After they left, Ailin turned to look at Jiang Lijin, her gaze instantly softening. "As for you, go take a shower first. I had some food prepared."
Jiang Lijin was pushed into a suite even larger than the one she had stayed in on Valoran Star.
This was the first time in days she could fully relax.
The water washed away the dirt and the smell of blood caked on her body; steam blurred her vision. She wiped a hand across her face and looked up at herself in the mirror.
The past several days on the run had made her thinner, but her eyes shone brighter than ever.
She dried her hair and walked out.
The table in the outer room was laid out with food. Grilled meat was still steaming, the sauce thick and rich. Beside it, the soup had fine fragments of herbs floating on the surface, prepared with a level of sophistication that seemed impossible to come from a starship racing through hyperspace.
Ailin sat on the sofa with a cup of black tea in hand, scrolling through reports on her smart display. Even if the world were ending, she wouldn't forget to check that day's financial statements.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up.
"Eat up. You've suffered these past few days on that desolate planet."
Jiang Lijin didn't stand on ceremony. She pulled out a chair, sat down, and picked up the utensils.
The moment she bit into the meat, her taste buds were practically awakened. After days of nibbling on dry rations and energy bars on that barren planet, her tongue had almost forgotten food could taste like this.
"Good?" Ailin asked.
"Good." Jiang Lijin's reply was brief, but she was chewing faster than usual.
Ailin noticed, and the corner of her mouth curled up.
"Tinia had a chef specially poached, said you were picky and wouldn't eat standard nutrition meals." She took a sip of tea, her tone laced with amusement. "That kid even dared to hack the financial system of Yunlan Group for you. Ten billion bounty, straight out of the corporate accounts. Pissed off a bunch of the old board members—they sent a joint complaint letter right to my desk."
Jiang Lijin paused her cutting, looking up at her.
Ailin laughed. "Don't feel burdened. Yunlan's got more money than it knows what to do with. If he can't protect his own mate, then what's the point of all that wealth?"
The logic, the tone—it was exactly like Tinia. "Like mother, like son. They share the same way of spending money with righteous conviction."
Jiang Lijin lowered her head to drink the soup. The broth was rich with mushrooms, smooth and warm as it slipped down her throat.
She didn't speak, but her fingers holding the spoon tightened just a little.
This feeling of being remembered and cared for—it had taken her a long time to get used to it.
The terminal on Ailin's wrist kept flashing. She glanced at the caller ID, showed a knowing expression, and directly cast the projection onto the holographic screen in the middle of the room.
The signal connected, and Tinia's face practically shoved itself onto the screen.
His golden hair was a mess, heavy dark circles hung under his eyes, and his usually bright blue eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he hadn't slept in at least two days; even the buttons on his collar were misaligned.
His gaze frantically searched the screen for half a second, then immediately locked onto Jiang Lijin, who was eating.
His eyes instantly turned red.
"Sister..." His voice was hoarse and thick, carrying a strong whine, pitiful beyond words.
Jiang Lijin put down her spoon and looked at his miserable state. Her heart clenched for some reason.
She wanted to say something comforting, but her mouth moved faster than her mind.
"What are you crying for? I'm not dead yet."
"Don't say that word!" Tinia panicked, tears falling directly, big drops without any disguise. "Do you even know how I've been these days! I couldn't find you, the tracker was unresponsive, those useless lowlifes in the black market took the money and couldn't even give a single coordinate! I turned over every contact I had! Chiron told me to calm down—how was I supposed to calm down! I nearly blew up the main starport!"
The more he spoke, the more heated he got. His voice trembled, and his nose was reddened.
"Blowing up a starport is illegal," she said slowly, taking a napkin to wipe her mouth, though her voice was very soft. "Mother Ailin... Mom just brought me aboard. I'm fine."
Tinia took a deep breath, trying desperately to stop crying, but failing completely.
He turned his head to look at Ailin, accusing her. "Mom! Why didn't you tell me you found her right away!"
"And what good would that have done? Could that piece of junk you call a ship withstand the Q-990 magnetic storm?" Ailin shot down her son mercilessly, her teacup held elegantly. "Enough. She's safe. You stay put on the main star."
"I want to come pick you up!"
"Shut up. We're flying to the main star right now." Ailin cut off that notion, switching into business mode. "Chiron sent word that he suppressed the old emperor's medical report. The cabinet is leaderless now. Tighten all of Yunlan's capital chain on the main star in the next few days and put pressure on them. The Empire is about to see a regime change—if they start dumping stocks or selling off assets at low prices, acquire them immediately. You understand?"
Hearing this, Jiang Lijin held her chopsticks halfway in the air and shot Ailin a surprisingly appraising look.
Even at a critical moment like this, Ailin's instincts for business were as sharp as ever. Others saw political turmoil; she saw a window for capital realignment.
Perhaps with Ailin by her side, when she eventually took control of the Empire, the economy could not only recover but even flourish.
Tinia roughly wiped his face with his sleeve and sniffled. He might have been crying, but as soon as business came up, those reddened blue eyes immediately flashed with sharp intellect.
"I've already issued the order to tighten the capital chain. They should start panicking in a day or two." After reporting the situation, his gaze swung back to her, his voice growing careful again. "Sister... are you injured?"
"No. Tianque... they saved me," Jiang Lijin said.
