Chapter 48: CH 37.1

Xie Jianwei smiled: [Ah…Looks like someone is finally unable to keep their calm.]

Yan Ke asked nervously: [Is it perhaps, another personality of Lord Marshal?] Hey! Are there really two personalities here? Having two would be quite troublesome this dreamscape’s settings aren’t exactly like that of the Blood Kin dream where they can groundlessly spout nonsense to worm their way through!

Xie Jianwei: [No.]

Yan Ke curiously asked: [Then who?]

Xie Jianwei muttered to himself: [… ….. …. It.]

[Ah?] Yan Ke was dumbfounded, [My Lord, please explain.]

Xie Jianwei wasn’t intentionally keeping him on tenterhooks. It’s just that they shouldn’t jump into conclusions without conclusive evidence. “Let’s wait for a little longer. They’ll definitely give themselves away.” (t/n: using the plural they and them for a more gender-neutral term since it wasn’t specified)

He had been mulling over what caused Lu Li’s personality to split.

Too much stress? Too much gap in expectations?

These are all possible explanations. A person, who’d been braving countless battles for a long time, suddenly had to swim into the muddy waters of politics. He would certainly get flustered by the abrupt change and would be caught by immense pressure and gaps in his expectations of everything.

And so Xie Jianwei tried to provide Lu Li a very good environment beforehand, so that he only had to fight and kill enemies then move forward. As for the aftermaths, he helped him, be it in operations, planning, gathering people’s support, and in the end, he was finally able to send him to commanding heights— to the top of the empire.

At that time, they were dealing with both external troubles and internal conflicts, but Lu Li couldn’t handle it all by himself therefore,  Xie Jianwei had no choice but to handle these types of state affairs. And when all is over, only then did he realize that he had interfered too much.

After the war was settled, it was necessary to settle the nation, which was something Xie Jianwei was good at, but not something he should get involved in. Lu Li had the people’s support; it’s the Imperial Marshal who has the power; therefore,  it’s a given that only Lu Li had the right to settle everything.

During the warring years, the two of them supported each other’s backs, so their tacit understanding was unparalleled.

But in times of peace, Xie Jianwei was the most likely figure that could replace Lu Li.

Even if Xie Jianwei had no such thoughts and even if Lu Li didn’t care who was in power, the human empire consisted of not only with one or two people, but a group—a nation of all humans.

People are social creatures that live in societies, and under Lu Li and Xie Jianwei were countless politicians who controlled the Empire’s lifeline.

All of them are profiteers, shrewd —and. they love taking sides.

When Xie Jianwei and Lu Li were both active in the political arena, they would always have split opinions, stand in oppositions, and start some scuffles without the two’s knowledge.

And during those times, none of the final results were what Xie Jianwei wanted. So he chose to quit and directly gave everything to Lu Li so that they could only support one person—just Lu Li.

That decision might have given Lu Li pressure, but Xie Jianwei believed that his Lu Li could adapt, grow, and also someone who could hold the pen after removing the armor.

And just as he thought, Lu Li did a good job. He learned quickly and adapted even faster. The new Empire was recovering at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.

Xie Jianwei witnessed all of Lu Li’s contribution, achievements and glory, while he leisurely stayed at their home.

He was extremely happy. But just when he thought he made the right decisions, Lu Li’s personality split.

Did I make a mistake? Xie Jianwei asked himself. Did I put too much pressure on Lu Li?

No.  Because now, it seems that there is another reason.

He will find out that reason, and crush it completely.

.

.

In regards to that ‘white moonlight’ issue, Xie Jianwei pretended that he didn’t hear anything. He waited for Lu Li and Shen Lei to finish talking before showing himself.

Lu Li caught Xie Jianwei figure at the corner of his eyes: “Want to go back?”

Xie Jianwei bowed politely at Shen Lei and answered Lu Li, “Well, it’s already late.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Shen Lei waved at Xie Jianwei: “See you in S City.” The shooting location for the first episode of the reality show is in S City.

