A Disguised Scum Alpha Marked Her Aloof Ex-Wife - Chapter 21

In the VIP seats, Bai Shuzhou looked down over the entire venue indifferently, unease faintly stirring at the tip of her heart.

She had not felt this way in many years. It was like trying to scratch an itch through a boot, a restless gloom she could not explain lingering around her as the moonlight sank.

Her gaze fell on the display platform, but did not focus. Only when an attendant brought up a pair of twin-fish jade pendants did her slender brows furrow slightly.

Xiao Yu.

Zhu Yu.

The woman beside her eagerly handed over a thin blanket.

“Your Highness, please rest. I’m enough here. Every guard was personally trained by me. Nothing will go wrong!”

What Bai Shuzhou worried about had never been this mob of rabble.

She asked in a low voice, “The imperial capital…”

“Feng Jiyan said everything is fine. That fellow should have no problems either.”

Izelia curled her lip. Though she was unwilling to admit it, that cunning fox Feng Jiyan was undoubtedly her strongest rival.

If that bastard Zhu Yu had not appeared out of nowhere by stepping over her, Bai Shuzhou’s choice should originally have been between her and Feng Jiyan.

Feng Jiyan was ambitious and wanted to aim for the position of prime minister. Her mother also controlled the Royal Academy of Sciences, so the emperor was still somewhat wary of the Feng family.

Unlike the Izelia family, who were firm royalists. And Izelia herself had grown up with Bai Shuzhou. No matter how one looked at it, she was the most suitable.

But it did not matter.

Zhu Yu had already disappeared.

That position would sooner or later be hers.

Izelia was in an extremely good mood. Seeing Bai Shuzhou’s gaze on the twin-fish jade pendants turn a little strange, she waved her hand boldly and offered a high price, preparing to buy them as a gift for her.

But Bai Shuzhou’s frown deepened instead.

She said coldly, “No.”

After a pause, faced with her own inexplicably fluctuating emotions, she added expressionlessly, “They are merely ordinary ancient pieces with the same name. How dare they claim the legend of the twin-fish jade pendants?”

“Exactly!” Izelia immediately changed her tune, somewhat annoyed with herself.

That was right. What treasure had Bai Shuzhou not seen before?

“How could anyone like such inferior things!”

Bai Shuzhou slowly lifted her eyes and glanced at her without speaking.

Her tail flicked with faint irritation.

Backstage, the medical team and engineers were equally busy.

The treatment of captives and merchandise was naturally different. Those hideous wounds would affect the display effect. No one wanted to buy someone who looked like they were about to die.

Fortunately, there had been instructions in advance. The injuries on the face were not severe. The wounds on the body were much easier to handle. Layer after layer of medical gel was smeared over them. Covering them was enough, like gluing together a broken plaster statue.

The cheap, ill-fitting shirt was removed. The unlicensed star pirate doctor’s eyes lit up, and she took the chance to touch the young woman’s vest line, clicking her tongue in admiration.

No wonder Zhu Yu, a D-rank Alpha, had defeated so many top-tier competitors. Just the smooth, beautiful lines of her toned arms were enough. A little less would be too thin, a little more would be too fierce. Right now, her youthful aura was just right.

Younger really was better!

The doctor sighed lightly. “Too bad you’re so fickle. Otherwise, the princess probably wouldn’t have given up on you, right?”

Zhu Yu was clearly different from those pampered nobles. She was grass that had grown wild. There was a color difference on her arms from sun exposure, and faint growth lines on her thighs. Even when she was squeezed to the limit, her body still tensed into a resilient curve.

The woman loosened the restraints a little and wiped away Zhu Yu’s constantly emerging cold sweat. If she wrapped the bandages directly over it, the sweat would soak into the wounds.

It would hurt.

Her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

The doctor was terrified and wanted to call someone. Secretly, she regretted being too soft-hearted. This was Zhu Yu, the one who killed without blinking. What was more, she had already been injected with the reagent. Who knew what she would do under the influence of frenzy?

But the young woman merely held her wrist and called softly, “Sister?”

“I feel really awful. Can you…”

She hesitated for a long time, but still swallowed that somewhat greedy request for kisses.

“Can you hug me?”

Last time, when she was drunk, Bai Shuzhou had embraced her with vines like this. Although her eyes had been icy, her movements had been very gentle. She had poured Zhu Yu warm water and guided Zhu Yu’s ability to heal herself. Soft light had flowed between their touching skin.

