Chapter 12: You Keep Looking Gorgeous; I'll Handle the Cash Flow

Shao Ye arrived at the worksite, and to his surprise, Boss Bai was there in person, waiting. It wasn’t every day you saw a man of his stature doing the dirty work. The unexpected gesture left Shao Ye a little flattered—though he wasn’t naive enough to take it at face value.

Boss Bai ushered him into the machinery plant, and the second Shao Ye stepped inside, he knew this place was no run-of-the-mill operation. His sharp eyes took in the details—this wasn’t a factory for farming equipment or industrial parts. This place manufactured weapons.

“Ah Ye,” Boss Bai started, his tone dripping with the kind of false sincerity that could convince a priest to sell his soul, “the Alliance long abandoned the Dust Sector. The space pirates and rebel scum come raiding whenever they please. I don’t want to see another tragedy like the one two years ago. And I’m guessing you wouldn’t want that, either.”

Shao Ye stiffened. Two years ago. The raid. His sister’s disappearance. The words hit like a fist to the gut.

He hesitated, his voice thick with uncertainty. “Boss Bai, even if the Dust Sector had weapons, it’s not like they could form a proper militia. Most of the people here are uneducated thugs. Give them guns, and before they’re soldiers, they’ll turn into bandits. It’ll be chaos—worse than it is now.”

Boss Bai’s smile was slow, calculated, and full of patronizing approval. “That’s why I value you, Ah Ye. You think ahead. But let me be clear: I wouldn’t be putting weapons in their hands if I wasn’t absolutely confident I could control them.”

Something in Boss Bai’s voice chilled Shao Ye to the bone. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen the man’s dangerous side, but the weight behind those words was heavier than usual. Boss Bai was the kind of man who didn’t bluff; if he said he could control them, it meant he had a card up his sleeve that nobody else even knew existed.

Feigning a casual tone, Shao Ye threw out, “Control them? You’re not telling me this is all about money, are you?”

Boss Bai’s grin widened, a predator who knew exactly how sharp his teeth were. “Of course not. I may be a businessman, but even I know money doesn’t buy loyalty. The people in the Dust Sector? They’re desperate, cornered rats. Their only dream is to stay alive. My job is simple—hold their lives in the palm of my hand.”

The way Boss Bai said it made Shao Ye’s skin crawl. His instincts screamed at him to get out, but he stayed silent, watching, calculating.

Whatever method Boss Bai planned to use, it wasn’t going to be pretty. Behind that polished exterior was a storm brewing—one that would drown anyone too slow to move out of the way.

Shao Ye began wavering, doubt creeping in despite the mountain of debt crushing him. Some money, no matter how desperate he was, wasn’t his to take. He wasn’t about to risk turning the Dust District into an even greater hellhole just to fill his pockets.

"Boss Bai, I..."

"Hold it." Boss Bai cut him off with a raised hand, his tone sharp yet casual, as if Shao Ye's refusal were already expected—and dismissed. "Let’s not be hasty here. I’m looking out for you."

With a flick of his wrist, Bai brought up a holoscreen, playing a video that silenced Shao Ye’s half-formed protest.

At first, Shao Ye watched with confusion, his mind struggling to connect the flashing images. Then the scene hit him like a freight train. His body froze, his breath caught in his chest.

The screen showed his sister, suspended in a tank filled with murky, viscous fluid. Tubes and wires pierced her pale skin, wrapping her in a grotesque, synthetic cocoon. She lay motionless, lifeless but alive, trapped in a nightmare beyond comprehension.

Shao Ye’s voice died in his throat. Any relief he might have felt at seeing her alive was drowned by a choking wave of despair. The sight gripped him in an iron vice, squeezing out every ounce of air from his lungs. He felt crushed, powerless, suffocating in his own failure.

His voice finally broke through, raw and trembling with rage. "Where is she? What have they done to her?" He lunged forward, seizing Bai’s collar, his eyes blazing with fury that threatened to consume him.

Before he could even think, Bai’s bodyguards swarmed him, twisting his arms behind his back with mechanical efficiency. He struggled, but his efforts were pathetic against their sheer strength, his anger nothing but a candle against a gale.

Bai, unbothered, waved his men off, casually dusting his lapels. His calm was maddening. "Shao Ye," he said, his voice dropping to a deliberate, patronizing drawl. "If I’d had these weapons two years ago, your sister wouldn’t have ended up as some rebel lab rat."

Shao Ye’s teeth ground together, his voice seething through the gaps. "Where. Is. She?"

"The rebels' main lab," Bai replied with an exasperated sigh, like explaining something to a particularly slow child. "I don’t have the exact coordinates yet." His eyes drifted toward the array of high-tech gear lining the room. "But I know one thing—those rebels are punching far above their weight. They couldn’t compete with the Union Army’s weapons, so they got creative. A few years back, they busted two rogue scientists out of a maximum-security prison—top-tier Union experts who got locked up for illegal experiments. Now they’re churning out bioweapons instead of tanks and guns."

"Bioweapons?" Shao Ye whispered, the word slicing through him. His voice cracked under the weight of his imagination, the horrors his sister must have endured clawing at his sanity.

Bai didn’t pause, relentless in his narration. "Three years ago, when you disappeared, I thought about taking your sister under my wing. She refused. Said she’d wait for you to come back." Bai’s lips twisted into a sardonic smile. "And then the Dust District erupted in chaos. By the time I got there, it was too late. It took me years to track her to that rebel lab. Now, if we want her out, there’s only one way—trade. Their biggest weakness is equipment. If you can build them what they need, I’ll make sure she comes back to you."

