AEKMEM chapter 41

An Qiao had some doubts at first.

However, that afternoon, after opening his personal terminal and seeing Song Leran’s chat messages, his doubts were temporarily dispelled.

Song Leran: [An Qiao, have you arrived in Blue Star City on Water Blue Star? I heard that the annual flower festival is coming up soon. If you’re interested, you can go and have a look.]

[Last year, my friend and I went to the Blue Star City flower festival. It was so lively and beautiful! It’s a pity I can’t go this year because of something.]

[But hehe, my friend said he’ll livestream the whole flower fair for me. He’ll buy whichever flowers I like and bring as many as I want back to the capital star.]

The personal terminal can’t be used in the Burial Snowfield. It will only work again after leaving the field.

When Song Leran’s message arrived, An Qiao was still in the Burial Snowfield.

He read Song Leran’s last message about his friend several times.

He tentatively typed: [I’ve already arrived in Blue Star City. Your friend livestreamed the flower fair for you and bought flowers to bring back to you all the way to the capital star. He’s even more considerate than a partner!]

Song Leran quickly replied: [Of course!]

[We practically grew up together. He was the kind of person with a touch of bestiality and an excessively protective instinct toward family and friends. He was willing to go to great lengths for them. As the eldest sibling, he was accustomed to caring for his younger brothers and sisters. His thoughtfulness and attentiveness were truly touching.]

An Qiao stared at these lines for a while, then let out a soft sigh.

It seems that close and considerate friendships are possible.

—So, his feeling that Chu Heng might like him was most likely just a temporary illusion.

**

Chu Heng went out on business.

Remembering the flower festival that Song Leran had mentioned, An Qiao inquired about it from the housekeeper and went out with great interest.

Blue Star City was warm year-round and was known as the “City of Flowers” and the “Green City.”

The environment here is exceptionally suitable for plant growth, especially for non-aggressive, purely ornamental plants. Delicate, hard-to-care-for plants thrive here while hardy, aggressive plants that can survive in almost any environment struggle to adapt.

Due to its unique geographical and climatic environment, Lanxing City is a renowned flower-growing region in the empire and a famous tourist destination.

The annual Blue Star City Flower Festival has a history of over a thousand years. Originally lasting three days, it is now extended to seven.

The origins of the Blue Star City Flower Festival are lost to history. However, one theory is that it was initially held to commemorate an elf who visited the city.

An Qiao can only complain about this: don’t attribute every strange thing to elves!

Having lived in this world for some time, An Qiao has come to understand people’s fanaticism toward elves. One manifestation of this is that, when discussing something or an event, the name of elves is inevitably brought up.

As with the previous Burial Snowfield, some forced the interpretation of its meaning as “a snowfield where elves are buried.”

The Blue Star City Flower Festival is still a few days away, but Blue Star City is already teeming with people and bustling with activity.

Because the festival’s promotion consistently used the elves’ name, many elves came to admire it and imitated the classic silver hair and white robes of elves.

But even with similar attire, An Qiao stood out in the crowd immediately. His fair, beautiful face and aloof, noble air captivated the entire city.

He walked along the street like a beautiful, precious piece of white porcelain bathed in moonlight, making the blooming flowers along the roadside appear dull by comparison.

With indifferent eyes and composure, ignoring the stares of passersby, An Qiao, dressed in a snow-white robe, headed straight for the largest flower market in Blue Star City.

As he passed by, shopkeepers on both sides of the street hawked their wares, saying things like, “This is the ‘Mandarin Duck Jasmine’ that the elves praised,” “These are the fresh meat and shepherd’s purse wontons that the elves tasted,” and “This is the blue-and-white plum vase that the elves love to use for flower arranging.”

An Qiao: “… ”

An Qiao was initially dumbfounded but gradually became numb to it after hearing it so many times.

The elves’ reputation was invaluable; they used it wherever they were needed.

If he were to reveal his elf identity one day, one could imagine the people here introducing him by saying: “These are the streets the elves walked; these are the flower shops the elves bought flowers from; these are the places the elves lived; the elves even praised the food here…”

Just thinking about that scene made him incredibly uncomfortable.

—Therefore, his elf disguise must not be exposed!

He was about to continue walking when he suddenly sensed a faint magical aura from his original world.

The aura was also vaguely familiar.

His handsome brows furrowed slightly.

Could someone he knew have also crossed over from the elf world?

But this faint, almost imperceptible aura of magic quickly vanished, as if it had been his imagination.

**

Chu Heng returned from running errands.

Eager to surprise An Qiao, he packed some desserts from the most famous and delicious dessert shop in Blue Star City.

