AEKMEM chapter 54

Chu Heng felt very guilty. “…Qiaoqiao, you’re awake?”

Seeing An Qiao’s embarrassed and angry expression, he thought something was wrong. He hadn’t been this angry before when he pinched An Qiao’s cheek. Was he upset because he had discovered that he had touched An Qiao’s ear while he was asleep?

Or was he just angry that his ear had been touched?

Chu Heng recalled how he had touched An Qiao’s ear, pretending to remove something from it. Realizing what had happened, An Qiao was also annoyed. He glared at Chu Heng angrily: “How could you just touch my ears like that?”

Perhaps he was annoyed because elves’ ears are very different from ordinary people’s and are extremely sensitive.

Yes, they were different. They felt soft, slightly bouncy, and cool to the touch—a strange sensation completely different from touching his own ears.

Feeling guilty, Chu Heng offered a weak explanation: “I saw what looked like a mosquito on your earlobe, so…”

Thankfully, he had only touched his ear and not done anything else. Touching his face might have seemed too ambiguous, and he might have sensed that something was wrong and figured out his intentions. But touching an elf’s ear shouldn’t be considered ambiguous, right? You wouldn’t see anything suggestive, would you?

—Actually, touching an elf’s ear is far more ambiguous!

Elves’ ears are extremely sensitive, so they can’t be touched casually. In the elf world, only partners can touch them. Casually touching an elf’s ear is practically indecent assault! You’ll get beaten up by the enraged elf!

An Qiao was almost laughing in exasperation.

A mosquito? Chu Heng didn’t think twice before lying!

He angrily added another note to Chu Heng’s mental notebook!

He was annoyed that Chu Heng had casually touched his ear. However, Chu Heng didn’t know that touching an elf’s ears was absolutely forbidden, nor did he understand the deeper meaning behind it.

Besides… their relationship now…

His cheeks flushed a light red, and he glared sullenly at Chu Heng. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch my ears like that?”

Things are different now, but you still can’t touch his ears like that!

Seeing how annoyed he was, Chu Heng wondered if he had gone too far and messed things up. He carefully asked softly, “Is touching your ears that… serious?”

“Well… not that serious.” An Qiao’s eyelashes were thick and bushy, making it impossible to see the emotions deep in his eyes.

“But you can’t just touch them randomly!”

Chu Heng murmured, “Can’t touch them randomly… does that mean I can only touch it with permission?

An Qiao: “… ”

“Anyway, you can’t just touch them randomly!”

Chu Heng secretly guessed that An Qiao was probably angry because elf ears are sensitive.

He wondered if An Qiao’s pointed ears would feel different when he transformed into an elf.

The prophecy said that he would soon see a real elf.

He sighed, wondering when he would see Qiao Qiao in elf form.

However, Qiao Qiao didn’t want to reveal his identity as an elf for the time being. So, he shouldn’t think about it anytime soon.

Moreover, if Qiaoqiao knew that he had known he was an elf all along yet maliciously kept it from him, he would be furious.

Chu Heng only learned about An Qiao’s experience that evening.

The beastman who had partially self-destructed in Emerald Lake Park was taken to the hospital after falling unconscious. Hospital staff discovered that the beastman’s ability core had partially detonated and showed signs of imminent self-destruction. They called the police and contacted the Star Police to take him away for investigation.

A beastman’s self-destruction is extremely dangerous. Detonating oneself in front of others constitutes attempted murder, especially in a crowded park. Although the self-destruction was ultimately stopped due to external intervention, the Star Police temporarily detained the individuals to prevent another explosion and investigated the incident that led to the abort.

Chu Heng knew that the self-destruction had been stopped. Remembering that An Qiao was also at Emerald Lake Park at the time, he guessed that he had likely helped stop the self-destruction.

