Jiang Lijin certainly wasn't narcissistic enough to attribute Chiron's incisive remark just now to some dramatic trope of a wrathful hero defending his beauty.
Chiron's mother was a Rank C female who, for the sake of his Rank S father, participated in a mental power experiment and ultimately died in a cold laboratory. This kind of tragedy, where a life was sacrificed to supplement mental power, was absolutely an untouchable reverse scale in Chiron's heart.
Felwin's behavior of forcibly raising her rank through black market drugs and treating human lives like dirt stepped precisely on this big shot's landmine. It was completely reasonable for him to despise such a drug-abusing female.
However, the current atmosphere was simply too tense, so Jiang Lijin decided to lighten the mood.
"Lord Chiron," she dragged out her words, leaning back with the corners of her eyes tilted up, her tone half-joking and half-serious. "If Felwin doesn't die this time, she'll definitely pin all this mess on me. She could kill Arden without batting an eye, wouldn't it be a piece of cake for her to kill me?"
Resting her chin on the back of her hand, she teased with a smile, "You have to protect me well."
It was meant to be a casual joke.
Unexpectedly, Chiron put down his teacup.
He looked up, his gaze falling straight onto Jiang Lijin's face.
"Of course, my wife." Chiron's speaking speed was half a beat slower than usual, carrying a solemnity like a vow.
"I will protect you until the last moment of my life."
There were no flowery words, no extra embellishments, just a simple declarative sentence.
Yet, the fake smile on Jiang Lijin's face froze.
She coughed dryly, trying to pull the derailed rhythm back on track. Waving her hand, she laughed it off, "Oh my, I really couldn't tell. Our Director Chiron looks so serious usually, but you're actually quite humorous when you joke around."
As she spoke, she reached for the teapot on the table, wanting to use the action of pouring water to cover up her discomfort.
Chiron did not give her a chance to escape. He continued to stare at her with that intense gaze that made one's hair stand on end.
"I am not joking." Chiron's voice lowered a few degrees. "Jiang Lijin."
Not Ms. Jiang, he called her by her full name.
Jiang Lijin's action of pouring water paused in mid-air.
Chiron crossed his hands on the table, sitting upright. "I don't know what our marriage means to you."
Jiang Lijin opened her mouth but no words came out.
What did it mean? A trouble forcibly shoved to her by the Mastermind? Her temporary safe haven in this unfamiliar world? She hadn't actually thought about this question carefully. The principle she had always followed was to take things one step at a time, and to strike back at anyone who provoked her. As for feelings... she subconsciously clenched her fingers.
"A paper contract? A forced assignment by the Mastermind? Or a temporary shelter that you can withdraw from at any time?" Chiron looked at her, speaking the words in her heart for her.
"But to me, it is not like that."
"You are my destined one."
He said these words very lightly, yet they carried the weight of a mountain.
Before meeting Jiang Lijin, Chiron had already prepared himself to welcome a violent collapse at any moment. The fate of a Rank 3S male was madness and death, and as the director of the Central Hospital, he knew better than anyone how painful this process was. He had seen too many of his kind struggling on the edge of losing their sanity, ultimately turning into beasts that only knew how to slaughter.
He thought he would share that same ending, until Jiang Lijin appeared, until the Mastermind matched him with Jiang Lijin.
"You are the one who saved me from a certain death." Chiron looked at her, his gaze terrifyingly focused.
He was not someone good at expressing emotions, accustomed to analyzing everything with data. But in front of Jiang Lijin, he found that none of those things worked.
"I might not be as good with words as Tinia, nor do I know how to coax you into being happy," Chiron spoke slowly. "But when I say I will protect you until the last moment of my life, I will absolutely not break my promise."
She wanted to open her mouth and tease, "Then the Director's life is quite valuable, huh," but when she looked up into Chiron's gray eyes filled with complex emotions, she swallowed those joking words back down.
[Host! Help! I'm going to fall in love with Lord Chiron!! Who could resist this!] Xiao Yi screamed frantically in her mind, even setting off pink electronic fireworks.
[Shut up! Why don't you come out and live with him then?]
She shook her head, racking her brains thinking about how to reply to this, or whether she should just play dumb and gloss over it.
With a click, the heavy alloy doors slid open from both sides.
