Tearing off the disguise

However, Lyte’s presence certainly offered its own advantages.

“I’ll leave these to you.”

Xie Shenhong’s refrigerator, a cutting-edge prototype from the kingdom, boasted a colossal 700-liter capacity. For this trip, he needed to fill nearly 600 liters with groceries and fruit, a task clearly beyond his delicate frame to manage alone.

Yet, with Lyte, a Golden-tier powerhouse, assisting him, even the taxi fare became an unnecessary expense.

Naturally, Lyte, being Count Huangfu’s adopted son, possessed an illustrious background and substantial wealth.

It would have been perfectly justifiable for him to summon his family driver or hail a taxi.

However, this fellow, with a penchant for posturing and showering Xie Shenhong with unnecessary solicitations, insisted on carrying and lugging a mountain of goods, following him all the way home.

Consequently, many passersby mistook Xie Shenhong for a domineering girlfriend bullying her boyfriend.

“My apologies,” Xie Shenhong said, “it seems you’ve been misunderstood because of me.”

He found himself uttering words so cloyingly sweet, they made him feel utterly nauseous.

“It’s nothing, I’m strong… but next time you come alone, don’t be so stingy with taxi money.”

“Yes, I will.”

Upon reaching the vicinity of his home, Sebastian and the other bodyguards promptly appeared to help carry the items inside.

“This truly surprises me.”

Lyte watched the black-suited bodyguards bustling about, a hint of surprise in his voice. “I thought you would refuse such assistance.”

“They usually take care of my sister’s daily life, and now, they’re helping to alleviate my burden, allowing me to look after her better. I have no reason to refuse.”

These words were Xie Shenhong’s genuine sentiment.

He personally wished to avoid relying on the Duanmu family as much as possible.

However, this awkward stance had nothing to do with his sister.

Nor did his sister find it bothersome.

He could not, for the sake of his personal preferences, subject his sister to a difficult life alongside him.

Moreover, the notion that everything he did was insufficient to repay the Duanmu family stemmed from his belief that his contributions to social technology had already compensated for their exceptional treatment of his sister.

Noting Lyte’s silence, Xie Shenhong offered a melancholic smile.

“What’s wrong? Do you think I’m too hypocritical, too much of a double-standard?”

It was understandable, given that the original Hai Zhu had left behind the famous maxim, ‘Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.’

Here he was, proclaiming his dislike for relying on others, yet simultaneously allowing his family to enjoy such extensive benefits.

Even if Lyte was intent on currying favor with the Duanmu family, he surely wouldn’t defy the Saintess’s will for Xie Shenhong’s sake now—

“No, I believe you are overly ‘strict with yourself.'”

Lyte stated, his expression earnest.

“Lady Hai Zhu uttered those words to encourage self-discipline, but self-discipline is not excessive self-limitation, nor should it be a source of guilt… At the very least, when they assist you, whether for their salary or to complete a task, you should feel pleased and comfortable, for only then can their work be considered a success… wouldn’t you agree?”

‘How impressive.’

Even as an adversary, Xie Shenhong found himself swayed by Lyte’s compelling rhetoric.

Turning to Sebastian and the other bodyguards who had returned to report, Xie Shenhong offered a radiant smile.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

Sebastian stared blankly at Xie Shenhong for a prolonged moment before finally reacting. He bowed deeply, his voice betraying an undeniable joy, despite his attempts to suppress it:

“It is our duty.”

****

“They are all very pleased.”

Watching the Duanmu family’s butler and bodyguards depart cheerfully, Lyte expressed his satisfaction.

“Indeed.”

For this singular instance, Xie Shenhong felt not a trace of revulsion.

He even felt a flicker of relief that he had decided to bring Lyte along.

However, this thought vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving no trace.

An enemy remained an enemy.

The fortuitous positive outcomes resulting from their malicious intentions and actions could not alter that fundamental truth.

Moreover, as he stepped into the entryway and heard the familiar whirring of a wheelchair approaching, Xie Shenhong’s heart swelled with regret—regret for allowing this devil to meet his sister.

“Brother, welcome home… I heard we have a guest, is that true?”

As his sister, Xie Shen’ai, maneuvered her magical wheelchair closer, Lyte’s face indeed registered an expression of surprise.

