Paranoid Alpha Chapter 41: Meeting

Chapter 41: Meeting

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai

Lyss blinked incessantly as he stared at the terminal, as if his ability to think had been snatched away in that moment.

Lu Xingye isn’t dead… so why hasn’t he come to find me? Has he encountered some difficulties? Or… does he not remember him anymore?

For five years, Lyss had never squarely faced this question. Occasionally, on sleepless nights, he would suddenly recall the words Lu Xingye had said back then.

“My mother… just went to a faraway place,” the young wolf had stubbornly asserted. “I’ll find her.”

He was well aware of how slim the chances were, but that slim chance became one of the few hopes of his youth, supporting him until he met Lyss and he encountered the second light in his life.

On the day that he witnessed his mother’s corpse with his own eyes and was simultaneously ruthlessly abandoned by his “master,” the few lights he had had were extinguished. As Lu Jin’s son, he ultimately chose the same path as his mother had taken years ago.

Lyss suddenly remembered that five years ago, it seemed like he himself had told Lu Xingye that he didn’t want him anymore.

He hurt the young wolf’s heart, making him unwilling to come home even if he hadn’t died.

His mind went blank, and it felt like something had veiled his senses.

After a while, Lyss finally heard a slightly anxious voice in his ear, “Mommy…?”

Lyss abruptly came to his senses, meeting his daughter’s worried gaze as he looked up. He opened his mouth but couldn’t speak, only then feeling the dryness in his throat and the pounding of his heart in his chest.

Lin Lang, sensing his unease, grew more worried. Lyss took a deep breath and replied, “Indeed, very handsome.”

Pelé stood at the door, uncertain whether to leave or stay, sensing that something was about to happen but unable to grasp it.

Lyss soon composed himself, got up, and casually escorted Pelé to the door.

“You’ve worked hard,” Lyss said.

“Not at all,” Pelé responded sincerely, “If you need anything, feel free to call on me.”

Lyss’s mind was filled with thoughts of the person he hadn’t seen in five years. Hearing Pelé’s words, he politely nodded, “Alright.”

After seeing Pelé off, Lyss absentmindedly turned around. Lin Lang sat joyfully on the couch, engrossed in looking at a handsome man in a new magazine, Lu Xingye seemingly forgotten.

Lyss sat silently on the couch, lifting his daughter into his arms. Lin Lang pointed sweetly to a Beta in the picture, “Mommy, is he handsome?”

“Handsome,” Lyss replied, “but not as handsome as just now.”

He was too timid to even glance at that person except under the guise of his daughter.

The little girl, unaware of Lyss’s inner conflict, nodded in agreement, “Seems like it.”

She then flipped the electronic magazine back to a previous page, and the familiar face unexpectedly caught Lyss’s eye, causing his heart to leap.

Lin Lang seemed to be saying something excitedly, but Lyss didn’t register any of it.

After a while, he reluctantly came back to reality and noticed the timestamp on the magazine’s top right corner – published at exactly eight o’clock this morning.

With the few shreds of reasoning he had, Lyss speculated: the publication time was too recent to expect Lillia to have seen him… perhaps that’s why she hadn’t informed him promptly.

The few people who knew Lu Xingye vaguely understood that this young and handsome alpha was taboo for Lyss. Hence, few dared to touch upon the matter concerning Lyss at headquarters.

This incident evidently wasn’t just about Lyss’s private affairs. Consequently, not long after, Lillia still sent the message to Lyss’s terminal.

The content wasn’t much, just the news of the return of the Empire’s sixth prince and a notification to Lyss, with a mention of a possible Empire banquet. Lillia deliberately avoided mentioning Lu Xingye’s name as she didn’t know what had happened between Lyss and Lu Xingye, intentionally avoiding it.

Lyss remained silent, staring at the terminal, while Lin Lang, unaware, leaned against him, holding her small terminal and reading the magazine.

After a long time, Lyss replied with a simple, “Understood.”

Three simple words, yet they made Lyss feel as though all his strength had been drained.

