What’S Wrong With Just Eating His Majesty’S Soft Rice? Chapter 16

Chapter 16: It Is Already Impossible for You to Get Rid of Me

Fang Cheng felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of guilt.

The Chief questioned Zhou Yinli for a while longer. Zhou Yinli was quite clever; he simply claimed he didn’t remember much, suggesting he must have hit the back of his head and had only vague memories of living in the mountains.

This was problematic. Both facial recognition and fingerprints had failed; there was truly no record of this person’s identity in the system.

Moreover, he actually had amnesia. Since he didn’t know where he came from, they were left with absolutely no leads.

There was no sign of any family looking for him, either.

The only person who could be said to have any connection to him was Fang Cheng.

The Chief and Xiao Li were nursing massive headaches. After deliberating for a long time, they had Zhou Yinli provide a DNA sample and called in a doctor to determine if he was actually mentally ill.

The doctor chatted with him for a while and then had him fill out a form.

The results, naturally, showed no major issues. Zhou Yinli answered most questions well, and for the things he wasn’t clear on, he simply said his memory was fuzzy due to the amnesia.

The doctor examined his scars and finally concluded that Zhou Yinli might truly just be suffering from memory loss.

Once it was confirmed he wasn’t mentally ill, Zhou Yinli turned to Fang Cheng, who was standing nearby, and asked, “Are you satisfied now?”

Fang Cheng glared at him. “Then when you said you were an Emperor, were you just messing with me?”

Zhou Yinli shook his head and whispered to him, “I am the Emperor. I did not lie to you about that.”

Fang Cheng’s face turned green. “Then why did you only tell me and not them?”

Zhou Yinli looked up. “I am an Emperor, not a fool. I know what saying that to them would imply.”

Fang Cheng sneered. “And you didn’t know what it would imply when you told me?”

Zhou Yinli said calmly, “I knew. I told you I was the Emperor initially because I didn’t understand this environment. I persist in telling you now because I don’t want to lie to you. So, even if you still think I’m a madman, I accept that.”

Fang Cheng took a step back. Why was Zhou Yinli saying such strange things?

“Well now, Xiao Zhou, was it?” The Chief happened to return at that moment after making a phone call. “Go give a DNA sample first. We still need to run more tests. If the results come back and there is still no personal information or criminal record, we will classify you as an unregistered person.”

Fang Cheng asked on his behalf, “What happens to an unregistered person?”

The Chief replied, “According to regulations, Xiao Li will help prepare his paperwork. Once we submit a report to the higher-ups, we can arrange an official identity for him.”

For some reason, Fang Cheng felt a sense of relief. He glanced at Zhou Yinli, who remained quite calm, seemingly indifferent to this matter of identity.

Fang Cheng scolded him, “Do you have any idea how much trouble it is to have no identity? And you’re acting like it’s nothing!”

Zhou Yinli said, “I know.”

Fang Cheng rolled his eyes. He knew jack squat! If Fang Cheng hadn’t brought him here, he’d still be an unregistered person wandering the streets!

Once the process was settled, Fang Cheng suppressed his irritation and asked, “So what happens to him now? Since it’s not my responsibility, I’ll leave him to you guys to handle. I’m done here, can I go?”

As soon as he asked if he could leave, Zhou Yinli’s expression turned cold. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed Fang Cheng. “You cannot leave.”

Fang Cheng tried to shake him off, but despite using quite a bit of force, he couldn’t break free. This damn guy’s strength was as immense as ever.

He grew even angrier, his cheeks puffing out as he glared at Zhou Yinli. “Let go of me right now! Why can’t I leave?! Do you own this police station?!”

Zhou Yinli ignored him, maintaining his grip on Fang Cheng’s wrist to prevent him from leaving. He then addressed the Chief in front of Fang Cheng. “Officer, my only memory is of Fang Cheng. Staying with him might help me recover my memories. Besides, we’ve been getting along very well lately. I hope you’ll allow me to continue staying with him until you can confirm my identity.”

Fang Cheng immediately snapped at Zhou Yinli, “Who said we’re getting along? Chief, we don’t get along at all. He annoys the hell out of me. Take him away quickly, stop giving me trouble!”

Zhou Yinli looked at Fang Cheng and said, “Officer, if we didn’t get along, why did he let me sleep in his bed last night? He even cooked noodles for me this morning. The clothes I’m wearing are his, too.”

Though they were technically speaking to the Chief, neither of them looked at him; instead, they were locked in a heated argument with each other.

Fang Cheng was left speechless by the comment about the clothes. He turned his head and saw the Chief and Xiao Li watching their spat with great interest.

He cleared his throat. “Well, you see…”

The Chief looked like he understood everything and said kindly, “Now, Xiao Fang, you encountered this amnesiac Xiao Zhou and brought him here—that’s a courageous and kind act! Don’t worry! We’ll make sure to commend this behavior and set an example for the district! However…”

His tone shifted. “As you can see, our conditions here are poor; we don’t have the facilities to house people. We can’t exactly let him eat and sleep here. How would we work? If the public comes in and sees an idle person living here, it would be bad for our image. And if the leaders come for an inspection, they’ll definitely blame us for incompetence. You wouldn’t want to see an old man like me getting scolded, would you?”

Fang Cheng wondered what that had to do with him. It wasn’t his fault the Chief might get scolded. But thinking about how many times this Chief had lectured him in the past, he kept his mouth shut. Even though he knew the Chief was just playing the pity card.

“Then what do you suggest?” Fang Cheng asked with a dark expression.

