Bran stole glances at Tang Wen from the corner of his eye, poised to intervene should Tang Wen suddenly lose control and start banging his head against the wall.

However, this time, Tang Wen’s reaction was far beyond his expectations. He merely turned his back, his voice low and soft, as if suppressing an immense feeling, "I still owe her something. Perhaps, I won't need to repay it for now."

For a fleeting moment, Bran longed to step forward and see his expression, but he maintained his perpetual gentlemanly composure in front of Tang Wen, following calmly behind and picking up the thread: "You owe her something?"

Tang Wen let out a low "En," saying, "The price for going to Silver Talisman."

Bran instantly understood. Tang Wen had promised Zi Ye that he would find her many subordinates in exchange for permission to visit his grandfather's former residence.

But since their return from Silver Talisman, both parties had been exceedingly busy, and the promise remained unfulfilled.

Bran glanced over at Zi Ye, who was still muttering to Little Sprout, and sighed inwardly.

These two were clearly still children!

It was just that girls were drawn to slightly older, charismatic men, while boys sought playmates. Zi Ye liked An Junlie because he was an adult, much like how little lolis often favored older gentlemen; Tang Wen liked Zi Ye because he lacked a companion, and Zi Ye, being a child herself, perfectly filled that need.

Bran had completely failed to anticipate that he had accidentally stumbled upon the absolute truth!

Seeing Tang Wen walking aimlessly, he inquired, "Mr. Tang Wen, where is our next destination?"

Tang Wen paused in a daze for a long moment, then abruptly stopped walking: "What is scheduled for us on the itinerary?"

Bran opened the schedule, scanned it quickly, and, with a tone laced with a hint of schadenfreude, announced, "Dinner with Miss An Jie'er."

Tang Wen: "...Cancel it."

Bran appeared conflicted: "Are you sure?"

Tang Wen replied without hesitation: "Certain."

Bran immediately pulled out his Omni-Com, dialing An Jie'er's agent's number, and adopted a perfectly professional assistant tone: "Hello, this is Brantley, assistant to Mr. Tang Wen. Regarding Mr. Tang Wen’s dinner with Miss An Jie'er…"

An Jie'er's agent responded with a beaming smile: "We are very much looking forward to it."

Bran hurried on, "I apologize, Mr. Tang Wen has a sudden, immediate need to proceed to the Unified Department and may not make it for dinner. Please convey to Miss An Jie'er that Mr. Tang Wen promises to host a banquet to apologize when he has the chance."

The agent's smile faltered slightly, but Tang Wen was who he was—the heir apparent of the Tang Clan—not someone he could influence. He could only reply, "I will relay the message to Miss An Jie’er. However, she might be very disappointed. We hope Mr. Tang Wen will grace us with his presence another time."

Bran offered perfunctory agreement, then ended the Omni-Com call and turned to Tang Wen: "It is handled."

Tang Wen slowly turned around, fixing his gaze steadily on Bran.

For some reason, Bran felt a prickle of unease and lowered his head to look at his own heels.

Tang Wen curved the corner of his lips slightly. "Let's go. To the Unified Department."

Bran’s eyes lit up, and he looked up just in time to see Tang Wen already walking ahead. He was once again denied a view of Tang Wen’s expression. Feeling slightly disappointed, he tucked away the Omni-Com screen and strode quickly to catch up.

In truth, Bran was an exceptionally professional and dedicated assistant.

Generally, when an assistant hears about a dinner cancellation, their first instinct is to argue against it, extolling the importance of the engagement and listing the influential attendees, as if canceling a meal were a monumental loss. But Bran never did such a thing.

From beginning to end, he stood by Tang Wen’s side, striving with all his might to fulfill whatever Tang Wen wished to say or do!

This particular dinner had been arranged by Mrs. Tang, and An Jie'er was her personal recommendation.

Tang Wen knew this, and so did Bran.

Yet, even knowing this, Bran would never force Tang Wen to do something he didn't want to, regardless of whether Mrs. Tang questioned him later.

—In a certain sense, Tang Wen’s willful nature was entirely fostered by Bran!

Upon entering the space station docking bay, Tang Wen, surprisingly energized, announced, "I'll be the Captain today. You rest in the back."

Bran hesitated for half a second, nodded his agreement, and dutifully settled into the seat immediately behind the Captain’s chair—the designated rotating command seat, just two steps away.

The moment he sat down, Tang Wen’s Omni-Com began ringing.

Tang Wen subtly furrowed his brow.

Seeing this expression, Bran immediately recognized it as Mrs. Tang calling and moved to stand beside the command chair: "I'll take it."

Tang Wen stared at the Omni-Com screen for two seconds, then decisively shut it off. "I'll handle it."

Bran sighed resignedly and sat back down.

The shuttle engaged, slowly crawling out of the space station before suddenly initiating an extreme warp jump. Bran watched as the shuttle plunged into the sea of stars as if heedless of danger. His vision blurred, leaving only the impossibly fast-moving streams of airflow on either side, which appeared as a gray mist due to the sheer velocity.

Bran sighed inwardly once more.

—Young Master Tang Wen was clearly in a foul mood and was venting.

He couldn't help but feel a touch of relief that they were in open space piloting a shuttle, with no obstructions and few meteors nearby. If he were speeding a ground vehicle, a single mistake could result in a catastrophic, bloody accident!

Being an assistant was not easy.

Tang Wen’s Omni-Com rang incessantly, its pale blue light flashing, yet he remained rock steady. After three minutes of continuous ringing, it finally fell silent. Bran quietly let out a breath, only for his own Omni-Com to blare the very next second.

The caller ID flashing on his screen was unmistakably Mrs. Tang.

Bran’s face instantly fell.

Mrs. Tang had clearly failed to persuade her son and was now resorting to appealing to him.

His troubles were just beginning.

The worst part was that he was Tang Wen’s assistant, not Tang Wen, and he lacked the authority to refuse her call. He forced a smile by stretching the muscles in his cheeks and accepted the call.

He activated the speaker, and the moment the connection was made, Mrs. Tang’s helpless voice came through: "Is Tang Wen next to you?"

Bran looked up at Tang Wen, who was concentrating intently on piloting the shuttle, seemingly oblivious.

Bran sighed internally—this detestable fellow always dumped the cleanup on him—but his professional smile remained perfect: "Yes, he is beside me."

Mrs. Tang commanded, "Pass the Omni-Com to him."

Bran replied apologetically, "I'm afraid he is indisposed at the moment."

Mrs. Tang’s voice sharpened slightly: "Don't try to fob me off with a stale excuse like being in the lavatory from eight hundred years ago!"

Bran quickly explained, "He is piloting the shuttle to the Unified Department."

Mrs. Tang frowned: "Don't lie to me. Shuttles have autopilot. Why don't you just hold the Omni-Com up to him?"

Just then, Tang Wen turned his head toward the Omni-Com screen and spoke a single sentence: "The issue isn't whether I answer the call; it's whether I go to dinner with her."

Upon hearing Tang Wen’s voice, Mrs. Tang’s tone immediately softened. "I know. You don't like An Jie'er, do you?"