Chapter 17: The New Spaceship — As Your Senior, It’s Not Too Much to Ask You for a Meal, Right?

Chongming opened the official website of KM Airlines and, sure enough, saw a prominent announcement—December 26th, 1:30 PM, Lyra-Cigar Galaxy, the reservation channel for the trial voyage of the third-generation intelligent spaceship was now open.

Luo Fei clicked into the reservation channel. Free standard-class tickets had already seen over 5,000 successful reservations, with more than ten thousand people waiting in the queue. And that number was still climbing. Clearly, many who had watched the live broadcast of the press conference were very interested in this free trial voyage; tickets were in extremely high demand.

Luo Fei stroked his chin, pondering for three seconds, then said, “Book me a luxury cabin.”

Chongming was puzzled. “Didn’t master book a standard cabin last time? Why the change of mind this time to a luxury cabin?”

A trace of a smile flickered in Luo Fei’s eyes. “Booking a luxury cabin will let me be a little closer to Mo Han.”

Chongming: “………………”

Which brain cell of its master’s had short-circuited, making him feel the need to be closer to that Alpha??

With its mecha logic, Chongming simply couldn’t fathom this matter. It had no choice but to follow its master’s orders and reserve a luxury cabin.

The airline was only compensating standard cabins with free tickets. Luxury cabins were far more expensive and required paying the difference. Chongming passed identity verification on the official website and soon received a bank debit notification; the luxury cabin was booked successfully.

Just then, Emile, standing beside him, suddenly said, his face full of yearning, “This new spaceship seems quite interesting. I want to experience it too.”

Princess Xiya asked worriedly, “A trial voyage? Won’t it be dangerous?”

Mr. David did not think so, shaking his head. “Company management personally boarding the ship shows great confidence in its quality. I suspect that before officially carrying passengers on a trial, they’ve already conducted many private tests. That’s why they dare to open reservations so boldly. There’s no need to worry too much about safety.”

Emile nodded in agreement. “Right. The Imperial Security Department’s inspections are very strict. Being able to get a qualification certificate means people from Security have personally ridden this new generation of spaceship.” He looked at his father expectantly. “Father, can I go experience it? I’m on vacation anyway, with nothing to do at home.”

David frowned, thought for a moment, then said, “You can. Just be careful.”

Luo Fei, standing nearby, interjected, “I’ve already booked a luxury cabin. If cousin wants to come, why not stay with me? I can just add a guest to my cabin. It’ll be more convenient than booking your own.”

Emile spun around, wide-eyed. “You already booked? You move so fast?”

Luo Fei casually made up an excuse. “The tickets are going fast. If you’re not quick, they might all be booked.”

Emile patted him on the shoulder. “You really have foresight!”

He had no idea about Luo Fei’s desire to get close to Mo Han, thinking Luo Fei was also just intensely curious to experience the next-gen product.

Emile immediately logged onto the official site and entered his information, letting Luo Fei book him into the same luxury suite.

KM Airlines Press Conference, Backstage.

Mo Qiming had been sitting in the lounge watching the live broadcast. Seeing his son walk in, he couldn’t help but raise the corner of his mouth in praise. “You did very well.”

Mo Han walked over and sat down beside his father, took a sip of warm water to soothe his throat, his eyes holding a smile. “Just got word, all the standard cabin tickets on the official reservation platform have been booked. I was right; people have a strange fixation with the word ‘free’. No matter if the thing is good or not, as long as it’s free, someone always wants to try it.”

He put down his glass, cleared his throat, and turned to his father. “After tomorrow’s successful trial voyage, those who experience the new spaceship will spontaneously spread the word to their friends and family. I’ve arranged for some media reporters to interview them. Authentic media reports and genuine passenger experiences will be more effective than any ad campaign.”

“That also saves a huge amount on advertising costs,” Mo Qiming said. “Once the public accepts this new model of travel, other airlines will completely lose the qualification to compete with KM. What you’re doing is risky, but I believe that within a year, KM Airlines’ performance can double.”

“Thanks to Father’s full support at the shareholder meeting for this plan to pass smoothly.” Mo Han furrowed his brow slightly. “It’s just that the source of the virus still can’t be found. I don’t know which competitor is scheming behind the scenes. Also, the people who attacked our headquarters’ defense net before… I feel it’s the same group. I’ve already set a trap for him, hoping to find some clues soon.”

“You’ve worked hard.” Mo Qiming gently clasped the back of his son’s hand, his gaze warm and focused on him. “Tomorrow you’ll be boarding the ship personally. To ensure your safety, I’ve made arrangements for those bodyguards to protect you closely. No one can get near you without your permission.”

“Is it necessary to be this cautious?” Mo Han chuckled lightly. “It sounds like a royal procession…”

“Don’t be careless.” Mo Qiming said seriously. “I want you to come back safe and sound, with no mishaps. Understand?”

Mo Han had no choice but to nod helplessly. “Understood. I’ll be careful.”

The next day, after lunch, Luo Fei hugged Princess Xiya goodbye and headed to the Lyra Space Station with Emile.

