CHAPTER 13

Shu Yanyan didn't dare to look at Chu Yu at all, her face turned away as she softly responded, "No, I don't."

She lightly twisted her wrist, making a feeble request, "Please... let go of me."

Chu Yu's breathing slowed down.

She remembered Yunmiao, who was obediently nestled in her arms a few days ago, and finally understood why she felt so helpless in the face of such a small creature—

The Omega mother of this little one seemed to have taken root in her heart, and any gesture or movement could make her heart flutter.

Chu Yu lightly pinched Shu Yanyan's hand one last time, discreetly releasing her grip.

She inquired, "Is Yunmiao doing well? How is she getting along with the robotic bird?"

Shu Yanyan replied, "They're both doing great."

The AI of the simulated robot was too advanced. For Shu Yanyan and Yunmiao, little Guan Guan was not just a machine but more like a soul trapped in a little bird's body—a companion to both of them.

If it were in the beginning, Shu Yanyan could have casually mentioned returning little Guan Guan. But after spending these few days together, even now when facing Chu Yu directly and having better communication opportunities, Shu Yanyan couldn't bring herself to say such words.

However, considering the considerable value of little Guan Guan, Shu Yanyan couldn't act as if nothing had happened either.

Shu Yanyan said dryly, "Both Yunmiao and I really like it. Thank you, thank you for giving it to us."

Chu Yu replied, "We've discussed this many times. Do you want me to say 'you're welcome' again?"

Shu Yanyan waved her hand.

She glanced at Ge Meng behind Chu Yu and instinctively wanted to escape. So, she blurted out, "Next time when you're free, let me treat you to a meal..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Chu Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, "Why wait for another day? I'm free right now."

Shu Yanyan froze.

This conversation felt so familiar.

She had transmigrated to the Chaotic Federation for half a year and had mostly stabilized before encountering the amnesiac Shu Qing.

One day, local thugs came to collect protection fees and arbitrarily increased the price by half to line their own pockets. Shu Yanyan couldn't afford it and was almost scared into tears. At that critical moment, Shu Qing stepped in and helped her drive the people away.

With her attractive figure and appearance, coupled with the initial encounter of a "beauty saving a beauty." it had an effect far surpassing 1+1.

Shu Yanyan, who had been living cautiously in the Chaotic Federation, timidly stuck her head out for the first time. She gathered her courage and asked for the other person's contact information, promising to treat her to a meal another day.

Shu Qing, while picking up the pastries that had fallen on the ground, looked up and asked, "Why wait for another day? I'm free right now."

Little white rabbit, Shu Yanyan found the reasoning quite sound, so she turned her head and led the pretending-to-be-coy Fox back home.

Shu Yanyan snapped back to reality, feeling much more relaxed and a faint smile curved her lips. She confirmed, "Then..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Ge Meng, who had been silent all this while, suddenly stepped forward and said, "Alright, let's decide on that. Let's have lunch together. I know a good and affordable restaurant nearby. I'll book a private room now, and we can go together."

Saying that, she started operating her smart device without paying much attention to the others.

Chu Yu watched her actions, slightly furrowing her brows as if she wanted to say something. However, in the end, she remained silent and tacitly agreed to Ge Meng's proposal.

Shu Yanyan didn't know how to speak up either, so she stood quietly on the side, waiting. After a moment, Ge Meng called for both of them to leave the mall and walk to a nearby restaurant with modest decor.

Once they were seated, Ge Meng spoke up, "It's my first time having a meal with three people like this."

Shu Yanyan felt a bit uneasy.

She felt like an outsider in this situation. If it weren't for the chance encounter earlier and her invitation, it should have been Chu Yu and Ge Meng dining together. It didn't seem quite appropriate for her to intrude like this.

Ge Meng looked at the electronic menu and said, "I remember you really like the mutton from Beta Planet. Let's order a mutton hotpot. And let's also get their signature dish, they handle the ingredients exceptionally well, you'll definitely like it."

As she spoke, Ge Meng looked at Chu Yu and asked, "Is there anything else you want to eat?"

Chu Yu took the menu and handed it to Shu Yanyan, saying, "The guest should choose the dishes, shouldn't they?"

Shu Yanyan nodded and took the menu.

In the interstellar era, dishes had been modified to cater to the general taste. Basically, as long as a restaurant had decent reviews, the dishes were unlikely to be bad, but they often lost many unique characteristics.

Back then, in order to understand the taste preferences of the masses and make better pastries, Shu Yanyan had conducted a lot of market research—

In short, using their reputation as a cover, Shu Qing and Shu Yanyan went on dates in various places within the federation.

The Empire was much better than the Chaotic Federation in many ways, but a few popular dishes were the same.

Shu Yanyan said, "Let's also get the avocado-fried spare ribs without cilantro, and a plate of spicy fruit and vegetable chicken."

Chu Yu smiled, "You don't eat cilantro?"

Shu Yanyan replied, "...It's okay."

It wasn't that she didn't eat it, it was Shu Qing who didn't eat it.

