LABMY CH81.1

Fan Youjin brought a chef onto the starship. For several days, Jian Yuanbai had been nowhere to be seen, but this morning, everyone showed up.

The long table was filled with a rich variety of dishes. It was breakfast for three people, yet the different dishes completely covered the entire table.

From simple milk to intricately carved eggs, the only thing in common was that each dish was small enough to be finished in one bite.

As soon as Lu Qianyun arrived, he ignored Jian Yuanbai, greeted Fan Youjin with a “good morning,” and sat down.

Jian Yuanbai’s gaze and his hesitation to speak went unnoticed. Lu Qianyun didn’t spare him a single glance.

The atmosphere at the dining table was subtle. Three people eating, while five servants stood in the corner not far away. In a dining hall meant for eight, not a single sound could be heard.

Fan Youjin didn’t know what had happened between these two, but he couldn’t stand the awkward silence and quickly finished his meal and left.

After he left, Jian Yuanbai looked at the servants waiting for him and Lu Qianyun and said, “You can leave first.”

“Come back later to clean up.”

Fan Youjin came from a wealthy family, with an older brother above him, so he lived a carefree life as a rich second generation. His family’s only expectation of him was to not break the law.

He somehow learned all these refined habits, insisting on extravagant standards for eating, dressing, and living. On Emperor Star, where machines had already replaced most human labor and manual service was more expensive than machines, he insisted on hiring a group of people to serve him—one person to carry the tray, another to pour the wine, and yet another to serve the dishes.

And all of them were handsome men and beautiful women. The closer they were to him, the more attractive they looked.

When it came to wealth, Jian Yuanbai could certainly afford to hire even more people, but he didn’t like having people hovering around him. Even in his manor, he didn’t hire servants, only buying a high-end multifunctional household robot.

Of course, he wasn’t considerate enough to refuse the high-priced servants Fan Youjin had hired and clean up the table himself.

He dismissed them because he had something to ask Lu Qianyun.

Jian Yuanbai looked at Lu Qianyun, who was calmly sipping soup with a spoon, and thought for a moment before asking, “Did you look at the gift I gave you?”

“I did,” Lu Qianyun replied indifferently.

His reaction was too flat, making Jian Yuanbai emphasize, “Did you look at it carefully?”

Lu Qianyun’s hand holding the spoon paused. He glanced at Jian Yuanbai without saying a word.

Giving a set of his own half-naked photos as a gift was already ridiculous enough, but asking about it so seriously afterward?

And the key was that Jian Yuanbai’s expression was dead serious, as if he had sent not a nude photo set, but some kind of academic research material worthy of deep study.

Seeing that Lu Qianyun remained silent, Jian Yuanbai pressed further, “Did you feel anything after looking at them? Did you notice anything?”

What he actually wanted to ask was whether Lu Qianyun had felt any signs of secondary gender differentiation, like the back of his neck heating up, but he was afraid of hurting Lu Qianyun’s pride, so he asked more indirectly.

Lu Qianyun’s expression stiffened. He slowly raised his head from the bowl of soup and asked in a rigid tone, “Was I supposed to feel something?”

Hearing this, Jian Yuanbai was visibly disappointed. That meant he didn’t feel anything after looking at the photos.

Jian Yuanbai’s disappointment was so obvious that Lu Qianyun couldn’t ignore it.

What could he possibly feel from looking at Jian Yuanbai’s half-naked photos?

They had just escaped from an alien planet and were currently on Fan Youjin’s starship. Lu Qianyun had just gone through a life-or-death situation.

Yes, he liked Jian Yuanbai, but not to the extent that he would look at his photos and have some kind of physical reaction, right?

The timing and setting were all wrong. What exactly was he supposed to feel?

Was Jian Yuanbai seducing him? With his body??

But wasn’t it Jian Yuanbai who had loudly declared on the alien planet that they were uncle and nephew who shared life and death?

What kind of decent uncle gives his nephew a half-naked photo set and demands he look at it seriously and have a reaction?

Lu Qianyun was utterly speechless.

He stared at Jian Yuanbai’s face, trying to figure out what was going on from his expression, but it was impossible to read the chaotic thoughts hidden behind Jian Yuanbai’s flawless face.

Lu Qianyun had always known that Jian Yuanbai was incredibly good-looking. His appearance would slightly change depending on the world they entered, but his facial features always remained the same—only his apparent age would vary.

This was probably what Jian Yuanbai really looked like.

A face so flawless it seemed favored by the Creator, with sharp, chiseled features, cold and deep eyes, and a high nose bridge. A face that could make both men and women weak in the knees.

