Because, I Am the City Lord
Because of the long disturbance caused by Liu Yue’s parents that day, Su Jingyang simply did not open Lin’s Small Eatery at all. Rong Hua and Rong Ci stayed to eat, lingering until evening before returning next door.
After they left, Su Jingyang and Ling Li bathed Ah Xuan and then lay down together. Unexpectedly, just before sleeping, Ah Xuan started making a fuss. He did not want Ling Li nor did he want Su Jingyang, insisting on slipping out of bed barefoot and running next door.
Su Jingyang hurried after him to catch him, but Ah Xuan kicked and flailed wildly in his arms, crying and shouting for Yi-gege. Su Jingyang exerted tremendous effort before finally getting him back into the room.
Ling Li held the still-crying Ah Xuan in his arms, pacing back and forth to comfort him, but nothing worked. Su Jingyang brought a warm towel to wipe Ah Xuan’s tear-streaked face and said, “Yi-gege, Yi-gege, all you think about is Yi-gege. He just played with you for half the day, that’s all. Stop crying. I’ll take you to see him.”
Ah Xuan seemed to understand. He immediately stopped crying and struggled for Su Jingyang to carry him to find someone.
Su Jingyang wrapped Ah Xuan in a blanket and went out into the cold wind. Ling Li quickly followed and draped a piece of clothing over him as well, reminding him that if the people next door were already asleep, they should forget it.
Su Jingyang nodded. He had no intention of really carrying Ah Xuan to someone else’s house in the middle of the night. The child just would not give up, so he had to take him out and put on a bit of a show.
Once outside, Ah Xuan’s crying grew quieter. Su Jingyang held him and stopped at Rong Ci’s front gate, reaching out to knock very lightly.
Wrapped up so that only a pair of watery eyes showed, Ah Xuan sniffled and stared at the door, as if expecting someone to open it.
Su Jingyang inhaled cold air and whispered to coax him, “Look, gege is already asleep. Let’s come back tomorrow, okay?”
Ah Xuan pulled a warm little hand out from the blanket, grabbed Su Jingyang’s wrist, gestured toward the door, and said, “Uncle, louder, louder.”
Su Jingyang was instantly dumbfounded. The little guy had grown clever and impossible to fool now.
Left with no choice, Su Jingyang knocked a bit louder and said, “See, gege is asleep, he can’t hear—”
Before Su Jingyang could finish, the door creaked open from inside. Rong Ci appeared in the doorway, neatly dressed. Under the courtyard lantern light, his brows and eyes looked even more striking. He reached out to Su Jingyang, his voice sounding rather gentle, “Give me the child. He’ll sleep with me tonight.”
Su Jingyang froze for a moment, but Ah Xuan had already lunged toward Rong Ci’s arms. Su Jingyang handed the child over and hesitantly said, “You… you really can hear what’s going on over there, huh?” Otherwise, how would he know they were bringing the child to sleep with him?
“The child was crying so loudly. I’m not deaf. Of course I could hear,” Rong Ci said. “That look in your eyes, what are you thinking? Afraid I overheard you badmouthing me?”
“What do I have to be afraid of? When I badmouth you, I do it to your face, fair and square.”
Rong Ci sneered coldly. “Then you should really be grateful you’re still alive.”
Bundled up like a little ball, Ah Xuan leaned quietly in Rong Ci’s arms, tear-damp lashes lowered, obedient and well-behaved. Su Jingyang asked in confusion, “Did you bribe him with candy or something? How did he get so attached to you?”
Rong Ci said, “That’s because in Rongcheng, I slept with him every day. He got used to it.”
“Even so, he wouldn’t go so far as to not want Ah Li at all because of you.” Su Jingyang looked at him suspiciously. “Besides, didn’t Murong say that it was the City Lord himself who personally took care of Ah Xuan?”
Rong Ci’s dark eyes fixed on him as he replied without changing expression, “Because, I am the City Lord.”
“……” Su Jingyang looked him up and down, his gaze immediately filling with disdain. “Badmouthing others is one thing, but impersonating them too? You’re really something else!”
Rong Ci gave a short laugh. “Believe it or not.”
Su Jingyang naturally did not believe it. After returning, he even told Ling Li about it. Ling Li was stunned for a moment but did not say anything, likely not believing it either.
Ling Li did not sleep, going out into the courtyard several times. Even though he no longer heard the child crying, he still stood outside, unwilling to go in. Su Jingyang could not stand watching this.
He climbed up a ladder and called Rong Ci out to ask. Learning that the child had already fallen asleep obediently, and knowing that Ling Li had heard this, Su Jingyang finally climbed back down. Unexpectedly, the ladder was very old, with loosened parts. When Su Jingyang stepped down, he felt his body sway and cried out, “Aiyo!”
