Chapter 2

The male lead, after all—it was only natural. Su Ling felt a flicker of envy for a second, then rubbed his nose. “General.”

The general gave no reply and slowly closed his eyes.

Su Ling glanced awkwardly at the robot; it showed no reaction.

“I’m sleepy,” Su Ling said with his head lowered, not sure whom he was addressing.

“Madam of the General, please follow me.” The robot’s faint light screen flickered.

Once outside the general’s room, Su Ling let out a breath of relief. Even lying in bed, that man still radiated pressure.

“What’s your name?” Su Ling asked the robot.

“YD3571972408,” the robot answered stiffly.

Su Ling really couldn’t memorize such a long string of numbers. “Does the general call you that too?”

“Master calls me D3.”

“That’s a nickname.” Su Ling smiled slightly, revealing a touch of liveliness. “Can I call you Fang Fang?”

He pulled the robot along and talked for quite a while.

There was no real meaning or purpose—he just wanted someone to talk to, and Pei You’s household only had all kinds of robots.

“Madam of the General, it is time to rest. Please go to sleep.” Even the robot wouldn’t keep him company chatting anymore.

Su Ling looked at the ice-cold room with its pure-white sheets and felt as if he were in a morgue.

Stop thinking about useless things! He flopped onto the bed.

Bang—a dull thud. The sound of a head colliding with something hard. Su Ling sucked in a sharp breath. The bedboard was hard as iron. In the interstellar age, did they not even have mattresses?

Rubbing the back of his head, Su Ling thought: all alone in a strange world, with nothing to his name—he had to work hard to stay alive.

Actually, the general hadn’t had it easy either. An orphan from the slums who fought his way up to become a general alone. After being diagnosed with permanent paralysis, the applause and flowers surrounding him had all faded away. It was precisely because the general had no family backing that the Su family dared to treat him this way, without the slightest respect.

Although the general acted arrogant and cold, he wasn’t a bloodthirsty killer. If Su Ling took good care of him and divorced him before the protagonist returned, handing the general back to protagonist, he should be able to keep his little life, right?

This period could just be treated as working for the general. It would also let him get familiar with this strange world. No matter what, surviving came first.

Better draft a contract—give himself a little security! Su Ling rummaged around the room and finally found paper and pen. He wrote: Contract Marriage.

Early the next morning, Su Ling got up. He tied his overly long bangs into a little tuft, revealing a clean forehead and apricot-shaped eyes. Gone was the gloomy aura of the original owner. The whole person looked completely renewed—a fair, clean youth who made people feel comfortable at first glance.

Rubbing his stiff back, Su Ling greeted the robot with a bright smile. “Morning, Fang Fang. Is the general awake?”

“Good morning, Madam of the General. Master is awake.”

Su Ling’s eyes lit up. He couldn’t wait. “I’m going to find him.”

“Master has instructed that Madam of the General is not to look for him unless there is something important.” Fang Fang did not know how to be tactful.

Su Ling stared at the mechanical arm blocking his path for a second, then quickly recovered. “There is something. Something very important. A matter of life and death!”

Fang Fang never doubted the truth of human words. Master had not instructed that even important matters were forbidden. Fang Fang withdrew its arm. “Madam of the General, shall I lead the way?”

Su Ling declined. Holding the contract he had drafted, he knocked on the general’s door.

No response came. Su Ling pretended he was applying for a job and said in a businesslike tone, “General, I have something to discuss with you.”

After waiting a while with still no reply, Su Ling opened the door.

The general’s eyes were closed. Su Ling knew he was awake—robots didn’t lie. He also knew the man could speak; he simply didn’t want to.

Su Ling stood ramrod straight, unfolded the contract, and spoke with a serious attitude and earnest tone. “Hello, General. I am Su Ling. I know you don’t want this marriage, so how about we make a contract? From now on I will take care of you, and you will pay me a salary. After seven months we divorce. What do you think?”

When he finished, the general finally reacted. He opened his eyes, glanced at Su Ling once, then looked away again.

That cold gaze left Su Ling a little hollow inside. What did that mean? Agree or disagree? No matter what I do, will he still despise me and eventually kill me?

Su Ling swallowed. Suddenly he noticed the general’s lips were cracked and dry, so dry that blood threads had appeared. It looked rather painful.

Excess energy had accumulated in the general’s body, causing the full-body paralysis. For a powerful person to be unable to control even his own body must be extremely uncomfortable, right?

That energy repeatedly destroyed his body and then repaired it. The book said the process was like being subjected to lingchi over and over again, yet this man had always kept a blank expression. Not a single trace of pain could be found on his face.

He was very strong, and very brave. He had never thought of giving up on himself.

Su Ling decided to be a bit braver too. He cleared his throat, recited the entire contract aloud, and explained, “You see, I’m only responsible for taking care of you—just like hiring a caregiver. Room and board included. You can pay me whatever small amount you like.”

This time the general didn’t even give him a glance, staring at the ceiling instead.

“General, if you don’t speak, I’ll take it as agreement, okay?” Su Ling edged forward carefully, step by step. “I guarantee I won’t do anything that harms you.”

He tentatively touched the general’s hand, both eyes fixed tightly on him. If the general showed even the slightest look of resistance, he would pull back at once.

But the man apparently didn’t care what he did and gave no reaction at all. Su Ling gritted his teeth, grabbed the general’s hand, and pressed a fingerprint onto the contract.

It felt like he had obtained a life-saving talisman. The taut string in his heart finally relaxed, and only then did he realize he had been holding his breath.

After recovering for a moment, Su Ling entered work mode. “Your lips are dry. Shall I get you some water? Plain water, tea, coffee, honey water, or juice—which would you like?”

Su Ling waited eagerly for a response. The general glanced at him indifferently and still said nothing.

Silence proved the general did not trust him. Su Ling sighed inwardly. He knew the general liked honey water—very sweet honey water—and also liked rich, fragrant cake.

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