Following his initial astonishment, Lyte’s expression swiftly turned solemn.

He was likely already calculating in his mind how to exploit Xie Shen’ai to threaten both Xie Shenhong and Duanmu Yun.

‘Damn it.’

Xie Shenhong silently cursed himself and the imperial prince beside him, while maintaining a cordial smile.

“Yes, Shen’ai, this is my classmate, Huangfu Lyte.”

“Just call me Lyte.”

“Hello, Big Brother Lyte.” Xie Shen’ai greeted him politely.

Xie Shen’ai possessed long, cherry-blossom colored hair. She was a girl who had perfectly inherited Xie Shenhong’s endearing looks, perhaps even surpassing them, with a gentle, kind, and well-mannered disposition.

Her magical aptitude was also remarkable; at just fourteen years old, she was already Silver-tier.

She attended the Royal Magic Academy, second only to the Four Quadrants Academy, where she was a stellar second-year middle school student, beloved by both classmates and teachers alike.

Her sole affliction was a congenital, cursed disability in her legs, which no healing magic could currently cure.

Consequently, she was confined to a wheelchair, relying on various wind magic spells to aid her daily life and mobility.

For this reason, the hallways, bathrooms, and other facilities in their home had been specifically designed to accommodate Xie Shen’ai’s wheelchair width and turning radius.

“Let’s go inside.”

To ensure his sister wouldn’t go hungry, Xie Shenhong led Lyte to the living room, quickly prepared some tea for their guest, and then hastened to the kitchen to cook.

“Allow me to help.”

A short while later, Lyte entered the kitchen.

“No need, just wait in the living room.”

Observing Xie Shenhong deftly handling ingredients, simultaneously managing several tasks with no room for an outsider to interject, Lyte quietly retreated to the living room to chat with Xie Shen’ai.

However, cooking was an art Xie Shenhong had long mastered.

Now, he could busy himself in the kitchen while simultaneously listening to the conversations in the living room.

Indeed, he harbored profound worry about what Lyte might do to his only sister.

As expected, things started innocuously enough, with simple pleasantries, but once the topic shifted to school, the situation rapidly deteriorated—

“Big Brother Lyte, Brother returned to school because of you, didn’t he? Thank you.”

‘Absolutely not!’

Xie Shenhong inwardly roared.

This was, without a doubt, his gravest fear: Shen’ai was unaware of Lyte’s true nature, perceiving him as a benevolent figure.

For now, Lyte still needed to maintain his facade of kindness, so he wouldn’t act.

But in the future, Lyte would undoubtedly exploit this to deceive Shen’ai… The more Xie Shenhong pondered, the deeper his regret, and he resolved to find a way that evening to make Shen’ai understand that Lyte was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“No, I did nothing. I believe Shenhong returned to school because of you and Commander Duanmu.”

Xie Shenhong’s movements faltered.

“Is that so…”

Detecting the guilt in Shen’ai’s voice, Xie Shenhong’s actions swiftly regained their pace.

Like brother, like sister.

Shen’ai was a considerate child, often feeling ashamed for causing too much trouble for him and Sister Yun… Although he would ultimately persuade her with various forceful arguments, a thorn undoubtedly lingered in her heart, just as it did in his.

Fortunately, he now knew how to resolve it…

Over half an hour later, Xie Shenhong brought out plate after plate of meticulously prepared dishes to the table.

“Big Brother Lyte, quickly have a taste! Brother’s cooking is absolutely the best in the kingdom.”

On this particular point, Xie Shenhong harbored no modesty.

Before his transmigration, he had enjoyed preparing small dishes for himself, and in this world, a decade prior, the use of spices was still akin to the late Middle Ages.

Although the original Hai Zhu had introduced many culinary innovations, she evidently lacked the leisure to cook.

For at least the past five years, he had been responsible for the signature dishes at royal banquets.

“This is truly delicious!”

Lyte, a prince from a comparatively backward empire, was naturally defenseless against this cuisine, which could only be described as a dimension-shattering culinary assault. He instantly displayed the most astonished expression he had worn in days.

This, however, was not Xie Shenhong’s ultimate goal… He quietly glanced at his sister:

“Shen’ai, would you like to try cooking sometime when you’re free?”