AEKMEM chapter 73

Could it be like giving red roses, which have a special, deeper meaning?

An Qiao secretly noted this down, planning to search for it later on his terminal.

Chu Heng was secretly pleased with himself for his subtle display of affection.

He was completely unaware that An Qiao was no longer the “naive and ignorant” person he had first met. An Qiao had learned to use his terminal to find answers to his questions.

**

An Qiao was quite satisfied with his dinner.

The dishes suited his taste, and the face across from him, enjoying his meal, pleased him as well.

After dinner, while resting briefly, he remembered his earlier doubts and searched for information on his personal terminal.

After browsing, his eyes widened slightly and his expression became more complex.

Did giving a scarf to a beastman partner, especially a hand-knitted one, actually express affection?

When Chu Heng said the scarf was a gift from him, did he mean that he gave Chu Heng a scarf he knitted himself?

The beastmen wore the scarves to show off their relationships with their partners and prove how sweet and close they were.

An Qiao: “… ”

No wonder Shen You said those things and the passersby looked at him so strangely.

But this scarf wasn’t actually a gift from him, nor was it hand-knitted by him.

The difference between a hand-knitted scarf and a machine-made one is obvious.

So, this scarf is actually…

Hand-knitted by Chu Heng himself?!

Considering this possibility, An Qiao was momentarily unsure whether to praise Chu Heng’s skill and dexterity or marvel at how far he would go to show his affection.

He looked at Chu Heng, who was sitting opposite him—or rather, at the scarf he was wearing.

When he had tied the scarf for Chu Heng earlier, he hadn’t paid much attention to it, thinking only that it was quite pretty.

Now that he knew it was hand-knitted by Chu Heng—

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed very beautiful. The black-and-white stripes were perfectly matched, and the weave was exquisite and elegant. It seemed natural.

In short, it was an extremely beautiful scarf, almost perfect.

I never expected Chu Heng to be so talented.

After admiring the scarf for a moment, An Qiao thought that Chu Heng probably possessed almost every life skill because he grew up on a backward and chaotic garbage planet where he had to rely on himself for everything. He was not only a good cook, but he could also knit scarves with ease.

—Those who caused Chu Heng to be stranded on the garbage planet shortly after his birth truly deserved to be slaughtered.

“Qiao Qiao, why are you staring at my scarf?” Chu Heng interrupted An Qiao’s thoughts.

At first, he suspected that An Qiao might know the scarf’s symbolism.

But then he remembered that An Qiao hadn’t known the meaning behind giving red roses until later, even though it was a common custom. Scarves were even less common than roses, so An Qiao, not being very familiar with the world, probably didn’t know.

Maybe he was just curious and glanced at the scarf because passersby couldn’t help but look at it.

An Qiao snapped out of his reverie and looked at Chu Heng with deep, focused eyes. “Nothing. I just noticed how pretty your scarf is.”

“You like it?” Chu Heng’s eyes lit up. “Then I’ll give it to you.”

Since An Qiao liked it, Chu Heng could postpone the public display of affection.

Why hadn’t he thought to give An Qiao the scarf he’d knitted himself? Now that An Qiao had brought it up, he had only just thought of giving it to him. How inconsiderate of him! He was not a good partner at all!

An Qiao: “… ”

An Qiao was momentarily speechless.

“Keep this scarf and give me a similar one.”

“A couple’s set?”

Chu Heng suddenly realized.

Matching outfits are such a powerful way to show affection! How could he not have thought of that?

**

An Qiao and Chu Heng enjoyed their meal.

After seeing the “Plant Affinity Contest” announcement and learning that An Qiao had participated, some people gossiped privately outside.

However, there weren’t many unfriendly comments on the StarNet because Chu Heng had dealt with it before.

He dealt directly with all the negative comments about An Qiao, declaring that while people could criticize him, they couldn’t criticize his Crown Princess.

He sent lawyer’s warnings to those who spoke ill of An Qiao. Then, he worked with Shen You, the richest man in the empire, and Yin Que, who held a notable position in emerging industries and his own enterprises, to ensure that anyone who insulted An Qiao—including their relatives, partners, or friends—would not be recruited. Those who slandered An Qiao personally were banned from joining the Second Legion…

While it wasn’t said on the StarNet, many people still gossiped privately.

The “Plant Affinity Contest” judged the strength of plant-based and healing abilities of elven beings. Why was An Qiao, an unawakened elven being, getting involved?

“If he makes a fool of himself, he’ll lose face—not just his own, but Crown Prince Chu Heng’s as well!”

