ABRIWMTHM Chapter 21

Chi Yao was momentarily stunned. Under the dazzling display of fireworks, the smile on the man’s face faded, and his gaze toward Shi Xing gradually turned serious.

The surrounding atmosphere remained joyful and festive.

However, the harmonious atmosphere between the two suddenly dropped to freezing point, becoming frozen in time.

Shi Xing, already feeling somewhat nervous, felt his emotions rise to their peak under that silent gaze, his back slightly stiffened.

He didn’t even realize that his breathing had quickened, and his pupils dilated.

Chi Yao, who was staring at him, would not let these details escape him. Realizing that his gaze had lingered too long, he briefly glanced down before turning to move forward.

Shi Xing instinctively followed him. Unable to see Chi Yao’s expression, he heard the other man say, “Xu Jin sent you to ask, did he?”

His tone was flat, leaving no trace of emotion.

Taking a deep breath, Shi Xing replied in a lower voice, “No.”

“Then… I want to ask.”

He paused and firmly repeated, “I want to ask myself.”

Chi Yao did not respond.

After walking in silence for some time, Shi Xing felt anxious but dared not approach too recklessly to observe Chi Yao’s expression. He hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked, “Your Highness, are you angry?”

Chi Yao: “No.”

The response was incredibly quick, almost without thought.

It was so swift that it made Shi Xing think of two possibilities: one that he genuinely wasn’t angry, and the other being an instinctual denial out of embarrassment.

Shi Xing: “…”

After asking, he couldn’t gauge the situation any further, and it made him hesitant to speak up again.

Unable to discern the tone or see Chi Yao’s expression, Shi Xing felt uneasy as they moved step by step through the lively atmosphere.

Fortunately, Chi Yao soon spoke again, “Why are you asking this?”

Shi Xing quietly replied, “Curious?”

Before Chi Yao could probe further, he quickly added, “I just thought, given your status and position, you could easily have a Blue Star human by your side…”

“Isn’t that what most high-ranking military officers in the empire do? And with Major General Fei’s condition, it’s clear that your team should also have a need for Blue Star humans…”

Chi Yao suddenly stopped and turned around.

Shi Xing found himself speaking slower and quieter under the renewed scrutiny.

Facing Chi Yao’s gaze, it was clear that the other man was evaluating him; Shi Xing’s chest tightened for a moment, and although he couldn’t bring himself to meet the gaze, he forced himself not to look away.

Only those with ulterior motives would dodge; he simply found it difficult to face Chi Yao’s pressure head-on.

Especially in the silent stares, Shi Xing felt that Chi Yao’s eyes could see right through him, revealing his every thought unguarded before the other.

As seconds ticked by, the noisy background faded into a blur against his increasingly racing heartbeat. Just as Shi Xing contemplated retracting his questions for fear of being too intrusive, Chi Yao finally averted his gaze.

He confirmed that Shi Xing hadn’t lied.

Regardless of whether Shi Xing had other motives, his curiosity seemed genuine.

With a light exhale, Chi Yao’s intimidating aura dissipated in an instant.

Though his expression didn’t change much, Shi Xing could feel that as the pressure lifted, Chi Yao softened once more.

“Or the candy will melt.”

With that reminder, Chi Yao continued forward. Shi Xing stood there bewildered, and Chi Yao added, “What are you standing there for? Keep up.”

“Oh, okay.”

The once icy atmosphere slowly melted.

As Chi Yao walked, he suddenly remarked, “In the past, my family considered finding me a Blue Star human.”

His voice was deep and slow, carrying an unusual tone that Shi Xing hadn’t heard before, with a hint of an unfathomable sentiment.

“But unfortunately, there was never anyone of the right level to match.”

After a pause, Chi Yao softened his tone. “In the past, I suppose it was something they considered.”

Shi Xing blurted out, “Don’t you think about it now?”

After saying that, Chi Yao glanced back at him.

Having been directly looked at twice in one night, at the moment Chi Yao turned his head, Shi Xing’s heartbeat instinctively quickened, and he clenched his fingers at his side.

However, this glance didn’t seem to carry any special meaning; it merely swept over him before moving on.