A hug, and it would not hurt anymore.

Simply being close to Bai Shuzhou made her feel safe.

Her existence was Zhu Yu’s best painkiller.

Sensing the woman’s faint resistance, Zhu Yu curled her fingers. Restrained and disappointed, she let go and asked softly:

“Are you angry? I’m sorry.”

That hand finally lowered.

On her wrist, there was no familiar red mole.

Zhu Yu widened her eyes and abruptly pulled herself out of the space between sleep and waking. Only then did she realize she was not in that familiar little room, and the woman before her was not Bai Shuzhou.

Right.

How could Bai Shuzhou possibly be here?

Thank goodness she was not here.

The doctor had already stretched out her hand, but Zhu Yu scrambled away on hands and feet, sliding to the other side like a liquid cat, resistance almost written on her face.

That hand stopped awkwardly in midair.

Zhu Yu blinked, then also held out her hand and shook the doctor’s.

“Thank you. Can you give me some water?”

A very inexplicable handshake.

The star pirate doctor had never expected her to do this. Yet Zhu Yu did it so naturally, as if the natural opposition and differences between them did not exist at all. Since a hand had been extended, it could be shaken.

According to regulations, she should not give Zhu Yu water.

But according to regulations, they should not shake hands either.

Too strange.

Fine. It was only a cup of water.

The doctor looked around, then secretly went to fill a pot. Just as she was about to hand it to Zhu Yu, a pair of leather boots suddenly appeared beside her, startling her so badly she almost dropped the kettle.

But a pair of rough hands caught it.

The person who had arrived still had bandages wrapped around her head. Her gaze was heavy. The doctor hurriedly stood.

“Lord Kaland, why are you here?”

“I came to take a look. You may leave first.”

The woman’s voice was hoarse, carrying the nasal tone of someone whose serious injuries had not healed.

And those injuries had been caused by Zhu Yu.

“Yes. But…”

The doctor glanced at Zhu Yu and still could not help saying too much. “Try not to hit her again. She’s about to go onstage, and it won’t be easy to handle.”

The woman hummed in acknowledgment.

After the precedent of the hundred birds escaping, the entire Paradis was now heavily guarded. Kaland frowned and stared for a moment before placing the kettle against the young woman’s lips.

“Drink.”

The drug had already begun taking effect. Zhu Yu’s pheromones were gradually leaking out of her control, very faint, completely different from the intense fragrance that had filled the little room that day.

Kaland faintly sensed something was wrong.

This was not the pheromone scent an Alpha warrior should have. It was too clean, too gentle. A person’s emotions would be reflected in their pheromones. After being treated like this, it was impossible for her to have no resentment at all.

It was almost like…

Something had blocked it.

Zhu Yu cautiously glanced at Kaland. Without any hesitation, she immediately began drinking in large mouthfuls.

“You aren’t afraid I poisoned it?” Kaland asked.

They were enemies, after all.

Zhu Yu said, “You’re different from the others.”

“How am I different?”

“You’re a warrior,” Zhu Yu paused, “and warriors don’t attack the weak.”

Fine, that line was nonsense. She really was just very thirsty. She had to survive.

Kaland fell silent for a moment.

“Once,” she said.

She lifted the kettle a little higher so Zhu Yu could swallow more easily, then said in a low voice, “My memories are a little chaotic. They said I was the one who defeated you… No. That isn’t true. I lost.”

“Why didn’t you kill me?”

This question had bothered Kaland for a long time. Lying in the medical pod, replaying her chaotic memories again and again, she had once thought she had gone mad.

The doctor said her memory confusion came from a heavy blow to the head, but Kaland would not forget. She would never forget each of her failures. It was precisely by relying on those that she had endured the most painful dissociative state.

Zhu Yu did not know what Nangong had done to her. Black Hat had asked this question before, only now, their situations had completely reversed.

Zhu Yu thought for a moment and said softly, “Life is precious.”

Kaland once again sank into silence. She was like a boulder blocking Zhu Yu’s way. Then, extremely slowly, cracks began to appear.

“You are a warrior.”

In the end, she repeated Zhu Yu’s words, very firmly.

“Am I?”

Zhu Yu smiled.

