147: Grand airport pick-up

The day Kong Jiamu's starship arrived at the port was a beautiful and sunny afternoon.

He had taken off and landed countless times at this very Spaceport for various reasons.

Since first leaving here during the Childhood Stage, he had never felt any anticipation about returning. In fact, he felt no anticipation about returning anywhere.

That Private Residence was indeed considered his "home," but only compared to other places. What was sealed there was his irrecoverable childhood, a time when he, like all Children, thought he was loved.

But later he understood that what was sealed there was merely an illusion.

His mother had waited there bitterly for so many years, finally able to enter the Main Estate. It wasn't because of her relentless efforts, but simply because he had undergone the Awakening of his Talent at that time.

The only child of the Kong Family who might be S-rank had to have a respectable background.

Thus, he transformed, going from the unnoticed son of an outside woman to the only son of Old Master Kong's fifth wife.

Mother hugged him, weeping tears of joy, saying he had saved her life. But from then on, she seemed to suddenly forget that he still needed her.

The Kong Family was like a black hole, swallowing all her attention.

She could no longer see him, the person who was Kong Jiamu... In her eyes, he was merely the future star of the Kong Family.

S-rank, perhaps it was carved onto his face. In Kong Jiamu's mind, an image appeared: his features were blurred, with only a large 'S' mark dominating his face.

He couldn't help himself and laughed out loud unrestrainedly.

Sergeant Song Jie stepped forward helplessly and gently poked his superior's lower back. Colonel Kong had probably forgotten that this wasn't his own starship, nor was it filled with the soldiers under his command who had long been tormented by him... It was better not to let too many people know that the Empire's New Star occasionally acted crazy.

Alas, last time he had to follow him to the Patrol Army, and now he was assigned to pick him up again... He could only blame his terrible luck in drawing lots, always pulling the shortest straw.

Kong Jiamu turned back unhappily, "Poke, poke, poke, what are you doing?"

Discovering that Sergeant Song Jie was actually wearing Combat Fatigues, he showed extreme disdain.

"Change out of that, it's hideous."

Sergeant Song Jie reported stiffly, "This is the best style voted by the entire army. It has superior performance and meets operational requirements."

"The collective aesthetic of bumpkins," Kong Jiamu commented.

"Go change into your Military Dress Uniform, or don't think about coming home with me. I don't want my Pearl to see someone so ugly working for me."

"..." Sergeant Song Jie had been forced to listen to countless remarks about Young Miss Pearl's exceptional aesthetic taste, especially concerning the appreciation of a certain type of bird, but what did that have to do with him, the poor White Pigeon?

"I am merely here to accentuate your brilliance, Colonel." Even if Sergeant Song Jie's stomach was churning, he could say such things without changing his expression.

"That's true... With me here, Pearl probably won't even notice you." Kong Jiamu tugged at his Military Dress Uniform, which lacked Medals, and accepted Sergeant Song Jie's insincere flattery.

During the journey of half a month, he had restored himself to a radiant state.

Sufficient for courtship.

***

The starship landed.

This was a small Warship; it didn't stop at the Boarding Bridge but hovered directly above the open ground.

Unable to wait for the Gangway to fully lower, Kong Jiamu grabbed the ladder's handrail, spun down, let go mid-air, landed in a half-crouch, and touched down perfectly.

His dark green curly hair flew into waves in the airflow before settling onto his back. Quiet gasps of admiration, likely from the flight attendants, came from the surroundings.

He flashed a satisfied smile.

It was as if, after an audience with a princess, he rose with immense grace, casually swept the hair from his eyes, and then looked around.

He thought of the short message he had just received from Pearl.

"I see your starship, I'm waiting for you."

But the corners of his mouth quickly straightened.

Pearl... where was she? The vision of a Bird Beastman made it impossible for him not to recognize the person he was looking for in a crowd.

But among these Female Beasts who were covering their mouths yet still excitedly crying Ao Ao, none of them was his Pearl.

The Gangway was fully lowered, and Sergeant Song Jie honestly climbed down the ladder and stood next to his superior.

"Which one is Young Miss Pearl? Didn't you say she would come to pick you up?"

That was exactly what Kong Jiamu wanted to know.

The burst of showmanship in his body peaked and then dropped, leaving him feeling empty. He wondered if he should, as usual, sneer at the posturing Female Beast and turn to leave.

But where would he go... His bracelet vibrated, and a familiar name popped up. He stared at it for a long moment, momentarily confused; he didn't want to answer.

"It's Young Miss Pearl, Colonel," Sergeant Song Jie reminded him.

"I... am... not... blind!" He glared hatefully at Sergeant Song Jie and answered the communication.

It was very quiet on the other end, without the various noises from flights taking off and landing near the Terminal Building, and Kong Jiamu was utterly disappointed.

"You promised me." A sudden feeling of grievance welled up, and he didn't continue speaking.

The person on the other side, however, laughed softly and hoarsely, her laughter muffled in her throat, indistinct yet sexy.

"No, I didn't~" In Tu Nan's view, Kong Jiamu looked rather silly with his cold expression and constant searching. "I said I would be watching you, Jiamu."

"You were so handsome just now. Hmm... having been baptized by war, you look even more delicious."

Kong Jiamu captured every trace of sound coming from the other side. Corresponding to Pearl's breathing, there was also the faint sound of wind rustling leaves.

"Do you know? In the legends of my hometown, there is a Peacock King of Light, who is the most magnificent War General under the God King..." Tu Nan recounted, as if she had truly seen him before.

"It's a pity I couldn't see your heroic posture on the battlefield. I imagine that must be the most fierce and magnificent beauty."

Kong Jiamu felt Pearl was coaxing him, and he mumbled, "Why haven't I heard of that?"

Despite what he said, the Plumes behind his ears spread out slightly, those blue-green little 'eyes' appearing and disappearing like a fan.

He was clearly flattered. But he immediately rejected this Sugar-Coated Bullet and protested, "Wait, you said you were going to pick me up!"

"I am picking you up, but there are too many people there. I only want to pick up you alone."

Tu Nan observed Kong Jiamu looking thoughtful through her high-magnification Binoculars.

"Look up." Tu Nan called to him, "I can't get down. I need a Prince to personally carry me down."

She emphasized, "I am the treasure hidden by the Prince in the forest, so I can't be seen by others, right?"

Kong Jiamu realized something. His gaze widened, looking at the surrounding towering forests, but Xiuyin Star's afforestation was simply too good, and there were too many trees.

"Where are you?"

He didn't realize his smile was growing wider, and the anticipation in his eyes was becoming more urgent.

"You gave me a fireworks show in the dark night. Shall I give you a daytime fireworks show?" Tu Nan asked, grinning.

Whoosh~

In the distant woods, a vertical firework trailed blue-green smoke as it shot straight up into the sky. When it reached the peak, pop!

Following that, continuous fireworks kept launching and exploding one after another.

The multicolored starlight was clearly visible even in the bright sun.

"Fireworks!" The crowd cheered in surprise.

Such large fireworks required special approval, and they were quite rare.

"I'm waiting for you, beneath the fireworks."

Through the Binoculars, Kong Jiamu looked precisely in her direction.