Xiao Rou froze when she heard the gentle voice beside her. The smile vanished from her face, and she turned ashen-faced as if she had seen a ghost.
The earphone Shao Qingge handed her was the one Xiao Lou conjured from the card [team voice earphone]. Shao Qingge was also wearing one, so he could hear what Xiao Lou said. Just now, Xiao Lou had only said, "Sister, it's me, Xiao Lou, I want to see you," but the princess's expression suddenly turned so ugly. Wasn't her reaction rather strange?
Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the woman in front of him.
Xiao Rou was excellent at regulating her emotions and quickly calmed down. She said to Shao Qingge, "Mr. Shao, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for the necklace. If you'd like to stay at Azure Planet for a couple more days, I'll find another opportunity to properly entertain you and your son tomorrow. It's already too late today, and my husband will worry if we go home late."
Shao Qingge quickly understood her meaning and respectfully bowed, saying, "Please take care, Your Highness."
She said a lot of polite things, but the last sentence was the key—her husband would worry if she went home late.
Her husband is none other than Prince Herman, the Crown Prince of the Azure Empire. Xiao Rou is hosting a charity gala in her private capacity today. Although Prince Herman is not present, he must have sent his personal guards to protect her. In such an occasion, her meeting with Xiao Lou will inevitably attract attention. Perhaps there are even members of the Prince's faction watching her every move.
Xiao Lou said, "Sister, I want to see you," but she didn't respond.
However, she deliberately pressed down on the protrusion on the miniature earphone while speaking, so Xiao Lou could hear what she said.
Xiao Lou said understandingly, "Sister, I'll wait for your arrangements. When it's convenient for you to see me, please contact me using an earpiece."
Xiao Rou didn't reply, nodded to Shao Qingge, and turned to leave quickly.
It was already 10 p.m., and the buffet dinner was coming to an end. Shao Qingge and Ye Qi left the scene with Kevin, and Yu and Xiao, who were pretending to be President Zhou and his assistant, also left. The group met up at the Ferris Wheel Hotel.
The real CEO Zhou was being held captive by Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci. Tang Ci had somehow obtained sleeping pills, which kept CEO Zhou asleep all day. Yu Hanjiang removed the mask he was wearing as CEO Zhou and frowned, saying, "The Princess refuses to see us. Is she being watched?"
Xiao Lou nodded and said, "She's hosting a charity gala at the hotel tonight and has invited many people. It's normal for the palace to send people to protect her and monitor her. She definitely can't meet with me because it's inconvenient for her."
Ye Qi scratched his head and said, "This princess is very strange. When we showed her the video, her hands were shaking the whole time; when Professor Xiao asked to meet her, her face turned as white as if she had seen a ghost... Is she an ally or an enemy? What if she is on the opposite side of us and sends someone to arrest us when she meets with Professor Xiao? Wouldn't we be walking into a trap?"
Xiao Ye's concerns were not unfounded. The princess's attitude was unclear at the moment. Whether she would help Xiao Lou and solve the mystery of that year, or simply hand over Xiao Lou, the prince who had escaped from the palace, to His Majesty bound hand and foot, no one was sure.
But Xiao Lou thought it was worth the risk. After careful consideration, he said, "No matter what, I have to see her. She must know a lot of secrets. If she wants to harm me, it's simple. We have Tao Yuanming's card that can teleport me. If she wants to attack me, Ninth Brother can just teleport me, and she won't be able to catch me."
Lu Jiuchuan agreed, "Anyway, we don't have any other clues to investigate right now. Let's contact the Princess first. When you go to see her, I'll activate Peach Blossom Spring. This space can last for 3 hours, and if anything happens during that time, we can be teleported back to the hotel at any time. Hua Ying's starship is still waiting for us near the space station. If the Princess or Prince Herman issues an arrest warrant for us, we can escape in the starship at any time."
Yu Hanjiang thought carefully about what the princess said before she left and said, "From what she said, she wants to find an opportunity to 'entertain' CEO Shao tomorrow. We'll pretend to be CEO Shao's assistants and go with him?"
