The Silly Prince Successfully Cancels the Engagement, But the Fiancée is His Childhood Sweetheart - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Eat, Sleep, and Beat the Bad Guys

Bai Qing still lost, and Xiang Zhuo didn’t win either. Xiang Zhuo laughed and teased: “This training machine is quite interesting. Coming again tomorrow?”

Bai Qing did not hesitate: “Yes.”

He felt like he was back in the period of researching quick-strike tactics. Only combat was the sole important thing in his life, and only winning was the result he pursued.

The light in Xiang Zhuo’s eyes flashed quickly. He struggled to suppress the upward curve of his lips while swiftly hiding that brightness: “Perfect, I’ll book it again. Six o’clock tomorrow, same time?”

Bai Qing was walking out, thinking about strategy, and didn’t notice what Xiang Zhuo said, only nodding constantly.

Xiang Zhuo leaned in and asked: “It’s almost ten-thirty now. Want to go get some late-night snacks?”

Bai Qing was completely absorbed in his thoughts. He seemed to have reached a crucial point in his tactical consideration and couldn’t even spare the distraction to nod. Frowning, he walked straight out of the training ground.

Xiang Zhuo quickly chased after him, gently rested his hand on Bai Qing’s shoulder, and whispered: “This way.”

Bai Qing couldn’t figure out a way to break the deadlock no matter how hard he thought. It seemed he had to ask Ye Sheng for help. Just as he took a long breath and regained his focus, he realized the surrounding environment was completely unfamiliar.

Xiang Zhuo was watching him from across the table, his deep gaze firmly locking onto him.

Bai Qing: “This is…?”

Xiang Zhuo let out a light chuckle from his nose: “Are you hungry? I took the liberty of bringing you here for a late-night meal. The ingredients here are very fresh. Pick whatever you like. Consider it my apology, my treat.”

Bai Qing looked around and realized it was a teppanyaki restaurant.

The place was called ‘Xun Mi’ (Seek). The environment was elegant and private, the decor high-end, and the ingredients were indeed fresh and precious. To dine here, one usually had to reserve a spot at least a month in advance.

Although the Bai family controlled the lifeblood of the Eternal Empire’s military supplies and mechas, making them rich enough to rival a nation, they adhered to a principle of thrift and non-extravagance in their daily lives.

Bai Qing had never been to a place like this.

Bai Qing: “Xun Mi is notoriously hard to get a seat at, and Your Highness brought me here today. Do you… have some kind of superpower?”

Xiang Zhuo only found Bai Qing cute at this moment: “The owner of this restaurant was once a soldier in the Northwest Military. I happened to save his life when we fought space pirates, but he lost a leg and had to retire. These two seats today? I shamelessly begged him for them…”

“Is this how you talk about me when I’m not around?” A loud voice interrupted Xiang Zhuo. “Here are today’s complimentary desserts. Please enjoy, Your Highness. Do you complain about me like this every day? Even if you told me now that you wanted to eat a deep-sea spiny lobster from the Blue Flash Star, I’d immediately fly a starship out to catch it.”

Xiang Zhuo laughed and cursed: “Get lost.”

Bai Qing turned his head, observing the restaurant owner.

His skin was dark, his hands rough. He wore sunglasses and didn’t look like he belonged to high society. His left leg was a prosthetic made of precious metal. He seemed to have had poor rehabilitation, walking with a slight limp.

The owner allowed Bai Qing to look him over with confidence. He took off his sunglasses; one eye was missing the eyeball and was a prosthetic eye. He smiled, showing a row of white teeth, and his voice softened, unlike the boisterous tone he used with Xiang Zhuo: “I hope I haven’t startled you. You must be the friend His Highness often talks about?”

As he spoke, he extended a friendly hand toward Bai Qing.

Bai Qing shook his hand in return.

Xiang Zhuo felt somewhat uneasy: “That’s Jing Yu. You don’t recognize Jing Yu? This is Bai Qing, the champion of the Mecha Battle Competition.”

Xiang Zhuo’s tone carried a familiar pride when he introduced him.

The owner understood, and his voice rose again: “Why did you interrupt me? Of course, I recognize Jing Yu! I never forget a face. Isn’t this the friend you always talk about? Your dream…”

Xiang Zhuo quickly stood up and kicked the owner away: “A customer over there is calling you! What are you doing guarding us? Go attend to your business!”

The owner pouted, a large footprint on his backside, and went to serve other customers.

Xiang Zhuo cautiously looked at Bai Qing. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no unusual reaction from Bai Qing.

“You two have a good relationship,” Bai Qing said, not having much appetite, only taking a bite of the dessert in front of him.