The Chief immediately beamed. “Look, he seems like a perfectly normal man with all his limbs intact. We can’t exactly send him to a shelter, and the evaluation just proved he’s not mentally ill! So, could we trouble you for a little while longer to look after him? Just consider it cooperating with our work. Besides, I see you’ve been with him for so long and you get along so well—your relationship is clearly quite deep! Could we trouble you to continue housing him for a bit? Once his identity is confirmed, if he won’t leave then, I’ll personally kick him out of your house. How does that sound?”

Xiao Li was frantically signaling from behind for him to agree.

Zhou Yinli was also watching Fang Cheng with a somber gaze from nearby.

Fang Cheng looked at the other man’s expectant face. “What happens if I don’t agree?”

The Chief sighed. “Well, don’t you want to claim the reward for your good deed?”

Fang Cheng: “? What reward? Is it money?”

Xiao Li said, “Our station has a monthly quota for citizen commendation awards. It’s the end of the month and we haven’t had a single good deed yet. The Chief means your situation counts as one. It meets the criteria, so we can submit your name!”

Fang Cheng asked, “This counts?”

Xiao Li said, “Why wouldn’t it? Last month, Grandpa Sun’s cat was found by Grandma Li’s grandson, and the award went to him. You’ve taken in a whole living person; how could that not count as a good deed?”

Fang Cheng fell silent.

Sensing his resolve wavering, the Chief added, “We won’t let a citizen work for nothing. This man currently qualifies for assistance. Before his identity documents are processed, we can apply for a relief fund for him to ensure his basic living needs are met. Normally, this money goes to the shelter, but since he’s staying at your place, the money will go to you.”

Without a second’s hesitation, Fang Cheng said, “I accept.”

Anyway, Zhou Yinli could still do chores for him. It wasn’t a losing deal.

“Alright then, we’ll leave him in your care until the test results come out.” The Chief patted Fang Cheng on the shoulder. “I always said you were a good lad, Xiao Fang. If anyone speaks ill of you in the future, I’ll give ’em a piece of my mind!”

Seeing his superior’s attitude, Xiao Li joined in the flattery. “Exactly! I always said Brother Fang was a great guy—generous and big-hearted!”

Fang Cheng didn’t let the praise go to his head. “Remember to transfer that reward and assistance money to my card.”

As soon as they stepped out of the police station, Fang Cheng pointed at Zhou Yinli’s nose. “Were you playing me just now?”

Zhou Yinli looked at him coldly. “It was you who was playing me. You’ve always treated me as a mental patient rather than an Emperor. You never intended to send me back. You just wanted to dump me in a mental hospital or leave me in that place.”

While he wasn’t wrong, what was with that accusatory tone?

Fang Cheng stiffened his neck. “Are you not a mental patient? What, are you really an Emperor? What’s wrong with wanting to send you to a mental hospital? That would have been the best choice for you! Besides, you said yourself you wanted to go back!”

Zhou Yinli looked furious. “When I said ‘go back,’ I meant back to the palace, not to your ‘mental hospital’! We were talking about completely different places!”

Zhou Yinli’s voice dropped slightly. “And… I thought, I thought you at least believed me a little.”

Fang Cheng snorted. “Believe what? Believe you’re an Emperor? Why don’t you try telling someone else you’re an Emperor and see how they react? Is there anyone in this world who would believe you? Stop dreaming!”

Zhou Yinli paused. “I know others won’t believe me. I don’t care if they do. But not only did you not believe me, you lied to me.”

Fang Cheng felt a sudden pang of guilt, but he quickly regained his bravado. “What do you mean, lied to you? You tried to kill me at the start! Do you have any idea how sharp that sword was? You could have stabbed me to death easily. If I hadn’t lied to you, would I even be alive?”

Having said this, Fang Cheng’s guilt vanished, and he looked at Zhou Yinli with righteous indignation.

Zhou Yinli looked him in the eye. “I never intended to harm you. Drawing my blade back then was only because you were disrespectful first. It was a habit of mine, so I… but later, after realizing you and I are not from the same world, I understood your attitude. Since then, I have indeed used you to learn about and familiarize myself with this place. I admit to that, but I have also been trying to compensate you. Every chore and filming task you asked of me, I did to the best of my ability, even if I disliked them. Sooner or later, you will believe my words. But just now, you wanted me to admit to being a so-called mental patient simply because you intended to abandon me there and leave on your own!”

This was the longest speech he had made since meeting Fang Cheng. He started relatively calmly, but by the end, his tone carried clear emotion. In particular, the last sentence held a rare, visible anger.

It was the indignation of being betrayed.

Fang Cheng found it hard to argue with that. He really had intended to leave him at the police station. After all, that was the police’s job; as an ordinary person, he had no obligation to help Zhou Yinli.

However, after spending these days together, something had indeed changed.

Fang Cheng wanted to say, “So what if I abandoned you?” but the words were hard to get out—at least, hard to say to Zhou Yinli, especially after just learning he had no family or memories.

Saying hurtful things now felt a bit uncalled for.

Fang Cheng felt like crying as he reminisced about the “mental patient” who used to just follow orders. Now, Zhou Yinli had suddenly jumped from the babbling toddler phase to a rebellious teenage phase, acting like a total brat.

Still, Fang Cheng couldn’t help but shrink back a little. Finally, he managed to mutter, “What’s wrong with taking you to the police station? That’s where someone in your situation is supposed to go. I was helping you.”

Zhou Yinli regained his composure. “It is already impossible for you to get rid of me.”