When Li Xiao returned from the inspection tour with Li Ji, he saw Song Jin sitting alone in the courtyard, working on his documents.

The gorgeous sea of flowers was not even half as dazzling as the young man.

Li Xiao slowed his footsteps as he approached: “I’m back.”

Song Jin had noticed Li Xiao long ago, intentionally waiting until he came near before raising his head: “Was the visit fun?”

Li Xiao removed a flower petal caught in Song Jin’s hair: “Not bad.”

With a faint smile on his face, Song Jin said, “So you can have a great time even when I’m not around.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Something was wrong with his tone.

Unexpectedly thrown off guard and led straight into a trap, Li Xiao casually tried to recover: “What’s there to be happy or unhappy about work? You have to do it even if you’re not happy.”

Song Jin nodded: “So you mean you’re very unhappy whenever you work with me?”

“…” Li Xiao raised an eyebrow. “Did you eat hot peppers for lunch? Why so spicy?”

Song Jin: “I wonder who said I smelled very sweet this morning.”

Li Xiao finally figured it out.

This kid was throwing a tantrum for unknown reasons.

A cat getting flustered and throwing a temper tantrum was far too entertaining. Li Xiao lifted his chin, leaned down to give him a kiss, sat in the adjacent seat, and opened the box he had brought over: “I like spicy food; the spicier it is, the more it suits my appetite.”

This sentence somewhat mollified Song Jin’s foul mood that had lasted all day. Seeing Li Xiao pull a cake out of the box—its craftsmanship unpretentious, but packed with generous ingredients—he asked in confusion, “Where did that come from?”

Li Xiao scooped a spoonful: “Did you not watch the inspection livestream at all? So unconcerned about your husband working outside alone?”

Song Jin stared at the spoon, watching as Li Xiao fed it into his own mouth, and hearing the word “husband,” he let out a cold laugh: “You’re surrounded by crowds of people left and right; does it look like you need my concern?”

From these words, Li Xiao savored a hint of feeling neglected. Suppressing his laughter, he scooped another spoonful and brought it to Song Jin’s lips: “They are outsiders, and you are my wife—how could it be the same?”

Being angry didn’t get in the way of eating cake. When cake was delivered to his mouth, it had to be eaten.

Song Jin opened his mouth and took it in. He hadn’t expected that despite its ordinary appearance, it tasted exceptionally good—sweet without being cloying, with the unique freshness of Danse’s natural spices, featuring distinct layers of tea fragrance and fruity notes. At the very least, it suited his taste perfectly.

Song Jin’s anger subsided by more than half: “Where did it come from?”

Li Xiao continued to feed him: “I made it. I went to the spice base this afternoon; there are at least a hundred types of spices there that cannot be grown anywhere else, with extremely low yields. Some tasted pretty good, so I made a cake and brought it back for you to try.”

Song Jin’s chewing motion paused. Searching online for the King’s inspection visit to the spice base, the very first news update that popped up was indeed a video of Li Xiao making the cake himself.

To bridge the distance between the Royal Family and common citizens, there were occasional rapport-building interactions during inspection tours. Judging by the overwhelming bullet chats and comment volume, this interaction was exceptionally successful.

“AAAAAH! Isn’t this trying to take my life?!”

“I want to eat cake made by husband so badly wwww”

“I just want to know how this cake will be handled in the end!”

“Damn it, if I knew earlier I would have applied to be an on-site volunteer!”

“I’m different from you guys; I don’t want to eat it, I just want my soul to transmigrate into that cake wwww”

Song Jin felt immensely satisfied, his possessiveness thoroughly gratified: “Still thinking about me while working, you’re way too clingy.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Who’s the clingy one here?

Li Xiao fed another bite to his mouth: “Then what reward do I get?”

Song Jin: “Help you rub your back tonight?”

Li Xiao: “Is that a reward or a punishment?”

Song Jin: “…”

Halfway through eating, Song Jin still felt it wasn’t enough. He had 07 take a photo of the cake and posted it on the Shengya network platform using his private account.

【Heard many people are looking for this cake? It’s so big, how could one person finish it all? Smile. [Photo]】

This update declaring ownership was caught by numerous media outlets and immediately forwarded, quickly spreading across Danse’s internet and causing netizens of both countries to scream wildly.

Li Xiao casually hit like, thinking to himself that finishing it was by no means impossible.

Even if it were a circle larger, it wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between this kid’s teeth.

Not far away, Darcy waited beneath the corridor beside the courtyard, capturing the scene of Li Xiao feeding the cake and sending it to Old Liu for review.

The Royal Family inspection tour had a dedicated promotional account, which usually published daily updates during the tour.

