You're my wife, don't doubt it!

Shen Jie remained silent for a long time before lowering her head and answering softly, "Yes."

……

After some time, outside the skyscraper, where there were no visible signs of chaos or fighting, a line of outsiders waiting to enter the examination hall reappeared.

However, a man and a woman skipped the queue and tried to enter directly.

"Only those who pass the test can enter!" the gatekeeper continued to shout, trying to teach the newcomers the rules.

The man in armor who was walking in front retorted with an even more arrogant tone, "I'm here to claim my reward. I've captured Shen Jie, alive." With that, he raised his hand to show off his "spoils of war."

The armored man held one end of a rope in his hand, the other end of which held the girl's bound hands.

The two guards exchanged a hesitant glance.

A moment later, Xiao Yao and Shen Jie stood in the elevator leading to the 127th floor. Before them stood two tall guards holding swords—their presence made the otherwise spacious elevator seem somewhat crowded.

This "princess offering her head" trick initially encountered some bureaucratic obstruction, and it wasn't until a person in charge from above spoke up that the matter was finally resolved.

The person in charge was a humanoid figure... uh, a mechanical creature, all bright silver, resembling the T1000 from Terminator. He could only tell from his demeanor that he was female. Xiao Yao felt like he had seen "her" somewhere before, but he didn't have time to think about it.

This trip, by all accounts, counts as meeting my future father-in-law—although it's not the first time for me, I still need to think carefully about how to handle it.

“How about,” Xiao Yao suggested, “I’ll go downstairs first and buy two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of wine… I’ll come to your door.”

The two guards and Shen Jie all had tense faces, and no one paid him any attention.

Honestly, wouldn't it be better to lighten the mood a bit...?

In this place, upward mobility seems to be a big deal, so the elevator probably moves very slowly for the sake of ritual.

When they reached the 88th floor, Xiao Yao caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that the two guards who had been silent seemed to be exchanging glances.

This gave him a strange sense of danger, and he quickly pulled himself back to his senses.

It's getting late.

"Watch out!" Shen Jie screamed in alarm.

At this moment, the two guards simultaneously swung their swords at Xiao Yao.

Although Xiao Yao did not disarm and was prepared to fight, he never expected it to be these two guys, especially in this kind of place.

The two guards attacked without restraint, while Shen Jie was unable to maneuver freely inside the elevator. Xiao Yao fought back fiercely, but had to be mindful of Shen Jie. As a result, by the time the elevator reached the 126th floor, the two were already pinned down in a corner, just waiting for their opponent to strike...

What a joke!

Even if it were the "King of Flies" Belzeb, I could fight him to a standstill. Why should I die at the hands of you two petty scoundrels?

At this critical moment.

Xiao Yao heard a loud metallic clang, and saw a large sword horizontally cleave off the upper quarter of the elevator car. In addition to half of the elevator, the heads of the two attackers also flew up.

The remaining elevators continued to ascend as if nothing had happened.

Then, with a crisp "ding," the elevator doors opened, and a tall man stood outside.

"Thank you for using the Meilinge elevator, Meilinge, Meilinge." A mechanical, electronic female voice came from the half-destroyed elevator car.

Xiao Yao: "?"

The boy could immediately recognize that the tall man standing outside the elevator was Shen Hongsheng's shadow?

However, he didn't exude any Shadow aura at all; on the contrary, he looked much more handsome and younger than his counterpart in the main world—Xiao Yao thought it was as if Shen Tianyun's phone had a beauty filter applied.

Shen Hongsheng's image exudes a distinct duality: he wears an elegant black suit, tailored to fit his figure, showcasing his tall and imposing stature; the suit's simple and sophisticated design highlights his maturity and composure.

Surprisingly, however, he was also wearing a suit of armor.

The armor's surface shimmered, reflecting the heat of battle.

The armor was made of sturdy metal, and each part was decorated with exquisite patterns and reliefs, highlighting the king's nobility and authority.

In addition, Shen Hongsheng wore a black cloak, adding to his mystique—the cloak was embroidered with intricate runes and patterns, exuding an ancient and powerful aura. The hem of the cloak fluttered in the wind, like a flowing black waterfall, making his image even more majestic and eerie.

As mentioned earlier, this "Shen Hongsheng" is young and handsome, with clearly defined features. His eyes sparkle with determination and wisdom, showcasing his decisiveness, elegance, and intelligence as a "king." Although his attire has an ancient medieval style, the aura he exudes is a perfect blend of modernity and tradition.

This tall man, the shadow of Shen Hongsheng, exuded a contradictory yet captivating aura with his unique, battle-hardened medieval king persona—was this the image of himself that Shen Hongsheng held in his heart? "Isn't that a bit too vain?" Xiao Yao thought with a hint of mockery.

"Future father-in-law," the young man greeted him neither arrogantly nor humbly, "thank you for your help once again."

Shen Hongsheng completely ignored Xiao Yao, as if he didn't exist. He reached out to Shen Jie, lovingly helped her up, threw himself on her shoulder, and passionately kissed her neck.

Shen Jie felt somewhat embarrassed and tried to dodge or push Shen Hongsheng away, but she was unsuccessful.

“I knew it, my darling wouldn’t want to leave her father.” Shen Hongsheng said to himself, taking off his black cloak and wrapping it around the girl. Then he turned to his servants and ordered, “Quickly bring out the finest robes for her to wear, put the ring on her hand, put shoes on her feet, and bring that fat calf to slaughter. We should eat and drink and feast, for my daughter has been brought back from the dead and found again.”

