Yun Xunlan’s coming-of-age birthday banquet was finally scheduled for three days later.
On that day, not only would people from their own country attend, but many powerful nobles from the Corona Empire and high-ranking officials from the Nebula Federation would also come by invitation to participate in this unprecedented grand feast of the galaxy.
Yun Xunlan wasn’t one who enjoyed bustling occasions, but as the Third Prince of the Galactic Empire, his coming-of-age banquet inherently carried extraordinary diplomatic significance. Having enjoyed the nobility and comfort that came with his status, he must also bear certain responsibilities and obligations. Therefore, in the three days before the birthday banquet, Yun Xunlan couldn’t relax at all. He was detained daily by Yun Xunguang at the Crown Princess’s residence, the East Palace, to assist her in handling numerous official documents, keeping him so busy that his feet barely touched the ground. He simply couldn’t find time to develop his brotherhood with Yu Chen.
However busy he was, though, the daily survival tasks issued by the system still had to be completed as usual. For this reason, every morning before heading to the East Palace, Yun Xunlan would first visit the training ground to listen to the loyal “oaths” of the alpha guards—mainly to hear Yu Chen’s.
But as he listened, Yun Xunlan noticed that Yu Chen’s voice when reciting the oath seemed to get quieter each day, for reasons yet unknown.
So, particularly concerned about his future good brother’s state, Yun Xunlan planned to summon Yu Chen privately again tonight. During the day, he wouldn’t disturb their training—he didn’t have time to disturb them anyway.
“Indeed, not everyone can be the heir apparent. I truly admire you,” Yun Xunlan said, rubbing his temples with a headache, feeling that processing official documents for a day here was more exhausting than working continuously for three days and nights in the laboratory. “If it were me, I could only last three days at most.”
Hearing this, Yun Xunguang laughed: “Is it really that exaggerated? Don’t you read more documents than this every day in the laboratory?”
“But I enjoy reading those things; I don’t enjoy reading these.” Though Yun Xunlan expressed dislike verbally, he still opened the next document projection, and asked Yun Xunguang, “When can you let me return to the Seventh Research Base?”
Yun Xunguang was also looking at document projections and didn’t even glance his way: “Let’s talk after your birthday banquet is over. Besides, doesn’t your North Palace have a laboratory? You can conduct experiments there too.”
Yun Xunlan frowned: “The laboratory in the North Palace has limited space and scale, it can’t conduct…”
“Your 30 billion bounty disappeared from the black market list yesterday. Either someone paid to have it removed, or someone accepted the contract,” Yun Xunguang suddenly interrupted Yun Xunlan with a solemn voice. She closed the document projection and turned to look at the young man beside her. “Which situation do you think it is, my dear brother?”
Yun Xunlan was slightly stunned at these words.
“Every time you go into the operating room, I wait outside until the doctor brings you out. You always say your time is precious, but my time is precious too. You shouldn’t waste time lying in a medical pod, and I shouldn’t waste time waiting outside your operating room.”
Yun Xunguang’s lips curved into a smile, her voice husky: “I’ve always been patient, but when I’m outside your hospital room, I can’t sit still for even a minute.”
After speaking, without waiting for Yun Xunlan to respond, she looked away, her gaze fixing on a point in space: “Dike says few of those guards can withstand your simulated pheromone pressure. At least wait until they finish their pressure resistance enhancement training and can adapt to your pressure before returning to the Seventh Research Base, alright?”
“Alright,” Yun Xunlan softly agreed.
Yun Xunguang exhaled a long breath, also rubbing her temples as if in pain, though her tone became much lighter: “If you’re really bored, you can find Yu Chen to tutor you in War Psychology. With your terrible scores, it’s a good thing you didn’t attend military academy, or you definitely wouldn’t have graduated.”
War Psychology was a required course at all military academies across the galaxy. There was one exam each semester, and if you failed both the initial exam and the makeup exam, you had to repeat the year. If Yun Xunlan had attended military academy with his abysmal scores in this subject, he would certainly still be a first-year student now, unable to advance to the second year.
So Yun Xunlan also listened to this advice: “Alright, I’ll find him for tutoring.”
Yun Xunguang shook her head and sighed: “Give me some peace of mind. This month I can’t even squeeze out time to have a proper meal with your sister-in-law; it’s all spent worrying about you.”
Yun Xunlan’s eyebrow slightly raised as he smiled: “I don’t believe that. He’s your attendant—if you don’t even have time to eat with him, I would only suspect you’re having an affair.”
“I said ‘a proper meal.’ Stop trying to stir up trouble between me and your sister-in-law.” Having received Yun Xunlan’s promise not to leave the palace arbitrarily, Yun Xunguang no longer restrained him. “Alright, go back and rest. I’ll see you at the banquet tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Yun Xunlan rose from his chair and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Yun Xunguang call his nickname.
“Lanlan.”
Yun Xunlan stopped and turned to look at Yun Xunguang.
Although Yun Xunguang’s primary sex characteristic was female, she was the same height as Yun Xunlan, a full 1.85 meters. She slowly walked up to Yun Xunlan, half-raising her arms to easily embrace the young man: “Happy birthday. We all love you very much, my dear brother.”
“I know,” Yun Xunlan also embraced her, saying softly, “I love you all too.”
On the way back to the North Palace, the system asked Yun Xunlan: “Are you really going to find Yu Chen for tutoring?”
