TCPUAAV Chapter 86

 

To reduce psychological stress, the human body enters a dormant state upon entering the escape pod. Only when rescued and the pod is opened will the occupant gradually regain consciousness.

 

Rong Heng, looking disheveled and worn, gazed at the egg-shaped escape pod and stopped Dares from opening it.

 

“Wait. Open it after we return to Planet B3024.”

 

He needed some buffer time—at least enough to think about what to do next.

 

Dragging his exhausted body, he went to take a shower. After washing away the bloodstains, he lay down in the warship’s medical pod.

 

But his wounds varied in severity, and at the warship’s current speed, he wouldn’t be fully healed by the time they reached Planet B3024.

 

After a long moment of silent contemplation, Rong Heng decided that once Ruan Shiqing woke up, he would make an excuse to leave—then return later as Snowball.

 

Snowball had also been injured before, so it would be a plausible cover.

 

But this wasn’t a long-term solution.

 

His Highness the Crown Prince felt like he was walking a tightrope on the edge of a cliff—one misstep, and he’d fall.

 

He let out a sigh and asked Noah, “What do you think I should do?”

 

He could hardly imagine how furious Ruan Shiqing would be upon learning the truth. Would he feel deceived? Played for a fool?

 

Yet back then, it was only out of pride that he hadn’t admitted he was Snowball.

 

Raising his arm to cover his eyes, he muttered, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have cared about my pride in the first place.”

 

If he had come clean earlier, perhaps he and Ruan Shiqing would already be close friends, sharing everything. Maybe, being near him all the time, he could have seized the chance to get even closer—then he wouldn’t be in such a difficult position now.

 

Noah didn’t hesitate to mock him. “In my opinion, you’d best come clean to Mr. Ruan. Feelings built on deception never last.”

 

Rong Heng understood the logic, but knowing and acting on it were two different things.

 

Taking a deep breath, he mumbled, “Let me think about it a bit more.”

 

The fear of being kicked out haunted him. He hesitated—he had to tell the truth, but shouldn’t he wait for the right moment?

 

Maybe he should wait until their relationship grew closer. That way, even if Ruan Shiqing got angry… he wouldn’t be so heartless as to throw him out, right?

 

The warship traveled at superluminal speed, drawing closer to Planet B3024.

 

As he watched the planet loom larger, the Crown Prince’s expression grew solemn, as if preparing for battle.

 

This was the last time—this would be the last time he lied to Ruan Shiqing.

 

The warship passed through the atmosphere and landed on the newly built hangar.

 

The moment the hatch opened, a group of little cubs and small robot, who had been waiting eagerly, rushed forward, surrounding Rong Heng in an excited frenzy.

 

The cubs and 09 only knew that Rong Heng and Ruan Shiqing had encountered danger and sent out a distress signal. They had no idea what kind of danger it had been.

 

The little dragon cub climbed up Rong Heng’s pant leg and perched on his shoulder, grumbling, “You scared us to death! Dares wouldn’t even let us go with you.” It stretched its neck out and asked, “Why isn’t Dad down yet?”

 

“Exactly.” The little fox chimed in, pointing at the little mermaid and Ruan Jiao. “These two were so scared they almost cried.”

 

The little mermaid’s face flushed red. He instinctively glanced at Rong Heng and weakly refuted: [I didn’t.]

 

He was a mature mermaid now—he wouldn’t cry.

 

Still, after speaking, he stretched his neck toward the hatch, anxiously waiting for his father to appear.

 

The small robot 09 stood beside a little cart, craning its neck along with him. Its display screen flashed a bright red dot repeatedly.

 

To the cubs, Rong Heng was absolute strength. As long as he was there, Dad would definitely be fine. Seeing Rong Heng return, the anxious little ones finally breathed a sigh of relief.

 

The youngest, Ruan Jiao, slowly stepped forward, grasping Rong Heng’s hand and giving it a gentle shake.

 

The little feelers on his forehead, which had drooped for so long, twitched joyfully.

 

The cubs chattered noisily around Rong Heng, but as more time passed without their father emerging, their expressions became hesitant. The little dragon cub furrowed its brows and asked again, “Why isn’t Dad out yet?”

 

“I’ll go check the warship.” The little fox was already swishing its tail, ready to sprint inside.

 

“Your dad’s fine.” Rong Heng grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her back, then urged Dares, “Hurry up.”

 

Dares carefully directed two robots, finally transporting the escape pod out of the warship.

 

The cubs widened their eyes as they stared at the massive metal egg.

 

The little dragon cub gasped in shock, its golden dragon pupils round as saucers. “Dad turned into an egg?!”

 

The little fox and Ruan Jiao immediately lunged forward, pounding on the escape pod’s outer shell while calling for their father.

 

Only the little mermaid pursed his lips before going around and poking each cub, explaining, “This is an escape pod.”

 

Watching from the side, Rong Heng clicked his tongue in disapproval. These cubs seriously needed proper schooling.

 

Being ignorant was a real problem.

 

With much fuss and excitement, the cubs escorted the escape pod back to the repair shop, where 09 carefully moved it into the courtyard and finally activated the release mechanism.

 

Ruan Shiqing was still in a dormant state, clutching the storage device in his arms. His brows were tightly furrowed, a hint of worry lingering between them.

 

It took half an hour before he finally stirred from his sleep.

 

As soon as he opened his eyes, four anxious little faces came into view.

 

The cubs were leaning over the edge of the escape pod, peering inside. Seeing him wake up, they scrambled to call out for him.

