Back at the secondary palace, Suisui slept restlessly. Leberli stayed by her side all night, gently patting her back, lost in thought.
Leberli left at dawn, so Suisui had no idea that he had watched over her all night.
When she woke up the next day, she felt heavy all over. Despite having slept for a long time, she was still tired. After breakfast, Qiao Suisui opened her Light Computer, planning to aimlessly browse to pass the time, only to discover that her Star Nebula account had gained a massive following.
She hadn't tweeted anything from her Star Nebula account; it had just an empty homepage without even a personal introduction. Yet now, it had seven million fans, and the number was still rising in real time.
She rubbed her eyes, thinking she had logged into the wrong account. Upon focusing on the ID, her eyes widened like bronze bells.
There was no mistake, it was indeed her account.
Since Suisui hadn't tweeted anything, people couldn't leave comments. They could only send gifts to express their excitement.
Upon checking her ID, she discovered her Star Nebula account had an extra 100 million Star Coins.
She counted several times, confirming it was real money, and exclaimed in surprise. Just a few days ago, she had looked and it had been zero.
She exited her homepage and scrolled through the popular feed on Star Nebula, only to find her photo prominently at the top of the list. Clicking it, she was overwhelmed by the vast number of comments and reposts—there were declarations of love, direct addresses, and even those boasting their fortunes in hopes of marrying her. Most of the comments expressed adoration for her, although, of course, there were a few discordant voices.
[Hehe, only members of the Royal Family can be treated at the Royal Hospital, what a coincidence, I have a friend who is a member of the Royal Family, and she says she's never seen this female.]
This comment was met with hundreds of people cursing below—
[Oh, I was wondering what was crowding me. Turns out it's your big face.]
[Another one of those 'I have a friend' stories. Can't you come up with something new?]
[Just spouting nonsense? Where is your proof?]
Perhaps aggrieved by the harsh reactions, this person soon posted another tweet, titled: Demand the Hammer and Get Hammered, now every Tom, Dick, and Harry uses the Royal Hospital! Is it bribery or done behind closed doors?
The tweet included an image of Qiao Suisui's medical record. Although it was redacted, some private information was still visible. She was just about to zoom in for a closer look when Leberli's video call suddenly popped up on her Light Computer.
"Suisui, did you wake up okay? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"I'm fine." They then chatted as usual, both tacitly avoiding the topic of what had happened the day before.
"Ash, was it you who brought me back yesterday?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"I thought it was Ruka..."
There was a brief silence on the other end before he casually replied with a laugh, "He said the Military Department had a lot to deal with, so he dumped you on me."
Hearing the emphasis on the word 'dumped,' Suisui lowered her head, murmured an 'oh,' and changed the subject, afterwards refraining from bringing up Ruka again. More than ten minutes had passed since the video call ended, and when she tried to look at the medical record again, the message 'System Error' appeared on her screen.
She exited and browsed around a bit more, only to find that the post with her photo had also been locked; the comments and shares underneath it were no longer visible, yet the Star Coins and followers in her own account were still increasing.
"Strange..."
She muttered to herself, then went on to do other things, not taking the incident too seriously.
On the other side of the city.
Interstellar Federation Bureau.
"Colonel Sikoses, if everything you say is true and there is an Ancient Human living on our planet, why are you only reporting this now?"
The shadow of the military cap's brim obscured the upper half of Ruka's face, making it difficult to discern his expression at that moment. His hands were crossed, and the intimidating aura around him was wholly unleashed, making him appear cold and assertive.
"Such important news must be confirmed before being reported," he said.
Finding no rebuttal, several high-ranking officials changed their approach, "Miss Qiao Suisui's ancient human identity was nearly exposed online without our knowledge, and there are no security measures around her. If an accident occurs, the consequences are not something you and I can bear. You must take direct responsibility for this; do you admit it?"
"I admit it"
Ruka no longer made excuses and accepted full responsibility.
It was his failure to promptly notice that Suisui's photo had been uploaded. Fortunately, Leberli had reacted swiftly by having all related comments and information deleted and conducting a confidentiality meeting. Even though he had previously instructed the dean to ensure confidentiality, someone had still stolen Suisui's medical records. He hadn't been meticulous enough.
One of the high-ranking officials, seeing his reasonable attitude, did not pursue further and said, "Since the news has already leaked, Sikoses, you should liaise with the Federation as soon as possible."
Ruka's pupils shrank sharply, and as he stood up, he knocked over the chair behind him, creating a sudden loud noise.
"You cannot take her away."
"Why?"
Ruka pursed his lips; he couldn't reveal that Suisui was carrying his child. The timing was not right.
"She's just getting used to life at the secondary palace, and her physical and mental state are not suited for relocation."
"You don't need to worry about that; we've already sent someone to your secondary palace in an effort to transfer the esteemed Miss Ancient Human to professionals as soon as possible," they replied.
"Professionals?"
"Dr. Zong Fang, the head of the Ancient Human Research Center."
...
...
Meanwhile, at the Lego Palace.
Suisui was discussing with the male servants what kind of vegetables to grow in a deserted flower bed when suddenly, a gust of wind blew her sun hat away. Following that, a huge shadow loomed over her, covering the entire flower bed.
She reached up to catch her long hair blown by the wind and squinted upwards, spotting an enormous flying ship hovering overhead.
The male servants gathered nervously around her, forming a human wall, trying to protect her. The butler stood by, smiling expressionlessly, the curve of his lips looking somewhat eerie upon closer inspection. The fluorescent light flickered non-stop in the pocket of his vest; his light computer screen showed 37 missed calls, all from his master.
"Has someone come for a visit? I better return to my room then," she said.
No sooner had she spoken than the giant flying ship began to slowly land in the open area, with the hatch opening from above. Being a huge ship, the door was about ten stories high off the ground; an elevator was automatically extended from the hatch to the ground, and several men in crisp military uniforms rode down.
Suisui noticed that the color of their uniforms, the epaulets, and the badges they wore were different from those Ruka wore.
"They're from the FBI; why would they suddenly come here…" a servant said anxiously. "Miss Suisui, let me escort you back."
She nodded, just turned around, and immediately felt a chill rise along her spine. Acting on instinct, she abruptly looked back but only saw emptiness. The gaze seemed to have vanished into thin air, raising doubts in her mind.
Her eyes swept around; the butler was quietly talking to the FBI agents, and the gathered servants all wore expressionless faces, showing no signs of anything amiss. However, her instincts told her that danger was lurking somewhere around.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but the gaze shadowed her, constantly hovering behind her as if monitoring every move she made. Anxiety began to creep in, deepening the doubts in her heart.
Suddenly, a breeze blew, causing her to shiver. The wind seemed to carry a strange scent that made her heartbeat accelerate abruptly. Pondering, she turned around and continued walking, but after only a few steps, the butler, who had hurried up from behind, called out to her.
"Miss Suisui, please wait."