The living room was a complete mess, as if it had been bombarded by artillery. The sight was horrifying, and there was hardly a single place left intact.
Lian Qiguang sat at the only dining table that remained undamaged, calmly enjoying his breakfast. On the other side, Long Ying sat on the floor with a swollen and battered face, while Lian Xiaozhu nervously cleaned his wounds.
The two had fought without using any supernatural abilities. Fists and feet had flown back and forth, each blow landing solidly on flesh. Lian Yucheng was still angry with himself, so Long Ying naturally did not dare to truly fight Lian Qiguang. Every time a fist was about to land on Lian Qiguang, Long Ying would deliberately shift it slightly, letting it brush past him instead.
And Lian Qiguang’s strength was not weak. Not to mention his other abilities, just his hand-to-hand combat skills alone were enough that even Xiahou Shaoxuan had never gotten the better of him. The outcome was obvious—Long Ying had been thoroughly beaten up.
“In a few days, you’ll be starting school. I’ll take you there when the time comes.” Lian Yucheng came out of the kitchen and sat down opposite Lian Qiguang.
“Mm.” After swallowing his last bite of food, Lian Qiguang nodded indifferently.
“Do you have any plans?”
“Study hard, make progress every day, and try to graduate early.” Lian Qiguang thought for a moment before adding, “Shaoxuan said that after I graduate and go to Buluo Star, he’ll teach me how to fly a spaceship. Once I learn, he’ll give me a spaceship with a cannon.”
“Don’t rely on Major General Xiahou for everything.” Lian Yucheng frowned slightly. “You’ve already grown up. When something happens, you should learn to take responsibility for it yourself.”
“Mm, I will.” Full and satisfied, Lian Qiguang lazily leaned back against his chair and gestured expressionlessly toward Long Ying. “When are you two planning to get married?”
“Very soon!”
“Who wants to marry him?!”
Lian Yucheng and Long Ying spoke almost at the exact same time. One was delighted, while the other was furious.
“You don’t want to marry me?” Long Ying stood up and looked at Lian Yucheng. His calm voice faintly carried a hint of hurt.
“I…” Looking at Long Ying’s serious expression, Lian Yucheng’s refusal became stuck in his throat, and no matter what, he could not say it.
“He’s pretty capable. Keep him by your side, and don’t run around.” Lian Qiguang had no intention of bothering with the entanglement between the two and instead gave him a rare serious warning.
“My business has nothing to do with him.” Lian Yucheng gathered up the bowls and dishes in front of him and turned toward the kitchen.
Lian Yucheng had not understood what Lian Qiguang meant, but Long Ying had vaguely caught the meaning behind his words. His brows furrowed slightly. “Did something happen?”
“Protect him.” For some reason, ever since returning to Blue Star, the uneasiness in his heart had not disappeared. Instead, it had become even more intense, making him feel somewhat restless.
Seeing the anxiety and uneasiness that Lian Qiguang could barely suppress, Long Ying did not ask any further. Instead, he nodded heavily. “I won’t leave his side.”
“Pig.” Lian Qiguang shifted his gaze to Lian Xiaozhu. “After school starts, stay in the academy and behave yourself. No matter what happens, you are not allowed to step outside the academy. If things don’t look right, I’ll send someone to pick you up.”
“Mm.” Although she did not understand what Lian Qiguang meant, seeing how serious he was, Lian Xiaozhu obediently nodded.
“Is it that serious?” Long Ying frowned. If he had not taken it seriously before, at this moment his entire heart was hanging in suspense.
“I don’t know. But Blue Star should be thrown into chaos soon.” As long as he was the target, and as long as his guess was correct, Blue Star’s peace would not last much longer.
“Inside information?” Hearing that the matter involved the entire Blue Star, Long Ying’s heart sank.
“…In any case, protect him.” Little Crown Prince, please don’t push things too far. I don’t want to become enemies with you.
Inside the kitchen, Lian Yucheng leaned against the wall and listened to the conversation in the living room. His eyes silently stared at the ceiling, while his tightly clenched fists revealed the turmoil in his heart.
Over the next few days, Lian Qiguang returned to his life as a pig. Every day, he ate and drank, slept, played games, and spent every night being lovey-dovey with Xiahou Shaoxuan. His days were so comfortable that Lian Yucheng, who had Long Ying following him around and pestering him all day, was deeply jealous.
But good days always came to an end. Happy times always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was time for school to begin.
“I can go to the academy myself.” Inside the hovercar, Lian Qiguang crossed his arms and stared expressionlessly at Lian Yucheng in the driver’s seat.
“Is it so hard to accept me taking you?” Lian Yucheng glanced at Lian Qiguang. The aircraft suddenly made a sharp spin under his control, nearly sending Lian Qiguang crashing to the floor.
“You should go take that pig.”
“Xiaoxiao has Long Ying taking her. And what pig are you talking about?”
“The pig is that pig.” Too lazy to waste any more words with Lian Yucheng, Lian Qiguang simply closed his eyes and began catching up on sleep. He had talked with Xiahou Shaoxuan until too late last night, not hanging up until well into the middle of the night. Now, he felt as though his two eyes were already fighting each other.
After several hours of travel, the hovercar came to a sudden stop at Qingdi Military Academy, braking sharply before settling down steadily.
“Get up. We’re here.” Lian Yucheng walked over to Lian Qiguang and nudged him with his foot.
Lian Qiguang opened his sleepy eyes. His legs felt as though they were floating beneath him as he followed Lian Yucheng out of the hovercar.
“Young Master Lian!”
“Good morning, Young Master Lian!”