“I thought I was pretty useless. I promised a lot of things but didn’t manage to do them. Whenever I fail, I start looking for excuses and imagine all the things I hate as dreams.”

For things she did not want to believe, she would find countless reasons to fool herself. By deceiving herself, she could still feel happy.

Most of the time, she lived inside her own tiny world.

With a stomach full of words and nowhere to say them, Zhu Yu herself wanted to spit on herself. Why did she talk so much even to an enemy? Was she still hoping to use talk therapy to convert her?

A shero should remain cold and silent, unyielding unto death. That was a true heroine, not like her, who could not control the urge to talk when she was sad, using it to stay awake.

“I’m pretty happy you came to chat with me.”

Thoughts drove the vibration of her vocal cords. It was as if a little speaker inside her throat was playing music, coughing, very poor quality. This way, she would not be so afraid.

In this strange and dangerous environment, she was alone, and yet a former enemy was the most familiar person here.

Everyone said the Empire and Bai Shuzhou had abandoned her, trying to twist this into the deepest parts of her unease and wounds, stirring them up, grinding the pain into torn flesh.

But she would never believe those cold streams of data!

Bai Shuzhou had not personally said she hated her.

Her thoughts were very confused. Kaland was also like an anchor point in her memories, reminding her of that day after the star pirates were dealt with, when they had sat together and eaten. That night, Bai Shuzhou’s fingertips had gently touched the back of her hand, guiding her and healing the wound.

Zhu Yu lifted her face to look at Kaland.

“You’re a good person. Can you help me pass along a message?”

Kaland asked, “To… your wife?”

This was the first time someone had called Bai Shuzhou that in front of her.

Zhu Yu felt she was despicable, like a thief, but she still could not help feeling happy. It was like the bloody taste spreading between her lips and teeth could also let her steal a little sweetness.

She nodded hard.

Kaland said, “No.”

Great. She had poured out her heart to someone for nothing.

Zhu Yu smiled again.

What a failure!

She had never even succeeded at bargaining.

Kaland said in a low voice, “But I can let you die with dignity.”

“…”

Zhu Yu’s eyes widened.

Wait. Wait.

I haven’t prepared to die yet!

That wasn’t a last wish!

Kaland looked at her. “A low-level Alpha like you has never experienced a dissociative state, right? Fractus is not an ordinary aphrodisiac.”

That was so hurtful. Why did everyone who scolded her have to add “low-level” onto it?

D-rank and E-rank were clearly the normal state!

“Mental power becomes chaotic and uncontrollable. Once you enter a dissociative state, living will be worse than death. It is a kind of… nothingness.”

Pain flashed between Kaland’s resolute brows.

Zhu Yu could not understand what nothingness was. She only wanted to live, even if it hurt.

No one suffered for an entire lifetime. If one endured, the sun and cooking smoke would eventually rise.

As long as she got through tonight, she would be free. Nangong had promised to send her back. By then, she and Bai Shuzhou would still have plenty of time to talk slowly.

If, just if, Bai Shuzhou truly disliked her…

Then it was only returning to the starting point. From the very beginning, she had prepared herself to leave.

Her body temperature was still climbing. A strange heat rippled out from deep within.

When Bai Shuzhou was in her sensitive period, did it feel like this too?

It would have been fine if Zhu Yu had not thought of it. But amid the surging sour emotions, the fragmented images in her memory leapt up. Bai Shuzhou’s crimson lips, her cold brows and eyes wet with tears. Zhu Yu truly could not hold it in, and a suppressed gasp spilled from her throat.

The roots of her ears instantly reddened.

How could she have so many improper thoughts about Bai Shuzhou!

This was the first time the young woman, newly awakened to love, had ever felt this way. It was no longer the haziness of kissing. Even a touch could make her heart race for a long time.

—She wanted her.

Zhu Yu was startled by this bold thought. She could only warn herself again and again that this was all due to hormones, due to the drug.

Was she going to be pushed onto the auction stage in this state, livestreamed to the entire interstellar world?

If she lost control and called out Bai Shuzhou’s name, what then?

The realization made the young woman’s slender body tremble violently.

Too shameful.

Her most secret desire should not be cut open like this. It would be even more unbearable than physical pain.

She had gone from the great heroine admired by thousands, to an Empire wanted criminal, then to a prisoner beneath the star pirates’ feet…

Zhu Yu finally realized it.

