’To think, a female like *that* stole my first kiss.’

The more Pei Shiyi thought about it, the angrier he became.

With a powerful flick of his tail fin in the water, the ethereal, shimmering appendage propelled its master swiftly into the distance.

Only the sound of ripples was left behind.

Hearing a faint stir, Yu Lan looked up toward the distance, only to see the calm surface of the sea gently rolling, gleaming with flecks of gold in the sunlight.

In the distance, fish occasionally leaped from the surface to breathe the fresh air.

’Oh, it’s just a fish.’

Yu Lan breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Huo Zhanting and the others again, her gaze becoming resolute.

"You all should head back to Central Star first."

"We know now that Pei Shiyi won’t hurt me."

’At least I didn’t sense any killing intent from him.’

However, she was pessimistic about whether Pei Shiyi would actually lend her the medicinal supplies.

"Go back to Central Star first. Work with the Queen to keep contacting Fu Chenhan and see if you can negotiate for some of the resources from Green Emerald Star."

"As for me, I’ll stay here and focus on Pei Shiyi."

"We need to be prepared on two fronts."

’What’s happening on Garbage Star is too important.’

’I can’t just rely on one side.’

Now that Huo Zhanting and the others had confirmed her safety wasn’t at risk, they could return to Central Star without worry.

"Lanlan!"

As soon as Yu Lan finished speaking, they all cried out, their faces etched with worry.

They never would have imagined that Yu Lan had such a plan in mind.

But seeing the extremely serious and earnest expression on Yu Lan’s small face, they knew the decision was no longer theirs to make.

Yu Lan had already made up her mind; they just had to do as she said.

Huo Zhanting took a deep breath, a glimmer of moisture flashing through his golden eyes, which were usually so cold and sharp.

He stepped forward and hugged Yu Lan tightly, his voice heavy as he spoke:

"Lanlan, stay safe."

Su Xingye, Li Yucheng, and Jun Lin Yuan did the same. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

One by one, they hugged Yu Lan, each voice more choked with emotion than the one before.

"Lanlan, stay safe."

「Ten minutes later」

The Starship lifted off, heading straight in the direction of Central Star.

Yu Lan silently watched them depart.

’For our shared goal, we must accept this brief separation.’

’The distance between us is growing, but our hearts are growing closer.’

Yu Lan took a deep breath. Huo Zhanting and the others were all gone now. The sun was setting in the west, its afterglow blanketing the surface of the sea.

Aside from the rustling of leaves in the wind, the air was utterly silent.

A sense of loneliness and desolation began to creep into her heart.

Loneliness is the greatest enemy of a fighting spirit.

But in Yu Lan’s beautiful amber eyes, a seemingly eternal flame burned brightly.

The beautiful young female walked step by step toward the deep sea, the warm water gradually rising over her delicate ankles and slender calves.

Then, with a sudden dive, Yu Lan plunged into the water. Her graceful body moved swiftly through the water, just like a fish.

’I’m not worried about Pei Shiyi not knowing I’m here.’

’The entire deep sea is his domain.’

’So right now, my actions are, without a doubt, an invasion of his domain.’

"Pei Shiyi, come out! Let’s talk."

"You already agreed to it."

"We kissed and everything! You can’t just back out now."

Her thick, seaweed-like black hair clung, soaking wet, to her face, and droplets of water rolled continuously down her beautiful cheeks.

Her eyes were filled with an unyielding, stubborn resolve.

Within her amber irises, starlight seemed to swim and swirl.

It was a heart-stoppingly beautiful sight.

In that moment, Yu Lan looked more like a sea demon, bewitching the masses with her beauty and voice, than Pei Shiyi himself.

「At that moment」

Secretly watching from the shadows, Pei Shiyi’s eyes darkened.

His tail fin twitched, and the calm surface of the sea rippled in response.

It was a movement born of vexation and embarrassment.

Yu Lan, who had been swimming perfectly well, was instantly swept up by the surging sea and carried back to shore.

The deep sea rejects your intrusion!

Baffled, finding herself back on the shore in the blink of an eye, Yu Lan stared at the now-calm sea—as if nothing had happened—and narrowed her eyes.

’Pei Shiyi rejected me?’

’What does that mean?’

Unwilling to accept it, Yu Lan scrambled up from the ground and stubbornly ran toward the sea again.

Again and again.

The result was unsurprising: she was once again gently enveloped by the seawater and returned to the shore.

Even someone as good-natured as Yu Lan couldn’t help but feel a flicker of annoyance.

’What is the meaning of this? Is he just toying with me?’

"Pei Shiyi!"

’Pei Shiyi was the one who gave me hope in the first place.’

’And now he’s refusing to even see me.’

’So what am I supposed to do?’

’How can I get to see Pei Shiyi and convince him to lend me the medicinal supplies?’

’What about all the people on Garbage Star who are suffering from the plague?’

A deep sense of anxiety washed over her.

Yu Lan didn’t even realize the rims of her eyes had turned red.

Watching this from a distance, Pei Shiyi felt a strange sense of panic rise in his heart.

His body reacted faster than his mind.

By the time he realized what he was doing, he had already appeared before Yu Lan.

"Pei... Pei Shiyi. You finally came out."

Seeing Pei Shiyi suddenly appear before her, Yu Lan’s eyes couldn’t help but light up.

Pei Shiyi’s body stiffened under her gaze.

He looked away, slightly uncomfortable, but his voice was as cold and emotionless as ever.

"You want the medicine that badly?"

"Are you being sincere?"

Facing the man’s faintly mocking expression, Yu Lan nodded, her own expression dead serious.

"Yes, I do."

"Please, could you give me some?"

"And you’d trade anything for it?"

Pei Shiyi retorted, his dark blue eyes, tinged with black, staring straight at Yu Lan.

It was like being stared down by a large predator, about to be torn apart and devoured.

Yu Lan shivered, but before she had a chance to answer...

「The next second」

Pei Shiyi raised a hand, and a monstrous wave descended from the heavens. It enveloped Yu Lan, who was sitting on the sand, and whisked her swiftly into the distance.

"COUGH, COUGH COUGH!"

"Where is this?"

「Ten minutes later」

When Yu Lan opened her eyes again, she was utterly stunned by the sight before her.

The place where they now stood was not the boundless, azure sea, but something that looked more like a junkyard.

"A junkyard. What, have you never seen one before?"

Pei Shiyi’s cold, merciless voice rang out, a flash of disgust crossing his brow.

The tall man stepped forward and lifted Yu Lan’s chin, his bone-chilling gaze sweeping inch by inch over her exquisitely beautiful and radiant face.

"How would a high and mighty Empire Princess, coddled by her subjects, ever know?"

"Long ago, the deep sea was nothing but Central Star’s garbage dump."

"It wasn’t until the Pei Family appeared and fought back that Deep Sea Star became what it is today."

"And to this day, the trash left behind by Central Star still hasn’t been completely cleared away."

"The Empire and the deep sea are mortal enemies. Didn’t Belina ever tell you that?"

The hand with which Pei Shiyi gripped Yu Lan’s chin tightened, his tone chillingly indifferent:

"And you, Yu Lan... you actually dared to come find me, fearless. Do you really think your life is charmed?"