Meanwhile, on the other side, Zero felt utterly helpless.
One was a top-tier scholar renowned across the galaxy.
The other was a high-ranking figure of the Xianzhou.
Why did they insist on discussing this kind of topic with him?
Zero forced out a gentle, harmless smile.
"Is that really the important part?"
Zandar thought to himself, 'There he goes changing the subject again.'
Parents who value their children's education would always plan ahead for them.
Eric's free time outside of school had been packed with all kinds of extracurricular classes, and during vacations, he would travel to other countries with his parents or friends.
His life had been rich and fulfilling. He rarely came into contact with electronic devices.
If he wanted to learn about that sort of thing, there had only been one way.
Biology textbooks.
Zandar feigned surprise, "How is that not the important part?"
Zero fell silent.
He turned his head slightly, his gaze landing on the champagne in front of him.
Zandar knew when to stop.
If he teased too much, his student would really get angry.
In truth, Zandar didn't think highly of the two of them as a couple.
At first, he had held no prejudice toward Jingliu.
Before getting to know someone, he wouldn't casually judge them.
And then what happened?
Eric got tricked into marriage.
Jingliu's delaying tactic just happened to align perfectly with the student's wishes.
That made Jingliu the primary heir.
'If something happened to Eric...'
'Then as his wife, Jingliu would inherit all his assets.'
No matter how much Zandar disliked Xianzhou natives, he still had to admit that one of their ancient customs made perfect sense.
Marriage should be between equals.
The gap between their backgrounds was simply too large.
Influenced by his upbringing, Eric had developed an emotionally stable personality and treated others with kindness. His insight into people was exceptionally sharp.
But alongside those strengths, he also had flaws.
One of them was pride.
When two people were still in that ambiguous stage before officially getting together, hearing that the person you liked was being pursued by someone else would normally spark jealousy, envy, or competitiveness.
Eric wouldn't react that way.
He would think, 'If it's mine, it'll always be mine.'
It was like releasing a bird. Forget waiting for it to fly back...
The moment it spread its wings, Eric had already given it up.
With Eric's self-esteem, he would never tolerate becoming someone's option.
Even if he entered a relationship with the person he loved, no matter how possessive he felt, he would never interfere with their choices.
At the same time, Eric also held unrealistic fantasies about love.
His ideal partner was someone who could tolerate him, accept every dark side of him, and understand every hidden implication...
For once, Zandar had formed a conclusion about Jingliu before truly knowing her.
How could a Cloud Knight possibly be the delicate, attentive type?
Even if Jingliu could understand every implication now, as time passed, would she really continue paying attention to all those details?
Taking ten thousand steps back, even if they never divorced, and Jingliu became Eric's only anchor in this world from now on...
Zandar thought it was far too dangerous.
He needed to persuade his student to pursue a doctorate no matter what.
To Zandar, studying was a pleasure.
For most people, it was torture.
Once Eric personally experienced the suffering of studying, then what would the suffering of love amount to?
Zandar took a deep breath and placed a hand on Zero's shoulder, speaking softly, "Congratulations."
"You've entered a new intimate relationship and taken on a new identity."
Zero still said nothing.
Zandar sighed inwardly.
Probably only he would bother comforting the student like this.
Who could have imagined that the ruler famed across the universe would fall into confusion right before his wedding?
Zandar thought this was perfectly normal.
Anyone in his position would feel lost. Anyone would be confused.
The scholar continued, "The emotions you're feeling right now are completely normal."
"This isn't some..." embarrassing thing.
Zandar paused briefly, then changed his wording.
"This isn't a bad thing."
"If it exists, then it has a reason to exist."
"You need to allow these emotions to exist."
Zero's expression shifted slightly. He parted his lips, about to say something, when Zandar rapidly searched through several completely unrelated topics in his head.
First, he needed to stall for time.
His student was getting married anyway. Holding a wedding wasn't too much to ask, right?
Surely they couldn't deny Jingliu even a wedding ceremony?
Eric being alive now didn't mean he would stay alive forever.
Next, Zandar needed to clean up after his student.
In the state Eric had been in back then, he wouldn't have concealed the unusual nature of his flesh and blood.
Exactly how many people knew about it?
The Master Diviner? The current Marshal? The Aeon of the Hunt?
Or perhaps the Vidyadhara suffering from infertility whom Eric had helped before?
[T/N: That sounds so wrong]
There was no way to ask directly.
Only by jumping unpredictably between topics could he catch the student off guard.
Only then could he read the most truthful answers from the other party's reactions.
But for now... it was better to settle the wedding date first.
Without revealing anything on his face, Zandar softly asked, "When are you planning to hold the wedding? And how many days will it last?"
As though recalling something, he immediately started tearing the roof off the conversation.
"I remember the richest man on a certain planet held a year-long pre-wedding celebration before the official ceremony, things like yacht parties and the like. With your status, you should at least warm up for ten years, shouldn't you?"
Zero, "..."
How did they suddenly start talking about weddings?
And besides, that richest man was already outrageous enough.
Why were they trying to drag this out for ten years?
The number of guests he could even invite probably wouldn't fill more than a few tables.
"Zandar, that's way too excessive..."
Zandar looked puzzled.
"Is it? When the time comes, I'll invite the other members of the Society."
Zero fell into thought.
If Zandar helped, Hua might actually be able to persuade several members to remain behind and work for the Xianzhou.
Zandar sneered inwardly, though not a trace showed on his face as he continued speaking in the same gentle tone.
"To be clear, none of the guests will stay behind."
If not for Eric, he wouldn't have come to the Xianzhou at all.
Trying to keep other members behind to serve the Xianzhou? They could forget it.
Zandar frowned and sighed.
"Marty has been waiting for you the whole time."
"If you invite other people, that child will get jealous."
Hearing that, Zero immediately abandoned his earlier idea.
Then his thoughts began to wander again.
He still hadn't given away the money tree.
He had said he'd cheer someone up, and then turned around and forgot about it himself.
He'd buy it after Guanliang came back.
Zandar's tone remained calm.
"That richest man's wedding lasted an entire month. By comparison, you should only hold yours for ten months."
At that moment, Guanliang returned.
Holding his jade abacus, he strode over quickly, disbelief evident in his voice.
"You mean ten months? That's far too long..."
Zero finally let out a sigh of relief and quickly agreed.
"Exactly, Zandar..."
Before he could finish speaking, Guanliang exchanged a glance with Zandar before continuing, "Eight months is perfect! It's auspicious!"
Zero, "..."
What difference was there between eight months and ten months?
The two men in front of him immediately began discussing the numbers eight and ten.
Zero endured it. And endured it some more.
But when Guanliang proposed holding an eight-year-long pre-wedding celebration, he finally couldn't endure it anymore.
Suppressing his emotions with all his strength, Zero spoke softly in a tone so calm it sounded unsettling.
"Has either of you considered the possibility... that this is my wedding?"
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