IRDFPFCIW Chapter 69

Liu Yue was a student at a high school on planet TR-1467.

One day as usual, she was lying in bed bored, scrolling through her lightbrain. The news on the Star Network was overwhelming and complicated. Liu Yue’s fingers moved quickly across the screen, countless messages rushing by.

“…So boring.”

Just as Liu Yue complained, a message from the Imperial Capital Academy of Sciences popped up on her lightbrain.

She casually clicked on the notification, and when she read the content clearly, she suddenly sat up straight in bed.

Liu Yue’s fingers began to tremble slightly.

What did she just see? It wasn’t April Fool’s Day, right?!

Liu Yue jumped out of bed, forgetting to put on her slippers, and ran to the young man on the sofa who was lazily watching TV.

“Brother! Brother, look at this!”

The young man furrowed his brow when he saw Liu Yue’s bare feet on the floor. Just as he was about to say something, Liu Yue interrupted him excitedly.

She held out her lightbrain in front of the young man, her voice trembling, “Brother! Look at this latest announcement from the Academy! Your spiritual sea has hope!”

The young man named Liu Xin first looked at his sister’s face. Seeing her excitement didn’t seem like a joke, he quickly took Liu Yue’s lightbrain and read the news from the Academy.

At first, he read it very quickly. But as he continued, his speed became slower and slower. He wanted to read each word multiple times.

By the end, Liu Xin’s grip on the lightbrain tightened, his knuckles turning white.

His Adam’s apple rolled up and down, but his throat felt dry and scratchy. He couldn’t speak.

Seeing her brother like this, tears welled up in Liu Yue’s eyes. She choked out and said, “Brother, is this true? Can natural food really heal a collapsed spiritual sea?”

When Liu Xin nodded, Liu Yue suddenly felt a surge of relief as her tears finally spilled over, dripping onto their clasped hands.

This was amazing!

She had never imagined this day would come.

The TV was showing a movie about mechas, a film Liu Xin had watched countless times.

Driving mechas was Liu Xin’s dream since childhood. He had finally managed to get into military school through unimaginable effort.

Liu Yue remembered how excited her brother had been when he pulled her along. His usual calm face showed a bright smile.

Her brother said, “Yue Yue, brother will work hard to give you a good life.”

But at that time, they never expected that an accident caused by the organizer’s mistake during a competition would lead to the collapse of Liu Xin’s spiritual sea.

Although they received a large compensation afterwards, Liu Xin’s spiritual sea had collapsed and he could no longer pilot mechas and had to drop out of school.

Despite everything, Liu Xin never showed his worries to Liu Yue, but she could never forget the look in his eyes when he first saw mechas on a TV show after returning home.

Neither Liu Yue nor Liu Xin had ever thought that there could be a chance for healing after the collapse of the spiritual sea, as there had been no precedents for it.

But now, the Academy announced they had found a way to heal the spiritual sea. It was through natural food!

Suddenly, Liu Yue remembered the expensive price of natural food, feeling as if she had been doused with cold water. Her whole body stiffened.

After their parents passed away, she and her brother had been living on subsidies. Their finances were already tight. How could they afford such astronomical costs for natural food?

What should they do? Did it mean that her brother could never go back with his dreams again and have to endure the pain of a collapsed spiritual sea?

Liu Yue looked at Liu Xin and saw that his expression was a bit unnatural, clearly thinking the same thing.

“Yue Yue, it’s okay…”

“No!” Liu Yue grasped Liu Xin’s hand, her eyes resolute. She said, “We still have that compensation money!”

Liu Xin immediately rejected the idea, “No, we have to save that money. What if we need it for an emergency in the future?”

He wanted to save that money for Liu Yue. How could he selfishly use it all for himself? Besides, they didn’t even know how much it would cost to heal the spiritual sea. It could be a bottomless pit…

Liu Yue’s eyes began to water again. She shook her head firmly and said, “Brother, just use it for treatment! I really can’t bear to see you suffer any longer. As long as you’re healthy, we will find a way no matter what in the future.”

Liu Xin looked at his sister, whose eyes were red but determined. After a long pause, he finally made up his mind and hugged Liu Yue in his arms.

“Okay.”

As soon as he said “okay”, Liu Xin felt a sudden sense of relief, like a traveler in the desert finally spotting a hint of green in the distance.

Although it seemed faint, Liu Xin smiled with hope.

…

“Wait, wait! Just a moment!” Jiang Tang streched out his hand and grabbed Wen Renyuan’s sleeve, unwilling to get out of the car just yet.

Seeing this, Wen Renyuan didn’t rush him. He sat back casually and watched Jiang Tang, who was clearly nervous but still trying to act tough.

But seeing his boyfriend’s anxiety, Wen Renyuan decided to say something to ease the tension.

