Chapter 79: Little Cake [Arnis, 70%]…
They were still discussing what to have for dinner to celebrate when the sound of sirens came from outside the venue. The flashing red and blue lights shone on them through the glass door of the art gallery, the sound of the sirens close, piercing their eardrums.
With a thud, several female insects in police uniforms burst in, slamming the glass door of the art gallery. They were holding guns and shields, a posture of facing a dangerous criminal.
“What are you doing!!” The fox, who had been obediently at his Master’s feet, jumped up and stood in front of He Yue.
The police officers’ expressions were grim, and they formed a formation, their guns all pointed at them.
Wien quickly pulled He Yue back into his arms, letting him lean against his chest.
Arnis also stood in front of He Yue, standing side by side with the fox. He and the fox completely blocked He Yue’s view, and also prevented the police officers from seeing any sign of He Yue.
He Yue was protected in the middle, observing the aggressive police officers through the gap between Arnis and the fox’s shoulders. He wasn’t flustered, feeling very safe being protected by his female insects, just finding the red and blue lights glaring and the sound of the sirens piercing.
“Where is He Yue?” The lead police officer showed his badge and an arrest warrant. “Please come with us.”
He Yue heard his name and raised an eyebrow in surprise.
He immediately reacted and said in a very soft voice, “Can’t sit still so soon?”
His voice was very soft, and only Wien, who was protecting him, heard it. Wien stared at the police officers warily, understanding He Yue’s meaning.
The investigation into the arson case was a hot topic on the optical network, and even without any substantial progress, it must have attracted the attention of the perpetrator. They couldn’t sit still and wanted to take action, so they used this method to try and arrest He Yue.
The three female insects didn’t speak.
Knasch thought this group of police officers was here to arrest him, and his mind raced, thinking of a strategy. Hearing the police officer’s words, his mind went blank for a moment. He turned to look at Arnis and made a gesture with his eyes.
These police officers looked fierce, their guns pointed at them, with the risk of firing at any moment. They had come to arrest their Master for no reason, and they couldn’t just let them.
Arnis nodded and stepped forward to take the arrest warrant from the police officer. “What’s the reason?”
The arrest warrant was thick, the text and official seal on it clear, with no signs of forgery. He Yue’s name was clearly written on it, and a long paragraph detailed his crimes.
“Suspected of plagiarism, infringing on another insect’s intellectual property rights, a serious violation of originality, involving tens of millions, please come with us.” The police officer took out a pair of silver handcuffs and walked around Arnis. “Please cooperate with our work, assaulting a police officer will result in a heavier sentence.”
He Yue’s body stiffened.
He had thought the insects in the dark would use various ways to find fault with him, and he had also thought they would use the power of the insect race’s law to openly drag him into the mud.
But he hadn’t thought of this.
A crime that was the most insulting and damaging to an original creator.
They said that He Yue’s paintings were not his original works.
The fox blocked the police officer’s path, glaring at him, not giving an inch. “Do you just issue arrest warrants randomly? Do you just believe whatever the accuser says?”
The police officer was calm and composed, and he opened the handcuffs. “We received sufficient basic evidence before issuing the arrest warrant.”
“Every single painting here was created by me, stroke by stroke, you won’t find another similar work in the entire insect race!” He Yue stepped out from behind the fox and said firmly.
The police officer glanced at the portrait on the arrest warrant and held up the handcuffs. “If Master has anything to say in your defense, you can say it in court.”
He Yue extended his hand, and the cold handcuffs were placed on his pale wrist. In his anger, he was calm, his cold eyes like blades as he swept them over the police officer. He said calmly, “I should have the right to know who the so-called victim is.”
“We will hand over the case materials to you, you have the right to hire a lawyer to defend your rights.”
“Alright. The police officer should also be able to communicate with them.” He Yue smiled coldly and said each word deliberately, “Please help me convey a message, false accusation is a serious crime. Thank them for giving me this opportunity to personally send them to prison.”
The atmosphere dropped to freezing point, and even the police officer in uniform couldn’t help but shiver. Most insects on the arrest warrant would be terrified by the police officer’s aura and the silver handcuffs. But the male insect before him could actually suppress his aura, making him, the police officer, feel guilty, as if he had done something wrong.
The lights in the interrogation room were blindingly bright, and to increase the oppressive atmosphere, the strong light was shone on He Yue, making him feel like he was under a spotlight, trying to make him feel uneasy.
