Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The interior of the platinum-colored royal aircraft named "Xuan Yi" was quite spacious. After detecting its owner's entry, the scanner displayed a green pass indicator.

The metal cabin walls shimmered with a pearl-like luster. The control console hovered in the center of the cockpit, and once the data screens were activated, they emitted a soft blue glow.

Meng Shijiu settled into the floating seat.

A smart robot, seemingly lighter and more agile than the bulky ones at St. Maria, approached Meng Shijiu. Its facial display screen showed a smiley face, and it was just about to speak when it was interrupted by Cui Suifu, who had suddenly stopped—

"Wait a moment."

The tall red-haired Alpha turned slightly. The bright lighting fell upon him, clearly illuminating his suddenly furrowed brows.

Cui Suifu walked over, looking down at the silver-haired Alpha who was already comfortably reclined in the chair with eyes closed, seemingly ready for a nap. He leaned down slightly and asked softly, "Wait for me a bit, okay?"

The silver-haired Alpha blinked gently.

Cui Suifu straightened up and left.

See: "What's wrong?"

Meng Shijiu: "There's someone else in the cabin."

In truth, Meng Shijiu had noticed the moment he boarded the aircraft: within this empty, quiet space, besides him and Cui Suifu, there was another presence.

He had initially assumed it was someone belonging to Cui Suifu's entourage, so he pretended not to notice and remained silent.

But judging by Cui Suifu's reaction just now, that person was likely an intruder.

Meng Shijiu sat up slightly.

The silver-haired Alpha gave the smart robot in front of him a light kick.

Instantly, lights on the robot's metallic shell lit up. The little robot bowed courteously to Meng Shijiu, and a sweet voice rang out—

"Hello, esteemed guest! I am 'Guang Tou,' the intelligent steward of 'Xuan Yi.' It is my honor to serve you! Are you the master's new friend? 'Guang Tou' will strive to provide you with perfect service! For example... would you like to try 'Guang Tou's' latest special lime-infused liquor?"

Meng Shijiu looked at the robot's smooth, bald head: Cui Suifu's naming sense remains as straightforward as ever...

Meng Shijiu: "Tell me about your master."

See: "!"

Meng Shijiu raised an eyebrow: "?"

See: "That's my job! Why are you asking it?!"

Meng Shijiu: "..."

Meng Shijiu said dismissively: "Alright, alright, you're the best."

See: "You're just humoring me!"

Meng Shijiu: I miss the calm and composed See from our first meeting.

Meanwhile, 'Guang Tou' beside them had already begun chattering away: "Of course, esteemed guest. My master is His Highness Cui Suifu, the second heir to the throne of the Qiyu Empire. At his birth, four stars aligned, heralding him as a symbol of the empire's fortune. His Highness possesses jade-like grace and decisive action, a rare dual-S-type Alpha..."

After listening to a bagful of nonsense, Meng Shijiu asked: "Does the royal family face many assassination attempts?"

See remained silent.

Meng Shijiu: "What are you doing?"

See: "..."

Meng Shijiu closed his eyes: "What's with the sulking?"

Meng Shijiu lazily spoke in his mind: "Why are you sulking?"

Meng Shijiu asked gently: "What gives you the right to sulk?"

...See was the employee system with the highest task completion rate within the entire Transmigration Bureau. It had seen many hosts and encountered numerous unexpected situations.

Achieving a high task completion rate wasn't actually difficult. Find a suitable host and be a perpetually rational support tool.

During missions, regardless of the host, most would develop some degree of dependence on it—as the mission progressed and points accumulated, hosts could even reach a state of near-omnipotence to a certain extent.

But Meng Shijiu harbored no such dependence.

Meng Shijiu had never used points, never truly cared about the plotline for a single moment. This excellent, gentle, icy, and deceptive host gave See a "feeling" that he could leave it at any time.

See didn't truly have "feelings"; it could only vaguely "sense" that Meng Shijiu didn't like having something existing within his mind.

If he wished, he could ignore it, just like during their first meeting, he could choose to leave.

Not being close in his mind counted, but being close in his heart did.

See looked at the "System Materialization" option in the point exchange window and silently spoke up: 【TAT】

See: "Although under various pressures in recent years, the royal family has gradually declined in influence, they still control half of Qiyu's military forces. Their status remains unshakable, and assassination attempts have decreased significantly. Furthermore, princes are not permitted to enroll at St. Maria."

See: "But Cui Suifu is an exception. Although he is not the first heir, due to his excessively arrogant personality, his constant rule-breaking and bluntness have offended many people, leading to numerous assassination attempts against him."

Meng Shijiu: ...

Meng Shijiu: Oh great, I've boarded a shady vehicle.

Meng Shijiu: Thought he was a pampered royal, turns out he's a madman living on the edge.

"Guang Tou" was still chattering away in praise of his master.

In the empty cabin, the mechanical voice with its rhythmic intonation could carry quite far.

On the other side, the red-haired Alpha who had caught the assassin was efficiently dealing with the intruder in the storage room. His movements were seamless, but the dull thud of breaking bones couldn't drown out "Guang Tou's" voice.

