Originally, Ye Bai thought today would be an ordinary day—an ordinary attendance at a banquet, an ordinary chat with friends, an ordinary scolding from everyone about Woden.

Then an ordinary argument with them, an ordinary attempt to take credit in front of Woden, an ordinary heartbreak caused by Woden’s matters—everything seemed so ordinary, just like what he did at every banquet.

But now…

Ye Wangxing’s situation hit Ye Bai like a turning point in World War II, instantly throwing him out of his daily routine and into a melodramatic spectacle.

Alina was also in a daze. When she had arrived today, her mother had specifically instructed her to dress nicely, hoping she might catch the attention of .

After all, the general was young and capable, and he had a strong, handsome body and a strikingly attractive face.

—Then she heard that he had just gotten involved with the eldest son of the finance minister’s family.

The others were also shocked in their own ways. Although they did not care much about these people, their families had instructed them to try to get along with these figures.

—Then they discovered that all these big figures were actually dating the eldest son of the Ye family.

After the initial shock, their curiosity and gossip desires ignited. Most of them were privileged children at home, so they did not think about anything beyond wanting to know what had happened.

Alina spoke first, immediately taking the timeline back to an hour earlier.

—At that time, she was searching for Ye Bai with her friends.

She had been a bit irritable earlier in the private room, but since they were friends, even if it was only a shallow pretense, they had to act polite.

So while searching, they activated the thermal imaging locator on their light computers to find Ye Bai. Unexpectedly, they did not find him—they found a couple instead.

Alina felt a little embarrassed and turned off the thermal locator, planning to walk away.

But a voice stopped her. After listening for a while, she realized that the quietly explaining male voice belonged to Ye Bai’s brother!

Alina was immediately incredulous. Why was Ye Wangxing here? He should have been at the banquet promoting his little failing company.

In reality, that country bumpkin had garnered some attention in noble circles. After all, the finance minister once had an eldest son, which left everyone confused.

The Emperor in the palace inquired and was told that the eldest son had stayed in the countryside years ago simply because the elder was lonely and wanted the child to keep the old woman company, which delayed him.

However, the other nobles agreed that the reason could not be so simple.

The finance minister’s family had not provided any official explanation but had quietly compensated the child they left in the countryside. They appeared genuinely willing to bring him back.

It seemed to them that they owed a debt to the child, abandoned since birth, so they had been trying to help him connect with people, gradually allowing his small company to gain a foothold in the capital market.

—But the capital’s nobles believed the finance minister’s actions were merely a hedge.

After all, Ye Bai, whom the finance minister had cultivated, had gone mad over Crown Prince Woden.

This young master nearly served Woden like a beast of burden—although now it was almost the same.

Seeing the younger son hopeless, it was reasonable for the finance minister to bring back the eldest from the countryside.

They needed at least one “sane” family member.

Even Ye Bai’s friends could understand this. If Ye Bai had been slightly more reliable, they could have righteously helped him reclaim his rightful power at the Ye family banquet. But now…

Even Ye Bai’s friends thought that if the Ye family truly fell into Ye Bai’s hands, he would likely sell the family to be with Woden.

Whether Woden would agree was another matter.

So even Ye Bai’s friends could not face asking the finance minister to hand over the family fortune just so Ye Bai could have a romance.

This made them privately mock Ye Wangxing, thinking he would never inherit the family fortune, while still urging Ye Bai to have his parents decide the inheritance quickly.

Unfortunately, Ye Bai’s romantic brain was innocent to the extreme. He had left this matter unattended, instead going to Woden every day, even boasting about it to Woden.

His friends, who had advised him to ask his parents for more benefits, were furious and did not attend this gathering.

But why was he appearing here now?

Alina and her friends immediately forgot about finding Ye Bai and leaned forward to see who was arguing.

Yes—arguing.

Besides Ye Wangxing’s voice, there was a magnetic male voice at the scene.

This voice sounded familiar, sparking curiosity in Alina and her friends. They wondered who could have such peculiar taste to choose the country bumpkin who had just returned from the countryside.

But when they peeked…

“Hiss—!”

They gasped and quickly covered their mouths to avoid screaming.

Their eyes fixed on the tall young man opposite Ye Wangxing.

He was tall, and though somewhat slim, it only seemed so in comparison to his height.

