The journey from Earth to the capital ring was long, so it was a good thing that Xia Fei was already used to flying through the inky-black space all by himself. Besides, there was still plenty of work he busied himself with, so he did not feel even a bit lonely.
After ten days in space, he received a message from Boateng through his communication channel. Xia Fei quickly turned on the monitor, in hopes of learning about the situation with regard to the strongest warship competition the Ministry of Military Affair was hosting.
“Are the results out yet?” Xia Fei asked.
Boateng nodded. “The results weren’t too good. We placed 178th, a middling result out of all the candidates.”
Charlie, however, was very excited, “Actually, it isn’t as bad as Brother Boateng said. The ship hull we used was merely at a Mittal Lumberjack class, considered to be a low-quality pick out of all the candidates. Some of the richer candidates even used a hybrid warship like your Vampire, or Navy-issued warships. We’ve done very well to achieve our current results with all things considered.
“Besides, our warship even managed to be ranked third in terms of defense, and it’s only its overall performance that hindered us from ranking higher. After all, we only spent twenty million star coins on that ship, for there’s no way we could compete with those that cost upward to several hundreds of millions of star coins.”
Xia Fei chuckled. “What Charlie said is true. You’ve already well surpassed my expectations with the results you got. How did the energy-shield booster perform in the event?”
Boateng answered, “The effect of our energy-shield booster was clear for all to see. In the ensuing battle, I once got myself surrounded and assaulted by three frigates, only failing after holding out for a full fifteen minutes. If not for the fact that the enemy had energy-draining equipment fitted into their ship to siphon away ours, we would be able to last for five more minutes.”
That was when Charlie suddenly received a phone call, and he waved his hand toward Xia Fei even as he spoke on the phone, visibly excited.
After finishing the call, Charlie blurted out, “Xia Fei, business has come knocking! The competition committee just told me that the energy-shield booster’s defense capabilities has caught the eye of several enterprises in the Alliance, hoping for me to submit samples to the competition center, and if it’s really up to specifications, they may very well submit purchase orders.”
“That’s a good thing,” Xia Fei commented, “but you need to remember: We’re only selling our product, not the technology. Plus, you need to take our factories’ current production capacity into account and not take on orders that we won’t be able to accomplish in time. As for pricing, don’t even let a single penny off.”
“Understood.” Charlie nodded.
The energy-shield boosters being so popular was well within Xia Fei’s expectations. Because it was a new product, it was only natural for the market to adopt a wait-and-see attitude. Once these energy-shield boosters passed the actual combat tests, the more shrewd businessmen would surely purchase them in bulk, and what would be tested at that point would be Quantum Holdings’ production capacity.
…
Capital ring. Xia Fei was a little emotional now that he was here at the heart of the Pan-Human Alliance for the second time. He had been in too much of a hurry the first time and barely had the time to soak in the sights and sound. Now, not only did he have the time to take things at a leisurely pace, he even had the perfect partner tagging along. It was quite the dream come true.
Avril was lovingly hugging Xia Fei’s arm, a beatific expression of her face, looking no different from the countless couples walking on the streets. The only difference was that Avril’s appearance and temperament were both exquisite, inviting many looks of envy and jealousy.
Actually, Avril had intentionally dressed herself up to be as normal as possible, forgoing her favorite pink for a simple pair of jeans and T-shirt. Despite this, it was still insufficient to hide her natural allure, looking like a stalk of lily in a riot of colors, a low-key outstandingness that demonstrated her extraordinary beauty.
The two were at this place known as the Music Plaza, where there were many man-made fountains shooting out water that created beautiful arcs in the air. Soft and melodic music could be heard all around them, which really set a relaxing atmosphere for everyone.
There were several benches in the surroundings, and plenty of young couples were canoodling with each other. Avril’s cheeks blushed slightly as she said, “Let’s go over there and take a seat. I’m a little tired after walking around so much.”
Xia Fei nodded in agreement, buying rainbow-colored ice cream from a nearby stall as they made their way over. Avril took it in her hand as she daintily enjoyed it.
“It’s delicious.”
Xia Fei smiled, not saying a word. He knew that Avril’s family had taught her not to eat anything from the outside, so anything she tasted was fresh and new. Xia Fei suddenly had this terrible idea of letting Avril taste some fried paste noodles, uncertain if his favorite food would be something that suited her taste.
