“Achoo!”

Ye Bai sneezed, looked up at the banquet hall, and did not find any allergens. He then forgot about the sneeze and started searching for Woden everywhere.

Everyone around him rolled their eyes, but they were already used to it.

Every time Ye Bai attended a banquet, he would look for Woden. Especially this time, since the invitation to the banquet had come from Woden himself, Ye Bai was even more obsessed.

Strangely, the eldest son of the Ye family who had accompanied Ye Bai to the banquet, after greeting everyone, went to a small garden nearby. His lightpad kept sending him notifications.

“Alina, don’t you know? Recently, Ye Wangxing’s small company has made a fortune. He’s probably busy managing the goods in his company now.”

Martha, a friend who had blocked Alina at the banquet earlier, whispered to Alina.

Martha was one or two years older than the young masters and mistresses present, and she was steadier, which was why the parents felt comfortable letting them play together.

Even though Martha occasionally acted out, it was still within normal limits.

Seeing Alina’s surprised expression, Martha continued to whisper the gossip she had heard.

“After he put those four men as model pictures on his official homepage, he sold the goods directly from the factory. Small merchants bought from him and added some accessory packs. This week, the internet has been full of those plush little persimmons, wool blankets, and similar items.”

Martha sighed helplessly. “My little boyfriend fussed all day, insisting I wear the plush little accessory he bought me, and even booked a spaceship ticket to that Golden Planet. This traffic really made Ye Wangxing earn a fortune.”

Alina suddenly remembered that she had indeed seen those familiar small gifts online recently. But since the following prices were so cheap, she hadn’t clicked on them and didn’t expect it to become such a big deal.

“Isn’t he running a platform? How is he selling things himself to gain traffic? And those four… didn’t they complain? Their model pictures are all over the internet…”

Alina whispered.

Martha leaned closer to her ear and said: “There aren’t many merchants on his platform. Naturally, he had to take advantage of the traffic himself. If it weren’t for the Crown Prince’s invitation today, he probably wouldn’t have come.”

“The model pictures were only up for a day. After everyone knew, Ye Wangxing deleted them. But those four… I don’t know what they were thinking. They didn’t get angry. On the contrary, when someone told them about it, they acted like they already knew.”

Martha looked slightly puzzled as she spoke.

Alina also looked bewildered. If Martha didn’t know, she certainly didn’t.

Fortunately, they soon stopped caring about it, since it was the Crown Prince Woden’s banquet and they still had to show proper manners.

Even when Alina looked at Ye Bai’s clinging behavior, she only gave him a “frustrated at your stubbornness” look.

However…

Was Crown Prince Woden a bit distracted at the banquet today?

Alina noticed that Woden had not flirted with anyone all day and thought, if it weren’t for his indifferent attitude toward Ye Bai’s clinginess, she would have assumed Woden had finally decided to treat Ye Bai properly.

But Woden had not suddenly had a conscience. He even wondered if sending Ye Bai the invitation himself had been a foolish idea.

What’s strange about Ye Bai? Didn’t he always come running the moment Woden beckoned?

He realized he had overthought it. Recent undercurrents on Capital Star had made him believe that Ye Bai was acting like those four men—something seemed off.

Woden refused Ye Bai’s request to go out for a walk and let him leave disappointed.

Meanwhile, he kept thinking about recent developments regarding General Ortas and his young uncle.

These past few days, both Ortas and his young uncle had acted strangely. Woden did not believe the rumors that their unusual behavior was because they had fallen in love.

The four people held power that, if combined, could destabilize the entire nation. So Woden remained highly cautious of them, especially his younger uncle, who was four years younger than him.

At military school, his uncle had even equaled General Ortas record. From childhood, he had consistently outshone Woden, making it impossible to ignore him.

A few years ago, he had gone on vacation to avoid suspicion. But after returning from travel to other planets this year, it was unclear whether his uncle had ambitions or simply did not hide his intentions. He kept arguing with the Empress Mother to let him join the military.

The Empress Mother indulged him, and she was already considering helping him choose a military unit.

Woden thought about this and raised the cup of strong liquor in his hand, drank it all, and then slammed the cup back on the table.

He truly could not understand why the Empress Mother trusted her younger brother, who was even younger than her son. Did she not fear he might act against her throne?

