On Thursday, a fine drizzle fell over the capital.
Through the gray curtain of rain, the Diplomatic Tower rose from the ground like a steel monument.
Its walls, made of special reflective glass, absorbed the rainwater completely, keeping the colossal structure forever majestic and solemn.
Jiang Yun strode out of the elevator, suit immaculate, his back straight, a silhouette drawn in cold precision, “How many minutes left?”
Behind him followed a group of diplomats in matching attire, all wearing the same mask of seriousness. Closest to him was Zhong Man, his first assistant, a female Omega with a crisp, steady voice.
“The Orin foreign delegation’s convoy entered Central Avenue one minute ago,” she reported briskly. “They’ll arrive in five minutes. Also, Mr. Jiang, Lieutenant Colonel Maurice, who’s in charge of security for this meeting, is waiting for you in the lobby.”
When Jiang Yun stepped into the first-floor lobby, Maurice was already there.
The military had sent a twenty-man team, and Maurice, the highest-ranking among them, served as commander-in-chief of this operation.
He stood at the front of the formation, every muscle in his shoulders drawn taut, watching that sharp, austere figure walk toward him.
Jiang Yun stopped briefly in front of him, expression as calm and indifferent as ever, as though that conversation in the café had never existed.
“You’ve worked hard,” he said simply.
Maurice opened his mouth, then swallowed his words back down. After a pause, he stepped closer and lowered his voice, “Red-Haired Ian is an extremely dangerous man. Jiang Yun, be careful.”
Jiang Yun gave a small nod and moved past him.
A sudden impulse struck Maurice; he blurted out, “I’ll have someone take care of that rumor, you don’t need to worry.”
Jiang Yun’s steps halted. His cool gaze fell upon the Alpha’s face, voice edged faintly with mockery, “This is work hours, Lieutenant Colonel.”
Maurice froze. Shame drained the color from his face, “My apologies.”
Jiang Yun said nothing more.
He and the delegation of diplomats took their positions at the entrance of the building.
A few minutes later, a line of vehicles bearing the flag of the Orin Empire rolled into view.
The invited reporters lifted their cameras; flashes streaked through the drizzle like shards of light.
The cars came to a smooth halt before the entrance. The central one stopped directly in front of Jiang Yun.
The door opened slowly.
Out stepped a man with a low red ponytail, dressed in the Orin royal tailcoat, the emblem of his rank gleaming on the collar.
Words like handsome or dashing felt ill-suited to describe him; beautiful, androgynous, perhaps even dangerously pretty fit better.
His eyes were narrow and long, irises the same deep red as his hair, like a cold flame burning in the rain.
Jiang Yun’s lips curved in a perfect diplomatic smile, textbook in its precision. He extended his hand first, “Welcome to the Alliance capital, Your Excellency Ian.”
“Ah, we meet again, my beautiful diplomat.”
Ian’s tone was cheerful, his smile dazzling as he clasped Jiang Yun’s hand with open enthusiasm,
“I’ve left you so many messages on your social account. Why haven’t you replied even once?”
Jiang Yun smoothly withdrew his hand, replying with mild amusement, “What do you think?”
“Is it because of the last roundtable meeting?” Ian asked, lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear, “I forgot to use a pheromone inhibitor, and sitting beside me must have been torture for you. I truly am sorry, I didn’t mean to. You know how I get… especially when I’m near someone as stunning as you.”
“Let’s end this meaningless conversation,” Jiang Yun said coolly, eyes fixed on the conference hall doors that were now opening ahead. “After you.”
The Alliance and the Orin Empire shared the same stellar system, neighbors forever caught in the gravitational dance of celestial bodies.
Their territorial disputes had never ceased.
This time, the conflict centered on a small planet temporarily named K2-19b.
Hostile and barren, K2-19b could not sustain intelligent life. Yet three months earlier, the Alliance’s interstellar patrol fleet had discovered a vast reserve of proto-cores deep within its crust, the irreplaceable energy source for warp-drive ships.
Proto-cores could not be reproduced. As the fleet expanded, the sixteen planets of the Alliance were running critically low.
Jiang Yun’s orders were clear: secure at least 65% of K2-19b’s mining rights.
Inside the grand conference hall, the representatives of the two powers sat across a long table, each side cloaked in civility, every word hiding ambition beneath layers of formality.
“K2-19b’s orbital path keeps it within our gravitational range for two-thirds of its cycle,” one Orin diplomat declared. “The Empire has every right to lead the mining operation.”