“Isn’t your family patriarch’s birthday next month?” Xia Fei asked.
Avril lowered her head. “Yes. It is that week after you’re finished with the Golden Finger Cup. Are you confident about your chances for that competition?”
Xia Fei lit a cigarette. He felt that Avril seemed to be unwilling to discuss her grandfather’s birthday, most likely because she was uninterested in what would happen during such birthday parties.
“Of course, I’m not confident, but I will try my best,” Xia Fei spoke honestly. There were plenty of variables in everything, and no one man would forever know what would happen in the next second. That was why Xia Fei had always been very cautious, content with working hard toward a direction that he had set his eye on, leaving everything else to just a bit of luck.
“Well, I believe in you. You look the best when you’re being serious, so I’ll cheer for you when that time comes,” Avril said.
Xia Fei thought about it. “Oh, yeah; there are going to be plenty of eyes and people, so do remember to bring some bodyguards.”
Avril frowned. “I hate those wooden blockheads. Each of them are like robots, and it’s no fun having them around at all. Haven’t you just left them behind today?”
Xia Fei chuckled. “I will of course protect you whenever you’re with me, so there’s no need for those bodyguards to get in the way, but when I’m not around, you can’t just have me worrying about your safety.”
These words turned Avril’s cheeks redder than a Fuji apple, looking particularly pretty and delicate. She snuggled by Xia Fei’s side as she softly said, “I knew you’re the nicest to me, protecting me no matter what.”
…
Three days later, on a satellite planet in the outer circle of the capital ring called Baran.
It was only one lightyear away from the capital ring and was considered a functional satellite planet beyond the capital ring. Baran functioned as the location for all sorts of competitions and tests, such as the Adjudicator Union’s annual tournament as well as the Association of Machinist’s Golden Finger Cup.
The authorities knew that such large-scale competitions would draw a large crowd, and it would be chaotic when that time came, making it all the more inconvenient to manage, and that was why they had developed these small planets beyond the capital ring into functional ones. Normally, these planets were hardly inhabited, but when any sort of competition or tournament was to be held, these small planets would become very lively.
Stepping off the passengership, a sea of people were now in front of his eyes. Due to the multitude of competitors, they would all first have to go through preliminaries before they could enter the finals.
Following the directions on the electronic signs, Xia Fei arrived at the event center and proceeded to go through the formalities. After following his way along the wide concrete boardwalk for a few minutes, Xia Fei suddenly noticed two very familiar figures amid the crowd.
“Moon Song?!” Xia Fei shouted, puzzled. Beside her was the man who was still charming the thousands in the training camp, Bai Ye. There were also two elderly people tagging along, and in the center was a teen dressed in white, whose clothes fluttered in the breeze. The aura he was giving off was extraordinary, even more exceptional than that of Bai Ye’s, which made him all the more remarkable.
…
Moon Song had her two arms folded fitfully. She had her head turned toward a cluster of pine and cypress trees, intentionally averting her eyes from Bai Ye’s intense gaze. It was as if she did not enjoy being together with her companions.
Hearing someone calling her name, Moon Song turned her head in the direction of the crowd, only to see Xia Fei smiling as he waved at her. Moon Song abruptly froze in place, and her face instantly turned into glee.
She excitedly ran toward him as she shouted, “Xia Fei, you maniac! What are you doing here?”
Xia Fei replied, “Since I’m here, I’m naturally joining the competition. I heard from Andre that you headed back to the training camp a few days after I left, so why are you here now?”
“I got bored playing on Earth, so I went back to the training camp, but I just so happen to have been dragged out here against my wishes. Still…”
Moon Song somewhat awkwardly threw her glance back to that group of people behind her. These people were all staring at Xia Fei with uncertainty. Xia Fei could clearly tell that Bai Ye was throwing a gaze filled with resentment at him, while that white princeling next to him appeared to be showing good manners. He nodded slightly at Xia Fei, and he returned the favor with equal politeness.
As for the two elders, it was clear that they were a bit more haughty. The elder in a blue robe seemed to be obsequious toward the one in black robe beside him, intentionally cowering his frame.
“You’re participating in the competition, too? Why haven’t I heard you mentioning this before?” Moon Song ignored the men behind her as she turned to ask Xia Fei.
Xia Fei parried, “Madam Moon, I was unaware that I need to report every decision I make to you.”
