Chill Time Interrupted
Elara had actually been pretty good about staying put at the Lakefront Villa. She hadn't busted out or caused any diplomatic incidents, mostly channeling her competitive energy into sparring with Long Wei. She hadn't totally beaten him yet, but she was definitely making him sweat. Li Tianyi considered this stable—a win for chill living.
Then came the interruption. Su Qingyao walked in with the latest issue.
"Chairman Li," Qingyao reported, tablet in hand. "Princess Elara is saying you're breaking the deal. She claims she's getting 'intellectually rusty' being locked up, and that's not 'enjoyable existence.' She wants to go out."
Li Tianyi frowned. "Rusty? She's literally reading advanced particle physics for fun. What ridiculous thing is she suggesting?"
"She wants to go on 'field trips' to 'see how the city actually works,'" Qingyao read. "Like, out in public. To check out the 'sociological dynamics' of our influence."
"Public? With a princess whose face is all over international missing person posters?" Li Tianyi shook his head. "That's asking for a total mess. Absolutely not."
Bargaining for a 'Date'
Li Tianyi knew he had to shut this down quickly. He found Elara sitting by the window, looking bored and extremely expensive.
"Elara," he said, skipping the formalities. "Your idea for a public outing is basically an alarm siren. It's too high-risk. We're not doing it."
"But I'm bored, Li Tianyi," she shot back, not arguing, just stating a fact. "Boredom makes people do stupid, desperate things. You should know that. That's a bigger risk than some paparazzi."
"My security team disagrees," he said. "Look, I get it. Isolation is getting old. But diplomatic disasters are worse. So, let's compromise. We'll do Controlled Public Appearances—we can call them 'Strategic Hangouts'."
Elara raised an eyebrow. "Okay, now you've got my attention. What does a 'Strategic Hangout' involve?"
Li Tianyi pulled out his phone, already reviewing the schedule. "We'll go out, but it'll be planned down to the second, and every trip has to benefit the Dynasty somehow. You get entertainment, I get data and control."
He laid out the first two 'Hangouts':
The Museum Trip: "We'll go to my mom's Art Museum. She needs buzz for a new exhibit. You can pretend to be a European art expert. It's a classy crowd, easy to blend in, and it makes my mom happy."
The Power Dinner: "Dinner at the Imperial Star Grand Hotel. It's a formal event where all the big shots talk business. You can watch how real power plays out—it's like a live-action business lesson. That's your intellectual reward."
"And what do I get for being your well-behaved prop?" Elara asked, a beautiful, challenging smirk appearing.
"Good behavior earns you uncensored internet access," Li Tianyi replied simply. "One hour for every successful outing. You get to read whatever complicated science papers you want, or, I don't know, look at cat videos. Freedom for data."
The Comedy of 'Going Out'
Elara burst into laughter, a sound that made Li Tianyi pause.
"You're paying me in Wi-Fi time to go on controlled, pre-planned 'dates' with you?" she chuckled.
"They are not 'dates,'" Li Tianyi corrected, a bit defensive. "They are High-Value Information Exchange Operations."
"Right, right. HVIEOs," she teased. "The most romantic HVIEOs ever. Fine, I accept the terms. But for the museum trip, I'm picking the dress. Your stuff is too perfect. I need something with a little more... mess."
"My clothes are optimized for social effectiveness," Li Tianyi insisted.
"They scream 'untouchable,'" Elara countered. "I need one that screams 'recently escaped, but still fabulous.' You worry about the security; I'll worry about the elegance."
Li Tianyi sighed, already anticipating the administrative headache. His simple, chill life was definitely turning into a complicated, competitive, and strangely amusing rom-com.