Fortunately, Li Chunyu was gentle and kind, and after she hung up the comm-call, she dialed back.

April flustered once more. When she finally connected, her heart hammered in her chest, and she was utterly lost for words, standing frozen, lacking the courage even to turn on the video and let him see her face.

Li Chunyu spoke softly, “Why didn't you say anything when you called just now?”

April stammered, “I... I accidentally pressed the wrong button.”

Li Chunyu smiled gently, “It’s alright. Did you need something?”

Only then did April recall her purpose. She took a deep breath and mustered her courage, “Brother Chunyu, when are you attending the celebration party? My skiff has been sent for maintenance; could I trouble you to pick me up on your way?”

Li Chunyu agreed without hesitation and added, “I’ll be leaving in half an hour. Which landing platform are you on?”

April’s eyes instantly brightened, like a twenty-watt bulb suddenly transforming into a fifty-watt one, emitting more than twice the previous luminosity.

Brother Chunyu was even gentler than she had imagined. Did this mean she stood a chance?

After ending the call, April rushed excitedly to the mirror, scrutinizing her attire one last time to ensure not a single flaw remained. Then, she moved to the door, craning her neck eagerly, waiting for him to arrive.

Meanwhile, Li Chunyu felt as if he had chewed hundreds of cloves of bitter herbs; the agony was profound.

His mind was entirely consumed with the fact that Ziye had a boyfriend, and it wasn't him...

What a torturous realization this was.

And precisely at this time, Lingyin was hosting the celebration banquet—how was he supposed to face Ziye when she already had a boyfriend?

Lost and unsure what to do, he had agreed to April’s request, seeing it as a distraction.

This evening’s internal celebration party turned out to be the most conflicted one in history.

Aina had run into some trouble recently and didn't attend.

Among those present, aside from the carefree Twins, and the stably coupled Bobo and Lingyin, Sha Xini, April, and Li Chunyu were all preoccupied with their own thoughts. Even with a table laden with exquisite food and entertainment systems readily available, almost no one touched anything.

Ziye arrived with the Twins. The Twins were usually hard to find, but for appointments, Ziye practically always showed up with them, so Ziye simply came along.

Truth be told, she felt she owed the Twins an immense, immeasurable debt but had no idea how to repay it.

Back to the present, seeing the Twins exert all their energy to liven up the mood, she couldn't help but laugh, “You two have successfully become galactic celebrities; shouldn't you be treating tonight?”

Spence blurted out, “Wrong, Little Ye! You’re finally with our Commander today, you should be the one treating us!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere chilled instantly.

Everyone turned to look at Ziye with a certain expression.

Spence immediately realized his blunder and was about to smooth things over when April exclaimed in surprise, “Little Ye, you’re with the Commander? No way, not... not the Twins’ Commander, right!”

The Angel CEO?!!!

Ziye was with the Angel CEO?

Then she had nothing to worry about and could boldly pursue Brother Chunyu! She was so thrilled!

The Twins didn’t have time to salvage the situation. Hearing April’s words, they exchanged a glance, shrugged, rubbed their noses in resignation, and simultaneously looked at Ziye, conveying with their eyes: Little Ye, that wasn't intentional, please forgive us.

Actually, Ziye didn’t feel anything; being together was being together, nothing to hide. She just hadn't expected the news to travel so fast. Since it was out, she admitted it openly, “Yes, that’s right.”

Li Chunyu, who had been clinging to a sliver of hope, felt a bucket of water, then two, then countless buckets poured over his head the moment Ziye admitted it aloud. He was utterly, thoroughly chilled to the core.

In a flash, he remembered eating hotpot with An Junlie at Ziye’s apartment, and the realization struck him like lightning.

A visible romantic rival isn't necessarily the real threat; the invisible rival is the true enemy.

It turned out Ziye’s partner was the illustrious Angel CEO. No wonder even the genius designer Tang Wen had been defeated...

Li Chunyu grew increasingly bitter, wishing he could immediately find Tang Wen and weep on his shoulder. The feeling of having his unrequited love suddenly smothered in its cradle was simply devastating.

April had been closely watching Li Chunyu. Seeing his gaze dim, her heart clenched painfully.

On one hand, she was happy Ziye hadn't chosen Li Chunyu; on the other, she grieved for herself. Even if Ziye didn’t like Li Chunyu, Li Chunyu still liked Ziye—not her.

Seeing the varied expressions on everyone’s faces, Bobo rushed to mediate, “We’re here to celebrate today! To congratulate us on our excellent results in the Mecha Competition, everyone cheer up! I heard the prize money is huge! The champion team gets one million; for our team of six, that’s a lot of money per person!”

Lingyin immediately chimed in, “Exactly! We’ll get the bonus next week. Shall we go traveling together then?”

Aix immediately gave a thumbs-up, “Yes! We can buy a shuttle craft and tour the galaxy, visiting every single planet!”

Spence did some quick math, “After buying the shuttle, there won't be much money left, it seems.”

Ziye chuckled, “Then we won’t buy one, we’ll rent one, okay?”

Spence countered, “Renting is more expensive!”

Bobo, the big spender, declared, “I have a shuttle craft; we can use mine then. We can use the prize money for expenses on the road.”

The group had initially only intended to change the subject, but as they chatted, they found the idea appealing and continued the discussion with renewed enthusiasm.

The OutSlayer team only had six members.

The Twins, April, and Sha Xini present at the celebration were not part of the OutSlayer crew, so they had no say in where OutSlayer might travel. Coupled with Li Chunyu’s look of utter devastation, the scene split into half silence and half conversation.

This was practically a monumentally failed celebration party.

Lingyin sensed the atmosphere was far too strange. Unable to think of a quick solution, she urgently nudged Bobo for help.

Bobo, in fact, didn't fully grasp what had happened.

How lively this group used to be when they gathered—it was practically a frenzy of happy chaos. Today, everyone was excessively quiet.

However, he wasn't attuned to the nuances. Confused for a moment, he walked over to Li Chunyu, grabbing his arm, “Let’s go sing, okay? The sound system here is excellent; no one will hear us even if we howl like ghosts.”

Just then, a voice suddenly cut through, “I will hear.”

Bobo jumped, whirling around with a gasp. In the dimming lights, a tall figure stood there.

The others hadn't been talking much, but they all turned their heads upon hearing the voice. The distant lights were slightly subdued, obscuring his face and muffling his voice, yet the figure felt inexplicably familiar.

Ziye suddenly shot up. Who else could this silhouette be but Tang Wen?

Tang Wen seemed to spot Ziye too, taking slow steps toward her until he stood right in front of her.

Ziye stood up, tilting her head back helplessly.

Tang Wen wasn't bulky, but he was always tall, tall enough that she had to look up to him.

Tang Wen leaned down slightly and whispered a sentence near her ear, “Loving someone makes you humble enough to reach the dust, and only then can flowers bloom. I look forward to the day those flowers open.”

-RS