The brat pouted, unleashing another torrent of tears, so heartbroken it sounded as if An Junlie were torturing him. Lianlian, who hadn't been carried far away by Ditar, heard the wailing and joined in the cacophony.
All the children of the Ditar family, big and small, ran out and lined up before An Junlie, staring at him with accusatory eyes: “Bad man.”
For a fleeting moment, An Junlie wanted to clap his hands over Niannian’s mouth and toss him out the window.
An Junlie threatened, “Shut up, no crying! Cry again and I’ll throw you out for the Kenken Star to eat.”
Niannian seemed frightened, sucking his finger, and whimpered in baby talk, “What’s Kenken Star?”
An Junlie replied, “The Kenken Star is the most savage animal here. It can chew off all your flesh, leaving your skeleton perfectly intact.”
Niannian stared at him in terror, drool dribbling from his mouth.
An Junlie disgustedly wiped the corner of his mouth and continued the intimidation, “They love tender, delicate children like you the most.”
“Waaah, I want Mommy, I want Mommy!” Niannian burst into loud tears again, this time from fear. He tried to climb down from the coffee table, but An Junlie wouldn't let him move.
He pointed a finger at his hair, which looked like a bird’s nest, and asked, “Do you know you were wrong?”
Niannian squirmed to escape his clutches, mumbling vaguely, “I don’t know, I really don’t know.”
An Junlie then reached out toward Niannian’s head.
Emily watched this entire scene unfold nearby, never expecting the result of her retrieving the accessory to be so catastrophic. At this moment, assuming An Junlie was about to punish Niannian, she delicately stepped closer to him and murmured softly, “Commander, he’s just a child.”
An Junlie didn't strike Niannian; he merely stroked his head gently and smiled, “So mischievous at such a young age, he’ll surely grow up to be a troublemaker. Not bad, not bad.”
Niannian was indeed a troublemaker, a sentiment Emily deeply shared.
She had hoped for a perfect time interacting with An Junlie, but because of his behavior, the Ditar household had dissolved into chaos.
Emily’s eye twitched. “Troublemakers are a good thing?”
An Junlie laughed heartily, “Twins are always troublemakers. Do you know the Axelbent brothers? They’ve been troublemakers since they were small.”
Emily suddenly felt at a loss for how to respond.
She certainly knew the Axelbents, but to agree that twins were troublemakers, and that being a troublemaker was a good thing, was incredibly difficult. Yet, she was familiar enough with An Junlie’s personality that voicing outright opposition felt imprudent. She managed weakly, “Yes, I know them. They are all very accomplished.”
An Junlie nodded, casually pinching Niannian’s soft, delicate cheek. “So I believe these little twins will be very accomplished in the future too.”
Niannian had stopped crying and looked up at An Junlie, saying, “I’ll definitely be more accomplished than big brother and second brother!”
An Junlie picked him up and returned him to Ditar’s mother, who had run out to see her son. “Thank you for your trouble, raising so many little rascals.”
Ditar’s mother glanced at his bird’s-nest hair. “Thank you for playing with him.”
Seeing her look towards his head, An Junlie guessed his hairdo wasn't looking his best. Just as he was considering making a hasty retreat to the restroom to check, Nineteenth Sister darted out from the cluster of children and wrapped her arms around his leg. “Uncle An, you promised last time you’d bring Sister Mengyaya over to play. Where is Auntie Mengyaya?”
An Junlie instantly developed another strong dislike for the brat.
Why bring up the sore point?
What he hated most was Nineteenth Sister calling him 'Uncle' while calling Ziye 'Sister'—was this a constant reminder that he and Ziye were impossible?
However, An Junlie wasn't going to argue over semantics with a child; it was Emily who felt the threat.
Mengyaya?
Could that be a threat to her?
The image of Ziye’s stern face flashed across An Junlie’s eyes, and an idea sparked in his mind. “Nineteenth Sister, would you like to learn something really amazing?”
Nineteenth Sister was eight years old, right in that period of life filled with beautiful dreams of the outside world. Hearing the word ‘amazing,’ she scampered out the door on her short legs and pointed at a warship gliding past high above the space station. “Like those?”
An Junlie saw it and chuckled.
Nineteenth Sister was interested in warships?
This coincided perfectly with his own plan.
His plan was to send Nineteenth Sister to Ziye’s care, to be raised by her. That way, he would have an excuse to visit Ziye frequently.
Of course, this hinged entirely on the consent of Ditar and his wife.
An Junlie happily carried Nineteenth Sister back inside. The dutiful Nineteenth Sister took the initiative to tidy up his bird’s-nest hair for him; it actually looked quite stylish.
An Junlie became even happier. After the meal, he placed Nineteenth Sister on the chair next to him, occasionally feeding her a piece of meat or a vegetable—yes, he was building an emotional foundation with her.
Ditar had initially hoped An Junlie and Emily could get to know each other better.
He was nearly thirty and still without a partner; as an elder, Ditar felt considerable pressure.
Emily had once shared a meal with An Junlie, and An Junlie hadn't shown any displeasure. Ditar had thought An Junlie might actually try things out with Emily, but apparently, that was out of the question.
