ABRIWMTHM Chapter 28

Tan Yan was momentarily stunned, “?”

Yun Wu had business to attend to, so she asked Tan Yan to turn off the communicator; she had something to say to him.

What she wanted to talk about was Shi Xing’s matching with others.

Yun Wu: “I know the thoughts you had when you came. The family has prepared in every possible way. The current outcome is something no one expected, but…”

Upon hearing this, Tan Yan felt a bit dejected.

Yun Wu noticed the change in her younger brother’s mood and slowed her voice, “It might not be a bad thing.”

Tan Yan: “?”

Tan Yan: “Sister, what are you talking about?”

“Could this possibly be a good thing?”

“You know what brother’s situation is like. Over the years, you’ve tried everything, but because of the rank difference, it has been difficult…”

Mentioning Tan Chi wiped away his earlier indignation, leaving Tan Yan’s eyes momentarily red. Afraid that Yun Wu would notice, he averted his gaze awkwardly, fell silent for a moment, then wiped his face and said, “Sister, I feel so useless.”

Shi Xing’s rank is so high.

The key point is, even if he gets rated as an SS-level therapist after his maturity period, his [Mental Power Mildness/Piercing Degree] is at the SSS level, which means, at this very moment in the Nest, he already possesses that SSS level. This indicates that regardless of whether Shi Xing ends up as an SS or SSS rated therapist, his mental power would definitely dive deep into the mental sea of a 3S-level officer.

And his older brother Tan Chi, before having problems, was a 3S-level officer…

There couldn’t be a more suitable therapist for Tan Chi than Shi Xing, and it was clear that if only he could successfully…

Instead, he messed it up.

Yun Wu understood what Tan Yan was thinking. The four siblings in the Tan family were extroverted, but they had a nuanced relationship; they were united and had a good family bond. She felt fortunate to be part of such a family.

Yun Wu patted Tan Yan on the shoulder, “Don’t think like that. Fate is something beyond our control.”

“Xiao Yan, you’re doing great. It’s just that Shi Xing and you are not fated to be together.”

“Furthermore, what I said isn’t a bad thing; it’s also the concern of our parents. An A-level Blue Star human’s maturity period is already hard to sustain. An SS+ level, the pressure on the Tan family can only increase, not decrease.”

“In a military family, there is typically only one therapist; it’s rare to have a second one. Think about it, is it because they don’t want it?”

Yun Wu redirected the topic with a question. Tan Yan understood her intention and lowered his head to respond softly, “Because after the matching, during the maturity period, not only will the Blue Star human face the dangers of their maturity period, the leader assigned to them will too; retrieving beast cores, for S-level and above, especially SS or SSS level, must entail leading a team to kill the star beasts on site to retrieve them for the other side.”

Not to mention, encountering mutated star beasts can be exceptionally tricky.

Fei Chu is a living example; fortunately, he was treated in time, or else he would have become trash.

But more military officers haven’t had such good luck in actual combat with high-level mutated star beasts.

Like his older brother Tan Chi.

Yun Wu spoke softly, “Also, there’s the risk of our mental power leaking during the maturity period, which can attract star beasts. There was an instance with your second brother… we almost didn’t make it back. Do you remember how worried our parents were?”

“If it weren’t for brother’s situation, our parents actually wouldn’t want to let you match with a Blue Star human anymore. With me around, normal medical care isn’t a problem; and for you and your younger sister, although they haven’t said it, your second brother and I both know that no matter how things go, what they truly wish for as parents is for you both to be healthy and happy.”

“Even if you don’t bring back Shi Xing, from another perspective, there will be less worry about your safety in the future. As for this outcome, there must be regret, but disappointment, definitely not.”

The Tan family is already considered good among matched families.

At the same time, there are military families where Blue Star humans and their children die together during the maturity period at the claws of star beasts. Such families are not few; the despair and pain they experience are directly reflected in the fact that even if they can still apply for a match, no family is willing any longer.

No one wants to experience the pain of losing a child twice.

As the topic shifted, Yun Wu continued, “What I wanted to tell you also relates to brother. Didn’t our mother prepare some high-quality crystals to replace low-level beast cores for Shi Xing before? Your second brother and I discussed it. This batch of crystals will be sent to Ancheng, along with another S-level beast core, as a gift to Shi Xing when we leave.”

