WWC | Chapter 8

That night, Su Tingyan stayed up very late and did not go to bed. He sat in the study, thinking about how he would need to get started on setting up the Audit Office tomorrow.

The night rain had turned the season into autumn, and the thought settled right on his heart.

The warm yellow glow of the oil lamp bathed his pure white figure, which was dressed only in a single layer of inner clothing. A cold breeze kept drifting through, as if a jade hand were stirring the flame, making it crackle softly a few times.

He was so deep in thought that he did not even notice Qinghai bringing him a late-night snack.

Qinghai said softly, “My lord, your health matters. After you finish the late-night snack, you should rest early.”

Su Tingyan glanced at the bowl of noodle soup, then suddenly said, “How come you didn’t even give me an egg?”

Qinghai: “…………”

“My lord, you used to only eat plain noodle soup…”

Su Tingyan thought of cursing Su Zhao again for mistreating himself. “It’s different now. One poached egg isn’t enough, I need more greens too. Better yet, add a roast goose leg, then it’ll actually be nutritionally balanced.”

Qinghai: “…Alright, my lord.”

Su Tingyan rubbed his brow. “As expected, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but there is free overtime.”

Thinking about Audit Office matters in the middle of the night, the person who invented this game had to be a capitalist. Their sins deserved punishment!

Qinghai did not understand the clever little sayings his lord kept blurting out lately, and only said, “My lord works so hard for the country and the people, worrying yourself sick. In the future, the common folk will surely praise and honor you!”

Su Tingyan laughed at that. “What thousand-year fame, what everlasting legacy, none of that is what I seek.”

Qinghai asked, “Then what does my lord seek?”

“I…”

He was stumped.

The real Su Zhao had ambitions to purify the world and a heart to save the people.

But he was only a player. Whether he was remembered by the world, whether he became a good official, even whether he became a gentleman, none of it mattered to him.

His heart had always been that of a spectator, yet he had become the one inside the play.

At first, he had only wanted to go home, and on top of that, he had absolutely needed to protect his ass. But now that he had truly immersed himself in the game, he realized he actually wanted to play Su Zhao well.

The original Su Zhao was a man of enormous personal charisma. He had outstanding political skill, astonishing talent that seemed unmatched in the world, and a heart as steadfast as a mountain, firm and towering, a single spark enough to start a prairie fire.

He had never admired anyone in a book this much. Even Su Zhao himself probably never would have imagined that, to this day, there would be someone who had become him and yet fallen for him because of it.

He wanted to be him well.

But he could not say that to Qinghai directly, so Su Tingyan could only say, “Qinghai, in the future, don’t ask people such profound questions late at night. It’s very easy to make people emo.”

Qinghai looked confused. “What is emo, my lord?”

“And also, I am Qingbao, my lord!”

Su Tingyan was shocked. “??”

“How do you two look exactly the same?!”

Qingbao nodded hard. “Because we’re twins, my lord!”

Su Tingyan said, “Then when did you two switch shifts? You even fooled me!”

Qingbao said, “Qinghai serves you during the day, and I serve you at night!”

Su Tingyan: “……………………”

What did they mean, serving him in the day and at night? Don’t say something so misleading!

“So you two even have day and night shifts?? You really don’t do a single bit of overtime, do you…?”

Qingbao grinned. “Well, my lord never even calls our names, so of course you didn’t know we switched shifts.”

As Su Tingyan laughed, the smile slowly faded.

The Audit Office was about to be established, and the people sent over by the three ministries would surely be a huge problem.

The specialists sent by the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Censorate were certain to be the eyes and ears of all the various factions, and there was even a very real chance that some of them were die-hard loyalists of Lu Xuan.

He was very likely to face a desperate shortage of usable men.

A sigh escaped in the bottom of his heart. “Give me a day off tomorrow. I need to sort out the next steps properly.”

The system immediately replied, [What if a sudden plot event happens?]

Su Tingyan said, “Can’t you just pause the story line first?”

“You’re such a big system, don’t tell me you can’t even handle this tiny thing.”

“And besides, even a work mule wouldn’t be worked like this. You’re not really planning to grind me to death, are you?”

The system said, [Don’t try the provocation tactic, okay? Throwing a tantrum won’t work!]

Su Tingyan was out of ideas. “Then I’ll act cute instead. Please?”

Leaning back in the chair, the line of his spine looked thin and lonely. Even the jade belt embroidered with golden cloud patterns could not cinch his waist tightly, only fit around it with cupped hands’ width to spare.

The system looked at him and even felt a little sorry for him, and couldn’t help but pause. [Player, I’ve noticed that although you make yourself look pretty proper on the outside, deep down you’re actually kind of spoiled. No wonder you got those love interests so hooked on you!]

[Even I’m starting to feel a little sorry for you!]

Su Tingyan’s body jolted. “You’re wrong, Tongzi. Them getting hooked has nothing to do with me.”

“It’s that the love interests in this game are all abnormal. They’re sick. They’re lunatics.”

“Even if I went out and took a crap in public, they’d still fall in love with me!”

The system said, [That… probably isn’t that bad.]

