“Who hit me?”

Yun Lan spun around. Ziye stood behind him, her tone cool. “Who did you say you were taking care of?”

Yun Lan managed a nervous chuckle. Ziye ignored him, linking arms with Tang Wan. “Hurry up and report to the XiLian Galaxy. I can’t guarantee what kind of reception awaits you if you’re late.” She then gave Tang Wan a sweet smile. “Let’s go to class.”

Tang Wan nodded, boarding the airship with Ziye as they headed toward the classroom.

On the way, Tang Wan broached the subject tentatively. “Hey, now that the alien has left, what are you going to do?”

Ziye turned her head to look at her. “What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

“He usually takes such good care of you. Now that he’s gone, no one will look after you,” Tang Wan explained.

Ziye didn't answer, countering with a question of her own. “Your Third Brother takes good care of you too, doesn't he? But he’s not by your side now, and you’re still doing just fine, aren't you?”

Tang Wan shook her head. “That’s different.”

Ziye shrugged. “How is it different?”

Tang Wan wrinkled her nose. “You’re clearly avoiding the main point. Third Brother is my brother. He is your boyfriend—how can that be the same?”

Ziye pondered for a moment. “Your brother Tang Wen has been missing in action lately, never showing his face around you, yet you’re managing perfectly well.”

Tang Wan shyly covered her face. “I just have a secret crush on Brother Tang Wen; I wouldn't dare hope he likes me back.”

Ziye responded with an exasperated sigh. “…That just proves it has nothing to do with life.”

Tang Wan lowered her hand, staring at Ziye suspiciously. “Are you telling me you aren't sad at all that he left?”

Ziye thought for a moment, then answered honestly. “Sad isn't quite the word. The more melodramatic way to put it would be a sense of profound emptiness.”

Tang Wan waved her hand dismissively. “So dramatic, as expected.”

An Junlie slipped back into the Angel Domain without alerting anyone.

He kept a low profile; all his bodyguards were swapped for plain clothes, and his usual command cruiser was replaced by a standard shuttle. However, as the Commander, every movement he made was subject to public scrutiny. Less than two minutes after arriving, those who needed to know, knew.

Vice-Commander Lan Li stood in the space station to greet him, smiling. “Welcome back, our great Commander.”

An Junlie glanced at him.

Lan Li lowered his voice to add, “Welcome back our poor, abandoned Commander.”

An Junlie glared fiercely at Lan Li.

Lan Li flashed a delighted smile. “Indeed, Commander. I accidentally mentioned to Ditar just now that you’re heartbroken and need to mend your wounds of love. Ditar was incredibly enthusiastic. He said that interacting with children is conducive to purifying the spirit and dispelling sorrow. I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment.”

The moment An Junlie heard that convoluted speech pattern, he knew trouble was brewing. “Just say what you need to say directly.”

Lan Li played along perfectly. “Given the depth of your emotional injury, I presumed you wouldn't want to make a public appearance, so I accepted Ditar’s kind offer. We’ll have tonight’s welcoming banquet at Ditar’s house. How does that sound?”

An Junlie: “…”

What a high-sounding justification.

Still, going to Ditar’s house was actually a decent choice.

Ditar currently had twelve children at home, all under the age of twelve—exceptionally mischievous and energetic. Spending time there tended to bring out everyone’s inner child.

Though annoyed that Lan Li had publicized his heartbreak, An Junlie didn't object to the arrangement and agreed readily.

However, he never anticipated Lan Li's true insidious nature.

That evening, as he arrived punctually with gifts, Ditar smiled and introduced a stunningly beautiful young woman. “Commander An, this is Emily. She’s a professor in the Art Department at Angel University, and quite the renowned painter, too.”

An Junlie’s face instantly turned the color of swamp algae.

He had met this girl during his last dinner at Ditar’s place!

What was this underhanded plot?

Emily offered a faint smile, the curve of her lips perfectly measured. “Commander An, it’s a pleasure to meet you again.”

An Junlie offered a perfunctory smile back and looked toward Ditar for an explanation.

Ditar clarified, “Miss Emily is the painting instructor for our little Qi. She had some free time today, so she joined us.”

An Junlie nodded, about to speak, when two toddlers, perhaps four or five years old, rushed up from either side, clinging to Emily’s legs. The pair were chubby, fair-skinned, and identical, even wearing matching outfits—a miniature replica of X-Bente in his early years.

An Junlie blinked in surprise. If only he and Ziye could have twins this age, he could wrestle with them without restraint—ahem—it would be wonderful if he and Ziye ever had a set of twins they could play with however they liked.

The thought flashed through his mind, and An Junlie instantly felt his ears flush.

That idea was still far, far off.

He hadn't even secured Ziye yet.

An Junlie sighed internally, reaching out to pick up one of the boys for a closer look. “Are these new children?”

Ditar explained, “This is Twenty, named Niannian. The other is Twenty-One, named Lianlian.”

Niannian smiled happily and held out his finger toward An Junlie.

He looked momentarily blank until Ditar awkwardly explained, “He likes you; he wants to share his finger with you.”

An Junlie took the chubby little finger in his hand. “Good boy.”

Niannian happily brought his mouth forward to bite it.

An Junlie quickly pulled back. “I haven't washed my hands yet.”

Niannian replied in a sweet, milky voice, “I don’t want to eat your hand.”

Seeing this, Lianlian began fussing, scratching Emily’s leg and pouting. “I want a hug too.”

Emily gently stroked his head and lifted him up.

The two children met in mid-air. Niannian glanced at Lianlian, then used both hands to aggressively muss An Junlie’s hair into a bird’s nest, following up with a challenging look toward his twin.

Emily startled, putting Lianlian down quickly.

But her movement was too late. Lianlian spotted a small sapphire ornament in her hair, grabbed it with lightning speed, and tugged hard, pulling a clump of hair along with it.

Emily cried out in pain. She dared not simply let Lianlian go, fearing he might accidentally rip off her scalp. She quickly crouched down, placing him on the floor, and pried his fingers open to reclaim her hair, taking back the sapphire ornament as well.

Lianlian saw the pretty sapphire was gone and immediately burst into tears with a loud wail.

The twins shared a psychic link; as Lianlian cried, Niannian followed suit two seconds later.

Emily was instantly panicked and helpless. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that would happen, I’m so sorry.”

The other children stared at them blankly, but soon their moods shifted.

Crying was contagious.

Ditar understood this perfectly. He swiftly scooped up Lianlian, walking toward the exit while cooing, “Good boy, good boy, don’t cry.”

Seeing this, An Junlie carried Niannian into the living room, sat him on the coffee table, and stared him down. “No crying!”