His already pale skin was almost reflective under the strong light, and in the video, He Yue was like a reflector in the middle of the screen. The handcuffs were on his wrists, and he was confined to a small interrogation chair, a horizontal board in front of him, almost touching his chest.
He Yue still hadn’t figured out whose idea or work he had copied. Or rather, in the entire insect race, who was worthy of being referenced by him?
A familiar face flashed in his mind.
No… Brother Lfei wouldn’t do this.
He shook his head, pushing the only unsettling factor out of his mind.
The police officer placed the accusation file in front of He Yue. “This is the basic evidence, please take a look.”
The white paper under the strong light was very reflective, stinging his eyes, and looking at it for a few more moments would make his eyes sore.
“Can you turn off the light? I can’t see clearly.” He Yue said.
The female insect police officer enforced the law impartially and didn’t give an inch. “Sorry, Master, this is our regulation.”
He Yue could only rub his eyes and continue reading, enduring the discomfort.
At least he was in the insect world, and these police insects were following the rules. Even though he was a suspect, because he was a male insect, they maintained a basic level of politeness and courtesy.
The words seemed to be jumping on the white paper under the strong light, and He Yue covered the paper with his hand, reading the accusation against him in the shadow. The accusation stated that he had illegally used the color copyright owned by Ailaisi, profited without permission, and earned a huge sum of money, suspected of a serious economic crime.
Such a familiar name…
“Who is Ailaisi?” He Yue asked.
“The only female insect of Lord Yilinde, the founder and major shareholder of Yiai Group.”
Ailaisi was the “Ai” in Yiai Group.
He Yue just felt it was absurd.
Whether it was the color copyright or Yiai Group, he felt it was absurd.
He continued to flip through the pages and only then learned that the color mixing of all the paints on the market in the entire insect race was owned by Ailinde. He had applied for a copyright on color mixing, monopolizing the entire paint industry. Any insect who wanted to use paint for profit had to get his authorization, otherwise it was an infringement.
Colors could have copyrights? What kind of business monopoly was this? It was the first time He Yue had heard that mixed colors could have intellectual property rights, and could only be owned by one insect.
Besides, Yiai Group was one of the investors in the art exhibition. What good would it do for the entire group if Ailinde, one of the founders of Yiai Group, went after him?
He Yue put down the hand covering the document and asked, “Even if Yiai Group is a partner in the art exhibition, shouldn’t I be able to use the paints they monopolize?”
“It has nothing to do with Yiai Group. Mr. Ailaisi is not a shareholder of Yiai Group, and besides, I’ve received a message from Yiai Group saying that you have violated the law and the contract, and they are demanding that you pay the breach of contract fee.”
“…”
A sinister, vicious, and cunning merchant!
He Yue felt that no word in the world was evil enough to describe the actions of Yiai Group.
From the moment Yilinde agreed to this cooperation, and even before that, from the moment Oried agreed to approve his for-profit art exhibition, everything was a blatant trap. They not only set a trap for He Yue to fall into, but also fattened the fish, dragging it out until the profit reached tens of millions, until the penalty was the most severe, forcing He Yue to face decades of imprisonment, before finally closing the net.
Why were they fighting a business war with him? How much did they hate him?
He Yue began to believe Knasch’s words, that there was no concept of reconciliation in this insect world. All these insects just wanted to exterminate him.
The interrogating police officer continued, “Your paintings have been sent to the inspection department for color comparison. If the comparison results prove you are guilty, you may face confiscation of illegal assets, a huge fine, and imprisonment. If you plead guilty with a sincere attitude, we can apply for a lighter sentence…”
“I want to hire a lawyer. Before my lawyer arrives, I won’t answer your questions.” He Yue interrupted him, his attitude firm.
“Alright, we will notify your family.”
He Yue lowered his eyes, not saying a word, his hands clenched into fists.
Not only would the money he should have earned be confiscated, but he would also be burdened with a huge debt that he had to repay. The praise and attention his painstakingly managed art exhibition had received would be ruined.
How would the merchants who manipulated public opinion twist the truth?
Would they tell the world that this painter’s paintings were a serious case of originality infringement, and let all the paintings he had personally created with his unique inspiration bear a shameful reputation?
The strong light of the interrogation lamp made his skin hot, and a thin layer of sweat formed on his back, soaking his clothes.
This insect world was so big, yet it couldn’t accommodate a small art gallery.
