Arc 8: Interstellar Programmer Officer 2
Tao Yuan was escorted back home by the bodyguards. When he stepped inside, the original host’s parents and elder brother and his sister-in-law were all sitting in the living room, glaring at him with anger.
Taking a seat on a separate sofa, Tao Yuan looked at them and said sarcastically, “Well, look at you all. It seems like you’ve set up a formation, just waiting to criticize me.”
“You look completely unapologetic. Do you still consider us as your parents? We’ve raised you all this time, and this is how you repay us?!” Yaduni1, the original host’s father, said angrily.
“Consider you as parents?” Tao Yuan sneered, “To you, I’m nothing more than a commodity for trading. Do you really expect commodities to hold you in high regard? I heard from Bruno that you agreed to let their family do anything to me. Can you still claim the title of parents?”
“We’ve raised you to this point, provided your food and education. What have we done that deserves such ingratitude from you?! Just for a man, you’re willing to throw away everything, attempting to escape several times, and now you have the audacity to claim we’re unworthy parents! You’re worse than a dog. Even a dog knows how to be grateful when cared for!” Yaduni grew angrier with each word. If it weren’t for the fact that in a few days, he would be arranging marriage formalities with Bruno, he would have dealt with him long ago.
“In your eyes, I am indeed inferior even to a dog. With a dog, you might show some pity and affection, but in your hearts, I’m nothing more than a commodity for exchanging benefits.” Tao Yuan placed the suitcase on the table and opened it, looking at them. “These are all my savings and valuable possessions from these years. I’ve roughly calculated. This money is more than enough to cover all the expenses you’ve spent on me over the years. Take this money back. from now on, consider our accounts settled. I am done with this family.”
The original host’s elder brother swiftly closed the suitcase and took it away. He then looked at Tao Yuan and said, “Do you think that just returning this money absolves you from owing Mom and Dad? Don’t forget, your life is also a gift from them. They decide who you marry, and you must comply.”
“Life?” Tao Yuan looked at the original host’s parents and retorted, “Did I choose to be born into this family? Did I choose this life for myself? It was your voluntary decision to bring me into this world! Since you chose to give birth to me, raising me is your obligation. And judging by the current situation, being born to you, with a family like you, I’m the one who’s unlucky!”
“Since you don’t want to be born to us, why don’t you just go and die?!” Yaduni shouted.
“Don’t worry. Since you brought me into this world, I’m not immortal. Sooner or later, I’ll die, and when I do, consider it giving my life back to you. But you can’t dictate when and how I die. That’s impossible,” Tao Yuan thought to himself. The original host has already died as you wished, and now, this life is not a gift from you. If you want me to give it back, I’m afraid your fortune can’t bear the consequences.
“Is it our fault for raising you to this point? If we had known you would turn out like this, we should have strangled you to death when you were born!” The original host’s mother glared fiercely at Tao Yuan.
“Yes, if I had the choice, I’d rather have been strangled by you at birth than be treated as an object for you to control now,” Tao Yuan said expressionlessly.
“Father, Mother, don’t waste your words on him, lest it affects your health. Anyway, regardless whether he wants to or not, he must marry Bruno and give birth to children. Since we’ve already made an agreement with the Bavis2 family, everything will proceed as planned. Go rest. I’ll make sure to keep a close eye on him and prevent him from escaping again,” Yi Xiao said to his parents.
The original host’s parents glared at Tao Yuan at the same time, then stood up and went upstairs to their rooms to rest.
The original host’s sister-in-law looked at Tao Yuan and said, “You should rest too. Everything is already settled. Your wishes won’t change anything. It’s better to accept it obediently, so you won’t be so miserable.”
“Change nothing?” Tao Yuan smiled. “Even if I’m forced to marry Bruno by you, I’ll never let you get what you want. If I create chaos in the Bavis family, do you think they won’t blame you?”