At dinner—

Chu Heng casually ladled a small bowl of fish head tofu soup for An Qiao and placed it on the table. He mentioned the incident: “The one who stopped the beastman’s self-destruction at Emerald Lake Park this afternoon was…”

“Yes, I stopped him,” An Qiao replied, ladling soup for Chu Heng in return.

— Jiang Qi once inadvertently witnessed the two of them serving each other soup and was speechless. What’s the difference between this and serving soup to oneself? However, while speechless, he also felt as if he had been force-fed a mouthful of dog food¹.

As An Qiao and Chu Heng spent more time together, Chu Heng developed the habit of sitting and eating with An Qiao, despite initially preferring nutritional supplements to the hassle. An Qiao, who initially adhered to the principle of “not speaking while eating” because he felt it was impolite to talk to others during meals and rarely ate at the same table as others, gradually changed his habits as well.

An Qiao frowned slightly as he recalled the trouble caused by the Demon King’s remnant soul that afternoon. “Similar self-destructions may occur in Blue Star City in the near future, though it’s not guaranteed. However, it’s always good to remind the relevant departments to pay close attention.”

Chu Heng also frowned, as if thinking of something.

He remembered the beastmen who had self-destructed and shouted, seemingly in a frenzy, “It’s all the elf’s fault!” This was also why he was concerned.

Now, An Qiao was meaningfully suggesting that there might be more self-destructions in the near future.

Chu Heng couldn’t help but feel worried.

This incident seemed to be deliberately and maliciously targeting the elves.

“Why do you think there might be more self-destruction incidents like this in Blue Star City during this period?” he asked, frowning.

An Qiao didn’t elaborate. “Just consider it a well-founded guess.”

Chu Heng: “… ”

Chu Heng was somewhat helpless.

But An Qiao clearly didn’t want to say more. It was as if he had a secret he didn’t want Chu Heng to know.

Fine, if he doesn’t want to say, then he doesn’t have to.

“Then be careful when you go out. No, if you want to go out, just call me. I’ll go with you.”

An Qiao’s eyelids twitched.

“No need,” he said, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Don’t you trust my abilities?”

How could he go find the Demon King’s remnant soul and eliminate it if Chu Heng came along?

The next morning, An Qiao left home under Chu Heng’s resentful gaze.

Accompanying him were Chu Wen and Xiong Yi, who had also accepted the “find the elf” mission.

Today’s destination was the flower market.

“An Qiao, have you heard?” Chu Wen asked.
“That prophetic teacher, Mr. Zhen, has made another prediction—”

“His Highness the Crown Prince is about to meet a real elf.”

The school passed this news on to him and Xiong Yi last night. The school wanted them to interact more with An Qiao, to get closer to him, and to see if the Crown Prince had really met an elf. If so, they could take advantage of An Qiao’s status as Crown Princess to meet the elf as well.

Most of those who heard this prediction found it quite credible.

Although Teacher Zhen’s previous prophecies were generally unreliable, Crown Prince Chu Heng’s aura was perhaps too great, leading many to believe it was only natural for him to see the elf.

Therefore, the prophecy that “His Highness the Crown Prince will soon see a real elf” seemed believable.

Chu Wen and Xiong Yi also believed it.

If anyone could see the elf, they assumed it would be Chu Heng!

After all, he was the invincible, all-powerful crown prince.

An Qiao: “… ”

He was truly impressed by Teacher Zhen’s prophetic abilities.

Saying that Teacher Zhen’s predictions were inaccurate seemed somewhat true. But saying they were accurate seemed a bit far-fetched, too. He casually said, “This Teacher Zhen prophecy sounds pretty far-fetched.”

Is Chu Heng about to see a real elf?

He already has!

And he still sees it every day!

“An Qiao, um… You mean you actually think this prophecy is unbelievable?” Chu Wen looked at An Qiao in surprise.

He thought that, like them, An Qiao believed that His Highness the Crown Prince would see the elf.

An Qiao shook his head. “Of course not.”

