The birthday banquet lasted until three in the afternoon before ending, and Mo Han followed his father as they left the Imperial Palace.
Luo Fei had wanted to see Mo Han off personally, but his status as the First Prince made it truly inconvenient to escort the son of Fengyang Group’s Chairman alone. He had to suppress the impulse, maintaining a polite smile as he watched Mo Han’s departing figure. Once all the guests had left and he no longer needed to keep up the smiling facade, Luo Fei immediately slumped his shoulders and shuffled back to his palace, head hanging low.
He needed to sort out his thoughts and figure out how he was going to explain this to Mo Han tomorrow.
When had his cover been blown? Luo Fei’s mind had been a chaotic mess during the entire banquet, leaving him no time to think carefully. Now, alone in the quiet, he quickly pinpointed the crux of the matter—Mo Han was a hacker, which made finding out someone’s information easy. Besides, KM Airlines was a company invested in by Mo Han’s family; accessing a particular passenger’s records would be a piece of cake for Mo Han. As soon as Mo Han became suspicious, he could have simply pulled up the interstellar passenger ship’s manifest and instantly discovered Luo Fei’s real identity.
Which meant, the very moment during Old Master Mo’s birthday banquet when Luo Fei claimed, “I am Assistant Emile,” and Mo Han probed with suspicion, asking, “What school did you graduate from?”—that was the moment his cover was already blown. No matter how hard he’d tried, weaving an elaborate backstory and having Chongming look up various details about Herman University on the fly, in Mo Han’s eyes, it had all been useless drivel. Because Mo Han only needed one check of the airline’s records to know his name was Luo Fei, the empire’s First Prince…
The feeling was akin to performing a strenuous play in front of someone while wearing a transparent suit. He was fully immersed in his act, while Mo Han was probably watching him like he was a fool, right?
A splitting headache gripped Luo Fei as he forcefully pinched the bridge of his nose. “What do I do? He must think I’m so stupid.”
Chongming gloated, “Master, Mo Han is so clever. Do you still want to keep liking him? I think you should just give up! You simply can’t outmaneuver him!”
Luo Fei raised an eyebrow. “You just don’t want me to be with him, do you? You’re afraid he’ll crash your system.”
Chongming sounded aggrieved. “A mecha’s intelligent system is the equivalent of your human brain. If you had a wife who was a brain surgeon, performing brain surgeries every day, someone who knows the structure of your brain inside and out, and who could just open up your head and alter your memories whenever she got angry—wouldn’t you be afraid?”
Luo Fei imagined that scenario and indeed… it was terrifying.
Put that way, he immediately understood Chongming’s worry and gently coaxed, “Don’t worry, you’re my mecha, after all. You’ve followed me since I was a child. If Mo Han ever wanted to destroy you, I absolutely wouldn’t allow it. Besides, Mo Han isn’t that bad. If you don’t cross him, why would he want to destroy you? At most, he’d probably just want to look at your system’s coding.”
Just as he finished speaking, Chongming suddenly blared an alert. “Master, master! The Queen and General Ling Yu are here! I’ve detected the signals of Senior Vermilion Bird and the little fox. I have a very bad feeling about this. I’m shutting down first. You’re on your own, good luck!”
Luo Fei: “???”
Is selling out your master at a critical moment really okay?
The Vermilion Bird and the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox were the personal mechas of General Ling Yu and Queen Lin Yuan, respectively.
The number of S-Class intelligent mechas in the empire was limited. The Vermilion Bird was a former god of war, charging into the frontlines to slaughter enemies, making hostile forces tremble in fear. The Nine-Tailed Sky Fox was the empire’s first-ever double-S class mecha. Back during the military rebellion, Lin Yuan had piloted the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox, single-handedly diving deep into the enemy camp to rescue the then-reigning His Majesty Trand, directly shattering the military traitors’ plan to abolish the Royal Family.
Chongming and these senior mechas had mutual signal sensing; it was the elders who had actively connected to it.
Because Luo Fei was the empire’s First Prince and heir to the throne, General Ling Yu didn’t want his grandson to come to any harm, and Lin Yuan naturally wanted to ensure his son’s safety. Meaning, if Chongming ever sent out a distress signal, the Vermilion Bird and the Nine-Tailed Fox could both instantly pinpoint its location and rush to the rescue.
But right now, the Vermilion Bird and Nine-Tailed Fox arriving with their masters was clearly not for a rescue mission.