Xiao Yao tilted his head and thought for a moment. He felt that this line was from a passage in the Bible. He had learned it in Yu Bo's class before. The theme was something like... "The Prodigal Son Returns"?

The boy looked around and found that he was in a luxurious but empty hall. Apart from the elevator, the only thing was a golden throne perched high on the stone steps.

He realized that the king didn't seem to intend to pay him any attention, so he said sarcastically, "I thought the Queen and the Archbishop were loyal to the king."

"Come, come, let's drink and chat." The king once again ignored Xiao Yao's presence, half-embracing his daughter as they walked toward the golden throne.

As Shen Jie was being carried forward by Shen Hongsheng's shadow, she looked back at Xiao Yao and cast a pleading glance at him.

Chapter 257 Shen Jie's Favorite Toy

2023-07-07

"I thought the Queen and the Bishop of the Army were all loyal to the King." Xiao Yao repeated this sentence as he watched Shen Hongsheng's departing figure.

Shen Hongsheng continued to ignore him, treating him as if he didn't exist.

“I thought that the Queen and the Archbishop were all loyal to the King,” Shen Jie said to her father.

“Outside the chessboard, whether it’s soldiers, bishops, or queens, they will only be loyal to their own interests. The one who has the right to set the rules for the distribution of interests is the king,” Shen Hongsheng replied leisurely.

"Is this your excuse for not being able to control your subordinates?" Since Shen Hongsheng "couldn't hear" him, Xiao Yao felt he didn't need to be too polite.

"Is this your excuse for not being able to control your subordinates?" Shen Jie said.

“No, that’s why he’s still standing here,” Shen Hongsheng replied.

"Are you regretting not taking his head with that sword strike just now?" Shen Jie asked.

"Do you think I can't do it?" Shen Hongsheng said with a smile.

Shen Jie shrugged noncommittally.

As they were talking, Shen Hongsheng had already sat back on the magnificent golden throne. Even though the throne cost a fortune, it still refused to leave a place for a second person, so Shen Jie had no choice but to sit on the armrest of the throne.

Xiao Yao knew there was no place reserved for him there, so he didn't go up and make a fool of himself.

“People my age don’t like playing with toys anymore,” Shen Hongsheng said slowly, “but I won’t easily break my precious daughter’s beloved toys, as that would be a serious damage to the parent-child relationship.”

Shen Jie's beloved toy almost burst out laughing when it heard this.

"Do you really think he's like those other things, blinded by the benefits you promised?" Shen Jie asked.

“Of course he didn’t. Don’t think I don’t know who he is. His interests don’t lie here. I allowed him to come here because I have an obligation to uphold the rules under my jurisdiction,” Shen Hongsheng explained.

Xiao Yao became more and more confused. What kind of riddle were you two talking about?

"Just to uphold your so-called rules, you're letting those people kill your own daughter?" Shen Jie accused.

“I have never given such an order,” Shen Hongsheng said calmly.

Shen Jie was about to speak in rebuttal, but she opened her mouth and couldn't utter a word—she knew that Shen Hongsheng's shadow was telling the truth.

"But you promised a bounty for killing her!" Xiao Yao roared.

Just as Shen Jie was about to provide simultaneous interpretation, Shen Hongsheng spoke up:

"Where there is order, there must be rules; where there are rules, there will be loopholes. Only by exploiting these loopholes can we make order work for us. Didn't you yourself exploit a loophole to get here?"

Seeing that Shen Hongsheng had finally acknowledged him, Xiao Yao replied, "If you want Shen Jie to stay, why don't you go find her yourself, instead of guarding your throne and issuing orders? This throne is beautiful, but is it the royal power that controls you, or are you controlling the royal power?"

Shen Hongsheng's face darkened, and he remained silent, as if a sore spot had been touched.

"That big fly, isn't that you too?" Xiao Yao pointed out, "Everyone can see it, that's your face. Your shadow can be split in two, one doing the dirty work, the other playing the good guy to win people's hearts, am I right?"

“That’s not me,” Shen Hongsheng said with a gloomy face.

“Isn’t that right?” Xiao Yao raised an eyebrow.

Shen Hongsheng's voice carried a hint of bitterness: "That fly king Baal... is essentially just a manifestation of a monster called 'capital.' He has no free will, acts only on instinct, and is not entirely under my control."

“Capital?!” Xiao Yao and Shen Jie exclaimed in unison.

“This time I drove them away,” Shen Hongsheng warned Shen Jie, “but next time, when you are targeted by ‘capital’ again… even I may not be able to protect you every time.”

“But…” Shen Jie hesitated, then asked, “Why would ‘capital’ have your face on it?”

Shen Hongsheng put his arm around his daughter's shoulder, helped her stand up, and the two of them walked together to the large window of the palace: "One day, my life will come to an end, and you will inherit all of this—at that time, the face of the Fly King will be your pretty little face."

"No way!" Shen Jie protested loudly, "I don't want to become a celestial being—I don't even want to become a bee."

"You don't think you have a choice, do you?" Shen Hongsheng smiled slightly. "You don't consider yourself free, do you?"

Shen Jie: "I..."

“No one will care what you think or who you really are,” Shen Hongsheng told Shen Jie. “On that day, in their eyes, you will be the spokesperson for capital, and your face will become the face of capital. No one will believe you, and no one will believe that the ‘King’ is just a mask of capital.”

"Who exactly are 'them'?" Shen Jie asked Shen Hongsheng.