Chapter 228: Ning Qian, I Don’t Love You!

Chapter 228: Ning Qian, I Don't Love You!

The next morning, right after I finished giving my immortal petite-woman her intense routine of punishments and rewards, I immediately began preparing for my upcoming date with Mei.

Mei stepped close to me, her fingers gently smoothing down the fabric of my yukata before purposefully messing up my hair to give me that familiar, unkempt high school look. She flashed a playful grin, letting out a light giggle as she told me, "I liked you better back then, Rick, because no matter how I dressed or whether I wore makeup, you always let me look good." She stepped back a bit, crossing her arms as she added, "But lately your handsome looks seem to be improving a bit too much, and I feel like I have to try way too hard now, so just leave your hair messy, fufu."

Her words felt a bit like a playful curse, causing me to frown slightly in mild protest as I asked her, "Mei, why do you seem to be my only wife who actively wants me to look completely average when I thought all women universally wanted handsome men?"

Mei suddenly reached out, pulling open the front of my robe to point directly at my bare chest as she explained, "Rick, even most of your old scars are fading away lately, and at this rate, you are going to become far too good looking for your own good." She shook her head with a sigh, noting, "And I am not the only one noticing it, you know, since even Hinata and the others are trying extra hard lately to make sure they keep their own looks up, and hell, even Lucy has been hitting the gym every other day, and you know she is a total couch potato."

It seemed my cultivation was rapidly healing all of my past bodily traumas, slowly perfecting my physical health and appearance. I could only scratch my cheek awkwardly, muttering a quick, "Sorry," as I looked away from her intense gaze.

Mei gave my chest a playful swat, then leaned in to press a soft kiss against my lips before whispering, "Don't say sorry for getting fit, stupid, because I am just saying you should dress down a little bit, fufu, since I still absolutely love your body, get me?"

I smiled back, nodding my head in quick agreement to her playful demands as I told her, "Yes, ma'am, roll right out of bed and wear wrinkled clothing from now on, got it."

Mei rolled her eyes with an affectionate laugh, nudging my shoulder as she shot back, "Ufufu, stupid, now let us go, Mr. Comedian."

Once we were both fully dressed and ready, we stepped outside and took a rickshaw directly toward the Karaoke Studio for the scheduled meeting. As I calmly led Mei deep into the establishment, we approached booth 13, which had been specifically reserved for Mei and her contact.

The very first thing I discovered right outside the door was an older woman sitting in a chair, casually reading a magazine. I could instantly tell that this woman, who was doing her best to pretend to be someone's ordinary mother, was actually a master-level Kung-Fu expert. The moment she looked up and spotted me, her eyes dilated for a brief second in shock.

My immediate guess was that she recognized my face because of my striking resemblance to my father. It clearly surprised her just how much we looked alike. But like a highly trained spy, she quickly went right back to her magazine and completely ignored us.

Mei paid the woman no mind at all and confidently pushed open the door to enter room 13.

Sitting on one of the couches inside the twenty-by-twenty room was the exact same young woman I had previously met at the buffet. She possessed deep blue eyes, long black hair, a striking C-cup figure, and notably wide hips. In the China Empire, she would easily be considered the iconic definition of an athletic jade beauty.

She looked up at us, addressing us in a deep, smoky voice as she gestured toward the seats while commanding, "Mei Xia, the Shadow assigned to Rick Tang, good, come and sit down, as we have much to discuss."

I turned my head slightly toward Mei, making absolutely no effort to hide my words from the stranger as I muttered, "Her name is probably fake, but she previously told me it was Ning Qian."

The woman completely ignored my snarky remark, keeping her focus entirely on Mei as she declared, "Ning Qian is this one's name from the Qian Nobility, and you have undoubtedly heard of them, correct?"

Mei gave a firm nod of understanding as she settled onto the couch, responding smoothly, "Yes, ranked seventh of the seven Noble Clans operating directly under the Emperor himself, so what specific mission does the Shadow have for us this time?"

