TCPUAAV Chapter 28

 

Mo Li naturally couldn’t refuse Ruan Shiqing’s request.

 

To Mo Li, Ruan Shiqing was now a money tree that needed to be worshipped—handled with the utmost care. If the crown prince hadn’t forbidden it, he would’ve taken matters into his own hands and dragged Ruan Shiqing straight to Yanji.

 

What a treasure this man was.

 

On the spot, Mo Li completed the transfer of funds and even tried to invite Ruan Shiqing to stay for dinner. When his offer was declined, Mo Li enthusiastically escorted him all the way to the door. “If Mr. Ruan ever needs anything, don’t hesitate to come to me. I’ll get the information about the buyer as quickly as possible and inform you.”

 

Although Ruan Shiqing was unused to such a dramatic shift in Marlin’s attitude, given their newly forged partnership, he chose not to disrespect the apparent goodwill, regardless of Marlin’s motives.

 

After exchanging pleasantries, Ruan Shiqing finally bid him farewell.

 

Before leaving, Mo Li insisted they exchange contact information, cheerfully commenting, “This way, we won’t need Shen Wuzhuo relaying messages between us anymore.”

 

Unfortunately, Mo Li’s broad, muscular build and naturally fierce face made his grin look more like a menacing leer.

 

Ruan Shiqing gave a polite but perfunctory smile as he boarded Shen Wuzhuo’s land speeder.

 

On the way back, the two chatted casually. Shen Wuzhuo remarked, “You noticed Marlin’s sudden change in demeanor too, didn’t you?” He shrugged. “If all the tests hadn’t come back normal, I’d almost suspect he’d been replaced.”

 

Propping his elbow on the car window and resting his chin in one hand, Ruan Shiqing drawled lazily, “It’s a significant change, sure, but it’s not doing me any harm at the moment.”

 

Hearing this, Shen Wuzhuo smirked but didn’t comment further, focusing on driving.

 

When they arrived at Ruan Shiqing’s home, Shen Wuzhuo handed him an invitation. “In half a month, there’ll be a community support meeting specifically for ancient humans. If you’re interested, you should attend.”

 

The invitation was a simple dark blue card, devoid of decoration save for the time and location—a modest and understated design.

 

“A support meeting?” Ruan Shiqing asked, puzzled.

 

Shen Wuzhuo explained, “Think of it as a gathering for ancient humans to connect and help each other. The organizer is fairly successful among our kind and arranged this event to foster resource exchange. It’s also a chance for those struggling to find jobs or improve their situation. Luther attended before—that’s where I met him.”

 

Ruan Shiqing realized it was similar to the “hometown associations” of ancient times.

 

In this unfamiliar world, finding camaraderie among one’s own people offered a sense of belonging. Seeing it as a positive initiative, Ruan Shiqing accepted the invitation.

 

After sending Shen Wuzhuo off, Ruan Shiqing transferred 350,000 star coins to Gu Feng.

 

To Gu Feng’s surprise, the repayment came far sooner than expected. Stunned, he immediately called to confirm.

 

“Yes,” Ruan Shiqing said with a smile. “I just finalized a deal and received an advance payment. It wasn’t too difficult.”

 

Gu Feng’s tone carried admiration. “Next time someone tells me ancient humans are useless, I’ll point to you as proof they’re wrong.”

 

“You’re not doing too badly yourself,” Ruan Shiqing replied casually. “You’ve already made it to manager; maybe one day, you’ll leave Planet B3024 and find even better opportunities.”

 

Gu Feng was momentarily taken aback. He had never considered that possibility.

 

Being promoted to manager had already seemed like an achievement, but Ruan Shiqing’s words opened a door in his mind to a broader world. After a pause, Gu Feng chuckled, “I’ll take that as a good omen.”

 

The two exchanged a few more words before Ruan Shiqing glanced at the invitation in his hand. Almost absentmindedly, he asked, “Will you be attending next month’s support meeting?”

