"Failed?" Yan Bai was sitting in the meeting room of the White Scale Guild. He was wearing the skin of a mermaid, and his beautiful fish tail swayed slightly with the waves.

Opposite him stood a person who shouldn't be here, the vice president of the Chongxiao Guild, who came but never returned.

In front of Yan Bai, Zheng Hui was not the vice president who made all the decisions and had the final say. He lowered his head and even kept his gaze focused on his feet, not even daring to look at the beautiful fish tail swaying opposite him.

Here, he is not some prestigious vice president, a genius commander, or a senior player. He is just Zheng Hui, the orphan brought back from the black market by Yan's Shipping and raised.

"Yes, please punish me, Master." Zheng Hui said.

Yan Bai snorted, and came to Zheng Hui with a flick of her tail, forcing him to raise his head and look directly at her: "I've told you so many times to look at me when you talk. Why don't you remember?"

"Yes." Zheng Hui looked at Yan Bai with a gentle gaze, but besides the proper respect, there seemed to be some other emotions in his eyes.

Yan Bai knew what it was, Zheng Hui liked him, but he had been hiding it for a few years. He didn't intend to agree, but he didn't mind. He let this love hide in Zheng Hui's heart, so that he would be more loyal to him. Properly using other people's feelings was what his adoptive father taught him since he was a child.

"Why should I punish you? You've done a good job. It's Su Su who is too strong. He exceeded everyone's expectations." Yan Bai softened his tone.

"But I promised you that I didn't do it." Zheng Hui's eyes deepened.

Yan Bai sneered: "You look like you really want to be punished by me."

Zheng Hui pursed his lips and said, "I have let you down. I feel guilty."

"Then continue to feel guilty." Yan Bai said nonchalantly, "There are still semi-finals and finals to come. Play well and don't let me down."

"Yes." Zheng Hui hesitated to speak.

"Anything else?" Yan Bai raised his eyebrows.

"I have a question." Zheng Hui said honestly: "Why not let Su Su carry out the mission? Although I don't want to admit it, with his current performance, he will definitely be valued by the military, and the success rate of subsequent plans will be much higher than mine."

Zheng Hui prided himself on being a genius, and rarely praised someone in front of others. But Su Su's performance today really made him realize the gap.

"He won't agree." Yan Bai sighed. If Su Su could truly agree with them, this matter wouldn't be so difficult.

"Isn't he a mermaid?" Zheng Hui was puzzled. He was not even moved by the hatred of the mermaids. He couldn't understand how a mermaid could remain indifferent after knowing the past of his people.

Yan Bai laughed: "What about you? Aren't you still a human being?"

Zheng Hui was stunned. Yes, as long as there are humans like him who are dedicated to helping mermaids, there will naturally be mermaids who stand on the same side as humans.

Yan Bai patted his shoulder and said, "Don't think too much. Just compete well. Even if you don't get first place, as long as you perform well enough, you will still have a chance to join the expeditionary force. As for Su Su, I will make arrangements for him."

It was late autumn, and once the sun went down, it became a little chilly.

Although it was a family dinner, there were some dress requirements. Su Su had to stuff herself into a long woolen skirt, and wear a hat, gloves and long boots. She really looked like a noble lady going out.

When Su Su got on the shuttle again, he was no longer as surprised as he was when he went out for the first time. He had already driven a starship, and when he looked at the shuttle again, he felt that the speed was not exciting enough, the route was too fixed, and it was really boring.

The Qi family's old house was built on the outskirts of the city. Its architectural style was retro and its atmosphere was more solemn.

Compared with the socially adept Mo family, the Qi family rarely entertained guests, did not like socializing, had strict family rules, and had long maintained a sense of mystery in the entire aristocratic circle.

But for Qi Hanyi, this place couldn't be more familiar. After his parents passed away, he lived with his grandfather in the old house until he became an adult.

Now, his room is still preserved on the third floor of the old house.

The family dinner was held in a restaurant. When Qi Hanyi arrived, it was already a little late, but fortunately he was not late.

