The man seemed to realize that his question was a bit awkward, so he just smiled and casually said, "Going there for fun is not bad, just be careful."
Eh? Sikong Yufu subconsciously looked up, but this time she only caught the other person's calm expression. The person didn't seem annoyed by her gaze, and it seemed like no one ever saw how ridiculous they were.
Is the Lord so easy to talk to? Although she exudes a strong aura of authority, her expression is very gentle even when she's not smiling. This made Sikong Yufu subconsciously say, "I... I suddenly don't want to go anymore. I feel that being able to see the Lord every day here is good enough."
Upon hearing this answer, she paused for a moment before slightly curving her lips. Instead of continuing the topic, she asked Ouyang Haoze about the recent manufacturing issues of airships and warships.
Meanwhile, the court ball on Tianzi Star had successfully transitioned into banquet mode. Qin Muge, who reappeared on stage, remained expressionless, treating her personal guards the same way as everyone else. With her individual strength at the pinnacle of the star system, possessing the vast royal legacy of the Crystalless Empire, and leading the empire's strongest mecha legion, she could show no respect to anyone.
Even so, countless people flocked to her, revering her as their equal. Whether she stood there indifferently or wore a seemingly gentle smile while ruthlessly squeezing resources from others, everyone would get used to her unpredictable personality. If an emperor like Qin Muge were too simple and easy to understand, he would have been overthrown long ago.
As for Chaoge? That very night, he was kept at the palace, but his various arguments, such as "distance makes the heart grow fonder, each of us should have our own bed" and "the palace is so luxurious, each of us should have our own bed," were rejected. He was dragged onto that big bed by the general and, after his protests were ineffective, became a human-shaped body pillow for another night.
To her surprise, when she thought she would be tightly bound or have no space at all in the middle of the night, Qin Muge simply reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, giving her enough space.
Outside, the royal palace was hosting an all-night ball, and no one knew where Min Kaiyang's ball would lead. But inside this vast palace, there were only the two of them, so quiet that they could hear their own breathing.
The slightly cool necklace pressed against her neck. Not used to having something on her neck, Chaoge naturally felt uncomfortable no matter how she slept. With nothing else to do, she became the only one trying to start a conversation. "By the way, can your bodyguards all transform?"
Qin Muge: ...How slow-witted must she be to bring this up again now? Qin Muge was somewhat amused and exasperated, wondering what kind of family Chaoge's eccentric personality must have come from. Because they lived in different worlds, she occasionally felt interested in Chaoge's world.
Sighing at her adorable clumsiness, Qin Muge reached out and smoothed her hair. The ends of her black curly hair were slightly tangled. He casually smoothed them out and replied, "No."
The helplessness in her tone couldn't be more obvious. Chaoge, however, naively waited for her next words, thinking that General Qin was the type who would readily confess without needing to be questioned.
After waiting for quite a while, and staring at her intently under the warm light of the holographic projection, she pursed her lips and categorized the general as someone who needed toothpaste squeezed out. Seeing that her eyes had successfully dimmed a little, Qin Muge found it amusing and reached out to tap her nose, "Kaiyang is an AI, the others aren't."
Oh, it's a smart brain.
"What did you just say? The wind was too strong, I didn't hear you." Chaoge said, indicating that she was startled. What kind of AI would act like this? Even Little Red Riding Hood doesn't act like this! General, you're lying again!
As if hearing her thoughts, Qin Muge chuckled and fell silent.
After realizing that she didn't want to continue the conversation, Chaoge had no choice but to reluctantly take over, muttering under her breath, "That's for sure, you're practically cheating."
"When did I say I didn't cheat?" Qin Muge raised an eyebrow, protesting against being unfairly blamed.
Okay, okay, you're right because you have big breasts.
What does it mean to have a cheat code in hand and be invincible? What does it mean to have someone else's cheat code? Chaoge really wants to call out Little Red Riding Hood so she can properly observe how to use a cheat code.
Chaoge began to light a candle for his own fate.
"What kind of incredible system must it be to be able to take on a human form?" Chaoge sighed, staring at the ceiling and sinking into deep sorrow.