After leaving the interrogation room, He Yue was taken to the detention center. He leaned against the dark wall of the detention cell, staring blankly at the white lights and the vertical iron bars in the corridor.
The environment here was terrible. The underground detention center was cold and damp, and dirty water dripped from the ceiling in the corridor. A single fluorescent light was the only source of light in the entire detention center, and the dark, oppressive atmosphere made it difficult to breathe.
This didn’t look like a detention center, but more like a prison for serious criminals.
Besides He Yue, there were no other insects in the entire detention center. The only sounds in the quiet space were the dripping of water from the ceiling and the cold wind blowing from somewhere.
He Yue had sweated in the interrogation room, and now, with the cold wind, he couldn’t stop shivering.
Being placed in such a harsh environment without any other insects, he must have been targeted.
[Host, I’ll get you a thin blanket.]
The system also couldn’t bear to see He Yue suffer. Besides the thin blanket, it also brought some snacks and drinks from some other time and space.
(You’ve evolved.)
[Previously, I had limitations on taking things from other dimensions, I could only take tools from the host’s Castle before you transmigrated. After being interfered with by another system, it seems I can bring over any small thing. Does the host need anything else? Do you want me to bring a pair of pliers to saw off the iron bars, or a gun or something?]
He Yue took a bite of the sweet, soft cake, curled up in the blanket, and shook his head.
(If I escape now, it will just prove I did something wrong, that I have a guilty conscience.)
He wanted to get angry, but there was no point in getting angry in this empty place.
He could only take another bite of the sweet cake.
The sweet taste made He Yue feel a little better. He didn’t want to be carried away by his emotions, so he pushed aside his emotional baggage and thought about the current situation.
He was now a bit unsure if Yiai Group was related to the arson case. After all, if Yiai Group just wanted to use this cooperation to get a huge compensation and breach of contract fee, it was also reasonable.
They were just raising a fish from the beginning, wanting to raise the reputation and profit of the art gallery enough to put He Yue to death.
Arnis…
He was the one who had sent the insect to talk about the reconciliation, and he had also drafted the art exhibition and Yiai Group’s investment activities. Everything was related to him. How could Yiai Group’s conspiracy be implemented without his signature as the president?
He Yue wasn’t sure if Arnis knew everything.
60% submission value, how could Arnis do something so damaging to him?
He would no longer believe any goodwill or emotion from a merchant.
Footsteps sounded, and He Yue quickly had the system put away the things to avoid the police officer’s suspicion. The upgraded system obeyed, cleaning everything up.
The police officer who entered opened the iron bars of the detention cell. He knocked on the iron bars, the sound echoing in the empty detention center.
“Your Excellency, an insect has paid a huge bail for you and applied for you to be placed under surveillance at a designated residence. Please come with us.”
He Yue stood up and followed him.
Paying a huge bail to apply for a comfortable designated residence for him, He Yue didn’t have to think to know who it was.
The police officer placed a black cloth over He Yue’s hands, covering the silver handcuffs. “The guarantor has a few words for you, this way.”
“I’m not going.”
The police officer heard the unexpected answer. “Master, the bail for a case involving tens of millions is an astronomical figure, and he has also found the best private room for you.”
He Yue turned his head and said in a low voice, “Please tell him, if he’s just showing goodwill, I will definitely be grateful and repay him. If he’s trying to compensate for the harm, I won’t forgive him.”
He would no longer accept any goodwill from a merchant that didn’t have a clear price tag.
[Can the host be sure it’s him? That’s 60%.]
(Not sure, it’s better if it’s not.)
Over 50% was already a qualitative change. Koeyle and Knasch both started from 0%, and He Yue understood the changes in value at each stage.
It’s better if it’s not.
He Yue had a good impression of this president who was willing to spend money on him, and he didn’t want the final result to be a heavy blow.
The designated residence was a luxurious single-person suite, with one bedroom, one living room, and one bathroom, and all the facilities were very complete. The comfortable, soft bed had new sheets, and a faint, high-end aromatherapy was placed on the bedside table, the entire room filled with a pleasant scent.
Except for the barred windows and the locked door when the police officer left, which were very unsightly.
This place was comparable to a five-star hotel, completely different from the detention center.
There were clean clothes in the closet, and He Yue took a robe and went into the bathroom. The bathroom window was also sealed with iron bars, and the exhaust fan was the only way to get the steam out.