Upon hearing Meng Shijiu ask "Guang Tou" to introduce him, that tall and slender figure froze for a moment.

Then came "Guang Tou's" sudden outburst of flamboyant praise. The red-haired Alpha's fist nearly missed and smashed into the floor.

Cui Suifu swiftly resolved everything, tossing the person out of the cabin. After sending a message to his subordinates via terminal, he discarded the slightly damaged gloves, stood quietly for a few seconds, and then walked out.

Cui Suifu entered the cockpit. He set the flight path on the control console. By the time he walked back towards Meng Shijiu, the aircraft had already begun flying automatically.

Scenery swept past rapidly through the one-way glass windows.

"What are you going to NO3 for?" Cui Suifu sat down beside Meng Shijiu.

Meng Shijiu: "To eat ice cream."

After seeing the photos sent by Yue Xuanli and privately assuming that NO3 was an ice cream shop, Meng Shijiu was puzzled: *What do you even do at an ice cream shop if not eat ice cream?*

Cui Suifu: “He’s something else.”

Cui Suifu: “He specifically goes to the arena just to eat ice cream.”

Cui Suifu: “If you like it, I know an ice cream shop with great flavors. Next time there’s a chance, I’ll take you there, okay?”

The red-haired Alpha turned his head, his gaze carefully tracing the delicate contours of Meng Shijiu’s eyes and brows.

“Your Highness is so kind to me?” Meng Shijiu shifted sideways.

Suddenly, a dark glint flashed in the eyes of the red-haired Alpha—who had been staring intently at Meng Shijiu—

On the silver-haired Alpha’s neck, a sinister dark shadow was slowly writhing.

Cui Suifu’s pupils contracted.

“—Don’t move!”

Before he’d even finished speaking,

Cui Suifu’s right hand shot out like lightning, his strong fingers precisely pinching that dark shadow.

The instant he secured his grip, a silver light flashed.

*Clang—*

The sound of metal striking metal rang out before sparks even flew.

Meng Shijiu withdrew his dagger.

A piece of metal fell to the ground, its severed end mirror-smooth.

Meng Shijiu glanced at it.

—It was a mechanical snake.

A drop of cold sweat slid down Cui Suifu’s temple, and his features unconsciously hardened.

The cabin’s safety detection system activated.

He offered Meng Shijiu a reassuring smile, his gaze falling on the dagger in Meng Shijiu’s hand.

“A very beautiful dagger. Does this dagger have a name?”

Yet its appearance was utterly ordinary—unremarkable, indistinguishable from any standard-issue dagger.

Meng Shijiu: “Just forcing the compliment, huh.”

Meng Shijiu: “But I’ll give you credit for having good taste.”

“Dan Yue.” The Alpha wiped the dagger clean and sheathed it.

Cui Suifu kept praising: “A good name.”

“Your Highness…” Meng Shijiu said tonelessly, “Being with you is truly full of danger…”

Cui Suifu: “……”

Cui Suifu turned his face away: “Oh.”

Cui Suifu looked up at the sky: “…I’m sorry.”

“Today was an accident… Are you angry?” The Alpha tilted his head cautiously.

Meng Shijiu glanced at the inexplicably tense Alpha.

“Why would I be angry about this, Your Highness?”

Cui Suifu hesitated: “…You don’t need to call me Your Highness.”

The silver-haired Alpha remained silent.

Cui Suifu’s heartbeat quickened under those jade-green eyes—eyes that seemed capable of seeing straight through him.

The Alpha’s tall frame sat with a hint of awkwardness; a faint blush spread from his collar up his neck, his slender fingers unconsciously rubbing the hem of his clothes:

“…You can call me… um… Suifu.”

Meng Shijiu let out a soft laugh, unable to help but turn his face away.

The red-haired Alpha’s gaze involuntarily fell on Meng Shijiu’s smiling face.

Light spilled into those pale, lake-like eyes—shimmering ripples on a spring day. His beautiful lips curved into a soft smile, like newly bloomed spring blossoms.

His eyelashes fluttered gently, casting ripple-like shadows beneath his eyes—as if a breeze had stirred the surface of a still lake.

The Alpha usually wore a casual smile, yet even now, the upward curve at the corners of his eyes carried a faint trace of weariness—yet it was impossible to look away.

Even that effortless smile made one yearn to capture it forever, to treasure it eternally.

Cui Suifu’s gaze unconsciously revealed a trace of infatuation—his dark pupils like a city submerged in emotion, churning into a murky, indistinguishable swirl of feeling.

His lips felt dry; he swallowed unconsciously, unable to hide the fierce pounding of his heart.

In the air, the sound of swallowing was jarringly distinct—like his barely suppressed, overwhelming *thrum*.

The moment Meng Shijiu turned back, he met those fiercely emotional eyes—and his smile faded slightly.

Meng Shijiu: “What are you looking at?”

Meng Shijiu said irritably: “Turn away.”

The ever-cautious Alpha didn’t move.

He was like a beast that had long lurked in the shadows—gaze locked, unblinking, on every movement of the silver-haired Alpha—suppressing a burning pant in his throat.

