Chapter 94

Chapter 94

Both of them looked great in uniforms or suits, with long limbs and ideal proportions, drawing plenty of attention as they walked. They looked so dashing, like noble young lords who never had to walk anywhere, always carried or chauffeured.

But instead, they were planning to take the eco-friendly bus to the palace.

Their reasons: saving money, conserving energy, and being eco-friendly.

— Master Yi Ye said so.

There weren’t many people on the bus, and they sat in the back row, discussing matters they couldn’t bring up yesterday with Kaiser present.

"Any new leads on Blue Flower Star?"

"Nothing yet."

Bai Chuan visited Scholar Andre yesterday. Andre had worked in a clerical position in the Imperial Central Command for over forty years, and before that, he had participated in highly confidential gland research. He wasn’t directly connected to Blue Flower Star. But Bai Chuan approached him because he had noticed books about Blue Flower Star during his first lab visit.

Many, all heavily used.

That’s what led him to Andre.

But Andre avoided mentioning Blue Flower Star entirely, acting as if he’d never heard of the mission. From their collaboration, Bai Chuan sensed Andre wasn’t just hiding something—he seemed scared.

But what could scare a man who dared to conduct forbidden experiments?

Digging deeper might uncover secrets beyond their wildest imagination.

"Should we stop?" he asked Yi Ye.

"Do you want to?" Yi Ye countered.

"No."

"Good, neither do I."

They joined the military academy to uncover the Zerg that killed Bai Chuan’s mother. Only Peide had seen and knew its appearance. But without clearance for the Blue Flower Star project, they couldn’t get info from Prince Peide. Their only option was to gain access to the Blue Flower Star project.

"We’re here."

Their conversation was cut short as the bus stopped.

Yi Ye messaged Peide, and soon an escort arrived.

The palace loomed large, its lavish decor on full display. Reporters swarmed the front, forcing the car to use the back gate. Last time, he met Peide at his palace residence, but tonight’s banquet was at St. Cons Hall, named after the current emperor.

Once their invites were checked, they stepped into the bustling grandeur of St. Cons Hall.

*

Kaiser had arrived early and was standing with his father, Moses Audria, engaging in small talk.

"Master Kaiser has grown more and more handsome over the years," a lady said, eyeing Kaiser with a glint in her eye, covering her mouth with a laugh. "My youngest son is almost of marriageable age, perhaps there’s a chance to introduce them. He’ll be here soon with his father."

Moses: "It’s Kaiser’s honor. Kaiser, make sure to take good care of Mrs. Jones’s son later."

"..." Kaiser forced a fake smile, leaning forward fifteen degrees. "I’ll make sure to take good care of him."

Take care of my ass. He cursed in his heart.

This damn banquet was utterly boring from start to finish, with all the disgusting pleasantries and a bunch of dull Alphas and Omegas. This Mrs. Jones had been eyeing him since he was 16, always hinting at him marrying her crybaby Omega whenever she visited the Audria family.

He’d have to be crazy to agree.

Tsk, where’s Yi Ye? Why isn’t he here yet?

He glanced cautiously around, using the corner of his eye, and as if by telepathy, he actually spotted the black-haired youth.

The moment he saw that figure, his heart skipped a beat.

Yi Ye was wearing the blue-and-gold tailcoat Kaiser had given him, with every button fastened to the top, his back straight and thin, his long black hair resting on his left shoulder. He usually liked to tie his hair up, either in a low ponytail or high up, but today it was casually loose.

His long, slender fingers were clad in black half-gloves, the exposed skin of his hands glowing white. His beauty was so striking, it was almost overwhelming.

Handsome and austere.

If it weren’t for the crowd, Kaiser might’ve rushed over and hugged him.

He forced himself to look away, his muscles tightening. "Father, my friends are here. May I speak with them?"

The man next to him wore a military uniform, with countless medals pinned to his left chest, enough to showcase his honor and prestigious status.

He raised his gaze, his golden, creased eyes scanning the two young men in the distance, then quickly looked back, his tone icy. "Remember your status. Do you really want to be seen with two commoners in front of reporters and nobles?"

Kaiser replied in a low voice, "But they’re my classmates."

"Once you’re outside the Imperial Honor Military Academy, no one is your classmate. Before you go, think about your status, and the people in that tower."

Kaiser’s pupils narrowed, his lips pressed into a tight line, his expression dark.