A hot bath made He Yue feel a little better. This place was a paradise compared to the hot and stuffy interrogation room and the dark and damp detention center.
This place cut off He Yue’s contact with the outside world, and the only entertainment was the projector in the living room and the DVDs in the cabinet.
Thankfully, even without his optical device, He Yue still had the system to help him.
(System, show me the insect race’s laws.)
[Alright, Host.]
The system silently put the gun and pliers it had been about to take out back in their original places and pulled up the insect race’s laws. It thought He Yue would ask to escape, but it didn’t expect to hear a civilized method.
He Yue stayed in the room for a few days, marveling at the strange rules in the insect race’s laws every day.
The doorbell rang, and He Yue called out “Come in” to the communication doorbell at the door. The door was locked from the outside, and He Yue couldn’t open it from the inside, but the insect outside could come in with a key.
After the door was unlocked, He Yue heard voices at the door.
A strange voice said, “You can’t stay here overnight. Please register with me when you leave.”
“Alright.” This was a familiar voice.
He Yue had dragged the beanbag chair to the sealed floor-to-ceiling window and was now sunk into it, basking in the warm sun, reading the insect race’s laws provided by the system. He didn’t turn his head, not giving the female insect beside him a single glance.
Arnis, standing beside him, stared for a long time.
He Yue, bathed in the warm orange sunlight, was glowing, and the fine hairs on his face were visible in the sunlight. His steady breathing made his chest rise and fall slightly, and his slightly trembling eyelashes and bright pupils occasionally scanned the page.
He was completely nestled in the warm sunlight, filled with a quiet and gentle atmosphere. When he was lazy and not talking, he looked completely harmless, much like the lazy and carefree little cat in Arnis’s memory.
Arnis really didn’t want to break this tranquility and stood beside He Yue for a long time.
“If you don’t want to talk, then leave, don’t disturb my rest.” He Yue said in a low voice, without turning his head.
Arnis retracted his statement that the Master had no aggression.
“Has Master found any legal loopholes?” Arnis glanced at He Yue and asked softly.
He Yue froze for a moment and had the system retract the floating object that only he could see. He turned his head and looked out the window. “I haven’t found any.”
In fact, He Yue, as an amateur, had been squatting in this room and hadn’t found any clues.
The colors were indeed used, the copyright was indeed infringed, and the profit had reached tens of millions. The content of Ailaisi’s accusation was not wrong at all. But He Yue still felt innocent. He wanted to find evidence of a frame-up, but ignorance was no excuse in the eyes of the law.
How could there be such an absurd reason as a color monopoly in this world!
Seeing He Yue’s silence, Arnis knelt before him on one knee. “This is the electronic tracker the police officer said you must wear.”
He gently lifted He Yue’s foot, placed it on his knee, and then held his bony ankle.
He Yue’s figure was slender, and his ankles were also well-defined.
When his foot was lifted, the loose hem of his robe fell to the side, revealing his pale thigh. The silk robe was piled up at his crotch, completely covering the key area, but the half-hidden, half-exposed state was even more suggestive.
Arnis suppressed the thoughts in his heart, his grip on He Yue’s ankle tightening slightly, and he heard an uncomfortable whimper.
He Yue was determined not to look at him, not even turning his head, nor did he make a sound to stop him.
The hem of the robe was picked up and covered He Yue’s knee. Arnis said, “Put down the documents and go to the other room.”
He Yue finally turned his head and only then noticed that there was another female insect in a suit who had followed him into the room. The insect lowered his head, afraid of being held responsible by the president for seeing something he shouldn’t have, his eyes even closed.
Hearing Arnis’s instructions, he breathed a sigh of relief, put down the files in his hand, and fled the living room. The bathroom door slammed shut with a bang, the loud sound echoing through the room.
“He’s the lawyer I found, the best lawyer in the entire insect race.”
He Yue’s raised foot rested on Arnis’s bent knee, and he pressed down with a little force.
“Kneel properly.”
Arnis paused, then held He Yue’s foot with one hand and knelt down with his other leg.
The president, dressed in a suit, knelt before him, holding his foot, and fastened the black electronic tracker to his ankle, tightening the strap.
He personally put on the electronic ankle bracelet that restricted He Yue’s freedom, his heart pounding.
The wide black strap was fastened to He Yue’s ankle, the tracker flashing green as it worked, like a special ankle bracelet, or a shackle that restricted his freedom. It complemented He Yue’s ankle, always attracting Arnis’s gaze.