 

“You received an invitation too?” Gu Feng asked, surprised, then quickly added, “Of course you would—you’re outstanding. I attended last year when I was struggling and ended up with this job because of it. I’ll be going this year as well. If you’d like, we can go together, and I’ll return the collateral energy gun to you then.”

 

Hearing this, Ruan Shiqing dismissed his earlier doubts and ended the call, only to notice something odd upon arriving at home: the front door was closed.

 

The shop was supposed to be open today, so the door shouldn’t have been shut.

 

When he opened the gate and entered, the heavy atmosphere was palpable.

 

Xiong Fangfang and Xiong Yuanyuan were sitting on the steps, looking dejected.

 

The cubs were gathered by the pool, all equally listless.

 

Even the little dragon, who usually bounded over to greet him, merely glanced up, mumbled, “Daddy,” and lowered his head again.

 

09 emerged hesitantly from the house and stammered, “S-sir, y-you’re home early?”

 

Something was definitely wrong.

 

“What happened?” Ruan Shiqing asked.

 

The golden robot froze momentarily, its display light blinking erratically as it struggled to respond.

 

Ruan Shiqing turned to the cubs.

 

All of them, except for the dog cub, looked guilty and avoided his gaze.

 

He finally looked at the Xiong brothers. “Who’s going to tell me what happened?”

 

Xiong Yuanyuan nervously swallowed and jabbed Xiong Fangfang with his elbow.

 

Left with no choice, Xiong Fangfang spoke up. “Today, three customers came in saying their hoverbikes had broken down on the road. They asked if we could repair them. I checked and found it was just a clogged heat dissipation valve causing the engine to overheat, so I fixed it for them…”

 

Ruan Shiqing nodded; he had taught the brothers how to handle such simple repairs. “And then?”

 

“After the repair, they paid and left, but ten minutes later, they came back, claiming we’d damaged their engine and demanding an explanation.”

 

Xiong Yuanyuan, unable to contain his anger, interjected, “We rechecked the engine and found it was indeed broken, but it had been fine when they left. To protect the shop’s reputation, we suggested waiting for you to inspect it… but it turns out they weren’t here to fix their hoverbikes. They wanted to snoop around. One of them snuck upstairs and saw Nota and the others.”

 

During business hours, the cubs usually played upstairs.

 

Nothing had gone wrong until now, so the brothers hadn’t been particularly cautious. But those men, having heard rumors from somewhere, had used the hoverbike issue as a pretense to create a disturbance and sneak upstairs.

 

The cubs weren’t easily bullied, though. Nota and Heli had immediately worked together to chase the intruder downstairs.

 

Only then did the brothers realize something was wrong. They tried to catch the men, but the trio escaped on their hoverbikes before they could intervene.

 

“The news about Nota being here might have leaked,” Xiong Yuanyuan said glumly.

 

“Did I cause trouble?” Nota approached Ruan Shiqing cautiously, clutching the hem of his clothes and looking up at him.

 

Her hair was a mess, her new dress stained from the scuffle. She looked utterly distressed.

 

Ever since the incident, she had been plagued with guilt. She knew people were after her and had been diligently avoiding outsiders, but today’s fun had made her careless. No one had noticed the intruder sneaking upstairs.

 

In her panic and fear during the confrontation, a surge of aggression had almost overwhelmed her. If Snowball hadn’t suddenly bitten her tail to stop her, she might have… might have lost control again, like she did at the junkyard.

 

The little fox lowered her ears in sorrow and, with great difficulty, said, “If… if I’ve caused trouble, I can hide somewhere else for now and come back when it’s safe…”

 

This was the compromise she had come up with after much thought.

 

She didn’t want to leave her home but also didn’t want to bring trouble to it.

 

“Nota can’t leave!” the little dragon shouted immediately.

 

If Nota left, he wouldn’t have a little sister anymore.

 

Baring his teeth, he growled fiercely, “If more bad guys come, we’ll just chase them away again!”

 

The little mermaid also let out a few anxious “Ah! Ah!” sounds, frantically waving its arms and causing ripples in the pool with its agitated tail.

 

Rong Heng, lounging lazily on a chair, cast a glance at the scene and sneered.

 

These clueless cubs.