Ling Li had been frightened by him several times already. His heart leapt into his throat as he hurriedly reached out to steady him. Just as Su Jingyang landed, Rong Ci’s low voice came from the other side of the wall, “Su Jingyang, are you alright?”
“Me? I’m fine. What’s wrong?”
Su Jingyang was still puzzled when there was no further sound from the other side. He and Ling Li returned inside to sleep.
Wrapped tightly in the blanket and about to sleep, Su Jingyang noticed Ling Li tilting his head to look at him. Su Jingyang smiled at him and only then realized the lamp had not been extinguished. As he was about to get up, Ling Li pressed him down and said, “There’s not much candle left anyway. Let it burn out.”
After going in and out several times that night, Su Jingyang’s face was already stiff from the cold. He was happy not to get up and lay back down.
He noticed Ling Li was still watching him, his eyes seemingly full of worries. Su Jingyang softly asked, “Ah Li, do you have something you want to say to me?”
Ling Li blinked slowly, then let out a silent sigh. “I do.”
Su Jingyang said, “Then say it. I’m listening. I don’t want to sleep yet anyway.”
Ling Li was quiet for a while before saying, “Actually… I was always afraid to tell you what happened back then, afraid you would be disappointed in me. But now, my truest side has already been laid bare before you, and I feel as if I’ve finally let go. I’m not so afraid anymore.”
It turned out Liu Yue’s parents’ appearance had stirred up old worries again. Su Jingyang moved closer with his blanket, looked into Ling Li’s eyes, and gently asked, “Why would I be disappointed in you? Ah Li always scares himself.”
Ling Li’s breath trembled. A bitter smile appeared at the corner of his lips. “Jingyang, the truth is, back then it really was me who swapped the poisoned wine, leading to Liu Yue’s death.”
Su Jingyang froze in shock.
“You don’t want to believe it, do you? Jingyang, that’s why I always say you think too highly of me.” Ling Li looked away, as if afraid to look at him again, his gaze hollow. “Back then I was still young. I didn’t really understand feelings. I only knew that he treated me well, so I was good to him.
He loved gambling, was deeply addicted, and always lost. After I got together with him, there was one time he gambled until his eyes were red and lost six hundred taels of silver. Six hundred taels… such a huge sum. His family didn’t have it, and there was even less chance I could get it.
The gambling den threatened that if the money wasn’t repaid, they would turn him into a ‘human swine’. He cried, knelt, and kowtowed, begging me to find a way to gather the money within a month. Where could I possibly get it though? Later…”
Ling Li’s eyes went unfocused. His throat choked for a long while before he continued in a low voice, “Later, someone suddenly appeared and told me that if I went to accompany a man, he would give me enough money to repay the debt. At the time, all I wanted was to save his life. I didn’t dare hesitate and went. I got three thousand taels and stayed with that man for over a month.”
Su Jingyang felt both heartbroken and shocked. He had never imagined Ling Li had paid such a price for that scumbag.
He asked carefully, “That man… was he Ah Xuan’s other father?”
Ling Li paused before softly replying, “Yes.”
Su Jingyang was silent for a moment then asked, “Does he know about Ah Xuan’s existence?”
Ling Li shook his head. “He doesn’t. He isn’t from here, and… he seems to have some misunderstanding about me. After I angered him, he left completely.”
Su Jingyang did not know how to comfort him. He placed a hand on Ling Li’s shoulder and gripped tightly. Ling Li’s clear eyes shimmered with moisture as he continued, “The debt Liu Yue owed, with interest, came to nearly a thousand taels. I couldn’t wait to take the money to redeem him. Hower, after he came back, he kept beating around the bush, asking where I got so much money, asking if there was any left.”
Su Jingyang could not help but curse, “F*ck!” The intent was far too obvious.
Ling Li smiled sadly. “Jingyang, you probably think I was too foolish. However at the time, having that remaining money on me… was an enormous psychological burden. When he asked, I handed over every last bit without hesitation.
He probably already guessed what I had done. Later, I vaguely brought up marriage. He himself might not have realized it, but the look of disdain in his eyes was impossible to hide. Yet he still spoke gently, saying his parents firmly opposed it and asked me to endure a little longer.
Not long after, I discovered I was pregnant… Just when I was panicking and didn’t know what to do, Liu Yue came to me in a rage, saying his family absolutely refused to let him marry me and that he wanted to die together with me.”
Ling Li’s voice grew faint. “I found it strange. I knew him well. He was someone who cherished his life. And… by then I already knew in my heart that he didn’t love me as he claimed. So at the appointed place, I used a trick to distract him and then secretly swapped our wine cups.”
