Pregnant with the Empress’s Alpha Heir - Chapter 30.2

But he had another concern: “Speaking of which, if Zhipai is marrying the current Emperor  will his personal physicians attend the wedding ceremony?”

Heng Ying thought for a moment. “You mean people like Xi Shuwen?”

Gu Zhilan nodded eagerly.

Among mental domain specialists, no one didn’t admire Xi Shuwen.

Though still young, she was already the leading figure in contemporary mental domain research.

Heng Ying understood. “Ah, you want to ‘meet your idol’?”

Tilting her head in thought, she continued, “They’ll definitely attend. But with the wedding venue being so large, finding her might be difficult.”

Gu Zhilan’s mouth immediately turned downward.

“Maybe you could try getting injured at the ceremony,” Heng Ying suggested half-jokingly. “You might get taken to the royal affiliated hospital for a visit.”

But even as she said it, she laughed at herself. “Haha, just kidding. Don’t take it seriously.”

Gu Zhilan lowered his head. “Oh!.”

“Don’t worry, it’s just Xi Shuwen,” Heng Yang patted his shoulder. “I’ll ask around for you later, see if I can arrange a meeting.”

Gu Zhilan was stunned, then beamed with joy. “Really?”

“Of course,” Heng Ying smiled. “In exchange, how about giving me Yingying’s contact information?”

Gu Zhilan’s smile froze.

He couldn’t bring himself to “betray” his sister for the sake of meeting his idol, so he reluctantly said, “Then I’ll just try my luck on my own.”

Heng Ying sighed. “Oh, don’t be like that.”

She negotiated with Gu Zhilan: “If not her contact, at least tell me her likes and dislikes. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

Gu Zhilan glanced at her, carefully choosing his words before stating directly, “Yingying has a good temperament and kind heart. She gets along with almost everyone.”

“However.,  you should probably give up. You’ve noticed it yourself, she doesn’t have much fondness for Alphas like you.”

Heng Ying scoffed. “Then tell me, what should I do?”

Gu Zhilan gathered his courage. “The best thing would be for you to stay away from her.”

Defeated, Heng Ying took a large gulp of wine and let out a long sigh.

At dusk with the sky painted in rosy hues, the Heng family spacecraft landed at a private docking bay on the capital planet.

Without delay, Heng Ying escorted the Gu siblings onto a special vehicle heading to their hotel.

The hotel, located near the imperial palace, was one of Zhen Qianqiu’s properties. It had been cleared out specifically to accommodate wedding guests.

From the lobby to the corridors, wedding decorations could be seen everywhere.

What young woman doesn’t dream of romance?

As they took in the sights, Gu Yingying grew increasingly excited, unable to help but envy Yu Zhipai, who already had both a partner and children.

The three rooms were connected together. Heng Ying led each of them to their respective doors, informed them of the departure time for the palace the next day, and then left directly.

Gu Yingying returned to her room to pack her belongings while discussing with Gu Zhilan via her neural communicator about going out to explore.

Their time on the capital planet was limited they would attend the wedding ceremony tomorrow and depart the afternoon after, leaving little room for leisure.

With no other plans for the evening, they decided to explore the nearby area.

After freshening up, the siblings slipped out of the hotel in search of food.

The atmosphere of the capital planet was vastly different from that of the academic star.

The academic star earned its name from its numerous schools, catering mostly to students with affordable prices and modest offerings.

In contrast, the upper district of the capital planet represented the empire’s highest standards even ordinary dishes at restaurants came with hefty price tags.

In the end, the two settled for the complimentary buffet at their hotel before heading to a nearby science museum, where they spent several hours.

Mindful of the early start for the wedding ceremony the next day, they returned to the hotel by around 10:30 p.m.

But in the hotel lobby, Gu Zhilan’s sharp eyes caught sight of a familiar figure.

He escorted Gu Yingying to the elevator. “Yingying, go ahead. I think I just saw Professor Xi, I want to check.”

Gu Yingying asked, “Do you want me to come with you?”

Gu Zhilan, excited, shook his head. “No need, you’re not in medicine anyway. Don’t worry, I’ll just take a look and come back. You go ahead.”

Understanding, Gu Yingying nodded and entered the elevator alone.

