Chapter 30

◎Lan Ye, whom the netizens fondly remember◎

Three years later, Prince Regas of the Silver Empire, who disappeared in the black hole merger explosion and was presumed dead by everyone, has returned!

This is the most explosive news in the Silver Empire, or rather, in the entire universe, during this period. As for the reactions from all sides, whether they were sad or happy, shocked or frightened, they all expressed joy and excitement.

The power vacuum created by Regas's disappearance was quickly restored upon his return. In the three years since, the struggle for the crown prince position among the other three princes had reached a fever pitch, with the other three regions, aside from the Lan family, already itching to enter the fray. Now, Regas's return has put a pause on this undercurrent of power struggles. Even if they are unwilling, on the surface, all parties must feign joy at the restoration of order. After all, Regas's background, abilities, and prestige far surpass those of the other three princes.

In the past six months, the Silver Empire has contributed almost half of the explosive news in the entire universe. From the announcement of the marriage between the Empire's number one beauty, Lan Ye, and the Third Prince, Osei, to Osei's cancellation of the engagement on the wedding day, to the return of Osei's true love, the white moonlight, Gani, to the announcement of their engagement after Lan Ye's disappearance and their daily displays of affection, the gossip-loving public has been fed up with their lovey-dovey stories. Add to that the recent super bombshell news of the return of the Empire's light, Crown Prince Regas, the entire universe's star network's hot topics list has been dominated by news from the Silver Empire, covering everything from entertainment to serious news.

"By the way, have you guys noticed that since His Highness the Crown Prince returned, Jia Ni hasn't been showing off her affection for the Third Prince much?"

"I've discovered it! Actually, I suspected it from the beginning. The person Jia Ni likes is His Highness the Crown Prince, but His Highness ignores her."

"So, could it be that he switched to accepting the Third Prince because he finally gave up on the Crown Prince after his disappearance, and used the Third Prince as a substitute, while also placing a bet?"

"It's possible. After all, the Third Prince's face does resemble the Crown Prince's somewhat."

"I object! Although the Third Prince is handsome, His Highness the Crown Prince is perfect; they are not comparable!"

"I don't care, His Highness the Crown Prince is so handsome that it makes people unable to close their legs, I want to lick him."

"Have you all forgotten Lan Ye by Daming Lake?"

"Lan Ye, what a waste of such a stunningly beautiful face. He's offended a powerful figure and will probably never be able to get out of here again."

Stafar Sanatorium, though called a sanatorium, was in reality a prison and mental hospital for nobles. Getting in was difficult, but getting out was even more difficult. Even those who initially disliked Lan Ye privately felt that Lan Ye didn't deserve such a fate. He had only married up to the Third Prince but couldn't compete with the noble-born Jia Ni, yet he ended up like this, which was truly lamentable.

Half a year has passed since the Third Prince broke off his engagement and then got engaged to Jia Ni. During this time, the Third Prince and Jia Ni have been constantly trending on social media. Netizens say that the gossip about the two has gone from being fresh to being tiresome; the gossip has gone bad, and they're almost sick of it.

"In memory of Lan Ye".

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While engaged to the Third Prince, Ou Sai, Gani also made a high-profile announcement of his return to the entertainment industry. Although his professional skills remained lackluster, he was essentially a "pretty face," only responsible for his good looks and dazzling presence. His powerful background gave him unparalleled resources, allowing him to obtain the best scripts in the industry and easily acquire roles with perfect character designs.

The entire entertainment industry fawned over him, and no one dared to challenge his brilliance; his star power was dazzling. If it weren't for the fact that his backing wasn't yet powerful enough to control the cosmic star network, all negative comments about him, including topics related to Lan Ye, would have been completely suppressed. Not because they didn't want to, but because they simply couldn't.

Lately, netizens have been incredibly nostalgic for the days when Lan Ye was still in the entertainment industry. Back then, entertainment news was incredibly lively because of Lan Ye's presence, with fierce battles between fans and haters, a dazzling array of topics, and even the beauty of Jia Ni was controversial because of him, with their fans engaging in elaborate and varied online feuds. It was a delightful time for gossip, unlike now where Jia Ni dominates the scene, forcing people to consume boring, stale gossip. Some of Lan Ye's haters have even become fans... After all, compared to Lan Ye, aside from being superficial, vain, having poor acting skills, and being high-profile, it seems there aren't many major flaws. He truly provided the entertainment industry with a lot of topics and entertainment, filling the entertainment section of Xingwang with a lively atmosphere.

However, while the onlookers missed Lan Ye, they also understood that the chances of Lan Ye getting out were extremely slim. If Lan Ye could get out, he wouldn't have gone in in the first place.

Meanwhile, Lan Ye himself, whom the public missed and sympathized with, was recuperating at the Chaohua Manor in the Southern Region.

The result of Lan Hua's second crossing of the black hole was that his body was torn apart and reassembled once again. Lan Hua lay in bed, no different from a useless person, but it was slightly better than the first time he crossed the black hole. He was a useless person in his own territory, not so poor that he could only drink nutrient solution to maintain the most basic survival.