Other ministers—the Minister of Finance, Count Uno, even the Marshal—held too much power. Woden believed this power could threaten the royal family.

Yet his Empress Mother ignored it, seemingly pretending to be deaf, wanting to maintain the prosperity of the entire star system.

She even suppressed Woden’s desire to place her own people near them and had pulled him aside to warn him.

“Do not treat everyone as fools, Woden. You are still too immature and inexperienced.”

Her sharp gaze made Woden lower his head in submission.

But only Woden knew how unwilling he truly felt. What frustrated him even more was that when he shared his thoughts and actions with his so-called allies, few supported him.

In the end, even only Ye Bai was willing to take some data from his father, the Minister of Finance, for him, but it was just data—after all, Ye Bai himself did not have the mind to handle power.

But…

‘Besides being incapable, he is the only one who completely trusts me.’

Woden thought this while drinking half-drunk.

While Woden drank alone, frustrated at his grand ambitions and the unreliability of those around him, Ye Bai was in the small garden, crying sadly.

By his side were Alina and the others.

Ye Bai spoke about his sadness and grievances, complaining that Woden had really gone too far this time.

None of his friends present moved to comfort him.

They simply ate and drank as usual. Alina casually used a small silver fork to pick up a heart-shaped piece of fruit from the table and popped it into her mouth, nodding to Martha beside her.

“Besides being molded into shape, this fruit actually tastes pretty good.”

Martha, curious, picked up another silver fork and tried a bite. Her eyes widened as she nodded.

“Indeed, the texture is very nice, sweet and slightly sour, somewhat like strawberry but not as acidic.”

Ye Bai, completely ignored, muttered: “…Woden really went too far!”

His friends ignored his complaints. They had even tried to advise him when he first came into the garden, but no one could endure listening to someone cry for over half an hour.

They were even curious how Ye Bai could cry for so long, his eyes still brimming with tears.

Alina watched as Ye Bai finally stopped crying. She placed her silver fork back onto the small plate and took a deep breath.

She was ready to scold Ye Bai about everything—from Woden to his own mistakes.

However, before she could speak, a noise came from nearby.

Wait—it wasn’t from the side. It came from behind her.

Alina turned toward the tree wall behind her, and the voice became clear.

“—Ortas! Stop messing around!”

Alina’s eyes widened instantly, and the friends behind her also all turned their heads toward the tree wall. Even Ye Bai reached for the warm towel on the table, wiped his face, and stood up, trying to hear more clearly.

“But I just wanted to show you properly… the ring you gave me, I’ve been wearing it on my hand~”

A deep, magnetic mature male voice came from behind the tree wall.

Everyone present instantly realized which two people were behind the wall.

They were all anxious but dared not move the tree wall. Even the slightest noise could alert General Ortas.

Still, they desperately wanted to see what was happening behind the tree wall.

Then, Martha—the calmest among them—made a shocking move.

She stepped on a chair in the pavilion and climbed onto the tree wall.

“Don’t worry, from their angle they won’t see us behind the tree wall. We just need to keep our voices down.”

Martha spoke very quietly. The friends, although surprised, allowed their curiosity to overcome caution. They covered their mouths, stepped on chairs, and cautiously watched the two behind the tree wall.

The two sitting there seemed completely unaware of them—or perhaps they were simply too preoccupied to notice.

Thanks to the genetic modifications in the interstellar society, everyone’s eyesight was 2.0, even 3.0 on average, allowing them to clearly see the movements of the two from afar and hear what they were saying.

The tall man and the young man in his arms were sideways to them.

General Ortas held the young man from behind, placing his hand in front of him. The golden snake on his index finger shone brightly. The engraved scales had worn smooth from frequent touching.

It was obvious the ring had been fondled many times.

“I’ve been wearing the gift you gave me all the time.”

General Ortas voice was lazy, and he deliberately drew out the ending, like a spoiled forest python.

This made the onlookers on the wall shiver.

However, Ye Wangxing, who could spend time with General Ortas and even give him gifts, was clearly not an ordinary person.

The young man looked at the ring, softened his gaze, and whispered: “…I’m really glad you like it.”

