A long, powerful snake tail slowly coiled around the young woman’s pale calf, as if claiming her entirely for its territory.

Su Yan held the young woman intimately, embracing his beloved, clinging to her as if they could never be parted.

He was worried about disturbing her sleep, and even more worried she would be terrified if she unexpectedly saw his true form, so he had no intention of letting her wake.

The hypnosis from his Advanced Spiritual Power made Jiang Zheyu sink slowly into a deep slumber.

Slowly, on the large, soft, white bed.

The young woman lay on the large bed in a white nightdress. A massive, black-scaled snake had its entire body coiled around her, winding from her ankles to her calves, up to her waist, and around her neck. It wrapped around her, coil by coil, as if ensnaring its prey. Yet, its body was only wrapped tightly around her; it wasn’t constricting the unconscious woman. Instead, it was as if the great snake were guarding its most precious treasure.

The snake’s dark, glossy body created a stark and intimate contrast against the young woman’s pale skin.

Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains and fell upon the floor, creating a delicate, shimmering foam of light and shadow.

Early the next morning, Jiang Zheyu’s Light Brain alarm went off, and she slowly woke up. Su Yan was no longer beside her; he must have already left for the military affairs office.

She felt as if she had slept, yet hadn’t slept at all.

Otherwise, why did her body feel so weak and drained, and her head feel a bit dizzy?

Jiang Zheyu wondered if Su Yan had done something to her in the middle of the night. ’But there aren’t any red marks on my body, so I guess he didn’t do anything.’

She just chalked it up to a bad night’s sleep.

As Jiang Zheyu brushed her teeth and washed her face, she wondered, ’What was it I was supposed to do today? Why did I set my Light Brain alarm so early?’

Only after she had finished brushing her teeth, washing her face, and changing into a tight, pure-white top with loose, pink, wide-leg pants did she belatedly remember: today, she was going to meet her top supporters.

She was meeting her number-two supporter in the morning and her number-one supporter in the afternoon.

She glanced down at her casual attire and considered changing into a dress. ’But it’s not a date,’ she thought, ’so there’s no need to get all dressed up.’

It was only 8:15. Jiang Zheyu planned to go downstairs, drink a nutrient solution, and then head out.

But as her gaze swept past the window, she noticed a particularly vivid splash of red outside the villa’s gate. Thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, she looked again and saw a conspicuous red Hovercar parked there.

A tall, well-built man was standing beside the car door.

The man was dressed in a magenta suit, tailored to fit him perfectly.

As if sensing her gaze, he lifted his eyes and looked toward her window.

A stunningly handsome face came into view. With his black hair, red eyes, and pale skin, the vivid, high-contrast colors made for a striking first impression.

When Zexun saw the beautiful and delicate face in the window, as pale as snow, he was momentarily stunned. Although photos of Miss Jiang had circulated online, he hadn’t believed them.

He only trusted what he could see with his own eyes. And though he had never met her before, he was certain now that the young woman by the window was Miss Jiang.

Zexun’s lips curved into a faint smile, a soft look filling his peach-blossom eyes. He raised a hand in a silent greeting to Jiang Zheyu, tilting his head slightly as wisps of his short hair brushed against his brow. His lips seemed to mouth the words, "Good morning."

’This man is gorgeous.’

That was Jiang Zheyu’s first impression of Zexun.

Red could easily look tacky if not worn well, but his stunning, elegant face completely overpowered any potential tackiness, elevating the entire outfit.

Jiang Zheyu gave him a slight nod, then headed downstairs. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

She grabbed a nutrient solution on her way out. ’The museum doesn’t open until nine, so why did he come at 8:15? Or maybe he got here even earlier. I only noticed him at 8:15, after all.’

Jiang Zheyu walked out of the villa and asked, "Chief Judge Zexun?"

"You can call me A Xun or A Ze." Zexun’s lips curved into a faint smile, his peach-blossom eyes giving the illusion that he was devoted to a single person. "There’s no need to call me Judge outside of work. Besides, I’m just a minor judge, hardly worthy of the title ’Chief Judge’."

As he spoke, he opened the door to the Hovercar and invited her in. "Miss Jiang, please."

Jiang Zheyu got in.

"Mr. Ze, when did you get here? Have you been waiting long?" Jiang Zheyu asked. ’If I remember correctly, the Imperial City Museum doesn’t open until nine, does it?’ she thought. She wondered how long he had been waiting.

She didn’t call him A Ze or A Xun directly. ’We’re not that familiar with each other yet,’ she thought. Besides, she was a bit slow to warm up to people.

"Eight o’clock," Zexun said, sitting across from her with his striking eyes curved into a smile. "Not long at all. I enjoy the process of waiting for a pleasant surprise."

Jiang Zheyu fell silent for a moment. ’According to my plan, I wasn’t going to leave until 8:45. If I hadn’t spotted him, he really would have been waiting outside for over half an hour.’

"Miss Jiang, a Black Forest cake. Please, take it." Zexun retrieved an exquisitely wrapped bag from the seat beside him and placed it in her lap. "Please, give it a try. I had to wait in a very long line for it."

Seeing the cake, Jiang Zheyu realized Zexun must have woken up even earlier than she’d thought. After all, you had to get in line very early for this particular cake.

She had already had a nutrient solution and wasn’t hungry, but when she met Zexun’s brilliant, sincere, and expectant red eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

They were the same red eyes, but where Su Yan’s held a calm, restrained, and gentle warmth, Zexun’s were filled with a vibrant, passionate energy that bloomed in his gaze like brilliant fireworks.

So, not wanting to be rude, Jiang Zheyu started to eat the small cake.

"Is it good?" Zexun asked, leaning forward on the seat across from her and propping his chin on his hands as he watched her.

"Huh? You’ve never had it?" Jiang Zheyu asked, looking at him in surprise.

"I’d heard about it, but the line was always too long, so I never bothered to buy one," Zexun said, rubbing his chin and giving her a faint smile. "This is actually the first time I’ve ever gotten up this early to wait in line for something."

"Well, thank you," Jiang Zheyu said, unsure of what else to say.

"If eating this cake brightens your day, then I’ll happily accept your thanks," Zexun replied with a gentle smile.

’He feels like someone who’s flirted with a lot of females. Still, the cake really does taste a little better now. Looks like the baker has improved their recipe.’

"Yes, it’s delicious," Jiang Zheyu said, her eyes curving into a slight smile.

The Imperial City Museum was a magnificent, circular structure with a futuristic design. It was immense. Outside, holographic projections of several artifacts rotated on display, each one so realistic it looked like a tangible 3D object.

Among the rotating projections was a silver, battle-damaged Mecha, kneeling on one knee with its head bowed.

"That’s the Shocking Wing Mecha, piloted by Commander Aruoming fifty years ago," Zexun explained, noticing her gaze. "Fifty years ago, during the Great Zerg Uprising, every planet was invaded by the Zerg Race. The only way to stop the swarm was to kill the Zerg Mother. At that time, the entire Shocking Wing Legion fought their way deep into the Zerg nest and killed the Zerg Mother, but the whole legion was annihilated in the process."