The next destination was, naturally, the headquarters of the Shokaku Society. As one of the three major yakuza organizations under Tsukiyuki Fumiko’s command, the Shokaku Society was notorious throughout Tokyo.
Sitting in the car, Gao Sijin felt his heart grow heavy, as if weighed down by a stone.
It was the first time he had witnessed such a brutal mother, slapping her daughter simply because she wanted to make friends. Did a person like that truly deserve to be called a mother?
The meaning of “mother” wasn’t simply giving life. A mother had a duty to raise that little life to grow up healthy and strong. Only then was she worthy of the title. Did a child owe a mother a debt just because she gave them life? It wasn’t like anyone asked her to do it.
When he was young, Gao Sijin once believed he was a child who shouldn’t have been born. His own mother was someone who lived purely for herself. She enjoyed the creation process, not the result that followed. To be blunt, to his mother, Gao Sijin was nothing more than a burden.
Compared to Tsukiyuki Uzuki’s mother, Gao Sijin’s own mother might not have been that extreme. Most of the time, she even wore a seemingly ordinary mask. But Gao Sijin could never forget what she did.
She refused to breastfeed him to maintain her slim figure, leaving him frail and sickly as a baby. She called her cancer-stricken father at one in the morning to demand a larger share of the inheritance. To pursue a freer, more carefree life, she dumped the young Gao Sijin onto her older sister—Gao Sijin’s aunt—to raise.
From the moment he left his mother, Gao Sijin viewed his aunt and uncle as his real parents, and his cousin as his blood brother. Even utterly exhausted, he at least had a home to return to.
“Rio, I…”
“I know exactly what Gao-kun is thinking right now,” Tsukiyuki Rio said, “but no. Gao-kun, you belong to me, my exclusive possession. I will absolutely never let you leave my side again.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Of course, Gao Sijin knew Tsukiyuki Rio wouldn’t let him go. That was precisely why he had to keep this act going. Everything he witnessed along the way would serve as excellent material. But right now, one matter still weighed on his mind.
“I want to ask one favor of you.”
“Go ahead, Gao-kun.”
A gentle smile graced Tsukiyuki Rio’s moist lips.
“I want your younger cousin Uzuki to become my maid.”
“Gao-kun, do you realize what you just said?”
“I do. I have absolutely no romantic feelings for her. I love only you. But if that girl is left beside Tsukiyuki Fumiko any longer, she will break.”
Due to his own parents’ early divorce, Gao Sijin naturally felt a deep sympathy for those in similar circumstances. With society’s progress, the divorce rate had skyrocketed. More and more parents sought only their own happiness, disregarding their children’s feelings.
Gao Sijin understood that helplessness and pain. Watching Uzuki get slapped by her mother just now made his heart ache just as much.
“Rio, I’m begging you…”
“Fine. Since it’s Gao-kun’s request, I’ll grudgingly agree.” Tsukiyuki Rio caressed Gao Sijin’s face dotingly. “But as Gao-kun saw, Tsukiyuki Fumiko treats her daughter as a forbidden treasure. So I can’t just make Uzuki your maid immediately. This needs to be negotiated slowly, using both carrot and stick.”
“That’s fine. As long as she’s rescued from that misery.”
“Oh, Gao-kun… when will you be this kind to me?” Tsukiyuki Rio put on a jealous pout, puffing her cheeks in an utterly adorable manner.
“Rio, that can’t be called kindness. All I did was stand there and watch.”
“Does Gao-kun love Uzuki?”
“It’s only sympathy. Or perhaps, a bit of shared experience.”
“Does Gao-kun love me?”
“I love you the most.”
“That feels so dismissive. That’s not what Gao-kun is really thinking inside, is it?”
Yu Qingxue, who was driving, chimed in:
“It can’t be helped, Young Lady Tsukiyuki. You’re way too domineering, practically doing that to the master every single day. How do you expect to have a pure love?”
“Qingxue won’t be sold off as a mute just because she stays quiet~”
To ease Gao Sijin’s rather gloomy mood, Yu Qingxue turned on the car stereo, playing some ACGN moe music.
“Hey, whose song is this? It’s the first time I’m hearing her voice. It has a really unique quality.”
“Are you serious, man?” Yu Qingxue turned the steering wheel and stepped on the gas. “This is Ovinia’s album! You don’t know her, as famous as she is?”
“Ovinia?”
Gao Sijin froze. Why did that name sound so familiar?
Wait. Wasn’t that a female character from In the Name of the Maid? She first appeared as an arrogant, overbearing villainous prince. Later, after failing in the succession struggle, she was forcibly changed from male to female by one of the female leads, the Empress, which drastically altered her psyche.
“How strange, a J-Country idol actually shares a name with a character from my novel.”
“You have a character named Ovinia in your book?”
Yu Qingxue looked utterly baffled.
“Ha! You claim you finished my book, yet here you are, reading cliff notes. Classic you.”
How could Gao Sijin forget such a distinctive female character? The sheer humiliation of being transformed from male to female was still vivid in his mind. Yet, damn it all, she looked so good in that little dress. In the end, she had to accept her new reality with a reluctant change of heart, becoming the male lead’s loyal maid.
“Come on, Rio, tell Qingxue about this character. If you love my book so much, you should be quite familiar with Ovinia’s emotional journey.”
“Gao-kun,” Tsukiyuki Rio wrapped her arm around Gao Sijin’s and smiled sweetly, “your book… well, there doesn’t seem to be a character named Ovinia in it.”
None? That was absolutely impossible.
The Japanese edition had only released the first volume, so she hadn’t appeared yet. But in the completed Chinese version on Pineapple Bun Light Novel, Ovinia definitely existed.
“You know Prince Ovi, right?”
“Ovi?”
“You know, the Third Prince from the Imperial Arc! He first appears at the hot spring inn. You have to know him.”
“There is no such character. Gao-kun, stop pranking us.”
Tsukiyuki Rio’s sweet smile left Gao Sijin feeling a bit disoriented.
Luckily, Gao Sijin still had the manuscript. Once they got back, he’d show it to them. That would be irrefutable proof, and he could shut them both up. For now, he might as well keep listening to Ovinia’s song.
“Still, Ovinia’s music really is good,” Gao Sijin praised sincerely.
The crisp, melodious singing, akin to an oriole’s song, was incredibly pleasing to the ear. Gao Sijin closed his eyes to rest, as if he could truly see that other world. In that land of sword and magic, Gao Sijin became Bishop Myriel, listening to confessions within the booth.
The final line of Japanese lyrics made Gao Sijin’s eyes snap wide open.
—I love you the most, okay~ Master~
“Gao-kun, the Shokaku Society’s den is still a little ways away. You can rest a bit longer.”
“Yeah… but is this really going to be okay?”
“Don’t worry, Gao-kun. The Shokaku Society’s members might be equipped with weapons, but there’s a difference between weapons, and a difference between people. Just treat it as a casual stroll, Gao-kun.”