The gentle voice noticeably lifted General Ortas mood. He curved his lips, rested his head against the young man’s neck, and lazily said,

“Yes. I wear it every day. Didn’t you notice the snake scales on this ring have brightened? Since it’s a one-of-a-kind ring you designed, of course I like it very much.”

General Ortas proudly raised his hand again in front of the young man, while his other hand rested on the youth’s shoulder, seemingly wrapping him up completely.

“It’s a bit of a shame, this ring of mine was actually the cheapest one in the model photos.”

Although General Ortas seemed to speak casually, the few onlookers perched on the wall immediately held their breath.

They feared he might notice something.

However, they soon began to laugh at their own unnecessary worry because if General Ortas had really recognized that the people in the other three model photos on the official website held the same status as him, he would have rushed over to start hitting them long ago.

He wouldn’t have sat here ambiguously yet warmly with the young man.

Still, Ye Bai felt somewhat worried. Even if others relaxed, his heart remained tense because it was his own brother.

Then Ye Bai realized that his elder brother having four boyfriends wasn’t just due to luck.

“Should I make you a necklace next? Or a choker?”

The young man looked up at the man behind him, who suddenly froze, and smiled beautifully.

“When I designed the ring, I was already thinking about what kind of jewelry would suit you. The design is still in my light-brain. But back then…”

He trailed off, his eyes lowering as if slightly downcast, then he lifted his gaze happily.

“Giving jewelry to friends is normal now, right?”

“Sir Ortas, would you honor me with this?”

Ye Bai watched the blush slowly appear on General Ortas’s tanned face and silently sighed.

The next moment, he saw the tall man suddenly bury his face in the youth’s neck, seemingly not wanting him to see his reddening, and clicked his tongue a few times.

His elder brother truly was someone who had four boyfriends.

—This technique, anyone would be dazzled by it!

After hearing the youth’s words, General Ortas’s entire aura softened from that of a freelancer to a harmless pig-nosed snake, obediently letting Ye Wangxing measure his neck.

He even occasionally echoed the young man’s murmurs.

“You’ve slimmed down a bit, haven’t you? Been busy with year-end reports and not eating properly?”

The few people perched on the wall watched as the tall man, clearly larger than the young man, spoke as if wronged.

“The military cafeteria food is terrible, and if you miss meal times, there’s nothing to eat. Plus, you can’t order delivery there…”

The youth guided the light-brain around the man’s neck, saying: “Why do you keep being picky? Even back then… I don’t know how you grew so big…”

Alina watched the warm scene, her heart fluttering wildly with youthful feelings. But…

Thinking that the youth cared about this man as he did the other three, Alina’s heart sank.

She couldn’t solve this emotional problem, after all, the youth had been ex-boyfriends with these four men.

This was what Ye Bai had told them before.

The youth still had lingering feelings, so it was normal for him to unconsciously care for them.

The problem now arose:

—The four across also still had lingering feelings!

Ye Wangxing, like that day with the fishing bait, only had to hang a little bait, and the four sharks snapped at it desperately.

Even the youth’s lingering feelings for these four seemed equal—they all received gifts.

‘I wonder who Ye Wangxing will ultimately choose. Whoever he picks, the other three will go crazy…’

Alina worriedly thought, even linking it to potential changes in the empire’s political situation.

When she realized she couldn’t solve this situation, she calmed down.

If the sky fell, at least a tall person would hold it up. They could deal with things when it got that far.

Still, Alina felt frustrated. If these men were slightly more restrained and one stood out, it wouldn’t be so complicated.

When Alina looked up, she saw General Ortas walking toward the banquet, leaving only Ye Wangxing in the garden, editing something on the light-brain.

“This is…”

With Ortas gone, Alina finally dared to speak softly.

After all, the youth didn’t have Ortas’s battlefield-honed hearing.

Just as Alina glanced at General Ortas, her eyes met a pair of deep green eyes.

‘Caught?!’

But Ortas only glanced at them once and turned toward the banquet, seemingly unconcerned.

Alina and her friends, pale, finally breathed a sigh of relief. They only relaxed completely when Ortas entered the banquet hall.

But just as they relaxed and looked at Ye Wangxing, an angry voice rang out: “Ye Wangxing! Who is he?!”

The people on the wall widened their eyes and looked toward Ye Wangxing, and the person who appeared made them gasp.

