FI CH97: Welcome Back, Mr. Lin Juexiao

Lin Su blinked. ?

…What did he mean? Compare what, his teeth?

Seeing him motionless, He Zhenling simply lifted the hem of his own shirt to reveal the entire bite mark. It was a faint circle, as if it had been branded onto his collarbone.

The skin below it was still faintly red, looking particularly provocative.

Lin Su’s breath hitched, and his heart began to race.

He Zhenling’s fingertip tapped the edge of the bite mark as he urged in a low voice, “Weren’t you asking who bit me? Aren’t you going to compare?”

Lin Su reached out and touched it, baffled and confused. Was it him? It couldn’t be, right?

Before him, He Zhenling stood still with his shirt lifted, waiting.

He stared for two seconds, then slowly opened his cavernous mouth, moving it from side to side as if to bite down. “Ahhh—”

He Zhenling was speechless.

He closed the man’s jaw with one hand. “Just open your mouth normally.”

Lin Su regretfully made his mouth smaller. He then placed a hand on He Zhenling’s chest and, aiming for the old mark, bit down. Holding the flesh between his teeth, he ground them gently a couple of times and heard a muffled groan from above.

He Zhenling’s voice was hoarse. “…Use a little more force.”

Lin Su gave a muffled “mhm” and bit deeper—

After a couple of seconds, he released his lips and pulled back.

The skin on the collarbone was glistening and flushed red.

The new bite mark almost perfectly overlapped with the old one, the two imprints stacked together. He Zhenling also looked down, swallowing as if overcome with emotion.

Lin Su touched the two marks. “…I bit you?” He looked up, searching his memory. “When did this happen? Why don’t I know about it?”

He Zhenling looked at him for two seconds and smiled. “…The ‘good deed’ you did to me while you were asleep.”

Lin Su was confused. “?”

He tried to understand. “Are you saying that I bit you while ‘I’ was asleep?” He glanced away guiltily. “Don’t talk nonsense. I’m very well-behaved when I sleep.”

He Zhenling leaned over him, his eyes cast down. “Perhaps.”

Trapped beneath him, Lin Su looked up and met the man’s deep gaze. He felt a wave of heat wash over him and grabbed He Zhenling’s arm. “How did I bite you? Why didn’t you dodge?”

“That was right after I brought you back. I wanted to transfer some spiritual power to you.”

He Zhenling watched him without blinking. “I had just transferred a little… when you pushed it out as if in self-defense. When I tried to force more in, you suddenly opened your mouth and bit me… right here.”

He let out a low laugh. “You even drew blood, but you didn’t wake up at all.”

Lin Su was silent.

No wonder He Zhenling always scoffed so loudly whenever he mentioned his period of deep sleep.

He reached out again, caressing the mark tenderly. “So it really was me.”

He Zhenling let him touch it, saying softly, “Who else could it be… Besides you, who else could leave a mark on me?”

Lin Su’s hand paused, his heart warming.

“You…” He looked up, his fingertips tracing the smooth skin over the prominent collarbone. “This mark… can’t it be removed?”

He Zhenling looked at him. “It’s not that it can’t be removed.”

His dark eyes burned with an intensity that seemed to scald Lin Su, who understood his meaning: it wasn’t that it couldn’t be removed, but that He Zhenling had kept the mark, hiding it for years under his high collars.

And then he had met him, speaking those ambiguous, flirtatious words.

Lin Su’s cheeks flushed. “You said you’ve always been serious. When did it start?”

He Zhenling said, “From the moment you bit me.”

Lin Su was speechless.

He said sincerely, “That’s a bit too progressive.”

The man above him chuckled. “I’m joking.”

A hand cupped his reddened face, and He Zhenling looked straight into his eyes. He then leaned in, burying his face in Lin Su’s shoulder to place a kiss there. “From the moment you first spoke to me.”

Lin Su’s fingertips trembled as a feeling of fullness washed over his heart.

In his endless, long life, it felt as though something tangible had finally filled the void. Among the countless travelers who had passed through his life, he had finally welcomed the one who stayed.

His eyes inexplicably stung with warmth. “He Zhenling…” he called out.

The man buried in his shoulder looked up.

Their eyes met for a few seconds before He Zhenling suddenly took his hand, kissed the back of it, and looked directly at him. “Xiao Boss, can we make our relationship more official?”

His lips brushed against him. “A proper wedding ceremony.”

Lin Su felt as if he was on fire.

“Didn’t I… already invite you…”

“Were you serious?”

He pursed his lips, then turned his head slightly. “Would I invite someone I don’t like to do something like that?”

The hand holding his tightened—

He Zhenling wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned in to kiss him. His breath trembled with excitement as he fervently captured his lips, then kissed his earlobe and neck, trailing kisses all the way down.

Then, with one hand, he lifted Lin Su’s shirt, reversing their roles.

Lin Su bit down on his knuckles, suppressing a sound.

His vision was blurred by moisture for a long while before the figure in front of him finally lifted his head. He was reaching his limit and nudged him with his leg. “…Aren’t you going to continue?”

He Zhenling seemed to shudder, his gaze shockingly intense.

