Surprise! My online crush turned out to be... - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Capital Planet is the most well-developed planet in the Empire. Whether it’s transportation or various infrastructures, it far surpasses other planets.

In these areas, the Federation and interstellar pirates can hardly match it.

Precisely because of these reasons, the Capital Planet has a large influx of people, but it’s also very difficult to settle down there permanently. Even a small place to stay requires a large amount of interstellar currency, an amount beyond the reach of ordinary people.

As a result, the social classes on the Capital Planet are extremely polarized. In areas closest to the power center, even the phrase “every inch of land is worth a fortune” doesn’t even begin to describe the value of those locations.

At this moment, the small aircraft Francis was aboard was slowly landing at a large mansion.

The Tulsi family was so distinguished by their achievements that the royal family specially gifted them a mansion closest to the palace. Not only was the environment here peaceful and tranquil, but even entering this area required rigorous security checks before being allowed. This is the Tours family’s main residence, a symbol of honor.

This is not the place they would choose for a dinner party.

A pair of military boots stepped off the aircraft.

Francis surveyed the surroundings, and two seconds later, a man in butler’s attire trotted over, attempting to take the coat draped over his arm.

“No thanks,” Francis waved, then strode towards the main residence. “What does my father want me to do?”

“I don’t know, Marshal. The general is waiting for you in the study.” Maren bowed respectfully, answering Francis’ question.

Although class hierarchy is not prevalent in the empire today, it is undeniable that it clearly exists in people’s daily lives.

Even in families like the Tours, while never explicitly stated, a hierarchy of respect and rank is established, and each adheres to its own etiquette.

Maren has worked here for ten years, never making a mistake. He knows his duties well and never overspeaks.

“Mallen, you’re still as boring as ever,” Francis chuckled. He was a similarly stern man, yet he found it strange to mock someone like him.

“I took that as a compliment, Marshal,” Mallen smiled back, ushering the man into the study. “Madame left you some dessert. I hope you’ll accept her offer later.”

Francis frowned, then pushed open the study door.

The study was quaint, the scent of ink from printed books wafting through the air. In this interstellar age of ubiquitous computers, a room like this was a true symbol of status.

“Father,” Francis nodded to the man behind the desk.

General Tours looked up at him, glaring at his son through his round eyes. He was a muscled, rugged figure, yet now, clutching a book, he was pretending to be a learned scholar. It was a bit ridiculous.

“You still remember to come back?” Tours’s tone revealed his displeasure.

“Actually, my mother and I just attended a private party she hosted.” Francis unbuttoned his sleeves, relaxing a little. “The Legion is busy. If you and Mother are free, don’t keep calling me back.”

“You’re the only one busy?” General Tours slammed the book shut with a loud bang. “If your mother wasn’t so worried about your marriage, do you think I’d want to see you?”

Francis was silent.

“Take a look at this. It lists all the children who are compatible with your age and family background. Both boys and girls. Pick one out quickly, and if you meet them, get engaged immediately.” Tours tossed a book to Francis.

Francis lowered his eyes, reading the book. “Nothing else, I’m leaving now.”

Tours looked at the book on the table and knew this boy wouldn’t obey, but he didn’t expect him to. “Stay home for one night. Your mother misses you.”

“Yes,” Francis paused, then replied softly, heading towards his bedroom.

His relationship with his father wasn’t as bad as it appeared; it was just his personality that made it difficult for him to get too close.

—

The bedroom was still furnished as it had been when he left, unchanged and dust-free. It seemed as if it was waiting for him to move in.

“Cole,” Francis called the moment he stepped through the door. Soon, the room was enveloped in a blue screen.

“Welcome home, Francis.” A cold, electronic voice echoed, and all the screens lined up before Francis.

“No need to reset. Everything will remain the same.”

“Okay.”

Cole was the mansion’s intelligent butler. Although they already had Maren, many tasks were more convenient and faster to be handled online.

Maren’s existence was more likely to address the needs of social interaction. After all, intelligent machines weren’t allowed to have emotions, nor had they developed to the point where they could.

“Francis, I’ve successfully connected to your computer, but it seems to be having problems,” Cole’s electronic voice slowly and methodically resonated, his manner of speaking remarkably similar to human conversation.

“Don’t worry about that, just connect this.” Francis powered on his makeshift computer and connected it to Cole’s. This way, all the smart devices in the house were under his control. Only the Tulse family had ultimate authority here.

