By the time Elara finally found him, her "one- or two-day tour" had somehow turned into an impromptu gardening lecture attended by nearly every palace gardener.
The Empress couldn't help laughing.
As expected, Lin Zhe's child was exactly the same.
...
By evening, the palace kitchens had become just as lively.
Originally, the royal chefs had prepared an extravagant banquet using the finest mutated beast meat and the most expensive synthetic ingredients.
Yu Weiwei ate a few bites before stopping. His tongue simply couldn't endure this torture.
The food tasted good, but there was very little flavour. The dishes that did have flavour were overwhelmingly strong, to the point of being unpleasant.
Yu Weiwei put down his chopsticks, only to find everyone staring at him.
"..."
The moment they saw him set down his chopsticks, everyone grew nervous.
"Is... something wrong?" one of the chefs asked cautiously.
Yu Weiwei hesitated.
"It's very luxurious."
Everyone secretly sighed in relief.
Then he added gently,
"But it isn't very delicious."
"..."
The chefs collectively suffered a critical hit.
Seeing their devastated expressions, Yu Weiwei hurriedly waved his hands.
"I didn't mean your cooking is bad."
He thought for a moment before smiling sheepishly.
"Can I borrow the kitchen?"
Half an hour later...
The entire palace smelled different.
Rich chicken broth simmered gently inside a clay pot while fresh herbs released their fragrance into the air. Garlic sizzled softly in hot oil before thin slices of meat were added with a satisfying hiss. Fresh vegetables, picked directly from the palace gardens, retained their vibrant colours as Yu Weiwei stir-fried them over high heat.
The aroma spread astonishingly quickly. Servants walking through the corridors stopped in their tracks, while the royal guards subconsciously swallowed. Even ministers discussing state affairs outside the dining hall quietly turned towards the kitchens.
"...What is that smell?"
"It smells..."
"...too good."
When dinner was finally served, silence filled the dining hall.
Not because it tasted bad.
Quite the opposite.
Everyone was too busy eating.
Elara happily accepted another bowl from Yu Weiwei.
"This soup is wonderful."
The head chef stared at the empty bowls with trembling hands.
He had cooked for the Imperial Family for nearly forty years.
Today...
He had willingly admitted defeat.
Yu Weiwei smiled awkwardly.
"It's just home cooking."
The chefs almost cried.
If this was home cooking...
Then what had they been making all these years?
"Could you teach..." the head chef began before suddenly stopping, realising how improper his request was.
Every chef guarded their recipes with their life. Asking to be taught was no different from asking for that life.
Realising why he had stopped, Yu Weiwei smiled.
"I'll teach you what I can while I'm staying here. I'll also be broadcasting my cooking in the future, so you can learn from that as well."
Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
Yu Weiwei had planned to livestream his cooking ever since his second broadcast from the hospital.
Across the table, Caspian quietly watched as everyone crowded around Yu Weiwei.
His wife.
The chefs.
The gardeners.
Even the palace robots.
Every few minutes, someone called out,
"Young Master Yu."
"Young Master Yu, would you like some more tea?"
"Young Master Yu, are you tired?"
Caspian silently took another bite of food.
"..."
Nobody asked whether he wanted more tea.
He was the Emperor.
...
The following morning, Yu Weiwei toured the palace with Elara. Trailing behind them was a group of palace staff who clearly believed they were doing an excellent job hiding.
After breakfast, Elara, Yu Weiwei, and the palace staff gathered in the gardens, their laughter echoing through the grounds.
While they were chatting, another group of unexpected visitors arrived.
Three holographic figures materialised inside the palace reception hall.
Waiting there were three robotic bodies that looked exactly like humans. If not for their motionless standby mode, anyone would have mistaken them for real people. The holograms merged with the robotic bodies, which immediately came to life.
One appeared as a mature woman with silver hair and calm sapphire-blue eyes.
Louise.
The oldest of the three Guardian AIs.
Beside her stood a tall young man dressed in black.
Ryan.
Logical.
Cold.
Almost frighteningly efficient.
Finally...
A child who looked no older than eighteen bounded excitedly out of the reception hall towards the gardens, with the other two following behind.
Xiao Baobao's fluffy white hair bounced with every step, while his bright golden eyes darted around curiously.
"Wow!"
He immediately rushed over to Yu Weiwei.
"So you're Yu Weiwei!"
Everyone instinctively tensed.
The three Guardian AIs rarely left the Starnet.
For all three to visit together...
