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Character ListQiao Zhiya: Half-elf, half-dwarf MC.
Chu Rong: Marshal ML.
Chu Yan: ML’s younger brother. Is the same age as MC.
Chu Huai: ML’s older brother, he’s in politics.
Gu Yan’an: Chu Huai’s wife. She’s a doctor.
Xiang Kun: Chu Yan’s mortal enemy. Xiang Hui’s younger brother. Mecha manufacturing student.
Xiang Hui: A colonel. The Xiang family’s current heir. Xiang Kun’s older brother.
Qiuqiu: MC’s special plant pet he kept inside his storage bracelet.
Ning Kongran: Ning family current heir. Studying mecha manufacturing, unlike his family.
Chairman Ning aka Ning Tianxing: Ning family’s head. Ning Kongran’s father.
Long Baorou: the President’s daughter.
Long Xuyang: Long Baorou’s younger brother. The President’s youngest child.
Princess An Leen: Imperial Princess.
Prince An Tyn: Imperial Prince, An Leen’s twin brother.
Long Ruizhang: The President’s younger brother.
Ning Kongting: Ning Kongran’s female cousin. 19 years old.
Long Baorou: the President’s daughter. 24 years old. Advertisement
Qiao Zhiya didn’t know when the banquet was over. He only knew that the night view tonight was so intoxicating, and that Chu Rong was especially gentle. He even gave him a gift. In short, this holiday was amazing and he had a great time.
In a blink of an eye, another week passed. Qiao Zhiya secretly made Chu Rong a dagger for self-defense, extravagantly used the last bit of Star Sand and added a little bit of Xiao Hei’s mother’s scales into it.
He had discovered that although the snake scale’s value couldn’t be measured, it was still a very good material and a strong dye. Chu Rong liked black weapons, and the color that the scale gave was just right.
On the day when the dagger was finished, Chu Yan came again with a bunch of gossip.
“I heard that the Imperial Princess fell ill, so she can’t go outside for the time being. Long Baorou went to see her a few times, but it is said they got into a quarrel instead. But because the Princess was sick and wanted to go home, and yet Long Baorous deemed unreasonable, she was blasted for this-supposed bullying by the netizens.”
“The Princess and Long Baorou are arguing?” Qiao Zhiya was surprised, as he couldn’t imagine them in different camps. “Long Baorou actually can quarrel with others until that scale?”
In his impression, Long Baorou was very indifferent and cold. She seemed to be someone who wouldn’t get into petty fights.
“Who knows?” Chu Yan shrugged, then waved his hand and said, “These are not the key points. The point is that the Federal Military Academy’s entrance exam will start next week, and so the remaining students from the Empire are about to come here. Can you guess who?”
Qiao Zhiya shook his head and gave him the stage to continue.
Chu Yan was addicted to being in the spotlight like this. He didn’t give Qiao Zhiya the time to guess, but directly told him. “In addition to the twins, the Empire sent another four students to come over. One is the Emperor’s niece, born from a daughter of the Ning family. The child, named An Lita, also goes by Ning Kong’an. She studies pharmacy just like the Ning family. One of them is the son of the Imperial High Advisor, but I don’t know his name. I heard he had a very simple name and studied History. One is the granddaughter of Master Brendan, named Charmmi, who followed her grandfather’s steps and learned mecha manufacturing. The last one is the son of General Neitaxi, the Empire’s strongest mecha soldier. His son’s name is Jexiu, and he is also following in his father’s footsteps. Heh, there’s no need to worry about Jexiu, after all Erge can defeat General Neitaxi, so his son will not pose a threat.”
Qiao Zhiya was confused by these names alone. He nodded stupidly, and frowned as he tried to remember the names and backgrounds of these people.
“Don’t forget to remember that when they arrive, the President will host a small banquet to welcome them. The juniors will go, and both you and I are also expected to go. You will see them directly at that time.”
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Chu Yan raised his arm on his shoulder, and continued, “Generally, on such occasions, those troublesome adults will surely let the younger generations compete with each other. While the Empire’s courtiers will find opportunities to show their Empire’s strength. Your background is the least solid, and you are likely to be targeted. And top of that, you had the history of having a third-degree disability. In the eyes of others, you’re just a ready-made soft persimmon1the weak link/the easiest to bully. to pinch.”
Qiao Zhiya didn’t expect to be described that way. He frowned, and then said with a clenched fist and serious expression: “Yes, I’ll study hard so I won’t shame the Chu family!”
“No, I didn’t mean that, I mean… forget it,” Chu Yan silently swallowed his following sentence: “You can find Erge to protect you”.
Remembering Qiao Zhiya’s strength and hard-headedness, he echoed, “Well, come on, I believe in you. “
‘Depending on Qiao’s strength, Erge’s protection shouldn’t be needed. I’m not about to jinx that.’
Four days later, the Empire’s ships landed at the Capital Planet’s military headquarters port. Prince An Tyn and Princess An Leen who were “healed”, along with the President’s brother Long Ruizhang went to the port to meet the Empire’s entourage.