Shao Ye stood there, his body trembling, his thoughts spinning. He knew Bai wasn’t asking—this was a deal he couldn’t walk away from. The video had sealed his fate. For his sister, he would dive headfirst into the abyss, no matter the cost.

"Fine." His voice was steel, his eyes fixed on Bai. "I’ll do it. But you’d better keep your promise. If anything happens to her—"

Bai cut him off with a chuckle, clapping Shao Ye on the shoulder. "Relax, kid. This kind of negotiation? My specialty. You do your part, and I’ll make sure your sister comes back in one piece."

Bai turned away, already signaling the end of the conversation. "Go home. Rest. Tomorrow, my men will drop off a Union Army third-gen mech. Disassemble it, study it, and make an exact replica. The sooner you deliver, the sooner she’s free."

Shao Ye didn’t respond. He didn’t trust his voice to hold steady. Instead, he turned and walked out, his resolve hardening with every step. If this was the price for his sister’s life, then so be it.

Shao Ye nodded in agreement, but just as he turned to leave, Boss Bai called out again.

"Ah Ye, keep this under wraps," Bai said, his tone laced with veiled menace. "If anyone finds out about the nature of your work, you know the consequences."

Shao Ye felt a sharp jolt in his chest. His fist clenched tightly as he spun on his heel and walked away. The warning was clear enough. Bai knew about his marriage, knew he had someone at home—a potential leak in the chain of secrecy.

But threatening Lu-ge’s safety to keep him in line?

That crossed a line Shao Ye couldn’t stomach.

His sister was already suffering in the rebels’ labs, and now the only family he had left lived under constant surveillance and threat. Every wrong turn seemed to lead back to him. It was unbearable, suffocating.

The walk home was a heavy one, burdened with doubt and anxiety.

Had he made the right choices?

Was there even a "right" choice left?

Regardless of the cost, saving his sister was non-negotiable.

When he got home, Shao Ye was met with a comforting scene: Lu-ge was still busy in the kitchen. The air smelled faintly of smoke and spice—simple, grounding, the essence of home. Somehow, the weariness melted off him.

Caught mid-action, Lu Zhanxing paused, visibly sheepish as he started tidying up. It was clear he still hadn’t quite figured out how to handle the kitchenware.

“I told you there’s no need for you to learn how to cook,” Shao Ye said, half exasperated, half amused. His words had a sharp edge, but there was warmth underneath, subtle yet present.

Lu Zhanxing, ever considerate, handed him a cup of tea, his eyes serious. “Ah Ye, in all eight star systems, there isn’t a single Omega working to support their husband.”

Shao Ye nearly choked on the tea, barely managing to keep it from spewing out.

“So you’re not just mooching off me, huh?” he teased, a lopsided grin tugging at his lips. “Lu-ge, are you really getting that into character?”

Lu Zhanxing didn’t respond immediately, just shot him a look.

“How about this,” Shao Ye leaned in closer, his voice dripping with mock drama as he played the part of a domineering tycoon. “I’ll be your sugar daddy. You stay pretty, and I’ll handle the rest. Deal?”

For a split second, Lu Zhanxing was stunned. Then, laughter spilled out of him—unrestrained, warm, and infectious. It was a side of him Shao Ye had never seen, and it hit like sunlight cutting through storm clouds.

Shao Ye froze, mesmerized. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed that laugh.

Sensing the discussion was reaching its natural end, Lu-ge shifted gears. “Weren’t we supposed to shop for furniture today?”

Shao Ye sank into a chair, his body slumping with lazy defiance. “Don’t feel like it. Let’s do it another time.”

But Lu Zhanxing’s sharp instincts kicked in. His brows knit together with quiet concern as he asked, “What’s wrong? Something’s clearly bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?” His voice was soft, yet carried an earnest weight that made it hard to deflect.

Shao Ye considered opening up, but the shadow of Bai’s warning loomed large. He couldn’t afford to drag Lu-ge into this mess.

“What if I did something selfish?” he asked instead, his voice low, almost a whisper.

Lu-ge didn’t rush to answer, watching him intently. “Selfishness is part of being human, Ah Ye.”

“What if my selfishness brought harm to innocent people? What if it led to something unforgivable? Would you still forgive me?” His words were raw, stripped of all pretense, exposing the storm brewing within him.

“Ah Ye…” Lu’s expression turned thoughtful, deliberate. “I trust you wouldn’t make such a mistake.”

A bitter smile flickered across Shao Ye’s face. He shut his eyes, retreating into himself.

Then, Lu Zhanxing’s voice broke through again, steady and unyielding. “But if that day ever came, I’d still be by your side. We’d face it together.”

Those words hit him like a lifeline. Shao Ye opened his eyes and found Lu Zhanxing’s gaze, steady and full of unwavering warmth. Something shifted inside him in that moment—a fragile, desperate hope took root.

“What’s really going on?” Lu Zhanxing pressed gently.

Shao Ye hesitated but finally offered a sliver of truth. “I found out where my sister is.”

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Lu asked, cautious yet hopeful. “Where is she?”

“The rebels’ bioweapons lab.”

The air between them turned cold, the weight of the revelation settling heavily.

“What should I do, Lu-ge? Tell me,” Shao Ye asked, his voice heavy with helplessness.

Lu Zhanxing reached out, his hand wrapping around Shaoye’s firmly. “We’ll get her back. She’s going to be okay. Trust me.”

The resolve in Lu Zhanxing’s voice was like steel, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Shaoye felt a spark of clarity. Whatever came next, he wouldn’t face it alone.