Chapter 53: Life Ritual

And, as luck would have it, the question was about the engagement!

Although Su Mingyao had already told the entire family that Luo Shang’s purpose in returning this time was to repeat the actions of his previous life—and Su Mingyao had recounted every detail of Luo Shang’s experiences from that life—Su Tiancheng still felt a twinge of guilt.

From the full account of his previous life’s ordeals, it was clear Luo Shang hadn’t had it easy. He had been jilted from his engagement, kicked out of the Su Family, and ultimately died out in the wilds.

In Su Tiancheng’s eyes, Luo Shang’s decision to come back and follow the plot was nothing short of self-torture. He couldn’t fathom why someone as powerful as Luo Shang now would choose to put himself through that hell again.

Yet for all his confusion, Su Tiancheng had no choice but to comply with Luo Shang’s demands. Offending him would bring consequences far beyond what he could endure.

At the same time, Su Tiancheng couldn’t shake the worry that their treatment of Luo Shang in the previous life amounted to abuse. What if he followed the plot to the end but still harbored resentment? Once he no longer needed them, would he retaliate out of spite?

With Luo Shang’s current power, wiping them all out would be as effortless as a game. The police wouldn’t detect a single anomaly—that was the nature of supernatural abilities. Were it not for his own firsthand experience, Su Tiancheng never would have believed such things were possible.

That was why Su Tiancheng had kept putting it off, dreading the confrontation.

He had even felt a measure of relief, knowing Shen Changqing and Li Qingshu had to face it first. It bought him several months to devise a plan: how to navigate the plot delicately without angering Luo Shang.

But this phone call struck like a bolt from the blue—

The caller was pressing him on the engagement the very next evening!

Hadn’t this been slated for at least five months from now?!

Was Su Mingyao misleading him? Su Tiancheng’s initial reaction upon receiving Luo Shang’s call had been flat-out disbelief. Yet the glowing screen and call log laid it bare: Luo Shang was indeed urging him on.

No, no, he couldn’t think that way. Su Mingyao had no reason to lie—they were all hapless souls dragged into this mess, bound by shared suffering, leaning on one another to survive the crisis…

What was he supposed to do?

As Su Tiancheng agonized over it, Luo Shang—met with several minutes of silence—spoke up again.

“Father?”

It was nothing more than a simple question, yet Su Tiancheng jolted upright, spine ramrod straight, as if called out during drill sergeant inspection.

“Understood!”

The words tumbled out almost reflexively, and Su Tiancheng regretted them at once. Hadn’t he just handed Luo Shang a firm yes, sealing the deal?

Luo Shang’s tone made it plain: this was happening early. The only variable was how many days ahead.

“I know you’re tied up with Su Family business out of town,” Luo Shang continued, “but I hope you’ll make time to return and settle this.”

He recalled the scene of Su Mingyao bursting into the living room.

So those two had been involved all along… Luo Shang mused.

As expected of the novel’s male lead and his destined partner. In the plot, Su Shang had only swooped in third to meddle—after his forced discharge from the hospital, attending the recognition banquet, and collapsing from rage the next day, bedridden with exhaustion.

Su Shang’s scheming had failed not just because Shen Changqing despised him, but because Su Mingyao had beaten him to the punch.

Luo Shang was different. A mere cliff fall was a non-issue for him; he’d stormed over that very afternoon and caught Su Mingyao and Shen Changqing in the act.

“I believe the Shen Family’s Young Master isn’t satisfied with me,” Luo Shang said calmly. “He clearly prefers my second brother. Better to resolve this sooner for everyone’s sake.”

Sooner… He really does want it sooner… Su Tiancheng thought.

How much sooner? He mulled his phrasing, hoping to nudge the timeline back just a little—enough to delay his return.

Dealing with Luo Shang was no small feat. He had no idea how the younger generation, like Shen Changqing, endured it…

Well, if they couldn’t endure, they’d just die. Problem solved.