He paused, then slowly but surely said, “Seeing an elf soon is unbelievable. However, seeing an elf is certain.”

“Really? An Qiao, do you also think that His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely see an elf?” Chu Wen was unusually excited.

Seeing his agitated state, An Qiao couldn’t tell if he was excited about Chu Heng seeing an elf or about the elf’s appearance.

“I’m sorry. I was too excited just now,” said Chu Wen apologetically after realizing what he had done. “Thinking about His Highness seeing an elf made me excited beyond control.”

An Qiao: “?”

What’s there to be excited about?

“An Qiao…” Chu Wen said shyly. “If His Highness the Crown Prince gets to meet the elf, could you take a picture with the elf’s permission and send it to me and Xiong Yi?”

“Of course, an autograph would be even better.”

An Qiao: “…”

Chu Wen was usually quite composed and careful with his words and actions. So, An Qiao had assumed that he wasn’t like others who worshiped and were fanatical about elves.

An Qiao raised an eyebrow slightly. “Just a photo and an autograph. Don’t you want to see the elf in person?”

“Is that possible?” Chu Wen was immediately overjoyed. “Can His Highness the Crown Prince really introduce us?”

Xiong Yi, standing beside him, couldn’t help but chime in. “Can I see the elf in person, too?”

“So you two admire elves that much? I thought you admired Chu Heng the most.”

“Uh… actually, we admire them both equally.”

An Qiao suddenly had a mischievous glint in his eye. “If you had autographs from both Chu Heng and the elf, but could only choose one, which would you choose?”

Chu Wen: “…”

Xiong Yi: “…”

Many forces were eager to try their luck regarding the new prophecy about the elf from Teacher Zhen’s prophetic ability and couldn’t resist sending people to Blue Star City.

Blue Star City was suddenly flooded with people from various factions who had come from the Imperial Capital.

Emperor Chu Zhengming wasn’t particularly surprised when he learned of the prophecy.

He was one of the few who knew that Chu Heng had seen a back of the elf in the Star Beast Forest assessment area.

He had urged Chu Heng to try harder to find the elf, but Chu Heng didn’t seem to listen. Unexpectedly, Chu Heng stumbled upon the elf in Blue Star City.

Of course, he hoped that Chu Heng would see the elf as the prophecy foretold.

However, he couldn’t help but worry.

Given Chu Heng’s temperament, it seemed unlikely that he would be able to establish a good relationship with the elf…?

Chu Heng was cold and unyielding. Aside from his beloved partner, he would never humble himself to please anyone.

If the elf was difficult to get along with, they would likely find it hard to get along with Chu Heng.

Upon reflection, though, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they didn’t get along as long as they didn’t become enemies.

As long as the elf didn’t harbor any ill will toward their empire, that would be good enough.

Nevertheless, Chu Zhengming ordered Chu Heng’s adjutant, Jiang Qi, to remind him to keep a close eye on him while searching for the elves.

The Second Prince, Chu Feiyu, had also sent people. He would even come personally if the news of the elves being in Blue Star City was true.

Mo Zhiyuan had already received orders from the Second Prince to come to Blue Star City.

In reality, even if the Second Prince hadn’t mentioned it, Mo Zhiyuan would have come to Blue Star City to search for the elves.

The prophecy clearly stated that any “outstanding freshman” from the Empire’s top military academy would be eligible, yet the school excluded Mo Zhiyuan from the “elf search” mission.

The academy simply thought he was easy to bully and not as important as An Qiao, the “Crown Princess.” To avoid upsetting An Qiao and to please Crown Prince Chu Heng, they rejected his request.

Their judgment is baffling; they actually valued that failed awakening, useless An Qiao. He’s just a pretty face, a completely worthless parasitic vine!

Even if he’s the Crown Princess for now and has bewitched Crown Prince Chu Heng, so what? Soon, Chu Heng will see through his true colors and abandon him.