Sitting on the main throne at the top was the eldest relative, looking dignified and majestic. Below him were the aunts, uncles, and aunts, who were arranged according to seniority, as well as brothers and sisters of the same age.

When Qi Hanyi entered the room, Qi Xingli was scolding a few young people:

"Qi Yue, I heard that you were late three times this month? Military intelligence is a big deal and we cannot be careless."

"There has been no war recently, and my eldest brother is on vacation at home. I went to the office, but there was nothing to do." Qi Yue explained in a low voice.

She is the fifth child in the generation, but the only girl in the generation. With her quirky personality, she is the only one in the generation who can be indulged and can act a little unrestrained in front of Qi Xingli.

Seeing that she had no ambition, Qi Xingli just frowned in disapproval and asked, "Who leaked the information about the space station before? Have you found out?"

Qi Yue said shyly: "Not yet."

Qi Xingli changed the subject in a timely manner: "The princess hasn't contacted you recently, has she?"

"No, Xiruo has been very busy lately. We have only talked on the phone twice this month. We just chatted casually and then hung up both times." Qi Yue said gloomily.

Qi Xingli was very satisfied with this: "Well, very good, be careful, we should not get too close to the royal family, your majesty should be careful about this. You must always remember that our Qi family is only loyal to the person on the throne."

"Master, I think loyalty is loyalty, but can't we also strive for some benefits for the family?" Qi Yang suddenly interrupted.

Qi Xingli glanced at him unhappily and said, "Our Qi family controls most of the military power. Our power has reached its limit. What else do you want?"

"What benefits can I ask for? I'm only thinking about the family." Qi Yang defended.

Qi Xingli raised his eyebrows and slammed the table heavily: "Are you really doing this for the family, or for your own little calculations, thinking that others don't know? Qi Yang, I told you to stay away from the eldest prince. You must remember that the interests of the family come first. If you really do something to harm the Qi family, don't blame me for not protecting you."

Qi Yang's father, Qi Hanyi's fourth uncle, saw that the situation was not good, and immediately changed the subject: "Hey, Hanyi is here. You are usually the first one to arrive at the family dinner. Why are you late today?"

Although Qi Hanyi was younger in generation, as he was the heir, his status was second only to the head of the family. He sat on the left, and Su Su sat next to him.

Qi Hanyi naturally arranged the dishes and tableware for Su Su, then looked up at his fourth uncle: "I was busy with the competition, which just ended, so I was delayed."

"Is it the competition in Star Wars?" Qi Yue became excited when she heard it.

Su Su's eyes were originally fixed on the food on the table, but when he heard "Star Wars", his eyes lit up.

"Yeah." Qi Hanyi just responded and didn't talk much.

When Qi Yue saw Su Su, her attention was immediately diverted: "Brother, my sister-in-law is so beautiful!"

Su Su was flattered and immediately grinned at Qi Yue. His charming peach blossom eyes turned into crescents, and Qi Yue blushed slightly.

The meal officially started and the dishes were served one by one. It was not as grand as the Mo family's banquet, but it still tasted good.

Su Su remembered that Qi Hanyi had told him not to talk too much at family dinners and just focus on eating.

Qi Yue, however, didn't care about the food. Her eyes kept glancing at Su Su. It wasn't just because he was good-looking, but Qi Yue always felt that Su Su looked a little familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

"Hanyi, I heard that you proposed a plan to His Majesty this morning to let mermaids participate in the war?" Qi Xingli took the initiative to ask during the meal.

Qi Hanyi sat up straight: "Yes, I think this can greatly alleviate the current shortage of pilots who can use mental power to drive starships."

Qi Xingli said bluntly: "You are following in your father's footsteps."

He also reminded with some concern: "You have to know that the resistance he encountered back then was very great."

"Yes, so I added a guardian system to my plan." Qi Hanyi said: "To put it simply, the mermaid's partner will serve as its guardian, and both parties will drive the starship together to fight."

"The vast majority of people who were against mermaids driving spaceships back then were worried that mermaids driving spaceships would be detrimental to humans. So I suggested installing a two-person driving mode on the new batch of spaceships. Combined with the guardian system, it would form a double insurance."

