Don't Give Up

Inside the Imperial Palace.

The Crown Prince's residence had already been placed under layers of lockdown, yet the bedroom was empty.

Ning Zhao had been confined by the Emperor to an attic on the top floor.

Under the cover of night, the black panther evaded the patrolling guards, nimbly climbed the wall, and slipped through the attic's only narrow skylight.

The attic was low and dim. Aside from a wooden table and chairs, there was no other furniture.

In the bustling capital, within the extravagant Imperial Palace, Ning Zhao was imprisoned in a cold space without even a bed.

He sat quietly in the chair, moonlight slipping through the skylight and falling right by his feet.

Hearing Izel land, Ning Zhao instinctively raised his head before quickly hiding himself in the shadows again.

"Why are you here?"

Ning Zhao's voice was calm, though slightly hoarse.

Izel returned to human form, but one of his hands was still shaped like a beast's claw.

He frowned, with no time to deal with it, and hid the claw behind his back. "Your Highness, are you all right?"

Ning Zhao said, "What are you hiding for? It's not like I don't know. You haven't been controlling your beast form as well lately, have you? Why turn into this just to climb through a window?"

Then he smiled again. "Izel, you really love climbing through windows."

"Had no choice. I couldn't see you otherwise." Izel strolled over and crouched in front of Ning Zhao.

The moment he saw Ning Zhao's face clearly, his expression changed. He reached out to straighten Ning Zhao's face, but Ning Zhao turned away to avoid him.

Izel's brows drew together. He forcibly gripped Ning Zhao's chin and turned his face back.

"His Majesty punished you?"

Under the moonlight, a patch of red swelling stood out starkly on his fair face.

Izel had seen the Emperor slap Ning Zhao before, so it was not hard to guess what had happened.

Ning Zhao smiled without much emotion. "I disgraced the royal family so badly. A few hits already count as mercy from him."

"The Capital Police Bureau hasn't even reached a conclusion yet. Why is he in such a rush?" Izel said coldly.

Ning Zhao looked into the distance. "Izel, why be angry over someone like me?"

Izel asked, "Did you really abuse Noah?"

Ning Zhao was silent for a long time before suddenly laughing softly.

He laughed for quite a while before Izel could not help saying, "Ning Zhao."

"The injuries on his body are real, aren't they?" Ning Zhao was still smiling. "Izel, would you believe him?"

But Izel answered with another question. "The Empire's people will believe you."

He paused, then continued, "After all, you've always been perfect."

Ning Zhao's smile deepened, but his eyes were soaked cold by the moonlight. "But once they learn what I'm really like, who would still believe me?"

"Would you care whether a madman was innocent, Izel?"

Izel did not answer immediately.

Ning Zhao said softly, "Go back. This matter is nothing much to me. At worst, my reputation will be ruined."

As soon as he finished speaking, his hand was touched by cool skin.

Izel took Ning Zhao's hand and pressed a handkerchief against his wrist, where there was a fresh wound.

Not long before Izel arrived, Ning Zhao had cut open the skin of his wrist again with a blade.

Actually, Ning Zhao did not feel much. It was simply something he did out of habit.

Whenever he was alone in the dark, he needed pain to find some tangible proof that he still existed.

Yet the moment Izel appeared, Ning Zhao even forgot what he had been doing before.

Izel picked up the blade from the floor and slipped it into his pocket, intending to throw it away when he left.

"We just made a deal, didn't we?"

The young noble's tone was calm and casual. "I won't break my word."

Ning Zhao said, "But I haven't sent Noah back to Carlos yet."

Izel did not respond. He carefully pinched one corner of the handkerchief and wiped the blood from Ning Zhao's hand.

"Your Highness, perhaps you won't believe me, but I truly believe you're innocent."

The Alpha lowered his head, golden hair falling from the back of his neck.

He seemed to be treating Ning Zhao's wound with exceptional seriousness.

"You're the Crown Prince. Don't give up so easily."

Ning Zhao stared at him blankly, and the pain in his cheek and wrist seemed to gradually fade away.

His senses, dulled over many years, were now feeling all the more keenly the warmth from Izel's palm as he held his hand.

Back in the bedroom, Shi Sheng sat properly and turned to look at Elaine.

Seeing how serious, nervous, and expectant he looked, Elaine chuckled and played along.

"Mm, I'm ready."

Shi Sheng nodded, looking as though he wanted Elaine to watch closely.

He pulled up a page on his wristband, his ten fingers flying rapidly.

As the Empire's marshal, Elaine naturally understood information technology as well, making Shi Sheng's proficiency even more surprising.

With Shi Sheng's operations, several panels unfolded before them.

All kinds of letters and symbols raced across the interface.

Elaine did not speak to interrupt him, quietly watching Shi Sheng work beside him.

He could tell that Shi Sheng was infiltrating a system.

Before long, a progress bar appeared on the screen.

Only then did Shi Sheng pause for the moment and type a message on the interface for Elaine to read.