Ling Li stopped for a long time. Su Jingyang barely dared breathe. Ling Li let out a self-mocking laugh. “He held my hand, cried, and poured out his feelings. When it came time to drink together, I suggested swapping cups. However, he immediately tilted his head back and finished his own cup, then urged me to hurry and drink, saying otherwise I wouldn’t be able to catch up with him in the underworld. I drank, and then… he died, and I lived.”
Su Jingyang was so furious his teeth trembled. “Good riddance! He deserved it!!!”
Hearing the curse, Ling Li turned to look at him, pressing his lips together as he struggled to control his breathing. Moisture gathered even more at the corners of his eyes.
Su Jingyang’s temples throbbed. “Damn it, even if he didn’t want to be with you anymore, he could’ve just said it. I’d even consider him a scumbag with some backbone, but why did he have to try to take your life?”
Ling Li said, “Perhaps he thought I was dirty, didn’t want me, but was also afraid I would cling to him over feelings or money.”
“Did he really think he could be so sure the authorities wouldn’t investigate?”
Ling Li shook his head. “The magistrate back then only recognized money. Liu Yue held the two thousand taels I gave him. To him, a human life was nothing. I was utterly despaired and wanted to confess at the yamen, but my father locked me at home and went to take the blame for me…”
When mentioning his father, Ling Li’s face paled noticeably. “That magistrate owed my father a small favor and actually agreed to his request, letting me go. Later, later… before the verdict was even issued, my father committed suicide in prison.
After that, the Liu family even took my father’s ashes. I was in unbearable agony, on the verge of collapse. The child in my belly, who had filled me with panic, unexpectedly became my only support. So I decided… to keep him.”
Ling Li adored Ah Xuan beyond measure. Su Jingyang could not imagine that Ling Li had once planned not to keep him at all.
“But in the end, they even stole my child and nearly killed him! I truly hate them to the core!” Ling Li’s tear-filled light brown eyes suddenly turned deep and unfathomable. His breathing grew heavy, lips trembling, yet his tone soon became much calmer.
“After that, I ran everywhere seeking treatment for my child. Once his condition stabilized a bit, I leaked information to a group of bandits that the Liu family had hidden wealth. I knew the Liu family loved money and would never deposit silver notes in a money shop.
To avoid suspicion, they hadn’t even dared to change their residence. Sure enough, within days, their home was broken into and completely looted. Liu Yue’s parents lost a huge sum and both fell ill. From then on, their health was poor. They spent years borrowing money for medicine and gradually had no energy left to come curse me anymore.”
Su Jingyang felt his lungs were about to explode. “Those two old Liu bastards definitely knew the money came from you. When Liu Yue intended to kill you back then, they probably weren’t innocent either.” They just never expected their son to overdo it, so they hated Ling Li to the bone.
“Perhaps…” As Ling Li finished speaking, the candlelight in the room flickered and went out, plunging the room into darkness.
Maintaining their face-to-face position, Su Jingyang suddenly reached out and pulled Ling Li tightly into his arms. At that moment, no words could express his heartache.
Ling Li pressed his face to Su Jingyang’s chest and softly said, “Before my father died, he left me a letter. He said he had once mistakenly caused the death of my biological parents during a pursuit, and out of guilt, adopted me.
He told me to live well and fulfill his atonement. That matter became a knot in my heart. By the time I slowly worked through it, I realized I had already endured it all, and Ah Xuan was by my side. To let me live on, my father deceived me.”
Su Jingyang said hoarsely, “Your father loved you very much.”
Ling Li gripped the front of Su Jingyang’s clothes tightly, finally unable to suppress his pain as he cried softly. “I caused his death. I noticed something was wrong back then. I could have avoided it myself and stopped provoking him.
Out of unwillingness, out of youthful impulsiveness, I caused a death and killed my only family member. And yet I still shamelessly live on. So, Jingyang, I truly am not as good as you think. What happened back then… I was not innocent.”
Su Jingyang felt awful, his sigh trembling. “Ah Li, just think of me as a fool who doesn’t understand laws or right and wrong. Because in my heart, you’re still the same good person, and I just feel even more heartache for you. You say, with such heavy worries, how did you endure all these years? Those people deserved to die. They deserved retribution. How can you blame yourself? You were innocent to begin with.”
Ling Li slightly lifted his face from Su Jingyang’s chest, breathing hot as he raised his arms and hugged him tightly in return, choking until he could not speak a single word.
Su Jingyang whispered by Ling Li’s ear, “Now that Ah Li has told me everything, let me help digest all your worries. From now on, Ah Li should be happier and stop overthinking.”
After a long time, Su Jingyang felt a large patch of his clothes soaked before hearing Ling Li softly respond with a tearful “Okay,” then hug him even tighter.
Ling Li added at last, “Thank you, Jingyang. Truly, thank you again for appearing in my life.”
