Chapter 108: Best Actor Online

In the end, Dan Heng chose the simplest and most direct method of dealing with him: complete and utter disregard.

She offered no response to Chen’s words, turning instead to Luocha and Li Sushang. “This is no place to linger. Let’s move.”

With that, she pivoted and walked away, her stride firm and without the slightest hint of hesitation.

“Eh? Wait for me!”

Li Sushang snapped out of her daze and scrambled to catch up. As she passed by Chen, she shot him a look dripping with sympathy and whispered, “Foxian sister, you… you should probably cool it.”

“That Miss Dan Heng doesn’t seem to appreciate jokes… let’s just get out of here first!”

Luocha followed at a more measured pace, his voice a soft murmur as he passed. “Miss, jests are best kept in moderation. Our safe departure is what matters most.”

Chen watched the unyielding line of Dan Heng’s departing back and reflexively rubbed his nose, only to pull his hand away smeared with black soot. Far from feeling discouraged, a wave of secret glee washed over him.

‘Heh, is Teacher Dan Heng just shy? Or did I actually scare her? Whatever, the icon is what’s important!’

He quickly jogged to catch up, his voice ringing out as he trailed after the trio. “Benefactors, please wait for me! This humble little lady will accompany you! We can discuss the matter of repaying you with my hand in marriage later…”

Li Sushang, still a youth with a heart full of vibrant curiosity, was reeling from the thrilling spectacle of the crash. Before they had even gone very far, she couldn’t resist leaning in toward Chen and asking in a hushed tone, “Sister Tingyun, how… how did you end up flying a starskiff all the way out here?”

She paused, choosing her next words carefully. “And from the looks of it… it seems… you’re not very skilled?”

Chen had been inwardly fretting, wondering how he could possibly refine his persona and find a pretext to get closer to Dan Heng. This was a godsend.

Hearing her question, he immediately adopted an expression of deep melancholy, the kind that spoke of a long, tragic story and the cruel whims of fate. He let out a soft, world-weary sigh. “Sigh… this matter is… rather difficult to speak of.”

“To be honest, Benefactor, I ventured here this time to find my… my beloved.”

“Beloved?”

Li Sushang’s eyes lit up. She was clearly a captive audience for such a romantic tale.

Chen nodded, summoning a faint blush to his cheeks that even the layer of grime couldn’t fully conceal. “A few days ago, I chanced upon a wandering Diviner.”

“He cast a fortune for me, you see. He said that my fated marriage was imminent and that I would find them near this very place.” His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “He said… I would meet the person I’m destined to be with right here.”

A look of sudden understanding dawned on Li Sushang’s face. “Oh! So that’s why you… but, sister, your starskiff piloting skills…”

She was too polite to say they were atrocious, but her meaning was perfectly clear.

“I… I was too anxious,” Chen lamented, his face a mask of regret and lingering fear. “After hearing the prophecy, I rented that skiff to get here as quickly as I possibly could.”

“But I usually spend my days managing business ledgers and accounts. I’m truly unfamiliar with piloting… I was just so afraid of being late, of missing my chance, that in my haste… well, it turned into this.”

He gestured vaguely at his disheveled state. “If it weren’t for you Benefactors and your incredible skill, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been the only one in danger just now. I would have dragged you all down with me, causing a tragedy of four souls lost on a single vessel!”

He spoke with such earnest conviction, as if genuinely terrified by the near-miss.

Li Sushang clicked her tongue in amazement. “Four souls on one vessel… that’s a bit of an exaggeration! But sister, you took a massive risk! All for a divination?”

She leaned closer, her brow furrowed. “Is it really worth it?”

Chen suddenly let his joking facade crumble away, replaced by the deep loneliness unique to a long-lived species watching the world hurry by. “Benefactor, you are still young; perhaps you do not yet understand.”

“We Foxians have a lifespan of only about three hundred years. I… I am already one hundred and fifty years old this year.”

He raised a hand, gently stroking a lock of his wine-red hair as his eyes took on a distant, wistful quality. “In my clan, at my age, many of my peers have already started families and established careers, with children and grandchildren surrounding them. Even my own nephews and nieces have mostly married and had children of their own.”

His voice grew softer, laced with a hint of a sob. “The elders at home pressure me more each day, and I… how could I not yearn for a stable marriage myself?”

“The Diviner’s words may be ethereal, but… they are the last straw I have to grasp after half a lifetime of loneliness.” He looked at her, his eyes pleading. “Even if the hope is slim, I had to try. I had to see if fate… would truly grant me such a gift.”

The story was a complete fabrication, but when combined with the established lore of his borrowed race and the outpouring of personal tragedy, it was a masterpiece. That, coupled with a face that, though smudged and dirty, could not hide its inherent beauty, and a pair of fox-like eyes now intentionally shimmering with moisture… the effect was devastatingly effective.

Li Sushang was clearly moved, her youthful heart softening at the tale. Her gaze toward Sister Tingyun was now brimming with sympathy, and she nodded repeatedly.

“So that’s how it is… Sister Tingyun, please don’t be sad!” she said, her voice full of compassion. “Fate is something that can’t be rushed!”

She paused, then asked the question hanging in the air. “Then… then did you find them, sister? Your… beloved?”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]