But now, Lu Qianyun suddenly felt that Jian Yuanbai’s appearance didn’t match his wild and unpredictable inner world.

Such a chaotic and twisted mind, hiding behind such a perfect face… this face was really unworthy of him.

Jian Yuanbai was disappointed but knew that this wasn’t something that could be achieved in one go. He stood up, walked over to Lu Qianyun, placed his hands on his shoulders, and said solemnly:

“You have to look at them more often. Seriously, it’s important.”

“After breakfast, go look at them, okay? We’ll arrive at Emperor Star this afternoon. You still have half a day.”

Lu Qianyun was dumbfounded as Jian Yuanbai sent him back to his room on the starship, leaving him facing a table full of photos with a head full of question marks.

He recalled Jian Yuanbai’s serious tone and expression when he told him to study the photos carefully.

Was there some hidden message in the photos that Jian Yuanbai couldn’t say directly and wanted him to discover through this method?

Lu Qianyun furrowed his brows and picked up a photo, studying it intently.

Meanwhile, Jian Yuanbai went to find Fan Youjin with more questions.

At that moment, Fan Youjin was enjoying lychees in his room. Being able to eat large, juicy lychees on Emperor Star during this season, peeled and fed to him by a cute Omega, was truly a luxurious life.

Jian Yuanbai entered and immediately snatched the lychees away. “You keep so many Omegas around you. Sooner or later, something will happen.”

Fan Youjin smiled and waved the Omega away, then rolled his eyes at Jian Yuanbai. “What could possibly happen?”

“Even if I accidentally mark one of them, it would be consensual. I wouldn’t force them. Got it?”

“An Alpha can mark multiple Omegas. I haven’t marked anyone yet. Compared to those who’ve marked dozens, being with me is obviously a better choice.”

Jian Yuanbai clicked his tongue. “Forget it. I don’t get you.”

“By the way, that thing you said last time about ‘seeing what you want to see,’ is there any basis to it?”

Fan Youjin fanned himself and squinted at him. “Sometimes I feel like you’re a completely different person.”

“We grew up together, yet somehow you turned into this virtuous guy. You don’t touch women, don’t smoke, and only occasionally drink with us.”

Fan Youjin sneered, “You even claim you’re staying pure for your future wife. It’s not that you don’t understand us. We don’t understand you.”

Is that really necessary? With their family background, people would throw themselves at them, begging for a chance.

Jian Yuanbai casually peeled a lychee for himself. “So you’re the bad bamboo, and I’m the good bamboo shoot.”

They’d argued about this countless times. Jian Yuanbai was tired of repeating it.

He was a bit of an idealist. He only wanted to do those things with someone he truly liked. If there was no such person, he’d rather be alone.

Waking up next to a stranger he didn’t care about—was that really happiness? Or just deeper emptiness?

Fan Youjin was speechless. “Fine, fine. I’m the bad bamboo.”

He thought for a moment about what Jian Yuanbai had asked: “I don’t know the scientific basis either. I don’t have kids, and learning about ancient Blue Star culture is just to show off at gatherings.”

“If it really doesn’t work, besides photos, let him watch more Alpha videos.”

“Preferably those with a sense of power, like combat videos. Isn’t there an old saying, ‘You learn what you watch’?”

He said in a deliberately sarcastic tone, “Any other questions, Bamboo Shoot?”

Jian Yuanbai turned and left.

“Hey, hey, hey, put my lychees down.”

“One hundred star coins per lychee if you take it,” Fan Youjin shouted behind him, “Don’t forget to transfer the money.”

Jian Yuanbai ignored him and walked even faster. He needed to think about how to shoot the video.

If photos weren’t effective, would a video with action and visuals make Lu Longlong feel something?

As for finding other Alpha combat videos, Jian Yuanbai immediately ruled that out.

Letting Lu Qianyun watch half-naked Alphas one after another—how improper.

No decent elder would do such a thing. He was clearly qualified as a good elder, so he could only sacrifice himself.

Jian Yuanbai gave himself an irrefutable reason and headed straight for the training room without hesitation.

On Fan Youjin’s private starship, the training room was more accurately called the holographic nutrition pod.

Lying inside, his body data and consciousness would be projected one-to-one into the holographic virtual training room. The training in various scenarios had almost zero effect on physical fitness but could enhance combat skills.

In a dense jungle, Jian Yuanbai’s body was perfectly replicated, and insect creatures with strange tentacles slowly appeared as his chosen opponents.

The first time, he forgot to record. The second time, the recording ended too quickly. By the third time, he tried to slow down, but the recording was still too fast.

Helpless, Jian Yuanbai began searching for Alpha combat videos again.