Ning reached down to pull out a sleek black case, flipping it open to reveal ten small vials filled with a perfectly clear liquid. The vials themselves were incredibly tiny, smaller than half a pinky finger.

Holding up the case, Ning detailed the plot by stating, "Tomorrow night, I have exclusive invitations to the Emperor's son's eighteenth birthday party, and he, along with three other specific men, must be dosed with this drug." She pointed at the vials, explaining, "The mission is to attend the gathering and slip them this drug right under their noses to effectively stop their future lineages, forcing them to come directly to us if they want the cure." She closed the case, adding with a cold smile, "The Emperor has only this one single son, and if he fails to produce an heir, his entire era ends right there, and political chaos will make seizing total control easy in ten years."

Mei knit her brows together in a heavy frown as she considered the details, asking, "Are you planning on using seduction to get close enough to slip the drug in, and what exactly do you need me to do?"

Ning's eyes slowly drifted away from Mei, locking directly onto me with intense focus as she claimed, "Mei, you are actually completely useless on this specific mission, since it is Rick who needs to aid me here."

I was right in the middle of sipping a coffee I had bought out in the lobby, causing me to pause mid-drink. I looked up at her with a deadpan expression, snapping, "Excuse me, but I am absolutely not one of your shadows, and if dicks suddenly start going limp all around me, I think the suspicion is going to fall squarely on my head, so no."

Somehow the phrasing sounded completely wrong the moment it came out of my mouth, but I chose to ignore the slip. Ning merely narrowed her eyes at me, countering coldly, "This is your father's explicit plan, so just do it, because you are the Yellow Emperor, and this should be incredibly easy for you."

My expression hardened instantly as I slammed my coffee cup down, warning her, "First of all, my father and I are currently on completely different sides, and second, if the very next words out of your mouth involve threatening Mei or Ling, I will use every single ounce of power I possess to destroy everything you care about."

Ning bit her lower lip in sheer frustration, but she forced herself to calm down and take a steady breath before reassuring me, "We would never dream of touching the reverse scale of a Dragon, so be assured of that." She leaned forward, adding, "I cannot tell you much, but our ultimate goals do align in the very end, since this is about far more than just Eurasia versus the China Empire." She locked eyes with me, concluding, "This has everything to do with your own peaceful future, and that is precisely why your father sent me to work with you personally, as he trusts absolutely no one else outside of his direct control."

I was still feeling incredibly petty about his choice to stay hidden all this time, so I decided to take it out on his shadow. I glared at her, mocking, "How can I possibly trust a man who could not even let his own troubled son know he was perfectly fine, especially when I suffered an immense amount without him around, so what do you possibly know about my happiness, little lady?"

She closed her eyes tightly, clearly carefully calculating her next words so she would not set off my temper. I had severely underestimated her negotiation abilities, as she had obviously been trained remarkably well. She opened her eyes, staring right at me as she bargained, "Do this mission with me, and I can arrange for you to speak in person to your father."

I squinted my eyes in sheer surprise, leaning forward to ask the one burning question on my mind, "Wait, my father is actually here in Tokyo right now?"

Ning said absolutely nothing, but she gave a firm nod of her head to confirm it. Even Mei looked completely taken aback by the revelation, her jaw tightening slightly. For a man like him to leave China after his sudden revival was a massive deal. By all rights, he should have stayed hidden there, which only fueled my confusion.

I crossed my arms over my chest, demanding answers as I asked, "He is the Shadow himself, so why can he not just go with you on this mission, and why is he sending me in instead?"

She pouted in annoyance, crossing her arms defensively as she complained, "He only told me that I had to perform this mission specifically with you, and he refused to tell me his entire plan, as he is incredibly stingy."

I pressed her further for answers, asking, "Then why exactly is he here, and is it for me, or is it for something else entirely?"

She huffed slightly, her posture radiating pure exasperation as she answered, "He stated that I had to perform a mission off our home soil, and he came along to personally oversee my performance."

None of this was adding up at all, causing a strange theory to pop into my head as I studied her features.