He had only regained consciousness; his body was still recovering, so movement was still somewhat difficult. His most "trusted" subordinate, Lan Yang, offered his condolences, then, taking advantage of his injury and inability to personally deal with him, made a sarcastic remark about how Lan Yang had sent him back to the Southern Region before entering the Hela Black Hole, before slipping away. Lan Hua sneered, mentally adding a grudge against Lan Yang. That Lan Yang was always so inconsiderate; he didn't know who he took after, but every time he was beaten to a pulp, he always dared to do it again.

As for his biological father, Lan Xi, Lan Hua said that if he had known he would fall back into his father's hands as soon as he returned, he should have used more gentle persuasion and less teasing and provocation when they parted last time.

Since his mother's death, his father had been bored out of his mind. First, he went mad on Ninghui Star, and then, because of his son's situation, he returned to Southern Cross Star to manage the Southern Region. Now, Lan Xi has finally found a new pastime: drinking tea while watching his son crippled and unable to move. It's a truly enjoyable and time-killing activity; he can watch for an entire day.

Lan Hua: "..." He was absolutely certain that this bizarre hobby of looking at corpses must have been cultivated by his father on Ninghui Star.

Lan Hua coughed and said, "I think you should go see my mother. I'm fine, thank you for your concern."

Duke Lanxi gently scraped the rim of the cup with the lid, smelled the tea, and smiled, "I was watching over you before you came back. Now, I just want to see my precious son. After all, he almost didn't come back, which worried his father greatly. Now that I'm watching him, I feel at ease."

Lan Hua: "..." If his father hadn't been looking at him with amusement, his father's nonsense might have sounded a little more believable.

"How is the recovery going?" Lanxi finally remembered to ask about his only son's recovery.

"I've almost recovered," Lan Hua said lazily.

"Then why don't you get up?" Lan Xi snorted coldly.

Lan Hua said matter-of-factly, "Of course it's because I don't want to get up!"

Lan Xi: "..." If he didn't know his son well, he would have actually believed Lan Hua's nonsense. Lan Hua was probably only barely able to move, but he was just being stubborn. He never expected that Lan Hua would actually cross the black hole and actually find Regas. He didn't even know what to say about it.

"I have a question for you," Lan Hua said.

"What is it?" Lan Xi asked, somewhat puzzled. Although he was often driven crazy by this rebellious son, even he had to admit that the son was excessively clever. He could deduce the whole story from a single clue, so he rarely asked anything.

"The matter of the 'Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth'," Lan Hua first gave a brief overview, then looked at his father.

Lan Xi pondered for a moment, then asked in return, "What do you know?"

Lan Hua smiled knowingly at his father's reaction: "You do know something." No wonder when he wanted to enter the Hela Black Hole, although his father strongly opposed and delayed it, he didn't give a death order. He even told him to take good care of his life before he left.

Lan Xi took a sip of tea and then said, "Of course I know. I originally planned to tell you after you officially inherited the position of family head, but it's not that time yet, and you actually want to experience it yourself."

Lan Hua: "..." So it's become his problem now?

Lan Xi continued, "After completing the ritual of severing the connection between heaven and earth, our clan's mission was fulfilled." Their Lan family had nearly been wiped out because of it. Without external threats, internal strife naturally blossomed among humans. The so-called mission and responsibility might have been genuine at first, but later it became nothing more than a banner used to expand and consolidate their power and satisfy their own selfish desires. The Lan family had no intention of actively getting involved in or being drawn into this conflict, and even less did they want to be treated as easy prey to be fought over and exploited, so they simply went into hiding.

Lan Hua scoffed, "Even if they hid it, it still got dug up, didn't it?" The Gamondon family probably knew about this even before the time of Selloe Gamondon. It's just that Selloe Gamondon was a man of action, and he actually set his sights on the Lan family and put it into practice.

Lan Xi finally understood. Lan Hua wasn't genuinely unsure when he asked the question; he was just venting his anger at being deceived by Regas. Even this rebellious son has his day now, Lan Xi thought, watching Lan Hua's frustrated and helpless expression, and suddenly felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

Lan Hua knew from the beginning that Regas's approach to him wasn't innocent, but he didn't care; in fact, it only made him more attracted to him. However, he misjudged or overlooked Regas's true intentions! And he could have known these intentions all along. Moreover, his father had seen it all! This feeling of being unable to control the situation and being watched made Lan Hua furious.

He and his father are truly a model of "filial piety and loving fatherhood".

"You can leave now." Lan Hua waved his hand, signaling the end of their father-son relationship.

"You actually care about this?" Lan Xi mentally reviewed the whole story and suddenly laughed. "You should be careful." If it were up to Lan Hua's nature, he wouldn't have cared about such things, but Lan Hua was secretly angry about it and even sought his confirmation. Lan Hua probably didn't even realize what this meant.

Lan Xi thought he'd have some fun to watch from now on. But as a "loving father," he had just reminded Lan Hua that he had fulfilled his responsibility as a good father.