"Can I go home for a bit to check on things?"
The little girl's words had left a knot in her heart, and Lu Mingming decided to have an open and honest conversation with her young cubs.
"Of course, of course. Think it over carefully when you go back. Opportunities like this don't come often. Even if you don't plan to go, the bone whistle is still yours to keep."
The bald man formed a whistle shape with his hand, a broad smile on his face, unperturbed even if rejected.
"I'll take you over there now. With how chaotic things are outside, it's not safe to travel by light cable or spacecraft."
Lu Mingming didn't hesitate and said thank you.
"Oh, right, the cub in your arms is...?" the bald man asked curiously.
"It's my new cub. I haven't decided on a name yet."
"Is that so!"
The bald man seemed to realize something.
"How strange. I only gave out crystal token number one, I didn't give any to the cubs at all. Where did Lu Mingming's cub come from?" he mumbled quietly.
"What did you say?" Lu Mingming asked, feeling puzzled.
"Nothing, nothing, I didn't say anything," the bald man chuckled awkwardly, changing the subject.
"You've been in the forest for too long, so you probably don't know? All the cubs were called away by the Alliance officials. Gudefen said it was for their protection, but I'm not so sure. They might be up to some scheme."
"You seem quite unhappy with the Alliance officials," Lu Mingming interjected, stating it as a fact.
"Of course. We who are space merchants..." The bald man clapped his hand over his mouth, quickly changing his wording. "...as interstellar merchants, we constantly face heavy taxes. It's truly excessive."
They walked to the spaceport where the spacecraft was docked. The bald man proactively opened the spacecraft door, inviting Lu Mingming to sit.
Inside the spacecraft, a small cub, not even reaching Lu Mingming's thigh, sat in the co-pilot's seat, dressed in a cute sky-blue and white baby outfit. The cub clutched a pink baby bottle, its hair messy, ignoring everyone, its eyes filled with a profound indifference. It was a miniature version of Lu Yan!
"Hello?" Lu Mingming tried to stifle her laughter and tentatively greeted the little cub.
"Is he your boss's nephew? They look so alike. It's no wonder they're related. They should be just as handsome when they grow up." Lu Mingming's voice was full of amusement.
The little cub opened its mouth, then quietly closed it, ultimately saying nothing.
"Hahaha..." The bald man let out a dry laugh and proactively introduced, "This little cub's name is Lu Yan."
The bald man emphasized the pronunciation of the last character of "Lu Yan."
"Okay, let's give our Lu Yan a small welcome gift." Lu Mingming took out a bag of cookies from her bag and, crouching down, offered it to the cub without any suspicion. *Noticed? Good, collective raise.* Lu Yan stared at Lu Mingming's smiling face and unceremoniously accepted the bag of cookies.
"This is too unfair. He gets matcha cookies just by pretending to be a cub. If I had known earlier, I would have pretended to be a cub too." The bald man stood behind them, biting his fingernails with tears in his eyes.
The spacecraft took Lu Mingming to the hotel arranged for the competition.
"I'll wait for you at the entrance. If you decide to go, we can save on the shuttle fees." The bald man escorted Lu Mingming down the stairs.
There were hardly any contestants in the hotel, only a few staff members coming and going, tidying up after the streamers had left. The receptionist was surprised to see Lu Mingming return.
"Isn't this the famous streamer Lu Mingming from the star network? Weren't you kidnapped by Gudefen? Why are you here?!"
"I wasn't, I just came out of the forest." Lu Mingming was bewildered.
"Oh, I see." The receptionist recalled the images she had seen on her optical computer that morning – Gudefen standing at the entrance of the Alliance headquarters, his words broadcast on every screen on the main planet:
"Orannal, I warn you, Lu Mingming is in our hands now. If you don't want her to be brutally killed, be sensible and quickly hand over the position of Alliance heir. I'll give you three days. If you've thought it through, report to the usual place."
The staff member snapped back to reality and scratched her face, realizing it was fake news! She suddenly turned, wanting to chat with Lu Mingming about her legendary past with the supposed Alliance heir, Orannal, but saw that the person had already walked away.
What should I say to them first? Should I get angry or complain? Lu Mingming pondered at the entrance for a long time. After all, they were her cubs. A little anger, a scolding, would be enough, right? Lu Mingming decided, took out her hotel room card, and swiped it to unlock the door.
The room was empty, without a sound. Most of the belongings had been cleared out, likely because no one bothered with the room after all the cubs were taken away. *Thought too much, everyone's gone...* Lu Mingming put down her backpack and sat on the soft bed. Just last week, she had shared homemade delicacies with her cubs in this hotel, discussed future travel destinations, and unexpectedly found a little kitten. Various memories swirled in Lu Mingming's mind, finally settling on the words the Star Elder had said.
"Do not get involved in any political struggles. A wrong choice could ruin your entire life."
Lu Mingming looked down at her optical computer. Receiving the command, the screen lit up, clearly back to normal operation. Lu Mingming opened her backend and saw that many acquaintances had sent her messages, asking about her safety. Because she had been in the forest, she had been affected by the magnetic field and hadn't received any news. Lu Mingming scrolled through the messages one by one.
[Molly: Mingming!!! Were you kidnapped?! Please reply quickly!!]
The second message was from Morian.
[Morian: What happened? Do you need help?]
[Morian: When you're in a safe environment, remember to send me a message. I'm waiting for your reply.]
Lu Mingming paused and finally opened Orannal's chat window. Orannal had sent over ten messages, all today, after the incident, his anxiety evident.
[Orannal: Were you taken by Gudefen?]
[Orannal: If you don't reply today, I'll go rescue you tomorrow.]
[Orannal: I'm sorry, I need to take care of some very important matters now. I hope to receive your message as soon as possible. You must reply, or I'll go mad.]
Lu Mingming sighed. After living with her cubs for so long, it was impossible to say she had no feelings for them. Moreover, Orannal had helped her out of trouble multiple times… Her gratitude and the pain of being deceived, mixed with her desire to protect her cubs, made her feelings extremely complex.
Lu Mingming sat quietly for a while, organizing her thoughts. She recorded a voice message to prove it was her. "I'm fine now, please don't worry about me. I'm planning a space journey..." Lu Mingming took a deep breath. She had made up her mind. She would relax for a while, clear her mind, and then come back. "Don't worry about me, I'm perfectly fine, no need to miss me." Having done this, Lu Mingming felt that the major issue in her heart was resolved. She quickly packed her luggage, put on a relaxed smile, and closed the door. Let all memories be sealed away for now, to be opened much later.
The bald man, true to his word, had not left. He stood by the spacecraft, waving to Lu Mingming.
"Streamer Lu Mingming, have you made up your mind?! If you have, we'll set off right away!!!" The bald man's voice was full of excitement. Finally, he could escape the bitter, astringent food at sea and enjoy a good meal. Perhaps he could even discover some unknown treasures! Thinking of this, the bald man almost shed tears; effort would be rewarded. Improving life starts with abducting Lu Mingming!
"Yes, I might have to trouble you to take care of me from now on. Sometimes, a spontaneous trip is quite nice." Lu Mingming curved her eyes into a smile, returning to her usual gentle and friendly demeanor. From today on, she would embark on a journey through the stars, searching for her own new future.