They did not only want to humiliate her. They wanted to use her to humiliate the imperial family.

If Bai Shuzhou saw the livestream, what would she think of Zhu Yu?

This lowly side of herself was the one thing she least wanted Bai Shuzhou to see.

Her thoughts shifted. Zhu Yu bit her lip hard and barely stretched out her hand to tug on Kaland’s sleeve, carrying the rogue-like momentum of someone who would not let go unless her request was granted. Softly, she said:

“Sis, there’s one last thing I’m begging you for.”

……

As the auction slowly advanced, a black-clothed attendant walked out from the highest private room. A moment later, the Paradis owner appeared. At the door, she took a deep breath, then pushed it open with a smile plastered all over her face.

Izelia had her arms crossed the entire time, observing the movements of the whole venue. Even though everyone inside had identity blurring devices, if one observed carefully, one could still obtain many useful clues.

Someone was about to lose patience.

This was Paradis’s first livestream. Big shots had gathered. Everyone was waiting for the mysterious treasure that would be the finale.

One after another, several trained beastfolk were pushed onto the stage. There were frightened teacup dogs who looked very young. The introduction said they would never grow up.

There were obedient, resigned Scottish Fold cats, dressed beautifully and gently obeying every command.

There were also fierce beasts who still bared their fangs, but as soon as the auctioneer casually pressed a button, the electrified collars tightened instantly. No matter how unyielding a beast was, it could only be forced to crawl on the ground.

The auctioneer lightly explained that only “superior people” were worthy of raising matching pets. These beastfolk had all been carefully trained, and even modified…

She deliberately spoke ambiguously, leaving room for endless imagination.

For the sake of being different, for the sake of pleasing superior people, even if the pets would not live long, it did not matter.

They were only playthings.

Perhaps when “they” died, they might even earn a few performative tears from their masters.

Was that not enough?

Izelia silently sharpened her claws and remembered the locations of all the bastards who bid. She only waited for Bai Shuzhou’s order before going to twist off their heads.

Bai Shuzhou had already arranged for people in advance to buy all these pitiful beastfolk.

Izelia did not really understand. This auction was not going to produce results anyway, so why go through this extra step? Once it ended, they could simply swagger in and snatch people away.

But Bai Shuzhou insisted.

The beastfolk who were bought would receive some reassurance in advance. Before being handed over to distinguished guests, they would drink some hot tea, be wrapped in soft blankets, and be sent out of this hell by dedicated attendants.

When Izelia received Bai Shuzhou, the Snow Leopard Knights had already begun the chaotic zone acquisition process according to Bai Shuzhou’s will. This abandoned planet that no one cared about was about to be crowned with the Empire’s name.

Izelia was not at all interested in the auction. She could not stand this kind of suffocating grievance. Unlike Bai Shuzhou, who calmly and gently watched the stage below, her expression always faint.

By comparison, Izelia was more curious about where Zhu Yu had gone. But she did not dare ask, afraid she would make Bai Shuzhou remember something sad again.

A sensible ex-wife should disappear on the spot. Otherwise, Izelia did not mind helping her disappear.

Izelia lowered her head in boredom and sharpened her claws. Suddenly, she sensed Bai Shuzhou’s aura change, from indifferent to suppressed and obscure.

She held her breath too and followed Bai Shuzhou’s gaze.

What could make Bai Shuzhou care this much?

Damn.

Zhu Yu!

Izelia’s golden pupils abruptly shrank.

Weren’t they here to investigate the disappearance of Empire citizens? Why was Zhu Yu here, and in this state?

The young woman was tightly bound by restraints, curled up. Her black-and-white eyes were damp. The silver bite guard meant for beasts looked completely unnecessary on her, making her seem like a gentle, harmless little creature.

What was going on?

Bai Shuzhou’s aura kept sinking. A subtle killing intent filled the entire room.

Izelia carefully observed Bai Shuzhou’s expression. Bai Shuzhou rarely showed such intense personal emotion. Zhu Yu undoubtedly held a very special position in her heart.

Izelia slapped her forehead and suddenly understood.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’ll go kill her in a moment!”

Killing intent.

Zhu Yu.

Kill Zhu Yu.

It was that simple.

As a clever tiger, Izelia had always believed in an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Bai Shuzhou’s legs were badly injured. She must hate Zhu Yu to the bone.

Heaven knew how Zhu Yu had abused her in private after losing the protection of the imperial family.