Since they were only three people, they didn't need to order too many dishes. After Shu Yanyan confirmed the order, she placed it.

When the dishes arrived, Chu Yu scooped a spoonful of chicken for Shu Yanyan, but she held her own bowl and said, "I don't eat this, it's too spicy!"

Chu Yu sighed and put the food in her own bowl, looking puzzled. "If you don't eat spicy food, why did you order this flavor?"

Shu Yanyan couldn't explain. Of course, Chu Yu was just casually asking and didn't really expect an answer.

She picked up a small spare rib and handed it to Shu Yanyan, the size just right for her to bite into. Shu Yanyan pursed her lips, saying, "It's too small..."

Chu Yu raised an eyebrow, "Hmm?"

Shu Yanyan said, "I want the biggest piece. I want to hold it and gnaw on it."

Chu Yu squinted her eyes, "Such a big appetite?"

Though she said that, she honestly picked up the largest spare rib and placed it in front of Shu Yanyan.

Ge Meng sat on the side, oblivious to the food, observing their interaction.

It wasn't that she wanted to remain silent, but she couldn't find an opportunity to interject. The last time she met with the Emperor, Shu Yanyan wasn't around yet. How is it that she's been gone for three months, and as soon as she returns, the Emperor has a new friend like her?

Ge Meng couldn't understand, so she secretly took a photo of Shu Yanyan and sent it to her subordinates.

[Help me investigate this person. [Image]]

After finishing their meal, each of the three had their own thoughts and went their separate ways.

Ge Meng lived in a high-end residential area behind the GO Mall, and she was the first to arrive home.

After returning home, she opened her smart device and saw the response from her subordinates.

[Sister Meng, this person is named Shu Yanyan.]

[I checked the internal company data and found that on the first day of the celebration holiday, this person even came to our office to inquire about a mission. Unfortunately, it seems that she couldn't accept the price later, so the mission was not issued.]

Ge Meng furrowed her brow.

[Send me the video recording of that conversation and the details of the mission she wanted to commission.]

Without asking further questions, the other person quickly replied with a "Okay."

Upon seeing this message, Ge Meng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn't think she was making a big deal out of nothing.

In fact, apart from the initial invitation out of gratitude, the Emperor had never actually invited her to have a meal together.

When she coincidentally encountered Shu Yanyan at the mall, she was just passing by as she was preparing to send the Emperor off. They had known each other for several years, and she and the Emperor understood each other implicitly—

She wouldn't invite the Emperor to have a meal because she knew she wouldn't agree.

And the Emperor... unless there were special circumstances, she didn't enjoy dining with others.

But Shu Yanyan... she was different.

If she hadn't taken the initiative to book the restaurant at that time, it was likely that the next moment, the Emperor would have spoken up to tell her not to bother sending him off and then leave with Shu Yanyan.

Ge Meng clenched her fists.

Twenty minutes later, she received all the information she wanted. After a quick review, she quickly understood Shu Yanyan's background—

Shu Yanyan hailed from the Chaotic Federation, and her partner had gone missing two years ago. During these years, she had been raising their daughter alone but never gave up on searching for her love.

As Ge Meng read through the information, she furrowed her brow at the mentioned timeline. She clicked on the mission details and quickly came across the profile picture Shu Yanyan had submitted earlier, along with a 3D reconstruction of the missing person's appearance based on the photo provided by the Federation.

Looking at the face that bore a striking resemblance, about seventy percent similar to Chu Yu, Ge Meng almost forgot to breathe.

However, the technology in the Chaotic Federation was far behind. Holding her breath, she contacted the personnel of her agency to repair the image using the latest techniques.

That night, she received a model that was nearly ninety percent similar to Chu Yu.

Ge Meng's mind was in turmoil for the entire day. After obtaining the model, she held onto her determination and continued the investigation.

For these past few years, their special team had been entrusted by the Emperor to investigate the events that followed Chu Yu's disappearance.

Ge Meng had found the unconscious Emperor inside a pirate transport ship, and that had been their starting point for the investigation. However, the management within the pirate organization was loose and chaotic. Even after two years, they had only managed to gather some vague clues and couldn't piece together the whole picture.

The Emperor agreed to meet with her primarily because this matter had been dragging on.

But Ge Meng hadn't expected—

Shu Yanyan turned out to be the missing puzzle piece, connecting all the clues and solidifying the information that couldn't be verified before. It directly wove a clear narrative of the Emperor falling into the Chaotic Federation, losing her memory, marrying Shu Yanyan, and having a daughter.

This was the truth behind the Emperor's disappearance five years ago! It was the very thing she had been investigating all this time at the Emperor's request!

Unconsciously, the night had passed, and dawn quietly arrived.

Ge Meng, who had been lost in thought for a long time, suddenly snapped back to reality. She looked at the contents on the screen and shuddered.

In the next moment, she panicked and threw all the investigation results into the recycle bin.

[Permanently delete? Confirm/Cancel]

[Confirm.]

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