—At least, standing in front of Ye Wangxing, he completely overshadowed him.

Alina thought the world had gone mad.

That was the only son of the marshal. While not particularly outstanding in combat, he was an extremely talented mechanical designer!

Moreover, this young man looked very outstanding, with a pair of beautiful cat-like eyes and a handsome face. Although he was 1.9 meters tall, he appeared like a graceful big cat.

However, anyone who thought they could approach him because of this would be gravely mistaken. He only looked like a cat—his temper was still that of a young master from the marshal’s family.

At the slightest disagreement, he would really take action.

Unlike other children who felt awkward facing the glory of their parents, he used his father when needed and never pretended otherwise.

But now, this same young man, who rejected everyone else and at most gave them a cold glance, was apparently spending time alone with that country bumpkin???

He even opened his mouth to mock the country bumpkin???

This was extremely rare—rare as sausages costing three yuan each, yet two somehow costing six!

—At least for Alina and her friends, despite attending numerous social banquets every year, they had never seen him display any emotion toward others.

Not to mention sarcasm, he usually only rolled his eyes to ridicule someone.

Even more so, they had never witnessed sarcasm as intense as it was today.

But what shocked them even more came next.

“…So this is the reason you didn’t even tell me when you came to the capital after we broke up? Ye Wangxing, you are something else.”

The man squinted his cat-like eyes. His voice was soft but carried immense pressure, making the country bumpkin opposite him look pale.

Although he was called a country bumpkin, the young man opposite was not ugly. On the contrary, his eyes resembled those of a small animal.

While he did not look as pitiable as Ye Bai, he gave the impression of a trembling little dog.

Unfortunately, the cat-eyed man did not fall for it. He merely squinted and turned to leave.

Alina, still shocked to see that Ye Wangxing knew Lord Semos, sighed and shook her head at the scene.

Ye Wangxing really could not seize an opportunity.

However, the next second…

Alina watched as the young man, who had looked like a frightened little animal, took a deep breath, seemingly summoning his courage, and stepped forward to take Lord Semos’s hand.

‘Is Ye Wangxing trying to get himself killed? Lord Semos does not have a good temper!’ Alina screamed silently in her mind.

—Then she saw Lord Semos’s lips curl slightly.

Before Ye Wangxing could look up, he forcibly pressed his lips down and turned to speak.

“What, you realize your—”

The man had spoken steadily, but the young man interrupted him.

“…Sorry. I just thought you didn’t want to see me after we broke up. After all, people say an ex-boyfriend should be treated like he’s dead.”

The young man’s voice was low.

“I…don’t want you to hate me. I’m sorry.”

As he apologized, he slowly raised his head, revealing wet, glistening eyes.

This made the man in front of him, with cat-like eyes, freeze in place.

He opened and closed his mouth, as if trying to say something stern, but in the end, he only spoke softly: “…Even if you contact me, I won’t hate you. We only broke up due to practical reasons, it’s not because I stopped having feelings for you.”

He spoke in a low voice, so quiet that Alina almost could not hear him.

“Really?”

The young man’s voice sounded happy.

The man had already turned his head, not daring to look at the young man.

The situation between them stiffened again, which made Alina anxious. She watched, wishing she could push the two forward herself.

—Until the young man lifted the man’s hand and placed a small, furry object in it.

The man looked puzzled and turned back, seeing a small, red, furry—persimmon?

Alina was immediately captivated by the small, furry persimmon.

It was exquisitely made. The texture of the fur and the way it compressed when touched proved how good it felt.

Even the reddish fruit and green leaves were perfectly saturated, just right.

“This is handmade. I used the hair of the Nebula Star squirrel. Each follicle produces nearly 500 hairs. Although millions of hairs may not mean much to you, this was the best material I could find.”

The young man spoke with relief, looking directly into the man’s eyes with a smile.

“…I prepared this gift when I came to the capital. I thought I might never get to give it to you.”

“Fortunately, I still managed to give it to you.”

Alina: “…”

Wait, that little country bumpkin actually knew how to flirt?

Alina really hadn’t expected that the little country bumpkin was like this in private.

She watched as Lord Semos had just looked at the little country bumpkin with a face full of sarcasm, but after a few words, his gaze at the little country bumpkin became dazed.

—He even gave the little country bumpkin the names of several suppliers within his sphere of influence.