Su Tiancheng consoled himself that way, then a spark of realization hit. There was a key detail in Luo Shang’s words.

This situation wasn’t what he’d feared, with him pitted against Luo Shang.

On the contrary, they were allies in this.

Had it been the old Su Shang from his previous life—lacking supernatural abilities or the Su Family’s support—he never would have dreamed of abandoning the alliance with the Shen Family.

Shen Changqing, the eldest son of the Shen Family, was one of B City’s renowned young talents. When it came to family wealth, the Shen Family even had a slight edge over the Su Family, making the match a step up for Su Shang. Even without the Su Family’s backing, marrying Shen Changqing would let him tap into the Shen Family’s resources and keep living the high life as a rich kid.

Su Tiancheng’s move to cancel the engagement was the last thing Su Shang wanted. In his previous life, it had offended him—but so what? Back then, he hadn’t been able to stir up any real trouble.

This time, though, things were different.

The tables had turned. Now it was Shen Changqing who didn’t measure up to Luo Shang!

Luo Shang had returned from the Reincarnation Space as a superhuman powerhouse, wielding extraordinary abilities that could reshape the nation—or even the entire world. Shen Changqing was, at best, a standout in some province, not even worth comparing on a national scale. Worse still, he was just an ordinary man, separated from Luo Shang by an impenetrable divide. The two of them weren’t even in the same reality anymore.

On top of that, Luo Shang already had a boyfriend he’d chosen back in the Reincarnation Space. The last thing he wanted was Shen Changqing squatting in the “fiancé” spot like some unwelcome intruder.

Unlike Su Shang in the original plot, Luo Shang had no need for the Shen Family’s support. The Su Family hadn’t cut him loose either—Su Tiancheng could guarantee that he and Li Qingshu would follow Luo Shang’s every word without question. To Luo Shang, the engagement was nothing but a headache, a surefire way to piss off his boyfriend in the Reincarnation Space. It had to go, and fast.

Which meant Su Tiancheng, by helping to dissolve it, wasn’t his enemy at all. He was doing him a favor!

Once Su Tiancheng wrapped his head around that, a wave of relief washed over him. He realized he could actually face Luo Shang without dread.

All his fear had stemmed from the terror of opposing him—and the punishment that might follow. But now that he saw they were on the same side, those worries evaporated.

Heh heh, that was more like it!

Advancing this encounter would pull everything else forward too. Even if they were aligned for now, Su Tiancheng knew he’d be the one kicking Luo Shang out of the Su Family down the line. Their paths would clash again eventually.

Still, it bought him time—time to scheme and plan. For Su Tiancheng, that was a win.

Naturally, the timing for hashing out the engagement details would be up to Luo Shang himself.

“Exactly,” Su Tiancheng said. “So… when would you like to take care of it?”

“I’m wide open here. Whatever works for you—let’s talk it over.”

It was a white lie. Busy? Him? Hardly.

Su Tiancheng had only expanded into this outer province to dodge the anomaly surrounding his third son. Deep down, he’d never expected much success in such a short time.

But then the national policy kicked in, propping him up like a gift from above. It was the perfect launchpad: he could scale up big, turn this province into another Su Family stronghold, and leapfrog toward dominating the national scene.

Even so, Su Tiancheng knew his priorities. Business mattered, sure—but it paled next to Luo Shang. Luo Shang came first, no contest!

He could shelve the empire-building for later. Right now, he had to heed Luo Shang’s call!

No matter how slammed he was, he’d tell Luo Shang he had all the time in the world to chat.

“My schedule?” Luo Shang echoed.

What was originally slated for five months out could now happen way sooner. He was pleased.

“One month from now, then.”

Luo Shang didn’t want the plot points crashing into each other. There were other events he needed to play out in the meantime, ones he’d handle solo. Setting it for next month already meant speeding through the earlier beats.

If he couldn’t wrap them up? No sweat—just ask Su Tiancheng for a delay. It wasn’t a crisis.

“Sounds good,” Su Tiancheng replied.

