Prince Gali had already arranged everything. He first took them to the restaurant to eat something and fill their stomachs, then arranged for people to show them to their prepared rooms to rest. After resting, they would have a celebratory banquet in the evening.
Two very gentlemanly attendants carried the bags for Tianye and Si Xiaoshuang, guiding them through a dim corridor. The beautiful and luxurious scenery made Si Xiaoshuang exclaim in praise.
Stopping at the door of a presidential suite, the two attendants turned, smiled, bowed slightly, and courteously gestured toward the door, “Sir, Miss, please enter. This is the room prepared for you.”
Si Xiaoshuang’s heart raced, “How could this be? Sharing a room with Tianye?” She tugged at Tianye’s sleeve and whispered, “Hey, we’re in the same room?” Her surprise was evident.
Tianye looked at Si Xiaoshuang, said nothing, then turned to the attendants, “Thank you,” and pulled Si Xiaoshuang into the room.
He walked alone in the hallway, which was completely empty, appearing exceptionally quiet.
Tian Ye looked around, following the original path back to the first-floor hall restaurant to find something to eat.
Tian Ye walked on the stairs, idly playing with his phone. Accidentally, a small hanging ornament fell from his phone – a cute little round ball that rolled away after dropping, rolling from the staircase towards the second-floor corridor.
Tian Ye looked at the small object and initially didn’t intend to retrieve it but then thought it was given to him by Si Xiaoshuang the first time they met, so he decided to go pick it up.
Tian Ye turned and walked into the second-floor corridor. The ball rolled quickly, stopping after rolling about ten meters down the hallway. Tian Ye walked over, leaned down to pick it up, held it in his hand, looked at it, reattached it to his phone, and was about to leave when he heard a voice from the room directly in front of him, “Tian, my sister Princess Dai Xun will be with Tian Ye in the future. In your Chinese words, we are now family… haha.”
Tian Ye remained silent, wanting to understand more. He pressed his head against the door crack and continued listening, “Haha, Prince Gali, you’re right. We are family now. Come, let’s toast to our pleasant cooperation.”
” The voice was from Tian Ye’s father, followed by the sound of loud clinking glasses and jubilant laughter.
Tian Ye understood now. It turned out that his father’s main purpose in bringing him here was to find him a princess, to find a larger business partner and build a stronger development platform.
Tian Ye stood there, his heart sinking, feeling helpless and naive, as if he had been sold and was helping count the money.
At that moment, Tian Ye especially wanted to burst into the room and question his father. After careful consideration, he gave up. This first removed the restrictions on Si Xiaoshuang, which might be an opportunity for Hui and Xiaoshuang, perhaps the beginning of their happiness.
Thinking about Hui and Si Xiaoshuang’s happy future together, Tian Ye walked away cheerfully. Leaving the royal palace, he walked alone on the street.
Tian Ye still felt uncomfortable. He would always think of Mei Yu, remembering their non-existent past. Those images made Tian Ye feel satisfied and happy.
Tian Ye’s heart was in turmoil.
On one hand, he thought about the responsibilities of the Tian clan – he was a man who must bear and face the responsibilities originally belonging to him. On the other hand, he could not forget Mei Yu, freedom, and love. These tangled issues were painfully intertwined, making it difficult for Tian Ye to choose.
He walked alone on London’s streets, unsure how long he had walked, only aware that night had fallen and his stomach was hungry.
Tian Ye entered a bar that looked nice. The high-energy dance music and flashing lights immediately revitalized the originally spiritless Tian Ye. He drank a few drinks at the bar and then jumped into the dance floor.
He swayed his head vigorously, his robust body moving his arms up and down, completely immersed in the rhythm, dancing and shouting with all his might.
Tian Ye wasn’t particularly aggrieved that his father found him a princess. Perhaps his father had discovered Si Xiaoshuang and Hui’s relationship but didn’t want to be too harsh and force Si Xiaoshuang to be with him. Tian Zi Xiong would know that mutual love brings happiness. Maybe his true intention was to find a settlement for Tian Ye and the Tian clan, ensuring that this sole heir wouldn’t sink into depression, providing him a stable life so he could strive and fight like a true heir.
Tian Ye would involuntarily resist upon hearing such news. He was afraid – afraid that in countless dream-filled nights, he would still think of Mei Yu, afraid of letting down another girl.
Tian Ye understood his father. Years ago, his father was famous in the itinerant for his sense of brotherhood, which formed the basis of his development. But now he had changed, becoming more realistic and powerful. But could he be blamed? Everyone in the world was changing, pretending. The era of survival of the fittest seemed to be fundamentally cruel.
The high-energy bar music, ever-changing lights, and dark hall concealed many people consuming their sorrows. Each person was trying their utmost to move, dance, and forget everything.
At this moment, Tian Ye’s mind was constantly switching between various images: his father’s evil smile, Mei Yu’s angelic smile, Si Xiao Shuang’s cute laughter, and Hui’s brotherly bond. All of these were transforming into slideshow-style images flashing back and forth in Tian Ye’s mind. As he thought, his heartbeat gradually quickened. He couldn’t grasp anything, not knowing how to choose. What if… Mei Yu were to appear again? What if… he remained unchanged, loving Mei Yu forever, until death?
These thoughts churned in Tian Ye’s mind, and gradually, he felt he could no longer bear such struggle. He walked down from the still wildly partying dance floor, heading straight to the bar.
Tian Ye, with bleary eyes, suddenly sat on the bar’s swivel chair, shouting at the handsome bartender, “Give me a Dajiu.” Saying this, Tian Ye dragged his weary body, slumping over the bar…
Time did not pause; not a second would slow down for anything. The chaotic bar patrons still wore their halos of dreams, existing in a world of noisy sounds, believing this was indulgence, giving themselves a reason for decadence, thus becoming forever linked with the bar, their entire mood in disarray, unable to find light until the day the sun rises.
Tian Ye struggled with his divine but now exhausted eyes, both arms propped on the bar, his entire upper body leaning on it, continuously pouring alcohol from the bottle into his mouth.
Before this, Tian Ye had never felt pressure or confusion about anything. His tough exterior always made people believe he must have a strong heart. Nothing in this world could defeat him.
People tend to reminisce about the past when sad and helpless. But Tian Ye’s sparse past always revealed a sense of cold desolation. The two most important people in his world – his mother, who was literally angered to death by his father when he was young, and Mei Yu, who was driven out of the family by his father – and now, it was his turn.
That father had found a different way to hurt him, directly trading Tian Ye like a commodity.
The only trace of humanity in Tian Zi Xiong’s heart was donating money to help difficult families, students, and hope projects. But these good deeds were calculated: first, to gain a good reputation, bring better business to the Tian clan, and recruit future talents to strengthen his own power. Hui was an outstanding representative of these charitable student and orphan efforts.
