EXTRAS

Chapter 100: Extra 1: Intergalactic Diplomat

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

After Lu Zexuan successfully proposed, he brought Xie Ran to a high-end villa community in the capital star. Xie Ran asked puzzledly, “Aren’t we spiritually connected? Why are there still so many secrets?”

Lu Zexuan replied, “You’ve been too busy lately, neglecting me. So, I prepared a surprise for you behind your back.”

The two arrived at a four-story villa, and Lu Zexuan opened the door, leading Xie Ran inside.

The house was decorated very warmly, with a spacious and bright living and dining room and a gym on the first floor. The second floor had three independent rooms that could be decorated according to their preferences. The entire third floor was the master bedroom, and the fourth floor was a terrace where they could enjoy the breeze in the summer and see the brilliant starry sky.

Xie Ran rode the elevator to explore the villa and finally arrived at the terrace, enjoying the comfortable night breeze. He asked, “Is this the house you bought?” 

Lu Zexuan smiled and said, “It’s our wedding house.”

Xie Ran was stunned and looked at Lu Zexuan in disbelief. “You prepared the wedding house so early?”

Lu Zexuan said, “Yes, it’s close to where we work, a place exclusively for the two of us. After we get married, we’ll live here. I’ll cook for you every night when we come home. During leisure time, we can plant some flowers and plants in the yard, or have tea on the terrace and chat.”

During this time, Xie Ran was busy dealing with the Fox Legion’s affairs and didn’t pay much attention to Lu Zexuan. He didn’t expect Lu Zexuan to buy a wedding house ahead of time. He had prepared everything so thoughtfully.

Feeling warm in his heart, Xie Ran gently hugged the man in front of him and said, “Thank you. It must have taken a lot of effort to choose this house, right?”

Lu Zexuan softly replied, “It’s nothing.”

White Eagle and the two foxes played in the yard and were very satisfied with their new home. This was their own little world.

The two embraced on the terrace for a long time before Xie Ran let go and asked, “When do you plan to get married?”

Although he also wanted to move into this new home with Lu Zexuan, the thought of his aunt made Xie Ran feel uncomfortable.

Sensing his complex emotions, Lu Zexuan whispered, “No rush. I really want to be with you, but you’ve been separated from your family for too long. These years, living as Yu Ran, unable to return home, unable to reunite with your relatives, you must miss your aunt and grandfather a lot. So, I think you should spend some time with your family first. We can have the wedding in a few years.”

Lu Zexuan’s thoughtfulness left Xie Ran at a loss for words. He had been away from the Xie family for a full six years, reunited with his aunt for less than 60 days. If they rushed into marriage, wouldn’t his aunt be very sad? His aunt had raised him since he was young, often playing with him and taking care of his daily life, she was his most precious relative.

In the years since his parents passed away, his aunt took on the role of legion commander at a young age, enduring so much pressure. Now that they were finally reunited, he wanted to spend more time with his aunt. Fortunately, Lu Zexuan could understand and voluntarily suggested postponing the wedding.

Xie Ran softly said, “Let’s have the wedding in two years. Can you wait?”

Lu Zexuan gently stroked Xie Ran’s hair. “As long as you need.”

Compared to the full six years of separation from his relatives as Yu Ran, what were two more years? Besides, they weren’t completely apart; they both worked on the capital star and could see each other anytime. This wedding house would be empty for now, but one day they would move in together and stay with each other.

Xie Ran returned to the Xie family. Seeing him, Xie Chen breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “Ranrran, did you spend so long dining with Lu Zexuan?”

She probably had the mindset of “parents worrying when their child goes out on a date,” right? She had been waiting in the living room for Xie Ran to come back.

Xie Ran sat down beside her and whispered, “Auntie, Lu Zexuan proposed to me.”

Xie Chen’s spine instantly tensed up. She had long noticed the deep bond between Lu Zexuan and RanRan. During the attack by the tendrils monster, Lu Zexuan even risked his life to protect him. Moreover, they had long been spiritually connected, so the proposal seemed like a natural progression. Her voice was somewhat strained as she asked, “Did you… accept?”

Xie Ran nodded, “Yes.”

Xie Chen’s expression froze. The feeling of reluctance and entanglement, like “our child being taken away,” was clearly perceived by Xie Ran.

Xie Ran smiled and held her hand, saying, “Auntie, don’t worry. I just accepted his proposal and gave him a clear answer. We don’t plan to rush into preparing for the wedding. Firstly, we’re still young, and I’ve just taken on the role of the Fox Legion commander, so there’s a lot of work to handle. Secondly, I’ve been separated from Grandpa and Auntie for so many years, I’ve missed you both a lot, and I hope to have more time to spend with my family.”

Hearing this, Xie Chen finally relaxed. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she choked out, “Auntie isn’t trying to stop you from being with Lu Zexuan, it’s just… really hard to let you go. These years, I thought you were dead, often dreaming of you…”

Xie Ran turned around and gently hugged her. “I know. I’m still alive, Auntie. Ranran has come back.”

Xie Chen held him tightly. When Xie Ran was young, his parents were busy with work, so Auntie spent more time with him, often holding him and telling him interesting stories, taking him to amusement parks. His feelings for Auntie were deep, and he liked to confide in her. Back then, they all lived in the Xie family, with Grandpa still alive. They used to gather together for hotpot on weekends, creating a warm and lively atmosphere.