That bit about “talking it over” was just him playing it cool, avoiding the desperate bootlicker vibe. Truth was, he’d bend to whatever Luo Shang wanted.

A month out wasn’t too rushed. Su Tiancheng could live with that. Satisfied, he waited for Luo Shang to end the call before heading back to the conference room.

When he strode back into the meeting, the corporate representatives shot him baffled looks. He brushed them off, his mood sky-high—face glowing, a grin tugging at his lips. It was a far cry from the defeated slump he’d worn while taking the call.

What did they know? Su Tiancheng thought with smug delight. Anyone who’d just learned their death row sentence got bumped back a month would be grinning like this!

Su Mingyao had warned him: if Luo Shang didn’t get the development he craved, the world was toast. Which meant Su Tiancheng was out here saving it!

Facing the puzzled gazes of those corporate representatives, Su Tiancheng sadly discovered that he felt a faint, strange sense of superiority.

Contrary to what Su Tiancheng imagined, the other representatives weren’t baffled by the content of his phone call, but by something else entirely—

The meeting Su Tiancheng was attending had been convened by the government to announce the list of outstanding enterprises and their support policies. For an event this crucial—one that shaped future development prospects—no participant would ever step out to take a call. Even without explicit rules, it simply wasn’t done.

Answering a phone in such a setting was tantamount to offending the government officials present. It would surely leave a bad impression, ensuring no more heavenly pies fell their way next time.

Yet Su Tiancheng had not only gone to take the call, but the meeting host had tacitly permitted it—pausing proceedings midway to wait for him, ready to resume only after his return!

This was no small matter.

The other local corporate representatives exchanged knowing glances, each quietly running their own calculations.

Policies rewarding outstanding enterprises were typically reserved by local governments for homegrown companies—especially reliable big taxpayers with spotless reputations. They wouldn’t go to upstarts like the Su family from out of province, who hadn’t contributed a single cent in local taxes so far.

The Su family’s enterprise making the outstanding list alongside decades-old local powerhouses had already struck them as unbelievable. They’d suspected Su Tiancheng had pulled strings behind the scenes, bleeding money to secure it.

But this phone incident flipped their assumptions, leaving them uncertain.

To pause for a mere phone call—in this context? Every representative knew they could never pull that off themselves. Even if their parents had died, they’d wait until the meeting ended before heading to the memorial service. Touching their phones was unthinkable.

Yet Su Tiancheng had taken the call openly, and the host had waited. The implications were chilling upon reflection.

What kind of backing? What face could compel the government to bend like this?

Before the call, the representatives had viewed this outsider with faint disdain and exclusion, convinced he’d bought his spot through underhanded means.

After he returned, however, they didn’t dare look down on Su Tiancheng anymore. They couldn’t fathom the Su family’s true power or its limits.

One by one, they grew wary and deferential.

But why?

The representative seated across from Su Tiancheng eyed him thoughtfully.

Could the entire policy and outstanding list be a front, designed solely to prop up the Su family? Were they mere props, tacked onto the list to camouflage the favoritism?

Hah—a veteran local enterprise rep chuckled inwardly at his own wild speculation.

Impossible. This was official government policy. Even if the Su family had pull at the top, there’d be no need for such convoluted maneuvering, using other firms as mere foils. What made the Su family so special?

If they truly had national-level influencers, everyone would have heard by now. No need for smokescreens.

Had someone in the Su family saved the world or something?

Ridiculous. Probably just private backers or some shady tie to the meeting host. He’d report back to his superiors later and have them dig into it.

Brushing aside the wildly accurate yet absurd notion, the representative shook his head and refocused on the proceedings.

Of course someone in the Su family had saved the world.

—Who said stopping its destruction didn’t count?

In that sense, Luo Shang was the undisputed world savior.

