Putting down the light brain, Xiang Qimiao let out a sigh of relief: “Great! Watching Wei Ge and my brother being so awkward and repelling each other was unbearable. Now, they can finally have a happy ending.” In truth, Xiang Qimiao didn’t stop to think—while Xiang Qilin and Wei Huanping were silently harboring mutual crushes, wasn’t he himself secretly in love with Tan Hao?
Tan Hao pushed the door open and entered: “Oh? What ‘mischief’ has Xiao Miao been up to? Looking so pleased with yourself.”
Seeing Tan Hao, Xiang Qimiao awkwardly wiped the smirk off his face and unconsciously tugged at the blanket: “General Tan, you’re here… I, I didn’t do anything bad. I just… I just played matchmaker for my brother.”
Besides, those two already had feelings for each other—they just hadn’t taken the final step. He merely gave them a little nudge. Xiang Qimiao silently added in his heart.
Tan Hao chuckled softly, placing the items he’d brought for Xiang Qimiao on the bedside table before sitting beside the hospital bed. He gazed at Xiang Qimiao warmly: “Xiao Miao, you’re always so distant with me. I thought we had a good relationship. Why do you always keep me at arm’s length?”
Faced with Tan Hao’s deep eyes and ruggedly handsome face, Xiang Qimiao’s heart raced uncontrollably. *It’s not that I’m keeping my distance—I’m afraid that if I get too close, my uncontrollable infatuation might scare you, my idol!*
But of course, he couldn’t say that out loud: “I just… I don’t… It’s not like that…”
Alright, Xiang Qimiao had to admit—lying, even vaguely, in front of his idol was a skill of extraordinarily high difficulty. At the very least, he wasn’t capable of it.
Seeing this, Tan Hao pressed on: “Then, Xiao Miao, from now on, you can call me… call me Tan Ge or Hao Ge. That’ll make us closer.” Though what Tan Hao really wanted was for the little kitten to sweetly call him “darling” or “hubby,” there was no need to rush. Taking things step by step was fine too.
Xiang Qimiao, utterly enchanted by Tan Hao’s charm, immediately melted and called out softly: “Hao Ge~” The sweet little lilt at the end sent Tan Hao’s usually steady heart into irregular palpitations. His gaze darkened instantly, and he had the overwhelming urge to pounce on the little kitten and “devour” him from head to toe.
Just the thought of it was enough to make his heart race with delight.
Tan Hao’s emotional turmoil naturally affected his spiritual beast. Hegeni emerged, rubbing its large head against Xiang Qimiao’s chest, making Tan Hao’s heart churn with jealousy. Even though Hegeni was his own spiritual beast, he wanted to give it a good beating and toss it far away.
Xiang Qimiao happily stroked Hegeni’s incredibly soft fur before summoning his own spiritual beast. Gloves appeared, elegantly licking its paws and cleaning its face in Xiang Qimiao’s arms. When Hegeni’s head approached, Gloves gently pushed it away with a soft “Meow~”
“Awoo~” Undeterred, Hegeni stubbornly shoved its head forward again, only to be pushed away once more. This cycle repeated several times.
Finally, the dignified Gloves licked Xiang Qimiao’s hand before leaping onto the bed and letting out a soft meow at Hegeni. The wolf immediately bounded over, picking Gloves up in its mouth, and the two began playing happily together. Hegeni, who usually disliked others touching it, allowed Gloves to treat it like a giant cat tree, climbing and playing all over it.
Watching the two little ones having so much fun, Xiang Qimiao felt happy too. After all, if Gloves and Hegeni got along, he’d have an excuse to spend more time with Tan Hao. Tan Hao’s affection for Hegeni was famous throughout the Blue Star Empire—even the entire galaxy.
But while Xiang Qimiao was still plotting how to gradually get closer to Tan Hao and win him over, Tan Hao had already decided to take action. In his eyes, they’d spent enough time together to be considered familiar. Confessing now wouldn’t seem abrupt or unacceptable.
Besides, he liked the little kitten, and the little kitten liked him back. Both families approved of their relationship—so what was stopping them from being together?