Surprisingly, the Empire’s entourage was actually brought by the Emperor’s younger brother. He married a woman from the Ning family, and he’s called Prince An Xei. He’s about the same age as the President, with blond hair and gentle and elegant demeanor. It fits his identity as a leisurely Prince and renowned scholar.
Long Ruizhang and the Prince performed a warm welcome show at the port. The twins also showed intimacy to their uncle and warmly greeted their cousin An Lita, aka Ning Kong’an. At the surface, the familial relationships of all of them seemed stellar.
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After some excitement, they were escorted to the Presidential Palace to continue this “intimate exchange” between the Federation and the Empire.
Chu Huai and Chu Rong all said they were ill, so they had to recuperate. It was “unfortunate” for them to miss this lively occasion. The other three Great Families also made a bunch of excuses and did not show up for this meeting between the two civilizations.
“Actually letting Long Ruizhang to greet the visitors of the Empire? Long Ruifeng is really going mad,” Chu Huai rarely called the President’s name, but he did for today. He put down his tea cup, and shook his head.
Chu Rong glanced at him and replied, “I said earlier that he had lost his mind. Rather than sending actual government officials, he uses his younger brother. His intention is already obvious.”
The Federation paid attention to the balance of the power, and the government officials had a lot of speaking power in the office. But the President directly stepped over that, and instead heavily favoring his family – a blatant nepotism at the very least.
“Even the Xiang-Wei families no longer support him. He failed to retain his grip, and no one will want to back him up now,” Chu Huai glanced at the table, which was filled with takeaway dimsum. He wondered, “Why do you buy these? Might as well cook it at home, it’s not hard.”
Chu Rong also looked at the dim sum on the table with a frown. “It’s too monotonous to eat like that every day, so I bought this to mix it up. Rest assured, all of them have been tested, and they are all without any problems.”
Seeing his brother frowning about these snacks made Chu Huai relaxed. It’s a good sign if the thing that worried Chu Rong was something inconsequential like this. With a smile, he asked with a teasing tone, “Lao Er, Qiao is publicly eighteen years old this year, and is going to the Federal Military Academy right away. He has so many excellent peers there. Aren’t you afraid of something going wrong?”
“Qiao Zhiya will not be bullied,” Chu Rong answered affirmatively, but his expression was betraying his tone. Apparently he had previously imagined the scene of Qiao Zhiya being bullied there.
Chu Huai’s lips twitch at Chu Rong’s smoldering anger. He was a bit speechless, too.
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“I’m not talking about this!”
He sat up straighter, and emphasized a couple of points. “Qiao Zhiya is excellent in appearance and ability, and he will only become more and more dazzling in the future. If you fail to hold onto him, this carefully-fattened chicken will fly to another’s coop! I’m anxious for you, but you’re so calm like this. Even Chu Yan shares my sentiment. Qiao is obvious in the matter, so why don’t you take the initiative?”
Chu Rong then realized that he was referring to the “accident” in this regard. His face became darker and his fingers were impatiently knocking on the table. He paused and said, “I have a hunch… at this banquet, the Xiang-Wei family will make some small moves, and so will Long Baorou. She must be planning something. It’s a good time, indeed.”
As soon as Chu Huai heard Chu Rong’s excitement, he knew that he was not unprepared, subsiding his anger. “A good time for what, exactly? This pit you dig… is for whom?”
Chu Huai wanted to know Chu Rong’s plan.
Chu Rong gave him a slight glance, then stood up to say, “Dage, I’ve recovered and Chu Yan has grown up. The Chu family is quite deserted, isn’t it? You and Dasao should hurry up and liven things up.” After that, he turned chicly and left.
It took a couple seconds for Chu Huai to understand what Chu Rong meant.Then, he picked up his tea cup and angrily threw it to him. “What do you mean by that! Care for your life first! It’s you who should hurry up and bring a new daughter-in-law for the family, not me bringing up babies!!”
The day before the welcoming banquet, Qiao Zhiya solemnly took out two light green thumb-sized plant balls and put them on the dinner table. He gave one of them to Gu Yan’an and another to Chu Rong. “This is Qiuqiu’s children. I’ll lend you for today, as they can detect the composition of food. As long as the food is not right, even if it is only a little bit, they can tell you.”
He has watched many stories about this type of event. When there’s an important dignitary talks between two not-so-friendly forces, there’s always a chance the food would be tampered with. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
“You have to be nice to Qiuqiu’s children, they are still small,” He then started to worry. He hurriedly took out four boxes of medicine, one for each of them, and added, “There’s an antidote and soothing agent in this pack. There are also several spiritual stabilizers that work well. If you are in danger, you can use them. “
After speaking, he wanted to dig out other things, but was stopped by Chu Rong in time.
“We’re just going to a normal banquet, not a Hongmen banquet2a trap, dangerous banquet, so to speak., we don’t need these.”
He patted Qiao Zhiya’s ears gently. The blond youth’s expression was scrunched-up. Then he gave him chopsticks and said, “Eat, the dishes will be cold.”