Qin Muge seemed to be deep in thought, assessing just how incredible his system was. He grunted, paused for a long time, and then finally said, "He is the core AI of the Heavenly Star."
Chaoge: "...What kind of expression should I make to show my shock and speechlessness?"
Upon hearing her words, Qin Muge's smile widened. He leaned closer to her, looking quite serious as if he were helping her think things through: "Let me take a look for you."
Chaoge quickly backed away, indicating that she would never cooperate with the general's childish game of making various expressions. Unexpectedly, Qin Muge's hand, which was originally on her waist, moved up to the back of her head, pressed her towards him, and kissed her.
Chaoge: =. = You always find an opportunity to act like a rogue, no matter what. You're great, you're very strong.
Her rosy lips pressed warmly against mine, their breaths mingling. Her soft tongue successfully slipped between her lips, gently caressing every corner, even her teeth. The seemingly gentle kiss was actually like a dense, tender net, capturing her no matter where she fled, holding her tightly, leaving her nowhere to escape.
When her breathing became a little rapid and she turned her head to try to get away, the person changed his attitude from before. He used some force on the back of her head to prevent her from getting away, and his tongue forcefully probed inside. He made a sound and reached out to push her shoulder.
Qin Muge's other hand slipped under her waist as she lay on her side, pulling her closer to him, ignoring the force of her pushing against his shoulder, pressing her even closer and tighter.
Chaoge wasn't very good at regulating her breathing, and when she sped up the pace like that, she forgot to breathe. She fell behind for several seconds before remembering, and now she couldn't breathe at all. Her subordinate pushed her even harder.
Qin Muge only withdrew reluctantly when her cheeks flushed red, not forgetting to lick the corner of her lips and sip the overflowing clear liquid.
Chaoge turned her head away from her burning gaze, which seemed to contain a hint of teasing laughter. She sat up directly from the bed, calming her slightly agitated breathing, and turned her neck away from looking at her.
☆ Chapter 31: The Thirty-First Impression of General Qin
Qin Muge didn't care about her awkwardness at all. He naturally moved closer and continued to hug her waist. Watching her expression suddenly change from proud to blank, he smiled and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Chaoge glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, then looked down at the bed and pondered for a few seconds, as if confirming something, before finally speaking: "When you were licking my lips just now, I suddenly felt hungry and remembered that I haven't eaten dinner tonight."
It kills the tender atmosphere that lingers between two people in a second, making it a true romance killer.
Qin Muge was probably one of the few people who could switch topics or jump between thought processes so easily with her. Hearing her say that, she had no choice but to get out of bed, brush the hair from her forehead, think for a moment, and then turn to look at the person on the bed who was still feeling hungry: "Buckwheat noodles with vegetables and shredded pork, want some?"
Such down-to-earth food! But Chaoge felt like she hadn't eaten this kind of food, which she considered normal, in a long time, so she smiled happily and said, "Okay, will you make it for me?"
Deep down, he knew that such a task would definitely be done by those servants who were always available and practically invisible when not in use. Unexpectedly, Qin Muge agreed very readily, "Okay."
Chaoge was genuinely stunned once again. Seeing Qin Muge walking out of the palace in a good mood, and remembering that she had described the layout of the place to her, with the kitchen in a small area next door, she subconsciously put on her slippers and walked in her direction.
Thinking that she might really be deceiving her, Chaoge left the palace with this last thought and went around to the side. When she got to the kitchen, she saw only Qin Muge's figure.
After she unconsciously took two steps inside, she glanced at Qin Muge cautiously, feeling like a trespasser. To her surprise, Qin Muge simply smiled and turned to look at her, his red eyes so beautiful even in the white light, reflecting her image. "What, want to help? You like cooking?"
Huh? Chaoge thought about it for a moment, then shook her head seriously. "I'm pretty lazy at home and haven't really learned how to cook. I mostly eat noodles in the university cafeteria."
Qin Muge's expression was gentle. In front of Chaoge, every expression of hers was very real, making it hard to believe that such a person could change like that in front of the public.