Tan Hao was never one to hesitate. He pinned Xiang Qimiao down and planted a sweet, deep kiss on him, sending Xiang Qimiao’s brain into fireworks mode. He felt like running downstairs for a victory lap—*Who am I? Where am I? Is this some kind of incredible dream?!*
After the kiss, Tan Hao didn’t push further. Instead, he patiently waited for Xiang Qimiao’s brain to reboot from the explosion of fireworks.
Once Xiang Qimiao’s dazed eyes cleared, Tan Hao pulled him into his arms: “Xiao Miao, I like you. Let’s get married.”
And just like that, Xiang Qimiao’s freshly rebooted brain short-circuited again.
By the time Xiang Qimiao processed the sheer magnitude of Tan Hao’s words, his entire face was flushed, looking utterly delicious. Tan Hao could barely resist the urge to pounce and devour him bite by bite.
Xiang Qimiao pushed lightly against Tan Hao’s chest: “Hao Ge, did you just… propose to me?” He never imagined things would progress this quickly with Tan Hao. It felt like watching a hundred-episode drama and suddenly realizing he’d missed dozens of episodes in the middle.
Tan Hao ruffled Xiang Qimiao’s soft hair and kissed his forehead: “That’s right. I’m proposing to Xiao Miao. Of course, if you think we’re moving too fast, that’s fine. We can take it slow.”
He held Xiang Qimiao’s shoulders and looked into his eyes seriously: “We can date for a while first, see how compatible we are. So, Xiao Miao, you have plenty of time to think about whether to give me a definite answer.”
Though Tan Hao spoke of testing their compatibility, his intuition—always sharp—already told him the final outcome. He and Xiang Qimiao were a perfect match.
As for Xiang Qimiao, how could he possibly refuse his idol’s confession? Overjoyed, he threw himself into Tan Hao’s arms, letting the man kiss, hug, and lift him up. Their mutual affection clearly influenced their spiritual beasts too, bringing the cat and wolf even closer.
While Tan Hao and Xiang Qimiao’s relationship flourished, elsewhere, a minor leader among the space pirates, Will Rowe, hurled his communicator to the ground, his eyes bloodshot as he struggled to calm his rage.
Will Rowe: “Yuan Qianqian, don’t push me too far!”
Will Rowe was a strikingly handsome man—tall, muscular, with golden hair and blue eyes, exuding rugged charm. At over a hundred years old, he carried the mature allure of a seasoned man, coupled with the roguish, untamed charisma of a space pirate, making him incredibly attractive.
But now, his hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, his breathing ragged, and his expression twisted with madness. Gone was his usual appeal—all that remained was something terrifying, something people would flee from.
Even after smashing the communicator, Will Rowe wasn’t satisfied. He destroyed everything within reach, pacing the room in fury.
But anger aside, he needed a plan. He’d worked too hard for his current status—how could he let Yuan Qianqian, that wretched woman, ruin everything?
Yet Will Rowe forgot—without Yuan Qianqian’s help back then, he’d never have gotten this far. He’d have been torn apart long ago.
But Will Rowe had long erased all memory of Yuan Qianqian’s past support. All he saw now was her relentless pressure, her madness to strip him of everything. Past kindness had faded into history, leaving only present grievances.
All Will Rowe knew was that he couldn’t lose what he had. His ambitions had only just begun—he still had a bright future ahead. How could he let himself fall here?
Meanwhile, Yuan Qianqian received word of Will Rowe’s “response” from her spies. She laughed bitterly, heartbroken: “To think I actually raised an ungrateful wolf!”
Without her support, Will Rowe would’ve been nothing—just another nameless space pirate, cannon fodder at best. Over the years, her covert aid and the sacrifices of her loyal subordinates had kept him safe. Without them, he’d have been captured or killed long ago, never enjoying his current glory.
But Will Rowe’s ambitions outstripped her ability to satisfy them. To him, she’d outlived her usefulness. This outcome was her own fault.
Sitting alone, Yuan Qianqian let tears stream down her beautiful, defiant face, her heart filled with sorrow and pain.
Crushing Will Rowe would’ve been easy—just withdraw her support and recall her people. Left to his own devices, he’d self-destruct without a trace.
But Yuan Qianqian couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Happy Lantern Festival, dear angels! Here’s an extra chapter for you today (*^▽^*)
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage