Chapter 152- Love in a Fallen City: You Are My Eternal, Unfading Starlight – From Now On, I’ll Care for You (15)
After this incident, Bai Tang was really frightened and it took him several days to recover.
Neither of them had the mood to go out anymore—one felt guilty, the other was withdrawn. Bai Tang stayed in the hotel, not wanting to go anywhere, and was obedient to an extreme degree.
Although Turs wanted to see a well-behaved Tang Tang, he didn’t want to see one who was scared out of his wits. After showing his utmost tenderness, Bai Tang finally agreed to go out, but he held tightly onto Turs, afraid that another crowd would separate them again.
They had no interest in sightseeing anymore. Ritterly City left a shadow over Bai Tang’s mind, so Turs took him home earlier than planned.
Not to mention the murder case in Ritterly City attracted widespread attention—murder cases hadn’t happened in the capital of the Interstellar Alliance for a long time. For a time, people’s focus shifted away from the mermaids to the murder case.
The reporter apparently had enemies; whether he owed debts or not… his life story was thoroughly uncovered by sharp-eyed netizens.
Wooden Duru, reporter for XXX News, specialized in entertainment gossip. According to the head of XXX News, Wooden Duru came to Ritterly City specifically to interview Bai Tang.
“Again with the mermaids? Why does the news lately keep involving mermaids?” people murmured.
Turs’s proposal to Bai Tang wasn’t secret; many had seen it. But Wooden Duru disguised himself so well that even his own mother wouldn’t recognize him. In his haste, he grabbed Bai Tang and ran into Betty Forest—no one got a clear look at his face.
At the scene, the system had long since “considerately” stripped Wooden Duru bare. He had no shame to behave so disgracefully and no intention of hiding his ugly human facade behind clothes.
Even without evidence, the opposition still wanted to point fingers at Bai Tang and the mermaids. Although the Walker family kept a low profile, they were not pushovers.
Mrs. Walker slammed the table and stood up—this was bullying her daughter-in-law! Did people really think there was no one in the Walker family?
Mr. Walker chimed in, “Exactly, exactly. What my wife says is right.” Mermaids are thin-skinned. It’s rare for Turs to find a mermaid. If their son’s lifelong happiness were to be ruined by public opinion, their own happiness would be over too. If the wife lost her daughter-in-law and the Walker family couldn’t protect her, what would their beloved son think? Wouldn’t it make them look useless? What if the son divorced them? No way, absolutely not!
For the sake of their daughter-in-law, for the sake of the mermaid, the Walker, Sade, and Eddie families all mobilized. Combining military and political power, they investigated the reporter’s death and the mermaid scandal thoroughly. They found out that the entire source of trouble actually involved Marlon Bruce and Le Mengqi.
As for Marlon Bruce, his family had some influence, but not enough to stand against the Walker family.
With several major families joining forces to suppress the scandal, the illicit activities under the Bruce family—such as smuggling—were exposed to the public, causing a complete reversal in public opinion.
It was obvious which was more serious: harming the alliance’s interests or entertainment gossip. On top of that, Mr. Eddie, head of the mermaid base, came forward to testify on behalf of the mermaids.
At the press conference, Le Mengqi looked pale, tears in her eyes as she accused Marlon Bruce of abusing his power to sexually exploit female celebrities in the entertainment industry. She was forced to take photos against her will… The beautiful woman with tears was truly heart-wrenching.
The Bruce family held a certain status in the entertainment world, but now, with all their vices exposed, everyone turned against them.
Not only was the head of the family detained and awaiting trial, but even the reporter who died in Ritterly City was blamed on Marlon Bruce.
After all, he had been found to have some disturbing fetishes—indiscriminate with men and women—and liked to retaliate against people by framing others.
XXX News had previously reported on some of his misdeeds. It was possible this incident was his doing, targeting a lone paparazzi to frame the mermaids.
The authorities had yet to announce the verdict for the Ritterly City murder case, but netizens spoke with such certainty that more and more people believed they had uncovered the truth, to the point that newcomers all assumed Marlon Bruce was the murderer.
Mrs. Walker, however, knew the real story—all these troubles were caused by Marlon Bruce. When Marlon just took over the Bruce family, the sins of his family were so serious that Marlon and his father would spend their lives in prison. He didn’t care about taking on more blame now—so let him carry it.
Mr. Walker informed the higher-ups that Marlon would firmly take the fall for this mess.
Unknowingly, Mr. and Mrs. Walker had avenged the original Bai Tang. In the original story, Marlon Bruce was the main reason behind Bai Tang’s death.
The system informed Bai Tang about this, assuring him that there was no need to worry about following the old storyline anymore.
At this moment, Bai Tang didn’t feel relieved; instead, he was very tense.
After learning all this, Mrs. Walker gave up her trip and hurried back with her husband to see their daughter-in-law.
At the Turs household.
Bai Tang sat stiffly on the sofa, unconsciously clutching the hem of his clothes. Opposite him sat Mrs. Walker, beaming warmly.
This daughter-in-law was even cuter and prettier in person than in photos and videos—she became more and more to their liking.
“Oh, my dear little heart, you were so scared, come into Mommy’s arms…”
“The mountain doesn’t move for me, so I’ll move for the mountain.” Mrs. Walker stood up and disdainfully told Turs to “move over,” then took his seat herself, calling Tang Tang endearingly “my little heart.”
Mrs. Walker’s enthusiasm was hard to resist. Bai Tang was kissed several times by her, and this daughter-in-law was becoming more and more beloved—truly a waste for their own son.