Setting the terminal aside, Lyss lowered his gaze and absentmindedly pinched his daughter’s ear. Lin Lang looked up at him, puzzled, “…Mommy?”

“In a few days, I might have to attend a banquet in the Empire,” Lyss ruffled the little girl’s hair, “Would you like to come?”

Lin Lang was too young; usually, Lyss only took her to events within the Federation, hardly ever outside it. But this time was different. Reason told Lyss that, considering the uncertain situation of Lu Xingye and his memory, he should arrange an accompanying person according to the diplomatic relations between the Federation and the Empire. But emotions made Lyss unable to resist wanting to bring Lin Lang along, as if to show that person the daughter he hadn’t had the chance to see back then.

Lin Lang had no idea about Lyss’s complex feelings. All she knew was that her mommy finally agreed to take her outside the Federation, and her eyes immediately lit up. She exclaimed excitedly, “Yes!”

Lyss’s gaze softened, “Alright.”

After hearing this news, the little girl was excited, humming a song while playing with the terminal. Lyss, who had promised his daughter, fell into contemplation at the words.

While his overactive brain cooled down a bit, another matter worth pondering emerged. Five years had left no trace on Lu Xingye’s appearance. Apart from his temperament seemingly changing a lot, his appearance remained unbelievably youthful. Moreover, since when did the Empire have a sixth prince? No news whatsoever had come from the Empire; what were they planning? And how did Lu Xingye survive in such a situation?

Even after evaluating the situation to this extent, there was one question that Lyss never considered: Was this person really his little wolf?

Although interstellar regions prohibited cloning, genetic modification, and related research, in some unseen places, such research still persisted. With the Empire’s power, involvement in such research was not an implausible matter.

As the Chief of Triss, Lyss was well aware of all this, but he unconsciously ignored this major possibility. Perhaps this was the greatest difference between humans and machines—excessive pain made people unwilling to consider certain possibilities.

Yet, as the Chief of Triss, personal matters could be overlooked, but matters concerning the federation could not be ignored. Lyss thought coldly that the Empire had been declining in recent years, and this matter had to be prevented, especially since he intended to attend the banquet with Lin Lang.

The next day was a workday, and the Empire sent an invitation, explicitly including not only Lyss but also his daughter Lin Lang.

Seeing this invitation, Lyss’s gaze involuntarily turned colder. As he had expected when he was pregnant five years ago, many people wanted to use Lin Lang for various purposes. Although none of the plans had materialized, there had been numerous covert actions.

Lyss never did things without certainty. Since he had decided to give birth to this daughter, he would not allow anyone to threaten the child.

Lin Lang’s name was on the invitation. This was a trivial matter, but behind it hid implicit meanings. The worst speculation was that the Empire, ignorant of its limits, wanted to control him. The best speculation was… someone wanted to see her.

Lyss lowered his gaze, pondering for a long time. Finally, in a concise and official tone, he sent an affirmative reply through the star mail.

With ten days left before the evening banquet, time suddenly became lengthy. Lyss unconsciously looked in the mirror, watching himself seemingly unchanged. He didn’t know what he was thinking.

A week later, early in the morning, the starship set sail right on schedule.

Lin Lang even sat up straighter in her new dress. Lyss, seeing his daughter standing proudly, resembling a proud little wolf, couldn’t help but smile and create ripples in his heart.

Lyss turned his head to look out the window. He was about to meet that person, yet he couldn’t help but feel a slight tremor inside.

Perhaps this was the so-called shyness of returning to one’s hometown.

After landing, Lyss did not see the person he wanted to see. The Empire sent the Prime Minister and the Fourth Prince.

Lyss handled the media and the Empire’s people with a cold but courteous attitude, wasting the afternoon on cumbersome formalities. Lyss appeared calm and composed, only Lin Lang could sense that his mind was elsewhere.

Night finally fell, and a splendid red carpet stretched from the palace door to a hundred meters away. Petals fell, and brilliant fireworks burst in the night.

Countless media with terminals crowded on both sides of the road. The declining Empire seemed to temporarily regain its past glory due to the return of a prince.