The two were joking with each other affably like they usually did. After all, they were quite like brothers, blurring the lines between the two of them despite their genders.
The blue-robed elder did not seem to enjoy seeing Moon Song and Xia Fei act so friendly to each other, so he interrupted, “Moon Song, come over here; how could you give Prince Bai the cold shoulder?”
Moon Song glared at that elderly man for a while before telling Xia Fei, “That one in blue is my father. Had it not been for him forcing me to be here, we would not have met here.”
Xia Fei nodded. “Okay. Your father’s calling for you; best you go back over.”
The expression on her face became slightly weird, placing her hand next to her ear and miming a phone as she whispered, “I’ll give you a ring later; tell you my room number.”
Xia Fei nodded without saying another word and did a slight bow to Moon Song’s entourage before he strode into the event center.
Aside from the intensive competition for the Golden Finger Cup, there were plenty of miscellaneous steps to go through. After Xia Fei confirmed his identity by the registration and got his competitor ID. When he was confirming the events that he would be participating in, Xia Fei suddenly included the unrestricted search event on a whim.
Xia Fei had originally planned to register just for the warship retrofitting event and the machinery repairs event. Between these two, warship retrofitting was of the highest priority and also the most difficult of all events in the competition.
As for the unrestricted search event, it was a contest where an item would be randomly thrown in space, and the competitors would all search for it. Aside from testing the competitors’ ability to adapt to a foreign star region, it was even more so an evaluation of a warship’s radar system.
Though Xia Fei had yet to complete his super-radar, he still decided to join in on the competition in hopes of trying it out. After all, the points for the search competition were heavily weighted, making it well worth the effort giving it a shot.
As for the electronics repair, propulsion system modification, and other such events, Xia Fei had relegated them as secondary. This competition meet did not limit the candidates to the number of events they could sign up for, nor were they too strict with regard to the registration rules, merely requiring the candidate to confirm their participation and that would do.
Xia Fei successfully located the dormitory that he had been allocated to, taking a quick inspection of the place before he got ready to leave, since living there made it inconvenient for him to contact Avril. Besides, there was no emphasis by the organizers for candidates to live there; Thuram was still thinking about testing Xia Fei’s martial arts prowess, so he needed to make a trip over to him as well.
“Wasn’t Moon Song planning to contact you?” Phantom reminded him.
That was when Xia Fei recalled what Moon Song had said, so he lit a cigarette and sat by the desk, turning on his microcomputer to continue studying the nether bell’s directional transmission system as he waited.
Time passed very swiftly. Xia Fei easily lost track of time as he busied himself with work, and it was already night when he heard an urgent knocking at his front door.
Xia Fei turned off his microcomputer and opened the door, only to find Moon Song now in a tight-fitting sportswear, standing right outside the door, acting all furtive.
Moon Song immediately darted into the room, anxiously hurrying Xia Fei. “Close the door; don’t let anyone know.”
Moon Song sat heavily on the bed, panting heavily.
“What’s up with all this sneaking around? Are we perhaps…” Xia Fei cheekily smiled.
Moon Song’s eyebrows arched. “Sex? Do you dare?”
Xia Fei pursed his lips. “Nope. Not at all.”
He lit another cigarette and sat across Moon Song, curiously observing her. For some reason, Xia Fei felt that Moon Song looked very interesting, like a daughter-in-law who had just snuck out to cheat.
“I used the excuse of having a stomachache to sneak out today; I’ll need to head back after some time,” Moon Song began.
“Do you have something on your mind?” Xia Fei asked.
“You can tell?” Moon Song cupped her face with both hands as she asked. “Is it that obvious?”
“Sort of. Not very obvious, but because we’ve known each other for so long, I feel that you’re acting quite a lot different from how you were before,” Xia Fei said.
Moon Song pulled out half a cucumber from her pocket and lightly took a small bite, looking as if there was something weighing heavily inside her.
“You recognize Bai Ye, right?”
XIa Fei nodded.
“Actually, I’m engaged to him,” Moon Song glumly admitted.
Realization dawned on him. “I’ve always wondered why you just don’t see eye to eye with that man. To think there’s such a backstory between you two… Actually, Bai Ye can still be considered quite dashing. There’s no need for you to evade him that much.”
Moon Song immediately erupted in anger when she heard him say that. She stood up and pointed at Xia Fei with that half a cucumber. “Rascal by the surname of Xia, is that what you truly think?!”
