Half Prince

Chapter 6: Wicked, Part Two – translated by raylight

“Zhuo-gēgē, when Xiao Xiao Lan grows up, will you marry her?” Xiao Xiao Lan asked me with innocent and adorable eyes, and she had a giant ribbon on her head.

“It’s Zhuo-shūshu.” I corrected her patiently, trying to resist the churning inside my heart. What Xiao Xiao Lan just said was almost identical to what Xiao Lan had said in the past.

I thought that I had already stopped caring about Xiao Lan’s marriage to another person. However, once I heard Xiao Xiao Lan’s words and saw that pair of eyes that were so similar to Xiao Lan’s, I felt as though my scars had been re-opened. I… fled in defeat from Xiao Xiao Lan’s house when Xiao Xiao Lan was just seven years old. (Thankfully, the eight-year-old Xiao Long Ming was already very sensible and was skilled at taking care of his little sister.)

I thought about things in the past as I stepped onto the streets of Infinite City. Just now, I had another huge quarrel with Gui and then took the chance to run away. However, I quite understood that for a long time now, Gui hadn’t been able to ignite my wrath. What I was afraid of was that Xiao Xiao Lan would be coming over in a short while.

According to what Prince said just now, Xiao Xiao Lan had always been looking for me, for her Zhuo-gēgē.

It has already been eight years, but she is still looking for me? At that time, she was only seven years old. I had taken care of her frequently, even more so than Xiao Lan and Gui, her parents who ran about as they wished. However, it has been such a long time since then. She actually still remembers me… The corners of my lips couldn’t help but rise.

Xiao Xiao Lan’s adorable face with her cute child-like voice rang again in my head. Will Zhuo-gēgē marry Xiao Xiao Lan in the future? I couldn’t help but hit myself on the head. What kind of nonsense am I thinking about? Xiao Xiao Lan is younger than me by thirty years!

However, what I didn’t expect was that Xiao Xiao Lan would also come to Second Life. How did she manage to find a way in? Not to mention that even Long Ming was here, and the two of them had even switched genders. Xiao Xiao Lan had actually become a tranny, just like her mother had.

I shook my head, intending to leave Infinite City to avoid running into Xiao Xiao Lan.

However, once I opened the gates of Infinite City, Xiao Xiao Lan was coincidentally about to push open the doors. Her arms were stretched out wide, as though she was waiting for someone to hug her. After she saw me, she blinked.

“Oh, it’s Wicked. We meet again.” She looked at me, smiling broadly, and seemed not to mind much as she asked, “Are you leaving the city?”

I forced a smile. “Yes.”

Xiao Xiao Lan made an “Oh!” sound and cleared the way for me to go through without any intention of persuading me to stay… Perhaps she still doesn’t know that I am her Zhuo-gēgē? With mixed feelings, I stepped past Xiao Xiao Lan’s shoulder.

THUMP! A loud sound rang out, and a pang of immense pain came from my head. I lay on the floor, not very sure of what had just happened. I shook my head, which was a little muddled.

“You think you can leave?! This girl here has been looking for you for eight years now. Do you think that I will just let you go?” Xiao Xiao Lan said ferociously.

“Xiao Xiao Lan, if you beat Zhuo-shūshu to death, and he flies back to the rebirth point, you won’t be able to find him anymore,” Long Ming said worriedly.

“Wicked is level two hundred and fifty-three. Even if the four of you were to gang up on him, you wouldn’t be able to beat him to death,” was Kenshin’s cold answer.

“Oh, I see… Xiao Xiao Lan, he’s about to climb back up. Hurry up and hit him a few more times, otherwise Zhuo-shūshu will run away,” Long Ming shouted, making a big fuss.

Following that, I was whacked on the head several more times, and Xiao Xiao Lan was even shouting, “Elf, Demon Thirteen, hurry and help me beat him up. If I don’t render him severely injured, I’m scared that he will run away.” After that, other than fists, I felt a few pairs of feet trampling on me too.

To tell the truth, it didn’t hurt much. The level of Xiao Xiao Lan and the others were probably not even past fifty yet. With both of my hands, I grabbed the legs of two different people and when I stood up, the two of them tumbled onto the floor. They were probably the elf and demon that Xiao Xiao Lan had called Elf and Demon Thirteen.

“Oh no!” Xiao Xiao Lan gave a shriek and then jumped onto my back, clinging on to me tightly with all four limbs, refusing to let go. Long Ming, who was at my side, was grasping onto an arm firmly. Even the elf and demon, who were on their stomachs lying on the floor, were grabbing onto my legs.

