Ilyia had always wanted to make trouble for Qiao, but without Fia as a powerful backer, her arrogance had no real foundation. After Harley's explanation, she graciously accepted the situation and followed him to Ziye's office.

The goofballs showed little interest in Ilyia, instead focusing all their attention on her bodyguards.

Xiaobai, being more observant, scanned the guards and quietly messaged the group chat: "Hey, that's weird, they all look exactly the same."

Xiaochi didn't even look, instinctively putting someone down: "That must mean they all have extremely generic faces."

Xiaohei was clearly more lecherous.

His eyes darted over them from top to bottom, his expression and movements indistinguishable from a thief preparing to strike. If he hadn't been impeccably dressed in a suit among the welcoming party, the space station police would have likely detained him as a suspect.

After his thorough inspection, he drew a conclusion: "Xiaochi is wrong. They don't have generic faces; it's that everyone working for Fia looks identical."

Xiaocheng stared blankly: "Did they all get plastic surgery?"

Xiaoqing scratched his nose, looking a bit conflicted: "Actually, I'm thinking about getting my nose done to be higher."

"Tch!"

Xiaoqing's comment earned collective scorn, but the conversation quickly veered off track, and the identically featured faces were soon forgotten.

Back at Xilian Office, Ziye was waiting at the entrance, accompanied by Tang Wan and the G-series little girl. Lingyin didn't show up because she couldn't stand the look on Ilyia's face, nor did she want Ilyia to know about her progress within the Wolf Den. An Junlie also avoided the meeting.

Ziye and Tang Wan were not old, and the presence of the G-series little girl lowered the average age even further. The three young women standing at the door looked less like hosts and more like children about to pull lollipops out of their pockets.

The accompanying staff lined up on either side were even more straightforward: all were standard-issue robots.

Ilyia's face cycled through shades of green.

This was a direct slap in her face.

Even if she weren't the Queen of Fia, no one dared treat her with such casual disregard. Who was Ziye to act this way? Ilyia had the immediate urge to storm out.

At that moment, Ziye stepped forward and greeted her with a smile: "Hi, Ilyia, long time no see."

Ilyia tugged at the corner of her mouth. She usually controlled her expressions well, though whether she could keep the anger from surging through her veins and bursting them was another matter entirely. After tugging, she forced a smile, then tugged again until the smile looked quite normal before she spoke: "Ziye, did you invite me here just to humiliate me?"

Ziye was direct: "No. Quite the opposite, I actually admire you."

Ilyia raised an eyebrow: "Admire?" Whenever she raised that brow, her tone sharpened slightly, almost like an accusation.

Ziye smiled and nodded: "Yes." She offered no explanation, merely shifting aside: "Please, this way."

Ilyia gave her a bewildered look and walked forward in her heels.

Ziye walked alongside her, pacing her step, maintaining silence.

After the Legion fractured, regardless of the reasons, anyone willing to swallow their pride and actively seek cooperation to restore the Legion deserved praise. Not everyone had the capacity to face failure, nor did everyone possess the resilience to never give up when trapped in difficulty.

In this regard, Ziye genuinely appreciated Ilyia.

The reason Ziye didn't explain immediately was because she deeply understood Ilyia's personality; Ilyia would certainly interpret it as an insult.

Entering the top-floor conference hall, the two sat side-by-side on the central sofa, separated by a coffee table adorned with flowers.

Ilyia sat rigidly, trying not to look around, feeling deeply uncomfortable.

Not long ago, when Ziye was still struggling somewhere unknown, she had occupied this very seat. Now, in just a few years, Ziye had risen to this position, sitting as her equal.

Even so, Ilyia still felt that Ziye was inferior to her.

Damn it, she wanted to flip the table!

Having to approach someone she had always looked down upon to ask for cooperation—wasn't this a direct humiliation?

The restlessness Ilyia had barely managed to suppress surged back up, and she couldn't help injecting sarcasm into her words: "You’re doing quite well, aren't you? Must be nice clinging to Tang Wen's leg."

Ziye glanced sideways at her: "You think I’m not as good as you?"

Ilyia was rarely this honest: "Do you think you surpass me?"

Ziye merely smiled: "So it makes you uncomfortable sitting here with someone you’ve always considered beneath you, correct?"

After all, both represented parts of the Legion.

Within the Legion, no matter how terrible the relationship, they would only fight in the shadows; no one would tear away this thin veneer of civility. But Ziye hadn't just ripped off the veneer; she had exposed Ilyia's deepest insecurity.

Ilyia's composure faltered, and she retorted with forced aggression: "You are inherently inferior to me. What do you have? A background? Connections? Business acumen? You just latched onto someone powerful. Do you have the right to flaunt anything in front of me?"

Ziye didn't get angry; her expression turned serious: "Yes, I am inferior to you in every way. I was just lucky enough to latch onto a strong pillar. So, do you dare to beg me?"

