Ye Yun's brow arched, his eyes filled with mockery as he spoke his mind without reservation. This was also why he hadn't mentioned the matter in front of Cecy and the children.
All the children potentially involved in this matter were children of Earth, including descendants of the officials present. Who could possibly believe that this matter had nothing to do with Earth?
Ye Yun knew that Cecy might not be unaware of what he was hiding, but he was still willing to entrust this matter to him. It wasn't because he believed Ye Yun, but because Luo Qi believed in Ye Mu.
His words caused the faces of the remaining people to turn grim. The insect race was a sharp blade hanging over the heads of everyone in the galaxy, and it was only a matter of time before it fell.
Ye Yun said coldly, "The very people whose sinister intentions are plotting, that little Highness of the insect race, it is precisely because he is kind, unlike other insect races, that you haven't had your heads chopped off immediately."
A surge of ferocity rose in his heart. The situation that Chairman Lin had fought his entire life to secure for Earth would be utterly ruined if these people were allowed to continue their reckless behavior.
Lin Zhiyuan had shown him great kindness, a debt he could never repay. Even though he detested dealing with these clingy, seaweed-like individuals, he had to remind them to think clearly before acting.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the violent urge to beat them all up and sort them out, and then spoke:
"Minister Zhao, this matter still requires your assistance. Please do visit His Highness the Insect King and beg for his forgiveness. Regarding the matter of the insect race guards, please refrain from making any comments, otherwise..."
Ye Yun's gaze was sharp, his eyelids slightly lowered, his jawline taut. "If anything happens to you, no one can save you."
Minister Zhao's face broke out in a cold sweat, the flesh on his face twitching uncontrollably. A great fear seized his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.
"Major General Ye..."
Ye Yun's voice suddenly rose, "Has Minister Zhao forgotten his responsibilities? For the sake of Earth, we must trouble Minister Zhao to make a small sacrifice."
Minister Zhao's face turned pale. He gripped the armrests of his chair to steady himself.
Ye Yun's words had blocked his last retreat. If he refused, it would be seen as cowardice at best, and dereliction of duty at worst.
He glanced at Lin Zhiyuan, who had been expressionless and with his eyes slightly closed, observing everyone since the beginning. He knew that Lin Zhiyuan would use this as an excuse to dismiss him.
Minister Zhao swallowed, then forced a dry laugh. "I, I understand. I will definitely have a good talk with the Insect King."
Ye Yun smiled, but there was no joy in it, only mockery. "Since that is the case, Minister Zhao, please go and return quickly.
As for those children, I will continue the investigation. If it is truly due to your teachings, I will inform the Insect King of the results truthfully."
By the end, his voice had taken on an icy sharpness.
He cast a deep look at Lin Zhiyuan, who sat at the head of the table. The meeting had dragged on for too long, and the weariness on his face was undeniable. His eyelids drooped, as if he could fall asleep at any moment.
Ye Yun suddenly felt a pang in his heart. He forced a smile. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
With that, he quickened his pace and left the conference room.
The remaining people stirred again. Some officials friendly with Minister Zhao were whispering, discussing if there were any other ways to avoid this matter.
Others, seeing the grim situation, began to worry about Earth's future.
Voices rose and fell in the conference room, almost drowning out the sound of chairs being dragged.
Lin Zhiyuan stood up, his cloudy eyes scanning the room, and said softly, "Ye Yun is right."
He then picked up his blanket and opened the door, leaving.
His voice lacked strength, but everyone in the conference room heard him.
Everyone had their own thoughts. At this crucial moment of impending leadership transition, the meaning behind his words was enough for them to ponder for a while.
Minister Zhao's gaze was vacant, his lips trembling. As if struck by inspiration, he seemed to finally understand the meaning of Lin Zhiyuan's last sentence.
The sun slanted westward, vast patches of light spreading across the sky, painting a grand twilight.
The sky was filled with sunset clouds, and the light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the bed. Luo Qi rubbed his eyes, his vision gradually clearing.
The first thing he saw was a well-defined jawline. Luo Qi had fallen asleep nestled in Ye Mu's arms. Ye Mu was lying on his side, and Luo Qi's head was still buried in the crook of Ye Mu's neck.
He felt soft all over as he woke up. Luo Qi, in this position, stared intently at Ye Mu.
Ye Mu's brow was furrowed, and he looked like he was sleeping restlessly, with beads of sweat on his cheeks. Luo Qi quietly got up and reached out a finger to gently wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Luo Qi sighed, then rolled out of bed. He saw Ye Yun sitting on a small sofa in the corner, where the light didn't reach, reading a document.
Seeing Luo Qi get up, Ye Yun closed the document and said softly, "How are you? Are you hungry?"
Luo Qi shook his head. "Uncle Ye, why are you here?"
Ye Yun paused, as if struggling with whether to speak, but in the end, he opened his mouth, took out his terminal, and pressed it twice, handing it to Luo Qi.
Luo Qi's eyes slowly widened. After listening to Ye Yun, he didn't know what to say.
He believed Ye Mu, believed Ye Yun, and believed that the faction they represented truly wanted to foster good relations with the insect race, but that wasn't everyone.
Ye Yun was hunched in the shadows, his elbows resting on the sofa armrest, his posture weary. "Little Highness, I know you might not believe me, but according to my investigation, this doesn't seem like something they would do proactively."
After leaving the conference room, Ye Yun had found the profiles of all the children in the surveillance footage at the school. This was the result of his preliminary investigation.
Luo Qi blinked, then suddenly said, "I have a way, which might be more direct than an investigation."
Ye Yun's brow arched, instantly understanding Luo Qi's meaning. "What do you need me to do?"
Luo Qi smiled slyly. "Uncle Ye, let me tell you..."
*
The first mecha class for first-year freshmen had an accident, which caused a small discussion on the campus forum.
The protagonists of the accident were the child of Major General Ye Yun and the little Highness of the insect race, who had recently become a minor celebrity on the campus forum for his cute appearance and "little green tea" remarks.
Within a single day, the campus forum was abuzz with speculation, and photos and videos emerged in a constant stream.
As no one had provided a specific explanation for the incident, some even speculated that something untoward had happened between the two.
There was also a small group of people who were purely fans of Luo Qi's looks, hoping that both Luo Qi and Ye Mu would be alright.
But the majority were simply onlookers enjoying the drama.