Xie Jianwei smiled politely: “Yes. Please take care of me by then.”

Both Lu Li and Xie Jianwei drank some wine, but not too much. The driver drove the car, and they sat in the back row.

Xie Jianwei got dizzy after sitting for a while so leaned on Lu Li’s shoulder.

Lu Li’s hand fell on his waist: “Tired?”

“Hmm.”

Lu Li whispered: “Sleep for a while.”

The car drove for thirty minutes before they arrived at the hotel and Xie Jianwei was still sleep.

The driver wanted to speak, but Lu Li gestured at him to stop. The driver understood, and got off the car silently.

The weather during early summer was not too hot. The front window was open, and the wind blowing in made the narrow space less sultry and more pleasant.

Lu Li remained motionless in order for Xie Jianwei to fall asleep peacefully.

Twenty minutes later, Xie Jianwei finally opened his eyes hazily.

Only then did he notice that the car had stopped and the driver was already gone. He …

Xie Jianwei turned his head to Lu Li: “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“It’s okay. It seemed like you’re really tired.”

Xie Jianwei heart was filled with warmth. He looked at him apologetically: “Have I slept for a long time? This is really embarrassing.”

Lu Li turned his short hair down, and said warmly: “Let’s go and get some rest.”

“Okay.” responded Xie Jianwei. He followed behind Lu Li, and the two entered the elevator one after the other.

It was already late at night, and since it was a private elevator, there are only two of them inside. Although the lights were all on, the silence at night still penetrated into the air.

Xie Jianwei quietly pulled his hand.

Lu Li stopped him from doing so, and instead held it back firmly..

Xie Jianwei felt that his face was getting hot. He whispered in a soft voice, “Senior Lu, you are so kind to me.”

Lu Li didn’t say anything.

Xie Jianwei continued: “You’re really treating me so well, even better than my parents and family.”

Lu Li looked at him: “Don’t exaggerate.”

Xie Jianwei smiled and asked softly, “Why is Senior Lu so nice to me?” He couldn’t bring himself to look at Lu Li’s eyes as he asked this question. He seemed tensed and nervous with his trembling dropped eyelashes.

Lu Li paused for a few seconds before asking a question back at him,“Why do you think?”

Xie Jianwei raised his head slightly, and looked at him and asked, “Senio—”

Lu Li leaned over and Xie Jianwei’s unfinished words, were swallowed into the kiss.

********

The next day, Xie Jianwei activated one of his old skills, and he started investigating the white moonlight, ‘Xie Zhiwei’.

Xie Zhiwei is not someone within the entertainment circle, so it would be quite difficult to find very detailed information about him.

However, nothing is difficult for Military Advisor Xie.

Yan Ke also followed suit. After reading it, he said [Where is the ‘Xie Zhiwei’? This is definitely Xie Jianwei.]

What he said was true. Xie Zhiwei is simply a carbon copy of Xie Jianwei. However, his life experience weren’t similar to this dreamscape’s Xie Jianwei.

Born as the third son of the distinguished and powerful Xie Family, Xie Zhiwei already had a halo around him since birth.

After graduating from college at the age of twelve, he achieved impressive results in various fields. Not only that, he even resembled the Xie Jianwei in other people’s eyes, in the real world—excellent, wise and calm; someone whom people could only dare look at a distance.

Lu Li is the illegitimate son of the Lu Family. Although his father and brother are both political figures, he had chosen another path. He had also attained great achievements, but he  was still too far from Xie Zhiwei. The least thing Xie Zhiwei needed was money, but then, the only thing that Lu Li could offer him was money.

Judging from the information, nothing really happened between Lu Li and Xie Zhiwei. Forgot about love — it seemed liked the two didn’t even have a relationship. From start to finish, Lu Li only look up to Xie Zhiwei.

Yan Ke let out a sigh of relief: [That was a close call. Thankfully, the Marshal did not get derailed.] (t/n: to cheat/to have an extramarital affair)

Xie Jianwei only smiled.

Yan Ke suddenly wondered: [My Lord, let’s say uhm… I mean if the coup d’état against the Federation did not happen, and you’re still the third son of the Xie family, then … you and the Marshal …]

Xie Jianwei became stumped for words.

Yan Ke continued on laying down his assumptions: [Even if the Marshal managed to walked out of that desolate star on his own and made some achievements in the Federation (now Empire), wanting to be with you is …] …nearly impossible. He would only be able to look at Xie Jianwei silently from the distance, just like in this dreamscape.

Xie Jianwei lowered his eyes, “There is no ifs.”

Yan Ke thought that he was unwilling to think about that alternate future, but what Xie Jianwei actually meant was: without a doubt, the coup was inevitable given the Federation’s state at that time; the Xie family would definitely fall no matter what the future is; and he would certainly meet Lu Li.

After investigating Xie Zhiwei’s affairs, Xie Jianwei continued to live his life accordingly.

On this dream, he was set up to be a greedy slag bent on getting to the top, but he’s not on a rush on acting out such a character.

He’ll slowly test this dreamscape’s ‘limits’.

And unexpectedly, it actually took half-a year for something to happen.

These past few months, Xie Jianwei’s career went on smoothly, and his relationship with Lu Li was extremely stable. Although the two still meet in the hotel, they had regarded the suite as their home.

On occasions when Lu Li was away, Xie Jianwei would go stay at the suite if he had free time and send Lu Li a short video. Nine out of ten, he had been able to hook Lu Li to coming back.

Yan Kè’s nerves finally relaxed after a few months. He knew Xie Jianwei was in love with Film Emperor Lu, but the latter seemed like he’s really good to Xie Jianwei, so Yan Ke couldn’t even complain in the slightest.

If Film Emperor Lu wasn’t an exemplary gold master, Yan Kè would have suspected that they were in love.

He would constantly give Xie Jianwei some subtle reminders, but Xie Jianwei would only listen while they’re talking. After turning around, the brat would forget everything he said because his brain is so full thinking about love.

Fortunately, Xie Jianwei hadn’t neglect his career, so Yan Ke decided to let it go for now. Good time will always come to an end, and he’ll just try to persuade Xie Jianwei again by then.

Yan Ke was also puzzled: [It feels like if we just keep this up, the personality in this dreamscape would be appeased eventually.] Everything was progressing so smoothly, so sweetly, and therefore, perhaps, Lord Xie would be able to successfully placate the Marshal in this dream in no time.

Contrary to Yan Ke, Xie Jianwei was always vigilant: “Don’t rush.”

The next day just after he and Yan Ke discussed the issue, a heavy news blasted across the entire country.

Everyone was shocked by a huge corruption case that went into surface. The Xie family, who had been involved in the political circles of China for more than a decade, collapsed with this surprising turn of events.

Those in the know understood that this is a political contest, but regardless of the truth is, the entire Xie family had become withered flowers, without a spark of their glorious past.

And therefore, the Xie family’s third son who was on a completely different pedestal in the past also stepped onto ground instantly.

Yan Ke was nervous: [It’s here! The main course is coming to the stage! It’s now joining the contest!]

Xie Jianwei: “Yeah.”  After experiencing great changes and being implicated by the family, Xie Zhiwei is upset, saddened, and definitely in a miserable state.

As the saying goes, ‘everyone hits a man who is down’. This is especially true in Xie Zhiwei’s case. He is someone who shines so brightly, so numerous people definitely envied him. Now that he had fallen down, the amount of people who wants to mock and laugh at him would definitely form a long queue.

