Chapter 220: Ye Ming’s Confession
His heart beat even faster.
The swing swayed gently a couple of times under their combined weight. Shi Lan, holding onto the ropes, was the first to speak. "What is it? Is there something you want to say?"
Ye Ming’s throat was strangely hoarse. His Adam’s apple bobbed. "Yes. Do you remember Donald?"
"I don’t know if Admiral Lu told you his name. He’s the one who kidnapped you."
Of course, Shi Lan remembered. "Did they catch him?"
She was pleasantly surprised. She’d always considered Donald an extremely dangerous person because of his Talent Skill Domain. If he ever truly captured her, she wouldn’t even be able to use her spiritual power inside his private space.
It was best to deal with a person like that as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, she had asked Grandpa Lu about it twice before, and he’d told her that Donald had inexplicably vanished.
The universe was vast, with countless deserted and abandoned stars. Hiding a person was all too easy.
Ye Ming sensed her joy and shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, he hasn’t been caught yet."
"Donald has S-level spiritual power. Moreover, he’s a high-level bounty hunter on the dark web and has always been cunning."
Shi Lan came back to her senses. Although she felt a tinge of regret, she wasn’t overly disappointed.
"Oh, it’s okay."
Ye Ming continued to explain, "Admiral Lu was focusing on Donald, but he recently told me he’d made a new discovery. Donald is actually one of Ye Yan’s people. The two have had numerous secret dealings, and most of the people Donald killed on the dark web were on Ye Yan’s orders."
The reason Lu Dinfeng disclosed this information to Ye Ming first was that Ye Yan was a member of the Imperial Family. Now that he was retired, he couldn’t act as recklessly toward the Imperial Family as he once had.
Ye Ming had never paid much attention to Ye Yan, viewing him as a mere buffoon. But after learning this, his loathing for his younger brother reached a new level.
Surprise flashed in Shi Lan’s eyes. "The Second Prince ordered him to do it?"
’She was utterly baffled. She recalled that in the book, the original owner was probably killed by this person, perhaps with the male lead’s involvement. But since she had transmigrated here, she’d had no connection to the male lead. How could the death plot still be triggered?’
Ye Ming frowned. "We can’t be sure yet. There’s no concrete evidence that it was Ye Yan’s order."
Interstellar personal chips are highly secure, managed by both human administrators and automated robotic systems. Even as a Prince, he couldn’t access the data on Donald’s original chip.
Besides, Ye Ming still couldn’t figure out Ye Yan’s motive for wanting to kill Lanlan.
’Could it just be because she used to like him?’
At this thought, his expression dimmed.
’Lanlan had liked so many people. Even his worthless brother had once caught her eye, but as for me...’
The night on the Capital Star was especially dark, with no visible stars.
In the vast rear garden of the manor, two floral lanterns were the only light in the darkness.
Shi Lan stared at the pitch-black flower bushes in the distance and sensed a pair of green eyes hiding within.
The green eyes brought back bad memories.
The reason she had initially feared Ye Ming’s eyes was that her parents had once deliberately abandoned her in the mountains near her old home as a child. She couldn’t see the path in the dark and had no choice but to climb a tree to wait out the night.
The mountain nights were cold and dark, filled with strange cries and what looked like the green eyes of a wolf. She didn’t dare move all night. As soon as day broke, she quickly found her way home by herself.
After that, Shi Lan ran a fever for two nights. When it finally broke, she had learned to never trust her parents again.
Shi Lan shuddered and couldn’t help but inch closer to Ye Ming, her voice trembling. "Ye Ming... th-there... there’s something over there..."
It was the first time Ye Ming had ever seen her so afraid; she seemed even more terrified than when she had faced the Insect Clan.
He instinctively pulled her into his arms, patting her slender back reassuringly. "It’s okay. I’ll go have a look. Don’t be afraid."
"I... I’ll go with you."
Shi Lan didn’t dare to sit there alone. She gently clutched the hem of Ye Ming’s tailcoat. His suit had been perfectly pressed, and though she was wrinkling it now, Ye Ming didn’t seem the least bit displeased. He just quietly shielded her behind him.
The two of them reached the flower bushes. Ye Ming reached out and pushed the foliage aside. RUSTLE, RUSTLE.
WHOOSH. A black cat darted away, its tail twitching rapidly.
But Shi Lan was already so terrified that she had buried herself in Ye Ming’s embrace.
Her face was pale. Watching the cat retreat into the distance, Ye Ming hurriedly held her tighter, patiently coaxing and comforting her. "Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. It was just a cat looking for food."
Shi Lan’s body was still trembling faintly. When Ye Ming thought of the cat’s green eyes, he couldn’t help but recall her attitude toward him back in the prison.
’Perhaps she’s still afraid of me.’
He pressed his lips together, and his peach-blossom eyes seemed to lose some of their light. But his large hand continued to soothe her tirelessly.
Holding her in his arms, his heart was filled with a sense of satisfaction, as if he owned the entire world, but his eyes were empty.
After a long moment, Shi Lan managed to suppress her fear and pulled away from his embrace, embarrassed.
"Thank you,"
she said softly. A lump formed in Ye Ming’s throat, and his voice sounded a bit choked. "It’s nothing. Lanlan, you don’t have to be so formal with me."
Shi Lan keenly sensed something was off with his mood. Just as she was about to look up at him, Ye Ming’s broad, warm hand suddenly covered her eyes.
"Don’t look,"
he forced out, his voice awkward and full of self-loathing.
Shi Lan’s eyelids fluttered, her soft lashes brushing against his palm.
"What’s wrong?"
Afraid of seeing disgust in her eyes, Ye Ming slowly led her back to the swing. There were lights there, so his eyes wouldn’t look so frightening.
Shi Lan didn’t get a response, so she asked again, a little worried.
Ye Ming lowered his gaze to the crown of her dark hair. The image of her seeking his protection just moments ago, despite her fear, gave him a sudden impulse. "Lanlan, do you hate my green eyes, too?"
He blurted the question out. His words were rushed, but if she listened closely, Shi Lan could sense the insecurity and sadness in his tone.
Annoyed, she pulled his hand down. She couldn’t stop herself from cupping his face in her hands and staring right at him. "What are you thinking? Didn’t I tell you I’m not afraid of you? Besides, Ye Ming, your eyes are beautiful. I like them a lot."
"Th-then just now..."
Shi Lan felt mortified, thinking about how she had just made such a fuss over being scared by a cat.
Her face flushed. "That was different. You are you. It’s not the same. All you need to know is that I’m not afraid of you."
Ye Ming was tall, and Shi Lan’s arms were starting to ache from cupping his face, so she loosened her grip slightly. Thinking she was about to pull away, Ye Ming instinctively grabbed her hands.
For once, he revealed his emotions so openly. His eyes were filled with joy and ardor. Those green eyes, like a brilliant aurora in the night, bloomed with a magnificent light as he stared intently at her. His gaze swept over the necklace at her throat, and he finally stopped hiding his feelings. "Lanlan, I like you. Can I be your Beast Husband?"