Above the Galaxy
Chapter 308 - 202: The Pressure is on You Now!

Chapter 308: Chapter 202: The Pressure is on You Now!

"Before I met you, my world was only gray, and occasionally it would turn black..."

"The flowers bloomed beautifully, and the trees grew tall, but there was still an overwhelming sense of despair..."

"I had no idea what the future held, no idea when it would arrive... Day after day, year after year, living the same life..."

"The only joy was... every night before sleep, I would bet with Little Fatty on what game I would catch the next day, whether it would be a red-eyed rabbit or a two-headed sheep... maybe several voles or a snake with legs, or perhaps nothing at all..."

"After seeing you, I was surprised, thinking beyond the Hate Mountains there was another world, people other than us..."

"That’s exactly how I feel now," Tang Fei said, looking directly into Phoenix’s eyes, his voice soft and gentle. "Delighted, excited, and mostly, longing for the future...."

"I think I can do more things; I can have a richer and more colorful life. I can freely... choose the life I want to live."

"How nice," Phoenix responded, gazing directly into Tang Fei’s eyes, reluctant to look away even for a moment.

"What’s nice?"

"What you said is really nice," Phoenix said. "All this time, I wasn’t sure... or rather, I couldn’t be certain, what different colors I could bring into your life."

"What are you talking about ’colors’?" Tang Fei laughed. "It’s light, the light that can illuminate the night."

"Do you really think so?"

"I do."

"Then you..."

Phoenix remembered the scene when they skated on the wild ice in the Sky Realm, her leaning in for a kiss, but Tang Fei dodged it...

It was supposed to bring them closer, to affirm their relationship.

One heart intertwined with another; one person entrusting themselves to another.

Yet, it failed.

Even now, Phoenix couldn’t understand Tang Fei’s thinking.

Why did he do that?

Was it because he didn’t like her? Or wasn’t it enough?

Yet, time and again, when she faced danger, he would risk his life to save her.

If he liked her, then why reject her approach?

Didn’t he know that such a choice...

Would deeply hurt a girl?

Regrettably, she could never bring herself to ask this question.

She wanted an answer, yet feared that answer.

"What?"

Seeing Phoenix hesitate, Tang Fei spoke up.

"It’s nothing," Phoenix shook her head, looking at Tang Fei. "Do you remember what I told you on the Hate Mountains? You will become a very great mechanic after you get to the New Star..."

"I remember," Tang Fei nodded, smiling. "So, did you already plan to bring us to the New Star back then?"

"At that time, everything was uncertain... I didn’t know if I could leave the Old Land, I wasn’t even sure if they would hunt me down..."

"But, I thought, if there was a chance... If I could go back, I would definitely find a way to help you, at the very least, to change that kind of life you had before..."

"Then why didn’t you want to give me three New Star Passes when I asked?"

"How could I dare to?" Phoenix squinted her eyes and smiled. "What am I? Just open my mouth and agree to give you three New Star Passes?"

"Given your suspicious and cunning nature... I didn’t agree, and maybe you would trust me a bit more. If I had agreed, you might have tried everything to coax the truth out of me."

"You are a person who lacks a sense of security, and if I don’t tell the truth, it will only make you more suspicious..."

"Would you throw me to the beasts in the Hate Mountains, or when those assassins chase after us, just throw me out to them... These are all things you could do."

Tang Fei, frustrated, said angrily, "Slander, that’s slander... Am I that kind of person? How could I possibly do such a thing?"

"You would."

"..."

Tang Fei clutched his chest, saying, "This hurts."

"You’re not a man who gets hurt easily," Phoenix teased, looking at the Deep Sea Pistol hanging at Tang Fei’s waist, asking, "What did you say to my brother to have him give you his favorite Deep Sea Pistol? This model is rare and usually in the hands of some special departments, and he had trouble getting one..."

"Isn’t it something he owed me?" Tang Fei said matter-of-factly. "When I first came to the New Star, he said that I had saved his most precious sister and insisted on rewarding me... But I waited and waited, and he never sent me the reward. I thought he cared more about this pistol than his sister, I was actually holding a grudge..."

"Was it just because of that?"

"Of course, I also subtly expressed my loyalty to him, saying that I would work like an ox and horse for him in the future."

"..."

Seeing Phoenix eyeing him skeptically, Tang Fei said, "What? Don’t you believe it?"

"You’re not someone who likes to bow down to others."

"How so? I could also work like an ox and horse for you."

"....."

"There are some other reasons too," Tang Fei said with a smile. "I thought about it, and it’s not good to keep going on like this. They don’t like me, I have to find a way to make them like me..."

"I don’t like bowing to others, but I’m willing to bow to them. Who let him be your brother?"

Phoenix thought more profoundly, her heart brimming with tender feelings.

She believed Tang Fei was using this opportunity to mend the relationship with her older brother for their future.

After all, her brother was the Crown Prince, the man destined to take that position in the future.

If he didn’t agree, it would be difficult for them to come together smoothly.

Phoenix extended a finger and, when no one was looking, gently scratched Tang Fei’s palm, softly saying, "You have been wronged."

"What wrong is there? I am doing what I want to do."