Likely to ensure the safety of this trial voyage, the checks at the interstellar checkpoint were stricter than ever.

After smoothly passing security and boarding the ship, Luo Fei’s eyes lit up—

The interior of the intelligent spaceship was incredibly spacious, with a simple and bright design. Energy-saving sensor lights were overhead, and blue light strips in the corridor guided the way forward. The two followed the strips to the luxury cabin area. Opening the door, Emile couldn’t help but gasp in amazement. “Wow, this is practically on par with a five-star hotel!”

Thick carpeting covered the floor. Besides a large sleeping bed, there was also a bathroom, a combined living-dining room, and a kitchen.

The fifth floor was the ship’s topmost level, so the luxury cabin’s ceiling was made entirely of transparent glass. Lying on the bed, one could gaze directly at the star-filled sky.

The side of the room featured a massive floor-to-ceiling window that took up an entire wall, along with an observation deck. The deck was furnished with two relaxing lounge chairs. Pull back the curtains and lie on a chair by the window to enjoy a cup of coffee while taking in the view outside the porthole. This several-hour interstellar journey would become a vacation-like pleasure.

Luo Fei walked inside, surveyed the room, and couldn’t help but praise, “This cabin is truly well-designed. Was it designed by Mo Han?”

Emile froze, then turned back to look at Luo Fei, puzzled. “Of course they hired a famous designer. Do you think Mo Han is omnipotent? That he can do everything?”

Luo Fei chuckled, touching his nose. “Cough, I was thinking too highly of him, almost forgetting he only studies programming.”

Seeing the gentle expression on Luo Fei’s face when he mentioned Mo Han, Emile suddenly remembered something. Back when watching the press conference live, Luo Fei had been staring at Mo Han on the screen with a captivated look. Emile shivered abruptly, an incredulous thought dawning on him. “Luo Fei, you couldn’t be… could you be…”

Luo Fei raised an eyebrow. “Couldn’t be what?”

No, Luo Fei definitely wouldn’t be crazy enough to like an Alpha. Emile immediately dismissed the terrifying guess. But if it wasn’t that, what exactly was the reason Luo Fei cared so much about Mo Han? Scratching his head, Emile pondered for a long while before finally landing on a fitting description. “You couldn’t have… become a fan of Mo Han’s, could you?”

Luo Fei: “……………”

What he felt for Mo Han wasn’t a fan’s idol worship. It was a crush.

Before Luo Fei could answer, Emile continued on his own. “I can understand your feelings. You grew up in the Royal Palace, never traveled far. Suddenly seeing such an outstanding Alpha, it’s normal for feelings of admiration to rise. At our school, there are even quite a few Alphas among Mo Han’s fanboys. Honestly, even as an Alpha myself, I think he’s pretty amazing.”

Emile walked over to Luo Fei’s side and went on. “Mo Han is our school’s famous top student. You probably don’t know, but at school, he finished four years of coursework in two years, and even passed the Senior AI Engineer exam, getting the highest-level professional certificate. Many people take that exam for years and still fail; he passed it on his first try. He’s only going into his third year when the semester starts, but he’s actually already earned all his credits. They say he’s preparing for his graduation defense, planning to graduate early.”

Luo Fei: “……………”

Herman University was one of the Empire’s strongest comprehensive schools. The academic pressure on students was not light at all. Mo Han had managed to finish a four-year program in just two years, and also passed the highest professional exam ahead of time? This wasn’t just “top student”, this was practically “academic deity”, right?

How could he be this smart? Truly worthy of being the person he had set his sights on.

Seeing Luo Fei stroking his chin thoughtfully, Emile couldn’t help but pat his shoulder. “But Luo Fei, there’s no need for you to idolize him. You’re not bad yourself! Mo Han is just particularly skilled at computer coding. In other things, he might not necessarily surpass you.”

Luo Fei nodded. “True. At the very least, I can be worthy of him.”

Emile thought he’d misheard. He turned his head, staring wide-eyed at Luo Fei. “What did you say? Worthy of him? Mo Han is an Alpha. Why do you need to be worthy of him?”

Was the First Prince’s literature skills not up to par? Why was he using words so incorrectly?

Luo Fei smiled and changed the subject. “Nothing. Let’s go out for a walk.”

Emile could only follow him out the door, a face full of bewilderment.

The luxury cabins on the fifth floor all had uniform metal doors. As he walked down the corridor, Luo Fei silently guessed which one was Mo Han’s.

Just then, a tall, brawny man suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway. Carrying a tray with an exquisite pastry and a cup of coffee, he entered a metal door a short distance ahead, then quickly exited and left the area, seemingly just there to deliver food.

The man wore black trousers and a white shirt with a black bow tie, the perfect picture of a restaurant server. But Luo Fei’s eyes instantly narrowed. He swept his gaze over the passengers walking back and forth in the corridor, glanced up at the room number—5017—and smiled slightly. He leaned close to Emile’s ear and whispered, “Mo Han is staying right here.”