“You’re absolutely unreasonable!” Yi Xiao pointed at Tao Yuan and scolded, “Have you gone mad? What has this family done to wrong you? Why can’t you stand to see us happy?!”
“Alright, it’s already very late. You go upstairs first. I’ll talk to him,” Niya3 said, gently pushing Yi Xiao’s arm.
Yi Xiao glared fiercely at Tao Yuan. Then stood up and went upstairs.
“Don’t you think you’re too heartless and selfish?” Niya, said as she righteously looked at Tao Yuan. “Since you’ve enjoyed everything this family has provided you, isn’t it only fair to repay the family by accepting this arranged marriage and bringing some benefits to them? Is love really more important than everything, to the extent that you would disregard your own family?”
“There are many ways to repay this family. Must I sacrifice a lifetime of happiness, marrying someone I don’t love and who doesn’t love me, just for the benefits gained from such a marriage to be considered repaying the family? All these years, I’ve worked so hard and strived to bring honor to this family, to repay it and gain the right to control my own life. Who is the truly selfish one here? Do you not see it in your heart? You just refuse to admit it. I don’t have the ability to stop the decline of the family and revitalize it. So they treat me like an object to exchange for benefits, and you have the audacity to claim it’s for me to repay the family. Are people like you even worthy?”
“What’s wrong with marrying Bruno? The Bavis family holds power and influence, and Bruno is outstanding in every aspect. So many people want to marry him but can’t. Why wouldn’t you cherish the fortunate opportunity to marry him? Valuing love more than life itself is truly stupid. There’s no love that remains unchanged throughout a lifetime. Even if it starts intensely, there will come a day when it dwindles away. Whoever leaves, neither party is incapable of moving on. You might not understand now, but as time goes on, you’ll realize it.”
Tao Yuan remained silent, eyes closed. Trying to reason with these people felt like a waste of energy and saliva.
Looking at Tao Yuan, Niya thought she had somewhat persuaded him. With an intentionally gentle tone, she said, “Go to sleep, take a few days to rest well, and then proceed with the marriage procedures with Bruno in the best condition. Later on, you’ll understand that everything we’re doing now is for your own good.”
Tao Yuan stood up and walked towards the original host’s room. He felt like he was insane, attempting to reason with these people. Anyway, he already returned the original host’s belongings and clearly stated his position. This family shouldn’t even think of controlling him anymore.
After quickly washing up, Tao Yuan lay down on the original host’s bed, but he was not sleepy at all. He kept his eyes open, staring at the ceiling light. He was still able to sense some of the original host’s sorrow. In his many lifetimes, this was the first time he encountered the original host’s emotions that were so difficult to dispel, and the first time facing such family members.
Tao Yuan thought that the original host was quite unlucky to be born into this family. The people in this household treated the original host as a commodity for trade, with an air of entitlement that infuriated Tao Yuan just thinking about it.
On this planet, this family was originally considered a good noble. But both the original host’s father and brother were incompetent, so the family gradually declined. The only one with the ability and a strong desire to revive the family was the original host. But because he was cixing4, they believed he would eventually become part of another family. Any honor he brought would belong to someone else. In light of this, they decided to exploit him in an arranged marriage to secure the maximum benefits for the family’s future.
After reaching adulthood, the original host underwent a bloodline compatibility test, revealing a match of over ninety-five percent with Bruno. The likelihood of giving birth to a child with A1 Mental Power, was extremely high. The nobles were driven nearly mad and coveted the prospect of having a child with mental powers. However, such things were rare and unpredictable. This was precisely why the Bavis family insisted on arranging the marriage between the original host and Bruno.
The original host’s parents believed that since they gave birth to the original host and granted him life, they had the right to determine his destiny. Meanwhile, the original host’s brother and sister-in-law thought that since the original host was raised in this family, he should be willing to make sacrifices for the family.
On the other hand, the original host wants to control his own fate, to bring honor to the family through his own abilities, and to lead a simple and happy life with the person he loves. He did not want to marry and have children for the sake of the family’s interests with someone he didn’t love and who didn’t love him.