Phoenix nodded and said, "Tang Fei, you must keep up the good work."

She waved to Tang Fei and turned to walk toward the tarmac.

She and Tang Fei had talked for a long time here; if not for the female official intervening, they would have been surrounded by people long ago.

She couldn’t spend the night at White Crane Academy and had to return to Phoenix Palace with Zhong Tianque.

This was one of the conditions her father had agreed upon for her to participate in this event.

After the assassination attempt on Ling Yunxiao, Zhong Daolong was truly frightened, and the security measures for Phoenix were elevated several levels.

Zhong Tianque, on the other hand, didn’t have such restrictions. The two princes could freely enter and leave the palace, staying either in Phoenix Palace or in any external residence.

However, after the Phoenix Empire won first place in the mechanical competition, he rushed back to report the good news to Zhong Tianlong.

He wanted his father to know that he was diligently handling affairs.

------

Grape Courtyard.

Upon hearing that Tang Fei had won first place in the mechanical competition, Xuanyuan Mingjing remained calm and said, "It is as it should be."

Absolute royalty!

As if it was only natural for Tang Fei to win first place, and anything less would be unacceptable.

Was this competition organized by your family?

Oh, indeed it was hosted by their family.

Si Yinchuan, however, looked excited and said, "Dean, you don’t know the inside story. Those from the Aus Empire felt threatened by Tang Fei and even resorted to despicable means by blowing up Tang Fei’s mechanical beast, almost preventing him from attending the final..."

"Petty tricks, not presentable at all," Xuanyuan Mingjing asked, "Which person led their team this time?"

"Prince Philip," Si Yinchuan said. "I heard that although he’s the third prince, he’s very beloved by the people in the Aus Empire, and the Aus King favors him greatly, making him very likely to take over the Aus throne."

Xuanyuan Mingjing tossed a grape into his mouth and said, "The Margaret family is also experiencing a lack of worthy successors, each generation worse than the last. They say like father, like son, but that’s not always the case."

Tang Fei was secretly alarmed.

The Margaret family was the Royal Family of the Aus Empire, equivalent to the Zhong Family of the Phoenix Empire.

Xuanyuan Mingjing’s comment about the Margaret family having no worthy successors was not an issue.

However, he had used the word "also."

Using that word meant there was a similar "case" before.

Who was this case? Was it the Zhong family of the Phoenix Empire?

Could it be that the dean was dissatisfied with the Royal Family, particularly with this generation of princes?

If that was the case, did he have an opportunity to win favor and make use of it?

Or was he just casually lamenting...

Was he overthinking?

Was this like that girl you like greeting you, and you end up imagining the names of your future children?

With these thoughts running through his mind, Tang Fei maintained his composure and said, "I was able to win this championship thanks also to the meticulous cultivation by my master and the excellent leadership of Dean Si. I only did what little I could..."

Xuanyuan Mingjing looked at Tang Fei and said, "What have I cultivated in you?"

"Uh..."

Master, why would you ask that?

Isn’t that just a formulaic compliment?

Gratitude is due to the master, and credit to the leader.

Isn’t this the standard procedure after a subordinate achieves success? Did I go wrong?

The study of success is deadly.

"What does your winning the mechanical competition have anything to do with me? I don’t know anything about that stuff...I don’t even know where the start button on a mechanical beast is."

"..."

"Do you take Grape Courtyard for your award podium? Who wants to listen to all this nonsense?"

"Yes, yes, as the master says," Tang Fei quickly apologized, speaking, "Master also knows I haven’t been studying mechanical skills for long, and this was my first time registering for the mechanical competition... Initially, I was uncertain, worried that poor results would embarrass you, Master, and bring shame to our White Crane Academy."

"Dean Si saw how nervous I was, and comforted me saying that you had said if I registered, it had to be with the aim of coming first. He also said he believed I could win first place...because the Dean said, since you believed I could take the first place, he too believed it..."

"Really, hearing that I was immediately filled with passion, hope, and determination... It was on the strength of this belief that I managed to repair the severely damaged mechanical beast in seconds, sending it back into the battle..."

"If it were not for the master’s farsighted prophecy, and the master’s ten thousand percent trust in me, I don’t think I would have stood in that position..."

Xuanyuan Mingjing was taken aback, holding the grape in his hand, forgetting to toss it into his mouth.

After a long while, he pointed at Tang Fei and said to Si Yinchuan, "A few lines of similar meaning, why does a change in expression make them more acceptable?"

"It shows that these are heartfelt words," Si Yinchuan said with a laugh.

Xuanyuan Mingjing’s gaze fell on Shen Xing Lan, who was quietly drinking tea, and said, "Tang Fei has already won the championship of the mechanical competition, now the pressure is on you."

Shen Xing Lan nodded calmly, saying, "I surely won’t disappoint the master."

Tang Fei also chimed in, "I’ve only been learning mechanical skills for half a year and have won the championship in the mechanical competition. My senior brother has been breaking through limits since he was young and is a rare genius in this world... I believe he can definitely win the Martial Arts competition."

"..." Shen Xing Lan.

"..." Si Yinchuan.

"..." Xuanyuan Mingjing.