The little country bumpkin didn’t feel embarrassed at all, he accepted them openly and then gave Lord Semos a hug.

“We’ll still be friends, right?”

The little country bumpkin asked hopefully.

—Lord Semos immediately nodded his head like the cuckoo in an antique clock.

However, this time Alina rarely disparaged the little country bumpkin, because…

Even she and her friends found it a bit hard to resist.

“Although their statuses don’t match, since the little country bumpkin seems sincere, if the Marshal were to make a fuss in front of His Majesty, I wouldn’t mind saying a few words in his favor,” Alina thought awkwardly.

But when she looked up again, she saw a man in military uniform standing beside Lord Semos.

Alina recognized him, he was the assistant assigned by the Marshal to Lord Semos, specifically to prevent the Marshal’s son from being deceived.

Sure enough, he soon began analyzing what Ye Wangxing’s purpose was this time, and whether the gift he gave to Lord Semos was meant to provoke his emotions to obtain those suppliers names.

Lord Semos expression grew dark and unclear.

Alina slightly worried for the little country bumpkin.

She felt the little country bumpkin’s feelings might be genuine, after all, she believed that no matter the benefit, he would never spend millions on a fur for a man.

“…Alright, I understand, Cliff.”

But Lord Semos didn’t seem to want to discuss the topic further, he merely said coldly to his subordinate.

Yet the subordinate excitedly said more, irritating Lord Semos, who frowned and waved his hand.

“I know Ye Wangxing is after my money, my connections. I know he has other motives. I will test all his motives. I have my own rhythm, don’t interfere.”

Lord Semos words seemed to calm the subordinate, who stopped talking. But Alina worried about Ye Wangxing.

If the little country bumpkin knew that his sincerity was misunderstood like this…

Alina couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic.

—Then she saw Lord Semos ask his subordinate to bring a hard, transparent box.

In front of the subordinate, he carefully placed the persimmon inside.

Alina thought: “…”

Is this your “rhythm,” Lord?

After Alina finished recounting, most people in the private room stayed silent for a long time, seemingly shocked by Lord Semos’ so-called “rhythm.”

Finally, Ye Bai spoke first, astonished:“Wait, Lord Semos was persuaded so quickly?”

“Who knows? I genuinely decided to help that pair of lovers, but now I’ve become the clown.”

Alina thought about how one person in the beautiful scene just now turned to someone else, and she felt angry.

—Then, in her anger, she asked everyone else what they had seen.

“I saw Prince Janus on the balcony, but they had the shield on, so I couldn’t hear the sound. I only saw Prince Janus initially with a stiff face, but after Ye Wangxing said a few words and took out a thick blanket, placing it in Prince Janus arms, he smiled.”

The boy spoke weakly, clearly just as stunned as Alina.

He couldn’t understand it. Prince Janus was His Majesty’s younger brother! How could he allow himself to be led around like that, yet still act interested in someone else?

And wasn’t Prince Janus too easy to fool?

“The same thing happened with Count Unobert. I saw it from the terrace of the Sky Garden. Originally, the richest man was still in control. Ye Wangxing almost got him onto the bed, but when he put a box of fruit in his hands, he only dared to hug him.”

The girl also said it in weak tone, clearly unable to comprehend it. Even though Count Unobert didn’t have a royal brother like Prince Janus, he was the empire’s wealthiest man! How could he be so easily fooled?

Ye Bai listened more and more, finding the process familiar: “Ye Wangxing behaved the same with . He was originally very angry, but after Ye Wangxing slipped a ring onto his hand, he calmed down temporarily.”

Then Ye Bai added: “But was better—at least he kissed him.”

Immediately, Ye Bai received angry glares from everyone.

At that moment, a weak voice spoke: “Everyone, now is not the time for gossip. I’ve wanted to say this for a long time.”

The crowd turned to her. She swallowed nervously and spoke with a trembling voice: “If we discovered these four’s secrets, and they found out that we knew, after they handled Ye Wangxing…”

—Would they deal with us too?

The young masters and ladies turned pale immediately.

They realized one thing: Was this level of scandal something they could handle?

Any one of these four could influence policy in the entire empire.

If one of them accidentally let something slip while dealing with Ye Wangxing and became angry, they could be exiled to another planet!

Or even the same rural planet the little country bumpkin came from.