Tinia's voice came in first: "Sister! Look at the good stuff I prepared for you!"
Behind him followed a row of uniformed hotel butlers, filing in pushing three temperature-controlled dining carts.
"Freshly caught Icefield Snow Cod. The head chef made it in three styles: sashimi, pan-fried, and clear stew. There are also the sweet and sour spare ribs you casually mentioned yesterday; I specially hired a traditional chef at a high price to make them." Tinia reported the dish names like he was presenting a treasure, his short golden hair bouncing with his movements, his whole person radiating a vigorous vitality.
Jiang Lijin felt as if she had been granted amnesty. She quickly turned her head, staring straight at those dining carts, feeling for the first time in her life that Tinia's flashy face looked so pleasing to the eye.
"I'm so hungry, hurry up and serve them." She used the out he provided, her tone revealing a bit of urgency.
Chiron did not turn his head.
He still maintained his previous sitting posture, his gaze lingering on Jiang Lijin's evasive face. The emotions in those gray eyes were restrained extremely quickly; in just two short seconds, he returned to his usual cold and rigorous demeanor typical of a scholar.
He picked up his teacup, which had already turned lukewarm, and took a slow sip.
Tinia directed the butlers to place the dishes on the dining table one by one, while he quickly walked around the sofa and squeezed right next to Jiang Lijin.
The territorial awareness belonging to a Rank 3S male was extremely sharp. As soon as he got close, he sensed the lingering unnaturalness in the air.
Chiron usually always put on airs, but his sitting posture today and the angle from which he looked at Jiang Lijin exuded a strong sense of aggression no matter how one looked at it.
Tinia plopped down into the empty seat next to Jiang Lijin, his body naturally leaning over, and his fluffy head taking the opportunity to rub against Jiang Lijin's shoulder.
"Sister, what were you chatting with Director Chiron about just now?"
As he spoke, he picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a piece of deboned Snow Cod meat onto Jiang Lijin's plate.
Jiang Lijin's neck tickled from his rubbing, and she reached out to push away that fluffy head.
"Nothing much, just gossiping." Jiang Lijin picked up her chopsticks and poked the fish on her plate. "Someone on the Star Network exposed all of Felwin's past."
Tinia's attention was successfully diverted. He turned on his optical computer, glanced at the anonymous post hanging high at the top of the trending list, and let out a loud sneer.
"This woman is completely finished." Tinia leaned back in his chair, his long legs crossed. "A Rank B pretending to be a Rank S, and she's even involved with black market contraband drugs."
He turned to look at Jiang Lijin, blinking as if asking for a reward. Sister, you do not need to worry about this. Before I came here, I already gave a heads-up to the legal department at Yunlan Group. They are going to team up with several media outlets to fan the flames even higher. I guarantee that Felwin will not even have a place to set foot on the Capital Star.
Jiang Lijin swallowed the fish in her mouth; the flavor was exquisite, and the meat was tender and smooth. She picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs. The tangy and sweet sauce melted on her tongue, greatly soothing her nerves, which had just been somewhat unsettled by Chiron.
There is no need for the legal department, Chiron, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
He unhurriedly picked up a napkin and wiped his hands, his movements full of elegance.
The Security Bureau is much more efficient than you might imagine. Fifteen minutes ago, the First Action Group of the Capital Star surrounded Felwin's residence. Chiron pulled up an internal briefing, and a holographic projection unfolded in the center of the dining table. She has been taken into custody.
In the projection, Felwin was wearing that black dress, her hair a disheveled mess, as she was escorted onto a hovercar by two fully armed security officers, one on each side. Her three A-grade beast husbands stood not far away with complicated expressions, yet not a single one stepped forward to intervene.
So what if they caught her? Tinia scoffed dismissively. Imperial law is ridiculously lenient toward females. At worst, she will just be stripped of her S-grade privileges. Even if it is ultimately discovered that she killed Arden, it will merely result in exile to a fringe planet. A punishment like that is nothing but a slap on the wrist to her.
At these words, Tinia and Chiron's gazes met briefly in mid-air.
Although the two could not stand the sight of each other, in that fleeting moment, the exact same chilling, predatory murderous intent flashed through the eyes of both top-tier 3S males.