Suddenly, he flipped over and closed in aggressively, trapping the silver-haired Alpha between his arms. Veins bulged along his forearms, seeming to leap—but he restrained himself from touching the person before him.

Scorching breath brushed against Meng Shijiu’s ear.

“—I like you.” The voice was sudden—low, hoarse, as if he’d swallowed fire.

Cui Suifu’s hand, braced beside Meng Shijiu’s face, clenched into a fist.

He wasn’t some clueless kid. Why couldn’t he look away from the first moment they met? Why couldn’t he suppress the wild, frantic beating of his heart?

Even his overflowing emotions couldn’t be contained for a single moment—urgently demanding expression.

The wild-at-heart prince, who had pursued unrestrained freedom since birth, couldn't keep up the pretense for more than twenty minutes.

The Alpha breathed heavily twice, his chest heaving, before slowly seizing Meng Shijiu's wrist.

"You know," the Alpha repeated, his voice trembling against Meng Shijiu's ear, "I like you."

See's screech and Cui Suifu's thundering heartbeat echoed simultaneously in Meng Shijiu's mind and ears.

See: "—Shameless!—Utterly shameless!! #@$%!—**——"

Meng Shijiu covered his ears in despair: "Are you going into rut too, See?"

Amid the chaotic noise, the silver-haired Alpha barely made out another sound.

The Alpha sighed inwardly: Some disasters are simply unavoidable.

The next second, the Alpha bracing over him suddenly leaned down, wrapped an arm tightly around Meng Shijiu's waist, and yanked him clear of the seat.

"Boom—Boom—"

Several explosions rang out, and the thick smoke was instantly dispersed by the high-altitude wind rushing through the shattered cabin.

The seats where the two had been sitting were now unrecognizable. The sturdy, smooth cabin surface was torn open, and the sound of shattering glass resembled a torrential downpour.

The cabin tilted rapidly, the better part of it exposed to the open air.

Alarms blared one after another as "Baldy" clattered and slid out of the cabin.

A blade—

Dan Yue, which Meng Shijiu had clearly stored away, was now gripped in the red-haired Alpha's hand, plunged into the floor and deeply embedded in the metal.

A pheromone as fierce as hard liquor erupted abruptly from the red-haired Alpha, completely unrestrained, instantly thickening the air into a sticky, dense atmosphere.

"Are you okay?" Cui Suifu, holding him with one arm, frantically checked the silver-haired Alpha over. "How are you...?"

Meng Shijiu gritted his teeth: "Rein in your pheromones."

Meng Shijiu looked up and saw "Dan Yue" so easily swiped by Cui Suifu: "—???"

Having completely missed Dan Yue's disappearance, Meng Shijiu said, "Were you a professional pickpocket in your past life?"

Cui Suifu: "………"

Cui Suifu: "...I..."

The high-altitude wind howled, tearing at their clothes and whipping Meng Shijiu's long hair into flying silver strands.

The wind gave Meng Shijiu a headache, so he used Cui Suifu as a shield: "Hold tighter."

Meng Shijiu: "Or I'll shave your head and send you falling with 'Baldy.'"

Hearing the Alpha's coldly delivered threat, the heart in Cui Suifu's chest beat even faster, like a warning before an explosion.

He chuckled and held the other even tighter.

The two were nearly suspended in mid-air, the cold air slapping their faces like knives.

Given their physiques, holding on a little longer wouldn't be fatal, but they'd certainly sustain several injuries.

Amid the roaring wind, the silver-haired Alpha suddenly spoke: "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Cui Suifu replied without hesitation.

The Alpha's keen hearing caught a very soft snort from the person in his arms—unclear whether it was disdain or irritation.

Cui Suifu didn't dare look down, afraid he might not resist kissing the other—if Meng Shijiu were in a good mood, he might at least leave his corpse intact.

A sudden pain shot through his waist—the silver-haired Alpha's simple retaliation.

Expression unchanged, Cui Suifu tightened his embrace once more.

Meng Shijiu: "Then let go—and don't forget to hold onto my blade."

The wind continued to howl.

Meng Shijiu didn't hear a response for a moment and looked up—

The red-haired Alpha, waiting for him to do just that, flashed him a wild grin.

The next second.

Cui Suifu pulled out the dagger.

—The two abruptly plummeted from high altitude, leaving the turbulent cabin behind and tracing a long line through the air.

Held tightly together like a single body, red and silver hair intertwined, resembling snow and flame dancing as one.

The airflow screamed past their ears, their clothes threatening to tear into shreds.

Cui Suifu held the Alpha in his arms firmly.

"Why?" Meng Shijiu, calm-faced, turned slightly in the raging wind, his lips brushing Cui Suifu's ear. "This is our first day knowing each other."

—Why can you trust me unconditionally?

The second prince of Qiyu, who had survived this long, would never be a fool who easily gave his trust.

The Alpha with bold, striking features didn't answer him.

"Smile. Meng Shijiu. Smile for me." The thrill of the freefall restored the Alpha's usual courage, his voice scattering into the wind.

"You look more like yourself when you smile."