Bai Ye glanced at Prince Ushiro, his vigilance increasing. This fellow, from the moment they met, had maintained a refined and gentle demeanor, yet beneath that facade lay a murderous intent.
However, Bai Ye had not sensed any killing intent from him at all, not even from the beginning. It could be said that this fellow's state of mind had reached a perverse level. He still hadn't fathomed the man's true strength; likely, he would only see it clearly when faced with a life-or-death confrontation.
"Interested in coming to my place for a cup of tea?" Prince Ushiro invited, his eyes narrowing into a gentle smile.
Bai Ye replied, "Then I'd be honored to accept your invitation."
As Prince Ushiro made a move, his bodyguards immediately cleared a path through the crowd.
Bai Ye and Ryukawa Soko followed Prince Ushiro out of the crowded coffee shop.
"Prince Ushiro, Bai Ye-chan, don't go! (❤▽❤)"
"Can someone tell me what that girl is to Bai Ye-chan?"
"Two national heartthrobs, I want your autographs!"
"Ahhh~ So handsome! (⸝⸝◕‿◕⸝⸝) I won't be able to sleep tonight!"
...
Amidst the reluctant shouts of the surrounding audience, Bai Ye and the others entered a luxurious motorcade and slowly departed from Senso-ji Temple.
As Bai Ye left, Zheng Jiao's live broadcast popularity also plummeted, decreasing by one million viewers. Soon, only over 200,000 remained, though it was stabilizing.
Zheng Jiao and Xu Sisi were satisfied. Not only did they coincidentally meet Bai Ye, but they also gained a large number of fans. One broadcast had directly elevated them from small streamers to major ones!
Those streamers who came to watch the excitement were envious to the point of distortion.
If nothing else, from this single broadcast alone, the gifts they received, divided amongst them, amounted to at least 500,000, enough to buy a high-spec BBA, which was the lifelong pursuit of an ordinary person!
"Brother Ye is too amazing! He truly is our Great Xia national idol! He has brought so much honor to us Great Xia people!"
"It's a shame Brother Ye seemed to have matters to discuss with Prince Ushiro and left first. Otherwise, we would have squeezed our way to ask Brother Ye exactly what time he'll start his broadcast next!"
"Right, next time we meet Brother Ye, we must ask what his relationship is with that woman!"
Zheng Jiao and Xu Sisi were not foolish; they knew to strike while the iron was hot and work hard to retain the viewers in their live stream.
"Alright, everyone. Next, we'll visit other places to see how R-country's scenery and culture differ from our Great Xia. Hehe~ We'll also try our luck and see if we can encounter Brother Ye again..."
In the live broadcast room, the vast majority of the over 200,000 viewers were Bai Ye's fans. Hearing their words, some who were about to leave became interested and stayed.
...
Great Xia Country, Imperial Capital Yanhuang Sea District.
In the leader's office, Zhang Yumin slowly turned off Zheng Jiao's live broadcast video.
"Contact the several commanders."
"Yes!"
The secretary beside him received the order and immediately arranged for technical personnel to establish communication.
Soon, five screens appeared on the large display in the office, revealing individuals. They were all advanced in age but exuded power and spirit. Among them was the Commander of the Eastern Military Region, Old Song.
"You all saw the recent live broadcast concerning Bai Ye, right?"
Old Song and the other four slowly nodded. One of them, with a square face and still robust physique, spoke, "Prince Ushiro, 25 years old, a direct member of the R-country royal family, with exceptional talent in music. Leader, does he have any issues?"
Old Song chimed in, "From what I know of this kid Bai Ye, if this Prince Ushiro were merely a simple member of the R-country royal family, or some musical prodigy, Bai Ye would certainly not give him such face and accompany him."
"Let alone a prince, even that so-called 'Heavenly King' or that Kōkiō, wouldn't be able to move him. Moreover, their R-country is currently in conflict with Bai Ye!"
Old Song smiled with a hint of veiled meaning.
On the video, a powerful figure interjected, "The R-country forces have no intention of large-scale mobilization. This implies they do not wish to resolve the conflict with Bai Ye through modern weaponry. Then... the sudden appearance of this Prince Ushiro at this time... is quite intriguing!"
"The Western World Alliance has a 'Project Emperor', we have the corresponding 'Project Southern Gate', and does their R-country's 'Imperial Revival' project have any connection?" a mysterious influential figure chimed in.
"Is it possible that this Prince Ushiro, like Bai Ye, possesses that kind of identity?"
...
Tokyo, R-country, Prime Minister's Official Residence.
"Report to Prime Minister, Prince Ushiro has taken them to the Imperial Palace."
The deputy reported the news, causing the faces of the R-country's high-ranking officials to turn even more grim.
"Prime Minister, it's already very clear, Prince Ushiro has no intention of managing this matter."
"If this continues, our empire's core secrets will soon be made public!"
...
The ministers spoke one after another, making Prime Minister Kōkiō's expression grow increasingly unsightly.
After a long while, he took a deep breath, suppressing the explosive anger, and asked his deputy, "Have the adults from the shrines responded?"
The deputy opened his phone and nodded, but his expression was somewhat grim as he stammered, "One thousand people!"