But now they couldn’t solve this by avoiding it, they had to review everything from the start and confirm the situation before deciding their next steps.

…It wasn’t that they were planning to die and just wanted to enjoy the scandal first.

“So, how exactly did Ye Wangxing get involved with those four?”

Ye Bai asked in confusion.

He had no time to think about Woden, nor to mourn his twisted love, he just wanted to know how Ye Wangxing got involved with the four.

“They didn’t even speak at the banquet!”

A boy with delicate features said in disbelief.

The other young masters and ladies nodded while recalling the banquet.

Today’s banquet was a social season event, mostly attended by young people, even Crown Prince Woden came.

As the son of the finance minister, Ye Bai was naturally invited.

However, he approached Woden like a sycophant, which the finance minister and his wife were used to, and then began socializing with other officials.

As for the Ye family’s eldest son who came with them, he was mocked as a country bumpkin by the nobility. They let him roam freely to meet friends.

‘But now it seems he made friends—but what kind of friends, I don’t know,’ Alina thought, recalling the meeting scene.

“Wait, I think I saw Ye Wangxing talk to Prince Janus.”

Alina said, still a bit shocked.

“But Prince Janus only glanced at Ye Wangxing and rolled his eyes subtly. He didn’t talk to him!”

Others then remembered what they saw at the banquet. People kept changing, only Ye Wangxing remained constant.

“I thought he was promoting his little company, which is why those big shots didn’t speak to him, but now it seems…”

The young masters and ladies noticed a faint blush on their faces.

They thought he was promoting, but he was secretly meeting those four big shots.

“But it can’t be possible, right? I only went out for an hour. You must have seen it when you went to find me. He couldn’t have met four people in just one hour!”

Ye Bai said incredulously.

Alina said with a complicated expression: “Actually, with tight timing, it’s possible.”

After all, her own mother did that with her lovers.

But… how tight was that timing?

Ye Bai walked out of the private room in a daze, still thinking about the scene, missing Woden standing to his right, and walked past him.

Woden found it incredible. He frowned and asked his friends: “What game is Ye Bai playing this time? Playing hard to get?”

Woden’s old friends shrugged, saying: “Who knows? But this time he played it pretty well.”

He wasn’t unsympathetic to Ye Bai, he just did too many crazy things. Using self-harm to get Woden’s attention wasn’t new to him.

Although he behaved after being punished by the finance minister, he eventually learned to play hard to get with Woden, pretending not to care while waiting for Woden to console him.

However, his acting was usually poor, and he often comforted himself in a week, so the trick never worked on Woden.

The old friend said this, and Woden controlled his suspicion, but still sent a message to Ye Bai, inviting him to a party in a week.

‘At least he’s the fiancé, sometimes you need to give some face’ Woden thought, then ignored his small panic and flirted with a boy nearby.

Ye Bai didn’t notice Woden’s thoughts, he arrived at the lounge door and saw Ye Wangxing working on the light brain.

Ye Bai sat down beside Ye Wangxing, not noticing the product images on the light brain looked familiar.

He just studied Ye Wangxing carefully, as if meeting him for the first time.

‘How did he manage four men’s situations in one hour?’

Ye Bai thought in shock.

‘—And none of them noticed!’

Years ago, the finance minister had already realized that their current position was very dangerous, the next Emperor would definitely not use them. So they left their eldest son with Old Madam Ye in the countryside, hoping to leave their family a backup plan.

Unfortunately, Woden’s ruthlessness exceeded everyone’s imagination. Even Old Madam Ye in the countryside was executed under a fabricated charge, let alone the original owner of the body.

Ye Wangxing sighed as he thought about this.

In fact, after interacting with Ye Bai these past few days, as long as it didn’t involve Woden, he behaved normally. He wasn’t like in other novels where fake heiresses or fake young masters schemed and plotted from the start.

He was simply spoiled, acted without considering consequences, and, due to his romantic obsession involving Woden, often caused trouble for his friends. But Ye Bai’s parents, busy with work, only compensated and perhaps scolded him lightly—they never disciplined him strictly.

This eventually led to major problems.

It ruined the whole family.

Ye Wangxing didn’t know how to handle Ye Bai at first. He ultimately decided to seize attention first and then keep a close eye on Woden.

After all, everything started with Woden, he was the real culprit.

