Silent Crown

Chapter 427 Problem

After ending the conversation, Mr. Hu left.

Lost in thought, Ye Qingxuan was somehow brought to a restaurant. A full-course meal was placed before him and he was sitting there with utensils. He stared blankly and his expression was dazed as if he was pondering the deepest secrets of the universe.

Who am I?

Where am I?

Where am I going?

Ye Qingxuan usually never thought about questions that had no answer. However, he was now stuck in this ditch and it was hard to climb out. Ye Qingxuan instantly became lost. He did not even know that he had used too much black pepper and did not taste anything different.

"Is it really okay to give him hot peppers as black pepper?" Abraham looked at Bai Xi.

Bai Xi glanced at Ye Qingxuan and shrugged. "It\'s not like he can tell. Hey, Professor, eat more. Look, the caviar is pretty good. No wonder this is the best restaurant in Sacred City."

Abraham was speechless. Looking at Ye Qingxuan\'s glazed eyes, he felt uncertain. "Is he too happy?"

"For these cases, the most effective is to slap him." Bai Xi urged Abraham mischievously. "I heard that that\'s how they cure Eastern musicians who are too happy from getting into the Tak Lok Department."

"Really?" Abraham\'s eyes brightened. He raised his shiny metallic arm and waved it before finally sighing. "I can\'t control my strength. What if I hurt him?"

"Let me, let me. Professor, look!" Bai Xi volunteered herself and moved up. Her hand slammed down, ready to slap happily. Ye Qingxuan was still in a daze. But when the hand was at his face, his hand came up and blocked Bai Xi. The girl froze. Ye Qingxuan had snapped out of his daze too and looked at her in confusion. "Why are you hitting me?"

"…I was worried you were too happy." Bai Xi smiled caringly. "Cousin, listen to me. You\'ll be fine after I hit you. Come on."

"Wait!" Seeing that she did not give up yet, Ye Qingxuan jumped up in fright. "Put your fork down! You almost stabbed me!"

"Psh." Bai Xi pouted and put down the fork between her fingers.

"You have worked too hard these past few days and have not rested. You\'ll be fine after sleeping." Assured, Abraham said gently, "Let\'s go home earlier after eating."

Ye Qingxuan shook his head. "I\'m alright but—"

"Oh, right, Cousin!" Bai Xi suddenly uttered as she moved closer, curious. "I heard that a bunch of things happened in court! We were listening to livestreams outside but it wasn\'t enough. You\'re a duke now?"

"Uh." Ye Qingxuan\'s expression grew uncomfortable. "It\'s a long story. I\'ll tell you later but now—"

"Cousin! I just thought of something else." Bai Xi batted her eyes, looking completely innocent and curious. "Are you going back to the East now?"

Ye Qingxuan fell silent. After a long while, he shook his head. "I\'m not sure yet."

"If you\'re sure or not is one thing. If you want to go back or not is another." It seemed that she was going to get to the bottom of things. "Just tell the truth."

After thinking for a bit, Ye Qingxuan said honestly, "Not really but kind of."

"…What?" Bai Xi was confused. "Is that a riddle?"

"I never wanted to go back. I thought my white hair is strange but I thought Easterners were all like this. I didn\'t know about Deva\'s blood or the Nine Dragon Bloodlines. I never thought that the East was my home so I never thought about going there." Organizing his words, Ye Qingxuan explained, "It\'s different now. I feel like I should go back once and clear some things up, so I\'m still hesitating."

"Oh." Bai Xi nodded, seeming to understand but not really.

"Don\'t overthink. Even if I go to the East, I\'ll still come back." Ye Qingxuan smiled and ruffled Bai Xi\'s hair. He looked at Abraham and said, "But now—"

"Cousin, try this." Bai Xi suddenly picked up a lamb chop and tossed it onto Ye Qingxuan\'s plate. "It\'s fresh and juicy. It\'s great!"

Ye Qingxuan stared at the juicy meat. He looked up, saying, "But I want—"

"Don\'t talk while you eat. That\'s an ancient proverb. Hurry up and eat!" Bai Xi tossed another grilled shrimp onto his plate. "Hurry and eat! You need to eat to have strength to talk."

Wordless, Ye Qingxuan lowered his eyes. His plate had a big shrimp that Bai Xi had broke, and a sad-looking steak. He looked up. Abraham looked awkward while Bai Xi was serious.

He put down his fork. "Professor, are you trying to keep something from me?" he asked seriously.

Abraham started coughing but Bai Xi got before him and nodded forcefully. "Yeah, yeah…" She paused and put on a surprised look. "I requested to graduate early and passed the test! How is it? Are you surprised?"

"Really?" Ye Qingxuan froze and then smiled. "You passed the test even though you cut class every day? Did you cheat?"

"No, no." Bai Xi shook her head and patted her chest seriously. "I\'m a genius. Cousin, you gotta believe me."

"Oh." Ye Qingxuan nodded and glanced at Abraham. "Professor, are you okay?"

Abraham nodded and smiled stiffly. "Just how I always am."

"Then here\'s the problem." Ye Qingxuan\'s smile faded. He looked at them and asked, "Where is Charles?"

Abraham and Bai Xi fell silent. One looked down at the plate while the other whistled and looked up at the ceiling.

"How come I haven\'t seen Charles this whole time?" Ye Qingxuan asked. "He couldn\'t have been locked up just for spitting. Plus, even if he was, he should be out already, right? Why don\'t you want me to ask about him? Professor, what happened?"

Bai Xi jumped out again, forcing a mischievous smile onto her face. "Cousin, actually Charles—"

Slap! Ye Qingxuan suddenly slammed a palm down on the table. The plates shook and the loud sound echoed through the restaurant. Everyone looked over in confusion. Bai Xi\'s smile stiffened as well.

Ye Qingxuan looked at her, his eyes hardening. "Bai Xi, if you still lie to me, don\'t call me \'cousin\' again. Tell me, what happened to Charles?"

Bai Xi stopped talking. She looked at him with reddening eyes. A glossy film covered her eyes and she bit her lips.

"Yezi, don\'t be angry." Abraham pulled Bai Xi away and said gently, "I told her to keep it from you."

Ye Qingxuan fell silent. His expressions battled until it became apologetic. "Sorry, my emotions are out of control." He lowered his eyes. "It\'s my fault. But what happened to Charles? Professor, why was he locked up in the Judgement Tower? How come he wasn\'t even let out for breaks? I looked for him everywhere but no one had even heard of him. What happened?"

"Let me tell you," said a familiar voice behind him. Ye Qingxuan turned around and saw Wolf Flute in a black coat. It had been a while. The man seemed to not have slept or shaven in a few days. He looked bedraggled and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"You look like sh*t."

"Yeah." Wolf Flute chuckled dryly. "It\'s not their fault for not telling. The matter involves many things and the Silent Authority had them sign a non-disclosure agreement. They must keep it secret. Plus, you were still in prison at that time and could not help.

"The Silent Authority?" Ye Qingxuan froze. "What does Charles have to do with them?"