Yun Wu: “After sending the gift, our mother will invite Shi Xing to the Northern Territory. Of course, it’s highly likely he will decline.”

Shi Xing has just entered the maturity period; it’s expected that His Highness wouldn’t let him deal with someone as troublesome as Tan Chi right off the bat.

“But anyway, we’ve sent our goodwill, and when the time is right, we can extend an invitation again; he won’t be able to turn it down.”

Tan Yan was slow to realize that this gift was already building connections for future treatment.

Yun Wu: “Since we’re requesting the other party’s assistance, regardless of what your friends in the group say, you must not have any conflicts with Shi Xing and the others. If you think you didn’t put in enough effort regarding brother’s matter, then at such a time, you definitely cannot drop the ball.”

“Do you understand?”

Tan Yan quickly grasped the pros and cons and nodded in agreement.

After mentally preparing her younger brother, Yun Wu said, “Call home; our parents want to see you, and brother wants to see you too. Don’t blame yourself; no one blames you.”

Tan Yan felt a tightening in his throat again and nodded.

He promised, “Shi Xing already said that if he doesn’t choose me, he will still prioritize my medical requests in the future. Sister, I won’t act impulsively. When I see Shi Xing again, I will speak to him properly and present this gift well.”

Yun Wu smiled.

When Shi Xing arrived at Chi Yao’s residence in Ancheng and stepped off the battleship, he looked at the expansive green garden in front of him, feeling slightly dazed. Chi Yao noticed and raised his hand, “Hey, back here.”

Shi Xing lifted his chin and saw a building behind the garden. It wouldn’t be accurate to say it was larger than the palace he’d seen in his previous life, but compared to the scattered villas built in Ancheng, it was certainly not small.

“This…” Shi Xing was momentarily speechless.

“Is it too big? But there were various considerations taken during construction.”

Before Shi Xing could respond, Chi Yao began explaining as if he could read his thoughts.

“The exterior is landscaped, and inside there are lawns spacious enough to park the mother ship.”

Fu Qing held up two fingers confidently, “Two ships!”

Chi Yao: “Yes, one at the front, one at the back; that’s why the landscaping needs to be extensive.”

Domestic robots had already hurriedly brought the luggage down from the battleship. Once Xu Jin set them up, they sped off towards the residence.

Fu Qing: “Inside, there are training rooms and multiple operational simulation rooms. Every time His Highness comes to Ancheng, he finds it troublesome and doesn’t visit here. Previously, we lived entirely in the Nest, and I heard there’s a holographic simulation room. It was built using the latest technology back then; oh, it’s a pity we never got to stay there, but the technology has already been upgraded since then.”

Chi Yao: “Well, this time, make sure to use all the facilities. I’ll give you missions tomorrow.”

Fu Qing: “…” Oops, I talked too much!

Shi Xing seized upon the key phrase, “Wait, construction, this place is…”

Pointing to the battleship as it closed, Xu Jin also came over, “Yes, this was a project assigned by the Elders Council for construction in Ancheng. I even came to supervise and inspect back then. I was worried that members of the royal family would come and stay here, so multiple guest rooms were built.”

Oh, Your Majesty…

Internally repeating Chi Yao’s identity, Shi Xing said, “Forgive me for appearing so inexperienced.”

His sincere words made Chi Yao chuckle, patting Shi Xing’s back, “Not a big deal; you’ll get used to it. The Elders Council loves to show off and waste resources; you’ll understand it better in due time. Come on, let’s go inside.”

The building looked large from outside, but upon entering, Shi Xing felt as though he had fallen into Alice’s rabbit hole, finding everything new and unfamiliar, nothing he had ever seen before.

Xu Jin and Fu Qing were very kind; the former didn’t rush him, even explaining and introducing things to him. The latter made him feel less lonely, echoing his “wow” and “ah” exclamations, letting him know he wasn’t the only one who had never seen such a place.

Finally, they settled into rooms on the second floor in the central part of the building. The rooms, like those in the Nest, were adjacent to one another, but due to Chi Yao’s unstable mental power, his room was separated further from theirs.

The larger luggage arrived first, and once it did, the robots had unpacked it and organized everything neatly. Entering the rooms felt clean and fully equipped for living.

Seeing Shi Xing’s curiosity, Xu Jin led him and Fu Qing to stroll through the entire building. After their walk, Chi Yao had already washed up, wearing pajamas and sitting in the living room, waiting for everyone to return.