Thinking this, Ye Wangxing casually opened the task panel.

[Task Panel]
Name: [Ye Wangxing]
Gender: [Male]
Age: [24]
Current Role: [Ye Family Eldest Son]
Attention Value: [287,794]
Mini World Currency: [20,233,635]
Gold (transferable to real world): [15,100g]
Main Quest: [Capture protagonist attention]
Progress: [0%]
Reward: [150,000 Attention Value]

Side Quest:
Quest 1: [Disrupt public humiliation of protagonist by male lead]
Progress: [60%]
Reward: [Attention 4000, 3 000 000 Mini World Currency, 2000g gold]
Quest 2: [Disrupt protagonist being slandered by secretary and pushed into pool by male lead]
Progress: [0%]
Reward: [Attention 4000, 3 000 000 Mini World Currency, 2500g gold]

Ye Wangxing looked at the amount of gold calmly.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like gold, humans simply had no concept of money beyond their understanding, and without a concept, he felt no emotion.

—If these gold amounts were converted into half a luxury apartment in Shenzhen or a tenth of a Beijing courtyard, his eyes would have sharpened immediately.

For now, he only noted that this task reward was roughly the same as last time, the total attention value for completing tasks had increased.

【The last task wasn’t completed yet. Naturally, the protagonist could appear by Woden at any time and be humiliated.】

Ye Wangxing felt a headache and said to 19:【Yes, but Ye Bai is now walking toward the door. He received messages from his friends and plans to see the surprise they prepared, and Woden is at the door with a new female companion.】

【He changed companions four times tonight, right? Half male, half female—he’s pretty gender-equal, huh?】

【Host, he has changed again, but fortunately Ye Bai seems focused on the surprise at the door and hasn’t noticed.】

19 spoke flatly, but his system was fully engaged, taking advantage of the host’s over-1.9-meter tall body to block Ye Bai’s view.

By the time Woden noticed something was wrong because Ye Bai hadn’t approached, Ye Bai had already reached the door. Woden wouldn’t go after Ye Bai, so he just stood in the hall, drinking miserably.

Woden didn’t know why, but he felt things were slipping out of his control.

This feeling had started a week ago, but he had no way to address it.

‘But this feeling has lasted a week with nothing happening, it must be my illusion,’ Woden thought.

He didn’t see that Ye Bai stood at the door for a moment and then excitedly walked in another direction.

Then two important people in the room moved.

When Ye Bai reached the door, he waited for his friends, who were supposed to have prepared a surprise.

—But who knew why they were sneaking around in the grass by the door?

Ye Bai almost had a heart attack when he heard sounds from the grass. He thought it was some urban legend and nearly triggered emergency protocols.

Turning, he saw pairs of colorful eyes in the grass, almost screaming—but Alina jumped out and covered his mouth.

She greeted the staff, who smiled politely and pretended not to see them.

The staff had been at the manor long enough, seeing young masters and ladies playing like a battle royale didn’t faze them.

Ye Bai also trusted that if these young people threatened other guests, the staff would quickly call security robots to restrain them.

But…

“Why are you here? You almost scared me to death. And why are you hiding? Didn’t you say there’s a surprise?”

Ye Bai asked incredulously.

Alina shushed him and whispered: “The surprise is right behind you.”

Ye Bai turned and immediately joined his friends group, stepping into the grass and crouching.

—He hid in the grass too.

The reason…

They had seen the protagonist of today’s gossip arrive at the door.

There he was, playing with a red plush persimmon, clearly attached to it—the cat-eyed man. Ye Bai recalled what he had said to his subordinate: ‘—I have my own rhythm!’

The rhythm looked unique.

Ye Mu Baittered in his mind, but before he finished, another man walked out the door, making everyone hold their breath to avoid being heard.

The man wore a custom-tailored suit and exuded old aristocratic elegance. It was hard to imagine he was the lowest-ranking titled man here.

His black hair was neatly combed back, and his golden eyes looked somewhat casual.

…The delicate, cute porcelain box in his hand looked a bit out of place with his suit.

By rank, this man was a count. For these young masters and ladies, it was respectable but common.

Yet they looked at him as if seeing the Emperor, mouths agape in disbelief.

“Why is Count Unobert here? He must have discovered the situation, right?”

Alina whispered, her fear lingering.