The original host was already suffering greatly because of the family’s coercion, dealing with severe depression. But in order to make him compromise, the Bavis family orchestrated a tragic accident, resulting in the death of his lover. The original host was completely shattered. He felt that since his parents claimed to have given him life and believed they had the right to control his destiny, he would return that life to them.
In the end, the original host chose to take his own life. Not only was he overwhelmed by grief over the loss of his lover, but also by the sorrow of being unable to control his own fate. He acknowledged that his parents indeed provided him with life and raised him in this family, but he refused to let them dictate his destiny. Caught in this agonizing predicament, he found himself in lost in pain and was unable to wait any longer to avenge his loved ones. So, he chose to end his life to find relief as quickly as possible.
So when Tao Yuan first transmigrated, he believed that the original host should have been a bit more selfish to avoid such pain. If only he could disregard those so-called family ties, if he could ruthlessly escape to a faraway place with his lover, then his lover wouldn’t have died.
Tao Yuan always believed that people should live a bit selfishly. Each person is an independent individual with the right to pursue their own happiness. Those who use the excuse of family interests to make others sacrifice themselves while enjoying the rewards are truly the ones who are selfish.
In the ancient feudal patriarchal society, there were many with such selfish thoughts, molded by the era’s ideologies. But in this advanced interstellar era, the presence of individuals with such backward thoughts only indicated the enduring nature of human character.
People with the mindset of the original host’s parents actually existed in any era, believing that they gave life to their children and so had the right to control their child’s destinies. Any resistance from the children was seen as selfish and unfilial, with no consideration that the real selfish ones were the parents themselves. Encountering such parents could be considered quite unlucky, but everyone had no choice in selecting their parents or place of birth.
Unable to sleep, Tao Yuan got out of bed and walked to the window, gazing up at the sky. He had entrusted things to Mai Wei5, and he was confident that Mai Wei would come to take him away. However, he was not sure when Mai Wei would come or under what circumstances he would be taken away.
He would get revenge for the original host, Tao Yuan was determined to avenge him. While the original host never considered harming his family, Tao Yuan decided he would make them suffer some consequences. He had always been someone with clear likes and dislikes. If the original host had a good relationship with his family, Tao Yuan would willingly help repay them. But this family had driven the original host to his death while still acting righteous. Even if it stemmed from Tao Yuan’s personal aversion to them, he was determined to teach them a lesson.
Outside the original host’s room, the guards stood watch. Every nook and cranny of the household was guarded to prevent Tao Yuan from escaping.
In the past few days, Tao Yuan hadn’t stepped out of his room. He knew that without someone to assist him, escaping on his own would be challenging. So, he patiently waited for Mai We’s help.
Meanwhile, the original host’s parents and brother’s family saw Tao Yuan’s quiet demeanor and lack of resistance. They assumed he had given up because of the death of his lover and decided to compromise. They were relieved and thought their plan was on track after making arrangements with the Bavis family. According to their agreement, once the original host married Bruno and bore a child, the Bavis family would assist them.
The Bavis family is also worried that the original host will resist fiercely. So they made a thorough preparation to ensure that he can conceive a child smoothly, and then let him give birth to a child smoothly. They have many ways, firmly believing that as long as the original host became pregnant, even if he remained unconscious, they could ensure the child’s healthy delivery.
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8
- 杜尼怒 yà dù ní [↩]
- 巴维斯 Bā wéi sī: Bavis [Kept the Eng ver] [↩]
- 妮雅 Nī yǎ [↩]
- 雌性 cíxìng: female [In this context as you all may know, this female is a male but can get pregnant.] [↩]
- 麦威 Mài wēi [I’m not sure if author have a typo in the first chapter but in following chapter ML’s name is 麦威 unless stated otherwise. So don’t be confused. Mai Wei = Maisiwei/Maxwell] [↩]