Jian Wenxi looked up at Yun Xunlan’s eyes: “It has to be me?”
Yun Xunlan said: “It has to be you.”
“Sigh… since you put it that way, what can I do?” Jian Wenxi was extremely worried. “I’ll help you for ten years at most. Beyond ten years, let’s just end our friendship.”
Yun Xunlan smiled at him: “What if I could arrange for you to recite your employment oath only in front of me alone, not in front of others?”
Jian Wenxi slightly raised his chin and snorted: “Then I’d work for you for a lifetime.”
Seeing this, the system praised itself: “See that? What’s called professional? This is professional.”
“Thank you, Wenxi.” Yun Xunlan also sincerely thanked Jian Wenxi. “My problem is solved.”
Jian Wenxi asked him: “Do you have any other questions you want to ask?”
Yun Xunlan shook his head: “No more.”
“Oh, alright.”
Having delivered his wishes and seen Yu Chen in person, Jian Wenxi looked at the crowded heads in the banquet hall and shuddered. He didn’t even dare to enter the inner hall, retreating while mumbling: “So many people… Yun Xunlan, since you have no more questions, I’ll see you at the laboratory. Bye-bye.”
Jian Wenxi waved goodbye to Yun Xunlan.
Yun Xunlan saw him off to his car: “Be careful on the way. Goodbye.”
Both of them thought their conversation tonight was very satisfactory.
But in others’ eyes, it wasn’t like that.
In their view, the Third Prince was forced by Jian Chexiao to leave his seat during the birthday banquet and personally go to the hall entrance to help the precious Jian family omega young master, Jian Wenxi, who was “forever just a friend,” out of the car.
After getting out of the car, the infatuated omega’s eyes brightened upon seeing the person he liked, but he only dared to hold the alpha’s clothing corner.
Later, no one knew what the two said, but the alpha was still smiling gently while the omega lowered his head in disappointment, seemingly heartbroken. Finally, he was so heartbroken that he didn’t even enter the hall and left by car.
Near the banquet hall entrance, two alphas from the Corona Empire who had witnessed this scene were discussing—
“What kind of person do you think Yun Xunlan likes, if he doesn’t even like an omega like Jian Wenxi?”
The alpha with the purple tie replied: “Just because he says he doesn’t like him doesn’t mean he really doesn’t. Maybe they’ve already slept together privately, but he still says ‘we’re just friends.’ We’re all alphas—don’t you know what alphas are like?”
“Why insult yourself for no reason?” The man clinked his glass against the purple-tied alpha’s shoulder. “Besides, the Third Prince has a good reputation, unlike us.”
“Donate that much money, and even a dog would get a good reputation. Who knows if his donations are out of genuine kindness or if he has other intentions?” The purple-tied alpha sneered. “Yun Xunlan has no real power, so he can only rely on this good reputation to raise his public support rate.”
“What’s the use of raising it? Yun Xunguang is still the Crown Princess.”
“Tsk, Yun Xunguang’s public support rate has declined this year because she’s going to marry a beta, and that beta is even her attendant—it’s too outrageous. Why do you think this banquet is so grand, yet Yun Xunlan remains on the periphery like an invisible person? It’s deliberately done by Yun Xunguang.”
“Yun Xunguang is going to marry a beta? That family is really interesting. Even the Empress was an omega discarded by the Jian family. Is Yun Xunlan just playing with Jian Wenxi privately without marrying him to get revenge on the Jian family?”
“Possibly. Thinking about it this way, it’s good that Yun Xunguang is marrying a beta. If she were to marry an omega, who knows if it would be someone else’s used secondhand goods, hahaha…”
The two human-looking alphas exchanged smiles and clinked glasses.
“Fuck, damn it!” Gui Yan heard this and directly cursed with two vulgar words. “Are those Corona beasts here after eating shit? Is that human speech?”
Even Fu Yanxi, who rarely cursed, couldn’t help but frown and say: “Two mongrel bastards.”
Gui Yan grew angrier the more he thought about it: “Those Corona Empire beasts are all worthless. Why did His Highness send them invitations? On such a good day, their presence is so inauspicious!”
Fu Yanxi said: “Because…”
He had just uttered two words when a commotion arose at the banquet hall entrance.