I leaned back, probing her with a sharp look as I asked, "Are you his secret daughter or something, since you seem to talk about him like a personal mentor or a father, and what about your looks, meaning are you my half-sister?"

She took immediate offense to the question, snapping to her feet and pointing a finger at me in pure anger as she screamed, "He is absolutely not my father, you idiot, so are you completely dumb?!" She stomped her foot, adding fiercely, "This noble me is completely Chinese, and I am pure Chinese, not Eurasian like you, you goof!"

I turned my head toward Mei, looking completely perplexed by her massive outburst as I questioned, "Did I ask something wrong, because she looks at least a little bit Eurasian, right?"

Mei, seeing the shadow looked completely ready to explode, simply covered her growing smile with her wide sleeve. She knew full well that I was just intentionally messing with the girl now.

The woman took a few deep, stabilizing breaths, forcing herself to sit back down on the couch before speaking calmly, "Work with me, Rick Lee, since this task will make your own future far more secure, and we will both benefit from it." She extended her hand slightly, pleading, "Please come as my official date to the party, and administer the drug using your exceptional skills, because helping me will also mean I owe you a massive favor, so what do you say?"

I shook my head instantly, completely dismissing the idea without hesitation as I told her, "Your half-baked plan will not work at all if you bring me along."

Ning blinked in confusion, her brows knitting together as she gasped, "Huh, why exactly won't it work, because I do not understand?"

I flashed a helpless smile, holding my palms up in the air like a complete chump as I explained, "Ning Qian, I don't love you, and that is exactly why it won't work, because anybody who knows anything about me knows that I will never be seen out with a woman I am not actively in love with." I shrugged my shoulders, adding, "Your entire plan will be instantly suspected since I don't know if you got the memo, but I am really fucking famous pretty much everywhere." I leaned forward, finishing, "So what exactly am I supposed to say to people when they ask how I met you, or if you are my new lover, since there are simply far too many holes in your ship of lies."

Mei still kept her wide sleeve firmly over her mouth, completely captivated by the priceless look of utter bewilderment on the face of this clueless shadow who had clearly never set a single foot outside of the China Empire. Ning Qian quickly recovered her composure, crossing her arms defensively as she suggested, "We will simply come up with a believable relationship story on the spot, since you are an actor, right?"

I scoffed loudly, leaning back against the couch cushions and shaking my head at her sheer naivety. "Sure, my acting skill is not in question at all, but your own performance absolutely is, because you will undoubtedly blow our cover in no time." I reached out, gesturing dynamically between the two of us as I countered, "If my hand touches you in the slightest intimate way, or if we are forced to kiss in public, all of those small details will be instantly seen through by trained eyes." I let out a heavy, frustrated sigh, rubbing the back of my neck as I muttered, "Plus the biggest issue I have right now is what the hell I am supposed to tell my harem, since I am already way too fucking deep into this mess as it is."

She glared at me, clearly hating the fact that I kept making perfect logical sense, her fingers twitching as if she wanted nothing more than to pull my cheeks to rip the smug smile right off my face. Instead, she aggressively pulled out her smartphone and dialed a number, presumably calling my father.

My enhanced hearing caught the faint, deep vibrations of his voice bleeding through the earpiece, but the words that followed from her mouth next made me want to instantly burst straight through the wall like the Kool-Aid Man, except I wanted to flee the establishment rather than enter it.

Her face flushed deep crimson with pure shame, looking exactly as if she had just eaten a massive bucket of live worms as she slowly handed the device over to me. I reluctantly pressed the phone against my ear, and my father's deeply familiar voice immediately resonated through the speaker line.

[Hey there, Partner, don't you dare start throwing questions at me in pure anger and hurt, because I already know I deserve anything you want to hit me with.] He let out a low chuckle, promising, [In fact, I will let you punch me all you want the exact moment this mission is fully completed.] His tone turned uncharacteristically serious, pushing, [Just do this for me, because the one thing you can absolutely count on in this life is that I am doing every single bit of this for your own sake. Just grunt once to acknowledge that you understand me, all right?]

I gripped the phone tightly, my knuckles turning white as I ground my teeth together, growling into the receiver, "I hear you..."

