Beside him, Ni Chun lowered his head and stared at his toes, pretending he hadn’t heard anything.

Doctor Pei had a strong mental fortitude, and he still wore a standard professional smile on his face. “That’s not the case. Mainly, Your Highness, you’ve just come of age, and there hasn’t been any specific data for reference before. We can only use the average duration for male citizens in the galaxy as the initial setting.”

What a phrase, “male citizens.”

This included the average durations for alphas, betas, and omegas, all of whom had male primary characteristics.

Doctor Pei was really careful with his wording.

After talking for quite a while, Yun Xunlan understood that this rapid heartbeat warning system couldn’t be turned off. So, he could only settle for a compromise: “Let’s discuss the frequency for silent mode after I’ve tried it out. However, the heart rate warning line in normal mode still needs to be changed. It should only trigger if the duration exceeds ten minutes.”

“Okay.”

Pei Xingting didn’t refuse this request. He reached out to hold Yun Xunlan’s wristband, using his fingerprint to access the advanced settings panel. After making the changes and clicking “Apply Now,” he was scanned again for iris verification to confirm his identity and permissions. Only then did he reset the heart rate warning system according to Yun Xunlan’s request.

“By the way, Doctor Pei, how many days will this susceptibility period last?”

“Based on your blood test results, it should end by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thank you.”

Those familiar with Yun Xunlan knew that these two words were his usual way of ending the current conversation.

Normally, upon hearing this, Pei Xingting would leave without hesitation. However, today he had to remind Yun Xunlan one more time: “Third Prince, for safety’s sake, it’s best to have a full body check-up before you engage in your first sexual activity with your partner.”

Yun Xunlan didn’t have any sexual activity, did he?

He was just using this as an excuse to check on the rapid heartbeat warning system, which hadn’t been successfully turned off yet. After hearing Pei Xingting’s words, he casually replied, “Mm, okay.”

That was the answer Pei Xingting wanted, so he stood up straight, bowed his head, and said, “I hope you have sweet dreams tonight, Your Highness.”

“Thank you.” Yun Xunlan replied, “I hope you have sweet dreams too, Doctor Pei.”

Whether Doctor Pei could have sweet dreams tonight was unclear to Yun Xunlan, but he knew that even if he had a nightmare, he would still feel happy when he woke up the next day—because he had met Yu Chen.

Yu Chen’s mouth was truly amazing; as soon as he opened it, he could help him complete his daily tasks.

Yun Xunlan thought to himself, no wonder so many people in this world valued friendship more than love.

He felt that he could forever avoid romantic relationships, but he absolutely couldn’t lose Yu Chen, the brother he had unilaterally declared to be his lifelong best friend.

Unfortunately, after Yu Chen told him to roll in the comments section, he hadn’t paid him any more attention. However, Yun Xunlan wasn’t in a hurry. After all, the things he tried to say to “get closer” to Yu Chen didn’t seem to be to Yu Chen’s liking. If he ran out of things to say, Yu Chen might just blacklist him, and then he wouldn’t be able to see Yu Chen’s StarNet homepage anymore.

Moreover, his StarNet alternate account had previously posted, liked, and followed only fish-keeping-related content, and not a single post about heavy motorcycles. If he suddenly told Yu Chen that he also liked his precious Comet-S7, who would believe him without any proof?

It was obvious he was trying too hard to get close.

Even though Yun Xunlan was indeed thinking along those lines, he couldn’t let Yu Chen see through it.

So, he immediately opened his light brain and sent a message to Ni Chun, asking him to help him book a Comet-S7 as well, and to do it quickly. He decided that once he received the product, he would take a photo and post it, so that Yu Chen would understand they really had common topics to discuss.

For example, they both liked the same “treasure.”

At the same time, Yu Chen, who was being thought of by Yun Xunlan, was also looking at his light brain. However, he hadn’t blacklisted Yun Xunlan’s alternate account called “Fish-Keeping Newbie.”

Yu Chen never blacklisted anyone; he only got blacklisted by others because they couldn’t argue with him.

Even Fu Yanxi, who had been arguing with him for years, hadn’t received such treatment, let alone this “Fish-Keeping Newbie” account that had popped up from who knows where. Besides, Yu Chen had other things to focus on right now and didn’t have the time to care about strangers on StarNet—he was waiting for Pei Xingting to return his call after their previous conversation had been cut off.

After waiting for a long time without any response, Yu Chen decided to take a shower first.

Halfway through, he heard the communication notification sound.

Frowning, Yu Chen wiped the water off his face and casually pushed back the stray hair from his forehead, revealing his high cheekbones. He answered the call directly, asking, “Are you done?”

Pei Xingting replied, “Mm.”

“He’s sick again?”

Yu Chen knew that Pei Xingting was on duty today, and if he was called away midway, it could only mean something had happened to Yun Xunlan.

Pei Xingting said, “Not really. He just asked me to reset the heartbeat monitoring system on his light brain wristband.”

“So you changed it for him?”

“Yeah.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Chen paused his action of turning off the water: “You really changed the settings for him? Didn’t you say it couldn’t be changed?”

Yun Xunlan’s light brain wristband was different from the ordinary models used by most citizens of the empire. His was a special version—rather than a light brain wristband, it was more like a body data monitoring ring, constantly monitoring his physical condition every second and synchronizing the data in real-time with every doctor in the royal medical team.

