Early morning.
In the master bedroom on the second floor, Jiang Lijin turned over in bed, her hand meeting empty air beside her.
Baal had left before dawn. A military plane had come to pick him up; the frontline war situation was tense, and he hadn't even had time to say goodbye.
After washing up and heading downstairs, the living room was already buzzing with activity.
Tinia wore a light blue sweater of excellent quality, his hair meticulously combed. He was directing a housekeeping robot to replace the sofa cushions with new ones.
Seeing Jiang Lijin come down the stairs, he bounded up two steps at a time and naturally wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Good morning, Sister!" Tinia rubbed his head against the top of her hair, his tone light. "I have the day off today. I'll take you to the biggest mall in the capital star, and we can get all the gear for your trip to Guixu."
Jiang Lijin let him hold her, casually ruffling his soft blond hair.
Rowan had changed into a pair of suspender shorts and walked out of the dining room hugging a teddy bear. Xiao Yi followed close behind, his screen displaying a big cheerful face emoticon, his wheels spinning rapidly.
(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
"Host, this butler has planned the optimal shopping route, avoiding all congested flight paths. I am at your service around the clock!"
The hovercar glided smoothly to a stop on the rooftop landing pad of the Star Glory Global Center. This was the most bustling commercial landmark in the central star sector. The shops looked like glowing glass boxes, arranged in a staggered, floating pattern midair.
Tinia expertly took Jiang Lijin's hand, interlacing their fingers. Rowan held Jiang Lijin's other hand, looking up with curiosity and peering around in every direction.
Xiao Yi followed closely behind the group.
"I've already arranged for the survey teams from Cloud Mist Group to take over those energy mineral stars that the old nobility vacated," Tinia said as they walked. When talking business, he became much more serious, showing the shrewdness and capability of a merchant. "The Tians have smoothed out the underground shipping routes. I plan to merge Cloud Mist's logistics network directly into them. Within three months, the Empire's energy market will be ours to control."
Jiang Lijin nodded and offered a sensible opinion: "Just make sure the personnel are well arranged. The old nobility left behind a lot of messes. Don't let anyone below take advantage of the loopholes."
"Don't worry. The supervisors I've sent are loyal veterans left to me by my mother—they're reliable." Tinia squeezed her fingers, leaned in a little closer, and gave a cheeky grin. "All the money I earn, I'll transfer straight to your account. I'm yours, heart and soul, all of me."
This kid was getting better and better at running with the ball. Jiang Lijin raised an eyebrow and smiled but didn't pull her hand away.
Following a photonic guide beam, the group walked into a high-end equipment experience center called "Star Pioneer."
"That place, Guixu—it's so remote even the stellarnet signal doesn't reach. It must be some dangerous zone," Tinia said, prompting the sales attendant to bring out all the most expensive wilderness survival gear in the store.
Jiang Lijin opened her mouth, wanting to say that Guixu was actually a scenic, peaceful paradise, but she swallowed her words as she watched Tinia picking out items with such enthusiasm.
Let him fuss. It was his way of showing he cared.
"This ultra-compact folding shelter—buy two of them." Tinia pointed at a metallic block and turned to instruct the attendant. "Also, several of these portable anti-matter energy shields for backup. Sister, take a look at this portable water purifier..."
Xiao Yi glided over, and his screen displayed an expression of extreme disdain.
(￣ェ￣;)
"Just this? The defense threshold on this lousy energy shield is pitifully low—it can't even block a C-class particle cannon. That water purifier is a total gimmick tax. Master Tinia, this is seriously throwing your money away."
Tinia turned around and glared at the silver-and-white tin can. "What the hell do you know? This is the latest patented civilian top-tier gear from the Academy of Sciences. A cooking and cleaning bot like you—what do you know about high-tech?"
Xiao Yi would not back down. His screen switched to a mocking emoji face.