 

Tch.

 

Ruan Shiqing was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.

 

Seeing the teary-eyed cubs, however, he bent down to pick up two of them, placing them on the lounge chair.

 

After carefully considering his words, he explained, “There’s no danger anymore.” He gently smoothed out Nota’s messy red hair with his fingers. “Before I came home, I arranged for someone to deal with the trouble. Very soon, you’ll all be able to go out and play again.”

 

Cubs are naturally lively, and keeping them cooped up at home wasn’t a long-term solution. Moreover, this was the age when they should begin their education. Ruan Shiqing had already been planning to arrange legitimate identities for them on Planet B3024 and enroll them in a school for cubs.

 

Although the outer city was chaotic, schools did exist.

 

Cubs’ schools were similar to kindergartens in his previous world, but the curriculum differed. In addition to cultural knowledge, teachers guided cubs on how to control and utilize their innate abilities, including shape-shifting.

 

Furthermore, the principal of the cubs’ school was a powerful evolver, and the teachers were also highly skilled, making the school relatively safe.

 

Because of this, many parents who could afford tuition chose to send their cubs there, even if only to ensure their safety while the parents were out.

 

Ruan Shiqing had been researching this for a while.

 

Asking Marlin to investigate the auction buyer was just the first step.

 

Once he had enough resources and arranged proper identities for the cubs, they wouldn’t need to hide anymore. At that point, his presence would be enough to deter anyone with ill intentions.

 

His words left the cubs momentarily stunned before the little dragon cub let out a loud cheer and wrapped his arms around Ruan Shiqing’s leg, tilting his head up to confirm repeatedly, “Really? Really? Heli can go out and play too?”

 

The little dragon’s attention had already shifted from the danger being resolved to the prospect of playing outside.

 

Nota and the little mermaid also widened their eyes, waiting for his answer.

 

“It’s true.” Ruan Shiqing patted the cubs’ heads, smiling warmly. “So you don’t need to worry about those bad people anymore.”

 

The heavy atmosphere dissipated, and the cubs’ happiness returned.

 

The little dragon cub jumped into the pool, tugging on the little mermaid’s tail as he splashed around. The mermaid flicked his tail lightly, sending water splashing into the air as his fin emerged and fell back into the pool.

 

The little fox, careful of her fur, stayed at the pool’s edge, taking the opportunity to splash water at the little dragon whenever he surfaced.

 

Even the Xiong brothers rubbed their hands together, regaining their spirits as they returned to work.

 

After confirming that the cubs hadn’t been traumatized, Ruan Shiqing picked up the dog cub and called for 09 to join him in the workshop.

 

Hearing that the crisis was resolved, the little robot’s mood visibly lifted, the red light on its display flashing rhythmically.

 

“09, pull up the profiles of those three people and send a clear image to my smart device.”

 

“Yes, sir,” 09 replied promptly, sending over the data it had prepared.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s smart device chimed softly. He opened the virtual screen, memorizing the faces of the three individuals before forwarding them to Marlin, asking him to track their whereabouts. His gaze turned cold.

 

09, puzzled, asked, “Sir, didn’t you say there was no danger anymore?”

 

“There isn’t,” Ruan Shiqing replied, his lips pressing into a thin line. “But that doesn’t mean we can let those three off the hook easily.”

 

It seemed the previous lesson wasn’t enough.

 

From his perch on the workbench, Rong Heng glanced at Ruan Shiqing, then looked again.

 

Avenging wrongs? Not bad.

 

After the minor disturbance, the household returned to its usual lively atmosphere.

 

The next morning, Ruan Shiqing stayed home, starting his day by having breakfast with the cubs. He then styled Nota and the little mermaid’s hair, guided the Xiong brothers for a bit, and finally entered the workshop to work.

 

His schedule was packed. When not spending time with the cubs or attending appointments, he spent nearly every remaining moment in the workshop, wishing he could split each minute in half.

 

He had already read through half of Metis’ gray archives, filling three notebooks with inspiration and sketches sparked by the texts.