The others nodded, frightened, watching the two, careful not to alert them.

Fortunately, the two seemed unaware that a few meters away, people hid in the grass. Out of politeness, they greeted each other.

“Lord Unobert,” the cat-eyed man said perfunctorily, still playing with the plush persimmon, acting distant.

Ye Bai and the others relaxed, knowing Lord Semos was normally like this, what they saw earlier was unusual. This proved his normalcy.

Count Unobert nodded and smiled politely.

Being a businessman, he treated others with customary courtesy, unlike Lord Semos, who often kept people at a distance.

Today, however, the golden-eyed tycoon slightly broke decorum, opening the porcelain box and eating a heart-shaped fruit.

“Is this a new variety from your research institute? It looks good,” Lord Semos said, curious, seemingly liking the fruit.

Those hiding in the grass held their breath, worried, but…

“No, those guys only study cold machinery, it was a family gift,” the golden-eyed man said, squinting and smiling.

His voice carried a hint of pride.

“I didn’t expect he would have my research institute study this and even invest, just to grow naturally heart-shaped fruit.”

“The price is a bit high. Such mutants are hard to stabilize genetically and take time to mass-produce. I need to compensate him a bit so his small treasury isn’t drained.”

The golden-eyed man rarely spoke this much, wearing a slightly troubled but obviously proud expression.

It was as childish as a kindergartener showing off a toy, but his happiness was genuine.

The cat-eyed man pouted, not looking at the fruit with contempt—but at the golden-eyed man himself.

‘You? Who would go to such lengths for you?’

Lord Semos almost wrote this on his face, and those hiding in the grass saw it.

But Semos’ thought was understandable. Even as the richest, Lord Unobert could be criticized despite his business skill.

Sitting in such a high position, besides being in the right place, he had to be tougher than others.

Seeing such a pure-hearted side from him today was shocking.

—The truth made those hiding in the grass squirm.

Awkward, extremely awkward.

Fortunately, Count Unobert seemed unaware of the people hiding a few meters away and politely praised the plush persimmon.

“…Which brand made this custom piece? It looks beautiful.”

The cat-eyed man seemed to have regained some ground, forcing his lips into a controlled smile and saying calmly: “My boyfriend gave it to me. He sewed it himself.”

The tycoon raised his eyebrows in surprise.

‘Which family’s child is blind? They actually like you?’

But he still said aloud: “Seems like your boyfriend really loves you.”

The cat-eyed man’s lips twitched, barely keeping composure.

“Indeed. He’s just too silly—he spent over a million just to buy the fur of a chestnut mouse to make this little persimmon. He said the fur felt nice. I need to transfer him more money when I can, he isn’t wealthy, and his company just started.”

He raised his chin arrogantly, but the love in his eyes overflowed when he looked at the little persimmon.

Count Unobert didn’t show his thoughts outwardly, simply smiling and complimenting the persimmon.

Meanwhile, those hiding in the grass felt as though days passed like years.

They genuinely feared the two would notice them and trace back their presence.

Luckily, even though one wasn’t particularly cunning, both had been shaped by the marshal’s household, so when the convoy finally arrived to pick them up, neither discovered anything specific.

When Ye Bai saw the two finally board the flying car and the convoys sped off in different directions, he finally exhaled in relief.

But looking down at his light brain, only two minutes had passed.

“…If the gift wasn’t real, I’d start feeling embarrassed for them,” Alina muttered, stretching but keeping her voice low.

The others nodded in agreement. With their eyes, they could tell it wasn’t cheap.

Ye Bai, who had always felt overshadowed by his brother in front of friends, straightened up.

“Of course. Even if someone in the Ye family is a bit fickle, they would never give a gift using cheap materials. The material and investment are genuine. That explains why Ye Wangxing had so much liquidity recently—my father got asked about it,” Ye Bai said proudly.

His friends nodded along but soon realized something was off.

—Wait, they were misled.

The gift cost a fortune, yes, but did any of these people care about money?

“Love goes where money goes! Giving money doesn’t always mean you love them, but not giving money definitely means you don’t” Ye Bai argued reasonably.

Alina and the others thought: Aren’t you usually clearer-headed???

She readied herself to counter Ye Bai’s argument, but then movement came from the door, forcing them to crouch down again.

Under the cover of night, as long as the staff didn’t notice, no one could see them.