The deep blue silk satins, with no patterns for comfort, and seeing Chi Yao dressed like this for the first time, Shi Xing had just been joking with Xu Jin and Fu Qing one moment, and the next moment he was caught off guard by Chi Yao’s gaze, frozen in place.

After two seconds of Shi Xing not moving, Chi Yao asked, “Why are you suddenly dazed?”

Shi Xing: “…”

Feeling inexplicably heated in his ears, Shi Xing waved his hands hurriedly, “N-no, no, it’s not that, I…”

Chi Yao just stared at Shi Xing, not giving him an escape, and under the pressure of Chi Yao’s gaze, Shi Xing whispered, “I think I’ve never seen you like this before.”

His smile felt awkward even to himself.

Yet, this made Chi Yao lower his head and chuckle softly.

It was a shallow smile, hardly noticeable under the dim light, but it inexplicably bridged the distance between the two.

It felt as if Chi Yao was someone in his life.

Xu Jin couldn’t watch anymore, “Alright, Your Highness, don’t tease Shi Xing.”

After saying that, he pushed Shi Xing’s shoulder, helping him escape, “You’re tired after walking around; go wash up, change into some clean clothes, and come back out. Typically, we have our own activities at night; you’ll get used to it.”

“Oh.”

After washing up that evening, everyone sat in the living room for a while, chatting casually. Xu Jin asked, “Your Highness, I’ve considered it; royal etiquette and some basic history, Shi Xing needs to learn this before we return to the Imperial Capital, ideally starting tomorrow.”

Chi Yao nodded, “Sure, there are some basics that should be taught.”

Shi Xing sat obediently, not feeling anything unusual; he had anticipated this scene before making his choice.

Xu Jin reported the schedule, which Shi Xing couldn’t read or understand, just nodding along. Chi Yao glanced at it, crossed out two items, and suddenly said, “Uncle Xu, did you forget the most important thing?”

Xu Jin: “?”

“When we return to the Imperial Capital, members of the Elders Council will come. They won’t need to interview for these past few years, so shouldn’t you clarify the royal surname and its origin first?”

Xu Jin: “Oh right, I forgot. I’ll add that; let’s treat the surname as the first lesson.”

Fu Qing looked at Shi Xing with a pitying gaze and shook his head, thinking, poor child.

That night before going to bed, just as Shi Xing was about to enter his room, he called out to Chi Yao, and at that moment, they were the only two in the corridor.

Chi Yao raised an eyebrow as Shi Xing leaned against the doorframe and smiled, “Good night, Your Highness.”

His sea-blue eyes were clear, the ends upturned like a gentle reminder of a sunlit, breezy shoreline.

Chi Yao’s eyebrows softened, returning the sentiment in another way, “Sweet dreams, little friend.”

As Fu Qing had predicted, the following days, Shi Xing learned until he was dizzy, staring blankly.

Starting with the hardest topics was definitely true; the royal surname was long, with a complex history. So many within their ranks stumbled trying to remember everything; for Shi Xing to memorize it all, how could he keep the sparkle in his eyes?

Just this subject alone took two days to learn. On the third day, Chi Yao canceled all of Shi Xing’s classes.

He was afraid that studying would overwhelm Shi Xing.

“Take a day off; we’re going back to the Nest tomorrow. I don’t want our supervisor thinking we’re maltreating children.”

Shi Xing, in a daze, protested, “It won’t happen.”

Chi Yao sighed, “Look in the mirror and say that?”

Fu Qing kindly provided a mirror, and upon seeing himself, Shi Xing felt like he was almost unrecognizable. Touching beneath his eyes, he wondered, “What’s with the dark circles?”

“You have night classes, Shi Xing; you probably didn’t have this much learning load in the Nest, right?”

Shi Xing sluggishly recalled, “I think I only attended half-day classes before?”

Blue Star humans’ physical conditioning wasn’t that good, and education was notably relaxed for them.

Xu Jin looked at him fondly, “Take a break today. No rush; don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

“It’s impossible to eat a whole big fat man in one bite; we’ll adapt slowly.”

Shi Xing mulled over this for a couple of seconds and nodded.

This state made Chi Yao, Xu Jin, and Fu Qing all speechless for a moment, feeling that the decision to take a break was wise.

They truly feared the child would risk his life studying.