Step by step, Chi Yao didn’t speak immediately, and Shi Xing was unsure if he would respond.

But Chi Yao eventually answered, and the response took Shi Xing by surprise.

“It’s not a matter of thinking or not.”

“After that most urgent period has passed, one wouldn’t consider it in daily life any longer.”

“To put it in an inappropriate example, an imperial political officer wouldn’t waste energy thinking about how to accumulate military achievements.”

With no suitable counterparts appearing for so long and after going through initial disappointment or regret, Chi Yao no longer regarded matching with Blue Star humans as a necessity in life.

His team could operate just fine without Blue Star humans; what was possible before could certainly be possible in the future.

Realizing this, Shi Xing tried to gather his thoughts, feeling he should say something… even if it might come off as clumsy or presumptuous…

However, this time, Chi Yao didn’t give him the chance. After finishing, he pointed to a nearby stall and said, “My throat’s dry; could you kindly buy me a bottle of water?”

Shi Xing dashed off to buy water.

When he finally held the water, swiping through the crystal coins, he suddenly grasped the deeper implication behind asking him to buy water—was His Highness trying to avoid further discussing that topic, deliberately creating a diversion?

He glanced at the paltry nine crystal coins spent on the communication device, and then at the half-eaten candy, recalling the similar pricing, and Shi Xing could only admit with some dismay that it was most likely so.

He realized that all this time, no one had made him spend any money.

With the earlier activities arranged by Fu Qing and Yun Wu, the game room’s coins were covered by Fu Qing. With Fu Qing gone, the candies were all bought using Chi Yao’s crystal coins…

Shi Xing: “…”

He had been careless.

By the time he returned, Fu Qing and Yun Wu had inexplicably found him, completely missing the opportunity to revisit that topic.

Fu Qing had caught up after taking care of some game coins, while Yun Wu had worried something had happened when they lingered too long and ended up running into Chi Yao.

Feeling somewhat disappointed, Shi Xing handed the water to Chi Yao.

Upon seeing his expression, Chi Yao let out a light chuckle.

Shi Xing was unsure if it meant what he thought it did…

Forget it; he didn’t want to know.

Numbly handing another bottle of water to Fu Qing, Shi Xing turned to buy two more bottles for himself and Yun Wu.

Before the matching banquet, it was the highest day for officers in Ancheng; the fireworks seemed abundant, lasting a solid half hour. Shi Xing watched the brilliant display from the premium viewing area, the best spot, and ate a fair amount of snacks.

He hadn’t spent a dime for these snacks.

Fu Qing had initially provided them. Shi Xing had selected them; if Fu Qing weren’t around, Chi Yao would gladly cover them.

The lowest-priced snacks and candies (though they were tiny) cost only three crystal coins.

Chi Yao was willing to help him pay even three crystal coins…

Shi Xing felt dejected and resolved to forget the incident of buying water, which only made him feel more foolish the more he thought about it.

He was just being helpful and didn’t want Chi Yao to go thirsty!

After affirming himself, Shi Xing splurged and bought a large pile of snacks. While Fu Qing had no objection, Chi Yao seemed unbothered, like a merciless walking crystal coin machine.

But the atmosphere during the latter half was still excellent.

Ignoring his slight sense of gloom, Shi Xing was genuinely having a great time, and everyone was in high spirits.

However, the interactions between him and Chi Yao caught Yun Wu’s eye, and the therapist, who was already mentally prepared, couldn’t help but sigh.

On the return trip, while discussing some talent inquiries, Shi Xing boarded the same ship back to the Star Nest with Yun Wu.

They exchanged only a few words about business. As they approached the Star Nest, Yun Wu said, “His Highness is actually quite nice.”

Shi Xing: “?”

Yun Wu continued, “Xu Shi Officer is also quite good; he’s adept at human relationships, making everyone feel close to him.”

Shi Xing paused, suspecting Yun Wu was hinting at something.