“Young Master Lian…”
……
The moment Lian Qiguang stepped into the academy, voices of greeting immediately rose around him one after another. Every student who passed by Lian Qiguang bent at the waist, their faces filled with respect and fear. Having long since grown accustomed to being greeted during his days on Buluo Star, Lian Qiguang did not even raise his eyelids.
As for why everyone’s attitude toward Lian Qiguang had changed so dramatically over a single vacation, it all had to do with the luxurious and imposing aircraft that had come to pick him up when the holiday began.
Previously, in the eyes of everyone at the academy, Lian Qiguang had been a genius with extraordinary talent, powerful strength, and a violent, bloodthirsty personality—a battle fanatic.
But when Guan Ze had come to pick him up that time, everyone suddenly remembered that no matter what Lian Qiguang did wrong in the past, he always came out of it unscathed. That aircraft clearly did not belong to District Three. In an instant, everyone concluded that Lian Qiguang was actually a nobleman with a powerful background.
That was why their attitude had suddenly changed. Toward nobles, they naturally carried an attitude of awe and flattery.
Lian Yucheng glanced at yet another person who had come over to greet them, then rubbed the space between his brows somewhat helplessly.
“What’s going on?”
“Don’t know.” Three words came out cleanly and crisply.
“You don’t know? How can you not know when they’re behaving like this?” Lian Yucheng grabbed Lian Qiguang by the collar, wishing he could crack his head open, pour in a cup of water, and wash it out thoroughly.
“Tell me the truth. Did you get into fights at the academy again and bully people?”
“……”
Lian Qiguang looked up, his head slowly turning as he thought. He seemed to have gotten into a few fights, right?
Seeing Lian Qiguang remain silent, Lian Yucheng, convinced that he had guessed correctly, immediately felt an even worse headache coming on.
“Lord Kumu!”
With a shout of delight, Mi Xiaobao waddled over with his chubby body.
“Lord Kumu, you’re here?” Mi Xiaobao grinned. His chubby cheeks squeezed his eyes into thin slits, making him look especially comical.
“Hey! You’re really slow! We’ve been waiting forever!!” Qing Yi followed with her arms crossed, snorting unhappily.
“You’re finally here. We thought you’d skip class again.” Feng Qingyang sauntered over with Lan Qi’s arm around his neck.
“Lord Kumu.” Lan Qi smiled faintly and greeted him gently.
Lian Qiguang raised his eyes slightly and swept his gaze over the group. Mi Xiaobao’s delight, Qing Yi’s awkwardness, Feng Qingyang’s straightforward cheerfulness, Lan Qi’s gentleness—yet all of their eyes were open and honest, without the slightest hint of pretense.
A dark glimmer passed through Lian Qiguang’s eyes, and some of the coldness in them faded.
“Lian Yucheng, my older brother.” Lian Qiguang raised his chin, indicating Lian Yucheng beside him.
“Hello, Big Brother!” Feng Qingyang was the first to call out. Staring at that head of fiery red hair, he grinned boldly.
“Hello, Big Brother!”
“Big Brother Lian!”
……
The others greeted him one after another. Lian Yucheng discreetly sized them up, the corners of his lips curving slightly as he gave a small nod.
“Hello. Please take care of Qiguang at the academy.”
“We will! We will!” Mi Xiaobao hurriedly waved his hands. “We’re the ones who’ve always been troubling Lord Kumu. Lord Kumu is the one taking care of us.”
“Lord Kumu?” Lian Yucheng asked doubtfully.
“It’s a code name we use during training.” Before Mi Xiaobao could speak, Lian Qiguang interrupted him and explained expressionlessly.
“Kumu, we’re going out to eat together. Come with us.” What Lan Qi actually wanted to say was drink, but after noticing Lian Yucheng nearby, he wisely changed his words.
“Eat?” Mi Xiaobao froze. He was just about to say something when Feng Qingyang grabbed him around the neck.
“Yeah, yeah! Kumu, you’re the only one missing. We’ve all been waiting for you.”
“If we weren’t waiting for you, we’d have left already. Don’t refuse.” Qing Yi called out to Lian Qiguang.
Lian Qiguang glanced at the group, then slowly raised his head and stared blankly at the sky overhead before giving a low response.
“Okay.”
“Huh?” The group froze and looked at one another. Did he… agree?
“That’s great!” They had thought they would have to spend quite a bit of effort persuading him.
“Big Brother, are you coming too?” Feng Qingyang asked with a smile.
Seeing that they were merely being polite, Lian Yucheng did not want to spoil their mood and shook his head with a smile. “No. You guys have fun.”
Although these few people had somewhat strange tempers, there was no doubt that they were sincere. Lian Yucheng was genuinely happy that Lian Qiguang had managed to make some friends.
“Be careful, and come back early. You still have class tomorrow morning.” Before leaving, Lian Yucheng handed Lian Qiguang a Star Card and reminded him.
“Got it~~ Big Brother!!!” The group all leaned forward and called out together, leaving Lian Yucheng somewhat amused and exasperated.
As Lian Yucheng gradually walked away, Feng Qingyang suddenly sprang up.
“Let’s go, let’s go! Otherwise, there won’t be any seats.”
“Lord Kumu, hurry!” Mi Xiaobao cheerfully grabbed Lian Qiguang by the arm. When it came to being this bold around Lian Qiguang, without the slightest trace of fear, only Mi Xiaobao could do it.
Watching the noisy, chattering group laughing and joking together, Lian Qiguang kept his expression blank and let Mi Xiaobao pull him along. But deep in his eyes, there was faintly an extra trace of relaxation.
“Lord Kumu, hurry up! Otherwise we’ll be late. The reservation Qingyang made will be canceled if we’re late!!!”
“…Mm.”