitation. Even if it violates my core program, I'll just self-destruct if you want. After Chao Ge dies, without a host, it will fall into a deep sleep again, and when it wakes up, it won't know who it's with.
Yaochen was unwilling to do that. It would rather be without energy to sustain itself and self-destruct when Chaoge's life ended than be completely unrecognizable and end up with another owner.
Chaoge smiled, looked up at the glaring light of the incandescent bulb, and her voice finally softened. She said, "What's so good about it? Yan Chaoge is someone who can live for three hundred years. If I stay here, I'll only lose everything I have little by little."
Moreover, Yao Chen could have become like Min Kaiyang, controlling the lifeline of a planet or even a galaxy, but following her led him to a life of hiding and even engaging in shameful and unethical practices.
"If you say it's okay, then I'm okay. I'll always be with you." Yao Chen's voice remained unchanged, but upon hearing these words, Chao Ge burst into tears.
Yaochen is the only one who would care about her feelings like this.
"Did I say something wrong that made you cry?" Yao Chen was always afraid that she would cry.
Chaoge shook her head, wiped her face with one hand, and laughed through her tears, deliberately changing the subject: "Hey, even if you're just an AI, you can't peek at me taking a shower, Yaochen."
Yao Chen rarely didn't respond to her. Having spent so much time with her, he already knew very well when Chao Ge was deliberately changing the subject and when she genuinely couldn't grasp the main point.