Yun Xunlan, who had just seen Jian Wenxi off and was about to return to the banquet hall, heard the noise and immediately turned around, walking directly toward the black gold stone plaza outside the hall. Not just him—other people in the banquet hall were also clamoring and heading in the same direction, repeatedly mentioning one name in their conversations.
The moment he heard this name, Yu Chen, standing in the corner of the banquet hall, paused, shifting his gaze from Yun Xunlan. He raised his ice-blue eyes, looking through the layers of silhouettes at the man descending from the aircraft—the legendary figure of the galaxy, the Duke of the Corona Empire: Manyuin Hurst.
“Good evening, Your Highnesses.”
After landing from the aircraft, Manyuin Hurst removed his gloves and gave a chest-touching salute to Yun Xunlan and Yun Xunguang. He also had silver satin-like curly hair, and his eyes, like Roland purple, were deep and mysterious. His handsome face, showing no traces of age, smiled gently: “I apologize, I seem to be late.”
Crown Princess Yun Xunguang slightly lowered her head to him, considered a return salute, and then smiled: “With the tense situation at the border battlefield, it’s already remarkable that Duke Hurst could find time to come. Why blame yourself?”
“I was indeed late, so an apology is necessary, but I hope my wishes aren’t too late.” Manyuin Hurst’s response was so proper that not a single flaw could be found. “Third Prince, happy birthday.”
Yun Xunlan’s lips held a faint smile as he thanked him: “Thank you.”
His attitude was very polite, but could not be called enthusiastic.
In stark contrast to the young man was Gui Yan. Standing next to Fu Yanxi and Yu Chen, upon seeing Manyuin Hurst, he couldn’t help but exclaim softly: “Damn! It really is Duke Hurst. This is my first time seeing him in person.”
Fu Yanxi also said: “I’ve seen him a few times, but this is my first time seeing him at such a close distance.”
Yu Chen’s gaze had long since returned from Manyuin Hurst’s face to Yun Xunlan’s. He silently listened to Fu Yanxi and Gui Yan’s conversation, hearing them talk about how many times they had seen Manyuin Hurst. Suddenly, he recalled his earlier words to Fu Yanxi and Gui Yan—”You’re not my match in anything.”
Indeed, even in terms of the number of times they had seen Manyuin Hurst in person, Fu Yanxi and Gui Yan were far behind him.
After all, they were from different countries and different star regions. They could certainly see him on the news or online, but not necessarily in person, because their military ranks weren’t high enough. Fu Yanxi had only seen him two or three times from a distance because he had a general for a father. Gui Yan, who came from a welfare institute in the slums, would have even fewer chances to see him in person.
But he was different.
The number of times he had seen Manyuin Hurst in person probably exceeded even Yun Xunguang and Yun Xunlan combined.
But that was many years ago…
“So many military and political officials from the Federation came to the Third Prince’s birthday banquet. If people from the Corona Empire weren’t invited, it wouldn’t make sense.”
Yu Chen’s wandering thoughts were pulled back by Fu Yanxi’s voice, followed by Gui Yan saying to Fu Yanxi: “Then just invite Duke Hurst alone. I think he’s the only one in the entire Corona Empire who still seems human.”
Fu Yanxi asked him in return: “Have you forgotten that Duke Hurst was originally from the Nebula Federation? He only later acquired Corona Empire citizenship.”
Everyone in the galaxy called Manyuin Hurst a “legend” because he started as just an S-level alpha from the slums of the Nebula Federation. Now, he had shed his commoner status, risen to become a duke of the Corona Empire, was the only SSS mech producer and manufacturer in the galaxy, and was, to date, the only alpha to cross two levels, from S to SSS.
Reminded by Fu Yanxi, Gui Yan said: “Right, I remember now. The reason he immigrated to the Corona Empire seems to be to marry the Duchess…”
Their conversation abruptly stopped there.
—Their attention was captured by another conversation, and they slightly widened their eyes in astonishment.
Yu Chen was no exception, though his expression remained calm.
Yun Xunlan, standing quietly beside Yun Xunguang, also maintained a normal expression.
The corners of his lips curved upward slightly, the arc of his smile as if precisely calculated and practiced, displaying elegance and nobility that was just right—neither appearing arrogant nor giving a sense of coldness.