Taking a deep breath, he held Lin Su down. “The wedding night must wait until after the ceremony—”

Lin Su said resentfully, “Sigh, you old-fashioned fossil.”

He Zhenling chuckled at that, then added, “I want it to be more formal.”

Lin Su was sweetly persuaded. “Alright then.”

He Zhenling watched him for a few moments. Just as Lin Su was about to get up, he heard the man ask, “Are you uncomfortable?” He blinked, not understanding. Before he could speak, the man in front of him suddenly pulled back and leaned down—

“!!”

Lin Su grabbed his hair. “He… Zhenling!”

A low, muffled “mhm” came in response.

…

The curtains by the bay window rustled in the breeze, and time itself seemed to stretch on.

After an unknown amount of time, the quilt was clutched tightly.

He Zhenling propped himself up. Lin Su, lying on his side on the duvet, slowly came back to his senses. The space beside him dipped as He Zhenling leaned over him, studying him closely. “Crying again. What will happen after the wedding?”

Lin Su blinked away the wetness and turned his head. “It’s just leftover steam from the bath.”

He Zhenling’s lips curved. “If you say so.”

“…” Lin Su glared at him.

The man before him changed the subject as if nothing had happened, his expression turning serious. “Leave the wedding preparations to me.”

“Then what about me?” Lin Su asked, then blushed with understanding. “I’ll leave myself to you as well…”

“Behave,” He Zhenling cut him off with a chuckle. “Don’t you still have the Alliance’s opening and your inauguration to worry about?”

Lin Su turned his head away, a blush coloring his face. “Since it’s our wedding, we can plan it together.”

Warmth filled He Zhenling’s eyes as he leaned down for a kiss. “…Okay.”

Lin Su glanced behind him: his tail feathers were fanned out again. Sigh.

The wedding date was set for three months later.

It was an auspicious date hand-picked by the two divine officials themselves. There was much to prepare for the wedding, but fortunately, there was plenty of time.

However, before that came the opening ceremony of the Alliance.

The opening day was also a fine day.

The autumn sky was high and clear, and the banner of the Tianshi Alliance fluttered high above the hall.

All the major families and renowned figures in the world of Tianshis were invited to attend.

Groups of people entered the venue one after another.

Outside the venue, a car was parked at a distance.

The window was knocked on and rolled down to reveal a bright, radiant face. Bai Jiang, in his snow-white robes, leaned in. “Teacher, I knew you were in here~”

Lin Su sat beside He Zhenling, dressed more formally than usual.

He wore a black Tang suit with a subtle pattern of crane feathers and silver threads, the frog buttons neatly fastened to the top. A piece of white mutton-fat jade hung at his chest, its crimson tassel draped over his shoulder. He looked dignified yet not dull, with a noble and transcendent air.

He smiled. “Xiao Bai, why are you here?”

“I came to say hello to Teacher.” Bai Jiang clasped his hands in admiration. “Teacher is as dazzling as ever today! ^▽^“

He Zhenling looked up. “You should go inside.”

Bai Jiang asked, “What about President He?”

He Zhenling picked up his Tang sword. “I’m about to go in as well.”

Lin Su turned his head. “You’re not going in with me?”

He Zhenling turned to the side and smiled. “You’re the star of the show today. I’ll go into the hall and wait for you.” As he spoke, he opened the car door and added a reminder, “By the way, remember to bring your Tianshi certificate. We don’t want… the new president being stopped at the door.”

Lin Su said, “Hmm?”

Bai Jiang pointed to the main entrance. “The system is active starting today. When you enter with your Tianshi certificate, it will automatically match and identify you. This will prevent impersonations.”

Lin Su praised, “As expected of smart technology.”

It was getting close to the start time, so the two of them didn’t linger and headed to the hall first.

…

The newly built venue was spacious and bright.

By now, a large crowd had gathered in the hall. Only the central stage in the front remained empty, awaiting the arrival of the new president. The area before the stage was noisy and crowded with people.

Two familiar gourds bobbed through the crowd.

Hao Niubai marveled as she made her way through the people, looking around.

She had been contacted by Yan Guanyue and invited to join the Alliance. She was shocked when she received the invitation. She had long known that “Lin Kun” was no simple character, but she never imagined he was the great master who established the Alliance—

She had chosen to join without hesitation and was now naturally attending the opening ceremony.

More than half of the people around were from the major families.

Just as Hao Niubai slipped into a less crowded corner, she overheard a few people talking nearby. Several members of prominent families were standing together, glancing at the central stage with dissatisfaction.

“…It’s that Lin Su again.”

“I heard he was the one who proposed forming the Alliance, and the four great families just approved it. Now they’re making him the president.”

“It’s the four great families again. Didn’t he just get propped up by his connections?”

Hearing this, Hao Niubai’s temper flared!

She walked straight over and retorted loudly, “Lin… Lin Su is a Triple-S special class; he fully deserves to be the president! What connections? He is the connection for others!”

The group was cut off and turned to look at her.

One of them looked her up and down with a frown. “Damn, another crazy fan?”