If he were seriously injured, Yun Xun would receive a notification immediately.

However, as the owner of the wristband, Yun Xunlan could only make the most basic settings, such as changing the UI interface, swapping background images, or adjusting the screen brightness. He didn’t have permission to make further changes. Moreover, not only was he unable to change it, but without Yun Xun’s authorization, he couldn’t even take off the wristband himself unless he cut off his hand.

“This can be changed. The Third Prince had two instances of rapid heartbeat today, each lasting no more than ten minutes. It wouldn’t cause cardiac arrest. Even if it did stop, it can still be revived within fifteen minutes, so it’s not a big deal,” Pei Xingting explained to Yu Chen. After finishing, he paused, recalling Yun Xunlan’s reason for changing the settings, and continued, “He said those two instances of rapid heartbeat were because he encountered something happy. I guess the Third Prince might have someone he likes or is in a relationship.”

“I’m not interested in Yun Xunlan’s emotional status, nor do I care. Whether he’s in a relationship doesn’t significantly affect our plans,” Yu Chen said as he wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom. “The key now is that I must successfully be selected to become his guard.”

Pei Xingting thought this was a done deal and didn’t need to worry: “That’s for sure. You ranked first in the practical assessment, and you scored full marks in ‘War Psychology.’ As long as nothing unexpected happens, the Third Prince will definitely choose you.”

Yu Chen, however, felt that what he said was contradictory: “If it’s certain, then how could there be unexpected events?”

Pei Xingting thought the decision-maker was the chief examiner, so he said, “What if? For example, if you curse in front of the chief examiner, and they think you lack quality and eliminate you, that’s also possible.”

“……”

Yu Chen’s silence, which seemed to foreshadow something ominous, made Pei Xingting fall into silence as well.

After a moment, Pei Xingting asked, “……Did you really curse in front of the chief examiner?”

“I didn’t curse,” Yu Chen replied, his voice low and hoarse, always carrying a hint of impatience. Even though he was serious now, it still sounded like a provocation, “I don’t think what I said could be considered cursing. I merely expressed equal disdain for a portion of people, and the chief examiner asked about my strengths. Is it wrong to speak the truth?”

He hadn’t even said a single curse word.

The royal guard’s interview process was completely confidential and not public, so Pei Xingting didn’t know what Yu Chen had said in front of the chief examiner. He couldn’t help but ask, “So what did you say?”

Yu Chen recounted the chief examiner’s last question and his answer in full.

Pei Xingting: “……”

Yu Chen’s answer couldn’t really be considered cursing, but—

Pei Xingting asked, “Is that what you call a portion?”

“The synonym for ‘any’ is ‘all.’ The scope of Yu Chen’s statement clearly included everyone!”

Yu Chen, however, had his own explanation: “Yes, a portion, specifically targeting the enemy. I can’t possibly be targeting you guys, right? If you insist on taking it personally and think I’m targeting you, then I can’t help it.”

Pei Xingting: “……”

Pei Xingting was left speechless.

“Yu Chen.” He called Yu Chen by his full name, his tone serious, “I hope you understand that if you don’t get selected, all our planning over the years—”

“I won’t be eliminated. The chief examiner was my physical training teacher in military school. I learned a lot of curse words from him. He curses way harder than I do. I didn’t even curse, so why would he eliminate me?”

Yu Chen interrupted Pei Xingting: “Besides, you also said I scored full marks in ‘War Psychology.’ There’s no alpha stronger than me among them. Yun Xunlan has no reason not to choose me unless he simply dislikes me among so many alphas and insists on eliminating me. If that’s the case, even if I recite the marriage vows like Fu Yanxi and the others, I would definitely be eliminated because he just doesn’t like me.”

Pei Xingting pursed his lips and remained silent. After a while, he sighed, “Well… you’ve been lacking quality for so many years. Even if you suddenly act with quality during the interview, everyone will know you’re just pretending. You can’t fool anyone. If you get selected by pretending to have quality, then later on, when your true nature is exposed, you’ll probably be kicked out. Anyway, you scored full marks in ‘War Psychology.’ If you lack quality, then so be it. A flaw doesn’t overshadow the brilliance; you’ll definitely be selected.”

Yu Chen: “?”

“How am I lacking quality? I’m very cultured right now. None of your words are ones I like to hear. Have you ever seen me curse at you?” Yu Chen said as he confidently lay down on the bed, “And is it so rare to get full marks in this subject? I’m not the only one in history who has done it. Just because I got it doesn’t mean I’m soaring in the military.”

“Five years, major, and you haven’t been to the border battlefield with this promotion speed. Aren’t you soaring?”

Pei Xingting couldn’t help but tease him: “Scoring full marks in ‘War Psychology’ might not be that rare, but it will definitely make the Third Prince very interested because he has barely passed thirty points in that subject a few times.”

Yu Chen: “……”

Thirty points? Is the Third Prince’s psychological quality that fragile?

This made Yu Chen suddenly think of a classic scenario: “Don’t tell me he’s definitely choosing me because he wants me to tutor him in this subject.”

“Of course, that’s a given. Otherwise, why would he choose you with your lack of quality?” Pei Xingting told Yu Chen, “The Third Prince even asked me when his susceptibility period would end tonight. I suspect he just wants to finish his susceptibility period quickly to see you and have you tutor him.”

Yu Chen: “…………”