Chapter 25 - 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.

Without Pants

 

 

Qin Yu was very occupied and wouldn't be home for dinner, so the Qin family chef prepared a meal for three.

 

Besides Madam Qin and Lu Li, the third was the Marshal himself. Unlike his sons, who seldom made it home, the Marshal was usually back on time, except on exceptionally busy days.

 

"Marshal Qin," Lu Li greeted him politely, feeling less awkward now that they were meeting for the second time, though the presence of the renowned Marshal still made him a bit tense.

 

"You're part of the family now, so just call me what Qin Yu does," the Marshal responded, noting Lu Li's unease but choosing not to make him feel any more uncomfortable. His tone was warm, just as it had been at the headquarters.

 

Madam Qin, sitting nearby, raised her head in disbelief, giving her husband a fierce glare.

 

"Yes… Father." Lu Li adapted quickly, calling him "Father" without hesitation.

 

"Alright then, let's eat," the Marshal said, seemingly oblivious to Madam Qin's expression.

 

Shortly after the meal, Madam Qin, unable to hold back any longer, pulled the Marshal aside to whisper, and Lu Li could easily guess what she intended to discuss.

 

"Qin Fu, didn't you promise to talk sense into Qin Yu? You agreed so readily, and now, not long after, you're changing your stance—what's that supposed to mean?" Madam Qin's voice was full of confidence, convinced her husband would side with her. She hadn't taken Qin Shuang's words to heart at all.

 

But here he was, openly acknowledging the person Qin Yu had married. She'd made it very clear that she'd never accept Lu Li as the Qin family's eldest daughter-in-law, and her husband's remark before dinner felt like a slap in the face.

 

"Your eldest son made it clair—if we don't acknowledge his wife, he'll leave the family and might never come back. If you have the power to change his mind, then by all means." The Marshal relayed Qin Yu's words calmly, not letting Madam Qin's reaction ruffle him.

 

"I knew it! That vixen must have taught him to say so," Madam Qin exclaimed, her face turning a mix of colors as she pinned the blame squarely on Lu Li.

 

The "vixen" himself, Lu Li, "..."

 

Could they not at least whisper a bit more quietly?

 

"With Qin Yu's temper, does he need someone to teach him?" Marshal Qin obviously knew that Madam Qin's words were a bit unreasonable.

 

Madam Qin immediately shot him a sidelong glare in return.

 

"Well, it doesn't matter. You're his father, so it's your duty to handle this. A man simply can't be the Qin family's eldest daughter-in-law."

 

"That's beyond my control, and besides, you know the family's rule. Qin Yu has the right to marry whomever he chooses." The Marshal's expression darkened, as if she'd touched a nerve, and with that, he turned and walked away.

 

Seeing his serious expression, Madam Qin felt slightly intimidated and wisely chose not to pursue the topic further.

 

Seeing the tension in the air, Lu Li slipped away to the room he shared with Qin Yu. After browsing the galactic web for a while, he went to take a shower.

 

Only a couple of days had passed since he'd moved in, and he hadn't yet stocked his wardrobe. For now, he had to borrow Qin Yu's pajamas. Pulling on the oversized top, he realized he didn't need to wear pants; the shirt reached down to his knees.

 

He'd known Qin Yu was tall, but he hadn't realized the height difference was this significant. He tried on the pajama pants, but they hung off him awkwardly, like a child wearing adult clothes. Deciding to stick with just the shirt, he figured it was fine since Qin Yu wouldn't be home that night.

 

After some hesitation, Lu Li called Qin Yu's communication line, which connected after a brief delay.

 

Qin Yu's image appeared on the screen, looking striking in his tailored military uniform, which only enhanced his commanding aura. From the background, it looked like he was in a meeting room and may have just come from a meeting.

 

"Were you in a meeting? I hope I didn't disturb you," Lu Li began.

 

"You're wearing my pajamas." Qin Yu's gaze fell directly on Lu Li's outfit, stating this with the clear certainty that it was, indeed, his sleepwear.

 

"Uh…" Lu Li hadn't expected his observation skills to be so sharp, considering he'd hidden under the covers beforehand. "I didn't have any pajamas, so I borrowed yours for now."

 

"I'll have clothes in your size sent over tomorrow," Qin Yu replied.

 

Lu Li nodded, then told him about the argument between the Marshal and Madam Qin.

 

In the past, Lu Li had learned from Qin Yu that while his parents' romance wasn't the passionate type, they'd been happily married for decades and had almost never fought.

 

Hearing that they were quarreling over him left Lu Li a little worried.

 

"There's no need to worry. Mother wouldn't dare anger Father too much," Qin Yu assured him, perfectly aware of his mother's temperament. In all their years of marriage, the reason they'd rarely fought was simply that Madam Qin would never let things go so far as to provoke her husband's ire. She might squabble here and there, but within two days, she'd usually soften up on her own.

 

The Marshal's authority had always commanded the utmost respect, especially from his wife.