It was incredibly sexy.
Arnis had already locked the tracker, but he didn’t retract his hand for a long time.
The two of them were quiet for a while, until He Yue broke the silence:
“You lied to me.”
The firm statement was a fact He Yue had determined, his calm and cold tone distant, pushing the other party far away. His foot was still held tightly in Arnis’s hand, as if Arnis would let go and he would drift away in the wind, leaving no trace.
The accusatory words were without any inflection, yet they were like an invisible hand tearing at Arnis’s heart, leaving a bloody mess.
Arnis lowered his eyes, his grip on He Yue tightening, his dry voice saying each word deliberately, “I didn’t.”
“Is this also a lie?”
“No.”
This time, Arnis didn’t hesitate. He didn’t dare to hesitate, not even daring to take an extra breath.
His sincerity and certainty made He Yue hesitate for a second. He Yue asked, “But you were involved in everything. Whether it was you sending your assistant to talk to Oried about a reconciliation, or you drafting the contract and sponsoring my art exhibition, you were involved in everything.”
“Yes, I was involved in everything. It was my fault for not investigating the background properly. If I had known from the beginning that holding an art exhibition would be a disaster for you, I would never have started!”
Arnis was rarely so emotional, his voice rising several pitches.
“Master, you can completely question my work mistakes, curse me for falling into that bastard Yilinde’s trap, but… please, don’t question my sincerity. I just wanted to help you, I thought holding an art exhibition was your wish, that’s why I did it.”
Arnis finally let go of He Yue’s foot, his hands on his knees, his kneeling posture straight and standard.
“Master’s case is the first in the history of the insect race. For hundreds of years since Ailaisi secretly applied for the color patent, no art exhibitions have been held, and there have been no painters who love painting. Painting is just a toy for noble male insects, no one takes it as a career!”
“I’m sorry, Master…” Arnis, his tone intense, came back to his senses and immediately softened his voice. “I was too excited, I’m sorry. As a seasoned merchant, to blindly trust the goodwill of another merchant, it was my negligence.”
He Yue sat up and patted Arnis’s head, as if comforting a big, emotional dog.
“I misjudged you.”
“No, no, it’s my fault.” Arnis, suddenly hearing He Yue say this, his anger completely dissipated, leaving only guilt.
He moved his knees and reached for the materials the lawyer had prepared.
“Master, the test results from the inspection agency show that the colors in your paintings have a 99% overlap with the colors patented by Ailaisi, which constitutes a serious infringement.”
He Yue took the test report and gestured for him to continue.
“If you… plead guilty directly, the lawyer can fight for the most lenient sentence for you. Plus, you haven’t been hatched for long, it was negligence, not intentional infringement of his copyright. If I can compensate for all the breach of contract fees and pay the fines, I should be able to get a suspended sentence…” Arnis slowed down his tone, carefully observing He Yue’s expression.
To turn a decades-long prison sentence into a suspended sentence already required a great deal of effort from the lawyer.
He Yue’s face was tense, and he replied softly, “Continue.”
“Or we can try to reach a settlement, apologize to Ailaisi, compensate for all the breach of contract fees, even pay double the amount, and ask him to agree to grant the authorization afterwards, and promise to share a percentage of the profits in the future.”
He Yue’s vision went black again and again.
“Is there anything else?” His tone was stiff.
Arnis’s file was already at the end.
“Or, we can run away.”
Run away to a free place where no one knows them, where there are no patent restrictions, where he can paint whatever he wants.
He Yue looked at the test report in his hand. The color parameters of the two samples were almost identical, the remaining 1% just a machine error.
How could they not overlap? He Yue had used the color paints sold by Ailaisi directly.
All the plans meant that He Yue had to admit that he had indeed committed a crime of originality, that he had done something wrong, that he had broken the law, that he had harmed Ailaisi…
In the end, even running away was a good option.
His nose stung, and his eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.
A tear slid down his cheek and dripped onto the test report, smudging the ink. The color parameters became blurry, the printed colors smudged by the tear into other colors.
Arnis paused, and when he looked up, he met He Yue’s teary eyes.
His eyes were red, filled with tears, and reflected the broken warm orange sunlight. Crystal clear tears streamed down his face, leaving two tear tracks on his pale cheeks, finally dripping onto the colors on the paper.
“But Arnis… I didn’t do anything wrong…”
His voice trembled, mixed with a sob, easily grabbing the other person’s heart and crushing it.