(≖ᴗ≖)✧
"The good things this butler has seen in the past are more than the rice you've ever eaten! Back in the day, I could pull out a random piece of equipment and turn this entire shabby store to dust!"
Tinia snorted coldly. "All talk, no proof. Besides dicing potatoes, what else can you do now? Got the guts to conjure an energy shield out of thin air right here?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Tinia himself froze.
Conjure an energy shield out of thin air?
A sudden flashback hit him—the scene of the assassination attempt they had faced. At the critical moment, an absolute defense barrier had inexplicably unfolded around Jiang Lijin, withstanding a fatal attack.
He had never been able to figure out what level of black-tech that was. Now, looking at this self-proclaimed "used to live in Sister's head" metal box in front of him, Tinia’s heart skipped a beat.
So... the energy shield that had saved their family back then—was it this thing that made it happen?
The look in Tinia's eyes changed slightly as he regarded Xiao Yi. Seems this hunk of metal did have some real chops after all.
Even though he had silently acknowledged its merit in his heart, the platinum-blond youth still held his chin high. "Even if you could make one before, all you can do now is be a proper cook."
Xiao Yi bristled with anger. "Once Professor Ethan installs my high-frequency cutting blade, I'll slice you up just as easily as chopping a potato!"
Just as the one-human-one-machine argument was about to escalate again, Rowan let go of Jiang Lijin's hand, walked over, and tugged on the hem of Tinia's suit jacket.
"Brother Tinia, please don't be mad at Xiao Yi," the young emperor said, tilting his head back in a soft, childlike voice. "Xiao Yi told me a story last night. He said he used to be a really powerful agent and had lots of amazing treasures. Even though he can't produce them now, he's been working really hard at learning to cook."
That soft little "Brother" instantly melted the anger right out of Tinia.
"Alright. For the sake of His Majesty, I'll let it slide." Tinia ruffled Rowan's red hair and turned back to Jiang Lijin. "Sister, we don't need to buy clothes. I just had ten boxes of this season's new arrivals delivered home a few days ago. Let's go check out some food."
Jiang Lijin looked at the fleet of smart shopping bags floating behind them, heavy with purchases, and sighed helplessly. "Buying so much—are you planning for me to open a supermarket in Guixu?"
"I just can't let you suffer out there, Sister." Tinia leaned in, stealing a quick kiss on her cheek when the attendant wasn't looking. "If you weren't so insistent on going yourself, I'd want to move the entire Cloud Mist Group over there to accompany you."
Jiang Lijin swatted his face away, but her ears felt warm.
After leaving the equipment store, the group wandered into the food district. Jiang Lijin bought several skewers of glowing interstellar street food and handed one to Rowan. The young emperor held it with both hands and ate it with relish.
Tinia naturally took a bite from the skewer in Jiang Lijin's hand, chewed twice, and gave his verdict: "Not as good as what Xiao Yi makes."
Behind them, Xiao Yi's screen flashed a little flower icon.
(✿◡‿◡)
"Finally, you can admit something good. This butler's cooking skills are the result of fusing data from the entire stellarnet."
"Don't let a little praise go to your head." Tinia wiped his mouth. "When we get back, send me tomorrow's menu. I want sweet and sour spare ribs."
"Roger that! And remember to transfer the ingredient costs to my account!"
Jiang Lijin watched the bickering in front—one human, one bot—and looked down at Rowan quietly holding her hand while eating his snack. A profound sense of peace settled over her heart.
When Jiang Lijin looked up at Tinia again, the blond young master was haggling with a vendor selling floating balloons, insisting on buying the biggest one for Rowan.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the mall’s enormous transparent dome, perfectly illuminating his golden hair and making him shine bright and dazzling.
Noticing her gaze, Tinia turned back and gave her a radiant smile. He quickly walked back, stuffed a huge star-beast-shaped balloon into Rowan’s hands, and then took Jiang Lijin’s hand again.
“Let’s go, time to head home.”