“Will you use it or not?” Qiao Zhiya felt useless. He took a look at Chu Yan who accompanied him watching those TV shows. He saw that Chu Yan had a strange expression, and realized that he might have been acting stupid again. His face turned red, and he wished he could drill a hole for him to jump into.
“This is his care, let’s appreciate it. He’s very thoughtful!” Gu Yan’an glanced across Chu Rong, and took the lead to put away the medicine. She touched the small plant ball on her hand and asked, “This is Qiuqiu’s child? How old are they?”
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“About half a year old. Qiuqiu has multiplied several times already,” Qiao Zhiya quickly answered, the heat on his face still could not go down.
Chu Yan saw that he was so embarrassed that his head was going to smoke, and he deliberately got close to him, and said, “This plant balls are given to Erge and Dasao. What about mine? Qiao, you can’t be as biased as Erge. Don’t forget about me!”
Qiao Zhiya explained his thoughts quickly. He didn’t want Chu Yan to feel left off. “You and I will always stay together, so we can share Qiuqiu together. Dage and Dasao will be together, so they can share one too. That left the last one for Chu Rong. Don’t worry, I won’t be biased.”
‘It turned out to be like this!’ Chu Yan thought and was satisfied. He gave Qiao Zhiya a look of “he’s really a good brother, ah.”
“No, you’ll stay with me.” Chu Rong said suddenly. He picked up the small plant ball and shoved it to Chu Yan’s palm. He reached out and twisted Qiao Zhiya’s head back to signal him to eat.
Qiao Zhiya froze, and then pursed his ears. He was excited. “I’m staying with you? Always? Really?”
“Really,” Chu Rong nodded and motioned to his rice bowl again.
Qiao Zhiya took the chopsticks obediently, his ears twitched happily. Chu Yan was immediately forgotten.
Chu Yan: “…” Ah, he really can’t stay in this family!
The following afternoon, Qiao Zhiya’s clothes were sent over. It was a pure black suit with a gold trim and subtle embroidery. His accessories were crafted from Ink Jade. His style and cut was almost the same as Chu Rong, except the size.
Chu Yan was stunned, and stared at Chu Huai, who was drinking tea in a calm manner, winking madly.
“What’s wrong?” Chu Huai gave him a look. He then shooed him to try his own suit, saying, “You grew too fast. The clothes we made last month are already ill-fitting for now. It’s a waste.”
Chu Yan: “…” Has his family status fallen so low?
Qiao Zhiya and Chu Rong took a hover car when they went out, while Chu Yan boarded the same hover car with Chu Huai and Gu Yan’an.
After getting into the hover car, Qiao Zhiya patted his suit and touched his specially-treated hair. At last, he felt the custom, pure black spiritual power simulator on his ear, making his cheeks blush like mad.
‘I’m matching with Chu Rong, and the new simulator is also very good. Before, I just felt that I was held by Chu Rong. Now…’
It felt like a slightly sharper force naughtily rubbed against his ears. With pursed lips, he tried to suppress the desire to scratch his ears.
“What happened?”
Chu Rong, who was sitting opposite of him, asked knowingly. He raised his hand and gently touched Qiao Zhiya’s ear.
Qiao Zhiya almost jumped in shock, his ears trembling violently, and he tilted his head away from his palm. “No-nothing, just a little uncomfortable. M-my hair, it’s just, kinda weird? I ra-rarely styled it so… yeah… hehe…”
He then glanced at Chu Rong, who looked exceptionally handsome with his white hair and black suit. His heart jumped twice, so he shook his head in a panic.
Chu Rong looked down at the youth’s styled bangs, which made him look more delicate and beautiful. His fingers reached up, brushing against Qiao Zhiya’s thick, curly eyelashes, feeling the slight touch of his eyes fluttering.
Qiao Zhiya blinked a couple times, a bit scared and mostly confused.
Chu Rong suddenly asked, “Qiao, the last time I made you think, did you remember?”
“Ah?” Qiao Zhiya’s attention was all on Chu Rong’s slender fingers, and it took a moment for him to digest what the Marshal meant. The heat on his face dropped suddenly, his ears flattened, anxiously trembling. “No, sorry, I didn’t remember… Do you really want me to sleep alone? I- I will try hard to think … “
‘Why is he so cute?’
Chu Rong’s eyes looked calm, masking his turbulent emotions. He pinched the youth’s ear, making it stand upright like normal. He said, full of hidden meaning, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember about it. Let’s just make a new one again.”
“What?” With his ears shut, Qiao Zhiya had to look up and face him passively. Lips slightly open, he looked lost.
‘Make a new one? Making what? How?”
“I said,” Chu Rong suddenly lowered his head, their foreheads touching, the distance between their faces getting dangerously close. Breaths mixing, Chu Rong gently nudged the tip of his nose. “Don’t forget this memory.”
This pose was too ambiguous. It took no time for Qiao Zhiya’s face to burn again, his heart jumping wildly in his ribcage, beating so noisily.
‘W-what’s wrong with today’s Chu Rong? He’s so strange.’
1the weak link/the easiest to bully.2a trap, dangerous banquet, so to speak.