“I clearly didn’t do anything wrong… I just painted, why is there a color copyright here… colors, how can they be monopolized? No one ever told me colors could be monopolized… if I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have held an art gallery…”
He Yue had been studying the insect race’s laws these past few days, reading the rules over and over again. As an amateur, he had studied for a long time, but he hadn’t found a way to exempt himself from prosecution.
Whether it was intentional or unintentional, the insect race stipulated that as long as a certain amount was reached, responsibility had to be investigated, and he had to go to jail.
His hope was gradually turning cold. Now, Arnis before him, and the best lawyer in the entire insect race, also told him that there was no way for him to avoid prosecution.
All the information was telling him that he had done something wrong, that he had committed a crime, from the very beginning when he picked up the paintbrush.
In human society before he transmigrated, He Yue had never heard of a color monopoly. Everyone had the freedom to create, everyone could freely use all the existing colors in the world, or even colors they created themselves.
Arnis threw away the file in his hand, leaned in and wrapped his arms around He Yue’s waist, hugging him, gently patting his lower back, trying to calm him down.
“Arnis… I clearly… didn’t do anything wrong…”
He Yue didn’t reject the hug, instead burying himself in the strong, broad chest.
“Master didn’t do anything wrong, it was Ailaisi who framed you.”
[Arnis, 70%.]
Arnis had lost his initial composure, and He Yue’s tears made him flustered, his tense nerves allowing his emotions to seep in.
The materials he had brought were now worthless. He didn’t want to follow the prepared plan and let He Yue suffer, let his innocent Master fall into their trap.
He Yue had been basking in the warm sun for a while, and his tear-stained cheeks were wet and hot from the sun. His face was pressed against Arnis’s neck, without any clothes in between, and Arnis could only feel the burning heat of his cheeks.
The sunlight was comfortable and not harsh, and He Yue’s entire body was warmed by it. Under the thin silk clothes was his warmed body, now trembling occasionally from his sobs.
The temperature from his skin was transmitted through Arnis’s palm, and his nose, being close enough, could smell the faint floral scent and the smell of the sun, reminding him of a warm, comfortable quilt that had been basking in the sun.
That feeling was like hugging the sun itself, a warm but broken sun.
Arnis held his “sun” tightly, whispering softly, without any of the president’s or merchant’s usual aura and coldness.
By the time He Yue had cried himself out, it was already sunset. Arnis had been in this room alone with his Master for a long time, holding the little cat clinging to him for the entire afternoon.
…If you ignored the lawyer hiding in the bathroom, covering his ears.
He Yue had been too tense. From the moment he was taken from the art gallery until now, his nerves had been on edge, anxious about the troublesome matter before him. After crying in Arnis’s arms for a while, he felt a little better.
He rubbed his red eyes and returned to his usual calm and distant tone.
“…Sorry for the trouble.”
The gentleness and trust given by his beloved were only a brief, beautiful moment, and when it was withdrawn, Arnis felt an unprecedented pain, like being forced to quit alcohol cold turkey.
Arnis was still kneeling before He Yue, his knees long since numb. He forced a bitter smile and replied, “You’re welcome, Master…”
He wished that moment could last forever, and this thought even surpassed his seeing He Yue suffer from injustice. Thankfully, his reason prevailed, and his heartache took over, and he hoped He Yue would get better soon.
“These plans are not feasible, I’ll think of other ways.” Arnis picked up the plan files he had just thrown aside and stacked them neatly.
He Yue nodded and also bent down to pick up the test report that had fallen to the other side.
The color blocks printed on the test report were smudged by tears and no longer recognizable, a mess of colors. The colors in the middle were still similar to the original, but the colors that had smudged to the edges were only different shades of red, yellow, and blue.
He Yue stared at these colors in a daze.
Arnis comforted him, “It’s alright, I’ll go to the inspection agency and print a new report.”
“Wait, I think I know how to solve this deadlock.”
He Yue held the test report, jumped up from the beanbag chair, and went straight to the bathroom.
As soon as he opened the door, he came face to face with the female insect lawyer who had been sitting inside all afternoon.
The two of them awkwardly smiled and nodded, greeting each other uncomfortably.
“I need to use the sink.”
“Please go ahead.” The female insect lawyer moved to the side to avoid this even more awkward scene.
He Yue dripped water on the un-wet part of the printed report and watched as the colors gradually smudged, becoming their original single colors.