The First Prince was safe within the Royal Palace, facing no security issues whatsoever. His father and grandfather were suddenly seeking him out, probably to question him about something.
Hence, Chongming very wisely shut down, because it sensed this was definitely not going to be good news.
Alerted by Chongming’s warning, Luo Fei quickly straightened his attire.
He shed his heavy formal wear, changed into more casual clothes, forced a smile in the mirror, and tried to appear as calm as possible.
Moments later, Lin Yuan and General Ling Yu walked in together.
Luo Fei immediately went to greet them, bowing with a smile. “Dad, Grandfather, what brings you here so suddenly?”
Ling Yu’s expression was as cold as frost. His sharp gaze swept over Luo Fei. “Naturally, to hear your explanation.”
Luo Fei put on an innocent look. “Explain what?”
Ling Yu sat down on the living room sofa, his tone flat. “Explain your relationship with Mo Han.”
Luo Fei: “…”
How did Grandfather find out? Did his eyes have the ability to see right through people?
His father, on the other hand, seemed completely out of the loop. Hearing this, he looked rather puzzled. “Mo Han? You mean Mo Qiming’s son? Luo Fei, do you know him?”
Ling Yu’s gaze shifted to Luo Fei. “Today when your Royal Father asked you to give your thoughts on your eighteenth birthday, you froze for three seconds. During those three seconds, your eyes were fixed on Mo Han. Many people might not have noticed, but you can’t fool my eyes. Spill it. What’s your relationship with Mo Han? Why did your brain short-circuit the moment you saw him?”
Luo Fei: “…”
This grandfather was truly terrifying. General Ling Yu, as the only Omega General in imperial history, possessed an aura even more powerful than many Alphas. Even his Royal Father had to obediently listen in Ling Yu’s presence, let alone Luo Fei, who belonged to the grandchild generation and barely dared to breathe.
Faced with this interrogation, Luo Fei steeled himself and answered, “When I set out for Lyra Constellation this time, it coincided with Old Master Mo’s hundredth birthday banquet. Cousin Emile wanted to take me along to broaden my horizons, so I went with him. That’s where I met Mo Han at the banquet. Not wanting to reveal my identity at the time, I made up a random excuse, saying I was a Herman University graduate in agricultural sciences and an assistant to Emile…”
“Pfft.” Lin Yuan burst out laughing, looking at his son. “Are you stupid? In what way do you resemble Emile’s assistant?”
Luo Fei’s face flushed slightly. He rubbed his nose in embarrassment. “I didn’t think much of it then. I just wanted to befriend Mo Han. The First Prince’s identity isn’t exactly convenient, so I just blurted something out.”
Lin Yuan continued to laugh heartily at his foolish son. “Emile’s assistant, and an agricultural sciences graduate? Hahaha, what a storyteller you are.”
Luo Fei: “…”
Was it really appropriate for a father to laugh at his son like this?
Ling Yu lightly rubbed his temple. “Luo Fei, Mo Han is different from you. He’s been in the business world alongside his father since he was sixteen. He’s shrewd. Your little schemes were bound to fail against him. I heard he’s a hacking prodigy. Checking up on you wouldn’t take him more than a minute to uncover your entire background.”
Luo Fei’s face reddened further. He hung his head like a student caught misbehaving, mumbling, “I know I messed up.”
Seeing him red-faced, Lin Yuan had zero sympathy. Instead, he laughed as he spoke. “No wonder you suddenly went silent during the birthday speech earlier. I thought you’d gotten stage fright and forgotten your words. Turns out it was because Mo Han showed up at the banquet and exposed your lie to your face? Hahahaha.”
Luo Fei: “…”
Still laughing! Was this man really his biological father, taking such joy in his son’s embarrassment?
Ling Yu glanced at Luo Fei, his tone flat. “Is that it? Nothing else?”
Luo Fei felt a pang of guilt, but he didn’t dare confess his feelings for Mo Han. He was afraid the two of them might beat him to death.
Against these two in a confrontation, he’d have absolutely no chance of winning, right…
And that master-selling Chongming, knowing it couldn’t beat the Vermilion Bird and the Sky Fox, had already shut down preemptively to stay out of it.
Luo Fei forced a small smile, acting as nonchalant as possible. “Grandfather, how could I dare hide anything from you? It was really just that. I greatly admired Mo Han’s abilities and wanted to be his friend. I made up a fake identity, and he exposed it right in front of me at today’s birthday banquet. I was so embarrassed in the moment that I blanked on my words.”
