Chapter 58 “The Truth”

“Captain?”

Upon recognizing the peeping figure, Lyte paused in surprise.

“You…”

Xie Shenhong, arriving shortly after, felt an immediate surge of powerlessness upon seeing Li Tianming.

He had initially suspected remnants of the Sakura Nation, or perhaps some other nefarious individual, lurking and plotting harm against him or Xie Shen’ai. Yet, he had never imagined it would be Li Tianming, standing guard to protect him.

“My apologies for the misunderstanding,” Li Tianming praised, “but your vigilance is truly commendable, far superior to the bodyguards over there.” As he spoke, he cast a meaningful glance at Xie Shenhong, seemingly conveying that he wouldn’t expose anything.

However, at that moment, Xie Shenhong’s sole thought was to get rid of the man.

“This is simply our duty!”

Lyte, unaware of the true situation, seemed to perceive this as a routine impromptu inspection by a superior, and even offered Li Tianming a respectful bow.

Noticing the unfolding situation, the Duanmu family’s motorcade also came to a halt.

Upon realizing it was Xie Shenhong and Lyte, the bodyguards swiftly fanned out to establish a perimeter, while Sebastian pushed Xie Shen’ai, who was seated in a wheelchair, towards the trio.

“Brother, what happened?”

“Nothing at all, just a minor misunderstanding.” Xie Shenhong swiftly shed the stern expression he had worn for Li Tianming, his gaze softening as he looked at his sister. He gently patted her head. “You should head back first; Lyte and I will join you shortly.”

Ever obedient and sensible, Shen’ai naturally wouldn’t cause Xie Shenhong any trouble.

However, the words his sister uttered next sent a chill through him, as if he had plunged into an icy abyss—

“I understand… Oh, Brother Tianming, it’s been a long time.”

****

In Xie Shenhong’s memory, Shen’ai had always been somewhat shy around strangers.

Although, as she grew older and in an effort to avoid burdening him, Shen’ai had learned to conceal this trait, always presenting herself as exceptionally well-behaved and polite. Nevertheless, anyone familiar with her would notice that her smiles and movements at such times were subtly restrained.

“It has been a while. How have you been recently?”

“I’m very well. Brother and everyone else have been taking great care of me.”

Yet, at this moment, Shen’ai’s face radiated only the joy of a long-awaited reunion, coupled with profound gratitude.

Li Tianming’s expression, too, was considerably softer than during any of their previous encounters.

However, Xie Shenhong had no recollection of ever meeting Li Tianming before. And if Shen’ai and Li Tianming had interacted somewhere he was unaware of, it failed to explain the information he had previously gathered.

Thus, the only plausible explanation was that they had known each other before Xie Shenhong’s transmigration.

“Brother, will Brother Tianming be visiting us later as well?”

It was even possible that the ‘Xie Shenhong’ from before knew him even better than Shen’ai did.

“Indeed, I was just about to invite him.”

Xie Shenhong offered a faint smile, turning his gaze to Li Tianming.

The latter immediately understood, nodding as he affirmed, “That’s right.”

“Then let’s hurry back.”

Seeing the happy and expectant look on Shen’ai’s face, Xie Shenhong secretly let out a sigh of relief.

In truth, he had absolutely no desire to invite Li Tianming.

However, Shen’ai’s reaction made it clear that the ‘Xie Shenhong’ she knew would undoubtedly welcome Li Tianming’s arrival.

He did not wish to disappoint Shen’ai.

He wanted Shen’ai to be happy.

Therefore, even if it meant embodying the ‘Xie Shenhong’ in Shen’ai’s heart, he would utter no complaints—

A soft vibration buzzed.

His phone suddenly vibrated.

[Shenhong, are you alright?]

Xie Shenhong glanced at Lyte beside him, seeing the worry etched across his face, and quickly sent a reply.

[I’m fine, merely a bit stiff with the sudden arrival of a superior.]

He hadn’t forgotten that the purpose of this outing was to repay Lyte, and Li Tianming’s presence couldn’t be allowed to derail that.

Furthermore, he didn’t want his own discomfort to cast a pall over the dinner table.

[The Captain doesn’t seem like the type to put on airs normally.]

[Indeed, especially given how kind he is to Shen’ai.]