—The boy confronting Ye Wangxing, face flushed, had a pair of glacier-like eyes. Wow! Prince Janus!

The people on the wall thought: it’s over, over, over.

Ye Bai feared their whole family would immediately be regarded as a thorn by His Majesty, exiled to a remote planet, or even imprisoned as criminals!

—No need to wait for Woden to ascend the throne.

Ye Bai anxiously paced the wall while Ye Wangxing, confronted by Janus, seemed equally surprised.

“Janus? You came to this banquet too?”

Ye Wangxing’s expression brightened, which stalled Janus’s previously fierce momentum.

“I’m obviously at this banquet. When that brat Woden sent the invitation, he used me as a lure. Don’t tell me you didn’t expect me here,” Janus said, his face flushed.

Ye Wangxing looked puzzled: “Oh? Really?”

He scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed.

“My younger brother brought me. I’ve been busy with factory matters these days, didn’t carefully check the invitation. Sorry, Janus.”

His sincere apology eased some of Janus’s anger, but meeting Ortas still left Janus momentarily choked.

“Fine, you got away with that. But why did you talk to Ortas? And why were you so close?”

The boy narrowed his glacier-like eyes, royal aura clear. His voice carried danger, and the people on the wall held their breath again.

—But the youth’s next words immediately turned the boy from a polar wolf to a husky.

“Janus, I’m so glad!”

The youth ignored Janus’s aura, gave him a friendly hug, then let go. His eyes shone as he looked at him: “I thought you were mad about the previous thing, you didn’t contact me all this time.”

Janus stood dumbfounded. His anger had faded, replaced by a blush spreading across his cheeks.

“Looks like you were busy with finals, and didn’t throw away the wool blanket I knitted for you, right?”

Ye Wangxing smiled warmly.

“Yes… I was just busy this week. Actually, I didn’t mind being a model for you. I forgot to tell you last time, sorry.”

Blushing, Janus stammered.

After the emotions settled, he remembered what he wanted to ask, though his energy to question had diminished. He only said, slightly jealous: “But Wangxing, why were you so close to Ortas? That guy’s definitely not a good person!”

The boy spoke seriously. The youth, however, didn’t speak ill of Ortas. He only asked curiously: “Really? But Sir Ortas is actually quite good.”

He happily showed several business cards.

“You know I’ve been expanding southeastern systems. One Capital Star is too slow. Ortas, because of that gold ring, contacted some officials for me.”

Janus saw the officials were all from the southeast, and his expression turned angry.

He didn’t forbid the youth from contacting them, that would be childish.

—He instead dug through his contacts and handed a few to Ye Wangxing.

“Those officials are useful but too few. He’s military, doesn’t know many business officials. For sanitation, firefighting, and quality inspection, I know a few, you can introduce your subordinates.”

He pretended not to care, but his pride almost overflowed seeing the youth’s surprise.

The youth thanked him, chatted a while, reminded him to eat properly, then left the garden after slimming down.

The people on the wall watched Janus, still lingering, shaking their heads.

They had feared he’d notice something, yet…

Ye Wangxing hugged him, didn’t pursue it, and even received his contacts.

Seeing no more excitement, Alina worried about lingering too long, so she took her friends back to the banquet.

Ye Bai, still immersed in gossip, immediately stuck to Woden like a magnet once back at the banquet.

Alina ignored him, chatting and eating dessert with friends, when she glanced toward the pool and saw what appeared to be Woden’s male companion pulling Ye Bai’s hands, about to fall into the pool.

Alina immediately leapt from the sofa, and her friends, not knowing what had happened, ran toward the same direction.

But Alina panicked and could only see Ye Bai being pulled by that man, she didn’t notice General Ortas and Ye Wangxing standing beside him.

—She also didn’t see Prince Janus rushing in from the small garden toward the banquet hall entrance.

“Bang—!”

“Splash—!”

Alina stared at the pool in shock and confusion.

Ye Bai, standing safely in place, and the male companion whom Alina had knocked aside, both looked at the two men in the pool, equally shocked and bewildered.

A minute later, Woden stared blankly at the two by the pool, utterly confused.

Who could tell him why, just because he stepped away for a moment—his uncle had somehow knocked General Ortas into the pool?

 

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