Chapter 20 - The General's Wife is an Illegal Resident in the Star System

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

And, as I said before, if you wish to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon to get early access to all the translated chapters.

Return to the Capital Star

 

 

Lu Li watched from the doorway as Qin Yu entered the bedroom.

 

"What are you standing there for? Come here," Qin Yu called, noticing Lu Li hesitating.

 

He spread his arms, clearly expecting help removing his military uniform. Despite their time together, Lu Li had never helped him out of his uniform before, but it wasn't a difficult task.

 

Stepping forward, Lu Li took off the black jacket draped over Qin Yu's shoulders and hung it up. He then unbuckled his belt, glancing up to see the emblem on Qin Yu's shoulder—the symbol of the Glory Empire's strongest defender.

 

Once the uniform was off, Lu Li retrieved a set of casual clothes from the wardrobe. With this campaign concluded, it seemed Qin Yu would be staying at the villa for a while.

 

In his casual attire, Qin Yu seemed less fierce, but his presence was still undeniable. Even with his back toward him, he radiated a near-blinding intensity, like a blazing sun, warming Lu Li's skin.

 

Lu Li turned away to avoid watching him change. Suddenly, arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him back against a firm chest, muscles hard and unyielding.

 

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Qin Yu's lips brushed his ear as he spoke, the sensation sending a jolt through Lu Li's entire body, leaving his ears tingling and his body weak.

 

"...Yes, welcome home." Lu Li's cheeks flushed red. He wasn't the type to blush easily. Back at the Federation's First Military Academy, he'd received numerous confessions from both men and women, including one particularly bold admirer. Yet none had ever made him blush. Somehow, Qin Yu was his undoing, his Achilles' heel.

 

Qin Yu seemed pleased, chuckling softly in his ear before releasing him. His voice held a magnetic warmth, a contrast to his usual stoic demeanor—undeniably alluring.

 

A servant, noticing Lu Li's flushed cheeks when he returned downstairs, asked with concern if he was overheated.

 

How could it be a sunstroke in spring? Lu Li knew the servant was teasing him, and he realized he'd been too easygoing, letting them grow a bit too familiar with him.

 

At the dining table, the spread consisted mostly of meat, as Qin Yu loved his meals meat-heavy. Every time he returned, the chef would prepare a feast of meats for him, while Lu Li's spot was a stark contrast, with a balanced assortment of vegetables and fewer meat dishes.

 

Though he'd dined with Qin Yu many times before, the sheer amount of meat always left Lu Li a bit taken aback. He understood why Qin Yu needed the energy, but he didn't approve of his all-meat diet, especially as he avoided vegetables entirely. So, Lu Li went to the kitchen and requested the chef to prepare a dish of greens.

 

"The General likely won't eat it," the chef warned, knowing exactly who it was for. He'd tried many times, but Qin Yu never listened.

 

"It's alright, just make a plate for him," Lu Li replied with a smile.

 

The chef nodded, preparing a plate of stir-fried greens.

 

"This is a dish I asked the chef to make for you," Lu Li said, setting it in front of Qin Yu with a gentle smile.

 

Qin Yu's brows immediately furrowed, so tightly it looked as though they could crush a fly.

 

An Ming, standing by, grinned, anticipating Lu Li's scolding. He knew Lu Li's intention, but it was futile. Qin Yu had always avoided greens at all costs, and even his family had given up. An Ming saw no need for it; Qin Yu was strong and had been fine without them.

 

But to everyone's surprise, Qin Yu glanced at Lu Li's expectant expression, and instead of scolding, he reached over, picked up a piece of vegetable, and ate it with an expression of silent suffering.

 

An Ming's jaw dropped.

 

Lu Li beamed with delight, not having expected Qin Yu to actually comply. If he'd refused, there was nothing Lu Li could do. But Qin Yu had eaten it without further persuasion.

 

So, one ate in high spirits, while the other looked as though enduring punishment.

 

Seeing Qin Yu's pained expression, Lu Li found it both novel and amusing, so he requested the chef to serve vegetables at each meal thereafter. But it only worked that once—by the second time, Qin Yu ate the greens without the slightest reaction, much to Lu Li's disappointment.

 

After dinner, they watched the news in the living room for a while. By now, the reports had moved on; it was impossible to keep covering the same story for two months.

 

That night, they shared an intimate moment. While Lu Li showered, he left the bathroom door ajar, and Qin Yu slipped in, already stripped of his clothes.

 

Having been apart for two months, Qin Yu's desire was evident, and they made love right there in the shower. His passion that night was unbridled; it wasn't until two hours later that he finally let go, only to take Lu Li to bed for another round. By dawn, the once-pristine sheets were a tangled mess, and Lu Li, exhausted, finally drifted off to sleep.