But Yun Wu didn’t react to his expression and continued, “Among the seven major military groups in the empire, there’s no absolute concept of alliance. Sometimes relationships are good due to policy implementation, and sometimes they’re strained due to military exchanges. Honestly speaking, even though it’s not my decision, I wouldn’t want to see you choose anyone other than Tan Yan.”

Yun Wu smiled. “But His Highness is different—he is absolutely neutral.”

“When I saw Xu Shi Officer come, I had a premonition…”

What he was foreseeing, he didn’t add.

Yun Wu concluded, “In short, if you wish to choose someone else, whether as a suggestion from the same race or from the perspective of the Seventh Army, His Highness is undoubtedly the best option.”

Shi Xing was astonished. “Why do you…”

“Why am I saying this to you?”

Yun Wu looked at Shi Xing, wearing a smile.

Shi Xing nodded.

Yun Wu playfully tapped his lips with his finger. “Don’t want to pressure you? Just expressing my support? Both, I suppose.”

“And I can tell you very clearly that I’m not the only one who thinks this way. If there can be only one winner, everyone would prefer it to be His Highness over anyone else.”

Of course, the premise was that everyone considered His Highness a candidate.

However, Yun Wu regretted that apart from himself, it seemed unlikely anyone else would think that way.

“To delve deeper, I’ve received many favors from His Highness. Considering His Highness’s mental sea condition, I sincerely hope for his well-being.”

“I’ve never met a Blue Star human who does not reject His Highness’s mental power. Since one has appeared, naturally, I have no qualms about facilitating the situation to steer it toward a relatively better direction.”

After saying that, he winked at Shi Xing. “Of course, whenever, the Tan family always welcomes you.”

Upon returning to his residence, Shi Xing still couldn’t shake off Yun Wu’s words.

Those words… were quite straightforward.

The attitude was also very clear.

It confirmed something for Shi Xing: His Highness was indeed good to Blue Star humans, otherwise, Yun Wu wouldn’t have sensed some hints and said such a thing.

His Highness… was truly beloved by Blue Star humans.

After washing up, still dazed with thoughts about this, his communicator pinged, and Chi Yao asked if he was free to come to the study.

Dragging his slippers, Shi Xing made his way to the study, where Chi Yao was handling urgent documents. Upon seeing him, he immediately got to the point.

It wasn’t a big issue; the last two candidates would soon be arriving at the Star Nest. Since they were coming quite late, several meetings would be arranged before the matching banquet to facilitate acquaintance and better choices. Chi Yao asked for Shi Xing’s thoughts on the meeting arrangements.

Actually, the schedule had already been discussed with the staff, and calling Shi Xing over was just to let him glance through; any issues could be adjusted later.

As Shi Xing listened to Chi Yao multitasking, half his attention was on the schedule while the other half was on the deep features of Chi Yao illuminated by the light.

His Highness had arranged things well for him.

If his maturity period could have someone like this continuously by his side…

Shi Xing felt his throat tighten, realizing what he was thinking, and he blinked unnaturally.

“What do you think? Is there anything you’d like to modify?”

“Nothing, everything’s great, all…”

He spoke halfway before falling silent again.

Chi Yao raised his gaze from the documents and looked at Shi Xing softly. “What’s wrong?”

Shi Xing suddenly recalled their two previous encounters. Each time, he had felt quite awkward.

But each time, Chi Yao’s first question was the same: “Are you alright?”

It was hard not to notice the similarity between “What’s wrong?” in this context.

Shi Xing opened his mouth, his voice slightly hoarse. “It’s nothing; I just… can I choose you?”

This surprised Chi Yao, and his expression grew serious.

But before he could inquire, Shi Xing preemptively offered an explanation.

Shi Xing looked directly at Chi Yao, solemnly asking, “Your Highness, can I choose you?”

Chi Yao paused briefly with the pen he was marking with, and the atmosphere went silent.

But this time, he didn’t scrutinize Shi Xing with that frightening gaze. Instead, he gently exhaled and calmly asked, “Do you know what you’re saying?”

Shi Xing: “I know.”

His tone wasn’t impassioned, yet it carried an inexplicable tenacity.

After thinking for a moment, Shi Xing rephrased, expressing more directly, “Your Highness, I mean I want to choose you.”