While she didn't understand if Louisa's suggestion was genuinely for her own good or a deliberate provocation, Yu Lan would never agree to such a proposal.
Besides, Su Xingye was clearly fine now; he didn't need Louisa's help at all.
But before Yu Lan could reveal the truth, Louisa's brows furrowed.
She shot Yu Lan a disapproving look, as if Yu Lan were being incredibly insensible.
"Lanlan, do you still have reservations?"
"Admiral Xingye's condition can't wait."
Louisa came on strong, clearly prepared for Yu Lan to refuse.
Yu Lan saw the corners of her lips curl into a smug smile. The next second, a woman standing beside Louisa suddenly dropped to her knees and began kowtowing to Yu Lan. THUD. THUD. THUD.
"Princess, I beg you, let my son go."
"You have no Healing Power! Xingye will die! There are so many male beasts on the Main Star, why must you fixate on my son?"
"I'm begging you, let him go! Let Princess Louisa soothe his spiritual power!"
The words Yu Lan was about to say—that Su Xingye was already fine—were instantly choked back down her throat.
She hadn't expected Louisa to bring Su Xingye's mother.
'How could I let an elder kneel to me? Especially over something like this.'
Yu Lan grew even more flustered.
She scrambled to help Su Xingye's mother up.
"Ma'am, please get up."
"Major General Su is fine now."
Yu Lan was telling the truth.
But at a time like this, the truth was all the more terrifying.
Everyone knew Yu Lan was now a useless female with no Healing Power.
She had even deliberately bought an induction agent from the black market to force Su Xingye into a frenzy.
How could Su Xingye possibly fall for someone like that and meekly agree to be with Yu Lan?
Everyone present understood that the pride of a chosen one like him could not be trampled; he would rather die than live in humiliation.
So, would Yu Lan really give the soothing agent to Su Xingye?
Therefore, what Yu Lan was saying now had to be a lie.
At this, the look of anguished despair on Su Xingye's mother's face intensified.
Her forehead slammed against the ground again and again—THUD, THUD, THUD—until it was stained with blood.
"Please, Your Highness, let my son go!"
"Please, let Xingye go! He's still young, only twenty years old!"
What a heart-wrenching display of a mother's love, enough to make anyone who heard it grieve and anyone who saw it weep.
The Interstellar Daily reporters Louisa had brought were already snapping pictures frantically. CLICK. SHUTTER. CLICK.
Some of the more sympathetic reporters began to discuss the scene among themselves, filled with righteous indignation.
"Hmph, this newly returned Princess Yu Lan is nothing compared to Princess Louisa."
"Females have always held a high and respected status wherever they go, but this is the first time I've seen such a despicable one. She's not worthy of the title."
"Exactly! Is a female with no Healing Power, who can't soothe a male, even worthy of the name?"
"If it weren't for her status, how could she possibly have secured a marriage contract with Admiral Xingye?"
"Princess Louisa is obviously a much better match."
As the crowd voiced their support, a glint appeared in Louisa's eyes and her lips curled. 'No one knows that the soothing agent Yu Lan is holding is a fake.'
'This was all part of the trap I laid.'
'So, even if Yu Lan changes her mind and gives the soothing agent to Su Xingye, it won't work.'
'Only I can soothe him and bring him back.'
'I will snatch away every single male by Yu Lan's side, one by one.'
A light called ambition shone in Louisa's eyes. She stared directly at Yu Lan, her gaze a silent challenge.
"Lanlan, I know you like Admiral Xingye."
"I won't compete with you for him. I have no interest in Admiral Xingye."
"Otherwise, after all these years, Admiral Xingye and I would have gotten together long ago. We wouldn't have…"
Louisa paused, but everyone understood the rest of her unspoken sentence.
A reporter in the crowd immediately seized the opportunity to shout:
"If Princess Louisa had been interested in Admiral Xingye, they would have gotten together long ago! They wouldn't have waited for Princess Yu Lan to be found!"
"Princess Yu Lan, just because males don't like you, do you assume all females are the same?"
The reporter's words triggered a wave of derisive laughter from the crowd.
Louisa frowned at just the right moment, pressing her hands down in a placating gesture.
"Everyone, please don't talk about Lanlan that way."
"I'm sure Lanlan has learned her lesson this time, right?"
"Just let me go in and soothe Admiral Xingye. Lanlan, I really won't take him from you."
Louisa assured Yu Lan again.
But her eyes, hidden from the reporters, flashed with pure defiance.
She mouthed the last two words silently. *As if!*
She was going to steal Su Xingye from Yu Lan, and that was that.
If the original owner of this body were here, she probably would have lost her temper and started a fight with Louisa right in front of the reporters.
But the current Yu Lan wouldn't. Knowing Su Xingye was already healed, she simply crossed her arms over her chest.
Her pretty face held a stubborn, unyielding expression as she repeated herself.
"I already told you. Su Xingye is fine now. He doesn't need your help."
'You love to act, don't you?'
'Then let's make this storm a little more intense.'
Although Yu Lan didn't know where Louisa got the confidence that Su Xingye desperately needed her soothing, she didn't mind playing along with Louisa's little drama.
Then, when the drama reached its peak, she would call out Su Xingye, fully restored to his original form and in perfect health.
'The stunned and astonished looks on everyone's faces will be a sight to behold.'
At the thought, Yu Lan lifted her delicate, fair chin, a hint of smugness playing on her features.
Standing behind her, Huo Zhanting saw her expression and his golden eyes flickered.
As expected, Louisa interpreted Yu Lan's confidence as nothing more than a bluff.
'Under the effects of the induction agent, Su Xingye doesn't have much time left.'
A rare flicker of anxiety crossed Louisa's face.
Unable to restrain herself, she reached out to push Yu Lan aside and head for the villa's backyard, all while continuing to chastise her from the moral high ground.
"Lanlan, you've truly disappointed me."
"I thought I could reason with you."
"I never imagined you could be so selfish."
"Admiral Xingye has fought and bled for the Empire, repelling the Dark Planet's corruption and earning countless honors."
"I absolutely cannot stand by and watch him degenerate into a beast because of your petty feelings."
"I'm going to save him."
As she spoke, Louisa raised her head high like a triumphant swan, her face practically glowing with a saintly light.
Just as the crowd was reveling in Louisa pushing past Yu Lan, the main door of the villa opened from the inside, and a familiar face appeared before them all.