As soon as the doors closed, she wrinkled her nose.

Oddly, the elevator carried a faint trace of alcohol as if the previous passengers had been a group of drunks.

The thought crossed her mind, but she dismissed it.

However, when she reached her room, she found three Alphas blocking her door.

Two male Alphas stood in front of it, while a long-haired, presumably female Alpha slumped drunkenly in the hallway.

A blond male Alpha held a keycard against the scanner, baffled by the persistent red beeps of denial.

“Huh? Why won’t it open?”

Gu Yingying quickly guessed they had the wrong room.

The hotel was high-end with strong security, so she gathered her courage and approached.

“Excuse me, are you at the wrong door?” She pointed. “This is Room 512, my room.”

“Your room?” The blond Alpha turned, then smirked. “Oh, little beauty. No way this is yours. Do you even know who stays here?”

His companion slung an arm over his shoulder. “Must be your lover’s room, eh?” He nudged the blond. “Heng Ying’s got a type, huh? Maybe she brought someone along for the wedding.”

The two exchanged glances and burst into raucous laughter.

Gu Yingying’s temper flared.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but step aside now!”

“Oho, feisty!” The blond Alpha moved closer. “She likes your kind now?”

As he spoke, he reached out, attempting to tilt her chin up.

At the same time, the scent of male Alpha pheromones thickened in the air, overpowering even the lingering alcohol.

Gu Yingying frowned and stepped back, “I have my room key. If you keep this up, I’ll call security.”

The two men were completely unfazed.

Dressed in expensive attire, they clearly had status and didn’t care about her threats. “Go ahead, call them,” one sneered. “What’s the big deal? My buddy and I just want to have some fun with his little sweetheart.”

The blond Alpha cut in bluntly, “Stop pretending. Isn’t pleasing us better than sucking up to that bastard Heng Ying?”

Staggering forward, they closed in on her from both sides.

Gu Yingying didn’t hesitate, she immediately bolted toward the elevator.

But she hadn’t run far when an unusual commotion erupted behind her.

Hesitating, she turned back and saw the two thuggish Alphas who had been chasing her now groaning on the floor.

Only then did she notice that the person who had been slumped drunkenly on the ground earlier was none other than Heng Ying.

At some point, she had gotten up and beaten the two harassers into submission.

Between punches, she scolded them, “What the hell are you spouting? Filthy mouths, filthy mouths can’t spit out ivory. You two just need a good beating.”

The drunk male Alphas could only flail their scrawny arms and wail pitifully.

Gu Yingying cautiously took a few steps back toward her.

“Miss Heng,  Heng
Heng Ying swayed, rubbing her dizzy head. “I’m fine.”

She glanced around dazedly, steadying herself as she stood. “Sorry, I think. I might’ve given them the wrong room number.”

Picking up the blond Alpha’s keycard, she swiped it at her own room, 510, and the door clicked open.

Gu Yingying exhaled in relief.

Despite the chaos, it seemed the danger had passed.

She stepped over the two Alphas sprawled on the floor and headed for her room.

But before she could unlock her door, Heng Ying, who had been leaning against 510, suddenly shuddered violently.

Stumbling inside, the sound of retching soon echoed from the room.

Gu Yingying stood frozen outside her door for a long moment.

After a pause, she sighed and resignedly walked to 510.

The room layout was identical to hers, so she easily found the disoriented Heng Ying in the bathroom.

“Miss Heng, do you need help?”

No matter what, Heng Ying had been the one who drove them all the way to the capital planet without complaint. Seeing her in this state, Gu Yingying couldn’t just walk away.

And besides.

She had just taken down those two Alpha creeps outside!

Heng Ying weakly murmured, “Water,  water.”

Gu Yingying helped her to the living room and handed her a glass. “Here.”

As Heng Ying’s condition stabilized slightly, she couldn’t help but ask, “The wedding ceremony is tomorrow. Why did you drink so much?”

Heng Ying mumbled, “If it weren’t for the ceremony, those bastards probably would’ve drunk me to death.”

She had been studying on the academic planet and rarely visited the capital. Now that she was back, all her old troublemaker friends had come crawling out of the woodwork.

She hadn’t refused, she drank with them until she was wasted.