At the mention of Tianque's name, Tinia's mouth twitched downward, but for once, he didn't get jealous.
"...Guess he was somewhat useful," Tinia muttered gloomily. "Get some good rest. I'll pick you up on the main star."
It took repeated reassurances from both Jiang Lijin and Ailin before he reluctantly ended the call.
Jiang Lijin had just picked up her spoon to finish the last bite of food when the holographic screen lit up again.
This time, there was no incoming call chime.
A red top-level authorization icon flashed directly, forcefully connecting the system. It was Bal's communication.
Ailin, from the side, set down her teacup and explained unhurriedly, "I gave the Supreme Commander a heads-up so that he wouldn't level the Empire before you got back."
Jiang Lijin glanced at her and nodded.
Bal's hologram was projected into the room.
He was wearing an impeccably crisp federal military uniform, the general's star on his shoulder gleaming with cold light. In the background was the main control room of the First Fleet, with dozens of tactical board screens flickering with data.
Bal's gaze cut through the screen, locking straight onto Jiang Lijin.
"Didn't lose any parts," Bal said, his voice cold and hard. "Pretty lucky to be alive."
But the slight upward nuance in the final syllable gave away a rare, barely detectable hint of relief.
Jiang Lijin leaned back in her chair, crossing her hands. "Supreme Commander, where are you off to fight?"
Bal snorted coldly. "Those bastards from the Empire dared to ambush you in the no-man's zone. I've moved the First Fleet to the buffer zone on the border, and the main cannon is already charged."
"Do you want to start a war?" Jiang Lijin frowned.
"Since they're begging for death, I'll give it to them," Bal said, his temper as volatile as ever. "I've already locked onto the coordinates of those old fools from the Empire's cabinet and their family planets—"
"Pull back," Jiang Lijin interrupted, her tone flat and barely a ripple.
"Opening fire now would give the Empire an excuse to pin the ambush on the Federation. The old Emperor isn't dead yet; Chiron has him on life support at Central Hospital. What we need right now is for the cabinet to tear itself apart, not to give them an external threat to rally against."
Bal stared hard at her.
The main control room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The officers nearby were frozen in place, hardly daring to breathe.
Even the Federation Council's repeated orders were nothing but wind to Bal. Now someone was telling him to stand down?
Bal was silent for a few seconds.
"De-charge the main cannon. Withdraw the entire fleet by five hundred stellar miles. Enter standby status."
It took the main control room two full seconds to process his words before the officers snapped to action, rushing to relay the orders.
Bal looked back at the screen, his golden vertical pupils reflecting Jiang Lijin's face.
"I'm listening to you."
"Mm," Jiang Lijin hummed in acknowledgment. She paused for a moment, then asked suddenly, "How's your mental energy lately?"
Bal froze. It was clear he hadn't expected her to ask that at a time like this.
"Not dying," he said, turning his head away uncomfortably, a faint red creeping up towards the base of his ear.
"You... when are you coming back?"
Jiang Lijin watched his awkward profile on the screen and found it unexpectedly amusing.
"I'm on the way."
"Good." Bal's throat pulsed as he swallowed, his pace quickening. "Contact me if anything comes up."
With that, he cut the communication crisply.
Jiang Lijin stared at the empty room for a while, then couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
Aelin had watched the whole exchange from the sidelines, holding her teacup and clicking her tongue in amazement.
"That rabid dog of the Federation, and you've got him eating out of your hand." She stood up, smoothed her clothes, and looked at her with scrutiny tinged with a hint of respect. "Get some rest. I'll go check on those two boys from the black market."
"I'll come with you." Jiang Lijin stood.
The medical section was at the bottom of the starship. The green light on the airlock seal blinked as she opened the door, and the mixed scent of disinfectant and healing fluids washed over her.
Tianque lay in the regeneration pod, pale blue fluid covering his body.
His external injuries had mostly healed thanks to the systemic medication, and he had borne the internal injuries and fractures in silence for those three days without a word.
Tianyan sat on a folding chair nearby, casually tossing and catching a high-grade nutrient supplement.
When he saw Jiang Lijin enter, his eyes lit up as he sprang to his feet.
"Boss, this rich mom of yours is really generous." He gestured at the regeneration pod and whistled. "Military-grade cellular remolding fluid—the cost of this one tank alone could buy a mid-sized warship on the black market."
"How's your mental energy recovery?" Jiang Lijin walked over to the pod, glanced at Tianque, then turned to ask him.
"Thanks to you, I'm not dead," Tianyan stepped closer, lowering his voice as he leaned in. "But there's this little black dragon that says it misses you."
Jiang Lijin gave him a deadpan stare.
He met her eyes for three seconds before surrendering first, raising his hands in mock defeat. "Just a joke, just a joke."
He dropped the playful grin and turned more serious. "When do we get to the homeworld?"
"Two days," Aelin replied as she walked in. "Tinia and Chiron already have everything set up on the homeworld. You two—the black market bosses—best behave yourselves when we arrive. Don't cause trouble for me or my Lijin."
Tianyan raised an eyebrow. "Aelin, rest assured. We're law-abiding, we are."
Aelin gave a cold laugh, ignoring him, and turned to Jiang Lijin. "Go get some sleep."
She paused, her tone softening for a fleeting moment.
"The homeworld ahead—it's going to be a bloody battle. You need to save your strength."