Su Tingyan pressed a hand to his forehead. “It is… it really is.”

The system said, [But actually, there are normal characters among the攻略对象 too, it’s just that they haven’t appeared yet.]

After hearing that, Su Tingyan nearly exploded. “Fuck, there are more? Three isn’t enough?”

The system said, [Just the ones known so far already make four…]

Su Tingyan: “…………….” Let the world be destroyed.

“I want ten days off…”

[Impossible.]

“Please~”

[Stop being so tea-like, I already gave you one day off!]

Su Tingyan: …………

As expected, it was a cold intelligent machine with absolutely no humanity.

The system saw that he seemed extremely upset and, out of kindness, chatted with him a little longer. [Player, among the love interests that have appeared so far, do you really like not a single one of them?]

Su Tingyan said, “…I’m impotent?”

The system said, [Actually, being the bottom doesn’t require…]

Su Tingyan cut it off in time. “Shut down. Can you shut down, Tongzi?”

The system said, [I hope you won’t end up eating your words someday either~]

Su Tingyan was utterly speechless.

He wasn’t crazy. Who would fall for an NPC in a smut game? Weren’t they all just a pile of pre-scripted data?

Besides, he still had not even figured out his sexual orientation. What if he had no interest in men at all?

He did not even have the most basic emotions or desires a person should have. What was there to talk about, liking someone?

Still…

Su Tingyan suddenly said, “I’m actually pretty interested in Su Zhao himself.”

“If you really want to keep me company and chat, why not tell me more about Su Zhao?”

The system said, [There really isn’t a self-love route in the romance options…]

Su Tingyan said, “…You’re insane.”

The system said, [.]

–

That night, Su Tingyan had a nightmare. He dreamed that several burly men were pressing down on him. He had become a persimmon, round, flat, square, upright, at their mercy, unable to escape even with wings.

He woke up with a jolt from that dream, and the first thing he did was tell Qinghai to throw out every persimmon in the estate. He was practically about to develop a persimmon phobia.

Today he did not need to attend morning court, nor did he need to follow the plot. This brief stretch of leisure left him a little dazed.

Su Tingyan could not help shouting into the empty air, “Actually, I’m not someone without ambition! I have goals!”

After shouting, he got up and sat properly at the desk, writing down his future goals and plans.

After court: wait for court to end

After court: wait for meals to be served

After eating: wait for sleep

After waking up: wait to sleep again

After sleeping enough: wait for breakfast

After breakfast: wait for lunch

After lunch: wait for a nap

After the nap: wait for dinner

…

The system’s voice rang out at the wrong time again. [Is there really any need to write down a goal like this?]

Su Tingyan said, “What do you know? This is also a form of self-decompression.”

Even Qinghai, who came in to bring him breakfast, nearly dropped the tray when he saw this plan.

As long as Su Tingyan was anxious, he liked to relieve it in all sorts of bizarre ways. For example, in modern times he liked to squeeze Wangwang Snow Cakes, his favorite thing to squish.

Unfortunately, there were no snow cakes here, so he settled for second best and had Qinghai bring him some crispy pastries to squeeze.

Whatever he finished squeezing was given away as a reward for the servants to eat.

That entire morning, Qinghai and Qingbao ate until they were stuffed. Steward Lao Chen was stuffed too. Even Xu the cook in the kitchen, and the maids and servants responsible for sweeping and miscellaneous chores, all of them were stuffed.

Even Qingmian, crouched up on the beam, was so stuffed he nearly could not climb back up the rafters.

But Su Tingyan still had not figured out a method for selecting the candidates. In the end, he had no choice but to go out and clear his head.

Su Tingyan changed into a moon-white set of casual clothes and set out in as low-key a manner as possible, without taking too many attendants, only bringing Qinghai and Qingbao with him.

The streets of Yujing were always lively, with vendors and laborers everywhere, and tourists flowing through like a weaving river. The sound of hawking never ceased.

With his hands behind his back, Su Tingyan walked among them. Looking at this peaceful age of prosperity and the endless bustle of daily life, the agitation in his heart eased a little.

However, his face and overall bearing made it impossible for him to stay low-key even if he wore a sack.

Wherever he passed, pedestrians turned to look, and there were even bold young ladies and misses who, hidden behind veils or fans, secretly waved their scented handkerchiefs toward him.

Qinghai and Qingbao hurried around trying to block them.

Su Tingyan himself did not have much reaction. He was still thinking about the matter of choosing candidates, his mind full of account books, lists, and the tangled interests of various factions. He was almost immune to the teasing from outside, taking it all as a spring breeze brushing past.

That was, until he heard, “Ouch!”

A young man in a washed-out blue scholar’s robe, dressed like a student and carrying several volumes of books, had been so absorbed in reading that he suddenly ran straight into Su Tingyan. The books scattered all over the ground.

“My apologies! My apologies! I was rude!” the scholar said hastily. When he looked up and saw Su Tingyan’s face and clothing, he grew even more embarrassed, his face red as he hurried to crouch down and pick up the books.

Su Tingyan was not angry. He also bent down and casually helped him pick up several volumes.

