Shi Yi panicked and rushed forward to cover Lu Mingming's mouth, leading the group into a nearby staff lounge.
The entire road was filled with tourists who had changed into Blue Star travel attire, their casual wear making them too conspicuous.
"Are you saying you want to rebel?!"
Once inside the room, Shi Yi abruptly raised her voice.
It wasn't fear, but rather excitement.
"How is this considered rebellion? I was originally the heir to the Alliance."
Olanar casually interjected. Not possessing the best temper, he softened his tone considerably when facing the person who might become his nominal mother.
"Please rest assured, we will absolutely not threaten the development of Blue Star."
"What are you talking about?"
Shi Yi looked at him.
"I'm upset that you're doing things without letting us participate. This is too… no, Blue Star's development to this point, of course, we will help if we can. Don't worry, I'll go find the chieftain."
Shi Yi was a woman of action, and a second mechanical carriage soon stopped at the entrance.
"Are you saying you want to rebel?!"
The chieftain slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Shi Yi, what did you tell the chieftain?"
Lu Mingming had no choice but to explain from the beginning.
"...So we want to establish a discreet base here, it's really not a rebellion."
The chieftain's visible disappointment was palpable.
"Alright, do as you please. If you need to contact anyone, I'll provide a channel in advance."
The chieftain offered his verbal assurance.
"Today, why don't you just enjoy the hospitality of Blue Star first. A lot has changed during the time you were away."
Lu Mingming turned to seek agreement from the others.
"Of course."
Morian replied with a gentle affirmation.
"I contacted Yi Fu's agent three days ago, and she agreed to come today, so we don't need to rush. We can enjoy this pleasant time."
"Perhaps this is the last moment of relaxation in two months."
Lu Yan seconded Morian's words.
Olanar: "Then let's have some fun first."
As soon as he spoke, the chieftain took Lu Mingming's hand and excitedly led her to the fitting room.
"I've studied everything you've said these past few days and I guarantee a complete makeover for you."
The other four men, under Shi Yi's direction, chose their respective outfits and went to different dressing rooms to prepare themselves.
Thirty minutes passed.
"How does it look?"
Shi Yi hastily pushed Lu Mingming out of the fitting room.
"I haven't even seen what I look like..."
Lu Mingming shyly followed Shi Yi. She hadn't been allowed to look in the mirror the entire time and had no idea how she looked.
The three grown men were already sitting in the living room. Morian was wearing a scholar's attire, Lu Yan was dressed as a graceful martial artist, and Olanar was still most fitting in his prince's outfit.
Upon seeing Lu Mingming appear, everyone fell silent for a moment.
Streams of intense gazes were directed at her, causing a flush of heat to spread across Lu Mingming's face.
She lowered her head, looking at the floor-length pink dress. It was a custom-made outfit that perfectly complemented Shi Yi's, with a delicate peach pink and matcha green combination that wasn't garish, but rather enhanced her youthful and refined aura.
Her playful twin buns were tied behind her ears with two ribbons, and bells at the ends jingled with every step Lu Mingming took.
Lu Mingming involuntarily picked up a half-bunch of peach blossoms to cover half of her delicate face.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Olanar's gaze as intense as a spotlight. Lu Mingming suddenly felt a tremor run through her entire body, her blood rushing to her face and weighing heavily on her heart.
Olanar walked directly towards her, offering a smile to Lu Mingming with his usual politeness. He gently pressed his lips to the back of her hand. The other two looked on, their eyes fixed on the hand that had just been kissed.
"The sunlight today should favor you. May I invite you to join me on the Blue Star tour?"
Since saying those ambiguous words that day, Lu Mingming felt that someone's initiative had suddenly increased significantly. Usually, he would be quietly by her side, but today he was boldly making such a sudden move in front of Shi Yi and the chieftain.
Shi Yi and the chieftain exchanged glances of inquiry and curiosity. Lu Mingming, unable to handle it, averted her gaze.
The other two, standing side-by-side, leaned in together: "Why don't we all go together? We're free anyway."