Xiao Lou said, "Well, let's wait for her to make the arrangements. We're unfamiliar with this place, so it's not good to act rashly."
Yu Hanjiang nodded and looked at Tang Ci: " Will Mr. Tang discover the eavesdropping device he put on that necklace?"
Tang Ci said, "Don't worry, everyone. I hid the eavesdropping device behind the diamond. It's very secure and you can't see it from the outside. Unless, they take the whole necklace apart."
Xiao Lou frowned slightly: "Unfortunately, Ye Qi's eavesdropping device only has a range of 500 meters. She returned to the palace..."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Let's not delay. Let's wear Invisibility Cloaks and explore the area around the palace."
Xiao Lou shared the same idea, and the two hit it off immediately.
Yu Hanjiang borrowed a Ye Qi teleportation card and used the Light as a Swallow Lightness Skill Card. He then grabbed Xiao Lou's waist and flew directly out of the Ferris wheel hotel.
Using the Lightness Skill and Teleport cards together makes you feel like a flying acrobat.
In the blink of an eye, Yu Hanjiang brought Xiao Lou to the vicinity of the palace.
The palace was heavily guarded, with soldiers patrolling everywhere. Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang dared not rush in. Anyway, they could hear the sounds from the eavesdropping device from 500 meters away. They circled the palace and quickly located Xiao Rou's residence.
She lived in the Palace of Aquarius, the entire palace of which was shaped like a beautiful bottle.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou held the other end of the eavesdropping device, and heard a "rustling" sound. Then they heard Xiao Lou say, "This blue one was a gift from Mr. Shao."
A gemstone necklace.
After a few seconds of silence, a man's cold voice sounded in her ear: "He has no relation to you, yet he gave you such a precious necklace on your first meeting?"
Xiao Rou laughed and said, "You're overthinking it. Mr. Shao is a businessman from our Luoke Empire. He just happened to be traveling in Azure Planet recently and was simply stopping by to visit me. After all, I am now your queen. He couldn't possibly come to see me empty-handed, could he?"
Prince Herman then asked, "Besides giving me the necklace, what else did he say?"
Xiao Rou said, "He spent 50 million Star Coins to bid on a diamond necklace, saying he wanted to do his part for charity."
Herman chuckled softly. "It seems this Mr. Shao is quite a kind-hearted businessman." He stood up and walked to Xiao Rou's side, his voice gentle. "I don't object to you contacting businessmen from the Luoke Empire, I'm just worried about your safety. Don't forget, you're not alone now. You need to think more about the baby in your belly, understand?"
Xiao Rou smiled and said softly, "I understand. I have an appointment with the doctor for a prenatal checkup tomorrow."
Herman asked in confusion, "Wasn't it just checked last week?"
Xiao Rou said, "I haven't been feeling well these past few days, and for the sake of my baby's health, I'd like to have another comprehensive prenatal checkup."
Herman thought for a moment and said, "It wouldn't hurt to be cautious. I'll go with you tomorrow."
Xiao Rou said, "You're so busy, I can go by myself..."
Herman interrupted her with a smile: "How can that be? As a husband and father, no matter how busy I am, I should make time for you. What time is your appointment?"
Xiao Rou said, " Professor Edwin examined me at St. Paul's Hospital. He's on duty tomorrow afternoon, so I've scheduled a full check-up with him at 3 p.m. tomorrow."
Herman nodded and said, "You've had a long day, so get some rest. I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon."
The sound of leather shoes on the floor gradually faded away, followed by the sounds of doors opening and closing, and a man whispering instructions to a maid: "Take good care of the princess."
A maid entered the room and respectfully asked, "Your Highness, would you like to bathe and rest now, or would you like some late-night snacks?"
Xiao Rou smiled and said, "Go get me some pastries. Oh, and remember to remind me to go to St. Paul's Hospital for a check-up tomorrow at 3 p.m. My personal doctor, Dr. Edwin, has a lot of time to spare and can't be late."
The maid responded and turned to leave.
Xiao Rou suddenly whispered, "Go find Dr. Edwin and tell him I need to have another checkup."
The maid didn't hear her clearly and turned around: "Your Highness, what did you say?"
