The two little cubs had already gone inside hand in hand, leaving only Ye Yun and Ceci. Ceci smiled slightly, ensuring Luo Qi and Ye Mu couldn't see them, and then spoke:
"No one came besides you?"
Ye Yun raised an eyebrow. "I never said that." The smile on his lips, however, seemed to carry a mocking tone. "Tsk, it's just that His Majesty's Insect Race is too—powerful."
Ceci reached out and patted Ye Yun's shoulder heavily, much to Ye Yun's confusion.
A Insect King's pat was no trivial matter. Ye Yun felt half his shoulder go numb, and the smile on his face faltered.
Ye Yun rubbed his shoulder. "Your Majesty, even if you're afraid of the truth I'm speaking, do you have to hit me so hard?"
Ceci gracefully withdrew his hand. "Let's go, General Ye."
In reality, everyone knew that whoever was qualified to receive an invitation from the Insect Race would not be willing to give up the opportunity. Some might even go to extreme lengths to obtain one.
As the clock struck eight, the Insect Race's royal palace welcomed its second wave of guests.
Luo Qi trotted to open the door. At the entrance stood Madam Mu and Mu Xuanxuan, whom he had met just a week ago. Chi Huo and Xiao Xingxing were brought by Chi Huo's father alone, along with some friends Luo Qi was familiar with from the Bella Flower class.
The little cubs chattered as they entered, presenting their gifts to Luo Qi one by one, then clustering around the birthday boy of the day as they walked inside.
Luo Qi's face was flushed with joy. Birthdays! He loved them so much!
He led a group of little cubs towards the dining hall, taking them to eat cake.
Chi Huo's father instinctively followed Chi Huo towards the dining hall, but Ye Yun stopped him with a smile. "Mr. Chi, that's a gathering for the children. What are you doing there?"
Chi Huo's father rubbed his hands, his gaze involuntarily drifting to Ceci, who was seated on the sofa.
Their planet was a very small one. They usually only had good relations with nearby Beastmen tribes. They had never encountered someone of the caliber of the Insect King.
The two little cubs were delighted to receive Luo Qi's birthday party invitation. Could the adults, out of fear of the Insect Race's reputation, refuse to come?
Chi Huo's father touched his sweat and let out an awkward laugh. "Ah, I wasn't paying attention, wasn't paying attention."
Ye Yun glanced at Ceci beside him. Ceci would not proactively attend to guests, so he could only sigh and try to appease Chi Huo's father's emotions. For a moment, the entire royal palace felt quite harmonious.
The doorbell rang again. Ceci stood up to open the door. When it opened, to his surprise, only a child about Luo Qi's height stood at the entrance.
Mo Xuan stood at the door with his head bowed, holding a small box. This was the gift he had prepared for Luo Qi, but because it was from the Mo Clan, he didn't even have a nice wrapping paper.
When they heard they were going to the Insect Race, no one in the entire Mo Clan was willing to bring him along. But Mo Xuan didn't want to miss his good friend's birthday. Even if it meant spending all his pocket money to take a spaceship, he was willing.
However, upon arriving here, Mo Xuan realized that attending someone's birthday party without even a decent gift was truly impolite.
He pursed his lips and looked up at Ceci. Others feared this aloof Insect King, but he did not. This was because he had seen how Ceci treated Luo Qi.
It was a warmth that all the Mo Clan combined had never shown him. Therefore, he was not afraid, and even felt a hint of envy.
Ceci looked down at the child with his head bowed. His clothes were relatively formal, but they were already a bit short and a bit old. Moreover, there were no other adults accompanying him…
Ceci pondered for a moment and then said in a deep voice, "Are you from the Mo Clan?"
Mo Xuan looked up, held up the slightly simple box in his hand, and said softly, "Your Majesty the Insect King, I'm here to celebrate Luo Qi's birthday."
He thought for a moment, then took out a thin piece of paper from his pocket. It was clearly preserved with great care. "I have an invitation."
Ceci took the hot-stamped red invitation, which Luo Qi had specially prepared. No one could forge it.
Mo Xuan's fingers kept fiddling with the hem of his clothes. He knew that the Insect Race and the Mo Clan had always been at odds, and he wondered if Ceci would let him in.
After a few seconds, which felt like days to Mo Xuan, Ceci finally handed the invitation back to Mo Xuan, his tone softening slightly:
"Hurry inside. Luo Luo is still waiting for you."
Mo Xuan suddenly looked up. "Luo Qi is still waiting for me?"
Ceci nodded. "Yes, he's mentioned you to me many times. Go on."
Mo Xuan once thought that coming to see his friend was the bravest thing he had ever done in his life. He embarked on the journey alone, traveling all the way from the distant Mo Star, enduring the strict questioning of the Insect Star, and arriving at the Insect Race's royal palace.
But now, knowing that his good friend had also been thinking of him, and that his arrival was anticipated, Mo Xuan felt his originally cold heart warm up a little.
Ceci rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a piece of candy, handing it to Mo Xuan. Luo Qi had insisted on giving it to him that morning.
"Go on, your friends are all inside."
Mo Xuan clutched the candy and nodded heavily. "Mm!"
For the first time, the gates of the royal palace opened for a member of the Mo Clan. The little Mo cub skipped inside and, as expected, received a warm welcome from his good friend.
Ceci smiled slightly and turned to walk into the royal palace.
Suddenly, a voice with a smile came from behind him. "Your Majesty the Insect King."
Ceci frowned and turned to look. It was a tall, handsome man with a smile on his lips, but his eyes were dark and held a hint of… shrewdness that displeviased Ceci.
"It's you."
The man smiled in surprise. "Your Majesty the Insect King remembers me?"
Ceci looked at the man and frowned slightly. "I remember, the Federation didn't receive an invitation from the Insect Star, did they?"
A Ji lowered his head and chuckled, appearing at ease with the feared Insect King. "So I hope you can forgive my uninvited arrival."
Ceci narrowed his eyes. This young man named A Ji, in just one year of taking office, had managed to bring the Federation back from an edge force into the view of various interstellar races.
He had resolved several minor and major interstellar conflicts, gaining widespread acclaim in a short period. This showed he was no ordinary individual.
Furthermore, for some reason, Ceci disliked this young man. He always carried an inexplicable hostility that made Ceci very uncomfortable.
Ceci let out a cold laugh. "What if I do not welcome the Federation Chairman, nor do I welcome you?"