Xia Fei did not understand why she would react so furiously, so he simply explained, “What I mean is that it’s not your fault for him to pursue you. If you like him, then you ought to interact with him more. If not, just annul the engagement, but you’re constantly evading him. It isn’t good for you to act like the two of you are archnemeses, anyway.”
Moon Song huffed. “Who wants to be with him… Were it not… Were it not for—
Seeing Moon Song’s eyes glistening with tears caused Xia Fei to be at a loss on what he should do. The last time she had cried, Xia Fei ended up being tormented by her for no reason. Thus, it was unlikely that there would be a good outcome seeing her cry in front of him right now.
“Bai Ye is from the Baitoushan’s Bai family, wielding quite some power in the Endaro Star Region. Just this fact alone isn’t enough to keep me down, but the Bai family’s cousin is someone with plenty of power. That’s the father-son pair that you met today. Their first name is Li and they’re cousins with the Bai family. The ‘Immutable Gold’ Li family is known as one of the six major families in the Alliance; my father is very afraid of the strength that they wield, so I’m forced to marry into the Bai family.” Moon Song was in a poor mood, stammering as she explained her situation. As such, Xia Fei had some trouble understanding what was going on, barely making out her words clearly.
“You’re telling me that the fairly dashing young man I met today is Prince Li? What does his family have to do with you and Bai Ye getting married?” Xia Fei was confused.
Moon Song sighed. “You still don’t understand. The Li family is so named Immutable Gold because they own the largest bank and security firm. They’re the largest investor across the whole Alliance, with a cousinship with the Bai family, making Li Mo and Bai Ye extended cousins.”
Xia Fei was speechless. “But I still don’t get it. Why would they have a hand interfering with your matter? Won’t it all be resolved if you just ignore them?”
Moon Song slapped the side of the bed and loudly shouted, “Are you daft?! You don’t have any relatives, so there’s nothing you need to be concerned about over whatever you do. I’m different; my family have tens of thousands of people in it. As long as the Li family says the word, our entire Moon family will be rendered bankrupt, leaving everyone tetherless, wandering in the unknown universe.”
Xia Fei had nothing else to say. Truly, he had been very casual with how he did a lot of things because he was just himself, without anyone else to worry about. However, many other people were not in his shoes, and every single action they made had repercussions that needed to be concerned over.
Moon Song soon realized that she had gone a bit overboard with her outburst, too, so she then said to Xia Fei, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned your family.”
Xia Fei waved it off. “It’s fine. You have plenty on your mind, so I’m not taking your words to heart. It’s very difficult to understand all your problems for an outsider like me, so I shouldn’t have thought about your problems so simply.
“So what do you plan to do?” Xia Fei asked.
Moon Song was dejected. “What else could I do? Just drag it out as long as I can.”
Xia Fei thought about this for some time before saying, “I do have an idea, though it is a little insidious.”
Moon Song’s eyes shone. “Who cares if it’s a little insidious?”
Xia Fei smirked. “You can find some beautiful woman to try and seduce Bai Ye, then secure proof of their act together so you can accuse him of poor character and have the right to reject this arrangement.”
It should be said that Xia Fei’s idea was really rather sinister, but he did not care about that. It was fine as long as it achieved the goal; he could not care less about the method used, provided that it led to the sought result.
Moon Song pouted. “That won’t do. Bai Ye has had plenty of women these few years, and in both our families’ eyes, it isn’t that big of a deal for boys to engage in some philandering.”
Xia Fei was quiet. He thought back to the scene of Bai Ye being surrounded by so many pretty women back in the training camp and agreed that the plan would be ineffective. Actually, Xia Fei did consider just killing Bai Ye directly and ending matters there and then, but that would actually place a huge suspicion over Moon Song, especially since her attitude toward him was plain for all to see. Xia Fei was just afraid that such a solution would end up being self-defeating.
That was when Moon Song suddenly asked, “I remember that you’ve got a girlfriend here in the capital ring; why haven’t you gone and see her? What’s her name?”
Xia Fei laughed. “No, we are just friends, nothing as intimate as you claimed. Her name is Avril.”
Moon Song blinked. “How coincidental. Li Mo’s fiancée is also called Avril, but I doubt that you’re referring to the same person. That Avril I’m talking about is involved in a really big business, comparable to what the Li Family is dealing with.”