After watching many, he found one that seemed pretty good.

The movements were on point, and the duration was perfect. To replicate those moves and kill the virtual insect in front of him, he even recorded several takes.

Jian Yuanbai was completely unaware that the video’s creator was a bodybuilder.

All the moves were flashy and for show. The bodybuilder probably never expected that someone could actually use his moves to kill an S-class insect in a virtual training room.

When the starship arrived at the Imperial Star, Jian Yuanbai exited the training room and stepped off the ship, only to see Lu Qianyun’s relieved expression.

“What’s wrong?” Jian Yuanbai asked.

Lu Qianyun looked at the blue sky and white clouds, took a deep breath of fresh air, and shook his head without looking at Jian Yuanbai.

He was finally free from the pile of half-naked photos of Jian Yuanbai.

In the next second, staring at the clouds in the distance, a thought suddenly popped into Lu Qianyun’s mind: That cloud looks like Jian Yuanbai’s arm muscles.

Realizing what he just thought, Lu Qianyun immediately closed his eyes and wished to die.

Fan Youjin waved to them, “Come on, I arranged a car to pick us up.”

“Thanks,” Jian Yuanbai said.

Lu Qianyun also nodded and said, “Thank you.”

Fan Youjin was stunned for a moment after being hit with two “thank you’s.” Looking at Lu Qianyun, who stood behind Jian Yuanbai like a well-behaved kid, he joked, “You two look like a family.”

Jian Yuanbai replied, “Of course, I’m his uncle.”

The three of them got into the car. Fan Youjin sat in the front and teased, “So, I’m the same generation as you. Should Qianyun call me uncle too?”

Lu Qianyun didn’t hesitate at all and called out, “Uncle Fan.”

With Jian Yuanbai as a precedent, calling someone who didn’t look much older than him “uncle” wasn’t a big deal. He’d even called Jian Yuanbai “brother-in-law” before. An “Uncle Fan” was nothing.

Fan Youjin shivered exaggeratedly, “Forget it, I feel ten years older already.”

This “forget it” made him deeply regret it when he found out later that the two actually got married.

Opportunities to be Jian Yuanbai’s elder were rare, and he missed such a good chance right in front of him.

After dropping Jian Yuanbai and Lu Qianyun off at Jian Yuanbai’s estate, Fan Youjin left, but not before pulling Jian Yuanbai aside to remind him:

“Remember, when you report to your superior tomorrow, don’t mention that you brought Lu Qianyun along, okay?”

Jian Yuanbai didn’t think it would be an issue, but he knew Fan Youjin was worried about him. “Got it.”

His gaze fell on a stranger standing by the hover car door, an unfamiliar Omega who wasn’t part of the starship crew. Another newcomer.

Jian Yuanbai patted Fan Youjin on the shoulder, “You should really settle down.”

“You’re too much of a flirt. What if your future Omega dislikes you?”

Fan Youjin sneered, “Dislike me for what?”

“I’m just enjoying the view. Can’t I?”

Jian Yuanbai said nothing. Even Fan Youjin found his words ridiculous, rubbed his nose awkwardly, and left.

He walked to the hover car, said something to the Omega, making the Omega blush and kiss him, and the two disappeared into the car.

Jian Yuanbai shook his head helplessly and returned to the estate with Lu Qianyun, who had been waiting at the door.

A round-headed robot rushed over, its electronic eyes showing a watery, human-like gaze. “Jian, you’re back.”

“During the fifteen days you were away, you received three in-person visit requests. One from Fan Youjin, one from Professor Wang from the Imperial Academy, and one from the Second Princess.”

Jian Yuanbai was stunned. Why did the Second Princess want to see him?

The Empire was ruled by the royal family. The aging emperor had three sons and two daughters. The eldest daughter died young, leaving only the beloved Second Princess.

The royal family’s affairs were too complicated, and Jian Yuanbai didn’t want to get involved.

Though curious, he quickly put it out of his mind and had no intention of contacting the Second Princess.

Tata, the robot, continued, “The roses in the estate have withered, and I cleaned them up. The guest room sheets were changed every three days, and cleaning was done every two days. You can rest now.”

Jian Yuanbai pointed at Lu Qianyun and said, “Register Lu Longlong’s identity. From now on, he’s the second owner of the estate.”

Tata spoke so fast that Lu Qianyun couldn’t even object, “Understood, Jian. Name: Lu Longlong. Facial recognition complete. Iris scan complete. Please provide fingerprint data.”

And just like that, Lu Qianyun became the little master of the estate, with no room for protest.

Lu Qianyun thought expressionlessly: He was actually getting used to this name. How terrifying.