Part 2
Generally speaking, he didn’t overthink things while manufacturing source weapons.
Since he had successfully skipped class, he wanted to make good use of the afternoon to further optimize his space-restricted special ability. Afterward, he would start designing a finished source weapon blueprint, incorporating complex inscriptions like energy storage pools and passive skills.
Yun Yingzhi opened his personal optical brain.
Before opening the design interface, Yun Yingzhi tried to hold back, but he couldn’t resist opening the search interface.
Taking a deep breath, he searched for keywords.
It was overwhelming—the only word for it was overwhelming.
Everywhere on the Star Network, people were saying that the Crown Prince Dianxia had someone he liked.
The person Dianxia liked was rumored to be the second son of the Yun Admiral’s Manor, Yun Yingzhi.
Many expressed confusion, noting it was their first time hearing that the Yun Admiral’s Manor had a second son besides Yun Yinghui and Yun Yingyao.
They were very curious about what kind of person the second son of the Yun Admiral’s Manor was.
Some said there was no solid evidence, but he seemed to be the “Little Cute Fighting Rabbit” from the Yaoming Fighting Arena.
Others said that except for the students of Fanse Academy, very few people knew about the second son of the Yun Admiral’s Manor. This was mainly because he wasn’t like Admiral Yun or Madam Yun—his talent was mediocre, and aside from a fairly decent appearance, he was useless.
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelids jumped wildly. He felt like the meaning of that sentence was essentially…
He didn’t deserve to be the child of Admiral Yun and Madam Yun.
Even though he had told himself not to care about such things, his heart still ached when he saw those words.
Taking a deep breath, he shut down the network, forcing himself not to think or look.
Suddenly, a message notification sounded.
It was a private message from Yun Yinghui.
Yun Yingzhi blinked and opened the dialogue box. What met his eyes was Yun Yinghui’s concern for him.
He thought to himself, Hmph, it doesn’t matter if Papa and Mama don’t like me. It doesn’t matter if Yun Yingyao doesn’t call me Gege. I have a Gege!
Gege will be like a father to me, and he’ll be like a mother too. Aside from not being able to be my younger sibling, Gege is omnipotent.
Yun Yingzhi acted spoiled toward Yun Yinghui.
Yun Yingzhi: [Gege, when the holidays come, can I go find you?]
Yun Yinghui: [No, it’s dangerous where I am.]
Yun Yingzhi was a bit unhappy.
Yun Yinghui: [Zhi-zhi, the reason I contacted you this time is because I heard about the matter between you and Elvis-dianxia.]
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelids twitched with unease.
For a moment, Yun Yingzhi wanted to tell Yun Yinghui about the accident that night, but he didn’t dare.
He sincerely hoped that night could be hidden in the past forever.
Yun Yinghui: [Yingzhi, what is your relationship with Elvis-dianxia?]
Yun Yingzhi replied decisively: [We have no relationship at all.]
Yun Yinghui: [That’s good. Don’t maintain any relationship with Elvis-dianxia beyond that of a ruler and subject, okay?]
Yun Yingzhi responded obediently: [Mhm!]
Yun Yingzhi thought, Dianxia is Dianxia; I can’t get too close.
Suddenly, Yun Yingzhi received another message notification.
Switching out of the chat with Yun Yinghui, his eyes widened in bewilderment.
He only had four people pinned at the top of his friend list: Yun Yinghui, Admiral Yun, Madam Yun, and Yun Yingyao.
His four closest relatives were all pinned.
Without exception, Admiral Yun and Madam Yun never contacted him, and Yun Yingyao would only contact him very occasionally.
Yun Yingzhi didn’t understand. Why would Madam Yun suddenly contact him?
With hands that were almost trembling, Yun Yingzhi opened the chat box with Madam Yun.
Madam Yun: [Yingzhi.]
Yun Yingzhi: “…”
She had only called his name without saying what it was about. Yun Yingzhi felt anxious.
He looked at their past chat history…
It wasn’t empty.
Multiple times a year, he would send private messages to Madam Yun—wishing her a happy birthday, happy holidays, and so on. However, he had never received a single reply.
At one point, he had even suspected that Madam Yun had blocked him.
After some hesitation, Yun Yingzhi replied with a nervous heart: [Mama, good afternoon.]
Madam Yun: [Mhm.]
Yun Yingzhi didn’t know how to respond, but he felt it would be bad not to.
