Chapter 2

They landed in the middle of the afternoon on planet Guillotine. The sun was shining relentlessly down on the planet, the ground steaming from the heat. The spaceport was much more open than the one they'd left, with large glass walls effortlessly lighting up the spaceport with the sun's rays that let one see the outside and wide, open floor plan. Bustling with people hurrying to and fro, it was a much more inviting spaceport than most. There was not a dark color to be seen, every wall painted a pale and cheerful color.

Sun Fang was one of the first to exit the ship. He was already scouring through his phone for interesting posts again when he went down the ramp with his AI butler following close behind him, taking care of his carry-on luggage. Sun Fang scratched lightly at his nose as he stepped foot on the ground for the first time in nearly four days. Even then, that kind of speed was only available with the very top of the luxury class spaceships.

A cheaper flight would take roughly five weeks, and that was with the planets in the same solar system within a relatively short distance of each other.

He whistled as he pocketed his phone and sauntered through the spaceport. A quick stop to get the rest of his luggage, and they veered off to the side, exiting through a large revolving door that lead them right to the location for renting a ride. It was a quick matter of securing a vehicle that would take him to his apartment.

While in the car, Sun Fang dialed a number on his silver phone. He picked at his nails while he waited for the other person to pick up. When they did, Sun Fang sat straighter in his seat and said, "Hey, did you hear?"

"You mean about your many, many scandals that oh so scandalously came to light at the gala?" drawled a husky voice from the other end.

Sun Fang let out a low laugh, "Yeah, that." He adjusted his position and leaned back against the backrest, his eyes serenely observing the view passing by. "My father's face was hilarious, it was so red! And uncle got that pinched look he gets when he's super shocked but trying not to show it, you know the one he made when you told him you'd gotten Mianmian pregnant."

"Ahhh, don't mention that, I still have nightmares." His cousin sighed deeply, the sound echoing strangely in the phone. "You'd better stay away for a while, you hear me? Things are crazy over here, I can't believe I missed it."

"I will, I will," Sun Fang promised easily. He had no intention of leaving this planet for the time being, and it wasn't like Guillotine was even really on his family's radar. They had no business interests here, no prominent allies lived here, and there was nothing here that they needed. In short, it was the perfect place to fade away in.

He tilted his head to the left as his gaze followed a large tree by the side of the road. "I just wanted to know if Mianmian has seen it yet?"

"Oh, so you don't care about me? Only Mianmian?" the teasing lilt to the voice made Sun Fang smile.

He shook his head despite the fact that he that Deng Xi couldn't hear him. Leaning his head against the backrest and closing his eyes, Sun Fang stated, "You know full well that Mianmian was my first love, obviously I care more about him. It's not gonna be long until the birth now, right? How's he doing?"

"Fine, fine," Deng Xi assured him, his voice sounding amused as he continued, "He saw the news and laughed so much he got a coughing fit. Lately, he's been on the phone with his parents, assuring them you've never done anything untoward to him. He's having a blast."

Sun Fang could easily picture that. He didn't bother to disguise his bark of laughter from his cousin and heard the sound of low coughing from the other side. The conversation started winding down after that, Sun Fang having accomplished what he set out to. Mianmian and Deng Xi were both fine, and hadn't been impacted too badly by the various things Sun Fang's younger brother had revealed at the gala. Their names hadn't been mentioned so he knew that, but still, he had worried.

He laid the phone back down on his lap when they'd hung up and stared listlessly out the window. The view was passing quickly, trees and manicured lawns and wide sidewalks taking up his sight. When he tilted his gaze up, he saw a calm sky with nary a cloud.

It was, by all accounts, a lovely day.

A quiet spurt of laughter left him. He pushed his pale bangs out of his eyes again and put his sunglasses back on. He recognized the view; they were approaching their destination. He pulled his hair free from the latest bun he had made of it and felt it fall down around his shoulders.

It had been over four days, and yet the response on the net was still vicious. It was truly a remarkable feeling, to be the center of attention on a stage so big. Sun Fang's misdeeds had never garnered such a large or long response before, it had always just faded out of the public's view. Maybe that was because he no longer had the Sun family's support. Or maybe his brother was egging on the flames. He didn't know and frankly, he didn't care.

Sun Fang stepped out of a car when it finally rolled to a stop. He gripped the car door and looked up at the large, luxurious apartment complex that filled his entire view. From now on, this would be his home. From now on, he would no longer be able to depend on anyone else aside from himself.

Sun Fang smiled and asked his butler, "Get the luggage, would you?"