Ling Yu let out a soft chuckle, his sharp gaze pinning Luo Fei. “Then what about Mo Lin?”
A chill ran down Luo Fei’s spine—how did he even know about Mo Lin?!
Ling Yu stated calmly, “You seem to have forgotten that I have far too many acquaintances within the Omega Association. Naturally, I knew about the genetic screening the association conducted for you. I saw that list even before your Royal Father did. Mo Lin was on that list. So, your reason for attending Old Master Mo’s birthday banquet wasn’t just ‘sightseeing with Emile.’ You went there wanting to see Mo Lin, am I correct?”
Luo Fei: “…”
Sure enough, he was still too green, no match for a senior like his grandfather, who had weathered countless storms.
They say honesty is rewarded with leniency, resistance met with severity. If he kept making excuses at this stage, he’d die a very ugly death in front of his grandfather.
Quickly realizing this, Luo Fei decided to confess everything. “You’re right. Indeed, I was quite curious about Mo Lin at the time and wanted to see what this Omega was like. But… after seeing him, I discovered he has a disability in both legs and is also mentally ill. I heard that Mo Lin’s condition stemmed from being kidnapped alongside his father, Fang Ziqian, when he was ten years old. His legs were broken, and the severe trauma caused a mental breakdown. I have some suspicions; I always felt there was more to that incident back then. That’s why I wanted to get close to Mo Han and investigate.”
Ling Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. “That was overreaching on your part. The Mo Family’s influence in the business world is almost absolute. Even if you’re suspicious about events from over a decade ago, did you really think they’d leave obvious clues for you to find? In the end, you didn’t uncover any secrets of the Mo Family. Instead, Mo Han dug up everything about you.”
Chastened, Luo Fei lowered his head. “I was too careless.”
Ling Yu’s gaze held a stern, elder’s reproach. “Luo Fei, you are only eighteen. You grew up in peacetime, and your Royal Father has protected you too well. The experiences you’ve been through are far fewer compared to my generation, or even your Royal Father’s. Your judgment is shallow, you oversimplify things. You need to remember: when you’re not confident of success, observing quietly is far better than acting rashly. You’ll be heading to the military academy in a few days. Once you’re there, study hard and gain real experience. Understand?”
Luo Fei immediately nodded earnestly. “I understand, Grandfather.”
Only then did Ling Yu smile. He stood up. “I’m off. I still have matters to attend to. You’ve both had a long day, rest up.”
Lin Yuan and Luo Fei walked him to the door together. Ling Yu left directly piloting the Vermilion Bird.
Luo Fei found it rather curious. Some people just seemed to never age. General Ling Yu was now a grandfather, yet he still appeared energetic and full of vigor. He maintained himself exceptionally well, time leaving few marks upon him. Instead, the accumulation of years had granted him greater poise and gravitas. Perhaps because of his soldier’s bearing, in his midnight-blue military uniform, he stood tall and straight, walking with an innate commanding presence, earning him respect even from His Majesty the King.
As a junior, Luo Fei felt that compared to these great generals who had been through the forge of battle, he was truly too green and inexperienced.
His grandfather was completely right. Having grown up in the Royal Palace, sheltered from great upheavals, his life had been smooth. Combined with his shallow experience, he always over-simplified problems. Acting rashly had only led to him becoming a huge joke. Mo Han, however, was different. The Mo Family must have undergone numerous upheavals over the years, and Mo Han had been navigating the cutthroat business world alongside his father since childhood. Mo Han’s shrewdness compared to his own was like the difference between heaven and earth. Acting in front of Mo Han, even foolishly trying to investigate the Mo Family’s secrets… it truly was arrogant and naive.
So, did he really need to rack his brains over how to explain things to Mo Han?
No matter how perfectly he crafted his lies, Mo Han would see through them in an instant. Tell one lie, and he’d have to constantly spin more to cover it. In front of someone so intelligent and sharp, any excuse was useless. The best approach, instead, was to be completely honest.
Yes, honesty was the best policy.
If he confessed all the truths, all his doubts, even his own feelings of affection, then all his actions would have a reasonable explanation.
Mo Han definitely wouldn’t accept him right away, but that was okay. He could move him with absolute sincerity.
At the very least, Luo Fei had finally understood one thing: against someone as clever as Mo Han, trying to play mind games with twists and turns was a battle he could never win.
He’d be better off just playing it straight.