To his relief, he soon received the next message from Madam Yun. But as he read the line of text, he found himself feeling even worse.
Madam Yun: [What is your relationship with Elvis-dianxia?]
Yun Yingzhi’s brow furrowed in apprehension. After thinking for a moment, he replied: [Dianxia is a very good senior.]
Yun Yingzhi tactfully indicated that he had no special relationship with Elvis-dianxia.
He was very worried that Madam Yun would scold him for “puppy love,” as such behavior could affect his grades—especially since he might not only affect himself but could also affect Elvis.
Although same-sex relationships were legal in the Empire and held corresponding rights, heterosexuality remained the mainstream.
Given Yun Yingzhi’s understanding of Madam Yun, if her child were gay, he felt she would certainly find it very disgraceful.
However…
To Yun Yingzhi’s surprise, he received Madam Yun’s next message.
Madam Yun: [Yingzhi, can you do Mama a favor?]
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelids jumped. He replied: [Mama, if I can do it, I’m willing.]
Madam Yun: [I heard Elvis-dianxia appreciates you very much.]
Yun Yingzhi: “…” He had a bad premonition.
He looked at Madam Yun’s message, unsure of how to reply.
Madam Yun: [Can you maintain a good relationship with Dianxia?]
A “good relationship”—what kind of relationship did that mean?
Madam Yun: [Dianxia has an excellent relationship with the Yaoming Group. I hope you can use your relationship with Elvis-dianxia to strive for priority distribution rights for the latest Grade Seven and above source weapons, okay?]
Yun Yingzhi thought, This is a very complicated issue.
He didn’t understand the maneuverable space behind the scenes, but back at Alvin’s studio, he had overheard conversations between Alvin and other source weapon manufacturers.
Among the Empire’s twelve major legions, Admiral Yun’s relationship with the Yaoming Group was poor, yet the Yaoming Group trained the most outstanding source weapon manufacturers.
The Yaoming Group cooperated with the military, providing a certain amount of source weapons to the major legions each year based on demand.
Even if Admiral Yun’s relationship with the Yaoming Group was extremely strained, they still received a portion of the Yaoming Group’s source weapons every year. Generally speaking, they were the ones with the lowest quality and worst performance.
Looking at the message from Madam Yun, Yun Yingzhi felt that Admiral Yun and Madam Yun might have changed their prejudice against source weapons.
One’s own strength was indeed important, but having equipment would inevitably allow one to reach a higher level.
Yun Yingzhi’s eyes were bright. He thought, If that’s the case, can I tell Papa and Mama that from the past until now, I have never given up on source weapon manufacturing?
If they knew of my achievements in source weapon manufacturing, would Papa and Mama possibly change their view of me?
Madam Yun: [Yingzhi, you can help Mama, right?]
Yun Yingzhi felt he couldn’t change the Yaoming Group’s mind. He wanted to refuse Madam Yun but didn’t know the most appropriate way to do so.
Suddenly, a communication alert sounded; Madam Yun was calling him.
By the time Yun Yingzhi realized it, he had already answered the call.
Madam Yun had a beautiful face, with her slightly wavy long hair pinned up and bright red lipstick on her lips. She was a woman of striking appearance and an intimidating aura.
Their eyes met. Madam Yun’s gaze was extremely sharp as she said, “Yingzhi.”
Yun Yingzhi: “…Mama.” He tried his best not to look away from her gaze.
When he was little, he had craved Madam Yun’s love. Later, he became afraid of her severity and would subconsciously avoid her eyes, only to be scolded for being “cowering” and “unpresentable.”
After that, Yun Yingzhi’s heart remained afraid of Madam Yun, but he no longer dared to avoid her gaze.
Madam Yun paused, then said, “I’ve told you before, no matter the time, speak with a loud voice.”
Yun Yingzhi thought, As long as I’m not facing someone who makes me feel afraid, I can be perfectly upright and speak very loudly. “Yes.”
Madam Yun gave a slight nod and said in a commanding tone, “Yingzhi, I heard you also have a decent relationship with Wei Yuanqing from the Yaoming Fighting Arena.”
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as he shook his head. “No, Mama. I have no relationship with him.”
Madam Yun: “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that Elvis-dianxia and Wei Yuanqing both have a good impression of you.”
