Luo Qi was unaware that his quiet attention to Earth, or rather to Ye Mu's affairs, was being observed by his own father. Every day, he pretended to be indifferent so as not to arouse suspicion.
However, the intelligence network of the Insect Race did not let Luo Qi know that he had a rather detailed understanding of Earth's current situation.
Earth's election ceremony was already in preparation, and candidates for the new chairman had begun to emerge. Among them, one person caught Luo Qi's attention: Yang Liu, whom he had met on Earth.
There were other female candidates among the electors, but Yang Liu's rise from obscurity to immense popularity was truly remarkable.
Miss Yang Liu's biological mother had died young, and her father remarried. Her stepmother gave him two younger sons. Although her father was the Minister of the Supervisory Department, he had never intended to groom his daughter for a political career.
For a girl without family support, whose mental and physical capabilities could only be described as average, reaching her current position was incredibly difficult and worthy of admiration.
At the same time, Yang Liu was one of the most eye-catching candidates in the upcoming presidential election.
Everyone praised Yang Liu's extraordinary skills and composure at such a young age, but Luo Qi felt something was amiss.
He remembered that on Earth, Ye Mu and Yang Liu had seemed to be discussing some kind of cooperation. Although he didn't know how they planned to cooperate, he just had a feeling that something was not right.
Five days after Luo Qi and Ye Mu parted ways, the political winds on Earth finally began to shift.
When everyone least expected it, Yang Liu had gained the support of nearly half of Earth's high-ranking officials.
But just as everyone believed she would be the ultimate winner of the election, she suddenly announced her public support for Ye Mu, the young master of the Ye family.
This declaration sent shockwaves through Earth's elite.
Thanks to Ye Yun, the Ye family had always been loved and supported by ordinary citizens on Earth, while simultaneously being ostracized by many high-ranking officials.
The thought of someone they disliked having a child competing for the same position, and then discovering that this child was more popular than them during the competition, was deeply infuriating.
The anger and disgust of those high-ranking officials could only be imagined, and thus, Ye Mu began to face increasing attacks.
Luo Qi and Ye Mu communicated occasionally, but Ye Mu never shared much about these matters. He only told Luo Qi that things were progressing smoothly and that he would arrive on the Insect Star sooner rather than later.
Luo Qi, in turn, tacitly avoided asking about other matters, reminding Ye Mu to take care of himself and to inform him of any problems.
Ye Mu readily agreed, and then told Luo Qi nothing.
However, Luo Qi knew what he needed to know. Ye Mu had been attacked several times in the past few days, but he was not injured. This allowed Luo Qi to suppress his own worries and not reveal them when speaking with Ye Mu.
The two silently worried about each other, and during their evening communications, they only spoke of happy things.
On the twelfth day of their separation, Ye Mu initiated their communication a little earlier than usual.
Luo Qi, surprised, got up from his study and went to his room. He lay down on his bed and answered the call, asking with a smile, "Why so early today?"
Luo Qi squinted at the light screen in front of him, only seeing his own face. For some reason, Ye Mu had not turned on the video today.
Luo Qi asked curiously, "Why aren't you turning on the video today?"
A rustling sound came from Ye Mu's end, along with what sounded like people speaking in low voices. They were a bit distant, and Luo Qi couldn't make out what they were saying even when he listened carefully.
He frowned and asked again, "Is something going on over there?"
Ye Mu chuckled softly, his voice a little lower than usual. "It's nothing. I'll have them all leave."
After a short while, the sounds of doors opening and closing could be heard. The other end finally fell silent. Ye Mu seemed to be very close to the terminal's microphone, and Luo Qi could almost hear his breathing.
The sound seemed to land directly in Luo Qi's ear, making him blush slightly. He moved the terminal a little further away. "Why are you calling me so early today? Are things all settled?"
Ye Mu was very busy on Earth. Luo Qi knew that Ye Mu was determined to run for Earth's leadership, so he always waited for Ye Mu to contact him.
Ye Mu responded with a nasal "Mm," his voice also a little hoarse. "Things finished early today."
Luo Qi felt that Ye Mu's voice was not quite right. "What's wrong? Why is your voice so hoarse?"
Ye Mu cleared his throat. "Nothing."
He was lying on his bed, a bandage on his left shoulder, with blood slightly seeping through. Revealing too soon that he was the person behind Yang Liu had brought some minor trouble.
Ye Mu had been attacked on his way home that evening. His attackers were clever; they had tampered with his spaceship and struck when he was about to reach home and was alone.
Those individuals had already been dealt with by Ye Mu and were now being temporarily held in the military prison by Ye Qi, but he himself had also been injured.
A long gash ran from his left shoulder to his abdomen. He had just applied medication when he sent the communication to Luo Qi.
Ye Mu didn't feel much pain from the wound, nor was he angry or upset about being attacked. At that moment, he just really wanted to see Luo Qi.
When Luo Qi first connected the call, he regretted it a little. He knew Luo Qi would worry if he saw him in this state, so he quickly turned off the video, leaving only the audio transmission.
Ye Mu extended a finger and traced Luo Qi's eyebrows and eyes in the air. Luo Qi couldn't see his image, so his eyes looked a little vacant, his eyes slightly narrowed, and his lips pouted in a cute, slightly annoyed way.
Ye Mu felt that not only was he no longer feeling the pain of the wound, but he was also feeling a bit lightheaded, wishing he could fly to the Insect Star that very night.
Luo Qi tapped the edge of the terminal, sensing something keenly. "Are you hiding something from me? Are things not going smoothly?"
Ye Mu shook his head. "Really, no. Don't you know how capable I am?"
Luo Qi retorted, "I always tell you to be careful, yet you're still so confident. How would I know if you're capable or not?"
Ye Mu chuckled twice, his laughter magnetic. Luo Qi rubbed his ear. "You'll know in the future, how—capable I am."
Luo Qi froze for a moment, then his face turned bright red.
What kind of crude earth talk was this? How could Ye Mu be so suggestive?
This was suggestive, right?
Right?
Luo Qi felt that ever since he recognized his own feelings, his thoughts had been cloaked in a yellow hue, making him feel quite unhealthy.
Luo Qi had originally wanted Ye Mu to turn on the camera, but he had forgotten about it with this distraction. He couldn't recall what else they had talked about, only remembering that he seemed to have agreed to Ye Mu's request to test his capability in the future.