“Put all your schedule for today on tomorrow, and make me a schedule for tomorrow.”

Francis changed out of his military uniform and leaned against the headboard.

“Play some music?” Cole said considerately.

“No thanks.” Francis frowned. It would be nice to go home and rest. He’d been so busy lately that he hadn’t had time to recover.

Although his strong physical fitness and mental fortitude were enough to get him through this period, he still felt a little tired when he first returned to his comfortable surroundings and relaxed both physically and mentally.

“Your health remains as good as ever, but I still recommend you relax a bit,” Cole’s voice continued. “Now, if you have nothing else to do, Cole will play the latest feline videos for you.”

Francis half-closed his eyes and nodded.

Cole’s settings were the same as they had been when he was a teenager. He had never updated them, and as he grew older, he became more and more accustomed to hiding his true self, so he never set them up again.

The screen automatically played a video of a kitten growing up, accompanied by cheerful music, which echoed throughout the bedroom.

This was also one of Francis’s hidden hobbies. He had an indescribable love for cats. He had an account on the empire’s largest pet exchange website, and had downloaded these videos from there.

Watching the video, Francis somehow remembered the hacker’s question: “Do you have any hobbies?”

He held his forehead and closed his eyes. This probably counted.

—

Shu Yang was alone, sprawled on his bed in his bedroom.

Although Chen Yi was staying at his place, much of the time, as he’d said when he first arrived, he was nowhere to be seen during the day. He could only be seen playing games in the game room at night or on rare occasions.

For Shu Yang, this wasn’t a bad thing. After all, he was a homebody, and if it weren’t for the necessary socializing, he wouldn’t leave the house for a month.

Now that he was alone at home, he felt at ease.

After chatting with his online friend Da Ge a few times, Shu Yang gave up on getting his phone repaired.

After all, meeting is fate. He and Da Ge had met in such an odd way, and they had quite a good time chatting (fog). He considered himself a person who cherished life. So, he wouldn’t easily end this unexpected connection.

Besides, it seemed that Da Ge was probably just chatting with him to relieve his loneliness. How could he bear to leave Da Ge alone?

Thinking of this, Shu Yang turned his phone to ringtone mode. Whenever his online friend sent him a message, he’d reply instantly upon hearing the notification tone.

Shu Yang casually scrolled through the chat interface, reading the chat logs and marveling at the wonders of this website.

Suddenly, a pop-up window popped up.

[The other party shared a video with you instantly. Do you want to accept it? If you don’t reply, it will be automatically accepted in 10 seconds… 10, 9, 8…]

Shu Yang’s eyes were immediately drawn to the word “instant.” He remembered that this was probably how Da Ge saw his game interface last time.

Shu Yang selected “Yes,” and the screen went black before transitioning to a short video of an animal.

A fluffy little ball gently nudged its head in its soft nest, soundly asleep. The soothing background music signaled an elegant and comfortable environment, and the kitten’s expression conveyed a sense of safety.

Shu Yang stared intently at the video, and for the first time, he realized that he might have misjudged this online friend.

Even though this guy had chatted with him online several times and sounded stiff and rigid, he’d already labeled him a serious, mature, and mature type. That wasn’t right.

Watching this video, it was clear this guy had a soft heart; otherwise, why would he be attracted to such a cute creature?

Perhaps the other person was about the same age as him?

Once this thought occurred to Shu Yang, he couldn’t control the urge to ask.

After chatting for so long, he still didn’t know what the other person was like. What a mistake.

I think the netizen, Da Ge, had also asked him who he was. What had he said? “Shu Daddy”?

Shu Yang slapped his forehead, truly impressed. He hadn’t seized such a good opportunity, instead of just making fun of people all day! Let you make fun of people!

The video ended, and no message came back from the other person. After enduring for another five minutes, Shu Yang picked up his phone and pressed the record button.

[Meow~]

Sent successfully.

Wait a minute! What’s going on? How could he possibly make such an embarrassing sound?! Shu Yang immediately long-pressed the message to recall it, but it didn’t work. Instead, he clicked on the voice message and replayed it.

A clear, mellow voice, characteristic of a boy, tickled his heart like a small hook, a gentle, yet uniquely energetic one.

Sh1t… Shu Yang stared at the two-second voice message, feeling a pang of despair.

So… gay?