Yun Yingzhi: “…”
Madam Yun: “Yingzhi, I’m not forcing you. But you must remember that as a child of the Yun family, this is the only thing Mama has asked you to do from the past until now.”
Sweat slid down Yun Yingzhi’s black hair. His lips trembled slightly. He took a deep breath and said, “…Mama, I understand.”
Madam Yun nodded with satisfaction and added, “You’re sweating a lot.”
Yun Yingzhi: “…”
Madam Yun asked further, “Are you in a source weapon manufacturing studio right now?”
Yun Yingzhi’s body trembled as he said, “Yes.” He thought that if Madam Yun had already changed her mind about source weapons, he could tell her many things. For example, that he was “Star” from Alvin’s studio, and that he was the creator of “Wu Hua”…
He could say so much.
Yun Yingzhi blinked, gathering his courage to look at Madam Yun, wanting to say it all.
“Yun Yingzhi.” Madam Yun called out his name in an icy voice.
Another drop of sweat fell down Yun Yingzhi’s cheek. He forced himself not to lower his head, not to let himself look too cowardly.
Madam Yun took a deep breath and said, “I told you in the past—you are not allowed to touch source weapons.”
Yun Yingzhi said, “But Mama, source weapons can strengthen an ability warrior’s power.”
Madam Yun: “But in the end, source weapons don’t belong to one’s own power.”
Yun Yingzhi’s gaze dimmed. He thought, Madam Yun still has a prejudice against source weapons. Even if she needs them, she still rejects them.
Yun Yingzhi wanted to argue, but he knew Madam Yun’s stubbornness too well. Thinking that arguing would only invite more of her anger, he ultimately chose silence. “Yes.”
Madam Yun: “Remember what I asked you to do.”
Madam Yun hung up the communication.
Looking at the disconnected call, Yun Yingzhi felt exhausted and bewildered.
Now, what should he do?
Originally, he had wanted to avoid Elvis-dianxia, so…
What now? Could he avoid him?
Everything made him feel irritable; only manufacturing source weapons could keep him from overthinking.
However, he soon found that even while manufacturing source weapons, Madam Yun’s words would occasionally echo in his mind.
He told himself over and over that only Gege was the most important.
It didn’t matter if Papa and Mama didn’t like him; he wouldn’t like them either. Yet, he was always unable to completely let go of that emotion.
The craving a child has for their parents’ affection seemed to be innate.
In the blink of an eye, it was already evening.
It wasn’t until Yu Feiwen contacted him that he realized it was very late.
Perhaps because of his foul mood, even though his appetite hadn’t been affected when he went through a “breakup,” he clearly ate much less this evening.
Seeing this, Yu Feiwen and the other two breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that Yun Yingzhi’s food intake had finally returned to something resembling normal.
That night, Yun Yingzhi suffered from insomnia.
He kept thinking: was he really going to do as Madam Yun requested and intentionally approach Elvis and Wei Yuanqing? Approaching them with an ulterior motive?
Or…
Would it be better to refuse Madam Yun?
With a heart full of unease, another week passed in the blink of an eye.
November 24th—there were only six days left until Elvis-dianxia and the others were due to leave, and the preliminary rounds of the Star Brilliance Competition were approaching.
Madam Yun dialed Yun Yingzhi’s communication again.
Yun Yingzhi didn’t want to answer, yet he had to.
Yun Yingzhi spoke to Yu Feiwen and the others, then went deep into the back woods alone to answer Madam Yun’s call.
On the other end of the video projection, Madam Yun inquired, “The matter I told you about before—have you mentioned it to Elvis-dianxia?” She asked directly, getting straight to the point.
Yun Yingzhi shook his head, his gaze almost pleading. “Mama, I’m sorry. I have no way to intentionally approach Dianxia. I don’t think I have the qualifications, nor can I ask Dianxia or Senior Wei to agree to anything for me.” He paused, then added, “Mama, if what you want are source weapons, I think I… I can have a source weapon manufacturer I know create them. Is… is that okay?”
Translator’s Note:
- Dianxia (殿下): “Highness.”
- Ge-xia (閣下): This is a formal way to address someone of status, similar to “Excellency.”
- Gege (哥哥) / Yao-yao: “Gege” means big brother, and adding “-yao” is an affectionate way to call his sister.
- White Moonlight (白月光): This is a common Chinese internet term for someone unrequitedly loved and idealized—the “one who got away” or an unattainable crush.
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