Yi Ye was still waving at him in the distance. Kaiser wanted to look again but feared he’d lose control and rush over. He clenched his wine glass and turned away, pretending not to notice.

"He didn’t see me..."

Yi Ye waved a few times, but when Kaiser didn’t respond, and even turned to follow another man and other nobles in conversation, he thought that perhaps there were too many people, and he could look for him later.

The man beside him was likely Commander Mo Xi. He appeared to be in his forties but was actually twenty years older than Ling Pei.

The downside of living so long is that you can’t tell a person’s age or experience just by looking at them.

The banquet hadn’t officially begun yet. Yi Ye sipped some water and decided to use the restroom, so he asked Bai Chuan to wait for him on the spot.

After washing his hands and stepping out of the restroom, he froze.

The corridors on both sides looked identical, and he couldn’t remember which way he’d come from.

"...Got it."

Yi Ye chose to solve this problem in the most traditional and effective way.

"Little rooster, point to the one I should choose."

Good, left.

Then go right.

He strolled through the right corridor, hands in his pockets, the red carpet covering the ground, extending all the way, covering the entire floor of the Saint Cons Hall. His long strides carried him forward, but as he rounded a corner, he suddenly heard voices.

Yi Ye quickly pulled his leg back and hid behind the corner.

A few meters away were two youths, holding champagne glasses, discussing the recent political events of the empire.

"The investigation into the church fire still hasn’t come up with any answers. The government police are getting slower and slower. I say, the Senate should handle this investigation," the young man in the blue suit complained.

"Do you think the Senate officials would dare to investigate? This is a tough case to crack... You’ve heard about the things the Holy Church does behind the scenes. It’s better to let sleeping dogs lie. If it gets brought into the open, wouldn’t the Holy Church have us quietly killed? I bet the government will just pin it on someone in a few days. After all, there are so many death row inmates in the empire’s prisons."

"But will the Holy Church just let it slide?"

"...Let me tell you something off the record," the man lowered his voice, "Truth is, the Pope doesn’t want this investigated..."

The young man in the blue suit widened his eyes, "Why?!"

"Shh, keep it down," he was so scared he hardly dared to breathe, "You can’t tell a soul. I’ve got a buddy who’s tight with a bishop, and he told me that neither the bishop nor the Pope wants to investigate this."

"But isn’t the church just a total loss?"

"It’s not our problem to worry about. With what we pay in taxes, they could rebuild ten churches in no time."

"...Shit, you’re right."

"Things have been pretty shaky on the main planet lately. It seems busy, but there are more and more patrols every day."

"I thought it was just for the birthday celebrations?"

"That’s part of it, but it’s also because..." he covered his mouth with his hand. The next words were too quiet, and Yi Ye could only catch the word "judgment." At that moment, someone approached from afar, and the two men nervously stopped their conversation and hurried away.

He stepped out from behind the wall, lost in thought.

No wonder eavesdropping is such a common trope in stories; you can learn a lot.

So the Pope doesn’t want to dig into this, but why? Did he figure out it was his own son who burned the church? But if he cared about Bai Chuan, he wouldn’t have locked him and his mom in the basement. There must be other reasons.

"And what is this 'judgment'?"

With no leads, Yi Ye had no choice but to head back to the main hall.

But he didn’t find Bai Chuan where he had left him. As he was about to ask someone, a waiter approached him.

"Excuse me, I don’t drink."

"Sir, this is from Master Meihua."

Yi Ye paused.

Bush Meihua is here too.

He followed the direction the waiter pointed and saw Bush Meihua raising his glass in a toast from a corner.

Yi Ye: "..."

He grabbed the glass, annoyed, and walked over.

"Have you seen Bai Chuan?"

Bush Meihua clinked his glass against Yi Ye’s, sounding like a scorned woman, "Always mentioning another man’s name in front of me, how impolite. Shouldn’t you greet me first?"

"...Good afternoon. Where is Bai Chuan?"

"Haven’t seen him."

Yi Ye turned to leave, but his collar was hooked by Bush Meihua, pulling him back. His back collided with Bush Meihua’s chest, and he gasped, "Hey—"

"If you hit me in front of all these people, security will drag you away."

"You’re the one who started grabbing at me first."

"Why do you keep trying to get away from me?"