When had the princess ever worn such cheap, dirty clothes before?

At that time, the woman had specifically instructed the attendants to put away that dirty dress and not throw it away. Her eyes had been full of icy hatred.

She must have been lying low and enduring hardship, remembering the humiliation!

Izelia looked at Bai Shuzhou with anticipation.

The woman lowered her eyes. The chill spilling from her seemed to freeze the surroundings.

She said coldly, “Raise the bid.”

“Right away!”

The big tiger eagerly rubbed her hands. By the time she realized what Bai Shuzhou had said, it was already too late.

“Ah?”

She personally raised her hand, not caring in the slightest that her identity and actions might expose them. They were far from the only ones secretly observing and analyzing things.

Under the spotlight, a little darkness still remained behind the cage.

Zhu Yu carefully curled up in the shadows. The veterinary anesthetic hidden in her sleeve was warmed by her body temperature.

Just now, she had suddenly remembered the anesthetic she had risked her life to retrieve when she first met Bai Shuzhou.

Just like poor people mainly needed painkillers when treating illness, when there was no inhibitor, an anesthetic could actually replace one.

She had heard Fractus was very strong. Using veterinary anesthetic to counter it should be about the same, right?

In any case, according to Nangong’s plan, she should originally have slept until the dust settled.

There had been a small accident, but Zhu Yu did not regret it. In her barren life, the number of times she had been brave could be counted on one hand. Even if she was afraid, it still felt exhilarating.

Those birds had looked at her with bright, shining eyes, worshiping her as a great savior. It made Zhu Yu feel a little light-headed, and also a little embarrassed.

Her original thought had been far less noble. It had simply been anger.

When she saw the wounds on White Bird’s body, she seemed able to feel them herself. And she thought again of Bai Shuzhou’s dream that night.

Now, she only needed to inject the anesthetic into herself, and tonight should end here.

But the auctioneer’s eyes flashed. On the large screen, the blood-red crystal ore ring on Zhu Yu’s finger was continuously magnified. Its quality was actually much better than the crystal ore that had been auctioned earlier.

The dazzling firelight flowed brilliantly, as if it were burning fiercely. A gemstone of this quality could undoubtedly prove Zhu Yu’s identity.

The auctioneer waved calmly. People in black wearing white gloves immediately gathered forward, wanting to forcibly remove it for display.

Watching the dangerous aura press toward her, the sharp needle had already pierced her skin. Zhu Yu knew very clearly that she should push it in immediately.

But in the final moment, she hesitated.

This was the first gift Bai Shuzhou had given her, and the only thing she had managed to keep.

Losing consciousness was useful, but if she did, she would truly be at the mercy of others.

Whenever she encountered danger or difficulties, she always wanted to escape. Clearly, she very much wanted to wake from this dream and hide beneath the quilt, discovering everything was only a nightmare.

But she still could not bear to.

She could not bear for it to be only a dream, even if it was a nightmare.

They were two parallel lines that intersected. Their meeting itself was already a miracle, but she still wanted to be a little greedier.

A little greedier still.

The curled-up young woman tightly protected the ring in her palm.

Even if she was not strong enough.

Even if she was not brave enough…

There was still something she wanted to hold tightly.

Under everyone’s gaze, just as the people in black approached, the girl curled up like a young beast abruptly erupted with astonishing strength. She flipped her wrist and stabbed the anesthetic into the arm of the person in black.

It was as if she had been lying in wait for a long time, only waiting for this moment. Her speed was extremely fast, so fast that even the most elite guards could not react in time.

The entire venue’s breathing seemed to stop.

Everyone only saw blood droplets splashing through the air. Two people in black widened their eyes and collapsed blankly.

The entire Paradis was as silent as a grave.

A trapped beast still fought.

Let alone…

Zhu Yu.

There was no longer any need for that fig leaf of a fake name. In the minds of everyone present, her name appeared.

Bzzzt!

A blinding electric current flashed across the cage.

Suppressed groans rang out together with the sound of the restraints tightening. The thin young woman leaned hard against the cage, using the last of her strength to keep herself from falling.

Her shirt was already soaked with cold sweat. An abnormal flush appeared on her face, and the faint fragrance of pheromones spread.

Everyone knew this was the precursor to a sensitive period, but no one dared to feel any charming appreciation.