But soon, they sensed something was wrong.

Hadn’t the two already left?

They looked at each other, feeling like brown cartoon mice, when the door sounds grew louder, turning into a mocking voice.

“—So the prince was won over by a cashmere blanket, wanting to give away all his wealth?”

The hiders quickly covered their mouths again upon seeing two figures appear at the door.

‘Why, after the first two left, did Prince Janus and General Ortas show up?’

A blond man with deep green eyes appeared, a sardonic smirk on his lips.

His handsome face, coupled with the formal uniform, couldn’t hide his imposing physique, the sash of his military uniform stretched over his chest impressively.

Yet those deep green eyes reminded one of a forest-dwelling constrictor—cold and deadly.

On his well-defined index finger, he wore a snake-shaped ring.

Golden, with two small green gemstones, the craftsmanship and design made the ring look stylish rather than old-fashioned, impressing the young masters hiding nearby.

“You’re no different. That person only gave you a 10-gram gold ring, and you started having your aide draft a marriage proposal? I heard you don’t even want a prenup,” another blond man with icy blue eyes appeared, retorting sarcastically.

The blue-eyed prince’s eyes resembled glacial water, cold yet in his youthful presence evoking the summer ocean.

Though less physically imposing than General Ortas, he compensated with age and energy. Janus was only 19.

But this also weakened his ability to argue, halfway through, he began to defend himself.

“That isn’t an ordinary cashmere blanket. It comes from highland goats of Olain planet. He worked hard to get the wool and wove the blanket himself. Though there are some holes, he made it personally,” Janus defended his beloved.

“Oh, really?”

General Ortas nearly broke his composure, but restrained himself, asking calmly: “Then what’s the story with your ring?”

Janus, holding the delicate, cute bag, appeared slightly childish compared to his composed expression.

He expected a lengthy defense, but…

General Ortas casually lifted his ringed finger.

“Just talk. Who doesn’t? But this isn’t an ordinary ring. He operated a mining robot to extract hundreds of pounds of ore from a gold mine and personally forged this ring. The video evidence is already edited.”

Janus blinked at the icy-blue eyes, a little dazed, then shouted: “…Then you’re just like me!”

Janus’ childish bickering entertained the onlookers.

They had always known Janus and Ortas didn’t get along—Janus believed his martial prowess unmatched, and as a rising mecha genius, he equaled Ortas’ records.

Thus, they normally ignored each other, but today’s sarcastic exchanges were unprecedented.

Ye Bai thought in his mind: Ye Wangxing, you truly are a wicked man.

As he pondered, the two men left, childish as ever, hiding their gifts from each other.

“Tsk tsk tsk, Ye Bai, can you ask your brother how he did it? These four are going crazy over him,” Alina said, admiration in her tone. Seeing all four broad-shouldered, slim-waisted men before her changed her feelings from earlier despair.

She somewhat understood her mother’s happiness.

Her friends also changed their minds.

“So, who will win in the end? I vote for General Ortas—look at his build and strong attitude, the little landowner definitely can’t withstand him.”

“I think Count Unobert is more likely, he’s rich—the Emperor’s treasury, even the finance minister must approve,” another said.

“I vote for Lord Semos, his eyes are really beautiful, they made my heart flutter.”

“You like girls, don’t you? But judging by eyes, I think Prince Janus can win. His eyes are famous, same as the Emperor’s, just different temperament.”

Amid their discussion, Ye Bai snapped, hitting them with the truth.

“Why are you even picking sides? Shouldn’t my brother decide himself? As if you even had a chance.”

His friends were speechless.

Alina rolled up her sleeves silently.

“I think you’re asking for a beating!”

By the time Ye Bai returned home, fully healed by the medical robots, it was night.

Ye Wangxing, exhausted from dating four men in one night, yawned and entered his room.

His father, the finance minister, was still on a video conference, his mother was on a business trip to a remote planet.

Ye Bai decided to wait until the next morning to tell his father what he saw at the banquet.

But before he could speak, notifications appeared on his light brain—promotions from Ye Wangxing’s small company.

Each family member had downloaded one to support him.

Ye Bai was about to move it aside, but reading the text, his eyes widened.

‘Social banquet-themed plush persimmon and wool blanket! Only 19.9 now! What are you waiting for? Act fast!’

 

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