"If you are free, you can find something to do."
Olanar said expressionlessly.
"It seems you've experienced quite a few interesting things during this time."
The chieftain chuckled to himself.
"Let's go, let's see together. I'm curious who our Mingming will choose!"
Lu Mingming shot a half-shy, half-annoyed glare at them and quickly left the room.
Upon reaching the street – she hadn't paid close attention before, but now she realized how much the surroundings had changed.
Along the road were neatly constructed, beautiful lantern streetlights. The formerly monotonous roadside now had many newly opened small shops, all selling Blue Star collaboration products. Many faces were unfamiliar to Lu Mingming.
"There are very few local Blue Star people. Everyone has chosen to become big bosses or to stay home and research new innovations. We must keep the emerging trend of Blue Star going and not let the tourists' expectations diminish."
Lu Mingming was surprised that the Blue Star people had such business acumen when they first opened their shops.
Lu Mingming thought: If she were to stay here forever, perhaps she wouldn't have achieved such a great transformation.
Continuing inward, buildings that had only existed on blueprints had, at some point, been constructed in their "complete forms" under Shi Yi's guidance, perfectly simulating the palace Lu Mingming had envisioned.
While slightly inferior to the accumulation of hundreds or thousands of years of history, within this interstellar alliance, it was considered a very unique and precious special gift.
Clearly, Lu Mingming wasn't the only one who thought so.
Other tourists stopped in front of the palace, raising their optical computers to take photos, while some simply stared into the distance, lost in thought.
"This isn't the liveliest place."
Shi Yi's interruption brought Lu Mingming back to reality.
"If we're talking about the most popular, it's the restaurant you sponsored. It's fully booked every day with large banquets. Your return now is perfectly timed. We've reserved a table today to celebrate."
"Celebrate?"
Lu Mingming looked at her in confusion.
"Yes, three months ago today, we officially opened Blue Star tourism. The fact that you've arrived just now signifies a certain destiny."
"Then I must taste your cooking."
The group majestically boarded the VIP seats on the fourth floor.
As Lu Mingming sat by the window and looked around, she exclaimed, "Oh, has Olanar gotten lost?"
"No, I saw him talking to Shi Yi. Perhaps he's going to the restroom."
Morian replied calmly.
Regarding a certain person, he had always treated him not as the heir to the Alliance; in some relationships, their statuses were equal.
"Is that so."
Lu Mingming didn't pay any more attention and sat at her seat, waiting for the dishes to be served.
"This dish is specially prepared matcha cookies for you, made in imitation of your large size. Blue Star has no shortage of tea, so you can eat as much as you want."
The chieftain directly presented the dish placed in the center of the table.
The matcha cookies were baked to a crisp and tender texture, their aroma immediately whetting everyone's appetite.
"Steamed fish soup is here."
Shi Yi held a large bowl in a white porcelain basin. The rich fragrance was undeniable, directly reaching Lu Mingming's nose.
"I spent a long time learning this dish. Today, the chieftain and I will each serve one dish, but you'll have to wait a bit longer."
Lu Mingming picked up her chopsticks and then put them down.
"Is there anything else?"
Shi Yi smiled ambiguously: "Someone specifically went to prepare a dish for you. They were sneaking around, thinking they were doing something big."
Morian suddenly felt something was wrong, but it was too late to stop it.
Footsteps were heard ascending the stairs. Olanar's blonde hair appeared from the bend of the stairs, his eyes, as cold as the sea, carefully fixed on the porcelain plate in his hands.
He was holding a dish that was red and yellow, its original form indistinguishable, emitting a faint, somewhat unpleasant yet incredibly enticing aroma.
Others couldn't tell what it was, but Lu Mingming remembered.
This was, in fact, the first dish she had cooked for someone in a parallel world – scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Olanar cleared his throat, placed the dish as close to Lu Mingming's hand as possible, and casually hid his hands behind his back, saying in a relaxed tone, "I suddenly felt like making it, so I went ahead. Try it and see if you like it?"