Ilyia's face instantly went pale.

Ziye looked her straight in the eye, enunciating every word clearly: "Ilyia, will you beg me to help you?"

Undoubtedly, Ziye could help.

However, due to her earlier agitation and Ziye's pointed remarks, Ilyia’s resolve was no longer as firm as it had been when negotiating with Lan Li.

She had always believed Ziye was beneath her, yet now she could see Ziye thriving, possessing the necessary strength, funding, and capability to assist her.

But was she willing to lower her head and beg?

Her pretense of 'cooperation' was always based on the notion of equality between the two parties. In reality, she was petitioning for aid.

Yet, Ziye unceremoniously stripped away the guise of cooperation and used the word beg, denying her any semblance of equality.

The single word 'beg' was agonizingly humiliating.

Ilyia’s face was ashen, her fingers trembling unnaturally. Beg? She refused to. Not beg? Then she would lose the help she desperately needed to navigate Fia’s current crisis.

Ziye didn't press her, sitting quietly, sorting through the matters in her mind.

The start of the school term was fast approaching. With only the final year remaining, taking a leave of absence was pointless. This period was dedicated to post-war reconstruction. As long as she could finalize arrangements for the Xilian Space Station before school started, returning to her studies peacefully wouldn't be difficult.

Besides that, another major task was completing the delivery of the warship management system to the Tang Clan.

As she was thinking, she felt the flower vase beside her shift slightly. She turned her head to see Ilyia, her face a mask of frost: "I would rather die than beg you!" Without waiting for Ziye’s reply, she strode toward the door.

Ziye looked up at her retreating figure, shrugged, and stood up. This was for the best; she could return to her work in peace.

Tang Wan stood at the conference hall entrance. Watching Ilyia leave, she said to Harley: "Hey, escort her out."

Harley was annoyed at being ordered around by Tang Wan, but seeing guests off was indeed his duty. He didn't hesitate, calling over ten of the goofballs who were still arguing over what to name their squad, and sent Ilyia away.

Tang Wan entered the conference room and saw Ziye seated, looking deep in thought. She couldn't help but ask: "Xiaoyezi, if she had actually begged you, would you have helped her?"

Ziye patted the spot where Ilyia had been sitting, gesturing for her to sit down, and said slowly: "What do you think?"

Tang Wan considered it: "I don't think so. If it were me, I would definitely make her kneel and beg, and then refuse to help her, hahahaha!"

Ziye: "... You are truly immoral."

Tang Wan looked at her sideways: "Are you saying you would help?"

Ziye smiled with genuine ease: "If she begged me, why wouldn't I help?"

Tang Wan looked incredulous: "Why? Isn't she your enemy?"

Ziye laughed: "I don't consider her an enemy anymore. However, she won't bow her head to me; she can’t endure it. Someone with her personality would rather go seduce the old men from other Legions."

Tang Wan stuck out her tongue in disgust: "Ugh, that’s desperation."

Ziye stood up, linked arms with her: "Come on, let's get back to work. School starts in a few days."

Tang Wan finally realized: "Ah, right, school is starting soon. I told my brother I was going to Kaga University. It would be troublesome if they forgot."

Ziye smiled and shook her head. A few months ago, she thought Tang Wan was just saying that casually, but now she saw that Tang Wan going to Kaga might not be a bad thing. The Twins had entered the military, the other twins had entered the military, and Li Chunyu had graduated. Having Tang Wan there would liven things up, and they could discuss problems together.

Most importantly, Tang Wan was a junior.

Returning to the office, An Junlie was still there. Seeing her return, he moved forward, intending to give her a big bear hug.

Ziye was in a good mood but didn't want to be held. She sidestepped, avoiding the embrace, and commented: "Hi, you seem quite idle lately?"

An Junlie looked at her helplessly: "I was too busy before; I always neglected you."

Ziye waved her hand: "It's fine, I'm used to it."

An Junlie: "..."

Every time Ziye said she was "used to it," it felt like sprinkling salt on An Junlie’s heart. Those two words constantly reminded him of how poorly he had treated her in the past.

An Junlie composed himself: "Give me another chance."

Seeing his serious demeanor, Ziye dropped her teasing manner and spoke frankly: "Even if you had the time, I don't have it now. I have one system to deliver before school starts, and I hope to launch another system. After school begins, besides classes, there's Legion equipment upgrades and the battleship exhibition."

An Junlie's gaze held a plea: "That's fine. I won't disturb your work; just let me stay close to you."

Ziye had already made up her mind and wouldn't yield to a casual suggestion: "No need. I don't plan on dating until after I graduate. You are busy; you should go back, otherwise, if your Vice Commander comes looking for you here, it will cause me trouble too."

Those direct words struck the target like an arrow.

An Junlie was fatally wounded.

He suddenly recalled a saying he had once heard: "There was once a sincere relationship placed before me, but I didn't cherish it. I only regretted it when I lost it..."

-RS