 

Taking advantage of his small size, the little dragon cub was the first to climb into the pod, burrowing into his arms.

 

The little fox refused to be outdone and followed suit.

 

The two cubs clung to their father’s clothes, rolling and rubbing against him, overjoyed.

 

Unable to climb in, Ruan Jiao could only cling to the edge, his feelers twitching anxiously as he weakly called out, “D-Dad!”

 

Ruan Shiqing handed the storage device to 09, then picked up the two cubs before stepping out. He bent down to hug Ruan Jiao and the little mermaid as well. The two cubs who hadn’t been able to dive into his arms earlier finally beamed with happiness.

 

Looking past the cubs, Ruan Shiqing’s gaze landed on Rong Heng, who stood a step away. Only then did his expression fully relax, a smile breaking across his face. “I really have you to thank this time.”

 

Rong Heng pressed his lips together, averting his eyes uncomfortably as he murmured, “I told you I’d get you out.”

 

*

 

With the danger behind them, Ruan Shiqing and 09 prepared a feast to celebrate, even managing to procure two fine bottles of wine.

 

The cubs gathered together, chattering excitedly.

 

On the other side, Merrell and the others sat drinking, while Dares, sipping his wine, couldn’t resist whispering to Merrell about gossip.

 

He still found it hard to believe that His Highness the Crown Prince had actually fallen for someone. But the facts were clear—Rong Heng treated Master Ruan differently from everyone else.

 

Even his tone when speaking to him was noticeably gentler.

 

Dares, a single man through and through, felt a pang of melancholy. He really didn’t want this to be true. If even His Highness the Crown Prince found a partner while he remained single, wouldn’t that be too embarrassing?

 

Everyone else was gathered in groups, but the preoccupied Crown Prince sat alone, lost in thought.

 

Ruan Shiqing walked over, holding a wine glass. He naturally and intimately clinked his glass against Rong Heng’s. Even though Mr. Rong still wore that cold and rigid expression, Ruan Shiqing no longer maintained a polite distance. Instead, he truly regarded him as a close and trusted friend—not just a reliable business partner.

 

“Glory is gone. I’ll build you a new shuttle in the future,” he said.

 

He would use the antimatter they had brought back.

 

He knew that Mr. Rong had always piloted Glory. The two of them had been through life-and-death situations together—bringing up debts of gratitude would only make things feel distant.

 

Rong Heng keenly noticed the change in his attitude. His fingertips traced the rim of his glass as he lifted his gaze to the young man, whose cheeks were flushed from the alcohol. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, but in the end, he only let out a low “Mm.”

 

He still didn’t have the courage to confess.

 

Just a little longer, the Crown Prince thought guiltily.

 

*

 

After dinner, Rong Heng bid farewell to Ruan Shiqing, using military affairs as an excuse to leave for a while. He was so nervous he didn’t even dare to look Ruan Shiqing in the eye.

 

“Snowball’s injuries have mostly healed. Dares will bring him back.”

 

Ruan Shiqing knew he was always busy and didn’t try to keep him. He simply escorted him to the hangar and watched as he started up his warship and departed.

 

Upon returning to the repair shop, he saw the Xiong brothers moving the escape pod into the yard, preparing to send it back to the armory. Undamaged escape pods could still be recycled and reused.

 

Ruan Shiqing paused mid-step, his gaze fixed on the escape pod. “Is there only one?”

 

Xiong Yuanyuan scratched his head, confused. He nodded. “Yeah, just one. Why?”

 

“Nothing.” Ruan Shiqing shook his head but furrowed his brows slightly, looking thoughtful.

 

Something didn’t feel quite right.

 

That nagging feeling only grew stronger when he saw Snowball.

 

Taking the fluffy cub from Dares’ arms, Ruan Shiqing gently stroked his soft furred head and smiled. “Thank you for always bringing him back.”

 

Dares waved his hands repeatedly, insisting it was no trouble at all.

 

But his eyes couldn’t help but dart toward Rong Heng.

 

If anyone had worked hard, it was His Highness.

 

Just looking at him made Dares feel exhausted.

 

Rong Heng curled up in Ruan Shiqing’s embrace, unable to resist rubbing his head against his arm with a soft whimper.

 

His eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

 

Not long ago, he had regretted letting his pride keep him from telling the truth. But now, nestled in Ruan Shiqing’s arms, inhaling his familiar scent, feeling his warmth and gentle touch…

 

He couldn’t help but indulge.

 

It felt too good.

 

Here, he could get close to Ruan Shiqing without fear of rejection.

 

The Crown Prince was torn between giddy delight and self-reproach.

 

He buried his face against the man’s sleeve, inhaling his scent deeply, and thought—just a little longer. Just a little more time.

 

Even someone as fearless as the Crown Prince had moments of hesitation, of lacking the courage to take that final step.

 

*

 

Snowball’s return was met with overwhelming excitement.

 

The little dragon cub and the little fox immediately pounced on him, tumbling together in a heap. Ruan Jiao tilted his head as he watched, his antennae twitching before he finally joined in.

 

Only the little mermaid remained seated on his small cart, resting his chin on his palm. His sapphire-like eyes blinked as he observed Snowball, a knowing smile spreading across his face.

 

Ruan Shiqing stood to the side, watching the cubs play. The crease between his brows deepened.

 

Now he finally knew what felt off.

 

The way Snowball interacted with the cubs was exactly the same as the way Mr. Rong did.

 

And more importantly…

 

He suddenly realized—Snowball and Mr. Rong had never once appeared together.

 

 

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