Everyone then started a barbecue right at the villa’s entrance.

There was more than enough meat in the storeroom, and the tavern had also sent over plenty of Inhibitors.

Jiang Qin had also arranged for a performance.

Yes, burly Star Thieves performing an energetic dance.

Everyone present burst out laughing. Even Zhan Xiao found himself torn between wanting to cover his face in secondhand embarrassment and being unable to deny that it was genuinely hilarious.

Long Yue and Mo Han laughed without a care in the world, practically doubling over.

The group partied well into the night before things finally wound down.

As the party wound down, everyone presented the gifts they had prepared. Only Jiang Qin held back.

It wasn’t until they were back inside the villa that she smiled and asked, "Can I give you your birthday present now?"

"Oh? Do I need to close my eyes?"

"That works. Lie down on the sofa and close your eyes."

Zhan Xiao was incredibly cooperative. True to his word, he didn’t peek, a smile playing on his lips as he closed his eyes.

After a moment, he heard a clear, crisp musical sound, like the gentle clinking of glasses being tapped.

It was a pure sound unlike anything he had ever heard, as if it could cleanse the very soul.

Soon after, he heard Jiang Qin begin to sing.

Her voice was ethereal and pure...

"May you find warmth in the winter,

And feel no chill in the spring.

May you have shelter in the rain,

And may your dreams bring you peace.

May you be gentle and kind..."

It was the song "Wish You," its lyrics overflowing with blessings.

A wish for you to have all the good things the world has to offer.

With his eyes still closed, Zhan Xiao felt them grow moist. He didn’t dare open them now.

He was afraid that the moment he did, he would expose all of his vulnerability.

"May you find a love to lean on, and never be alone,

May your troubles be fleeting,

May you slow your hurried steps,

And not forget to look back,

May you live this life to the fullest, with no regrets..."

He had never heard this song before. He didn’t know if it was on the Star Network, much less who had written the lyrics.

But he didn’t care if Jiang Qin had written them or not.

By singing it to him, she was telling him that these were the words she wanted to say.

Who the song originally belonged to didn’t matter.

What he cared about were her heartfelt wishes for him.

At the very least, it meant that he wasn’t completely insignificant to her.

He didn’t know, however, that what Jiang Qin truly wanted to give him was a private, one-on-one soothing.

She had arrived with nothing, and it wasn’t a good time to craft an accessory for him using her system. All she could offer was a soothing and a song of heartfelt blessing.

Regardless, she was grateful to Zhan Xiao.

Furthermore, after learning more about the Golden Sand Gang during her time here, she knew they weren’t irredeemably evil Star Thieves, but simply a group of unregistered people from the Poverty Stars. With this understanding, she let go of her final reservations.

The only thing Zhan Xiao refused to yield on was his fear of her leaving, which was why he wouldn’t let her near a Light Computer.

He indulged her in almost everything else, and she was never short on Special Level Nutrient Liquid.

Any other Star Thief would never have treated her this way, much less allowed her to carry her own partner’s child.

Because of this, she held no significant ill will toward Zhan Xiao.

This was why she had chosen a psychological approach over attempting to escape by force.

She didn’t want to make a mortal enemy of him.

Of course, if Zhan Xiao planned to keep her and Long Yue under permanent house arrest with the Golden Sand Gang, she would have no choice but to force her way out.

...

Under the influence of the soothing, Zhan Xiao drifted into a deep sleep.

Jiang Qin covered him with a thin blanket before heading back to her room to rest. After all, making that giant cake had been quite tiring.

That was true even with the help of robots and the men.

For the next two days, Zhan Xiao seemed exceptionally busy. Still, he returned every evening to massage her legs and help upload her novel for the rest of the gang to read.

Of course, he always read it himself, too.

However, compared to the clear emotional turmoil from before, he seemed much calmer these past two days.

So calm, in fact, that Jiang Qin began to worry she had misjudged him and made the wrong move.

But as it turned out, her judgment of people wasn’t half bad.

"Where are we going?"

Long Yue followed Mo Han to a spaceship, her face full of confusion.

Not far away, Zhan Xiao and Jiang Qin were saying their goodbyes.

He ruffled Jiang Qin’s hair and asked softly, "You’ll remember me, won’t you?

It’s okay if you don’t. I’ll come find you. And once we meet again, you won’t be able to shake me off."

"Come back to the Federation with me. I can help you get citizenship."

Zhan Xiao shook his head. "I can’t. I’m still their Gang Leader, after all. How could I just abandon them?"

"Then you can all come. Yuyu and I will figure something out. We can settle you on some of the smaller planets. As long as you’re spread out enough, it shouldn’t be a problem."

But Zhan Xiao simply stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug.

"As tempting as that is, and as happy as it makes me, I still have things I need to do.

So... can you wait for me?"

"That depends on how long I have to wait. If it’s too long, I can’t make any promises," Jiang Qin said, her voice trembling slightly.

"That’s okay. If you forget, you forget. If that happens, I’ll just have to pester you until you make new memories of me."

"When you get back, have your partners take good care of you. And the things I packed for you... wait until you’re home to look at them.

I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t see you off personally. I’ll have them escort you home."

"Okay."

Finally, with great restraint, Zhan Xiao pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips before letting her go and watching her board the spaceship.

As the ship lifted off, the lone figure on the ground remained motionless.

He raised his head, watching until she disappeared from sight.

...

Long Yue stood beside Jiang Qin, offering silent comfort.

Next to Long Yue stood Mo Han.

"Sister-in-law, if you really can’t bear to leave him, I’ll have my third brother help you kidnap him and bring him back once we’re home."

"Let’s not. We walk different paths."

While Jiang Qin was indeed reluctant to leave Zhan Xiao, she wasn’t ready to give up her entire life in the Federation for him.

And Zhan Xiao wasn’t the type to abandon everything to follow her, either. Their separation was inevitable.

As the spaceship traveled, Mo Han and Long Yue, for some unknown reason, began giving each other the silent treatment.

Or rather, Long Yue was giving Mo Han the cold shoulder.

Meanwhile, Mo Han was doing everything he could to humbly placate her.

Jiang Qin asked with concern, "What’s going on with you two? Weren’t you all lovey-dovey just yesterday?"

"Sister-in-law, Mo Han isn’t planning to come back to the Empire with me! He’s just going to drop me off and then return to the Golden Sand Gang," Long Yue said, feeling wronged.

"I don’t even care about his background, I’m willing to have him as my partner, and he’s actually refusing me!"

This was something Jiang Qin really couldn’t advise her on.

She believed that everyone was an independent individual, entitled to their own life and ambitions.

So, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with Mo Han not wanting to spend the rest of his life solely dedicated to his partner.

It was the same reason she hadn’t said a single word to stop Zhan Xiao after learning his intentions.

...

For the next two days, Long Yue remained angry. Mo Han humbly begged for her forgiveness, but he would not yield on the matter of his departure.

Thus, it wasn’t until they landed on a third-class planet—the moment of their parting—that the two of them briefly reconciled.