 

Hearing this, Lu Li couldn't help but smile. It sounded like Lady Qin had a softer side after all. And it was undeniable that she and Marshal Qin shared a happy life, the kind of life Lu Li quietly hoped for as well.

 

He had always thought that marrying Qin Yu would make such a life hard to achieve, yet his parents had managed it. Maybe he could hope for a future like that with Qin Yu.

 

"You're not wearing pants?" Qin Yu suddenly asked.

 

"I am! Why do you ask?" Lu Li hadn't expected that question, and it caught him off guard, but he quickly tried to play it cool.

 

Qin Yu's expression was unreadable as he looked at him, his gaze shifting past Lu Li's shoulder to where Lu Li's discarded pajama pants lay on a chair.

 

"Your pajamas are a bit long," Lu Li noticed Qin Yu's line of sight and, seeing the pants on the chair, felt a bit embarrassed. He tried to explain himself.

 

Qin Yu's eyes stayed fixed on the blanket covering Lu Li's lower half, as though he could make it vanish just by looking.

 

Lu Li felt awkward under his gaze, even with the thick blanket covering him, and he was starting to feel a bit flushed. Changing positions to ease his nerves, he accidentally shifted the blanket, exposing part of his bare hip. When he covered up again and looked at Qin Yu on the screen, Qin Yu's eyes had taken on a burning look, all composure replaced with blatant desire.

 

"I-I'm going to sleep now. Good night." Startled, Lu Li hurriedly ended the call. Even though he knew Qin Yu couldn't come home tonight, his expression was intense enough to become unnerving.

 

In the military conference room, Qin Yu's gaze slowly returned to normal as the call ended, but there was still a certain part of him that didn't calm down as quickly. With a stony expression, he looked down at the erection that refused to subside.

 

The next morning, Lu Li got up early, dressed in casual clothes, and went for a run in the Qin family's courtyard to keep up with his exercise habit. To his surprise, he found Marshal Qin there too, already jogging before dawn had fully broken.

 

The Marshal, also taken aback to see him so early, gave him a brief smile, and without a word, they jogged together in silence for several laps.

 

Lu Li was the first to tire out and stopped. The Qin family's courtyard was massive, and he found himself a bit disheartened to realize that his stamina couldn't quite match that of Marshal Qin, who was several decades his senior.

 

Seeing this, Marshal Qin didn't comment, merely halted beside him and invited him in for breakfast.

 

Breakfast at the Qin house was simple, mainly porridge, though the chef liked to vary it with different ingredients each day.

 

After finishing, the Marshal went upstairs to change into his military uniform and headed to work.

 

A bit later, Madam Qin came downstairs, by which time only Lu Li was still at the table. Knowing that she didn't particularly welcome him, he didn't linger long, heading back to his room to change out of his damp workout clothes. He spent a few minutes chatting with Qin Yu on his communicator before logging into the Cosmic Net to meet Rainwalker for the match they'd scheduled days ago.

 

"You're finally here! I thought you weren't coming!" The moment Lu Li logged on, Rainwalker found him and sounded visibly relieved.

 

"I'd never break a promise," Lu Li replied.

 

"I knew I could count on you! We're almost out of time; let's head over, and I'll fill you in on the way." Rainwalker grinned as he led him along.

 

The battle site was at the mecha training arena, and their opponents were regulars there. Rainwalker had encountered them while climbing the ranks recently. He'd won, but his opponent hadn't taken the loss well, challenging him to a rematch and even calling in his older brother.

 

The training arena didn't allow private fights, but public challenges were fair game. When Rainwalkersaw the man's brother held a higher rank, he refused the one-on-one match. The opponent, unwilling to let it go, proposed a two-on-two battle instead, and Rainwalker, fed up with their persistence, agreed. Having few powerful allies on the Cosmic Net, he'd reached out to Lu Li for help.

 

"But it's just a ranking match. Why is he being so stubborn about it?" Lu Li asked, not fully briefed on the details.

 

"He's stuck on it because there's a prize for the top three. I'm aiming for first place this time, and he happens to be holding that spot. I needed to knock him down, but he's pretty fragile for a guy at the top. One loss, and he had to call in backup."

 

Lu Li had heard of this leaderboard. The mecha training arena ran two ranking systems, the A and B boards. Rainwalkerwas competing in the B board, where the rewards were updated every two months—sometimes it was star coins, other times rare materials, though the prizes varied in value. Those with substantial means didn't care much about B board rewards, as most of the truly strong mecha fighters were on the A board. The opponent's brother was an A board regular.

 

Rainwalker ranked 101st on the A board, while his opponent's brother was 93rd—a gap of eight ranks. In the top 100, advancing even one rank was no small feat.

 

Lu Li wasn't very interested in the B board, which ran every couple of months and could be joined at any time, so he usually focused on the A board. Out of all Rainwalker's contacts, Lu Li was the only one ranked in the top hundred and significantly above him.

Last Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

 

❧ Join Bella Novels' Newsletter by clicking here ↫ and
receive an email for each New Update -͙✧˖*°࿐