Chivalry and Schemes

A penetrating gaze.

Liuxia’s stare was scorching and intense, as if she wished to pierce through the dark, murky depths of Li Chunsheng’s heart.

“Are you truly certain you didn’t do anything?”

“…” Li Chunsheng, feeling incredibly guilty, averted his gaze.

“Chunsheng, that simply won’t do, you know? Even if your intention was to extort money from Miss Liao… you must still uphold a man’s chivalry, shouldn’t you?”

“Acting inappropriately, touching someone without permission, that’s absolutely unacceptable.”

Liuxia, a former Paladin cadet, offered these high-sounding justifications, seemingly oblivious to how contradictory her words truly were.

‘Yes, the only reason I’m so concerned about Chunsheng’s secret meeting with that lady is because I don’t want to see him stray down the wrong path!’

Whether the readers believed it or not, Liuxia certainly did. What else could it be? Was she simply jealous, like a woman?

Impossible! Liuxia was a true, upstanding man!

Yet, Li Chunsheng continued to stammer hesitantly, unwilling to answer.

Liuxia’s eyes widened in shock, and she pulled at his sleeve urgently. “Could it be? Did you… actually do something indecent?”

“I… I just shook her hand…”

Pressed to such an extent, Li Chunsheng had no choice but to confess.

“What? Shook her hand?! What do you mean, ‘just shook her hand’?”

Liuxia’s voice instantly rose several octaves, startling Li Chunsheng, who quickly covered her mouth to prevent drawing more attention.

“Calm down! Be rational!”

“Rational? What do you expect me to be rational about?”

‘What an odd thing to say?’ Li Chunsheng’s thoughts momentarily drifted, before he sighed, rubbing his forehead in resignation.

‘Ah… it was precisely because of this that I didn’t dare tell Senior Sister…’

As mentioned before, in this world, the divide between men and women was even more pronounced than on Earth! Yet, in certain subtle details, there were significant differences.

In a sense, this world was one where gender roles regarding chastity were reversed. Women could actively make advances toward men, but if a man reciprocated, he would face moral condemnation and be criticized for lacking chivalry.

Because most men feared being branded a Goblin, even if they were physically stronger than women, they often found themselves in a more vulnerable position in actual male-female relationships.

Over time, to cater to women, men as a whole became more conservative.

It could be said that most men in this world bore both the responsibilities of feudal males and the chastity views of feudal females.

Fortunately, if not for a group of male Paladins serving as the mainstay, men in this world might have been forced to marry women, or even accept polyandry, with children taking their mother’s surname.

For the high-ranking Paladins, they never lacked for women and were almost immune to becoming Goblins. Consequently, they were extremely dominant in male-female relationships.

It was rather amusing, then, that most true Paladins rarely adhered strictly to chivalry, while lower-class men, conversely, observed it far more diligently.

‘Senior Sister, she’s precisely the kind of man with a strong moral compass…’

‘Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been with Mu Shengling for so long without even holding hands…’

“Li Chunsheng, oh Li Chunsheng, Liuxia doesn’t recall ever educating you to be this kind of boy!” Liuxia’s face was etched with profound disappointment.

‘She’s making me sound like a harlot…’ Li Chunsheng inwardly pouted.

Yet, coming from Earth, he truly might be considered a harlot in this world.

“If you act like this, won’t you have to marry Miss Liao? You’re still young; can you shoulder such an important responsibility?”

“Don’t make it sound so serious… On the surface, I’m a Paladin now, you know? My status is much higher than that woman’s.”

“For a Paladin like me to shake her hand, it should be an honor for that woman, shouldn’t it?” Li Chunsheng said with a hint of frivolousness.

“That’s why, Senior Sister, you’re far too rigid. You’ve been to university; none of the male students whose families have Paladins are as strictly chivalrous as you are.”

“But… but…” Liuxia was momentarily choked. She knew Li Chunsheng was right.

“What’s wrong with chivalry?” the young woman whispered softly. “Pure love is never wrong…”

“Speaking of handshakes, I’ve done far more ‘excessive’ things to you than just shaking hands, haven’t I? Like hugging and embracing? We even kissed… Does that mean I have to marry you now?”

Liuxia’s heart skipped a beat, feeling a strange flutter, but she quickly snapped back to reality. “I… I’m not a woman?”

‘If you’re a man and still act like this, it’s even more inappropriate…’ Li Chunsheng mused internally.

“Alright, alright, this was all just to achieve the plan~ It was a necessary sacrifice.” Li Chunsheng patted Liuxia’s small head, causing the young woman to whimper in dissatisfaction.

“Don’t treat other women the way you treat me!”

“Otherwise, it would ruin your reputation!”

“Right, right, I get it!” Li Chunsheng replied perfunctorily.

“In any case! I’ve already finalized arrangements with Miss Liao. Next week, I’ll meet her at the agreed-upon location, and she’ll come alone.”

“At that time, whether through gentle persuasion or by force, the plan will have a chance to unfold.”

‘And I can earn a little money in the process. Shopping at the mall last time cost quite a bit…’

“Alright… Chunsheng, you must be mindful of chivalry when dealing with Miss Liao afterward, okay?” Liuxia admonished like an old-fashioned elder.

“Mhm, I’ll try my best.”

‘I won’t let this world’s strange morals shackle me,’ Li Chunsheng thought with disdain.

“Well, since our objective has been achieved, shall we leave?” With that, he disregarded the pleas of some people present, and pulled Liuxia out of the hotel lobby.

Not far away, a pair of resentful eyes watched them. Seeing them depart, the observer activated their cloaking Authority and quietly vanished.

****

On the main road, a Bronze-tier giant scorpion was currently galloping at high speed.

“Miss, why are you rushing through the streets at red-horned triple speed?” the maid asked, bewildered, from atop the giant scorpion’s head.

To the maid, this seemed highly illogical. Miss Mu Shengling had allocated computational power from the Blessing Network to use this Bronze-tier tamed beast. To simply gallop through the streets seemed an utter waste.

However, since it was her mistress’s command, she obeyed, though her confusion persisted.

Mu Shengling glowed red all over, enveloped in light. Her face, which others couldn’t clearly discern, also held a bewildered expression.

‘Yes, why am I doing this?’

‘Without a proper goal, this seems a bit foolish, doesn’t it?’

But soon, Mu Shengling felt a sense of relief.

“Heh heh! Nanny, don’t worry about the loss of a few Black Iron Coins…”

“Occasionally, I also wish to partake in the activities of the common folk~ I let Li Chunsheng and that Liuxia go to that event together. How could I be content without witnessing the outcome myself?”

“Hehe, Liuxia is definitely going to make a fool of herself~”

…In the end, when Mu Shengling arrived at the scene, she didn’t witness the spectacle she desired, nor did she even get to eat a hot meal—because Liuxia alone had devoured most of the food present.

According to Miss He, who was there, she had initially intended to bring people to bully Liuxia but was deterred by Liuxia’s insane speed of devouring food, not daring to approach.

Upon hearing this, Mu Shengling was utterly speechless.

Thus, the young lady’s plan had completely failed.

****

“Hello? Is this the boss of the Spring and Autumn Society? I have something I’d like to ask of you.” In a certain dark corner, Investigator Liao dialed a phone number.

“…I dislike your form of address, Investigator. You should lower your head a little now, shouldn’t you?”

“…”

“My apologies, Godfather…”