“First,” came the Alliance’s rebuttal, “If we hadn’t discovered the proto-core deposit, your Empire wouldn’t have even looked at K2-19b, even if it were your own satellite. Second, your extraction technology is decades behind ours. If you lead the process, what is this, a nostalgia trip to the last century?”
“Energy can be shared and so can technology,” Ian interjected with a charming smile. “His Majesty has instructed us to be generous: if the Alliance is willing to share its latest mining techniques, the Empire is prepared to grant a fifty-percent share in return.”
Back and forth it went.
Jiang Yun, seated at the head of the Alliance side, had not spoken once.
This wasn’t the first negotiation since the discovery of K2-19b, there had been dozens like it, none successful.
Today, however, Ian had personally requested this new round and had chosen to come to the Alliance’s capital himself. That could only mean one thing: he held a new card to play.
Jiang Yun waited for it.
Minute by minute, the debate raged with no sign of compromise.
Across the long table, Ian never took his eyes off Jiang Yun. The Alpha’s red gaze lingered on him with amusement, as though studying a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve.
Zhong Man, seated beside Jiang Yun, frowned slightly! she could feel the invasive weight of that stare but Jiang Yun seemed utterly unaffected, calm and focused, as if he didn’t even notice.
Half an hour passed. Finally, Ian leaned back and said cheerfully, “Isn’t it getting late? I’m starving. What about you, Mr. Diplomat?”
“I’m hungry as well,” Jiang Yun replied with a polite smile.
Ian laughed, bright and unrestrained. “Then let’s end this tedious meeting and have dinner together!”
One of his aides objected, “But, sir, we haven’t reached any conclusion.”
Ian waved a hand dismissively. “You won’t reach one even if you argue all night.”
He tapped his temple thoughtfully, pretending to ponder, “How about this, Mr. Diplomat, let’s set aside K2-19b for the moment, and talk about something far more interesting happening on another planet.”
The Alliance delegates exchanged wary glances. They all knew that whatever the Empire brought up next, it would somehow tie back to K2-19b.
Jiang Yun maintained his composure, “And which planet would that be, Your Excellency?”
Ian’s lips curved into a slow smile, “The Glacial Wasteland, Planet Gamma.”
Zhong Man immediately recalled the data. “Planet Gamma belongs to the Orin Empire. Its surface is covered in thick ice layers, at least as deep as the oceans themselves. No life signs have ever been recorded, and no research teams have stationed there.”
“Then why mention it?” another diplomat asked. “It’s an uninhabitable wasteland.”
“Because…” Ian leaned forward, crimson eyes locking onto Jiang Yun’s obsidian ones. His tone turned almost theatrical as he spoke, each word deliberate, “That is where Colonel Lu died.”
The room fell into stunned silence.
Maurice, standing behind Jiang Yun, blanched, his body reacting before his mind could catch up.
Then came the whispers, spreading like wildfire through the hall,
“Colonel Lu? The only person ever awarded the Alliance’s highest honor?”
“But no one ever found where his ship broke apart! How could the Empire know his remains are on Planet Gamma?”
Through the uproar, Jiang Yun remained perfectly still. His face was serene, beautiful in its restraint, his eyes steady and clear.
Ian found not the faintest crack in that composure.
“Don’t you wish to bring him home, my beautiful diplomat?” Ian asked softly, his voice carrying across the table. “Wouldn’t the people of your Alliance want their greatest hero to rest in his homeland, even if all that’s left of him are fragments of bone?”
All eyes turned to Jiang Yun.
“Proof,” he said coldly.
Zhong Man’s tone followed sharp and unwavering, “Seventeen years ago, Colonel Lu sacrificed himself for the safety of the Alliance’s citizens, luring the interstellar creatures away from our borders. Before his ship disintegrated, he initiated a blind jump, even though we never discovered where he went. And yet you claim his remains are on Gamma. Your Excellency, what proof do you have?”
Ian’s smile deepened, triumphant. From the pocket of his tailcoat, he drew a photograph, old, yellowed, patched together from torn fragments.
He placed it between his fingers and slid it across the table toward Jiang Yun, voice lilting with mock playfulness, “Mr. Diplomat, I never imagined you were this adorable before.”
The photo showed Jiang Yun seventeen years ago, dressed in a white T-shirt far too plain for him, a dark green military jacket draped loosely over one shoulder.
He stood by a kitchen counter, mid-motion, turning toward someone’s voice.
His eyes were bright and innocent, a small piece of bread caught between his lips.
Scrawled across the back of the photograph was a single handwritten line, graceful, fluid, unmistakably intimate, “My little wife who steals bread.”