Xiao Rou said, "I said I would have Professor Edwin arrange everything... Herman is worrying too much. He doesn't need to come with me. He's so busy, and I don't want to bother him with such a small matter."
The maid said, "He cares about you too. Everyone envies him because he loves you so much."
Xiao Rou smiled and said, "Okay, go ahead."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang were both wearing invisibility cloaks. Hearing this, he gently squeezed Yu Hanjiang's arm: "She described the time, place, and people very clearly."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Yes, your sister is indeed clever. Let's go back and make the arrangements first."
Actually, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang didn't need to make this trip at all.
During the conversation between Xiao Rou and Prince Herman, she pretended to rub her ear and pressed a protrusion on the miniature earpiece inside her ear, so that their conversation would be transmitted to Xiao Lou in real time.
Even without an eavesdropping device, she still managed to send the message out.
She didn't reveal anything to Prince Herman, only saying that she was going for a prenatal checkup, but every word she said was a subtle hint.
— Tomorrow at 3 PM, St. Paul's Hospital, Professor Edwin.
Go find Dr. Edwin and tell him I need to have another check-up; he will arrange everything.
This is the message Xiao Rou wanted to tell her younger brother.
If Xiao Lou wants to see her, tomorrow afternoon will be the best opportunity. If she sees Shao Qingge again in the near future, it will arouse her husband's suspicion. A prenatal check-up is a reason that shouldn't arouse suspicion, right?
Back at the Ferris Wheel Hotel, Xiao Lou said with a serious expression, "My sister is indeed being monitored. Prince Herman has likely been keeping an eye on her. She even had to personally report to her husband about meeting CEO Shao in the reception room today."
Shao Qingge said knowingly, "No wonder she doesn't dare to see you. I bid 50 million star coins for the necklace at the banquet, and with Kevin's introduction, my reason for formally visiting her is quite plausible. If you were to see her out of the blue, it would definitely arouse suspicion."
Her caution made Xiao Lou even more uneasy.
Now that she is a princess, she cannot move freely. I wonder how she has been doing all these years.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and looked at Tang Ci, saying, "Mr. Tang, please find Dr. Edwin as soon as possible. We need to be fully prepared by 3 p.m. tomorrow."
Tang Ci was incredibly fast at researching information, especially since Dr. Edwin was Azure Empire's most authoritative expert in obstetrics. In less than five minutes, he even found out the address of the other party.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou exchanged a glance and acted overnight.
The two first took the Zhou family tycoon they had kidnapped back to his residence at the Ferris Wheel Hotel.
They then tracked down to Dr. Edwin's residence.
The two sneaked into the professor's apartment without anyone noticing. The gray-haired professor had just finished showering and was yawning as he walked towards the bedroom when suddenly a dark shadow flashed past the window. He froze, and the next moment, someone forcefully grabbed his neck from behind, a deep, cold voice ringing in his ear: "Don't make a sound, don't move, the Princess's..."
We've come.
Edwin quickly raised his hands: "What is it?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "She said she needs to have another check-up. You can arrange for us to go to St. Paul's Hospital at 3 pm tomorrow."
Edwin understood: "I understand, let me go first."
Yu Hanjiang released him and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."
Edwin said, "We have a group of interns at our hospital recently. I'll get you two sets of white coats. Wear them and wear my student name tags on your chests. Wait for me at the OB/GYN on-call room at 2 PM."
Xiao Lou politely said, "Thank you, Professor."
Edwin asked in confusion, "Has something happened to the Princess? This is the code she and I agreed on for an emergency. Who exactly are you people?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you right now. The situation is indeed quite urgent. Just make the arrangements yourself."
Edwin nodded: "Alright, Your Highness, please rest assured."
After leaving the professor's house, Xiao Lou's expression was very heavy. He hadn't cared about this older sister at all over the years. Perhaps because his memories before the age of five were too vague, he didn't even remember what his sister looked like.
My sister must be having a hard time living alone in a foreign country.
This Professor Edwin was probably one of her few confidants.
Xiao Lou sighed inwardly. He would see her tomorrow, but everything would have to wait until they met in person.
******