Emile was completely baffled. He whispered back, “How do you know? Can your eyes see through walls?”

Luo Fei explained quietly, “That person dressed as a server just now is one of his personal bodyguards.”

Emile scratched his head, confused. “He just looked like an ordinary server to me. How can you be sure he’s Mo Han’s bodyguard?”

Luo Fei said, “I saw him once before in the Lyra greenhouse.”

Emile: “…”

He’d only seen him once, the person’s entire outfit was different, yet he recognized him instantly? This guy’s observational skills were extraordinary.

As he was thinking this, Luo Fei continued, “The one disguised as a staff member on the forward left of the corridor, and the one disguised as a flight attendant near the elevator, are also Mo Han’s bodyguards. These people weren’t here when we boarded the ship, but now they’ve all appeared. It means Mo Han has already checked into that room.” Luo Fei smiled faintly. “They’re protecting Mo Han very tightly. Without his permission, probably not even a mosquito could fly to his side.”

“…” Emile’s scalp went numb. “Is… is that really necessary?”

“Probably Chairman Mo’s arrangement. He doesn’t want anything to happen to his son.” Luo Fei looked up at the door number in the distance—5017. “If I want to see Mo Han, how do you propose I break through the encirclement of these layers of bodyguards to meet him?”

“With your combat skill level, knocking down a few bodyguards shouldn’t be a problem?” Emile suggested.

“Why would I fight his bodyguards? It’s not like I want to kidnap him.” Luo Fei held back a laugh. “Let’s be more direct. I’ll just ask Mo Han to ‘grant me an audience’.”

After returning to his room, Luo Fei very directly dialed Mo Han’s communicator.

A moment later, the video call connected. Mo Han’s figure appeared on the projection screen before him.

He was sitting by the porthole, drinking coffee. On the glass table beside him sat a plate of exquisite pastries—indeed, the very pastries that “server” had delivered earlier.

Emile inwardly had to admire Luo Fei’s sharp powers of observation.

Mo Han saw Luo Fei and Emile appear in the frame and quickly recognized the background environment. His eyebrow arched slightly. “Both seniors are also on the ship?”

Emile said with a straight face, “That’s right. We’re heading to the Cigar Galaxy on a business trip.”

A business trip? Mo Han smiled faintly but didn’t expose them.

He was wearing a white loungewear set, sitting in a deck chair drinking coffee, his posture languid and relaxed.

Seeing him like this, Luo Fei’s gaze couldn’t help but soften—that Alpha truly looked good in anything, the more he looked, the more pleasing to the eye.

Mo Han put down his coffee cup and said flatly, “Both seniors going on a business trip, and taking this spaceship? What a coincidence.”

Emile was still trying to come up with a story, but Luo Fei took the initiative to explain. “We watched yesterday’s press conference and became very interested in the new generation of intelligent spaceship, so we chose this flight. Knowing you’d be coming here personally, I took the liberty of contacting you to see if I might run into you.”

That explanation made sense. The First Prince’s reaction speed was clearly much faster than Emile’s.

Mo Han looked at the young man earnestly playing his role and asked calmly, “First time riding the new intelligent spaceship. What does senior think of it?”

“The design concept is fantastic. The space is spacious, the degree of freedom is very high. This kind of entertainment-oriented interstellar spaceship will definitely be welcomed by the public.” Luo Fei’s words this time were sincere; he genuinely felt that way.

Hearing praise for a spaceship made by his own company, Mo Han was naturally in a good mood. He curved his lips up. “I hope so.”

Luo Fei looked at him. “May I see you in person? Our last chat wasn’t fully satisfying. I was wondering if it’s convenient for you?”

Mo Han said, “Sorry, I have a meeting to attend next.”

Luo Fei asked, “And after the meeting? Will you have any free time?”

Mo Han replied, “After the meeting, I still need to take a few engineers to inspect the ship’s intelligent system.”

Though what he said was true, the tone of refusal was quite clear.

But the First Prince’s skin was incredibly thick. He continued smiling. “I can wait until you finish your inspection.”

Mo Han: “………………”

Are you just not going to give up until you see me? What exactly do you want to talk about?

Seeing Mo Han furrow his brow slightly, Luo Fei said gently, “No matter how busy, you still have to eat, right? How about I treat you to dinner? As your senior, treating you to a meal isn’t too much to ask, right?”

Senior? He was playing this role so thoroughly, yet had no idea his own cover was already transparent.

This First Prince… was he a bit silly, and somewhat adorable?

Mo Han found it amusing inside but kept his expression calm. “Alright then. I’ll be free at 6 PM. We can have dinner together then.”

Luo Fei’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement. “Then I won’t disturb you. See you at dinner.”

The call ended. The smile still hadn’t faded from Luo Fei’s lips as he gazed fondly at the now-empty projection screen.

Emile, standing nearby, was practically dumbfounded.

Treating Mo Han to dinner, did he need to be this happy?

Was this really the First Prince he knew? Why did it feel like he’d been possessed by one of Mo Han’s fanboys?