Then, without the protection of Crown Prince Chu Heng, Mo Zhiyuan can deal with An Qiao however he wants!

This is the first time Mo Zhiyuan has been humiliated by An Qiao. He was actually kicked out of the top three in the freshman finals by a failed awakening parasitic vine, falling to fourth place.

He has never felt so humiliated!

The fact that the school chose An Qiao for the “elf search” mission instead of him made him feel even more aggrieved and angry.

He swore that he would definitely find the elf.

The prophecy must be wrong! How could the jinx Chu Heng possibly see such a bright, beautiful elf? The prophecy by Zhen is completely unreliable!

Only he, Mo Zhiyuan, could find the elf. The prophecy said the “outstanding freshman” of the Empire’s First Military Academy could find the elf. He, Mo Zhiyuan, is clearly an outstanding freshman at the Empire’s First Military Academy.

Therefore, he will find the elf before that jinx, Chu Heng!

After carefully befriending the elf, he will ask it to help him advance to a 2S- or 3S-level beastman. Then, let’s see who dares to underestimate him!

Ideally, he’ll also get the elf to support the Second Prince’s ascension to the throne. Not only does Mo Zhiyuan possess 3S-level strength, he is also the next emperor’s greatest contributor and has a bright future ahead.

The Second Prince’s ascension to the throne would remove the tyrannical Chu Heng from his position as crown prince. It will be interesting to see how arrogant Chu Heng will be without his title and how An Qiao, the useless good-for-nothing, can still throw his weight around after losing the title of Crown Princess.

An Qiao had no idea that someone wanted to ask him to remove Chu Heng from his position as crown prince. If he had known, he would have chuckled twice.

After spending some time in the aircraft with Chu Wen and Xiong Yi, they arrived near the flower market.

As soon as they got off the aircraft, a mocking and provocative voice rang out:

“Oh, so it’s the three ‘outstanding freshmen’ from the Empire’s First Military Academy!”

“Mo Zhiyuan?” Chu Wen frowned as he looked at Mo Zhiyuan, who was not far away.

Hearing Chu Wen mention the name, An Qiao also remembered who he was.

He was the “fourth-place” winner of the freshman final assessment.

No wonder he spoke so sourly.

Moreover, he was from the Mo family, an enemy of Crown Prince Chu Heng and a supporter of the Second Prince.

“Not exactly outstanding,” An Qiao said, glancing down at him. “Just a tiny bit better than your fourth-place ranking.”

He wore a snow-white robe, and his brows and eyes were cold and aloof. His temperament was like the moon atop a snowy mountaintop: unapproachable. Although he merely looked indifferent, lacking any mockery, this indifference—a disdain for even a glance—was more ironic than pure sarcasm.

“You!” Mo Zhiyuan was furious.

The most humiliating and unacceptable thing in his life was being knocked out of the top three by An Qiao—this failed awakening parasitic vine—and being reduced to fourth place in the freshman finals.

Now, this parasitic vine was openly mocking him for getting fourth place!

Ignoring those around him who tried to dissuade him, he said with a pale face, “You’re nothing but a failed awakening loser who got lucky on a whim, and you actually have the nerve to call yourself outstanding!”

“Mo Zhiyuan, watch your mouth!” Chu Wen said coldly, frowning.

From the moment he saw Mo Zhiyuan, he had a bad feeling.

He knew Mo Zhiyuan’s personality well: arrogant, conceited, petty, impulsive, and headstrong. After seeing An Qiao, who had kicked him out of the top three in the freshman finals and had now been rejected by the school and excluded from the “elf search” mission, he knew Mo Zhiyuan must be furious.

An Qiao, on the other hand, usually seemed aloof and indifferent, and appeared to have a good temper. However, Chu Wen had seen An Qiao at the New Year’s Eve banquet and knew he was actually quite “ruthless” at heart. Anyone who provoked him would definitely be sought out for revenge.