"And you? Do you usually cook for yourself too?" Chaoge was reluctant to believe that it was she who made the general reluctantly cook, preferring to believe that Qin Muge usually cooked for herself.
Qin Muge's bangs had grown a bit longer. She stopped what she was doing, and because her hands were wet, she only used her wrists to brush her hair aside. But when she bent over, she found that her long hair had slipped down from behind her back to her front. "Do you have a hair tie? Can you help me tie my hair up? It's getting in the way."
"Oh, okay." Although Chaoge is usually too lazy to do her hair, she always keeps a hair tie on her wrist as a spare, just in case she gets angry at her hair and does something irreparable. Once when she was little, she was in a bad mood and spent a long time tying her hair up, only to find that a strand kept falling out, so she kept untying it and starting over.
Finally, she got angry, grabbed a pair of scissors, and slashed her hair. For the next two weeks, she went to school with stubble on her hair every day.
Qin Muge's hair is similar to hers; both are very soft. If it's not straight and long in black, it will probably be so messy after a night's sleep that it's hard to comb it straight.
She held the hair tie as if it were a precious treasure in her palm, her movements gentle and slow. She was unusually impatient with others, but she devoted all her attention to Qin Muge. Little by little, she brought back all the parts she had missed, and then slowly moved upwards. When she tied the hair tie, she didn't tie it too tightly, just enough so that it wouldn't fall off.
Because Chaoge herself doesn't like her hair tied up tightly, it always gives her a headache, even if there's no hair stuck in the hair tie.
"I learned it while working, and I don't usually have that much time here. Today is a special day, so I'm quite free." Just when Chaoge had almost forgotten what question she had asked, Qin Muge suddenly revealed the answer.
Huh? Everyone else is so busy at the ball, but it's become her only free time? Chaoge felt like laughing, but more than that, she felt a sudden surge of emotion.
Wearing slippers, Chaoge took two steps forward to help her, seemingly casually bringing up a topic: "Actually, I've been thinking for a while that I want to be someone who can choose everything for myself every day, and live a quiet life in a beautiful place with clear waters and green mountains."
Qin Muge smiled, looking down at the pool, the fleeting complexity in her eyes unseen by Chaoge. When she turned to look at Chaoge, her eyes curved into crescent moons with a rare smile: "I'll take care of you. You can do whatever you want."
Emma, this temptation is absolutely irresistible!
Player [Yan Chaoge] has been hit by a critical strike from the Great General! His health bar is empty!
General, you can't do this! You've already maxed out your skills in lying through your teeth, feigning innocence, and acting like a domineering CEO! How could you add the skill of sweet talk to your repertoire?! That's cheating!
"I...I'm someone who sticks to my principles! Don't tempt me!" Chaoge covered her chest and waved her hand in refusal, refusing to look at her expression, feeling her heart beating faster.
Qin Muge chuckled lightly, her hands continuing their work. She glanced in Chaoge's direction, her red eyes hooked and alluring, yet she wouldn't give up, "What if I said I was going to seduce you?"
"Then I'll like you! Don't force me!" What was originally a very simple matter took on a tone of forcing a good woman into marriage when it came to Chaoge.
Qin Muge sighed softly, "I don't quite understand. Isn't it normal for someone to like me?"
Here we go again, with that habitual, inexplicable surge of overconfidence.
Before Chaoge could respond, while Qin Muge was stir-frying the meat, a screen suddenly appeared in front of her without any warning, displaying a few lines of text explaining the problem.
Qin Muge continued reading without stopping, easily skimming through the screen. Because of the necklace, Chaoge also had the opportunity to see the screen and immediately witnessed the events unfolding: unrest had broken out in a small country on the edge of the Red Cloud Star System, with a possible coup.
"I understand," Qin Muge said casually, as calmly as if he had just read a news report.
"Are you going to do something? Actually, I can cook these noodles myself. Just put these side dishes in a bowl, and mix them in when the noodles are cooked, right?" Chaoge took two steps toward her, ready to take over her task at any time.
Qin Muge gave a nonchalant "hmm" and nodded. Just as Chaoge was about to reach out, he slowly said, "It's alright, things aren't chaotic here, no rush."