Bai Tang cast a pleading look at Turs. “Turs~”
Turs, living up to Bai Tang’s hopes, replied, “Mom, it’s about time. I’ll take Tang Tang to have a bath.” Saying this, he was about to lead Bai Tang away.
But Mrs. Walker had other plans. She brushed away Turs’s hand, pulled Bai Tang close, and said, “Tang Tang and I still have a lot of secrets to share. I’ll take Tang Tang to have a bath.”
With that, she led him upstairs. Bai Tang kept glancing back at Turs, who quickly disappeared around the corner on the second floor.
Mr. Walker and Turs exchanged a look and sighed softly.
His wife loved their daughter-in-law more than him. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he lost favor.
“When’s the wedding?” Mr. Walker asked.
“Next month. Almost ready,” Turs replied.
“Sooner the better!”
“Okay.”
With that, the father and son’s conversation ended.
…
Upstairs, Mrs. Walker was filling the bathtub with water. While waiting, she rambled on, telling Bai Tang amusing stories about Turs’s childhood.
“Don’t be fooled by Turs’s serious face now—he was adorable as a kid. When he was two, he looked so much like a girl that when we traveled, strangers just wouldn’t believe he was a boy. At one point, the innkeeper’s wife even pulled down his pants to check for herself…”
Mrs. Walker originally wanted Bai Tang to get to know Turs better, but the effect was the opposite—Bai Tang was moved to tears.
His eyes reddened first, lips trembling, and then he started to sob quietly. “Turs is so pitiful… how could the innkeeper’s wife do that…”
The child was young, and the innkeeper’s wife meant no harm. It happened while she was delivering something to Mrs. Walker’s room, and she apologized afterward. But from Bai Tang’s perspective, it was an insult to Turs, stirring a wave of sympathy for him.
What to do if the little mermaid cried? Mrs. Walker didn’t know how to comfort him. “Tang Tang, don’t cry. Turs was very young then, he doesn’t remember it. The innkeeper’s wife didn’t mean it.”
Sometimes not mentioning things is better; saying it only made things worse. Bai Tang’s tears grew even bigger.
Being bullied without knowing it—and his parents didn’t mind. Deeply influenced by the system, Bai Tang imagined a tragic childhood for Turs, unloved by father and mother, forced to survive on his own. No wonder Turs never smiled—though in the past world, Turs’s smile had been so beautiful.
Bai Tang cried as he walked out of the room, with Mrs. Walker following behind helplessly.
Downstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Walker exchanged a glance.
Mr. Walker: “What happened?”
Mrs. Walker: “I don’t know. He was fine, then suddenly started crying.”
Mr. Walker knew his wife’s nature well enough to guess that she must have said something that upset Bai Tang.
Bai Tang threw himself into Turs’s arms. “Turs, Turs…”
Turs held him close. “What’s wrong? Did Mom bully you?”
“Hey, how could I bully Tang Tang?” Mrs. Walker was the first to object to the accusation. “I care about Tang Tang so much, I barely have enough time for him.” Then she said softly to Bai Tang, “Tang Tang, it’s Mommy’s fault. Mommy shouldn’t have said those things…”
Bai Tang shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Mom…”
“See? Tang Tang doesn’t blame me,” Mrs. Walker said to Turs.
“I’ll take Tang Tang to have a bath. Mom, if there’s nothing urgent, you and Dad should head home first,” Turs said. It wasn’t that he disliked his mother; it was just that with her around, Tang Tang didn’t really belong to him.
Mr. Walker pulled Mrs. Walker aside, saying, “Turs is getting married next month. Let’s go back and meet those relatives and friends.”
“That sounds good.” Talking about the wedding lifted Mrs. Walker’s spirits. After saying goodbye to her son and daughter-in-law, she eagerly returned home.
With birth rates extremely low these days and marriage laws requiring fidelity under threat of imprisonment, many people avoided marriage. After all, even if they married, they couldn’t have children, so better to stay single and free.
Mrs. Walker had endured a lot in recent years. When her son and daughter-in-law were invited to weddings, relatives would subtly or openly criticize Turs, saying he wasn’t good enough or lacked prospects. It made her furious. But Turs refused to go to blind dates and even moved out to avoid the setups she arranged. After years of urging, Turs remained unmoved. Finally, when her husband retired early from the military, they started considering trying for another child.
Now things were looking up—Turs was getting married, and it was Mrs. Walker’s turn for “revenge.” She knew that those distant relatives who had been married for seven or eight years still hadn’t had a single child.
…
After seeing his parents off, the house finally became quiet. Aunt Li went out to buy groceries, leaving only Bai Tang and Turs at home.
Turs gently wiped away Bai Tang’s tears. “Can you tell me why you’re crying?”
Bai Tang sniffled and, feeling sympathy, gently touched Turs’s face as he recounted what Mrs. Walker had said.
Turs was both amused and exasperated, but to help Bai Tang quickly shake off the shadow of what happened in Ritterly City, the best way was to distract him. He even joked at his own expense and threw some shade at Mrs. Walker.
“At that time, my father was very busy, almost treating the military office like home, and my mother…”
He always portrayed himself as pitiful, as if no one cared or looked after him. If Mrs. Walker had heard that, she would be so furious she’d probably come back ready to kill.
Bai Tang’s tears welled up again. He wrapped his arms around Turs’s waist. “From now on, I’ll take care of you~”
Author’s Note
Here it comes, the update is here.
Mr. Walker has lost favor, Mrs. Walker protests she’s innocent, Bai Tang feels sympathetic, and Turs seizes the opportunity to rise.
I understand Tang Tang getting so upset over this. My brother looks quite feminine and has long hair so is always mistaken as a girl. If someone dared to do that to him I swear they’d have to call police on me