I found it both laughable and heartening as I said, “Even if all of you do this, you still have no way to stop me from leaving.”

“I don’t care! Whatever happens, I will do my utmost to stop you from leaving.” Xiao Xiao Lan’s mouth was beside my ear as she roared, “Even if you manage to escape this time, I will still continue to chase you next time!”

I couldn’t help but feel a warm feeling in my heart. However, I had a bitter smile on my face as I replied, “Xiao Xiao Lan, it shouldn’t matter whether I leave or not, right? Strictly speaking, I’m only your nanny from seven years ago.”

Instead, Xiao Xiao Lan said naturally, “Also my boyfriend from fifteen years old to twenty years old, and my husband from twenty years old till the day I die. My mom said that one can already get married at eighteen, but my dad said no. He said that I have to be at least twenty.”

I was almost unable to say anything. “What are you talking about? Your dad would never let you get married to me.”

Xiao Xiao Lan stuck her face onto my cheek, and said clearly, “My dad didn’t oppose it. Before that, I purposely brought a classmate of Long Ming’s home for my dad to see. After that, my dad immediately changed his tune to say that I’ll be better off getting married to Zhuo Lin Bin. At least you don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t gamble, don’t use violence against females, and also don’t swear… God! If I were to let Zhuo-gēgē escape, then where else am I going to find this kind of good man? Good men are an extinct species!”

“I’m also a good man!” Long Ming exclaimed in protest.

“What shit lot of good would it do if you were one? I can’t commit incest with a close relative,” Xiao Xiao Lan spat.

“A female shouldn’t speak so crudely,” I gently reprimanded her, frowning.

“Okay.” Xiao Xiao Lan stuck out her tongue and then added with a grin, “Also, my dad says that it seems that only Zhuo Ling Bin can look after me. Otherwise, I’ll become a wild girl sooner or later.”

I sighed and answered, “Xiao Xiao Lan, we are thirty years apart.”

“Yeah. What a pity, we have thirty-eight fewer years to spend together.” Xiao Xiao Lan seemed to be somewhat blaming me as she said, “It’s all because you went missing for eight years. Otherwise, going by the human’s average age of two hundred, we could have originally spent one hundred and fifty years together. Now that there’s eight years fewer, what’s left is only a hundred and forty-two years.”

Hearing those words, I almost, almost wanted to turn around to hug Xiao Xiao Lan. However, I couldn’t. “Xiao Xiao Lan, you’re still young. Perhaps you don’t know what kind of men you like.” Just like your mother. When she was young, she also said that she wanted to marry me.

“I’m fifteen years old, not seven. I know that I like you.” Xiao Xiao Lan hugged me even tighter, and her voice was just as obstinate as before, not relaxing in the slightest.

I couldn’t come up with any more words of protest. However, how can I be together with Xiao Xiao Lan? We are thirty years apart, and I was once in love with Xiao Xiao Lan’s mother. I… cannot be together with Xiao Xiao Lan. Thinking that, I threw a flurry of hits to Xiao Xiao Lan’s joints. She immediately fell to the floor with her limbs numb. I tried not to listen to her groans of pain and then shook off the other people.

“Kenshin! Help me stop Zhuo-gēgē,” Xiao Xiao Lan shouted loudly.

Kenshin was indeed stronger than me, but I didn’t intend to escape within the game. I resolutely went offline.

I took off the game helmet and shook my head. I feared that it would be ten days or more— no, several months before I could go online again. Other than her trait of muddle-headedness that was like Xiao Lan, Xiao Xiao Lan’s personality was more like her father’s. Since she was young, her determination has been so strong that it is frightening.

Even her clinginess was very much like him. I couldn’t help but remember that just now, Xiao Xiao Lan had wrapped her whole body around me… Though other than solid muscles, I hadn’t managed to feel anything remotely like a girl’s. However, this still made it so I couldn’t help the heat rush to my face.

Ring, ring!

I received a great shock and felt restless inside my heart. Can it be that Ming Bin has told Xiao Xiao Lan my telephone number? I hesitantly picked up the call.

“Hey! Bro, how many years have you been in hiding already? Do you know that I’m about to go crazy from the pressure from the Feng and Min family?”

Ming Bin’s voice came from the phone, crackling. I finally relaxed yet found it a little disappointing. I pressed the power button on the monitor, and Ming Bin’s face came into view on the screen.