Most of the time, people that send charcoal during a snowy weather are small in number while there are countless of those who throw stones at someone who fell down the well.  (t/n: to send charcoal in snowy weather= an idiom meaning to provide help in somebody’s hour of need ; to throw stones at somebody who fell down a well= an idiom meaning add to the misfortunes of a man who is already unfortunate)

‘Xie Zhiwei is too pitiful, in dire straits, and hurting.’

In fact, from this point, Xie Jianwei could see that this setting is not derived from Lu Li’s will. Although Xie Jianwei didn’t elaborate on the things about his past, he knew that Lu Li wouldn’t think of him like this in his heart.

Indeed, after the Xie family fell, he had no attachment to anything and no goal to live, so he exiled himself to that barren star where he met Lu Li. (t/n; we’re talking about the Xie Jianwei’s Xie family in their real world)

But Xie Jianwei’s downfall came from himself, not because of anyone or anything— he was the one who destroyed the Xie Family, with his own two hands.

Not many people could overthrow the Xie Family, but he is one of those people. He could destroy it so easily, so reviving the family would also an easy feat.

However, in the eyes of many others, Xie Jianwei ‘escaped’ to the desolate star as a last resort. But Lu Li shouldn’t be among them, because he is the one who knows him best—that it’s impossible for  Xie Jianwei to lose, unless he himself wants to.

Since it’ll eventually vanish, it’s not worth cherishing. For Xie Jianwei, the Xie family has never been worth guarding for.

********

The news about the Xie Family’s situation had been fermenting for a whole week.

On the other hand, Xie Jianwei was very busy. The reality show was nearing its final shoot. The movie he was in would be released soon. He had gone for promotions around the country, back and forth, to the point where he could only sleep while on the plane.

After spending half a year together, Xie Jianwei and Shen Lei’s relationship became very good. Shen Lei had been worried after the announcement of Xie family’s accident and he would sometimes sigh when looking at Xie Jianwei.

The shooting location for the reality show’s final episode is an ancient city.  After running from east to west all day long, the entire cast was exhausted. The program team arranged a “love” double room for effects, and Xie Jianwei coincidentally paired up with Shen Lei.

Shen Lei really likes this young man. He realized that the rumors he heard about Xie Jianwei in the past was a great contrast to the young man’s actual personality, and the two of them got along just fine. He feels that Xie Jianwei is a person with profound knowledge, meticulous, and also easy to get along with.

Xie Jianwei always notices when someone was left behind; he takes good care and guides the youngest of their cast; he is thoroughly informed and memorized his own program positioning; he adds his vital finishing points in show without robbing the others’ limelight.

In short, Shen Lei liked Xie Jianwei very much, and he felt that even if he didn’t rely on Lu Li, Xie Jianwei would definitely make a name for himself.

Those who have high EQ and IQ can endure hardships and will surely succeed in anything they do.

But why did such a person took a ‘shortcut’? Shen Lei was a little worried. His doubts gradually got stronger— perhaps it’s not merely for something shallow like a ‘shortcut’ to stardom, but love.

If it really is love… Shen Lei began to feel distressed.

Before the Xie family got ruined,  Lu Li had always use Xie Jianwei as a substitute, since Xie Zhiwei was on the society’s pedestal— someone that an illegitimate child like Lu Li couldn’t touch. But now that the Xie family has fallen down, the authentic one is already within his reach. Would Lu Li still care about this stand-in?

Shen Lei has a carefree disposition. The more he sees Xie Jianwei, the more he likes him.

In the middle of the night, he couldn’t help but chatter: “Xiao Xie, are you asleep?”

Xie Jianwei opened his eyes: “Brother Shen is there something you need?”

Shen Lei hardened his heart and said:  “After going back, you should stop meeting with Lu Li.”

“Huh?” Xie Jianwei was startled by that sentence,  unclear of what the other was saying,  “That… what does that mean?”

Shen Lei sighed: “You know the Xie family, right?”

Xie Jianwei said: “The one in the news?”

“Yes, I’ll tell you … “ and Shen Lei told him about Xie Zhiwei.