He’d quashed his own world-ending impulses multiple times. That was salvation on another level entirely!

~~~

“A month from now, I’ll finally annul my engagement to Shen Changqing,” Luo Shang said to the System.

“Congratulations,” the System replied.

“Then I can come clean to Ke Yanjin about everything I’ve been up to here. The fiancé drama will be ancient history—no point in him holding a grudge. A little coaxing, a few concessions, and it’ll all blow over.”

Luo Shang was in high spirits too.

After all, dissolving the engagement was a monumental event. It meant Su Mingyao could shed the stigma of homewrecker forever, stepping into his role as Shen Changqing’s legitimate partner.

As for Su Shang, he’d lose all claim to legitimacy. Any further moves would paint him as the insidious, scheming vicious male side character.

This marked a phased victory in the original novel. At the same time, by resolving the engagement, Su Mingyao finally set aside his lingering doubts and accepted Shen Changqing once more.

In the original depiction, the engagement between Shen Changqing and Su Shang had left Su Mingyao in a bind. Though he harbored feelings for Shen Changqing, his moral compass forbade him from acting on them. As a result, he avoided Shen Changqing—the deeper his affection grew, the harder he fled.

Shen Changqing, for his part, had no patience for such evasion. Throughout this period, he kept in touch with Su Mingyao, pursuing him with every appearance of sincerity—at the very least, he put on a convincing show. He worked to melt away Su Mingyao’s reservations, assuring him that his heart had always belonged there, that he had never truly loved Su Shang, and that in this tangled romance, the one passed over was the real interloper.

Meanwhile, on the business front, Shen Changqing hustled relentlessly. He pulled back several investments to free up capital and secretly scooped up the Shen family’s scattered external shares, bolstering his own stake in preparation for a showdown with Old Master Shen.

Finally, through his persistent efforts, Shen Changqing engineered this very conversation about the engagement, forcing Su Mingyao, Su Shang, and himself into the same arena.

Now Luo Shang wanted to fast-forward the timeline. He had no intention of waiting around for Shen Changqing to keep grinding away in the shadows. Instead, he’d cut through Su Tiancheng and simply reroute Shen Changqing to a new partner.

After all, Su Tiancheng’s people could easily investigate the Recognition Banquet fiasco and pin down the culprit. Shen Changqing’s public revelation that Luo Shang wasn’t his blood kin had already signaled his contempt. Handing Luo Shang over would gain nothing and might only stoke further disgust. Su Mingyao made far more sense as a replacement.

Su Shang’s infamous simp, Li Lingran, was positively thrilled by the prospect. With the engagement off the table, he saw his opening and had zero interest in meddling.

Only Old Master Shen and Shen Changqing’s sister, Shen Zhulin, hoped he would be the one sent over instead.

The old Su Shang would have been profoundly grateful for their support. Without Old Master Shen and Shen Zhulin, he might not have held out more than a few months on his own grit.

But the current Luo Shang…

He just wanted the engagement dissolved and done with. Keeping Shen Changqing out of his sight was the real priority.

He appreciated Old Master Shen and Shen Zhulin’s “help,” but he didn’t need it.

He genuinely loathed Shen Changqing—the mere sight of him grated on his nerves. Just scram already.

Such were Luo Shang’s thoughts.

At first, he’d planned to kill Shen Changqing and step into the role himself. But Shen Changqing proved too savvy: when following the plot, he was a model of compliance and good sense. Off-script, he was impeccably accommodating—no snide remarks, just flawless service. Weighing it all, offing him would demand Luo Shang’s direct involvement, splitting his attention. So he’d spared him.

With the one-month deadline locked in, it was time to sort the schedule and scout the next plots.

Luo Shang pulled up the System Panel and checked the Plot tab.

Meanwhile, far from the Su Family Villa on the city’s outskirts, deep in the Underground Liaison Room.

Another report filtered upward, layer by layer, to the decision center.

“Traces of cultist activity have surfaced in S City. They’re attempting a ritual to commune with the Goddess of Life anomaly.”

“Perhaps… this is the Apocalypse Element!”

Someone ventured.

After all, the notion of a lone individual as the Apocalypse Element was too horrifying to contemplate.