The one on the left was very tall, wearing a crisp, dark black military uniform. The epaulets and the metal clasps on his collar reflected a cold, hard light in the sun. He had neat black hair, and his facial features were sharp and highly aggressive. His golden eyes, in particular, exuded a condescending, oppressive aura that could be felt even through the surveillance screen.
It was Baal. He hadn't even changed his clothes; he had clearly come straight from the military headquarters.
The one on the right had a completely different vibe.
He had bright, light blonde short hair that was slightly ruffled by the wind. Wearing high-quality casual clothes, his features were deep yet soft, and his ice-blue eyes were exceptionally bright. He gave off a relaxed and cozy vibe, and in his arms, he held a large bouquet of blood-red roses.
Jiang Lijin had never seen this man before, but she immediately matched a name to the face in her head.
Tinia. The son of the richest man, who used a child's drawing of a little sun as his avatar and called her wife the moment he opened his mouth. His actual person inexplicably matched the silly vibe of that avatar.
The surveillance camera had an audio function. On the screen, the atmosphere between the two men was not very harmonious.
Tinia turned his head, looked Baal up and down, let his gaze linger on the military uniform, and said with a smile, Commander Baal, just got off work? Why didn't you even change your clothes to meet your mate? Looking so murderous, people who don't know any better might think you're here to raid the house.
None of your business. Baal didn't look at him. His gaze was fixed straight on the door, and his deep voice revealed his impatience.
How can you say it's none of my business? Tinia supported the bouquet of roses with one hand and casually slipped the other into his pocket. His tone was light and punchable. With that look like you're going to eat someone, what if you scare my wife? She's a fragile female.
In the dining room, Jiang Lijin had just swallowed a mouthful of food and was picking up her glass to drink. Hearing Tinia's words, she choked on the water.
Cough, cough, cough... She covered her mouth and coughed violently, almost tearing up from choking.
Outside the door. Baal finally turned his head, his golden eyes coldly locking onto Tinia. He didn't speak, but the spiritual pressure of a 3S-grade male had already spread silently, making even the surrounding air feel heavy.
Tinia didn't even furrow his brow. As a fellow 3S-grade, he was completely unaffected by this pressure. He even raised his hand, fiddled with the petals of the roses in his arms, and smiled even more radiantly.
Don't glare at me, Commander. In order, you are first on the list, and I am third. But in terms of arrival time, we arrived at the same time. When the door opens later, let's see who's more capable.
Jiang Lijin finally caught her breath. She pulled a tissue to wipe her mouth, looking at the two men going head-to-head on the monitor, and suddenly felt a bit of a headache.
It was impossible to eat in peace. Jiang Lijin stood up, walked to the entryway, and pressed the button to open the door.
With a soft click, the heavy metal courtyard gate on the outermost layer slowly slid open to both sides.
The gap in the door had just opened wide enough for a person to pass. Tinia's movements were absurdly fast. Just a moment ago, he looked like a careless young master fiddling with roses, but the moment the door moved, he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. He squeezed sideways through the gap, strode across the courtyard, and headed straight for the main house's door.
Baal stood frozen, seemingly not expecting Tinia to do this. His face visibly darkened.
The words he had said to Jiang Lijin at Chiron's house yesterday were still echoing in his ears.
When you move into your new house, I will be the first to visit.
He had indeed rushed over as soon as he finished dealing with the urgent military affairs at headquarters, not even having time to change his uniform. As a result, he bumped into Tinia at the door, and now, even the order of entering the door was snatched away by this shameless guy.
Baal took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to draw his gun and shoot the blonde in front of him into a sieve. He stretched his long legs and walked into the courtyard with a dark expression.
Jiang Lijin was standing right inside the threshold of the main house. She was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, her hair casually tied behind her head, and she even held the tissue she used to wipe her mouth in her hand.
Tinia rushed to the bottom of the steps like a gust of wind and stopped.
He looked up, his ice-blue eyes staring straight at Jiang Lijin. The smile on his face bloomed instantly, so bright that it was almost dazzling.
Wife! he called out incredibly smoothly, without the slightest hint of embarrassment, and directly handed over the huge bouquet of roses in his arms. First time meeting, I didn't know what you liked, so I brought something a bit cliché first. I hope you don't mind!
Hearing him call her wife over and over again felt very awkward to Jiang Lijin, but she couldn't refute it. She was indeed his wife now... She looked at the bouquet of flowers shoved in front of her. In the interstellar era, cultivating plants was extremely difficult. A bouquet of blooming red roses like this, with dew still on the petals, was absolutely worth enough to exchange for a standard house on the capital planet.
Jiang Lijin didn't take the flowers; she just looked at him. Mr. Tinia?
Just call me Tinia, or I don't mind if you call me hubby. Seeing that she didn't take them, Tinia wasn't embarrassed. He naturally pulled his hand back and held the flowers by his side. I sent a star message yesterday saying I'd arrive before eight tonight, but I really couldn't wait, so I pushed back all my afternoon meetings. You won't blame me for coming early to bother you, right?
This man spoke flawlessly and greeted people with a smiling face. He thoroughly understood the principle of not hitting a smiling face.
Before Jiang Lijin could answer, the sound of heavy military boots stepping on the stone path came from behind him.
Baal walked to the bottom of the steps and stopped beside Tinia.
He was a bit taller than Tinia, standing there like a solid wall. He didn't look at Tinia; his golden eyes looked straight across the space and landed on Jiang Lijin's face.
He didn't speak. But the emotions in those eyes were very complex. There was annoyance, unwillingness, and an inexplicable... grievance?
Jiang Lijin didn't know how she could see such an emotion on the face of this iron-blooded commander, but his lips pressed into a straight line indeed revealed an awkward vibe of I'm very unhappy that I didn't get first place.
Lord Baal. Jiang Lijin took the initiative to speak, breaking the deadlock. You arrived early too.
I couldn't be the first to enter, he said, his voice husky, his tone carrying unconcealed frustration. Sorry, I broke my promise.
Jiang Lijin paused for a moment. She hadn't expected that Baal was actually hung up on this... This competitiveness, this stubbornness, didn't match his decisive God of War image on the star network at all.
Beside him, Tinia chuckled lightly, his tone cool. Commander, what does the order of entering the door matter? The important thing is who gets to stay in this house longer in the future.
Baal turned his head sharply, his eyes sharp as knives, piercing straight at Tinia.
Tinia met his gaze without yielding, the smile on his lips undiminished, but there was no warmth in the depths of his blue eyes.
The smell of gunpowder in the air instantly thickened. The spiritual power of the two 3S-grade males began to clash invisibly, and the leaves of the tree in the courtyard rustled violently from the vibrations.
Jiang Lijin stood at the threshold, looking at the two formidable figures at the bottom of the steps. She finally understood why the Empire had chosen such a remote area when assigning her a house. If an ordinary person happened to walk by, the sheer aura of these two would land them in the hospital for a few days...
In her mind, Xiao Yi was reveling in the drama, shouting, [Fight! Fight! Let my host see who is actually stronger.]
[Shut up.] Jiang Lijin rubbed her temples.
"Enough." Jiang Lijin spoke up, cutting through the surging undercurrents between the two of them. "If you want to fight, take it outside. Don't ruin the lawn in my yard. If you aren't going to fight, come inside."
With that, she turned and headed indoors, the explosive tension behind her dissipating in an instant. Tinia immediately followed her, not forgetting to glance back and tilt his chin provocatively at Baal. Baal's face darkened, and without a single word, he strode up the steps and followed them inside.