Now, only Auntie was left in the Xie family. How could he bear to leave so soon?

After a long while, Xie Chen finally let go of him and said softly, “Ranran, it’s good that you’re back. This place will always be your home. Your bedroom, I’ve been having it cleaned regularly all these years, it hasn’t changed much. That tree in the garden has grown quite tall. I remember, it was your father who planted it with you back then.”

“Yeah, I haven’t forgotten anything here.” Xie Ran placed a pastry on the table and said, “Auntie, have some food. I bought your favorite snacks.”

Looking at the familiar petal logo on the packaging, Xie Chen’s eyes welled up with sourness. Ranran even remembered the name of the dessert shop she loved the most and specially brought back some snacks for her.

Xie Chen couldn’t be happier. Regaining what was lost is truly the most beautiful thing in the world.

***

Xie Ran moved back to the Xie family home, and Marshal Qin Xiao would often come over as a guest. While both elders were usually busy with work, during their rest time, they would find ways to cook delicious meals for Xie Ran. They set up the hotpot in the yard again, just like years ago, the three of them sitting together, enjoying the hotpot.

The tree that his father planted grew even more lush. Whenever Xie Ran stood under the tree, looking at the blooming flowers, he felt a sense of nostalgia. What would life be like if everything hadn’t happened, if his parents were still here? He couldn’t witness it with his own eyes. He could only try to outline such beauty in his dreams.

Time passed quickly. Auntie was promoted to the rank of Marshal, on par with General Lu Tingyu. General Lu Tingyu had too much leisure time during his time on Red Spider Planet. After returning, he wanted to retire early and go back to raise chickens and vegetables. However, there was no precedent for early retirement for those with good health in the Federation. Furthermore, if he retired, Lu Zexuan would face too much pressure.

So, Lu Tingyu reluctantly returned to the Eagle Legion and resumed his position as Legion Commander.

After Lu Cheng’an fully recovered, he chose to continue leading the Eagle Special Forces, and he and Mohr returned to the Eagle starship.

As a result, Lu Zexuan found himself with some free time. Coincidentally, the Fox Legion publicly recruited a sentinel special forces team responsible for protecting the safety of guides during interstellar travel. Guides had strong mental energy but were far less combat-effective than sentinels. Especially when facing high-intelligence creatures that attacked, they might be killed by monsters before they even connected to the opponent’s brain for communication.

So, it was necessary for a powerful sentinel force to escort the guides during their travels. The recruitment information from the Fox Legion immediately attracted the attention of many sentinels. Many people came to sign up.

One reason was that Xie Ran was the Federation’s first dual-spirit body guide and had destroyed the consciousness of the alien monsters in the great battle, earning the highest merit medal. He was the idol of countless sentinels. Secondly, the Fox Legion had the largest number of guides among all legions in the Federation. Sentinels naturally wanted to serve in legions with more guides, and who knows, maybe they could also solve their lifelong issues along the way.

With so many applicants, Xie Ran found himself overwhelmed with paperwork. After careful selection, Xie Ran admitted 100 outstanding A-grade or above sentinels to the final interview stage. However, on the day of the interviews, the sudden appearance of a military officer caught everyone’s attention.

The sentinels whispered, “Why is General Lu here?”

“Is he here to discuss matters with General Xie?”

“Look at his uniform, it has the Fox Legion emblem! He must be the legendary vice legion commander who parachuted in!”

Inside the meeting room, Xie Ran looked at Lu Zexuan, who had changed into a different attire, and said helplessly, “Why did you have to apply to transfer to my department, even getting the Marshal’s approval?”

Lu Zexuan said seriously, “The Fox Legion openly recruits sentinel special forces teams. I’ve led teams for many years and have extensive experience in fighting against alien creatures. I can handle various emergencies. I’m qualified to be the team leader, protecting your safety, so the Marshal approved my transfer.”

Xie Ran thought, “You’re unbelievable. You could have remained the Commander of the Eagle Legion, and you even called Dad back to the office. Yet here you are, applying to join the Fox Legion?”

Seeing Xie Ran’s cold gaze, Lu Zexuan immediately changed his tone, “Ahem, actually, it’s because I’m used to leading teams on missions. Sitting in the office all day reading documents is really boring. Since Father is back to being the commander, I thought I’d stay by your side.”

Staying by your side, that’s the key. Feeling his thoughts, Xie Ran’s heart warmed, and he said, “Alright, we do have a better chance of success traveling to alien planets together. Since the Marshal has approved your transfer, I won’t say anything more.” He reached out his hand to Lu Zexuan and smiled, “Lieutenant General Lu Zexuan, welcome to the Fox Legion.”

Lu Zexuan also smiled slightly and shook Xie Ran’s hand. At that moment, both of them recalled the past. When Xie Ran gained Lu Zexuan’s trust by posing as a Class C guide, Lu Zexuan had extended his hand in the same way, welcoming him to the Eagle Legion. Now, it was Xie Ran who said those words.

The two young men became the first and deputy commanders of the special diplomatic envoy in Federation history. Their uniforms changed color, and their ranks rose to Lieutenant General. What remained unchanged was their tacit understanding of protecting each other and their initial intentions as soldiers. From then on, they would continue to fight side by side.

As representatives of sentinels and guides in the human diplomatic corps, they would visit various planets together, experiencing different and exciting lives.