As the sky gradually darkened, Li Xiao and Song Jin returned indoors together, casually chatting about official business.

During the few hours in the afternoon, Song Jin had organized the list as much as he could, sorting out twenty-three people, all belonging to the Meng faction.

Song Jin: “Take another look tonight; my intelligence might not be completely accurate.”

Li Xiao: “Mm.”

Song Jin: “Public opinion online has been directed toward the Royal Family, making an issue out of the recent inspection tour, accusing the Royal Family of only doing superficial work and whitewashing peace.”

Li Xiao: “As expected. It’s not enough; wait for him to make a bigger scene.”

Song Jin: “The muddier the water, the easier it is for him to act.”

Li Xiao: “Only when he makes a move can we find new flaws; at least for now, the initiative is in our hands.”

It was already difficult to grasp more clues through visits and investigations; only by forcing the Meng family to act could they shift from the open to the dark and wait for an opportunity.

Having finished discussing official matters, Li Xiao couldn’t help but ask, “You’d rather read those news reports than look at me?”

Song Jin’s voice sounded cool and breezy: “Are you saying I should squat in a livestream room full of screens calling you ‘husband’ and watch you conduct visits with a big smile?”

Li Xiao scrutinized his expression: “Jealous?”

Song Jin: “Ate hot peppers.”

Li Xiao: “…”

While they were having dinner, the Royal Family inspection account posted a new update.

【The cake made by His Second Highness unexpectedly… [Video]】

In the video, under the setting sun, Li Xiao sat in the sea of flowers feeding cake to Song Jin, the atmosphere brimming with romance.

In the comments below—

“Luring dogs in just to slaughter them.”

“Bringing it back for Song Jin is one thing, but feeding him personally?!”

“For a moment, I don’t know who to envy wwww”

“His Second Highness dotes on Song Jin way too much, right? Who can handle this?”

“Writing a petition in blood asking the two little ones to do business together regularly!”

“Suddenly realized why His Majesty wasn’t arranged to make a cake—because he doesn’t have anyone to feed (Dog head)”

“HAHAHAHA feeling sorry for His Majesty for one second.”

Song Jin was true to his word; after dinner, he pulled Li Xiao over to give him a back rub.

Li Xiao lay on the bed, turning his head to watch Song Jin straddle onto him. He helplessly retracted his gaze, had 09 open the list, and began concentrating on work, trying hard not to let his mind wander.

Song Jin: “How is it?”

Li Xiao: “Very good.”

Song Jin chuckled softly: “You should say ‘husband is very good’.”

Li Xiao: “Be good.”

Song Jin: “…”

A knock sounded on the door. Song Jin looked toward the entrance: “Come in, it’s not locked.”

Wei Feng opened the door and caught sight of this suggestive scene, unable to resist blowing a rogue whistle: “You guys really don’t treat me as an outsider, huh?”

“I have something for you to do.” Li Xiao sat up, casually grabbing a shirt to throw on. Beneath the open collar, the smooth lines of muscle faintly showed, holding implicit explosive power; the Alpha’s aura couldn’t be suppressed at all.

Wei Feng: “What is it?”

The two walked out to the living room outside the bedroom.

Song Jin had worked up a sweat and prepared to take another shower. As he stepped off the bed, he casually picked up Li Xiao’s jacket that had fallen onto the floor.

Just as he was about to set it down, he faintly smelled a spicy liquor scent. Song Jin brought it to his nose to smell.

Li Xiao’s control over his pheromones was extremely precise; usually, it couldn’t be smelled at all. This was the first time he had smelled pheromones on Li Xiao’s clothes—like being swallowed by a sea of fire, a burning sensation spreading from his mouth and nose throughout his entire body, the residual fire smoldering in his bones, threatening to reduce everything to ashes.

It was very potent, but smelled exceptionally good, instantly igniting Song Jin’s desire to conquer.

Song Jin smelled himself in confusion.

With his perception of pheromones suddenly heightened, could it be that he was really approaching his rut?

After taking a shower, Song Jin consciously took out a suppressor and gave himself an injection.

In the living room, Wei Feng’s expression was quite spectacular.

“Are you serious?”

Li Xiao: “Is there any need for me to call you over specifically to make a joke?”

Wei Feng didn’t know whether to cry or laugh: “I’m not him; won’t impersonating him casually be seen through very easily?”

“You don’t need to worry about that point.”

Li Xiao opened the video Yan Qing had provided: “Your demeanor and mannerisms are very similar. I will have Teacher Yan inquire about more details to make your imitation as close as possible.”

