Yu Weiwei looked at her. "Auntie?"
Elara let out a quiet sigh before speaking. "Your father trusted very few people after coming to this world. The Si family was one of the families he believed he could rely on."
"Before he passed away, Lin Zhe entrusted you to several people, hoping they would protect you when he was no longer there. Si Tian's mother was one of them."
"Back then, she truly cared about you. She treated you as someone precious, not because of your identity, but because you were Lin Zhe's child. But people change."
"After your father was gone, she began looking at things differently. The more influence the Si family gained, the more she cared about status and benefits. Eventually, she started believing that you were no longer suitable for her son."
Yu Weiwei lowered his gaze. "Then why didn't she cancel the engagement?"
Elara gave a cold laugh. "Because she couldn't. The engagement gifts exchanged between the two families were far too valuable. If they openly broke off the engagement, the Si family would suffer severe damage to their reputation and lose far more than they were willing to sacrifice."
"So instead, she chose another method. She let Si Tian believe he was doing you a favour by remaining engaged to you, allowing him to gradually look down on you while convincing everyone else that the Si family had been generous enough."
The cabin fell silent.
Elara's expression softened as she looked at Yu Weiwei. "Of course, Si Tian's choices are still his own. His mother may have influenced him, but she never forced him to treat you the way he did."
"He chose to become the person he is today."
Yu Weiwei pressed his lips together before asking quietly, "What about the others?"
"They're much the same," Elara replied with another sigh. "However, some of them truly do care about you. They simply have too many responsibilities weighing on their shoulders."
"Who are they?"
A faint smile appeared on Elara's lips. "You'll find out when they choose to reveal themselves to you."
Yu Weiwei didn't ask any further questions, though he vaguely remembered meeting one of those people in his previous life. Unfortunately, back then, he hadn't been in any position to help them.
Just then, the aide's expression changed slightly as he looked towards the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, Young Master Si Tian has sent another message."
Yu Weiwei remained silent.
Caspian glanced at the aide. "Read it."
The aide hesitated for a moment before opening the message.
«Weiwei, I know you're angry with me. I know there are many things I should explain, but you can't avoid me forever.
I only want a chance to speak with you face to face.
I believe we can resolve this misunderstanding.»
The cabin fell silent once again.
Elara frowned deeply. "Misunderstanding?"
The single word was filled with unconcealed displeasure.
Yu Weiwei simply gazed out through the shuttle window at the endless sea of stars.
Even now...
Si Tian still believed everything could be fixed with a simple explanation.
After a long moment, Yu Weiwei finally spoke.
"Reject it."
The aide immediately bowed. "Understood."
Caspian's expression remained icy as he looked at the countless unread messages from the Si family displayed across the holographic screen.
They believed they were acting discreetly.
They thought they could pressure Yu Weiwei into responding before the Imperial Family became aware of what was happening.
Unfortunately for them, every single message they sent had already been intercepted and delivered to the Emperor and Empress first.
After all, Yu Weiwei had voluntarily handed his personal terminal to the Imperial Family for investigation. Tampering with the mental core of a minor was a serious criminal offence, and with the Imperial Family personally overseeing the investigation, the Si family had unknowingly exposed every one of their desperate attempts.
Yu Weiwei slowly closed his eyes before opening them again.
"My answer hasn't changed."
"I won't see him."
The aide lowered his head respectfully.
"Understood. I'll reject the request immediately."
The holographic screen vanished.
Seeing the calmness in Yu Weiwei's eyes, Elara reached over and gently patted the back of his hand.
"You don't have to force yourself."
Yu Weiwei smiled faintly.
"I'm not."
"I've simply let go."
A warm smile spread across Elara's face.
"Then let's return to the palace first. The engagement gifts have already been delivered there. There are quite a few treasures among them, and since they now belong to you, you should at least have a look."
She paused before adding hopefully, "Why don't you stay at the palace for a day or two? I'll show you around."
Yu Weiwei was about to refuse, but when he caught sight of Caspian's increasingly sour expression, a mischievous thought suddenly crossed his mind.