Time passed quickly, and on the day they were to return to the Nest, due to Chi Yao’s special status, he and Shi Xing were the first group leaving. The supervisor also arranged for them to return on the first day.

This logical arrangement led to five military officers, struggling fruitlessly to find Shi Xing’s supervisor, including Lu Lu, guessing on this day and boldly infiltrating the Nest, wanting to see whom Shi Xing had chosen as his superior.

However, before Lu Lu could enter the Nest, he was knocked unconscious by a wave of mental power.

Within two seconds, a woman holding a parasol appeared, her red lips gently parting, “I apologize for troubling you to come out for this child.”

The one who knocked Lu Lu out revealed himself as a military officer, “Your Highness, you’re too kind.”

Tan Shao instructed the servants behind her, “Come, take the young master back. When he wakes up, tell him it was my decision, and let him wait for me to return.”

The military officer was stunned, “Your Highness, are you …?”

Tan Shao: “I have an appointment with the supervisor; today I need to visit the Nest again.”

Tan Shao: “Time is pressing; I’ll treat you well when you come to the Imperial Capital, but I must excuse myself for now.”

The military officer smiled and watched as the servants carried Lu Lu back to the spaceship. Once the cabin door closed, Tan Shao nodded to the military officer, gracefully striding away in her red-soled high heels, leaving an air of elegance and reserve.

In contrast to the straightforward Tan Shao, the other five military officers were more sneaky.

“Is it really okay? Can we open the defense shield?”

Someone whispered from within the bushes.

Tan Yan gritted his teeth and responded, “Don’t rush! With my 3S-level mental power, how could I possibly not open it?!”

“Wait, don’t be too vigorous. My second brother taught me, we need to slowly pry it open, so the alarm doesn’t go off.”

Guan Qun: “Is it possible, brother? If it isn’t working, don’t force it.”

Xiang He Ze interjected, “A man can’t say can’t.”

Tan Yan’s forehead was throbbing, and after holding it in, he remembered the main objective for today and didn’t turn back to argue with these guys who were no help and just troublemakers.

Moments passed, and Tan Yan declared, “Alright, who goes in first, ten meters straight ahead.”

Ge Ming: “I’ll go.”

As the five entered in succession, Ge Ming took out a monitoring map of the Nest that he had somehow received, employing all the anti-reconnaissance tactics he had learned in military school. He bent low, navigating through the bushes and running into three groups of staff before successfully infiltrating the main building of the Nest.

During the stealth operation, Tan Yan teamed up with Xiang He Ze and instinctively reminded him, “By the way, my sister said we shouldn’t have a conflict with Shi Xing and his people. I came here just to see who they are…”

After all, as the first two chosen, they knew each other longer, so after Shi Xing chose someone else, they felt even deeper empathy for each other.

Xiang He Ze was inherently not an impulsive person, “I know. There are people in my family who request Shi Xing’s treatment as well; I’m just here to take a look.”

After thinking it over, Xiang He Ze added, “Actually, I brought a gift with me to give to Shi Xing when I find out who he is.”

Tan Yan: “?”

Tan Yan couldn’t believe it and lowered his voice, “Didn’t you say that in the group yesterday?”

Xiang He Ze justified, “No conflict; meet Shi Xing’s supervisor first, doesn’t that sound fine?”

That’s a huge problem. If he brings out a gift, he is going as a congratulatory visitor; what about the rest of them?

This would make it seem like the other four who weren’t prepared with gifts were here to stir up trouble!

Tan Yan was speechless for a moment. Just as he was considering what to say, Ge Ming sent a message, 【I’ve found a spot, came in from here, brothers hurry.】

When the five reunited, Ge Ming pointed out a place and messaged the small group: 【I just saw Shi Xing! The supervisor is definitely with him, probably waiting for the supervisor to come. They’re waiting in that open small lounge at the front.】

Ge Ming: 【Who goes first?】

Xiang He Ze pointed to himself.

Tan Yan, pondering his impeccably crafted excuse, fell silent for a moment and nodded.

Xiang He Ze messaged: 【Follow my lead.】

Clearing his throat, Xiang He Ze proceeded, and four nervous heads poked out around the corner. The little group’s projection was a small space where it was difficult to communicate, so they resorted to typing and chatting.