Red lips and white teeth. Those pitch-black eyes gradually lost focus, like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell. Damply, they swept across the audience, as if swearing to remember every single person.

Because she was afraid, she exposed claws and fangs in a bluff.

Double images appeared in her vision. In truth, beneath the strong lights, she could not fully see clearly.

At a certain instant, the young woman suddenly froze and blinked hard.

She seemed to have seen…

Bai Shuzhou.

But it was only for an instant.

The bright lights pierced into her eyes. Under the effect of the blurring devices, everyone seemed to have the same face, either flat or round, twisted into different forms.

The guests grew restless. The timid ones had already turned their heads, trying to leave early.

An uneasy atmosphere began to spread.

From the highest private room came a low laugh.

An attendant raised an ivory plaque, and an astonishing sky-high price appeared on the large screen.

Everyone looked up in disbelief. It was undoubtedly a number that had never appeared before. Even if every previous auction item were added together, it would not reach a fraction of it.

So what if she was powerful?

She was still wearing a collar, sold as a commodity, a plaything.

Bai Shuzhou lifted her eyes. Her deep vertical pupils stared at that private room, and the fingertips resting on the table pressed down hard.

The electric punishment was still increasing. Purple light flickered around the iron cage.

Zhu Yu seemed to sense something.

Slowly, slowly, she raised the hand wearing the blood-red ring, as if lifting a flag high.

Will you see me?

I didn’t embarrass you.

……

Dead silence.

Only the sound of blood boiling and burning remained.

The young woman in the cage had never yielded.

The holographic livestreaming equipment Paradis had bought at a high price was transmitting this scene to every corner of the universe. Across the entire star network, countless pairs of eyes rarely stopped at the same time. Everyone held their breath. The bullet comments stopped scrolling. Time seemed frozen at this moment.

Even the Federation’s hot-blooded youths who hated the Empire most could not utter any slander right now.

The humiliation they had imagined did not appear. Instead, it had become a reversal worthy of being recorded in history.

The prestige of this Empire star of the common people would reach its peak tonight—

As a prisoner.

Far away in the highest administrative office on the imperial capital star, a cold laugh sounded.

Feng Jiyan pressed one hand against the desk, her face dark as water. With a smile that did not reach her eyes, she sighed.

“How impressive, Zhu Yu.”

At the side of the round table, the hacker who had already taken full control of the livestream program also paused with both hands on the keyboard.

Before the auction ended, this humiliation targeting Empire beastfolk, planned by Federation warmongers, would end in complete failure.

When all Empire people belatedly began cheering and shouting Zhu Yu’s name, Bai Shuzhou’s expression grew colder and colder. She stood and ordered coldly:

“Shut down the livestream.”

Zhu Yu was about to collapse.

Her condition was terrible—so terrible that Bai Shuzhou deeply doubted whether she even knew what she was doing.

Was she courting death?

When everyone else was marveling at Zhu Yu’s endurance and perseverance, only Bai Shuzhou saw her fear and unease.

According to the plan, tonight, Bai Shuzhou would step forward to stop this farce, punish the star pirates, and heavily strike the Federation. Even now, it did not seem too late.

A terminal communication window popped up.

Feng Jiyan stood with her hands behind her back. That smiling fox face appeared inside the private room, completely ignoring Bai Shuzhou’s abnormal state.

“No, Your Highness. Please wait patiently a little longer. Only then can the effect be maximized.”

“I have made some changes to the speech. Please review it. Tonight is still your stage.”

“I said, shut it down.”

Bai Shuzhou’s mood was terrible to the extreme. Her voice was pressed thin, scraping past like a blade of cold steel.

The scent of roses surged out overwhelmingly.

Izelia turned her face in surprise. She had never seen Bai Shuzhou like this before.

On the other side of the screen, Feng Jiyan’s smile also froze for an instant.

Bai Shuzhou had always been rational. How could she experience such a strong emotional fluctuation over a discarded piece?

Clearly, the two of them were the same kind.

Clearly, they both should understand that the ugly state Zhu Yu was about to expose would only make the people even more furious.

This was advantageous.

It would be best if Zhu Yu died here tonight, died on the auction stage. Then, all her past sins could be wiped clean, and she would live forever in glory.

Feng Jiyan had already paved the road for her.

Bai Shuzhou only needed to step onto it.