Xie Shenhong offered a relieved smile.

Though only half genuine, the smile successfully eased Lyte’s concerns.

As for whether Lyte might have sensed a forced smile and, unable to devise a better solution, merely pretended to be reassured… that was something beyond Xie Shenhong’s current perception.

****

Since the “conflict” had occurred nearby, they soon arrived at the Xie family residence.

“Well then, I shall go prepare dinner.”

As Sebastian and the retinue of bodyguards departed, Xie Shenhong sought refuge in the kitchen, immersing himself in the task of cooking.

He simply pretended not to hear the intermittent conversations drifting from the living room between his sister and ‘a certain someone’.

No.

In truth, he hadn’t understood a word of it.

If it were not him, but the ‘Xie Shenhong’ from before, they would surely be chatting happily together, wouldn’t they?

*Knock, knock.*

“Shenhong, is there anything I can help with?”

Lyte gently tapped on the kitchen door before stepping inside.

“No need, you can just wait outside for a bit,” Xie Shenhong said with a faint smile.

Yet, Lyte acted as if he hadn’t heard, closing the door and even casting a soundproofing spell.

“Lyte?”

By now, Xie Shenhong certainly didn’t suspect Lyte of planning anything malicious towards him. However, the true purpose behind this action utterly eluded him.

“I couldn’t understand a single thing those two outside were saying, nor could I chime in, so I had no choice but to hide in here,” Lyte explained with an awkward laugh. “I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

‘He’s lying.’

‘This has nothing to do with acting skill.’

Xie Shenhong knew instantly that Lyte was fabricating the excuse.

‘And the reason was for him.’

Although this also meant his own agitation and unease had been perceived once more, Xie Shenhong felt no resentment, only an unexpected sense of relief and a faint trace of joy.

It was akin to the profound comfort one feels upon unexpectedly encountering an acquaintance in an unfamiliar environment, and the even greater pleasure of engaging in conversation with them.

Merely sharing the same space with Lyte brought Xie Shenhong a profound sense of peace and contentment.

‘I’ve truly fallen.’

Yet, for some reason, the thought that blossomed within Xie Shenhong at that moment was not his usual self-disciplined resolve, but rather an impulse to be more capricious, to indulge himself further.

“Not at all. In fact, Lyte, your timing couldn’t be more perfect…”

Xie Shenhong offered a soft smile and assigned Lyte a few simple tasks.

In truth, Xie Shenhong never required assistance with cooking. However, to justify keeping Lyte there and to chat for a while, he had no choice but to slightly compromise his efficiency.

“Thank you for waiting!”

Having taken half again as long as usual, Xie Shenhong, whose mood had largely recovered, carried the dishes to the dining table with Lyte.

“Wow, it smells wonderful! You’ve worked so hard, Brother.”

“This is truly a feast! I never realized you were such an accomplished cook, Shenhong.”

“Brother Tianming, you wouldn’t know, but Brother’s culinary skills are absolutely top-tier in the kingdom.”

Xie Shenhong couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly.

For some inexplicable reason, after emerging from the kitchen, Shen’ai and Li Tianming struck him as exceedingly odd.

It was as if the two of them were colluding, striving to put on some kind of act. Considering that the day’s objective was to repay Lyte, Xie Shenhong resolved to temporarily disregard these minor peculiarities and ensure everyone enjoyed a pleasant dinner.

Regrettably, some matters cannot simply be avoided—

“Oh, I almost forgot to explain the situation to you, Brother,” Shen’ai suddenly interjected. “Brother Li Tianming and I met on a chat app. When he said he was transferring to our school, I was truly startled! I never imagined Brother Tianming was the legendary ‘Crimson Hawk’, and now he’s even become your captain. We truly have such a profound connection…”

Xie Shenhong’s heart, which had only just begun to ease, sank once more.

Even though Xie Shenhong desperately wanted to believe his sister, her terrible acting, her unnaturally contrived tone, and the story that sounded entirely fabricated on the spot… all served as stark reminders that his sister was lying.

‘Yes, it was for his sake.’

Yet, Xie Shenhong couldn’t feel happy in the slightest.

The underlying logic behind this action was Shen’ai’s belief that he had, at some point, regained his memories.

That he had reverted to the ‘Xie Shenhong’ of the past.