"During the driving process, the guardian and the mermaid jointly drive a starship, and the guardian has higher authority. Once the mermaid uses the starship to do something unfavorable, the guardian can stop it in time."

"The participation of mermaids in the war can greatly optimize the current combat system. For guardians who do not have mental power, the mermaids' companions can make up for their shortcomings in mental power, allowing the starship to play a greater role."

"If the guardian has mental powers, the mermaid partner can also serve as insurance. Once the guardian's mental powers become disturbed, he can not only take over the driving, but also comfort the guardian with songs."

Qi Xingli listened quietly, with a somewhat relieved smile in his eyes: "You are smarter than your father. To fight against the Zerg, we do need more high-level pilots with mental power. Your plan is good, I will discuss it with His Majesty."

Qi Hanyi closed his eyes. He didn't think he was smarter than his father, he just thought differently.

My father only wanted to give my mother the best. However, he ignored the difficulty and resistance in implementing the equal rights policy for mermaids. Sometimes, good is not necessarily right. We must also consider feasibility. If we are too aggressive and provoke opposition, like my father did, no matter what he proposed, a large number of people would jump up to stop him. This would be counterproductive.

Qi Hanyi himself is more inclined to boil the frog in warm water, subtly fighting for the rights of mermaids and letting mermaids participate in human life. When people find that accepting mermaids can make their lives better, some neutral people will naturally change slowly, and then step by step, they will continue to increase their support. When those stubborn opponents realize the danger, there may be no one around who can support them.

"In addition, I think that with the guardian's permission, we can give some mermaids access to the game "Star Wars". Letting them come into contact with and understand this game in advance will also help us screen suitable drivers." Qi Hanyi added that he had not yet mentioned this suggestion to His Majesty, but just took this opportunity to talk to the head of the family.

But this time, Qi Xingli disagreed: "As an online game, Star Wars itself has certain social attributes. The information on it is too confusing, so it is better not to let mermaids have access to it. Or you can make a separate human-computer version for mermaids to experience. As long as you add some data statistics and summary background, it can also play a screening effect."

"The head of the family is right. I didn't think it through." Qi Hanyi had expected to be rejected. This was a probing move. In fact, the attitude of the grandfather represented the thoughts of most neutral conservatives. They did not regard mermaids as enemies like the stubborn faction, but they also did not regard mermaids as brothers and sisters like his father did, and were eager to fight for equal status and treatment for them.

Their attitude was somewhere between defense and exploitation. They believed they had the situation under control and were willing to be condescending and show some mercy to the mermaids. Of course, that was when it was beneficial to them.

Su Su lowered his head and ate his meal seriously. Although Qi Hanyi and Qi Xingli were discussing about mermaids, he seemed to have nothing to do with it.

Qi Yang was a little confused about what Qi Hanyi was saying. Didn't he hate mermaids the most before? Why did he start to mention mermaids joining the war now? Did Grandpa still support him?

So he has done both good and bad things to people?

He was still angry about the master's attitude towards him just now, and wondered indignantly why no matter how hard he tried, the grandfather always only had Qi Hanyi in his eyes. At this moment, he couldn't help but make the other party unhappy.

Seeing Su Su eating rice in big mouthfuls, he remembered what happened at the last banquet and deliberately asked Su Su: "Sister-in-law, why are you only concerned about eating? You have been married for so long, my eldest brother is at home, right? You still don't eat for you, right?"

Su Su raised his eyes from his bowl and said, "No."

"Ah, white-scale shark!" Qi Yue suddenly shouted at this time.

Su Su's bowl shook and almost fell to the ground.

"Why are you shouting like that?" Qi Yue's father tapped Qi Yue on the head in disapproval.

"I just suddenly found that my sister-in-law looks a bit like a player." Qi Yue came to her senses and realized that she had made a mistake. She had always felt that Su Su looked familiar until she saw him covering the lower half of his face with a bowl, leaving only his eyes exposed. She suddenly realized that it was these eyes that looked like the white-scaled shark in combat uniform in the live broadcast.

But come to think of it, her sister-in-law is a mermaid, how could she be a Star Wars player?