He happily returned home but couldn’t find An Qiao, no matter how hard he looked.

Puzzled, he asked the butler, “Where’s Qiao Qiao?”

Where’s my wife?

The butler didn’t hide anything. “Young Master, An Qiao has gone out.”

“Qiao Qiao went out alone?” Chu Heng frowned, looking worried. “He’s unfamiliar with this place. Won’t he get hurt?”

However, considering An Qiao’s fighting skills and personality, it seemed unlikely that he would suffer any losses.

His wrist-mounted personal terminal rang again. It was a video call from his biological mother, He Yun.

It had rung several times that day, and it seemed it wouldn’t stop until he answered.

Chu Heng also wanted to settle things from back then.

As soon as he answered, He Yun’s holographic image appeared before him.

“I heard you arrested the entire Greedy Wolf Star Pirates? She asked eagerly as soon as she saw him.

“Yes, I arrested them,” Chu Heng replied calmly.

To “stir up trouble” and find clues about the mysterious figure behind the Greedy Wolf Star Pirates, Chu Heng leaked the news of his dismantling of the entire group. He also spread the news that the Greedy Wolf Star Pirates had kidnapped him years ago when he was a baby.

It was normal for He Yun to receive this information.

“Is… is that so?” He Yun’s usually gentle expression cracked slightly.

Forcing a stiff smile, she asked anxiously, “Did you hear anything from them trying to sow discord?”

Chu Heng cut to the chase: “Do I know that you witnessed me being kidnapped by space pirates, yet you stood by and did nothing?”

Chu Heng wasn’t surprised.

When he first met He Yun, he sensed something strange about her attitude. He felt guilty toward him yet was afraid to see him, especially to look into his eyes. He even felt a strange sense of malice.

At first, Chu Heng thought this malice stemmed from his presence affecting He Yun’s happiness in her new family.

He learned from Marshal He that after he was kidnapped by space pirates, He Yun was overcome with guilt and nearly had a mental breakdown. Over time, this affected his mental strength, causing frequent mental flare-ups.

During one of these episodes, when Marshal He summoned him, the disoriented He Yun broke down, repeatedly apologizing and saying he hadn’t intentionally watched the kidnapping without intervening.

At the time, Chu Heng thought He Yun meant he felt guilty for neglecting and being unable to find him and for doing nothing to help.

However, He Yun’s mental lapses, coupled with her strange attitude toward him, made Chu Heng realize that He Yun might have been present at the scene years ago and truly “watched helplessly” as the space pirates abducted him.

Usually, He Yun didn’t want to see him and was afraid to do so.

Chu Heng was inherently cold and aloof; he had seen how He Yun treated him, and naturally, he was indifferent to He Yun, his biological mother. Realizing what she might have done back then, Chu Heng felt even more indifferent toward her.

At the New Year’s Eve dinner, Marshal He told him, “Your mother said she tried to video call you, but you didn’t answer. Her mental state has flared up again these past few days. When are you going to see her?”

However, He Yun didn’t actually want to video call him. She wanted him to secure a good future for her youngest son, Chu Heng’s half-brother.

“You…you…” He initially wanted to explain that the Star Pirates were maliciously sowing discord, but when he met Chu Heng’s calm, all-seeing, blood-red eyes, she felt a chill run down her spine and almost collapsed to the ground. Her lips trembled, and she couldn’t utter a single word.

Years ago, in a moment of madness, He Yun did something she deeply regretted. Initially, she feared its exposure. Over time, however, the matter gradually faded, and she slowly let go, finding peace of mind.

Unexpectedly, however, Chu Heng appeared in the capital city and was recognized by Chu Zhengming. Even more unexpectedly, one day, Chu Heng caught the culprit from back then and learned of her past actions.

He looked at her indifferently, as if she were an insignificant passerby.

Having regained some composure, He Yun was instantly enraged by his attitude.

She was inherently spoiled and arrogant, and sometimes, when her emotions ran high, she acted without regard for anything else.

“You think you’re some kind of saint! I just didn’t react in time, and you got kidnapped by space pirates. Who knows how much blood is on your hands!”

“You’re just like your biological father: heartless and cold-blooded! You’re a demon. Who wouldn’t be afraid of your eerie red eyes?”

“When I was born, I saw your terrifying red eyes… When I felt fear and disgust, I should have strangled you! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been tormented by you for so many years!”

“Even dogs would avoid a monster like you. If my dad hadn’t told me to get on your good side, would I even want to see you?”

“Who would like a cold-blooded animal like you?”

“Who says no one would?” An Qiao’s voice suddenly rang in my ears.

“I like him just the way he is!”

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