As she spoke, she skillfully used a spatula to transfer the contents of the pot into a patterned plate next to her.
"Did that screen pop up no matter what you were doing? That's scary." Chaoge was a little worried. If that happened to her, she might have gotten oil splattered onto her hand.
Qin Muge was amused by her expression and casually said, "There are many more dangerous times on the battlefield than this. You'll get used to it."
"So why don't you tie your hair up?" Chaoge's logic suddenly veered off course, starting the next topic without any logical connection.
"Probably because there hasn't been an opponent yet that I can seriously confront." Qin Muge's tone was casual, but the powerful confidence in her words could ignite the passion in anyone who heard her.
General, you're awesome! Now I finally know where your confidence comes from! It's the loneliness of 'we have no rivals ahead'!
During this casual conversation, Chaoge was lost in thought, and Qin Muge was also absent-minded, but his hand movements remained precise, and he scooped up the noodles at just the right moment.
When a steaming bowl of noodles was served, Chaoge bit her chopsticks, and the aroma almost brought tears to her eyes. She felt she could throw away all her dignity! She had to cling to the general's coattails! Only then could she eat something normal every day!
The steam rising from the noodles blurred the emotions in her eyes. Looking at the noodles, Chaoge couldn't wait to reach for them with her chopsticks, but her wrist was grabbed in mid-air: "It's hot, don't rush."
"I'd rather be burned to death, don't stop me, I want to eat!" Chaoge looked up at her pitifully, but the general refused to let go so that she wouldn't get burned later.
So Chaoge could only watch helplessly, enduring the torment, slowly waiting for the bowl of noodles to cool down a little. As long as it was slightly edible, she could eat it! If the bowl of noodles had consciousness, it would probably be burning up from her burning gaze by now.
Qin Muge started to drift off into thought again. Chaoge hadn't noticed at first, but a quick glance revealed it, and she instinctively asked, "What's wrong?"
General Qin looked at her concerned gaze. Under the lamplight, Chaoge's long eyelashes cast a half-shadow in her eyes, making her bright eyes even more beautiful. He simply smiled and replied, "Some people can't wait."
What the hell? Chaoge's eyes were filled with confusion.
Qin Muge chuckled, seemingly quite satisfied with the current situation. He shook his head and replied, "It's alright, you eat your noodles. I learned to make them from my mom back then, so the taste should still be about the same."
Chaoge had finally managed to pull her attention away from the noodles, but it was pulled back again. She felt her eyes getting hot, so she hummed in response and stared at the bowl of noodles for a long time.
☆ Chapter 32: The Thirty-Second Evaluation of General Qin
A few days later.
Chaoge habitually stretched after getting up, her gaze sweeping over the empty bed opposite hers. The day after the ball, when she returned from the palace, she didn't go home at all, going straight back to school. Even though she was mentally prepared, she was still disappointed for quite a while when she knocked on Luo Qinghe's door and only saw her roommate, not her.
When she was about to attend the royal ball, the two of them were thinking about where to go next, but then she disappeared without a trace. Maybe she left a message, but Little Red Riding Hood still hasn't been fixed.
I've met the wrong person, I've met the wrong person.
She shook her head, marveling at the results of her month-long efforts to make friends, and came to this conclusion. On the first day after military training, as she entered the classroom, she only vaguely recognized many faces; Chaoge realized she hadn't even memorized the names of those around her.
Was I distracted during this month of military training?
Unfortunately, Little Red Riding Hood wasn't there, Qin Muge wasn't there, and Luo Qinghe wasn't there either; there was no one to listen to her rant. Chaoge propped her head up with one hand, sat in a random spot by the window, lost in thought, continuing her boring days of attending classes.
Xue Congyi, with whom I had a brief interaction at the dance, is not a student in this major. It seems that my life in class from now on will be all about playing alone in solitude.
Listening to the teacher on stage explaining the incomprehensible knowledge points, and the brief introductions to various mecha parts, Chaoge felt as bewildered as an elementary school student encountering a university physics research question.