The protagonist of the banquet, dressed in black and gold military uniform, stood at the palace gate, welcoming the guests with the Empire’s Prime Minister.

Numerous cameras wished to capture every detail of his face, but Lu Xingye, the seemingly dignified Sixth Prince, looked a little impatient.

He wore a smile on his face, but his heart seemed to be soaked in poisonous water, causing a sharp pain.

When can I see him? Lu Xingye thought so on the highly anticipated red carpet.

The voice of the announcer suddenly rang out, “Sheng Dan——President Feng Man.”

Feng Man nervously walked on the red carpet. When he really saw that familiar face, his heart almost jumped out.

“Good evening, Mr. President,” said Shaya, the Prime Minister of the Empire, with a polite smile.

“Good evening,” the black wolf alpha, who seemed to have just recovered from something, looked at him with a pair of black eyes. “Mr. Feng Man.”

Feng Man’s face carried a subtle and pale complexion. Is it really him, the alpha who was with Lyss five years ago? Feng Man couldn’t help but worry. Is the Empire planning to join forces with Triss? Will my matters be exposed by the two of them?

While Feng Man was worrying about his own affairs, the black wolf alpha did not pay attention to him. Instead, he turned to look at the end of the red carpet, his eyes deep with a hint of darkness, as if harboring a storm in the Starfall Sea.

“Mr. President,” the guide reminded him in a low voice.

Feng Man quickly regained his composure, awkwardly smiled, and then walked towards the banquet hall.

The order of entry was based on the importance of each country. Serica had never liked attending such occasions. Eventually, Triss, with its strength comparable to the Empire, became the final entry.

The entrance ceremony was extremely long. While it might be an exciting showcase opportunity for others, for Lu Xingye, it was too boring.

He absentmindedly licked his fangs, no longer showing the green in his black eyes. Why was he at the back? Babysitting his daughter?

Thinking of this, Lu Xingye’s face suddenly darkened.

Thinking of this, Lu Xingye’s face darkened completely under the bright lights, and time passed like flowing water.

Lyss stood quietly in place, waiting. Lin Lang felt a bit hungry and was holding a cake. After a few bites, seeing Lyss was absent-minded, she subconsciously tried to attract his attention.

“Daddy, want some cake?” she asked.

Lyss snapped out of it, unable to dismiss his daughter’s kindness. He quickly bent down. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

But just as the cake reached his mouth, the usher hurriedly said, “It’s your turn.”

After taking a bite of the cake, Lyss said to his daughter in a gentle voice, “Let’s save the rest for later.”

Flowers and lights surrounded the omega as they walked down the red carpet. The scene resembled a beautiful deity leading a cute little girl.

The cameras wanted to get closer, but Lyss remained calm and composed, seemingly used to this.

Only Lin Lang could feel that her mommy’s hand was trembling as it held hers.

Crossing the hundred-meter red carpet seemed to take longer than a century. As they gradually advanced, Lyss clearly saw the alpha in black and gold military uniform slowly appearing before him.

Breathing suddenly became difficult for Lyss. Why did his eyes turn black?

Yet, the other party seemed entirely unaffected, not even recognizing him.

“Good evening, Chief, Mr. Silverfang,” Shaya greeted.

Lyss was about to speak when he heard a familiar voice, “Good evening, Mr. Silverfang.”

Addressing someone by their name during a first meeting wasn’t very polite. Lyss’s lashes fluttered slightly as he turned to the pair of eyes that seemed to contain an entire starry sea of darkness. “Good evening, Your Highness.”

The two quietly locked eyes for three seconds, no one speaking. It seemed as if time had frozen.

Until Shaya lowered her head and greeted Lin Lang, “Good evening, Miss Lin Lang.”

Remembering the introduction he had made earlier, Lin Lang put on a sweet smile. When she smiled, dimples appeared on her cheeks, making her look very cute. “Good evening, Aunt Shaya.”

Lu Xingye suddenly smiled, crouching down. “Hello, Miss Lin Lang.”

Lin Lang looked at him warily, then gently pursed her lips. “Hello… Brother Sixth Prince.”

Author’s Note:

The big event is coming! (doge)