 

When he woke up, Qin Yu—fully dressed and immaculately put together—was seated in a chair by the bed, speaking on a call. The moment he noticed Lu Li was awake, he ended the conversation and instructed a servant to bring in a bowl of porridge.

 

Seeing the sky outside still dark, Lu Li realized he had slept through the entire day. When he tried to speak, his voice was hoarse.

 

"You…"

 

Lu Li was too furious for words. He knew his body couldn't withstand such intensity, yet Qin Yu had gone overboard. It had been enjoyable, sure, but he felt like he'd lost half his life.

 

Qin Yu patiently endured Lu Li's silent anger, then helped him sit up in bed and offered to feed him porridge—a rare gesture.

 

"I can manage." Lu Li refused, unappreciative. After all, it wasn't his hands that were sore.

 

After he'd finished eating, Qin Yu finally spoke. "Once you're fully recovered, we'll go back to the Capital Star."

 

The Capital Star was home to the Glory Empire's royal family, a planet outfitted with the most advanced technology and formidable military equipment. The technology General Zhang had long coveted was commonplace there.

 

"Why the sudden trip back?" Lu Li had never been to the Capital Star—not that he didn't want to go, but because Qin Yu had never taken him. He'd always assumed it was because Qin Yu didn't want him to go. The announcement took him by surprise.

 

"Father asked me to bring you back so he could meet you," Qin Yu explained calmly.

 

"Why would your father suddenly want to meet me?" Lu Li asked, puzzled.

 

"Because he's now aware of your existence."

 

"W-what?" Lu Li's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait—are you saying that, all this time, you never told your father we were married? He didn't know about us?"

 

He'd assumed that Qin Yu's father had known from the start, that the reason Qin Yu hadn't introduced him was that he just didn't want to, or that his family didn't approve of him as Qin Yu's spouse. He never imagined that Qin Yu had never even mentioned their marriage.

 

Qin Yu nodded without a hint of remorse.

 

"Why didn't you tell your family?" Lu Li's voice was bitter. "Was it because you knew I was a Federation spy?"

 

"My marriage is my own affair. I can marry whomever I choose. Why should I have to inform them? They don't need to know." Qin Yu's face held that familiar, detached expression: My marriage is none of their business.

 

Lu Li was momentarily at a loss for words, blinking in astonishment.

 

"So… you didn't tell them you got married because you thought it was none of their business?"

 

Qin Yu didn't answer, but Lu Li could read the confirmation in his nonchalant expression and felt speechless.

 

"They're still your family, though."

 

"So?"

 

"…" Alright, fair enough. Lu Li knew that once Qin Yu had made up his mind about something, no one could change it.

 

"Since you didn't tell your father, how did he find out?"

 

Qin Yu's face darkened, his brows furrowing deeply, giving him an imposing look that exuded authority. For a moment, Lu Li thought he was about to get angry. Only after a pause did he hear Qin Yu's response.

 

"When I attacked the Federation, Father wasn't informed. He investigated afterward and discovered that we were married." Qin Yu stated the facts calmly, then reached out to close Lu Li's gaping mouth.

 

Once again, Lu Li found himself stunned by the revelation. The shock upon shock left him numb. Launching a war between two great nations wasn't a trivial matter, but Qin Yu spoke of it as if it were as simple as choosing noodles over rice for dinner.

 

Lu Li had some understanding of Qin Yu's father. As the head of the Qin family, the marshal of the Glory Empire, and the supreme leader of the military, he wielded unparalleled power and commanded at least half of the Empire's armed forces. And yet, his son had hidden a marriage from him while provoking a full-scale war, only for him to find out once the fighting began. Lu Li could almost picture the fury on the marshal's face.

 

A sense of dread crept over him. If Marshal Qin learned that his son had mobilized the Glory Empire's warships to attack the Federation for Lu Li's sake, would he ever accept him as his daughter-in-law?

 

Lu Li realized he didn't particularly want to find out the answer.

 

"Wait—how did you manage to keep our marriage hidden? Don't marriages have to be registered? Wouldn't someone have told your father?" Lu Li suddenly asked.

 

"Zhou Junyan handled it," Qin Yu replied as if it were the simplest thing.

 

Lu Li understood. Since meeting Qin Yu, he hadn't returned to the Capital Star, and when they'd decided to marry, they hadn't cared much about ceremony or formalities. With his connections and the privileges he had to encrypt data, Qin Yu found it easy to quietly alter his marital status.

 

Besides, who would think to check the marital status of someone like Qin Yu? If he were to marry, people would expect a grand, world-class wedding, not something conducted in such secrecy. As a result, the news had remained hidden—at least until now.

 

But secrets can't be kept forever; in the end, Marshal Qin had learned the truth.

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