If these two met, the consequences would likely be disastrous.

Now, seeing it—

Indeed!

Chu Wen couldn’t stop An Qiao from expressing his anger. Not to mention, An Qiao was considered his “elder,” and his personality was something he couldn’t control. Sometimes, when An Qiao’s cold, arrogant, and domineering aura rose, Chu Wen dared not advise him.

After thinking about it, he decided that the only thing he could do was quietly inform His Highness the Crown Prince and ask him to come.

However, just as he was about to use his personal terminal to send the message, An Qiao gave him a dismissive glance. “Who are you going to contact?”

Chu Wen: “…”

He felt immense pressure from his gaze and had no choice but to stop using the terminal.

“Do you want me to watch my words?” Mo Zhiyuan sneered, disregarding Chu Wen’s advice completely.

“He’s a failed awakening cripple; everyone in the empire knows that. I was just stating the facts and making a few sarcastic remarks.”

“So what if I said it? So what if I made sarcastic remarks?”

“So what?” An Qiao said calmly.
“It’s nothing special. It’s just that His Highness the Crown Prince can’t help but challenge you to a ‘sparring match.'”

Mo Zhiyuan: “…”

Chu Wen: “…”

Chu Wen thought the Crown Princess’s words about bullying others because of his husband sounded self-righteous.

However, their power was considerable.

Didn’t you see the usually impulsive and willful Mo Zhiyuan fall silent?

Sparring with the Crown Prince, who is at the 3S level, would only result in a sound beating.

Taken aback by the title “Crown Prince,” Mo Zhiyuan finally regained some of his composure, though he was still somewhat indignant. “You’re just relying on Chu Heng, on His Highness the Crown Prince, to protect you!”

“Just wait until Chu Heng despises you, this useless parasitic vine. When you’re no longer protected by Chu Heng, how will I deal with you?”

An Qiao noticed the malice in his eyes as he narrowed them slightly and said, “You’re relying on the Second Prince to act recklessly, too.”

“Hmph!” Mo Zhiyuan snorted coldly, turned, and left with his men.

Of course, An Qiao didn’t let him leave unscathed.

He used his mental power to manipulate Mo Zhiyuan’s mental sea, causing him to experience splitting headaches from time to time, especially when he harbored malicious thoughts.

“That Mo Zhiyuan must also be in Blue Star City searching for the elf, too,” Chu Wen reminded him. “After the prophecy predicted that an exceptional freshman from our Empire’s First Military Academy might find an elf, Mo Zhiyuan wanted to take on the task as well. However, the school didn’t agree because Teacher Zhen, who has prophetic abilities, suggested that the top three freshmen take the task.”

“Perhaps that’s why Mo Zhiyuan is more hostile toward you, An Qiao.”

This Mo Zhiyuan is so narrow-minded. He clearly wasn’t strong enough, falling to fourth place. Yet, instead of reflecting on his performance, he blames An Qiao for kicking him out of the top three.

However, considering that Mo Zhiyuan has always had smooth sailing and suddenly stumbled so badly, it’s not so unbelievable that the usually arrogant and conceited Mo Zhiyuan would blame others.

An Qiao wasn’t interested in what Mo Zhiyuan thought of him, nor did he want to know.

After all, he was just an insignificant person.

“Does this Mo Zhiyuan also want to find the elf?”

“Yes,” Chu Wen nodded. “The school wouldn’t let him take on this elf search mission, so he came with the Mo family. He’s probably hoping to find the elf and have the school ‘look at him with new eyes.'”

“That’s probably impossible,” An Qiao said meaningfully.

“I think so too,” Chu Wen nodded.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is still the most likely to find the elf. Maybe the prophecy is true and His Highness the Crown Prince will soon see the real elf.”

An Qiao spent half a day wandering around Blue Star City but still couldn’t find any trace of the Demon King’s remnant soul.

When he returned to Garden Castle, he found that Chu Heng wasn’t there.

