Ji Cheng gritted his teeth and glared at Chu Shiye, who remained completely unmoved. Instead, Chu Shiye leaned closer to Ji Mian, his demeanor calm and unbothered.
Ji Mian patted the Alpha’s head gently, thinking to himself: Even this makes him jealous.
Then he turned to Ji Cheng. “What do you want to say?”
The warmth in his voice when speaking to Chu Shiye was gone, replaced by calm neutrality.
Ji Cheng hesitated, his lips parting as if to speak before closing again. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke softly, “I… I want to join the military academy.”
He lowered his head.
“Before… I always relied on Dad… relied on the Ji family.”
His voice grew quieter.
“But now, I want to rely on myself. I want to carve out my own path.”
The Ji family had fallen. His mother, Liu Jing, had been banished and could never return to the Capital Star.
In what felt like a single night, Ji Cheng had plummeted from his pedestal. Stripped of his status as the Ji family’s pampered youngest child, he was no longer surrounded by privilege or admiration. He was now nothing more than an insignificant, pitiful nobody.
Yet, everything he experienced now… Ji Mian had endured two years earlier.
Was this karma? Or just a cruel cycle repeating itself? Ji Cheng didn’t know.
All he could do was accept reality.
Ji Mian’s tone was as steady as ever. “Alright.”
“I’ll send you to the Federation’s military academy.”
Ji Cheng let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Ge.”
He knew this would likely be the last thing his brother would do for him.
From now on, unless Ji Cheng worked hard enough to stand before Ji Mian on his own merit, this might be their final meeting.
As Ji Mian and Chu Shiye walked away, their figures grew smaller and smaller in Ji Cheng’s vision. Even until they disappeared from view, the man Ji Cheng had never met before still held his brother’s hand.
They say… my brother’s lover is the new emperor of the Empire.
Someone so important in the Empire came all the way to the Federation’s Capital Star with him…
Does he really care about my brother that much?
Ji Cheng’s emotions were a mix of envy, confusion, and resignation. He turned back toward the house, ready to step inside.
But just then, he heard footsteps.
Two strangers were approaching. Ji Cheng had never seen them before, but a sinking feeling arose in his chest.
“Who are you?” Ji Cheng asked warily.
One of the strangers smiled and replied, “Excuse me, but is the Ji family head at home?”
—
Aboard the airship leaving the Capital Star, Ji Mian’s communicator buzzed lightly with a new message.
“Ji Tingyan has been arrested,” Ji Mian said, his tone composed. “It seems Prime Minister Charles acted faster than I expected.”
From this moment forward, Ji Tingyan’s fate was sealed—a life sentence in a prison from which he would never escape.
Chu Shiye pressed his hand over Ji Mian’s. “Don’t waste your energy on irrelevant people.”
Ji Mian smiled. “Alright.”
Chu Shiye studied him intently.
Ji Mian met his gaze, holding it steadily.
After a moment, Chu Shiye’s expression shifted slightly, and he spoke. “Gege.”
Ji Mian looked at him for a few seconds before turning his face away, his shoulders shaking slightly.
Chu Shiye frowned. “?”
Ji Mian chuckled softly for a while, then turned back with a playful glint in his eyes. “Oh no, are you upset now?”
Chu Shiye sulked, his mood visibly sinking.
It finally dawned on him why, the first time he had called Ji Mian “Gege,” Ji Mian had looked so thoughtful, as though lost in a memory.
Ji Mian continued to laugh quietly.
But even in the teasing and laughter, there was an unspoken understanding between them—an unshakeable bond that no one could break.
Whatever lay ahead, one thing was certain: they would always be together.
So back then, Ji Mian really had been thinking of someone else.
“Not at all, don’t overthink it.” Ji Mian saw through the Alpha’s thoughts in an instant. “From beginning to end, I’ve only ever thought of you.”
Chu Shiye looked up at him. “Really?”
Ji Mian’s lips curved into a warm smile. “Really.”
“…Mm.”
Chu Shiye was easy to appease—but only when the one doing the appeasing was Ji Mian.
Still, Chu Shiye couldn’t help but add, “They treated you poorly. I don’t like them.”
Ji Mian nodded. “I know, but there’s no need to care about insignificant people.”
Chu Shiye agreed without hesitation. “Okay.”
As far as he was concerned, the only person who mattered was standing right in front of him.
The airship reached the border of the Federation, entering the Seventh Star System. Beyond this point lay the Empire’s domain.
But before crossing back, Chu Shiye and Ji Mian made a detour to Planet E-13.