“We have already discussed this problem before.” I replied like usual, “If you were to tell them my phone number, then I will change my number and won’t tell you my phone number again.”

“Who cares about that! I was going to tell you that our family is going to hold a wedding soon. Are you coming back to attend or not?” Ming Bin’s face was fierce, and his manner seemed to say, “I dare you to try not coming back.”

I was deeply shocked. “You’re getting married?”

“I’m already in my thirties, so what’s so strange about getting married?” Ming Bin was not in a good mood as he said, “On the contrary, you’re in your forties but still aren’t married yet. Mom and Dad are just about worried to death.”

I couldn’t help but start to feel guilty. Indeed, I hadn’t visited my mother and father in a long time. I lifted my head to look at Ming Bin’s face. Since when did Ming Bin’s baby face become so mature?

“Hey! Are you coming back or not?” Ming Bin rushed me unceasingly.

I said quickly, “Of course, I’ll go back right now…” However, I opened my mouth again to question a little hesitantly, “You didn’t invite Xiao Xiao Lan, right?”

“Xiao Xiao Lan?” Ming Bin raised an eyebrow as he said, “Since when have you started avoiding Xiao Xiao Lan? Weren’t you hiding from Prince before? Fine, don’t give me that dirty look. I didn’t invite her as a guest. I only invited the people from the Dark Emperor Team.”

The Dark Emperor Team. I also haven’t seen them for so long. I nodded my head. “I’ll come back immediately.”

After I neatly folded several pieces of clothing and put them into my small luggage bag, I headed off to the nearest transmission station. It took less than half an hour before I once again stepped into the place I was most familiar with. My house was just two streets away from Xiao Xiao Lan’s house.

With much difficulty, I finally managed to find among my pile of cards the magnetic card that opened my house door. However, before I had even stuck the card in to open the door, the door had already opened. Ming Bin’s slender figure and his face bearing an indifferent expression appeared behind the door. He easily took the luggage from me, saying, “Come on in. I’ll introduce the bride to you.”

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but be a little nervous. I smoothed out my already very smooth suit, fearing that I might cause Ming Bin to lose face. I stepped into the living room and following that was completely stunned. My house’s not-so-spacious living room was now packed full of people. There was Xiao Xiao Lan, Gui, Lolidragon, and Feng Yang Ming, who was even yawning.

“Come, this is the person who is about to become our family’s bride– Xiao Xiao Lan!” Ming Bin introduced her very seriously, and I became even more dazed. This was the first time I had seen Xiao Xiao Lan after she grew up. She looked more like her father, but that pair of large eyes was exactly the same as Xiao Lan’s.

Turning my head as though I was a robot, I asked shakily, “The person that you are going to marry is Xiao Xiao Lan?”

Ming Bin raised an eyebrow and answered, “How is that possible? Even if I wanted to marry her, she’s not willing to marry me.”

“B-But you said that you are getting married?!” I suddenly felt like a bird caught in a trap.

“I said that our family is going to have a wedding.” Ming Bin blinked his innocent-looking eyes as he replied, “Bro, you’re also considered our family member, right?”

I roared loudly, “You said that you didn’t invite Xiao Xiao Lan.”

“Exactly.” Ming Bin said earnestly, “I didn’t invite her as a guest. She is the bride.”

“Stop talking nonsense.” I was a little at a lost for words and retreated back towards the door slowly. Then, I broke into a run towards the door, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to escape later.

A big boy stood at the door and was stretching his arms and legs. Then, with a spinning kick, he broke the screen at the front door. Following that, he gave a dashing smile and said, “Hi, long time no see, Zhuo-shūshu. I am Long Ming. Do you still remember me? My kung fu is pretty good, right? This was learned from Kenshin, and of course, Silver-Masked Quick Fox also taught us quite a bit.”

These words were the equivalent of telling me that leaving from the front door was impossible. My gaze flickered, and I dashed up the stairs, intending to escape from my room’s window.

Just as I was intending to kick the window open, the window itself shattered into a pile of shards. A familiar apron-wearing, kitchen knife-wielding figure was single-handedly supporting herself on the window ledge; then, she jumped in. She was Cold Fox’s brilliant student, Feng Lan.

“Zhuo-gēgē, long time no see.” Xiao Lan smiled incomparably radiantly, so much that it was even a little hard on the eyes, almost like Yu Lian’s smile.

“Xiao Lan…”

How could I possibly square off with Xiao Lan? What was more important was that even if I exchanged blows with her, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be her match.