When his eyes swept over the covers, they turned out to be books like *The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art* and *Treasures of Mathematical Studies*, along with some yellowed notes, densely filled with derivation formulas.

“It’s nothing.” Su Tingyan handed the books back to him.

The scholar accepted them and thanked him repeatedly. Sneaking a glance at Su Tingyan, he only felt that the man before him was refined and noble beyond words, his brightness like that of the sun and moon, so dazzling it made him feel ashamed of himself. Stammering, he said, “Th-thank you, sir. I’ll be going now…”

Just as he was about to flee with the books in his arms, Su Tingyan suddenly spoke and stopped him. “Wait a moment.”

The scholar halted and turned back in confusion.

Su Tingyan’s gaze landed on one page of those notes. On it, using an exquisitely clever algorithm, someone had worked out a common granary turnover problem for the Ministry of Revenue. The approach was fresh and strange, and the efficiency extremely high.

“Did you calculate this?” Su Tingyan pointed at that page of notes.

The scholar froze, then nodded. “I usually just mess around with these calculations. Please excuse the joke, sir.”

“Mess around?” Su Tingyan raised a brow slightly. “Using the method of zengcheng-kaifang[[1]] combined with differential techniques to verify grain turnover losses is not a common line of thought.”

The scholar’s eyes went wide. He looked at Su Tingyan in disbelief. “Sir, you actually know this method?!”

He had come up with and improved this algorithm himself. It was extremely obscure, and ordinary scholars only studied the books of sages and worthies, looking down on this sort of thing entirely. He had never imagined that a seemingly pampered noble young master would see through it at a glance!

As a top student himself, how could Su Tingyan not understand these formulas? He did not answer, and instead asked, “You look like a candidate preparing for the examinations. Why are you studying this here instead?”

A hint of gloom flashed across the scholar’s face. With a bitter smile, he said, “To tell you the truth, sir, this was already my third failure. Writing essays and policy arguments are not my strength. Only when I deal with these numbers do I feel at ease.”

“Please don’t laugh at me, sir. It truly is as they say, a scholar is good for nothing…”

“Good for nothing?” Su Tingyan said coolly. “If you can take something useless and do it to the utmost, then it becomes immensely useful.”

He paused, looking at the scholar’s eyes, which were shining brightly because of the discussion of mathematics, and suddenly something stirred in his heart.

“Are you taking part in this year’s spring examination?”

The scholar blinked. “Yes, but this will be my last attempt. If I fail again…”

Su Tingyan looked at him and said, “In that case, if you don’t mind, you can come to my residence when you’re free. I’ll personally give you extra lessons and help you catch up. You might have a shot at next year’s spring examination.”

The scholar was completely stunned, unable to believe such a pie would fall from the sky. “May I ask, sir, your residence is…?”

Beside them, Qinghai could not hold back any longer, and said in a low voice with a little pride, “My lord is none other than Su Zhao, Grand Academician of the Central Secretariat and Hall of Supreme Harmony, under the current court!”

The scholar: “!!!”

The books in his hands nearly fell to the ground again, and his legs went weak as if he were about to kneel.

Su Tingyan casually raised a hand to stop him. “No need for formalities. I only value talent, not background. You only need to answer me, are you willing or not?”

“Coincidentally, my estate has been lacking a clerk who can sort out the accounts. The pay is not much, but it will at least give you some means of support, and you can also live at my residence. Are you willing?”

“I am willing! Student Lin Anyu is willing!” The scholar’s voice trembled with excitement. Everyone in Yujing knew this Lord Su would certainly become a chief minister in the future. To be able to go to his residence, and also do the very thing he was best at and loved most, was simply an opportunity he had dreamed of!

“Student Lin Anyu thanks you for recognizing my talent, my lord!”

The system said, [Detected a potential special talent, ‘Lin Anyu.’ Recruitment successful, player charisma +30!]

The system prompt sounded at just the right time.

Su Tingyan was in high spirits.

Lin Anyu looked at him a little bashfully, then said, “My lord, could you wait a moment? Student still needs to return these books to the bookstore…”

Ordinary scholars often did not come from wealthy families. Some could not afford to buy books and could only borrow them.

Su Tingyan suddenly remembered that the original Su Zhao also often borrowed books when he was young.

Sometimes, in order to finish reading a thicker book and because he had no spare money, he had to chop firewood and carry water for the bookstore owner in exchange for borrowing books.

Now Su Tingyan looked at Lin Anyu with a little tenderness.

With just a glance from him, Qinghai had already understood. He took some silver and followed behind Lin Anyu.

Qingbao usually looked simple and cheerful, but he saw people and things clearly. Unable to help himself, he smiled beside them and said, “My lord really is a very good person.”

Su Tingyan was just about to say something modest when his gaze casually swept past the street corner and caught sight of a familiar tall figure.

Xie Zheng.

General Xie was standing in front of a shop that sold weapons, holding a crossbow in his hands and examining it carefully.

Even casual clothes could not conceal the fierce, battlefield-born aura on him. He stood utterly out of place among the soft, gentle citizens of Yujing.

Su Tingyan smiled faintly. “It’s a pity that some people think I’m a very bad person instead.”

Author’s Note:

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