In a few quick retorts, Yi Ye couldn’t argue back and chose to compromise in frustration. He could beat up Bush Meihua all he wanted in private, but with so many people around, he had to hold back.

"If you haven’t seen Bai Chuan, let me go. I need to find him."

"The Saint Cons Hall is huge. You don’t need to be glued to his side all the time, do you?" Bush Meihua stroked Yi Ye’s black hair, thinking to himself that this person looked good with silver hair, but black hair still suited that striking face the most. He continued, "Your brother’s grown up now. He needs his space, or people will think you’re attached at the hip. He didn’t wait for you, which means he doesn’t want to be around you all the time, right?"

"..."

Yi Ye fell into deep thought.

That actually makes sense.

"How do you know that’s how my brother feels?"

"Because I’ve got a brother too."

Yi Ye was stunned.

Even though Bush Meihua was clearly a weirdo, as a younger brother, his gripes about his older brother were probably the same. He had been a little too clingy with Bai Chuan lately.

"Got it?" Bush Meihua raised his hand. "Want a drink?"

"No. I can’t handle alcohol."

"Try this one—it’s barely got any alcohol in it. This place is full of big shots and the elite. You’ll end up in these kinds of circles someday and be one of them. At events like this, you can’t just stick to juice—someone’s always going to push you to drink."

Bush Meihua had dealt with lightweights before. He didn’t know Yi Ye’s limit, but the drink he chose was only 5%—basically a soda. You could down a ton of it and still be sober.

"No."

Yi Ye still refused.

He had no plans to join the social scene or change his ways for these people. He wasn’t about to start smoking or drinking.

Bush Meihua went quiet at his stubbornness, then let out a silly laugh. "What am I going to do with you? You’re making me like you more and more."

"You—" Hearing him say "like" made Yi Ye want to cover his ears. "Stop saying stuff like that!" It’s creepy for a straight guy like me!

"Oh? Can’t even handle such words, baby. I haven’t even said the rest yet."

Bush Meihua pressed his hand against Yi Ye’s waist, leaned in close to his ear, and glanced at the elegantly dressed crowd, whispering something filthy. His handsome face twisted, and a sharp, almost pleasurable pain shot through his knuckles.

He looked down to meet the youth’s livid face.

"You..." Yi Ye’s neck turned red down to his collar, his teeth gritting out a few words, "You pervert."

"Keep cursing. It feels so good."

Damn it!!!

Yi Ye had had enough. He stomped hard on Bush Meihua’s foot, then bolted into the crowd like he was being chased by a devil.

Bush Meihua doubled over in pain, letting out a muffled groan as the figure sprinted away, soon vanishing from sight.

The shoe print was still visible on his shoe, and he stared at it for a moment before looking up and locking eyes with someone sitting in a wheelchair on the second floor. After a brief pause, he waved the shoe print at them, almost like he was showing it off.

Judge Ai Linya was speechless.

*

Yi Ye managed to escape the clutches of the beast and hid amidst the bustling crowd of the elite.

Bush Meihua's words shattered his worldview like an axe... it was downright vulgar! How could anyone say such things in a place like this? What kind of noble etiquette did this guy even learn?

And then he mentioned something about... a... a...

Yi Ye was losing his mind.

He fanned his face, desperate to cool down the heat in his cheeks.

The Saint Cons Hall was vast and grand, with men and women in formal attire weaving through the space. In his mind, Yi Ye was skinning Bush Meihua and beating him to a pulp, but his face remained flushed. He shook his head hard, forcing himself to focus on the guests around him, reminding himself not to think about that evil Bush Meihua anymore.

Evil spreads like a disease, that damn bastard!

The tables were laden with alcoholic drinks and sweet treats. He watched the dancers, casually grabbing a piece of chocolate. He bit into it like he was gnawing on Bush Meihua's bones, chewing with fury.

He swallowed hard, and a weird taste hit him. That's when he noticed the sign beside it:

—Tequila-filled chocolate.

Yi Ye: "..."

Is it too late to make myself throw up?

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

His shoulder was tapped, and Yi Ye looked up dazedly to see a young man in a black suit asking gently, "You don't seem to be in good condition. Do you need to rest?"

"I'm fine..."

Damn, how strong is this alcohol?

"The restroom is right over there. Would you like me to take you?"

Yi Ye rubbed his temples, "That would be helpful."

Out of sight, the young man smirked as he guided the drunk man to the restroom.