 

In his original world, years of overtime had honed his ability to speed-read. His colleagues often joked that he had mastered “quantum wave speed reading.”

 

He was like a sponge, and Metis’ archives were a vast ocean. He absorbed the knowledge at an extraordinary rate.

 

That evening, 09 had to call him three times before he reluctantly turned off the virtual screen, rubbing his slightly sore eyes.

 

As he stretched and opened the door, Ruan Shiqing asked, “What’s up?”

 

“Mr. Luther is here to visit and is waiting in the yard,” 09 informed him.

 

Luther had come to deliver tickets for the championship finals.

 

After advancing through the preliminaries and semifinals, he had secured a spot among the finalists. Although the finals would feature 50 racers, as the only ancient human among them, he had every reason to feel proud.

 

“Congratulations.” Ruan Shiqing accepted the tickets without ceremony. “I’ll be there to watch.”

 

Luther scratched his head, embarrassed, before giving a solemn bow. His dark face flushed slightly as he said, “I’ve been meaning to thank you properly. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it this far.”

 

It was Ruan Shiqing who had given him the confidence and courage to move forward.

 

In the past, Luther had thought making it to the top of the preliminaries would be an incredible achievement. But now, as one of the top 50, he felt even winning the championship wasn’t out of reach.

 

He was no longer content to simply escape his small world and explore the wider universe. Now, he wanted to leave his mark in that vast expanse.

 

After delivering the tickets, Luther hurried off. Competition in the finals was fierce, and he was training relentlessly.

 

Ruan Shiqing counted the tickets—there were ten in total.

 

With one ticket per household member, there were still extras.

 

It seemed Luther had given him his entire allotment.

 

Ruan Shiqing waved the tickets at the cubs. “Do you want to go to the competition and cheer for Luther?”

 

The cubs stared at the tickets and nodded enthusiastically.

 

The little dragon cub, always the quickest, climbed up Ruan Shiqing’s pant leg and onto his chest, reaching out with his tiny claws for the tickets. “I have a loud voice! I’ll cheer for Luther!”

 

Not to be outdone, Nota declared, “My voice is loud too!”

 

The little mermaid, unable to speak, slapped the water anxiously and raised his hand.

 

It seemed the cubs had been cooped up for too long and were eager to see the outside world.

 

Ruan Shiqing patted each cub on the head and put the tickets away, smiling. “Then you’ll all need to be on your best behavior for the next few days. On the day of the competition, I’ll take you all.”

 

He ruffled the dog cub’s fur and looked at 09 and the Xiong brothers. “Everyone’s going together.”

 

The little robot and the cubs all cheered in unison.

 

*

 

The news that they could attend the high-speed hovercar championship had the cubs so excited they couldn’t sleep. Though the competition was still days away, their excitement was unstoppable.

 

The little dragon cub, clutching his small pillow, confidently climbed onto Ruan Shiqing’s bed.

 

Seeing this, Nota immediately followed, carrying her own pillow in her mouth.

 

The little mermaid, left behind in the living room bucket, panicked, slapping the water repeatedly to catch Ruan Shiqing’s attention.

 

Seeing the situation, Ruan Shiqing had no choice but to get up, resigning himself to carrying the little mermaid into the bedroom.

 

What was once a bed shared with just the dog cub was now crowded with cubs.

 

Rong Heng, who had been quietly resting with his eyes closed, frowned at the noise. The little dragon cub, determined to snuggle into Ruan Shiqing’s neck, kept inching closer, nearly pushing Rong Heng off the pillow he occupied on Ruan Shiqing’s right side.

 

Rong Heng: …

 

With a single paw, he shoved the pesky little dragon away.

 

The little dragon, no match for Rong Heng’s strength, rolled twice before getting up in confusion and indignantly shouting, “Who pushed me?!”

 

Rong Heng coldly glanced at him and lay back down, silently warning: Push me again, and I’ll throw you off the bed.

 

That night, though chaotic, was also peaceful. Snuggling close to their “Daddy,” the cubs fell asleep feeling utterly secure.

 

The room was filled with the soft sounds of their breathing.