Right, why hadn’t he thought of it? Any color in this world was made up of the three primary colors plus black and white. Even Ailaisi, the colors he could mix were also based on the most basic color mixing.
He Yue held up the wet test report to Arnis, his eyes finally shining with a bright light.
“As long as I can mix a color with a 99% match using the three primary colors and black and white, I can say that I used un-copyrighted colors to mix my own.”
The tear stains on his face hadn’t completely dried yet, and his eyes were still red and swollen. The smile he now wore was even more precious, like a beam of light piercing through the desperate darkness.
Arnis was also infected by his relaxed atmosphere and asked with a smile, “Can Master do it?”
“Don’t underestimate my absolute sense of color.”
The confidence he had in his own field returned to He Yue, and the feeling of a sudden enlightenment made him incredibly excited. He held his head high, his red-rimmed eyes proud, making Arnis see a proud and confident little cat.
Color mixing was a game He Yue often played in the past. After seeing a color, he would directly replicate it on paper with the three primary colors and black and white, and he could only take these five colors once, without any secondary modifications.
He Yue’s control over color was a talent, and with more than ten years of continuous training based on his passion, his eyes were the ruler, perhaps even more accurate than the inspection agency’s instruments.
He always won, whether it was against his teacher Mo Lfei or other painter friends, he was always the one who could mix the closest color to the target in one go. And this time, he could repeatedly compare it to the target color until he mixed the exact same color.
Arnis finally saw his Master’s true self.
That confident, flamboyant, bright, and beautiful self, as if all the beautiful words in the world couldn’t describe half of his temperament.
So, none of He Yue’s female insects could bear to see him suffer.
This feeling even surpassed Arnis’s despicable possessiveness.
He kind of understood what Wien meant.
“Then when I come next time, I’ll prepare the five colors for Master. After Master has mixed the colors, I’ll go to the agency to test them.”
He Yue nodded and instructed, “By the way, go check Ailaisi’s patent book, he shouldn’t have a patent on the three primary colors and black and white. After testing the parameters of these five colors, give them to me, our first step can’t be wrong.”
“I understand, don’t worry.”
He Yue finally felt a little playful and teased, “Mr. President is handling things, of course I’m not worried.”
He leaned closer and stared at Arnis, his eyes smiling. “There’s no one more reliable than Mr. President in this world.”
Arnis’s heart warmed at He Yue’s words, and he reached out and gently wiped the half-dried tear stains from his cheeks.
“There’s nothing more important to me than Master’s affairs in this world.”
He Yue rarely didn’t dodge, letting him gently stroke his cheeks and burning eyes.
“By the way, when you come next time, can you bring me a little cake?”
Arnis froze for a moment. “What little cake?”
“The kind with animal cream, it must be a cake with a thick circle of sweet cream on top.”
He Yue disliked the strange taste of the cream cake the system had brought him from another world, and his stomach, which had been spoiled by the system, was now craving this sweet treat.
The nutrient solution he had been given every day had deprived him of the joy of eating, and he had to rely on the small snacks the system fed him to satisfy his cravings.
In Arnis’s eyes, this was like a little cat asking him for a snack.
His heart melted completely, like sweet cream.
“Alright, I’ll bring it for you.”
“Thank you, I’ll be waiting.”
He Yue’s words were ambiguous. He could be waiting for the little cake he was craving, or the paint box that could solve his predicament…
Or even, waiting for Arnis himself.
Just the thought of his little cat waiting for him was enough to make Arnis dizzy, his mind in a daze.
How could there be such a cute and sexy Master in this world?
Arnis left with the female insect lawyer, who hadn’t said a single proper word the entire time.
Although the female insect lawyer had been forced to stay in the bathroom for a long time, he had also received a very generous out-of-office compensation.
He had earned money just by staying in the bathroom, so of course he had no complaints.
He Yue wasn’t worried about Arnis’s efficiency at all. He was in a good mood, and even though he was alone in this room, he didn’t feel lonely.
The change in his state of mind allowed him to enjoy this warm and comfortable sunroom, accept the system’s feeding, watch insect race movies, and feel happy both physically and mentally.
He didn’t consider this surveillance at all, but rather a reason to stay at home and entertain himself.
Except for the electronic tracking ankle bracelet that occasionally lit up to monitor He Yue’s location, which often made his ankle hot when he was working, there was no other discomfort.