Wei Feng: “…”

Bearing Wei Feng’s skeptical gaze, Li Xiao spoke calmly: “If we can coax useful intelligence out of Meng Shan’s mouth, the Pique clan can completely turn things around.”

Wei Feng held a cigarette in silence for a moment: “Fine then, let’s make a big gamble.”

From Zufu Constellation to Northern Crown Constellation and then to Southern Hydrus Constellation, thirteen days later, the King’s inspection tour came to a successful conclusion.

Li Xiao accompanied Li Ji on visits from time to time. Every time the two brothers appeared together, it was bound to set off a wave of discussions online.

Meng Jian had people make an issue out of the inspection tour every day, attempting to use the exposure of the Z152 underground base and the Golden Finch coup to demean the Royal Family as inactive and obsessing over entertainment.

However, the negative voices were gradually covered by positive ones, showing a trend of public opinion being suppressed.

Military Headquarters, Meng Jian’s Office.

Listening to his adjutant’s report, Meng Jian had a gloomy expression, the feeling of his power falling short becoming increasingly intense.

In the past, with just a slight push, scandals involving the Royal Family would fly all over the place. But now, even after exhausting all efforts to guide public opinion, this ship of public opinion seemed to have gained a mind of its own, increasingly refusing to follow his directions.

Meng Jian: “Go check if the Royal Family is doing something behind the scenes.”

The adjutant spoke hesitatingly: “I checked. I haven’t heard any news; it might purely be due to high traffic.”

To the side, the assistant opened his terminal, looking at the statistical data on it, and reported respectfully: “His Majesty’s approval rating among young groups under the age of thirty-five exceeds 70%, while His Second Highness’s approval rating among age groups under seventy reaches as high as 79%. As long as the two appear together, they can capture the hearts of almost all age groups.”

Meng Jian: “Where did such a high approval rating come from?!”

Assistant: “His Majesty remains unmarried to this day, which is extremely attractive to the younger demographic. The reasons for His Second Highness’s popularity are somewhat more complex—young people treat him as an idol due to his strong capabilities, while middle-aged and elderly people treat him like a son or grandson, believing that he dutifully married at a young age, is devoted to his partner, and is very well-behaved and dependable. He basically appeals to all ages.”

At this point, the assistant rapidly flipped through the statistical data and continued: “However, the biggest reason among them is their handsome appearance; 85% of people selected this option in the online poll.”

It was a world that judged by looks; having a handsome face maintaining a country wasn’t just a joke.

Most people were relatively forgiving toward attractive individuals, plus the Royal Family’s recent actions were indeed easy to gain goodwill, causing their reputation to skyrocket.

Meng Jian pondered with a dark face: “Just a face; they’re not the only ones who have one.”

The assistant secretly stole a glance at Meng Jian’s face and silently lowered his head without speaking.

Meng Jian made a video call to his youngest son, Meng Zai: “Aren’t you very free? Find some attractive people in the clan recently to generate some news.”

Meng Zai: “How am I free? Three days from now is Grandfather’s birthday; I’m busy to death.”

Meng Jian: “Then have someone else do it!”

Once Meng Jian flipped his lid, Meng Zai didn’t dare to touch a sore spot at a time like this. Thinking about it, he took over the conversation: “Why don’t we wait until the day of Grandfather’s birthday banquet? A lot of beauties will be attending that day.”

Meng Jian’s motion of rolling walnuts paused slightly.

“Beauties?”

Meng Zai nodded: “Those people below, in order to rise in position, send large numbers of beauties over every year, more than the guards on duty.”

Meng Jian continued rolling the walnuts: “If the Second Prince gets involved with a beauty at the cocktail party, will his approval rating still remain so solid?”

Meng Zai caught the drift and laughed out loud: “I’ll handle this matter.”

Royal Palace.

Song Jin followed Li Xiao back to the palace, but didn’t get a single moment of leisure.

Even with intentional delays, the crack-down operation on the border was coming to an end. Dragging it out further risked overdoing things. Coupled with Li Ji having returned to the palace, Song Jin had the military use an excuse to withdraw troops.

Song Jin and Li Xiao had to review large quantities of confiscated military equipment, animal feed, blood, and the like every day, terrified of missing crucial clues.

In the blink of an eye, the day of Meng Shan’s birthday arrived. In previous years, Li Ji had gone in person every time, going through the motions for a few minutes before returning.

However, this year Li Xiao didn’t plan to let Li Ji take the risk. An accident was bound to happen at this birthday banquet without exception.

There wasn’t enough time to custom-make a formal suit for the banquet, but fortunately, Song Jin’s build was similar to Li Xiao’s; adjusting Li Xiao’s formal suit slightly would make it wearable.