Gu Yingying sighed. “You should take a shower and rest early.

“Otherwise, you’ll be late tomorrow. And the consequences of missing the Emperor’s wedding, you know better than I do, right?”

Heng Ying gave a bitter smile. “How am I supposed to wash up like this?”

Her original intention was to sit and sober up a bit before going. But with Gu Yingying present, she couldn’t resist teasing: “Hey Yingying, why don’t you help me out?”

Blushing at her provocation, Gu Yingying huffed, “I-I’m not helping you!”

“Oh really?” Heng Ying chuckled, watching her. “I think you’re just soft-hearted. Otherwise you’d have fled back to your room already.”

Heng Ying was quite attractive to begin with, and now with her drunken flush under the lamplight, she looked utterly bewitching.

Gu Yingying’s face burned crimson. Before she realized it, she’d unconsciously swallowed hard.

Then, mortified, she snapped, “Figure it out yourself! I’m leaving!” With that, she stormed out of Room 510 and slammed her own door shut behind her.

The loud bang made Heng Ying startle slightly. Pressing a finger to the tip of her nose, she let out a quiet laugh.

In what felt like no time, the wedding day arrived.

Despite having memorized the ceremony procedures beforehand, Yu Zhitao couldn’t help mentally complaining about the exhaustion.

The Huaqi Empire’s long history meant each planet had developed its own customs, with the imperial rituals being the most elaborate of all.

Since yesterday evening, she and Zhen Qianqiu had been forcibly separated to undergo their respective Emperor and Empress ceremonies independently.

According to the schedule Yu Zhitao had seen, they wouldn’t reunite until this evening before the wedding banquet, when they’d ride the floral carriage together to the venue.

Yet ironically, based on the arrangements, Zhen Qianqiu was currently just on the other side of a thin wall.

The third-floor lounge of the grand hall had been divided, she was on this side, Zhen Qianqiu on the other.

Rong Yixuan brought some pastries with a few attendants to tide her over before leaving with the others.

As Yu Zhitao nibbled, she suddenly noticed Xiao Jiu peeking in through the doorway, the white lace ribbon around its neck distinctive. She immediately beckoned to it.

The clever cat padded over silently and jumped up beside her, sniffing at the pastry in her hand.

Yu Zhitao quickly pulled it away. “No, you can’t have this.”

Xiao Jiu gave a disdainful “meow” and began licking its paw instead.

An idea struck her. “Do you know where Ah Jiu is?”

Xiao Jiu glanced at her and meowed again.

Her eyes lit up. “How about this, you deliver something for me, and later I’ll let you taste the pastry, deal?” Without waiting to see if the cat understood, she sprang into action.

She simply wanted to talk to Zhen Qianqiu, but their smart devices had been confiscated for the ceremony. Left with no alternatives, she’d come up with this “flying cat messenger” scheme.

Finding paper and pen in the room, she wrote “Ah Jiu, what are you doing?” in large characters, folded it, and tucked it into the ribbon around Xiao Jiu’s neck.

The foreign object made the cat squirm uncomfortably at first, but it soon adjusted. Yu Zhitao gave its little rear a nudge. “Go find Ah Jiu and give this to her.”

With another meow, Xiao Jiu darted out the door.

By now, nearly everyone in the palace knew this white cat belonged to the Emperor and Empress. Xiao Jiu could generally roam the palace grounds as it pleased.

So, Yu Zhitao didn’t need to worry about its safety.

Her heart began to race as she started doubting whether her plan was a bit foolish and worrying if Zhen Qianqiu would actually receive the note.

After about five minutes, Xiao Jiu reappeared at the door.

Unable to wait any longer, Yu Zhitao walked over herself and scooped the cat into her arms.

Returning to her chair, she removed the note from Xiao Jiu’s collar.

The note was new, and the words on it had changed, Yu Zhitao was overjoyed beyond words.

She recognized Zhen Qianqiu’s handwriting at a glance.

[“Same as you, waiting for the afternoon celebration to begin.”]

[“How are you? Bored?”]

Yu Zhitao thought for a moment before tearing off another piece of paper.

She had originally planned to write “I’m fine,” but when it came time to put pen to paper, her thoughts shifted.