[Good, now you better put on your absolute best acting face because what I am about to say next is probably going to make you flip that entire table right in front of you, he-he.] He paused for a brief second, clearing his throat before continuing, [Okay, jokes aside, if you marry this girl sitting in front of you, the entire China Empire will eventually fall directly under your control.] He began laying out the political layout, explaining, [She is actually the true daughter of the Emperor himself, meaning her future husband will completely control the direction of the nation.] He laughed softly, adding, [Plus she is incredibly pretty, just a little bit sheltered from the real world.] He sighed, urging, [Do this right now, and both I and your grandfather will finally have total control over this region, but I want you to treat her nice, like really nice. Do you hear me, Rick?]

My jaw dropped in sheer disbelief, my eyes widening as I barked back into the line, "What the hell are you playing at, old man?"

[Sigh, do not act like a completely clueless kid right now just because you are talking to me.] His voice carried a heavy, ancient weight, reminding me, [Our family has already sacrificed far too much for the sake of the Yellow Emperor, so now it is finally time for you to step up and do your own part.]

He questioned me sharply, asking, [How exactly are you going to make the entire world a better place without making a few personal sacrifices along the way?] He continued without letting me interrupt, stating, [This is strictly a marriage of convenience and the only surefire path to lasting global peace once the Li family are completely dealt with.] He revealed a shocking truth, whispering, [Make China yours, Rick, because I have been working deep undercover here ever since you were only five years old, knowing exactly who you were destined to become.] He paused, his voice cracking slightly as he confessed, [Both of your mothers paid the ultimate price for this future, and this girl sitting right in front of you, her own mother died for your sake as well.]

"What?" I gasped out, the word escaping my throat in a breathless shock.

My eyes instinctively snapped over to Ning Qian, who was purposefully avoiding my gaze by staring intently at the random music videos playing silently on the karaoke screen. My father's voice cut back in, delivering the final blow.

[She wants absolute revenge for her mother's tragic death, and I just told her that she needs to marry you to get it.] He gave a small sigh, instructing, [She will do it, but please realize that her nobility pride is incredibly high, so treat her exactly how you would treat Mary, okay?] He began wrapping up the call, finalizing, [Do the mission first, then I will personally meet up with you, and after that, you will take her back to Eurasia with you as your official wife.] He gave a dry laugh, adding, [The two of you can easily make up whatever ridiculous love story you want for the public since actual love is not even necessary, but this marriage will give you all the power you will ever need to completely end the Li of Eurasia.] He spoke his final words, concluding, [This is the single only thing I will ever ask you to do for me and your grandfather.]

A sharp click echoed through the line, followed instantly by the monotonous tone of device transmissions sounding off with a rhythmic [ do do do... ]

I stared at the black screen of the phone in pure outrage, yelling at the dead line, "D-Did you just seriously hang up on me?!"

Mei, carefully watching the drastic shifts in Ning Qian's expression and my own explosive reactions, easily figured out exactly who had been on the other end of the line. She reached out, gently placing a hand on my arm as she asked softly, "Rick, are you... okay?"

Ning Qian finally looked up, staring directly past me to address Mei in a stiff, formal tone. "My mission parameters have officially changed, meaning I am now ordered to marry the Yellow Emperor, humph."

I rubbed my temples, completely overwhelmed by the sudden political layout as I blurted out the absolute wrong thing yet again. "Ning Qian, are you even eighteen years old yet?"

Following a brief, utterly stunned look of pure disbelief, she actually vaulted straight over the low table, her fingers digging fiercely into the lapels of my yukata as she began to violently shake me. She let out a frustrated roar that perfectly blended with the loud background music, screaming, "I cannot strangle your bastard father to death, so you will just have to do instead, you bastard! Argh!"

She was far too weak to actually hurt my perfected cultivator body at all, and for some strange, twisted reason, seeing her lose her noble composure like this caused my lips to curl into a deeply satisfied smirk.

But as I looked at her angry, blushing face, I realized she had never actually answered my question.