In the living room, Li Xiao organized the last portion of the list, raising his head to watch the palace royal tailor helping Song Jin measure his body. He lowered his head to continue organizing data, and within a minute, raised his head to look again.

After repeating this dozens of times, the tailor felt like he was being stared at with needles at his back, bowing fearfully to Li Xiao: “Do you feel there is anything inappropriate?”

Li Xiao spoke calmly: “How are the measurements?”

Tailor: “Other areas only need slight adjustments. Relatively speaking, the waistline needs to be taken in much more.”

Li Xiao’s gaze swept across Song Jin’s narrow, tight waist, his eyes drifting: “Mm.”

Tailor: “…?”

Just like that? Quite calm.

The gaze just now gave him the illusion of being locked onto by a fierce beast, making him think he had offended the Second Prince somewhere.

Song Jin: “There’s no need to alter it; it’s a hassle.”

Li Xiao: “It’s your first time attending a formal occasion; you can’t dress too casually.”

Song Jin: “I don’t mind.”

Li Xiao: “I mind.”

Once the tailor team left, Li Xiao pushed the screen away, got up, walked over, and wrapped his arms around Song Jin’s waist from behind: “The waist circumference is indeed a circle smaller than mine.”

Song Jin looked through the mirror at Li Xiao behind him: “You feel very proud?”

“A thin waist feels good to hold.” Li Xiao lowered his head to lean close to Song Jin’s neck, faintly smelling a bit of the tailor’s perfume, frowning with dissatisfaction: “Go take a shower.”

Song Jin: “What shower first thing in the morning?”

Li Xiao: “Standing here for more than half an hour just now, you must have worked up a lot of sweat, right?”

Song Jin: “What kind of fit are you throwing?”

Li Xiao: “…”

Two days later in the afternoon, Li Xiao and Song Jin attended the birthday banquet hosted by the Meng family at Lisha Castle together.

When they arrived, a considerable crowd had already gathered in the courtyard.

Song Jin swept a glance through the car window; each person looked like a jewelry display rack, wishing they could arm every single strand of hair, so much so that one would think they came to attend some jewelry fashion show.

The King’s official vehicle landed in the courtyard, and everyone looked over in unison.

The attendant opened the rear car doors, and Li Xiao and Song Jin stepped their long legs out from both sides.

Li Xiao was dressed in a minimalist black formal suit without extra decorations. His perfect body proportions combined with his upright posture made him exude a cold, elevated aesthetic beauty.

Song Jin wore a light-colored formal suit with a relatively ornate style, fully releasing his inherent flamboyance and nobility, swaying everyone’s heartstrings with every move.

Ever since returning to the palace, Li Xiao had spent very little time inside. Almost everyone present had only seen him through a screen; seeing him in person suddenly, they subconsciously held their breath, lacking even the courage to meet Li Xiao’s eyes directly.

A while back, many people in high-society circles privately questioned Li Xiao’s identity. After all, having been away from the palace for ten years, many people didn’t know of his existence at all.

But now, a single glance convinced them that this Alpha youth was absolutely royal—the difference between him and ordinary people was simply too vast.

“Forget Li Xiao, but why is that Song Jin’s aura also so strong?” someone whispered in the crowd.

“At first glance, this isn’t someone raised in an ordinary family.”

“As an Alpha, to be able to marry the Second Prince, how could he be an ordinary person?”

“But Song Jin is just a minor noble from Shengya.”

“Song Jin is truly both pure and alluring; it’s hard for the Second Prince not to like him, right?”

“Standing together, Song Jin isn’t overshadowed by the Second Prince at all, huh.”

All the attention of several high-ranking noble Omegas was drawn by Li Xiao, unable to recover their senses for a long while. Hearing the discussions of the people around them, they were very displeased.

Meng Fei thought of the conversation he had with his elder cousin two days ago, determined to win over Li Xiao.

Even without his cousin’s instructions, he intended to capture Li Xiao; an Alpha so perfect and so to his taste couldn’t possibly be found a second time.

As soon as the official vehicle flew toward the garage, Meng Fei walked toward Li Xiao holding a wine glass.

A group of people around saw this scene, thinking to themselves that indeed, many people’s target tonight was the Second Prince.

Just as Song Jin stood firm, he noticed a group of Omegas coming over from the corner of his eye. Remembering what Jiang Chi had said that afternoon, his smile grew loose and uninhibited: “The secondary wives have formed a group to come find you.”

Li Xiao was just about to take Song Jin to greet Meng Shan. Hearing this, he asked in confusion: “What secondary wives?”

Song Jin’s gaze swept across all the Omegas, the smile at the corners of his lips deepening: “All within firing range.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Why did he suddenly enter a combat-ready state?