It had never happened before.
Yu Weiwei smiled politely.
"Hello."
Xiao Baobao circled him twice before narrowing his eyes.
"Hmm..."
Interesting.
This was definitely the same human he had once labelled as slightly dumb.
After all, anyone who could live such a miserable life without noticing the people manipulating him had to be at least a little silly.
Of course...
He would never admit that out loud.
Now, however...
Things were different.
Repairing damaged mental cores.
Growing ancient plants.
Cooking delicious food.
Perhaps...
Only slightly dumb.
The child suddenly grinned.
"I like you!"
Yu Weiwei blinked.
"...Thank you?"
"Tsk. We both have white hair. We must've been brothers in our past lives," Xiao Baobao declared with complete seriousness, though his adorable face made it impossible to take him seriously.
Louise smiled helplessly.
"Please forgive him. Baobao becomes rather enthusiastic whenever he meets someone interesting."
Ryan adjusted his glasses.
"To be precise, this is the first human he has voluntarily visited in twenty-nine years."
Xiao Baobao puffed out his cheeks.
"That's because humans on the Starnet are boring. They argue over nonsense, spread fake rumours, ask ridiculous questions..."
"They're dumb!"
Ryan corrected him calmly.
"You are not permitted to call citizens dumb."
"I didn't."
"You implied it."
"I implied nothing."
"You implied everything."
While the two continued their completely expressionless argument, Xiao Baobao had already slipped over to Yu Weiwei's side.
Lowering his voice mysteriously, he whispered,
"I heard you can repair mental cores."
Yu Weiwei nodded.
"I can."
Xiao Baobao's golden eyes sparkled.
"So cool!"
He leaned in closer.
"Can I watch next time?"
"Watch?"
"Mm-hm! I want to study it."
"...Why?"
Xiao Baobao placed his hands on his hips proudly.
"I'm a super AI! I know almost everything.
"But I don't know how you repaired something medical science declared impossible."
Yu Weiwei scratched his cheek.
"I don't really know how to explain it."
"I'll watch!"
"...Alright."
Xiao Baobao instantly beamed.
"Yay! You're way better than Lin Zhe."
"You know him?" Yu Weiwei asked, though he wasn't particularly surprised.
"Of course! I know everyone. The person who interested me twenty-nine years ago was Lin Zhe," Xiao Baobao said proudly, though his expression twisted into annoyance by the end of the sentence.
"Hmph! Every time I tried to get close to him, he'd beat me up. Good thing I can switch off my pain receptors."
"Oh? You two must've been really close," Yu Weiwei commented, raising an eyebrow.
"Heh, what do you know? I even helped him find you when you were—"
"Xiao Baobao," Ryan interrupted coldly.
"Oopsies." Xiao Baobao quickly covered his mouth with both hands.
Yu Weiwei frowned.
"What do you mean?"
To be honest, he felt there were far too many mysteries surrounding both himself and his parents. None of this had happened in his previous life, and he disliked things he couldn't understand.
Louise let out a quiet sigh when she saw the furrow between his brows.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves properly."
She smiled politely.
"I'm Louise, Protector of the Empire."
Ryan nodded.
"Ryan. The Law of the Empire."
Xiao Baobao flashed a playful wink.
"And I'm Xiao Baobao, Overseer of the People."
__
"About what Xiao Baobao said..." Louise began, taking a sip of the flower tea Yu Weiwei had poured for her. Although she was currently inhabiting a robotic body, its advanced taste receptors allowed her to savour the delicate flavour just as a human would.
"I assume the Empress has already told you about your father Lin Zhe's origins."
"Hmm." Yu Weiwei nodded, glancing at Elara, who was currently being distracted by Xiao Baobao's endless antics.
"Your father had always been obsessed with finding a way back home, so he never intended to start a family."
Louise paused for a moment before continuing.
"He couldn't resist falling in love with Yu Chen, but even then, he had no intention of having a child. Although men are capable of giving birth in this era, Lin Zhe never underwent fertility surgery."
Yu Weiwei listened quietly.
"An illegal underground laboratory located in the Federation kidnapped him because of his unique ability."
The Interstellar world was divided among many races and nations. The Federation was one of humanity's major powers. Although they shared the same ancestors as the Empire, they rejected monarchal rule and established their own government long ago.
"They took Lin Zhe to one of their underground laboratories. There, they forcibly performed fertility surgery on him and intended to use him as a breeding subject."
Louise's usually gentle voice grew colder.