They had just been steamrolled by public opinion recently. Although they hadn’t been dealt with like the families who had acted out directly, they were still holding in a lot of resentment. They were unhappy about the establishment of the Alliance and even more resentful that Lin Su was made president—

Now, Hao Niubai stood before them without a family crest, clearly a freelance Tianshi.

A man in a blue jacket spoke with unrestrained sarcasm, “So what if he’s a Triple-S special class? Besides, the rankings are issued by headquarters. Who knows if he’s actually qualified for an S-rank?”

Another person chimed in, “Exactly. Maybe the four great families helped him stack the deck.”

Hao Niubai stomped her foot in anger. “You’re making baseless accusations—”

The man in the blue jacket said smugly, “A little girl like you shouldn’t be sticking her neck out. What do you know…”

“Then what do you know?”

A voice as gentle as a spring breeze sounded.

The group turned with a start! They found that President Bai Jiang had appeared behind them at some point. He was smiling, but his eyes held a chilling coldness.

Standing behind him was Inspection President He Zhenling, whose hand was already resting on the hilt of his sword.

Hao Niubai was pleasantly surprised. “President Bai! Gr… President He!”

He Zhenling gave a faint glance, and Bai Jiang nodded with a smile before turning to the now-silent group. “So, Teacher relied on connections, did he? Why don’t you rely on them, then? Is it that you don’t want to?”

From the moment the argument started, surrounding gazes had been drawn over.

Now, someone in the crowd let out a snort of laughter.

The faces of the group immediately burned with embarrassment.

The man in the blue jacket casually excused himself with “We were just joking around with the little girl,” then gave a signal to his companions, and they quickly left before Bai Jiang could pursue the matter.

As their figures receded, the surrounding gazes gradually dispersed.

Bai Jiang’s smile was icy. “Heh… if I didn’t want to disrupt Teacher’s inauguration ceremony…”

He then looked at Hao Niubai. “Are you alright?”

Hao Niubai nodded. “I’m fine, just angry! How could they say that about President… Lin? They don’t know anything…”

“It’s not that they don’t know,” Bai Jiang said, folding his sleeves. “It’s just that no matter how well a person does, there will always be those who, with their biases, ignore his inherent excellence and attribute it all to external factors. Besides, those few families were against the establishment of the Alliance from the beginning.”

He smiled again. “For people who… prefer to turn a blind eye, just let them be.” ^^

Hao Niubai asked, “So we just let them spread rumors?”

“No need to bother.” He Zhenling suddenly spoke. A smile touched his lips as if he thought of something, and he placed a hand over his collarbone through his shirt. “President Lin… has sharp fangs and a sharper tongue. Who could possibly out-talk him?”

Hao Niubai: 0.0?

…

The time for the opening ceremony was approaching.

The guests had all found their places before the stage, and the bustling hall had quieted down considerably, everyone waiting for the final moment.

In a spot towards the back of the hall.

The few men from earlier had also found a spot. The presidents and members of the four great families stood at the very front. Far from the front row, they glanced over and began to mutter resentfully again:

“…See? I told you he has powerful backing.”

“They say he’s Triple-S, but his files are classified. Who knows how he got it.”

“You have to admit, that face of his really is…”

A person from a family in the front row couldn’t help but turn around. “You can’t just say things like that. Besides, headquarters’ ratings have always been fair. You can watch the Sanqingyan livestream.”

The men hadn’t seen any livestream and fell silent at the mention of it.

The person from the front row looked at them meaningfully. “If even a Triple-S isn’t qualified to be president, then who is?”

The man in the blue jacket was at a loss for words.

He stubbornly retorted, “What’s so great about that…” He looked around, then froze and pointed toward the back of the central stage. “Isn’t there a certificate over there with who knows how many S’s?”

The crowd followed his finger.

Behind the central stage, several items were displayed as a collection to grace the hall. One of them was the very Tianshi certificate that had been displayed in the Tianshi Academy’s collection hall—the one belonging to the “legendary” master.

The blue-jacketed man’s confidence surged. “If a master of that caliber were to take charge, people would be genuinely convinced. What qualifications does a mere ‘Triple-S’ young man have?”

That all-S certificate was indeed on a completely different level.

But who could find that legendary master?

The people around them fell silent.

Just then, a stir went through the hall, which quickly quieted down again.

The auspicious time for the opening ceremony had arrived—

The doors at the back of the hall opened, and a figure stepped inside.

All eyes turned to see Lin Su in his black Tang suit, his face as serene as jade. His elegant figure parted the crowd, and all the light in the room seemed to gather in his eyes.

The vast hall fell completely silent.

Lin Su walked through the hall under everyone’s gaze and stepped onto the central stage.

A few steps away was the display case holding the all-S Tianshi certificate.

Just as he stood firm on the stage, the authorization system on the display case suddenly beeped: Beep! Identity match successful.

The verification voice echoed through the quiet hall:

[Welcome back, Mr. Lin Juexiao.]

Author’s Note:

Pei Jin: Our system is very intelligent, using the latest “authentication and identification system,” which specifies permissions for each member… blah blah blah…

Su: …

Support me on Ko-fi