Lin Youming nodded without hesitation.
"Yes, wife. Anything."
The words left his mouth quickly, too quickly, as if fear itself had pushed them all out just like that.
He didn't say anything after, knowing that one wrong step would end everything.
However, before she could answer, they would hear footsteps from outside the room.
Then the doors opened.
A young woman walked in.
She wore pale green robes that hugged her figure without trying to show it off. Her hair was tied neatly behind her back, simple and clean. Her face was gentle. Her eyes were clear. She looked calm, but there was something firm hidden in her posture.
The servants turned.
"The third miss has arrived!"
The room became even crowded.
Lin Youming's heart skipped.
Third miss?
Shangguan Wanwan looked toward the door and laughed softly.
"Oh?" she said. "Perfect timing."
Her lips curved into a faint smile.
""Your new wife has come too."
The woman froze for a moment. Then she looked toward Lin Youming.
Her eyes met his.
For some unknown reason, Lin Youming felt a strange pressure in his chest.
Before he could speak, another voice sounded from outside.
"The first miss has arrived!"
This time, the reaction was louder.
"What?"
"The first miss too?"
"The first wife of our young master came too?"
Murmurs spread through the room. They never discuss the young master, regardless of what happened, but today, they are here.
What's going on?
Subordinates exchanged looks. Some were confused; others were uneasy.
Another group entered.
At the front was a woman dressed in dark blue robes. Her face was pale. Her features were refined. Her eyes were calm but distant. She walked slowly, supported by a maid, as if she were weak.
But Lin Youming felt it.
Something was wrong.
Both women stopped a few steps away from him.
Then, to everyone's shock, they cupped their hands and bowed.
"This one is Liu MeiMei," the woman in green said softly. "Greetings, husband."
"This one is Cai Cai Yun," the woman in blue said calmly. "Greetings, husband."
The room went silent.
Lin Youming's mind went blank.
Husband?
Both?
At the same time?
Suddenly, he'd eye their hands, holding some kind of similar scrolls.
What are they?
Before he could even react, a translucent screen exploded in front of his eyes.
[ Ding!
[ Mission Upgrade detected. ]
Lin Youming stiffened.
Upgrade? What?
The screen in front of him changed.
[ Mission Upgrade: Convince all your three wives, Shangguan Wanwan, Liu MeiMei, and Cai Cai Yun, not to divorce you.
[ Reward: Title of Cripple Cultivation and two random rewards. ]
His heart sank.
"Hey!"
[ Punishment for failure: Permanently lose two of your Monkey Peaches and Banana Long. ]
It didn't even wait for him to react when he felt something extremely uncomfortable below his pants.
Pointk! Pointk! Pointk!
Lin Youming's face turned red, then green, then yellow, and finally white.
Did all three of them disappear?
The two eggs and the single bird?
"What the hell…" he whispered.
His legs almost gave out.
One was already gone.
If he failed now…
Everything below his waist would be permanently gone.
Forever.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
I've never heard of a mission upgrading it's difficulty in the history of webnovels I read!
Then, suddenly, another screen popped up.
[ Ding!
[ Warning.
[ The two have special identities. ]
His eyes twitched.
Sure enough.
Just like Shangguan Wanwan, the two were special too.
The screen expanded.
[ Liu MeiMei: Childhood sweetheart of Chu Feng. ]
Lin Youming felt his soul leave his body.
So it was her?
[ Status:
[ Extreme unresolved emotional attachment.
[ Wants a divorce to return to his childhood lover's embrace, even if she dies right here today. ]
His heart dropped.
He looked at Liu MeiMei again.
Her face was gentle. Her eyes were steady. But now he could feel it. There was something buried deep inside her gaze.
Then the screen changed again.
[ Cai Cai Yun: Hidden identity detected. ]
Lin Youming swallowed.
[ Lin Family hidden wife.
[ True background: Imperial Princess. ]
His scalp went numb.
A fucking princess?
[ Health status: Not ill.
[ Reason for isolation: Personal aversion.
[ Cause of hatred: Extreme mistreatment after false illness discovery.