“Just be a parasitic vine if you want. Why try to show off?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince is really something, letting An Qiao run wild and indulging his foolish behavior.”

“The exotic plant is extremely ferocious. It would be hilarious if he were frightened to tears in public.”

…

Of course, not all of the comments were negative.

Some people at the Empire’s First Military Academy who had witnessed or heard about An Qiao’s encounter with the Bloodthirsty Vine were optimistic about him this time.

However, the once ferocious and unruly Bloodthirsty Vine subdued itself in the face of An Qiao, becoming as docile as a grandchild. Therefore, dealing with other exotic plants shouldn’t be a problem for him. Furthermore, An Qiao’s elven bloodline concentration is 99%, nearly approaching that of a reverted elf. This might explain why, like elves, he is favored by exotic plants.

An Qiao’s completion of the 2S-level healing mission last time was unbelievable, yet successful.

This time, he should be confident in his abilities to participate in the “Plant Affinity Contest.” Even if An Qiao doesn’t have a plan, Crown Prince Chu Heng won’t be so foolish.

Some astute individuals also felt that An Qiao must have a calculated strategy. They wondered why An Qiao would participate in this competition. Why would the crown prince allow his crown princess to participate in the “Plant Affinity Contest”? Had the plan to tame the exotic plants made progress?

Some rational admirers and believers of Chu Heng didn’t make any unfriendly remarks. Privately, they felt that insulting An Qiao, the Crown Princess, was an insult to their idol.

Because of An Qiao’s participation, the competition, which had previously received little attention, suddenly became popular and generated a lot of buzz.

Tickets for the competition, which hadn’t always sold out, were now nearly impossible to get.

**

After returning from dinner at Lanting Garden, An Qiao received concerned messages from Song Leran, Chu Wen, Xiong Yi, and others.

Song Leran, as always, was very talkative.

[An Qiao, why did you decide to participate in the Plant Affinity Contest?]

[But you were so calm, even when facing the Bloodthirsty Vine. If you could subdue the Bloodthirsty Vine, then those other so-called ferocious plants shouldn’t be a problem!]

[I’m rooting for you! Show those who say you’re just playing around a thing or two!]

[Of course, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best! Your safety is the most important thing.]

…

An Qiao was aware of some of the gossip circulating outside.

However, those people were only talking behind his back. They weren’t confronting him directly, so it didn’t affect his mood. Shaking his head, An Qiao replied to each of their messages, his expression remaining unchanged.

Meanwhile, Chu Heng went to his study to handle some business.

When he came out and saw An Qiao, his eyes lit up and he suggested, “Qiao Qiao, the very good wine I ordered has arrived. Would you like to try it?”

After dinner at Lanting Garden, An Qiao’s attitude toward him had been exceptionally good when he mentioned giving him a scarf, making Chu Heng feel a little too eager.

Could it be that he rarely gave An Qiao gifts, so mentioning a scarf moved him so much this time?

He had been too neglectful of An Qiao.

However, given An Qiao’s unusually friendly attitude, it would be a shame not to seize the opportunity.

An Qiao knew exactly what Chu Heng was thinking.

Want to get him drunk?

Ha!

He recalled how he’d drunk a bottle of wine in one gulp a few days ago, returned to his room, and fallen asleep. He’d then reverted to his elf form without realizing it. Chu Heng had taken advantage of that moment to sneak into his room.

—What mischief was he planning?

“A fine drink that could knock me out in one sip?” An Qiao narrowed his eyes slightly.

Chu Heng: “… ”

He said innocently, “The wine is good, but I don’t know if it’ll knock you out in one sip. After all, I’ve never tried it.”

“Is that so?” An Qiao said meaningfully. “I thought you ordered this good wine specially to make me ‘knock out in one sip.'”

He suspected that the wine he had drunk to excess a few days ago had been specially brought back by Chu Heng to get him drunk.

After Shen You and Yin Que treated him to “Lanting Garden” and he got drunk and fell asleep in his room, there was a high chance that he reverted to his elf form. Chu Heng was worried about him and probably secretly entered his room to find out, otherwise he wouldn’t have felt so guilty when he saw him the next day.

“How could that be?” Chu Heng felt guilty, but pretended to be upset, saying, “Qiaoqiao, I’m innocent!”

An Qiao snorted softly.

He didn’t believe that Chu Heng was completely innocent.

On the surface, this Chu Heng guy seemed honest and even a little timid at times. But he was actually full of bad intentions and a master of pretense.

At that moment, Chu Heng said, “How about you teach me Elvish, Qiaoqiao?”

“How about starting with the Elvish ‘I love you’?”

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