“Yes, but now is not the time,” Yun Xunlan said. “What if he misunderstands and thinks I’m being friendly with him just to get tutoring in War Psychology? How could we be brothers then? I’m seeing him tonight to continue developing our friendship; talking about tutoring wouldn’t be appropriate.”
Yun Xunlan highly valued his brotherly friendship with Yu Chen and was willing to invest energy and effort to maintain and protect it.
Because it had been a long time since he had lived so comfortably—going to the training ground every morning after waking up to see Yu Chen once, and being able to complete the daily survival task. Was there a simpler way to complete daily tasks in the world?
“My royal sister even said that even if I’m having sex, there must be at least one guard observing nearby. She really overestimates me,” Yun Xunlan sighed wistfully. “If I hadn’t met Yu Chen, where would I find time for sex?”
He would definitely be busy every day searching through the comments, messages, and updates posted by hundreds or thousands of billions of netizens for negative reviews that could complete his daily tasks. Forget about having sex—he might not even have time to sleep.
The system, however, opened up a new line of thought for him: “You could search while doing it.”
“Hmm… you’re right, that’s not impossible.” Yun Xunlan pondered for a moment, then pressed his lips together and said, “But it’s still not as time-saving, worry-free, and effortless as finding Yu Chen.”
The system deeply agreed: “That’s certainly true.”
It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to return from luxury to frugality. Having grown accustomed to life with Yu Chen, how could Yun Xunlan possibly be willing to return to his previous lifestyle? Therefore, at nine o’clock in the evening, after the guards finished their daily training, Yun Xunlan summoned Yu Chen to build their brotherhood.
Meanwhile, Yu Chen, who was following Ni Chun to Yun Xunlan’s sleeping palace in response to the summons, was also wondering during the journey whether the Prince wanted to continue brainwashing him this time or would finally bring up the tutoring matter.
However, the distance from the guards’ quarters to the Prince’s sleeping palace wasn’t far, and Yu Chen hadn’t had time to reach a conclusion before arriving at the entrance to the palace’s living room.
Ni Chun knocked gently: “Your Highness, Major Yu Chen has arrived.”
“Please come in.”
The heavy, ornately patterned hall doors slowly opened at the young man’s words.
Yu Chen raised his eyes to see the Prince calmly reclining on a long sofa in the living room. His flowing silver hair, like cold silk bathed in moonlight, was suffused with desolation and bleakness. Yet his golden eyes were like burning giant stars, possessing gravity that could transcend all dimensions.
So even though the young man was sitting in a place far away and higher than him, the moment he looked toward Yu Chen, Yu Chen instinctively tensed every muscle in his body. His heartbeat also began to accelerate—this wasn’t nervousness or attraction, but his body mobilizing adrenaline, an instinctive response preparing him for the imminent contact, collision, and fierce battle with another top-tier alpha’s pressure.
But even as the alpha walked toward him and stood just half an arm’s length away, Yu Chen didn’t feel the descent of any pressure, only smelled a faint damp moisture.
He belatedly realized that the Prince had probably just taken a bath.
Yu Chen lowered his gaze and saluted Yun Xunlan: “Your Highness.”
“Good evening, Major Yu Chen.”
The young man’s tone was gentle, his naturally slightly husky voice like the plucking of a low string, making people inexplicably feel that every word he uttered contained sexual innuendo, even though what he said to Yu Chen was merely a sincere concern: “Have you been feeling unwell recently?”
Yu Chen didn’t know why Yun Xunlan would ask him such a question and replied: “No, Your Highness, I’m in good health.”
“But I feel like you’ve been speaking as if…” Yun Xunlan paused for a few seconds before finding an appropriate description, “with great effort these past few days?”
Yu Chen: “…”
…Great effort, my ass.
Hearing this, Yu Chen’s expression remained unchanged, but his gaze became somewhat complex.
Because this matter began three days ago.
He would always remember that day—the sky was very clear and blue. He and his colleagues had just assembled on the training ground, preparing to undergo pressure resistance training, when Dike announced some terrible news: “The Third Prince admires us, and we cannot let down his high regard. So every morning when the Third Prince comes to inspect the training ground, you must all loudly recite your oaths of loyalty in front of His Highness, letting him feel our unwavering sincerity to the death!”
The others listened as if hearing celestial music, their ears temporarily enlightened, while Yu Chen heard it like terrible news, wishing he were deaf.
To make matters worse, Dike had to emphasize: “Except for Yu Chen. Yu Chen, I don’t even want to talk about you anymore. Keep your voice down when reciting that crappy oath of yours. Don’t speak too loudly, or you’ll embarrass yourself.”
At that moment, Yu Chen really wanted to reply: Did you need to remind me of that?
Truly, could he just be mute? He didn’t want to speak anymore.
Was he even speaking?
He was performing a comedy routine, making himself a laughingstock.
Yu Chen couldn’t explain the real reason for his “effortful” speaking in front of Yun Xunlan, so he could only say: “Your Highness, I speak quietly because I’m naturally introverted. I’m not quite used to speaking loudly in front of so many people.”
Yun Xunlan looked puzzled: “Really?”
Whether online or in reality, he didn’t think Yu Chen was introverted at all.
Yu Chen’s face remained expressionless, though his back teeth were clenched tight: “Really.”
After hearing this, the Prince curved his lips in a gentle smile: “That’s good then. I was worried you felt embarrassed and that’s why you were reluctant to speak loudly.”
Yu Chen: “………”
Fuck!
Was it too late to tell the truth now?
Love their personalities lol (*￣∇￣*)