[ Summary: Subject was treated as inferior causing servants to even allowed to humiliate her, and now that her imperial brother had ascended to emperor, it's time for her to leave. ]
Lin Youming clenched his teeth.
Damn.
Damn.
Damn.
Damn the original owner.
Damn him to hell.
Before he could process everything, Shangguan Wanwan spoke again.
She looked at the two women and smiled faintly.
"You two," she said calmly. "Our husband has wronged us."
The room tensed.
"I wanted a divorce," she continued. "He did not want it."
Her eyes flicked toward Lin Youming.
"So tell me," she said. "What do you want him to do?"
Liu MeiMei looked startled.
She came here to propose a divorce. Even if she dies, he doesn't want to waste a single day anymore on anything but being material for anyone, even her own family.
She glanced at Cai Cai Yun. Her hands tightened slightly.
Cai Cai Yun lowered her eyes.
She came here to propose a divorce too. She cannot take it anymore. Even though she secretly hid herself as a princess, it's not right to be treated like this. Since her imperial brother ascended, she doesn't have to worry about anything anymore.
Neither spoke at first.
Suddenly, Lin Youming's subordinates could not take it any longer.
One of them stepped forward, his expression dark.
"This is going too far," he said angrily. "The young master already said he won't divorce."
"Yes," another added. "You should know your place."
"You're already lucky to stay here," someone else said loudly. "Don't push your luck too far."
Their voices grew sharper, and more followed.
On the other hand, Lin Youming felt his head buzzing from their noises.
Shangguan Wanwan listened quietly. When they were done, she smirked.
"Oh?" she said softly.
She turned toward Lin Youming.
"So this is how it is?"
Her eyes were calm, but the pressure in the room rose.
"I thought you didn't want a divorce because you cared," she continued. "I thought you had feelings for us, and I was almost fooled into thinking you cared for us, your wives."
She looked around slowly.
"But now it seems I was wrong," she said. "Worse, you even let your servants speak for you."
Her voice was cold.
"You can't even control them," she added. "Yet you promised to do anything?" Then sarcastically, she added a wood to the fire, "Do your words even carry a weight?"
Her gaze locked onto him causing him to wake up from his stupor.
Lin Youming's chest tightened.
This is getting out of hand.
"I was simply surprised," he said quickly. "I did not expect all of you to be here."
He turned to Shangguan Wanwan.
"I apologize," he said. "Wife."
The room froze.
His subordinates stared at his face.
Their eyes widened.
Did he just apologize?
To her?
One of them stepped forward.
"Young master," he said hurriedly. "You do not need to—"
Lin Youming snapped.
"Enough."
The subordinate froze.
Inside Lin Youming's head, he was cursing them deeply.
I already lost everything down there.
You idiots still want to make it permanent?
It's so damn uncomfortable!
He took a step forward.
"I said," he continued slowly, "to treat my wives the way you treat me."
His aura erupted.
It surged like a wave.
Killing intent flooded the room.
The air became heavy.
The servants trembled.
The subordinates stiffened.
Even Shangguan Wanwan's eyes widened slightly.
Liu MeiMei sucked in a breath.
Cai Cai Yun's fingers tightened around her sleeve.
Lin Youming's eyes burned.
"So if you treat them like this," he said, "you are treating me like this too."
His gaze swept across the room.
"I did not expect this," he continued. "Is this how you see me?"
The subordinates couldn't help but make their faces turn pale.
Fear crept into their faces.
Before anyone could respond, a familiar sound rang out.
[ Ding!
[ You noticed all your three wives are disrespected by your subordinates and made everyone feel your killing intent.
[ Action evaluated: Extreme high-level care.
[ Affection detected.
[ Emotional sincerity confirmed.
[ Gained +74 Pampering Points. ]
Another screen appeared.
[ The host currently has 84 Pampering points.
[ Would you like to visit the Pampering Shop? ]
Lin Youming blinked several times.
He wanted to say yes, but it was incredibly uncomfortable below.
So he muttered, "Not now." He needed to focus and finish the mission first!
Suddenly, a foolish subordinate swallowed hard and stepped forward.
"But, young master, we—"
Bang!