By the time humanity reached the interstellar era, photographs on paper were almost obsolete.Digital records decayed with time and data loss; only paper could survive, could drift alongside its owner’s remains into the vast unknown.
Like regret itself, indestructible, eternal.
Maurice lowered his gaze to the man seated before him.
From where he stood, he could see a small patch of pale porcelain skin at the back of Jiang Yun’s neck and there, barely visible, the faint trace of an old bite mark.
For a moment, Maurice wanted desperately to ask, You always said two months was too short.
You said you never truly fell in love, that nothing bound you beyond reason.
But tell me, Jiang Yun…
Don’t you think losing him was a pity, too?
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Who can compare to Colonel Lu?Chapter 2 · He should be deadChapter 3 · How were we born?Chapter 4 · That’s where Colonel died..Chapter 5 · No one knows my pheromone than Colonel LuChapter 6 · Colonel Lu’s remainsChapter 7 · Heat is approachingChapter 8 · CheckmateChapter 9 · A dream liked married lifeChapter 10 · What might be his pregnancy be like?Chapter 11 · He thought he would be the father of two childrenChapter 12 · So we just hang Colonel Lu on the wall?Chapter 13 · Finally, I have something to say to my wifeChapter 14 · Why doesn’t Colonel Lu understandChapter 15 · He doesn’t Love MeChapter 16 · You’ll see him soonChapter 17 · So casual, so carelessChapter 18 Part 1 · He.. He’s looking at meChapter 18 Part 2 · He..He’s looking at meChapter 19 · Lu Huai is still aliveChapter 20 · Wait until I bring back your zombie Alpha dadChapter 21 · Long time no see, Jiang YunChapter 22 · I still have that qualificationChapter 23 · It still tastes sweet when you kiss itChapter 24 · He seems to have forgotten how to act cuteChapter 25 · The two unfortunate children were completely terrifiedChapter 26 · Please make yourself at home.Chapter 27 · Hello, UncleChapter 28 · Am I not your deceased husband?Chapter 29 · Don’t you love me anymore?Chapter 30 · Our home is No. 5, Qianshui RoadChapter 31 · Is he… here to keep him company?Chapter 32 · What exactly did Alpha bring me?Chapter 33 · Thanks a lot, brothers!Chapter 34 · Hi?Chapter 35 · I only let you take care of the child for one dayChapter 36 · Did you have thoughts when you ‘died’?Chapter 37 · Put a double bed in your homeChapter 38 · They both suffered heavy lossesChapter 39 · Welcome back to the Alphas’ arena.Chapter 40 · Why should I lower myself?Chapter 41 · I have learned that Colonel Lu Huai is still aliveChapter 42 · They are sensitive and vulnerableChapter 43 · He would also feel regret.Chapter 44 · When a child is quiet, they’re definitely up to somethingChapter 45 · Dad, you have such a good eye for choosing a husband!Chapter 46 · Who made it wear a colonel’s uniform?Chapter 47 · I love him very muchChapter 48 · Okay, I believe youChapter 49 · I remember you went pretty hard on him at the end.Chapter 50 · Colonel Lu, don’t be too fierceChapter 51 · To…make up for the regretChapter 52 · A perfect match!Chapter 53 · Colonel Lu, let’s get married!Chapter 54 · When will you finally learn to stop talking nonsense?Chapter 55 · My darlings, we’re homeChapter 56 · Babies, please stopChapter 57 · I’m about to enter my heat cycle, not my due dateChapter 58 · Is he complaining to his wife?Chapter 59 · The only lieChapter 60 · Colonel Lu, the babies are all crying.Chapter 61 · Dad, Colonel Lu bullied me.Chapter 62 · A large number of foreign ministersChapter 63 · Jiang Mu definitely likes handsome guys tooChapter 64 · First time bringing a partner to a major diplomatic occasionChapter 65 · You’re still as handsome as you were back thenChapter 66 · Bedtime Strategic PartnerChapter 67 · How can you be so good at threatening people?Chapter 68 · I’m waiting for youChapter 69 · I’ll stay by your side, from beginning to endChapter 70 · Can you handle Lu Chao’s… educational session for me?Chapter 71 · The First SpringChapter 72 · Extra 1Chapter 73 · Extra 2Chapter 74 · Extra 3Chapter 75 · Extra 4Chapter 76 · Extra 5Chapter 77 · Extra 6Chapter 78 · Extra 7Chapter 79 · Extra 8Chapter 80 · Extra 9