A bright smile blossomed across his face.
"Okay."
The smile on Elara's face instantly became even brighter.
Caspian, however, froze.
His expression cracked ever so slightly.
He had finally finished dealing with two weeks' worth of imperial affairs and was looking forward to spending some peaceful time alone with his wife.
Two weeks.
A full two weeks.
And now this little brat had effortlessly stolen her away for another day or two.
The Emperor silently stared at Yu Weiwei, his expression becoming increasingly aggrieved.
Yu Weiwei innocently blinked back at him before smiling even more brightly.
To be honest, he's still holding a grudge against Caspian for calling him stupid.
"..."
Caspian suddenly felt that Yu Chen's son was definitely doing this on purpose.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became.
Meanwhile, Elara was completely oblivious to her husband's increasingly pitiful expression. She happily linked arms with Yu Weiwei and excitedly began telling him about all the beautiful places inside the Imperial Palace. From time to time, the two of them burst into laughter, their cheerful voices filling the shuttle.
Left out of the conversation entirely, Caspian sat quietly in his seat, staring at the pair with an expression full of resentment.
At that moment, he looked less like the mighty Emperor of the Empire and more like an abandoned husband watching his wife happily run off with someone else.
The Robot driver lowered his head even further, pretending not to notice anything.
Outside the shuttle, countless stars drifted silently across the endless universe.
Ahead of them, the magnificent Imperial Capital gradually came into view.
For Yu Weiwei, a new chapter of his life was about to begin.
__
The Imperial shuttle descended slowly through the atmosphere, passing countless layers of floating traffic lanes before arriving above the Imperial Palace.
The palace was unlike anything Yu Weiwei had ever seen.
It wasn't built upon the ground, but atop a colossal floating continent suspended high above the capital. Towering white buildings intertwined with living trees that had grown around the architecture over centuries.
Crystal-clear streams flowed through the palace grounds, while countless spirit-like birds with shimmering feathers flew freely across the gardens.
Even from above, Yu Weiwei could feel the dense natural energy gathered throughout the palace.
"It isn't bad," he murmured.
Compared to the cultivation world, it naturally couldn't compare.
Compared to the polluted interstellar era, it was already considered a paradise.
Elara noticed the appreciation in his eyes and smiled proudly.
"The palace has preserved many ancient Earth plants. Although most are ornamental nowadays, I refused to let anyone remove them."
Yu Weiwei's eyes immediately brightened.
"There are plants?"
"There are."
"...Many?"
"A great many."
Before Elara could finish speaking, Yu Weiwei had already forgotten about everything else.
There were plants.
Caspian looked at the sparkling stars practically shining in Yu Weiwei's green eyes and suddenly had a very bad feeling.
...
His premonition came true less than ten minutes later.
The moment they entered the palace gardens, Yu Weiwei disappeared.
Well...
Not exactly disappeared.
He was squatting beside an ancient flowering shrub, carefully inspecting every leaf with an expression so serious that one would think he was examining an SSS-grade treasure.
"The leaves are yellow because they've been overwatered..." Yu Weiwei muttered before gently touching the soil. "The roots aren't breathing properly."
The elderly royal gardener standing nearby froze.
"Young Master... you know botany?"
Yu Weiwei blinked.
"A little."
The gardener looked at the dying shrub before looking back at Yu Weiwei.
"...Can you save it?"
Yu Weiwei nodded honestly.
"I should be able to."
The old gardener's eyes instantly turned red.
This shrub had existed since the founding of the Empire.
For decades, countless experts had failed to restore it completely. If not for the nutrient solution given to it and the meticulous care, they would have died long ago.
Yet this young man had identified the problem after only a few glances.
Before anyone realised what had happened, every royal gardener within the palace had somehow gathered around Yu Weiwei.
"Young Master, what about this tree?"
"And this flower?"
"This fruit vine hasn't bloomed in years."
Yu Weiwei patiently answered every question, never showing the slightest impatience.
Occasionally he used his nature authority to heal some plants.