“Where’s Chu Heng?” he asked his adjutant, Jiang Qi.

“He went to ‘spar’ with Mo Zhiyuan,” Jiang Qi said with a hint of schadenfreude.

I don’t know if Mo Zhiyuan is spoiled or just genuinely stupid. Chu Heng sought out quite a few people to spar with in order to stand up for An Qiao. Mo Zhiyuan must have heard about it, yet he was stupid enough to publicly insult An Qiao as trash.

He’s a beastman who was kicked out of the top three by an elf who isn’t good at fighting. Yet, he isn’t ashamed at all; he blames the elf. He even directly insulted the elf, calling him trash. He had absolutely no manners.

It’s reasonable for an elf’s partner to challenge a “sparring match” if a beastman insults or provokes them. Mo Zhiyuan couldn’t refuse, even if he wanted to.

Jiang Qi had also been “sparring match” with Chu Heng quite a few times—and it was a genuine spar. Chu Heng controlled his strength, guiding Jiang Qi during the battle and encouraging him to improve. Even so, Jiang Qi felt a deep shadow had been cast on his heart.

If Chu Heng hadn’t suppressed his strength and hadn’t had “guidance” as the goal, but instead had had “beating someone up” as the goal, then the shadow left by that “sparring” could only be imagined. They say that people who sparred with him that way would subconsciously make a detour the moment they saw him later on, and their hands would tremble just hearing his name.

Jiang Qi thought that Mo Zhiyuan was about to receive an unforgettable, lifelong lesson.

“How long has he been gone? He should still make it back in time for dinner, right?”

An Qiao wasn’t surprised that Chu Heng already knew about it.

It had happened some time ago, and many people had come and gone. Chu Heng must have found out.

Jiang Qi: “…

Wait, Crown Princess, isn’t your focus a little off? His Highness the Crown Prince stood up for you and beat up Mo Zhiyuan, who insulted you. Aren’t you even a little excited?

“He should make it in time for dinner,” he said.

His Highness the Crown Prince would definitely stick to the schedule and wouldn’t miss the chance to have dinner with his crown princess.

“That’s good.” An Qiao nodded.

Not long after, just before dinnertime, Chu Heng returned on time.

“Qiao Qiao!” Chu Heng exclaimed joyfully when he saw An Qiao in the living room.

Knowing that Mo Zhiyuan had insulted An Qiao, calling him a “useless parasitic vine, ” Chu Heng was furious and wanted nothing more than to beat Mo Zhiyuan up.

However, An Qiao had actually said, “It’s nothing special. It’s just that His Highness the Crown Prince can’t help but challenge you to a ‘sparring match.'”

Chu Heng felt a little smug.

Qiao Qiao was always arrogant. Using him to intimidate others meant that Qiao Qiao didn’t treat him like an outsider but like one of his own. Hence, his impoliteness!

It seemed that the day he confessed his feelings was just around the corner!

Yin Que once again mentioned treating everyone to a meal and said he would include Shen You too.

Shen You was also in Blue Star City at the time. Knowing that Yin Que was hosting, he joined in.

Chu Heng thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Yin Que teased him, “I see you and the Crown Princess have a good relationship. Are you officially dating?”

At the “flower shooting” event during the Blue Star City Flower Festival, An Qiao, an elf, shot nine pots of flowers for Chu Heng, a beastman. He especially shot the “Elf’s Kiss” red roses at the top of the flower tower and gave them to Chu Heng. He must have feelings for him, right?

Needless to say, Chu Heng is now hopelessly in love. I heard that Chu Heng stood up for An Qiao a few days ago and beat up Mo Zhiyuan.

Chu Heng’s face darkened slightly. “I’m warning you, don’t say anything you shouldn’t.”

He really knows how to rub salt in the wound! Knowing that he still has a crush on someone, Yin Que just keeps adding insult to injury.