Ge Ming: 【I’m oddly nervous.】

Pu Zhong Guang: 【Me too.】

Tan Yan: 【+1.】

Guan Qun: 【Not me; I’m pumped!】

The other three glanced at the youngest, Guan Qun, and shrugged him off to continue their chat.

Just then, the lookout Ge Ming exclaimed, 【Hmm? What does Xiang He Ze’s gesture mean? Why is he signaling us to withdraw?】

Hold on, yesterday no one mentioned this gesture! That’s a professional military signal; the agreed couple of signals were “send one brother,” “send two brothers,” and “all brothers charge; let’s fight!”—there were only those three!

Guan Qun: 【He’s not seeing friends or relatives, is he?】

The next moment, everyone turned their eyes to him.

Guan Qun: 【What’s going on?】

Tan Yan: 【Makes sense.】

Ge Ming: 【Reasonable.】

Pu Zhong Guang: 【Convincing.】

Guan Qun: 【Someone go check if he really is signaling us to retreat!】

Pu Zhong Guang leaned forward and scouted. A moment later, he messaged, 【No more hand signals; it seems like they’re chatting over there.】

Ge Ming: 【?】

Tan Yan: 【??】

Guan Qun: 【??! Let me see.】

Guan Qun’s message was even worse: 【I vaguely saw him smile.】

At that moment, everyone in the group had the same thought and typed out the same string of characters, 【……】

Ge Ming: 【No way, I feel like Guan Qun is right. Brothers, I’m charging in!】

Ge Ming: 【Not knowing who it is will keep me up at night.】

Ge Ming: 【Goodbye, everyone!】

No one managed to stop him before he dashed off, and after he went, the remaining three were left bewildered.

Wait, what the heck? Why did Ge Ming also give them the retreat signal?

Who was it? Could it be…

Guan Qun’s mind raced: 【Could it be a mutual friend of Ge Ming and Xiang He Ze?】

Tan Yan was activated as a detective: 【Both of their legions are stationed in the Imperial Capital.】

Pu Zhong Guang: 【I think you might have figured out what’s going on?】

Not long after, Pu Zhong Guang also went.

He still used the retreat signal, leaving the other two in utter confusion, staring at each other with bafflement.

Tan Yan: 【Is everyone under some spell?】

Guan Qun: 【Weren’t we all cursing yesterday after all?】

Guan Qun: 【I still wanted to challenge!】

Tan Yan suddenly thought about a point: 【Pu Zhong Guang is stationed in the Imperial Capital this year too, right?】

Guan Qun typed out the same thought, 【Are they colluding?】

Guan Qun: 【Disappointed, is there no pure friendship left in the world?!】

Tan Yan thought again and again, feeling an intense curiosity about who it was. The unified bizarre feedback from the three ultimately led him to conclude, 【Plastic brothers are unreliable; I’ll go take a look.】

Tan Yan dashed over.

Once he got there, Guan Qun stared at Tan Yan, who was hammering out the exact same retreat signal, and sneered.

Knew it; the whole group was plastic brothers, calling out “Big Brother” a few times wouldn’t change their nature.

No way, they all saw it; why did he get to withdraw? In his peripheral vision, he caught Tan Yan’s smile, which completely enraged Guan Qun; it turned out to be someone they all knew! This was too much!

Once Guan Qun boldly stepped into the brothers’ lineup, resigning himself to fate, he couldn’t help but angrily complain, “We totally didn’t agree on that hand signal yesterday!”

“Are you all so annoying? What’s the…”

After turning the corner, his vision cleared, and when he saw Chi Yao sitting up straight on the sofa, he momentarily blanked.

“Who…”

The last word was softly whispered, only audible to himself.

Chi Yao: “Major Guan has come too.”

Chi Yao: “What gesture?”

Guan Qun felt he might be going mad; his first reaction was to laugh, astonished that it truly was someone they all recognized, and not just them—he even knew him!

His second reaction was, how could it be His Highness?

His third reaction finally led him down the right track—ah, ah, ah, it’s His Highness!!!

Guan Qun was completely frozen.

Meanwhile, Xiang He Ze, who was ready to step up, despite the opportunity to turn the tide and change everyone’s fate, was still caught in the web woven by plastic brothers, inhaling a deep breath but being unable to exhale it.

He lightly closed his eyes, reflecting on how this situation must reflect an ancient proverb, right?

Truly—

The gourd baby saves grandpa, one comes and another goes!