“I saw the Academy announced their research results, but how come I didn’t see your name in the announcement?” Wen Renyuan took Jiang Tang’s hand and gently caressed it.

“Well, I had them keep it anonymous.” Wen Renyuan leaned in closer, his breath brushing against Jiang Tang’s ear as he spoke.

Feeling ticklish in his ear, Jiang Tang turned his face to the side, only to find himself face to face with Wen Renyuan.

He looked into Wen Renyuan’s eyes: “…”

Half a minute later, Jiang Tang admitted, “…Okay, I admit it. I’m nervous.”

He mumbled softly, “It’s my first time meeting the parents. How could I not be nervous…”

Then Wen Renyuan gently lifted Jiang Tang’s chin.

He leaned down and kissed Jiang Tang. They shared a gentle kiss in tacit understanding.

Afterward, Jiang Tang leaned against Wen Renyuan and tried to steady his breathing. He heard Wen Renyuan say, “If you’re too nervous, we don’t have to go in. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”

Jiang Tang was at a loss for words.

“Forget it… We’re here already. Besides, you told your mother we were coming. How can we go back on our word?”

Despite saying this, Jiang Tang couldn’t help but worry. He frowned and asked quietly, “…What if your mother doesn’t like me?”

After all, their status was vastly different.

Wen Renyuan looked at his boyfriend who seemed to be lost in a whirlwind of thoughts.

After asking the question, Jiang Tang felt it was a bit silly. He wasn’t usually so lacking in confidence. Perhaps it was the cliché drama he had watched where the evil mother-in-law always forced a common girl to leave the male lead that had left a lasting impression!

Or maybe it was because he liked Wen Renyuan so much that he feared any opposition to their relationship.

But… “What if your mother forbids us from being together? What if she gives me a planet to leave you or forces us to break up… hiss!”

As soon as the last two words escaped his lips, Jiang Tang was bitten on his lower lip by Wen Renyuan as if to punish him.

“Don’t say those two words!” Wen Renyuan was really afraid of Jiang Tang, this little heartless boyfriend. “You think a planet would buy you off? I have plenty of planets at my disposal. When you marry me, I’ll give you all of them.”

Jiang Tang was speechless.

“Don’t worry, my mother really likes you.”

It wasn’t until Jiang Tang was seated in the palace hall and his hand was being held affectionately by the queen that he really understood what Wen Renyuan meant when he said his mother liked him.

“Tang Tang, my baby, you finally made it. I’ve been watching your live stream for a long time!”

The queen had a kind smile on her face, and her gaze towards Jiang Tang was filled with affection.

Jiang Tang, who was still struggling whether he should bow to the queen and how to salute: “…”

Why did it seem like the queen was his fanatical mother fan?

Meanwhile, her own son Wen Renyuan was completely ignored and left standing aside.

Jiang Tang’s face turned slightly red. It was an unexpected turn of events. He suddenly remembered the gift he had prepared and hurriedly took it out.

“This is the scented tea I made for you. Please accept it.”

The queen accepted it with surprise. “Scented tea? Is this natural food?”

Jiang Tang nodded and said, “If you don’t mind, I can brew a cup for you right now.”

Of course, the queen was willing. She opened the exquisite packaging and saw various types of scented tea beautifully contained in small jars. Just looking at it was pleasing to the eye. Plus, it emitted a faint fragrance, which made the queen have high expectations for the tea.

Sure enough, Jiang Tang never disappoints.

He chose a honeysuckle rose tea made from rose petals, honeysuckle, and dried hawthorn.

Jiang Tang placed an appropriate amount of scented tea into a prepared transparent container, added boiling water with the help of palace maids, and covered the container to prevent the fragrance from escaping.

Sunlight filtered through the transparent container, revealing the rose petals slowly unfurling, returning to their beautiful form, while the honeysuckle danced up and down in the water. Soon, a rich tea color emerged, turning the whole cup of tea into a clear red reminiscent of roses.

After brewing for three minutes, Jiang Tang opened one side of the cup lid, and everyone was immediately greeted by an intoxicating aroma that invigorated their spirits. Even though they were in the hall, it felt as if they were in a garden, enveloped by the rich floral scent.

Jiang Tang suggested that the queen close her eyes and take deep breaths to fully appreciate the pleasant aroma.

The queen followed his advice and took slow and deep breaths, feeling the fatigue accumulated over the years easing, and her spirit felt relaxed and comfortable.

When she opened her eyes again, she felt much more relaxed!

Jiang Tang poured the scented tea into a delicate teacup and invited the queen to taste it. As expected, the queen enjoyed this fragrant and slightly sweet flower tea. She liked Jiang Tang even more.

Jiang Tang couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief inside: …thank goodness he didn’t have to worry about the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship.

Wait, he was not the “daughter-in-law”, okay!