Previously, Chu Shiye had arranged for financial aid and resources to be sent to the planet through Linda and others.
Now, as they passed through the port, they saw the once-destroyed area fully rebuilt. Survivors bustled between newly constructed starships, and the air was filled with a faint sense of hope.
Though this small planet remained remote and underdeveloped, new opportunities had begun to bloom.
Keeping their identities hidden, Chu Shiye and Ji Mian visited a few old friends, including Kane.
Kane, who had survived the attack, was still running his little shop. In fact, he was preparing to open a second one.
When the old friends reunited, Kane cycled through shock, disbelief, and nearly shouting before finally calming down enough to carry on a normal conversation.
“Would you consider moving your business elsewhere? To a place like the Imperial Capital?” Ji Mian asked.
Kane looked stunned for a moment before shaking his head resolutely.
“No need. I prefer small places like this. Sure, it’s nothing compared to the bigger planets, but everything I know and love is here.”
Kane grinned.
“Besides, my dream is small. I just want to open stores across this planet—maybe even across the whole Seventh Star System. That’s enough for me.”
Ji Mian nodded approvingly. “You’ll achieve your dream.”
After a while, they finished their tea, and the shop door closed behind them.
Kane sat alone in his store, muttering to himself, “So I really did meet an S-class…”
“Damn, I hit the jackpot.”
On Planet E-13, Chu Shiye’s small house remained much the same as when they left.
This little home, where he spent his childhood and first met Ji Mian, still stood as a quiet relic of the past. Only a thin layer of dust had settled over it.
The two of them cleaned it together, restoring it to its former simplicity. Then they sat on the old, small bed—just as they had before.
Though the bed was small, back then, when Ji Mian had lain on it, it always felt warm and safe.
“I remember when you used to cook for me,” Ji Mian said with a soft laugh. “Just the smell of the food made me want to dive under the blankets because it smelled so good. So, so good.”
Chu Shiye: “…”
He had to learn how to cook.
He’d already wanted to learn before, but so much had happened, and it kept getting delayed.
No matter what, he would master it now.
The future emperor of the Empire silently vowed that this might just be the first skill he’d dedicate himself to after his coronation.
They visited the grave of Chu Shiye’s adoptive father, leaving a bouquet of flowers before departing the small planet.
As they boarded the airship, Ji Mian noticed a shadow of reluctance in Chu Shiye’s expression. He reached out and gently patted the Alpha’s head.
“We’ll come back,” Ji Mian assured him.
Chu Shiye nodded. “Mm, we will.”
Through the airship’s window, Planet E-13 shrank into the distance. Soon, they would leave the Federation behind and return to the Empire.
Chu Shiye seemed on the verge of saying something, but after a moment’s thought, he remained silent.
That was when Ji Mian turned to him with a playful glint in his eyes.
“We’re already out here,” Ji Mian said, his tone light and teasing. “How about we visit a few other places while we’re at it?”
A faint glow of excitement flickered in Chu Shiye’s eyes. “Alright.”
The airship adjusted its course, gliding through the vast starry expanse of the Federation’s galaxy.
Chu Shiye and Ji Mian traveled to countless places together.
They visited planets blanketed in endless blue oceans, their waves stretching to the horizon. They explored worlds where snow fell year-round, with glaciers glinting like polished crystal. They wandered lush, rain-soaked forests on planets teeming with green.
Every sight they took in, every memory they made—Chu Shiye saw it all for the first time. And he saw it all with Ji Mian by his side.
Eventually, their airship set course for the distant Imperial Capital.
But Chu Shiye knew that this wasn’t the end of their journey.
He and Ji Mian had all the time in the universe ahead of them.
They would always be together.
“So…” Chu Shiye murmured, holding Ji Mian close as the starry sea reflected in the window beside them. His voice was low and steady. “Is it okay?”
Ji Mian met his gaze. “Hm…”
And then he didn’t say another word.
Chu Shiye blinked, his eyes fixed on Ji Mian.
Why wasn’t Ji Mian answering?
Ji Mian smirked. “I was just wondering… what if something sudden happens to interrupt us?”
Chu Shiye’s face fell into a flat, expressionless line.
“It won’t,” he said with absolute certainty. “It’s impossible.”
Ji Mian laughed softly. “Alright, then.”
He reached up and hooked a finger around Chu Shiye’s collar, pulling him just a little closer.
“Then… yes.”
Yahoo ! End of the main story
Thank you so much for support ♡(´･ω･)(･ω･`)♡ :Ko-fi
Thanks for the translation