Yu Lan was completely stunned.

Her mind raced.

She meticulously replayed every single moment she had spent with Pei Shiyi on Deep Sea Star, reviewing it frame by frame.

’I haven’t done anything scandalous with Pei Shiyi!’

Shocked Lanlan.jpg.

Across the dining table, Li Yucheng let out a cold snort.

He set his glass down on the table with a THUD.

He knew something was off the moment Pei Shiyi had Yu Lan take the initiative to kiss him.

’That guy acts all cold and fierce, putting on a prim and proper act, but he’s really just secretly angling for his own perks.’

’He deliberately kept Yu Lan on Deep Sea Star, acting as if he had a grudge against the Empire and wouldn’t give up the herbs so easily.’

’But in reality, he’d already sent people to deliver them to Garbage Star long ago.’

’By the time Yu Lan finds out, her affection for him will have skyrocketed.’

’Brilliant. Simply brilliant!’

Li Yucheng had to hand it to him.

’But does he think he can secure his position just like that? As if we’re all just going to stand by and do nothing!’

’No way.’

The men exchanged glances, their gazes growing darker and more intense.

Huo Zhanting spoke with studied nonchalance.

"I heard Pei Shiyi is supposed to arrive at Central Star this morning."

"Lanlan, why don’t you go see him?"

"This whole thing must be a misunderstanding spread by people on the Star Network. I’ve heard the Deep Sea Merfolk are strictly monogamous; they would never share a single female with other males." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"It’s best to clear up this misunderstanding quickly. What if it prevents Pei Shiyi from finding a Female Master in the future?"

"Yes, yes, exactly," Li Yucheng’s eyes lit up, a wicked grin flashing across his face.

"It would be a real shame if this whole thing ends up scaring off any potential Female Masters from wanting Pei Shiyi."

"Lanlan, let’s go to the Star Port in a bit, find Pei Shiyi, and clear this up face-to-face. I’ll even get a few reporters to live-stream it. We have to clear his name."

"We are?"

Hearing Huo Zhanting and Li Yucheng decide her morning itinerary in just a few sentences, for some reason, Yu Lan couldn’t help but feel that something was off.

’Why does this plan feel so off?’

"Isn’t it a little inappropriate to live-stream a talk with Pei Shiyi about this?"

Seeing the beautiful young female’s brow furrow, clearly unenthusiastic about the plan, Shen Zueran spoke up with a smile.

"What do you find inappropriate about it, Lanlan?"

"For some reason, this whole affair has blown up all over the Star Network. And you know how rumors are."

"If we can’t find an even bigger story to overshadow it, the one who’ll be hurt the most is Pei Shiyi."

"He helped us so much with the situation on Garbage Star. You wouldn’t want to just stand by and watch his chances of finding a Female Master be ruined, would you?"

"Alright." Shen Zueran had convinced her. Yu Lan nodded.

"Let’s do it your way."

The corners of Shen Zueran’s mouth curved upward slightly.

Jun Lin Yuan and Su Xingye, who had been silent until now, couldn’t help but shudder at the sight.

’As expected, Shen Zueran was the master of playing dirty.’

’Hmph!’

’So, Pei Shiyi wanted to use public opinion to pressure Yu Lan into accepting him?’

’Fine. Then they’d have Yu Lan reject him in front of everyone.’

God only knew how livid the men had been the night before when they saw that post calling Yu Lan an irresponsible scumbag female.

They had stayed up all night, getting into flame wars with netizens on their burner accounts.

Yu Lan remained completely oblivious to the men’s secret scheming.

「A little over half an hour later」

「Star Port」

The starship from Deep Sea Star, exuding an air of mystery, descended slowly through the clouds and landed.

Carrying a suitcase in one hand, Pei Shiyi strode out of the starship.

The moment the ethereally handsome man appeared in the Star Port, Yu Lan immediately spotted him.

She waved frantically to get his attention.

"Pei Shiyi, over here!"

Hearing her voice, Pei Shiyi turned his head, and his eyes lit up the moment he saw Yu Lan.

A pleased and triumphant smile curved his lips.

’It looked like Yu Lan had seen the post on the Star Network and reflected on her wrongdoings.’

’That must be why she decided to come pick me up and make our relationship official.’

’Otherwise, there was no explaining why the beautiful young female would show up at the Star Port to greet him when he hadn’t contacted her first.’

Pei Shiyi was overjoyed.

Even seeing Huo Zhanting and the others trailing behind Yu Lan only earned them a cool glance; he betrayed no emotion.

Meanwhile, Huo Zhanting and the others shared a smirk and gave a subtle nod to the reporters standing a short distance away.

A reporter gave an "OK" sign and started the live-stream.

Riding on the momentum of the pre-released announcement, "Princess Yu Lan’s Official Response Regarding the Pei Shiyi Incident," the moment the stream went live, countless Star Network viewers flooded in.

All the viewers saw was a tall, devastatingly handsome man with an air of mystery slowly walk up to Yu Lan, suitcase in hand. He parted his lips with a touch of reserve and called out to her.

"Lanlan!"

[Ooh, listen to that. He’s already calling her ’Lanlan.’]

[Pei Clan Leader, have you forgotten? You haven’t secured your spot yet. Didn’t you notice the thunderous looks on the faces of the males standing behind Princess Yu Lan?]

[I want the response! I want the response! Can someone please explain what’s going on? Is Pei Shiyi going to be officially recognized?]

The live-stream chat was buzzing.

Back at the Star Port, with Pei Shiyi standing right in front of her, Yu Lan couldn’t help but grow nervous.

She took a deep breath, and after a quiet prompt from Shen Zueran, she began.

"Pei Shiyi, there’s something I want to make clear to you."

"Have you seen the post on the Star Network?"

Pei Shiyi nodded, the tall male’s hands clenching into nervous fists at his sides.

He answered in a hoarse, magnetic voice,

"I saw it."

’So, are you here now to make things official?’

Pei Shiyi could even hear his own heart pounding nervously. THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.

He never imagined that in the next second, he would hear Yu Lan’s attempt to distance herself from him.

"About the rumors spreading from that post, I think we need to make a public clarification."

"I’m very grateful for Deep Sea Star’s contribution to Garbage Star, but between the two of us—wait, wait, wait, Pei Shiyi, don’t cry!"

Yu Lan hadn’t even finished her sentence.

Tears started streaming down Pei Shiyi’s face, one after another.

He could cry on command—a zero-frame startup.

Having spent his life in the ocean, Pei Shiyi’s skin was exceptionally pale. Against it, the tears rolling down from his slightly reddened eyes looked just like a string of little pearls.

The man’s voice, thick and nasal, rang out.

"Are you abandoning me because of them?"

"I don’t care. You kissed me, so you have to take responsibility."

"Yu Lan, you have to make our relationship official."

His voice trembled with forced stubbornness.

Combined with the heart-wrenching sight of a beautiful man in tears...

The live-stream chat instantly exploded.

[DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! Princess Yu Lan, just make it official!]

[Damn it, is Princess Yu Lan’s heart made of stone? How can she hold back in a situation like this?]

At the same time, many people also noticed the expressions on Huo Zhanting and the other men darken the moment Pei Shiyi finished speaking.

Eager to stir the pot, the drama-loving viewers chimed in.

[He came all this way for her! What could he possibly have done wrong? He just wants to make it official. You guys should just let him have his way.]

[It’s just an official title, what’s the big deal?]

[The five of you are already a chaotic mess and can’t stand each other anyway, so what’s the harm in adding one more? Stop picking on the handsome merman!]