Because An Junlie was entirely preoccupied with connecting with Nineteenth Sister!
Ditar had seen Ziye once in the Kila Galaxy, and later heard from Axelbent about An Junlie’s deep interest in her. However, she was, after all, a high-ranking official in the Wolf’s Den.
Ditar secretly surmised that Ziye would never abandon her top position in the Wolf’s Den to become An Junlie’s devoted wife, and An Junlie, managing an entire legion, certainly couldn't dedicate his every waking moment to her. A political marriage sounded good in theory, but was difficult in practice.
Unless the Angel Domain and the Wolf’s Den merged—which hadn't happened three years ago, and was even less likely now.
Ditar sighed and decided to wait and see how things played out.
After dinner, the robot nanny led the children off to play.
An Junlie, however, busied himself solicitously with Ditar’s mother, researching food nutrition.
Seeing this, Ditar knew Emily stood no chance and had someone escort her back. Before leaving, Emily looked at An Junlie with hopeful eyes, only to see him give her nothing but an indifferent back. Her expression dimmed, and she departed quietly.
After discussing nutrition with Ditar’s mother, she laughed, “Are you plotting something?”
An Junlie stiffened. “I have no idea what you mean.”
Ditar’s mother smiled warmly. “Don’t think you can hide anything from me, child. I’ve raised this many children; I can see this much easily.”
An Junlie broke into a cold sweat. To Ditar’s mother, he was just a child. Heaven help him.
An Junlie glanced outside; Ditar had returned to the living room. He suggested, “Shall we talk in the living room?”
Ditar’s mother nodded, and they exited the nutrition lab together.
In the living room, An Junlie cut straight to the chase. “I want Nineteenth Sister. Is that possible?”
Ditar’s mother was startled. “Why?”
An Junlie didn’t answer immediately, only stating, “I have found a girl I like.”
Ditar beamed with relief. “That’s wonderful news. It’s rare for you to finally open up. Otherwise, how could I face your master?”
An Junlie laughed. “So please stop arranging blind dates for me. To be honest, I don’t believe in love at first sight, nor do I believe in arranged meetings. Feelings are nurtured slowly. I and Ziye have known each other for several years, ever since I was shot down by Karu.”
The Ditar couple remembered that period of history well. Even though years had passed, they recalled the time when dark clouds hung over the Angel Domain, when Fia seized the opportunity to invade them, when the Interstellar Federation constantly tripped them up, and when everyone in the legion worried constantly, as if the future had been lost.
Thankfully, An Junlie returned alive. Everyone knew Ziye had saved him. Ziye was the great savior of the Angel Domain.
Ditar nodded. “As long as you like her, that’s what matters. Bring her to meet everyone in the legion when you have time, for a formal introduction.”
An Junlie gave a wry smile. “Not that quickly. I’m still working on it. When she willingly agrees to be with me, I’ll bring her back for you all to see.”
Ditar’s mother stared, wide-eyed, in disbelief. “You mean that girl doesn’t like you?”
An Junlie nodded frankly.
Ditar’s mother sighed. “That girl has terrible judgment. You are so outstanding, and she still doesn’t like you.”
An Junlie couldn’t help but chuckle. “Thank you for praising me like that. This time, the reason I want Nineteenth Sister is also related to her.”
Ditar’s mother’s expression rarely became serious, but now it did. “What exactly is going on?”
In truth, anything concerning the children made her instinctively very serious.
An Junlie explained, “I feel her ability to interact with people is rather poor, and she doesn't really want to spend time with me. I thought if I let her try taking care of a small child, perhaps she might become more easygoing. It would be very beneficial for her.”
The Ditar couple exchanged a look.
Ditar worried, “Can she take good care of Nineteen?”
An Junlie countered, “The reason I chose Nineteen is because she gets along best with her [Ziye]. Have you noticed that your robot nanny is manufactured by the Mengya Group? Ziye is the founder of the Mengya Group, and these robots were all designed with her input. I figure if she could achieve perfection in the details of childcare through the robot nanny, her own ability to care for children should also be quite good.”
—As he spoke, he felt uncertain inwardly. In reality, Ziye couldn't even take good care of herself. But if he told the truth, the Ditar couple would never agree to let him send Nineteenth Sister to live with Ziye. However, he could guarantee that Nineteenth Sister would be well-fed and thriving under Ziye’s care.
Ditar sighed heavily. “Even though Nineteen isn't our biological daughter, we’ve always raised her as our own. For you to ask to take her away so simply, it’s hard for us to accept all at once.”
Ditar didn’t instantly agree just because An Junlie was the Commander. He even considered refusing. However, precisely because he understood An Junlie’s character, he left a small opening. “If she truly wishes to adopt Nineteenth Sister, and if Nineteenth Sister is willing, then it’s not impossible for us to let go.”
An Junlie nodded; he understood this sentiment.
Ditar added, “Or, when time permits, bring Ziye over here so we can assess her. If she proves qualified, then we can discuss the next steps, alright?”