Xiang Zhuo: “Indeed. The first three years I was in the Northwest Military were the training phase. I was only eight when I truly joined the army, and he was the only one willing to humor this little brat and play with me—Can we discuss something?”

Bai Qing looked up at him.

“In the future, could you… not call me ‘Your Highness’? We are classmates, there is no need for a special title.”

Bai Qing was stunned for a moment, then nodded: “Then what do you prefer me to call you?”

Xiang Zhuo’s ear tips were slightly red: “Just call me by my name.”

…

After finishing the late-night meal, Xiang Zhuo escorted Bai Qing home. This series of actions gave Xiang Zhuo immense inner satisfaction.

Bai Qing entered the house but found Yu Xin and Bai Jinfeng sitting on the sofa waiting for him.

Bai Qing knew he couldn’t avoid the discussion. He quietly closed the door, sat on the other side of the sofa, and softly called out: “You haven’t slept yet?”

Yu Xin asked worriedly: “Trained until so late?”

Bai Qing: “I didn’t train the whole time. I went out for a late-night meal after training.”

Bai Jinfeng cleared his throat: “Your mother and I have also seen the things on the StarNet today. Your father is not entirely sure about the true motive of these people. Whether it’s targeting you, the Bai family, or both, you won the Mecha Battle Competition and interfered with too many people’s interests. If they want revenge, this is the best opportunity.”

Bai Qing: “Dean Meng discussed it with me today. The academy will host a live broadcast of the mid-term assessment. As long as I demonstrate my strength normally during the assessment and clarify my position, as well as the academy’s, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Bai Jinfeng pondered: “Dean Meng also contacted me. This live broadcast can clarify your strength and the academy’s reputation, but one thing remains unresolved: the issue of your secondary gender.”

Bai Qing fell silent.

He actually intended to acknowledge this issue.

Initially, it was indeed his sole desire to enter the National Defense Military Academy that led him to his grandfather. His grandfather then went to Meng Yunting to confirm a few things before he was allowed to apply to the National Defense Military Academy.

Concealing his Omega identity among a group of Alphas was entirely his own stubborn decision.

Bai Jinfeng knew his son perfectly well. He adjusted his glasses: “Qingqing, this matter must never be acknowledged. Because once you show a flaw, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, it will eventually become the fatal flaw they use to attack you.”

Bai Qing looked down: “I understand. If I allow my Omega identity to continue to ferment, the academy will also be pushed to the forefront of the controversy.”

Yu Xin gently rubbed the top of Bai Qing’s head: “Qingqing, your father doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with your Omega identity, nor is he saying your decision was wrong. We need to minimize the impact right now. Dean Meng said he isn’t worried about your strength at all. The reason this public opinion has escalated so severely is because someone behind the scenes is fueling the fire, and that person holds a high status. This is the effect the mastermind deliberately wanted to achieve.”

Yu Xin stopped there, and Bai Qing completely understood.

Seeing that her obedient son understood, Yu Xin stopped nagging and said with a smile: “Hurry up and wash up and rest. You have classes tomorrow. As long as we are honorable and upright, we won’t fear those malicious attacks. You don’t need to worry about this matter; leave it to us to handle.”

After returning to his room, Bai Qing finally sorted out the situation.

There were three accusations leveled against him:

1. Faking matches in the Mecha Battle Competition.
2. Cheating on the entrance exam.
3. Concealing his Omega identity.

The first two were simple to clarify: just fight an honorable match and let everyone see his strength.

But the third one, if not handled properly, would have extremely serious consequences.

The true goal of the mastermind lay here.

Exposing Bai Qing’s concealment of his Omega identity to enter the National Defense Military Academy was ostensibly meant to attack Bai Qing and force him out of the academy. But what about the Bai family behind Bai Qing? The Bai family, deliberately committing the offense, relying on their wealth and power, disregarding the rules, and indulging Bai Qing’s antics, would be held accountable. And the National Defense Military Academy would accidentally be labeled as having lax oversight. If the higher-ups laid blame, then the Dean, Meng Yunting—Bai Changsong’s student—would be the first to suffer. Being dismissed would be a light consequence.

This move by the mastermind was one stone hitting three birds, very clever, and effectively a major purge targeting the Bai family.

This was indeed no longer a problem Bai Qing could simply solve on his own.

Bai Qing sent a message to Ye Sheng:

【BaiShu】: Who do you think would succeed the Dean if the academy’s Dean were removed?

Ye Sheng replied without hesitation:

【YeSheng】: That’s a no-brainer. It would definitely be the Vice Dean.

Bai Qing lowered his gaze and put away his communication terminal.

So that was it…