The fox’s eyes narrowed into a line, full of excitement and longing. She sighed theatrically:

“There will never be a more perfect moment than tonight. I look forward to seeing you stand at the highest place—”

They would prove to the world that a clever mind was far more important than brute force.

And Bai Shuzhou would undoubtedly become her perfect puppet.

Inside the cage, the upright young woman had long since grown extremely weak. Her out-of-control mental power crashed wildly through her meridians.

A muddy gasp spilled from her throat. In her daze, she heard Bai Shuzhou’s voice.

Another hallucination, right?

Was this also a side effect of Fractus?

Everything she looked at resembled Bai Shuzhou.

Zhu Yu smiled once.

The light blurred outward. The white specks in her trembling, collapsing world seemed to all become tiny silver dragons, swaying their tails in the ice and snow, tirelessly hooking around her hand.

The light at the center of the stage burst with a sharp pop.

“Your Highness?!”

“Izelia, stop Her Highness!”

Izelia gave a bitter smile. She wanted to stop her too, but the moment vines had bound her limbs, even she could not break free.

When had the princess become this strong?

Amid the uproar filling the seats, the silver-white figure arrived even faster than darkness.

A familiar fragrance.

Zhu Yu’s eyes slowly brightened.

Her scattered gaze refocused. The light specks dispersed, and the tiny dragon came close. The face of the person from her dreams became clearer and clearer.

Those pale blue eyes were filled with emotions Zhu Yu could not understand, surging like waves, almost swallowing her whole.

“You came!”

It was not a dream.

Her burning waist was embraced. The woman’s icy skin suddenly came very close, and before Zhu Yu could fall to her knees, Bai Shuzhou caught her steadily in her arms.

Bai Shuzhou’s leg injuries had not healed. They were not yet enough to support the weight of two people.

Huge silver wings spread open, glowing with a noble metallic luster. They gently covered Zhu Yu’s vulnerability and shame, blocking every prying gaze from the outside.

Zhu Yu widened her eyes in shock, reluctant to blink.

She watched as the world sank with them.

Only the two of them remained in the entire world.

In the dimness, she and Bai Shuzhou were so close. Close enough to hear each other’s quickened heartbeats.

Thump, thump.

A warm embrace.

Those deep eyes shone with pale blue light, like stars in motion, glittering only for her in this moment.

The woman did not answer, but slowly held Zhu Yu’s wrist, gripping it firmly.

Everyone present forgot how to breathe.

Even though the guests were people of extraordinary experience, this was still their first time seeing the legendary dragon race.

And it was the legendary frail, sickly dragon princess.

“Your Highness!! What are you doing? We need you to take charge of the situation now!!”

Feng Jiyan’s furious voice came from the terminal. She had never imagined Bai Shuzhou would cause trouble at a time like this. The plan was completely out of control!

She should have appeared calmly before the camera and delivered a speech as the Empire’s representative, beautiful and elegant.

But she had beast-shifted.

How could she beast-shift?!

Bai Shuzhou’s cool voice sounded. It remained very steady, carrying the power to calm hearts.

“Play the Federation Declaration of Freedom.”

After giving the order, Bai Shuzhou threw away the troublesome terminal.

Feng Jiyan had to do as she said.

This was the optimal solution.

The image froze on the seconds just before Bai Shuzhou spread her wings and embraced Zhu Yu. Then the entire livestream was cut off, turning into a blue screen.

At this moment, the whole interstellar world witnessed the simplest, most solemn Federation Declaration of Freedom slowly begin to play.

“We swear to defend humanity’s freedom unto death, and let the light of civilization flow forever through the sea of stars—”

Silver wings.

The cage torn apart barehanded.

The bite guard falling with a click.

“We will not kneel to hegemony, nor pause for ignorance—”

Slender fingertips gently brushed the wound on Zhu Yu’s cheek.

The scent of roses drew closer and closer.

Beneath the sacred and ironic Declaration of Freedom, the proud silver dragon lowered her head for Zhu Yu. Icy fingertips wiped away her burning tears and gently stroked her trembling back.

Pat, pat.

Don’t be afraid.

You’re safe now.

The woman held her hand tightly and squeezed it. Her cool voice was hoarse, suppressed, and restrained.

“Now, do you have anything you want to say to me?”

Author’s Note:

If your heart is moved, please hit the light~

A violent explosion follows.

Your dragon has arrived!