This kind of smile was an essential mask for social occasions. Throughout tonight’s banquet, as Yu Chen followed Yun Xunlan, he only saw the young man remove it when talking with Jian Wenxi. Once Jian Wenxi left, facing the legendary galactic duke Manyuin Hurst, Yun Xunlan put it on again.
Even when hearing Manyuin Hurst say he wanted to gift him an SSS-level mech as a coming-of-age present, this mask remained firmly fixed on Yun Xunlan’s face.
He just smiled and thanked him: “Thank you, Duke Hurst.”
Manyuin Hurst returned a deeper smile to Yun Xunlan, then lowered his eyelashes and tapped on the light brain on his left wrist, directing the aircraft he had arrived in to rise into the air, gradually merging into the pitch-black night. But after just a few seconds, the aircraft projected a dazzling yet not glaring light screen, outlining a huge humanoid silhouette in the darkness with countless ice-blue light particles at a 1:1 scale.
Everyone present recognized it.
When dormant, it was as dark as night; when awakened, its light was inextinguishable, like stars burning in the universe. It was a miracle created by the collective effort of countless humans, a mechanical beast born only for victory in war, an unparalleled top-tier weapon in today’s world—an SSS-level nuclear-powered Titan-type heavy mech.
“It belongs to you now.”
Manyuin Hurst turned sideways to look at Yun Xunlan and stepped back, making an inviting gesture: “Third Prince, please give it a name.”
This time, the young man’s face was no longer calm. He lifted his face to gaze at the holographic projection of the mech, walking toward it as if entranced, finally stopping one step away from the mech. He reached out to gently disturb the light particles forming the projection, as if teasing blue-tailed sea fish in a pool, watching the particles shuttle and navigate around his fingertips.
If Yu Chen could see Yun Xunlan’s face at this moment, he would see a smile at the corners of his eyes and lips that was gentler than when he saw Jian Wenxi. Unfortunately, the young man had his back to him, so Yu Chen only heard Yun Xunlan use that heart-stirring, slightly husky voice to announce the name that belonged solely to his mech: “Jian Xing Chen.”
“Jian Xing Chen?”
Manyuin Hurst asked Yun Xunlan: “Seeing you is like seeing stars?”
“Not that ‘chen’ character.”
Yun Xunlan shook his head, correcting the character Manyuin Hurst had misunderstood, saying: “It’s the ‘chen’ of sinking.”
Jian Xing Chen—seeing stars sink. It didn’t sound like a good name.
Manyuin Hurst didn’t understand why Yun Xunlan would give the mech this name and asked: “Does it have any special meaning?”
“It comes from ‘yue luo xing chen,’ meaning the moon sets and the starlight also sinks and dims.”
Yun Xunlan’s answer confirmed that “Jian Xing Chen” literally meant “seeing stars sink,” but then he smiled and asked in return: “But is seeing stars sink necessarily bad?”
“It’s actually an idiom describing the dawn scene when the sky is about to brighten. So—”
The silver-haired alpha withdrew his hand from caressing the holographic light particles and turned his head to look at the crowd behind him.
He was the sole protagonist of tonight’s banquet, and everyone’s gaze converged on him like the light cascading from the ceiling lamps of the hall.
But in that moment, Yu Chen saw those golden eyes, brilliant as fixed stars, pass over others and precisely lock onto his eyes, as if returning to an anchor point: “I see stars sink, and also see dawn.”
When all stars sink, it is the time of dawn breaking.
—Where stars sink, dawn must follow.
“Indeed, it is a good name,” Manyuin Hurst applauded in admiration. “Third Prince, I believe that someday in the future, you will pilot it to reclaim the Milky Way’s lost first border line, bringing a brilliant dawn to all of humanity.”
Yun Xunlan looked back at the 3S mech’s projection and promised: “I will.”
At this moment, the ice-blue fluorescence of the mech projection was reflected in the eyes of everyone and Yun Xunlan.
But Yu Chen’s eyes could only see Yun Xunlan. Even though he only saw the distant back of the silver-haired alpha, he still felt as if he had witnessed a rare and magnificent aurora—a brilliant aurora that erupted only for him, and he found it hard not to be dazzled and enchanted by it.