After dawdling for two minutes, she wrote on the note.

[“I just miss you.”]

Xiao Jiu seemed to have fully accepted its role as a messenger cat, this time, the note was tucked in even more smoothly.

Without the slightest hesitation, the moment Yu Zhitao finished, it sauntered out with feline grace.

The guards and maids outside watched as it strutted back and forth between the two lounges.

It wasn’t that no one noticed the oddity around its neck, the real issue was that no one dared to interfere with the Emperor and Empress’s beloved pet at such a time.

Everyone tacitly chose to turn a blind eye.

Clearly, this approach was ill-advised, and soon, they would come to regret it.

Meanwhile, after waiting a few minutes, Yu Zhitao received another “reply” from Zhen Qianqiu.

But this time, the note’s contents were quite peculiar.

[“Come to the windowsill.”]

Yu Zhitao froze for a second before hastily standing up, lifting her skirts as she hurried toward the windowsill.

Only then did she realize that the windowsills of the two lounges were adjacent.

Unfortunately, due to the walls and angles, no matter how much she craned her neck, she couldn’t see into the neighboring windowsill.

After confirming her limited view, Yu Zhitao tentatively called out, “Ah Jiu?”

The next second, the voice she longed for came from next door: “Mm, I’m here.”

“Phew!.” Yu Zhitao fanned herself with her hand. “I never expected there’d be a little ‘bug’ here, letting us meet like this.”

A low chuckle came from Zhen Qianqiu.

She asked, “Have you already started missing me after such a short time apart?”

Yu Zhitao’s face flushed. “N-no, is that not allowed?”

Zhen Qianqiu’s voice was tender. “Of course it is. Because…

“Ever since last night, my mind has been completely filled with thoughts of you.”

She rarely spoke such sweet words, so whenever one or two slipped out, they were enough to make Yu Zhitao blush and her heart race for a long time.

Yu Zhitao coughed lightly and said, “I-it’s just a bit of a shame we still can’t see each other.”

After a pause, Zhen Qianqiu spoke again.

“Zhitao, step back a little.”

“Huh?” Yu Zhitao was puzzled but instinctively took two steps back. “I did. What’s wrong?”

There was no response from next door.

But Yu Zhitao didn’t need Zhen Qianqiu to explain because the next moment, she saw the hem of Zhen Qianqiu’s wedding gown appear on the neighboring windowsill!

Zhen Qianqiu had climbed onto the windowsill!

Yu Zhitao was nearly speechless.

Below, the stationed guards noticed as well, led by Zhen Qianqiu’s deputy, Wan Qing.

At that moment, she spotted the Empress attempting her “prison break.”

Wan Qing panicked.

“Your Majesty, that’s the fifth floor! Be careful!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly realized.

Wait, no. A five-story height was nothing to Zhen Qianqiu, who had been on the battlefield!

Snapping back to her senses, she corrected herself, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, go back!

“According to wedding traditions, you and the Empress can’t meet before the banquet!”

The commotion drew the attention of the crowd below, and all eyes turned upward.

Under their collective gaze, Zhen Qianqiu kicked off her cumbersome high heels, tossing them back into the room.

Then, with a nimble leap, she landed precisely on the windowsill of Yu Zhitao’s room.

Only then did Yu Zhitao regain her voice.

“Ah Jiu,  Y-you, that was too dangerous!”

“Not dangerous at all,” Zhen Qianqiu said as she stepped down from the sill and closed the distance between them in a few strides.

Lifting Yu Zhitao’s veil, she pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

“You missed me too, so now, the bride gets to kiss the bride early.”

Yu Zhitao’s heartbeat quickened. Blushing, she closed her eyes in Zhen Qianqiu’s embrace.

Her silent consent was unmistakable.

Zhen Qianqiu leaned in slowly, brushing feather-light kisses over her brows, the tip of her nose, and finally her lips.

Downstairs, a staff member in charge of the ceremony hurried over to Wan Qing and urged, “Deputy Wan, send someone up immediately to bring Her Majesty back!”

Wan Qing massaged her temples, exasperated.

Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile. “Apologies. Of course, we must bring her back!

“Just give me a moment. Wait another two no, five minutes. We’ll go up right away!”