The energy Su Jingyang gained from Ling Li continuously flowed into his body for nearly a quarter of an hour. He watched helplessly as the progress bar moved, moved again, and finally stopped at 2 percent.
Su Jingyang could hardly believe his eyes. He nearly sat up in shock under the blanket. This was a qualitative leap.
He immediately recalled what System #1 had said and connected it with what happened that night. Only then did he realize that while listening to Ling Li’s heart, he had unknowingly helped him untie a knot, triggering a burst of energy.
This really was an accidental success, achieving two things at once.
From that day on, Su Jingyang kept thinking that if Liu Yue’s parents dared show up again to demand money, he would never tolerate it like before. No matter what, he would avenge Ah Li.
Full of indignation and ready to act, he did indeed wait for the Liu parents. What caught him off guard was that they were not there to beg for food. Instead, when Ling Li was carrying a tray and wearing a hood, preparing to go upstairs to see Rong Hua, they suddenly rushed over, yanked off Ling Li’s hood, and exposed his face to the full hall of diners.
The Liu parents achieved their goal. Before Su Jingyang could lift a stool and smash it at them, they fled in panic. By the time Rong Hua and Rong Ci heard the commotion and came down, the two had already melted into the crowd.
Afterward, rumors spread throughout the town. Lin’s Small Eatery’s customer numbers plummeted within days. Tables that once required advance reservations now stood empty. Although there were still some who came for the food and did not care about other matters, compared to before, business was undeniably much worse.
Liang Lu later investigated and discovered that someone had been directing the Liu parents. The instigator was the owner of a nearby Yunxiang Restaurant. After Lin’s Small Eatery opened, it severely affected their business, breeding resentment. They secretly investigated and finally seized on Ling Li as a weakness, paying the Liu parents to stir up trouble at the right moment and then spread it all over town.
After that incident, Ling Li, already a man of few words, grew even more withdrawn. No matter what Su Jingyang did, he could not stop the guilt rooted deep in Ling Li’s heart. It hurt terribly. Fortunately, Rong Hua often came by, staying in the kitchen to keep him company, telling jokes to make him laugh and helping Su Jingyang comfort him.
That day, Su Jingyang stood behind the counter, pen in hand, thinking hard as he scribbled and scratched, brows knitted together.
There had originally been only one table of guests eating in the main hall. When Rong Ci entered, that table had finished, paid, and left. Apart from the two hired assistants staring blankly at each other, the Eatery was empty.
Su Jingyang looked up and saw Rong Ci approach. He quickly tucked the written pages into his chest and came out from behind the counter to greet him. “Sit wherever you like. Anywhere is fine. Want a private room?”
“No need.” Rong Ci chose the table closest to the counter. Seeing a small smudge of ink on Su Jingyang’s face, he asked, “What are you writing? You even got your ghost scribbles on your face.”
Su Jingyang instinctively touched his face, then covered his chest where the draft papers were hidden. “Secret. Not telling you.”
Rong Ci said, “That secret of yours, within three days, you’ll definitely come tell me yourself.”
Su Jingyang choked, stopped arguing, and asked what he wanted to eat. Rong Ci idly twirled a chopstick between his pale, slender fingers and casually named a few dishes.
Su Jingyang said, “Wait a bit. It’ll be quick.” There were no other customers, so serving just him would indeed be fast.
Just as Su Jingyang turned away, Rong Ci suddenly called out, “Hey.”
Su Jingyang turned back. Rong Ci’s clear dark eyes looked straight at him. “Actually, even if I were the only one coming every day, your shabby little restaurant wouldn’t go under.” He curled his red lips into a smile, his tone arrogant beyond measure. “After all, I’m very rich.”
Su Jingyang stared at him wide-eyed for a long while before angrily retorting, “What shabby little restaurant? Your family’s restaurant is the shabby one!”
Author’s Note:
Because I realized that more than one or two people have misunderstood, I need to make this clear here in a serious way: this story involves a system + transmigration into a book, but it is NOT quick transmigration. It really is not quick transmigration!!
The main CP of this story is Su Jingyang × Rong Ci.
I only noticed after reading the comments that the misunderstanding seems to come from the line “give birth to ten” in the synopsis. That “give birth to ten” was just the dog system’s threat/intimidation. It does not mean traveling to ten different worlds and give birth to one in each world.
———
The childbirth and identity reveal are still a bit further ahead. Those who think it’s slow or don’t like the current plot development can wait until it's completed and then skip around to read~
IsitRo: Every time I forget how rude the ML can be, he manages to remind me. He honestly feels like the kind of kid who pulls his crush’s hair just to get attention. lmaoo The banter is fun, but there are moments when I really wanna shank him.
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