Once again, I could only turn around to leave. I remembered that there was a back door in the kitchen, so I sprinted down the stairs. When I passed by the living room, I saw Xiao Xiao Lan still sitting on the sofa. She only watched me pass by with open eyes, not making any movements at all.

From the kitchen, there came sounds of someone stir-frying some food. After I dashed in, I realized that Wolf-gē’s large figure was currently busy pouring drinks into cups, and Yu Lian was standing in front of the back door. She held a ray gun in both her left and right hands, and on her face was a terrifying, amiable smile.

“Xiao Xiao Lan says that she doesn’t mind the groom sitting in a wheelchair at the wedding.” Yu Lian gave a gentle smile.

My face was ashen-white, and I slowly backed out of the kitchen. However, Wolf-gē stopped me, “Wicked, take this tray of beverages out for everyone to drink on your way out.” Then, he passed the tray that was full of drinks to me.

I received the tray and walked back to the living room with heavy footsteps. I put the beverages on the table, and everyone took a cup for themselves. Then, they sat in a circle, surrounding me in the center.

“Do you prefer a Western-style or Chinese-style wedding?” Xiao Xiao Lan asked with wide-open eyes.

I purposely didn’t look at Xiao Xiao Lan and turned around to look at Gui. As though I was crying for help, I pleaded, “Gui, didn’t you say that you would definitely not let your daughter marry me?”

Instantly, a kitchen knife latched onto Gui’s throat, and another Cold Fox-brand flying dagger that gave off a cold gleam appeared in Xiao Xiao Lan’s hands as she gently placed it at the back of Gui’s neck. Gui was incomparably calm as he replied, “In my house, there are two women who can wield kitchen knives or throwing knives and deal away with ten or more robbers holding ray guns. I have already married the one wielding the kitchen knife. I believe, other than you who had tried to fight with me over the woman holding the kitchen knife, I’m afraid that no one would dare marry the one in my house wielding the throwing knife.”

A hand clapped onto my back. I turned to look and saw Long Ming who was currently shaking his head as he sighed, “Zhuo-shūshu, Xiao Xiao Lan has already sent countless admirers running off in fear. She will not let you go.”

I was finally forced to look at Xiao Xao Lan but attempted one last struggle. “Xiao Xiao Lan, you’re only fifteen years old.”

Xiao Xiao Lan still had her eyes wide open as she asked, “Am I too young? Then should we get married later?”

I nodded my head desperately.

Xiao Xiao Lan immediately stood up screaming loudly in happiness, “That’s wonderful! Zhuo-gēge agreed to marry me.”

I froze. What did I just agree to?

“You promised me that you’ll only marry at twenty,” Gui murmured to Xiao Xiao lan uneasily, and Xiao Xiao Lan nodded her head cutely.

It was only at this moment that I recalled that it was completely impossible for Xiao Xiao Lan to get married to me right now. The law dictates that you can’t marry at fifteen! I had been tricked; I had been set up by everyone! My own little brother included. I couldn’t help but lift my head to shift my gaze onto my brother.

Without even the least bit of remorse, Ming Bin said, “Don’t use that resentful look on me. Who asked Mom and Dad to say that the two sons in the house are both not married, and if you didn’t find a wife within half a year, I was to immediately go prepare a photo for an arranged marriage?”

My gaze became even more resentful.

“Moreover…” Ming Bin shrugged his shoulders as he said, “You like Xiao Xiao Lan a lot anyways, so I don’t know why you’re splitting hairs over it.”

“I don’t!” I objected, but then I abruptly remembered that Xiao Xiao Lan was right here, and if I spoke like this, I would hurt her.

I looked at Xiao Xiao Lan in a hurry, but she had turned around with her back facing me. Seeing her helpless shoulders shaking non-stop, my heart felt as though it was shaking continuously along with those small shoulders. I seemed unable to control my body and walked towards Xiao Xiao Lan, pulling her into an embrace. Filled with matchless regret, I said, “Sorry, I didn’t say that on purpose. I was only… splitting hairs over it.”

“Then, do you like me?” Xiao Xiao Lan asked, choking a little as she sobbed.

“I like you, I like you!” I couldn’t help but bury my face in her hair, breathing in a fresh and clean fragrance like that of grass.

Xiao Xiao Lan turned around to face me, and her eyes were still held wide-open, without even half a drop of tears. She smiled as radiantly as the sunlight as she answered, “I knew that you would definitely like me.”

Following that, she pulled my head over and ruthlessly gave me a kiss!