 

Rong Heng opened his eyes, glancing at his smart device’s flickering light. He quietly jumped off the bed, grabbed it with his mouth, and left the room.

 

Switching to his human form, he logged into the holographic network.

 

“Let’s hope this is truly urgent,” Rong Heng said, his tone laced with impatience.

 

The hologram of Dares flickered to life, his expression grave. “It is urgent, Your Highness.” Without preamble, he reported, “Your father, the Regent, is about to hold his coronation ceremony. At the same time, he will marry Thea Barth, eldest daughter of Old Barth.”

 

Old Barth was the head of the Naxi Group, a corporation with over 300 years of history and the largest manufacturer in the Galactic Empire. Its operations spanned civilian vehicles to military weaponry.

 

From auxiliary robots to civilian transport vehicles, from warships to weapons, the Naxi Group’s presence was ubiquitous.

 

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Naxi Group’s industry covered half the Empire.

 

The Regent’s intention in marrying Thea Barth at his coronation was unmistakable.

 

Dares looked worried. “If this marriage goes through, Your Highness’s position might be jeopardized.”

 

Previously, Dares had been unconcerned. Even if the Regent ascended the throne, his successor would ultimately still be Rong Heng. But if Thea Barth became Empress and bore the new king a child, with the Naxi Group backing them, they could indeed threaten Rong Heng’s claim.

 

“Your presence is needed to stabilize the situation, Your Highness,” Dares urged.

 

“When is the coronation?” Rong Heng asked, his expression unreadable.

 

“Half a month from now, on December 27th,” Dares replied. “You must return to Sikkim as soon as possible.”

 

Rong Heng fell silent for a long time, his eyes dark and inscrutable. “It seems I’ll have to make a trip back.”

 

“What’s the progress on your end?” he asked.

 

“We’re already setting up the new warp corridor,” Dares reported, then hesitated before cautiously suggesting, “Once you leave, there’ll be no one overseeing Planet B3024. Should I come over? I’m worried Mo Li won’t manage on his own.”

 

“Focus on Yanji,” Rong Heng said coldly, giving him a sharp look. “This matter doesn’t concern you.”

 

Unhappy but unable to argue, Dares muttered reluctantly, “…Understood.”

 

Rong Heng abruptly ended the call, his face darkening as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Speaking aloud to the AI assistant Noah, he murmured hoarsely, “What is he trying to achieve?”

 

The Ymir lineage had been enthroned since the founding of the Galactic Empire, bearing the mantle of the royal family.

 

His mother, Queen Farrah, had dedicated her life to the Empire—even her marriage.

 

Rong Heng vividly recalled her funeral. When he asked his father, Siyan, why he didn’t seem sad, his father had coldly replied:

 

“Your mother never loved me. She was a heartless woman. I won’t shed tears for someone without a heart.”

 

Farrah, a powerful Ymir, had married Siyan, a frail ancient human. Their union had been nothing more than a political gesture to advance the Equal Rights Act, devoid of any genuine affection.

 

Or so Siyan had claimed.

 

But Rong Heng could never believe those words.

 

His mother had once told him, “Your grandmother and father were both ancient humans, yet they were remarkable and worthy of respect. A person’s nobility isn’t determined by their race.”

 

“Ymir are not inherently noble, nor are ancient humans inherently inferior,” she had said, her expression soft, almost gentle—a stark contrast to her iron-blooded reputation.

 

Even his surname, Rong, came from his grandmother’s name.

 

In that moment, she had been tender and kind.

 

The world, however, remembered Queen Farrah as cold and ruthless, decisive in her actions. Words like “gentle” were never used to describe her.

 

Only Rong Heng, as a child, had glimpsed her hidden warmth.

 

He didn’t believe Siyan’s claims.

 

Queen Farrah had been a great ruler and a competent mother.

 

To Rong Heng, it wasn’t his mother who had been cold; it was Siyan, blinded by prejudice, who had never truly understood her.

 

 

 

---

 

I was squealing from cuteness throughout all the chapter, just to finish with the heavy end (╥﹏╥)

 

Thanks for reading!

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