"I infiltrated Noah's wristband system. As long as he enabled recording permission after binding this wristband, I can find all of its audio files."

Elaine said, "Even if he never activated the recording function?"

After all, if it was a frame-up, no one would dig their own grave by deliberately turning on recordings.

Shi Sheng nodded and typed again, "As long as he activated it at some other time before, it'll work. The same goes for video recordings."

Elaine said, "The Empire's electronic products shouldn't have such a major security flaw."

Shi Sheng froze, then suddenly realized something.

He quickly worked through the system again to verify it carefully, then turned to look at Elaine.

Elaine's gaze, which had been fixed on Shi Sheng, also fell onto the panel. At last, a trace of coldness flashed through his golden eyes.

"He's using a product from outside the Empire?"

Using goods from other countries was perfectly normal, of course.

But what was displayed on the panel now surprised both of them.

The wristband Noah used was a common, inexpensive model in the Empire.

However, its internal chip and system had been developed years ago by an enemy country—a specialized system designed to steal Imperial intelligence.

And it was precisely this system that had an enormous security vulnerability.

That was what Shi Sheng had just realized.

He looked at Elaine.

Sensing his gaze, the Alpha hid the coldness in his eyes and smiled as he stroked Shi Sheng's head.

"You did very well."

Shi Sheng pressed his lips together and blinked slowly.

He looked like a little dog waiting expectantly for praise.

Elaine lowered his head and kissed his lips. "You're amazing."

Shi Sheng's eyelashes trembled violently. His cheeks flushed red as he stared dazedly at the Alpha before him.

Elaine simply reached out to close the panels on Shi Sheng's wristband and supported the back of his neck.

"All right. I'll handle the rest."

The Alpha's thin lips curved upward as he deepened the kiss. "Now all you need to do is look at me."

A car arrived outside the gates of the Capital Police Bureau but was stopped.

The guard at the entrance said sternly, "Outside vehicles are not permitted inside."

The car window rolled down, revealing Yumian's exquisite but expressionless face. "I'm here to see Hovis."

"Outside vehicles are not permitted inside," the guard merely repeated.

Yumian did not say anything more. He switched the car to autopilot and got out himself.

"Can I go in now?"

The guard asked, "What do you need?"

"I said I'm here to see Hovis," Yumian said coldly.

The guard said nothing more and gestured for Yumian to register.

Every time Yumian came to the Capital Police Bureau, he felt a knot of anger in his chest, though reason told him it was not anyone else's fault.

He forcefully entered his name on the information panel and strode inside.

The Capital Police Bureau was always busy.

Someone came to receive Yumian, but upon learning that he was neither reporting a crime nor seeking help, they were momentarily at a loss.

"Where's Hovis?" Yumian asked.

The young officer wore a rather strange expression and could not help glancing at Yumian a few more times.

Yumian frowned. "What are you looking at?"

The young officer shook his head repeatedly and turned to call Hovis.

What he was thinking was that their commissioner was still quite impressive after all these years. There were always such beautiful Omegas coming to see him.

It was just a pity that their commissioner was not a sentimental man.

Naturally, Yumian had no idea what the young officer was thinking. He waited boredly for quite a while.

But the one who came was not Hovis. It was the young officer, looking apologetic.

"Sorry, the commissioner is busy. Why don't you wait a little longer?"

The anger in Yumian's heart nearly rose again, but seeing the innocent young officer, he forcibly suppressed it.

He answered indifferently and found himself a corner to sit in.

He ended up sitting there until the sun set behind the western hills.

Hovis had just finished interrogating a criminal when he saw a golden head in the corner bobbing like a pecking chick.

His brow twitched. Frowning, he tossed the electronic cigarette he had just taken out back into his pocket.

In his sleep, Yumian's head suddenly dropped heavily. Just as he was about to topple over, a hand reaching from beside him caught him.

He opened his eyes blankly, and through his hazy vision, he saw the Alpha's indistinct figure.

The familiar yet unfamiliar man made Yumian briefly unable to tell what year this was.

"What are you doing here?" Hovis's indifferent voice pulled Yumian back to reality.

The young master returned to his usual spoiled arrogance and frowned. "Waiting for you, Hovis. Did you make me wait on purpose?"

Hovis looked genuinely surprised. "Didn't I have someone tell you to go home first?"

Yumian froze. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he held it back.

Hovis would never believe him anyway.

His gaze drifted aimlessly around before he stood and stretched.

Then he asked directly, "How is A-Zhao's case going?"

Hovis glanced at him and turned to walk outside. "You can't inquire about this case."

"What if I insist?" Yumian asked. "You and I both know that A-Zhao must be innocent."

Hovis bought a bottle of water from the vending machine. "You trust the Crown Prince that much?"

Yumian asked, "You don't?"

He naturally assumed that everyone would believe Ning Zhao.

Hovis gave a soft laugh, but Yumian did not understand what that smile meant.

"Believing the Crown Prince is the Crown Princess's business, not mine."

Yumian froze, then suddenly asked, "So you believe Noah?"