“I know. I promise I won’t say anything out of line or ruin your plans,” Yin Que said, somewhat speechless. “But, if you ask me, stop dragging your feet. I think your Crown Princess feels the same way about you, so just go for it and confess.”

“You don’t understand,” said Chu Heng disdainfully. “Confessing your feelings isn’t something you can do casually!”

Yin Que: “…”

He had studied dating guides much more seriously than Chu Heng, who had neither theoretical nor practical experience.

“Your friend wants to treat us?” An Qiao was a bit surprised.

Chu Heng didn’t seem to have many friends.

He probably only knew his adjutant, Jiang Qi, and the military doctor, Jun Yiran.

They were both Chu Heng’s subordinates and longtime friends.

“Originally, Yin Que said that, since you rarely come to Blue Star City, he wanted to be a proper host and treat us. Later, Shen You heard about it. He is also in Blue Star City at the moment and said he wanted to join.”

Back when he first arrived in Blue Star City, Yin Que had already said he wanted to treat them, and he’d even urged him again later.

He had agreed at the time.

Now, thinking back, he realized he had agreed too quickly.

He reminded Yin Que beforehand, “It’s fine to host a dinner, but don’t call An Qiao ‘sister-in-law’ in front of him.”

Yin Que knew that he and An Qiao weren’t officially dating yet, so he would be careful not to reveal anything he shouldn’t—like his inappropriate feelings for An Qiao.

However, Shen You was still aware of his true feelings for An Qiao. Last time, when he asked Shen You how to appease his partner after making them angry, Shen You suggested “making up before bed.”

Chu Heng hesitated about explaining his situation to Shen You.

But he wondered if Shen You, the empire’s richest man, would laugh at him if he knew he and An Qiao weren’t actually dating. He couldn’t let Shen You outshine him!

As for Yin Que, he already knew. Yin Que, this single dog, didn’t even have a sweetheart. Chu Heng was much better off than Yin Que; he was the only one who could laugh at Yin Que.

He decided not to think about it so much. Shen You had a calm and steady personality. Even if he didn’t know the true nature of his relationship with An Qiao, Shen You was much more reliable than Yin Que.

“You even invited me along?” An Qiao raised an eyebrow.

“What guise will you use to invite me?” he teased Chu Heng. “As your partner?”

Chu Heng: “… ”

“Well…you know, everyone knows you’re my Crown Princess, so…”

Suddenly, inspiration struck Chu Heng. “I might need your cooperation, Qiaoqiao. Act like a normal partner with me.”

He glanced at An Qiao secretly and asked, “Is that all right, Qiaoqiao?”

“If it really can’t…” He sighed, feigning sadness and utter disappointment. “Then forget it.”

An Qiao could easily see through his intentions.

He was using the “playing the victim” trick again.

However, he didn’t expose him and watched Chu Heng’s performance with considerable interest.

“Okay, I’ll try my best to cooperate.”

Over the past few days, An Qiao had been eager to recover his magic power quickly, absorbing large amounts of energy crystals. He seemed to have overdone it, giving him a vague feeling similar to when he was “overwhelmed” by energy in the Star Beast Forest. It was as if he were about to revert to his elf form uncontrollably.

He hadn’t planned to go out for the next few days, but his friend Chu Heng wanted to treat him.

He felt he could still control himself and that going out once wouldn’t necessarily cause any problems.

Besides, even if he were to uncontrollably revert to his elf form, he could simply leave beforehand so that no one would see him.

“Is Qiao Qiao really willing to cooperate?” Chu Heng asked, surprised.

He pressed his advantage, saying, “Then, Qiaoqiao, how about we practice our act now? So we don’t mess it up later.”

An Qiao: “… ”

An Qiao replied indifferently. “If we mess up, we’ll just say we’re fighting and giving each other the cold shoulder. It’s normal for our relationship to be strained.”

Sometimes, he admired Chu Heng’s opportunistic nature.

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