Chapter 374
Chapter 374
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 374 – Huperion Feels Like She’s About to Have a StrokeIt was as if Leora had sensed the audience’s collective thoughts.
“Why do your words sound so much like something a president would say?I know there are already discussions within Helrom Broadcasting Company about whether you’ll run for president next year...”
Leora raised her brows with a playful smile, interrupting Lan Qi briefly:
“So, will you run for president?”
Her question, asked with genuine curiosity, seemed to hang in the air, causing the entire audience to hold their breath.
And right at that moment, the “ordinary” cat sitting in Lan Qi’s lap — Boss Cat — nearly jumped straight into the air!If Lan Qi actually became the President of the Protos Empire, Boss Cat would never dare face Hupe ever again!
He had gotten used to Lan Qi being a principal, a Son of Ba’tian, even a governor — step by step Boss Cat had gone numb.
But president? Becoming the ruler of the Empire?That was something Boss Cat could not accept!
Faced with this half-joking but also quite serious question, Lan Qi paused for a moment, a glint of deep thought flashing through his emerald-green eyes.
“Probably not. But I am truly tired of watching the Protos Empire get cheated and taken advantage of.”
His voice was steady, but carried a trace of quiet helplessness.
“Why not run for president, then?”
Leora pressed gently.
“I just don’t have the intention to run.I love what I do now — I really do.”
Lan Qi’s explanation was calm but sincere.
“Perhaps if your ambition were a little higher…there wouldn’t be a single woman in the world who could keep up with you.You still want to leave a bit of time and life for those close to you, isn’t that right?”
Leora’s teasing words drew a wave of laughter from the audience.
Lan Qi responded with a knowing, faint smile.
The laughter didn’t last long — it came and went like gentle waves lapping the shore, leaving behind only a soft echo.
Lan Qi lowered his head slightly, smiling as he replied:
“I probably won’t seek a higher office, but I’m not ruling it out completely.If I truly believed this country was heading in the wrong direction, I might consider running.”
Every answer of his seemed to ripple through the audience —some nodded, some watched with bright eyes, reflecting on the deeper meaning behind Rocky McCarthy’s earlier words and what his political ambitions might mean for their own lives and the future of their country.
The interview continued in full swing.
Meanwhile...
In the southern commercial district of Helrom, the city was ablaze with light and energy at half past eight in the evening.
Enormous magitek crystal billboards and neon signs lit up the entire skyline like it was daytime.
On these massive holographic screens, the latest fashion ads, blockbuster trailers, and luxury brands rotated one after another, vying with the lights of the malls — a dazzling contest of real and illusory.
Projection barriers and glamour spells made it hard to tell where reality ended and illusion began.
Through this vibrant street scene walked Huperion and Mishula, crossing the busy intersection in harmony, the surrounding crowd flowing like a river of color and shape.
“Tomorrow’s our last day with permission to go out of the Academy.
I’ll take you to find that man you keep thinking about,”
Mishula suggested cheerfully, carrying her shopping bags.
“...Okay.”
Huperion wanted to object, but she knew that the more she protested, the deeper Mishula’s misunderstanding would grow.
Here in Helrom — the imperial capital and hub of southern communication — finding someone shouldn’t be too difficult, especially with the Milford family’s connections.
“I actually told him once, if we ever got separated, he should stand in the most obvious spot and wait for me.
I’d find him right away... I wonder if he’s silly enough to have been standing somewhere all this time waiting for me?”
Huperion said softly, lost in thought.
“If he really cares about you, maybe we’ll just run into him while we’re out shopping.”
Mishula replied, her tone teasing.
If this “Rocky” man truly had feelings for her sister, then he should be doing everything he could to keep that promise.
That would be a dependable man.
“No, no, no. He’s absolutely not allowed to have strange ideas — just living a stable life is the best thing!”
Huperion waved her hands frantically.
Mishula clearly didn’t understand — Lan Qi’s way of thinking was simply not normal.
“What? Don’t tell me he’s the kind of man who would squander all your hard-earned savings and then come back asking you for more?”
Mishula asked suspiciously, worried her pure-hearted sister might get tricked by some scumbag.
“Absolutely not... he’s never once asked me for money.”
Huperion found it hard to explain what kind of man Lan Qi was.
Only when Mishula met him for herself would she understand.
Just as she was about to give an example of something Lan Qi might do, Huperion suddenly froze — she thought she heard his voice.
“...Am I hallucinating?
I swear I just heard him talking.”
She pressed a hand to her forehead and looked around, bewildered.
She couldn’t see anything, but it felt eerily like some divine message was being broadcast from the sky.
“Sis, you really do miss him too much,”
Mishula sighed, but then suddenly stopped short:
“Wait a minute — I think I can hear the voice too.”
Mishula realized there was indeed a male voice echoing through the commercial district, coming from the direction of the plaza.
“No way...”
Huperion’s expression tensed, her heartbeat speeding up as she quickened her pace toward the square, Mishula hurrying after her.
“It’s probably nothing — maybe I misheard.
Or maybe...”
Huperion muttered under her breath, silently praying to the Goddess that Lan Qi wouldn’t do anything too outrageous while in the Protos Empire, and that he had truly understood what she told him last time.
Whatever had happened — she told herself — she must stay calm.
But when Huperion rounded the corner and stepped into the open central plaza, she froze.
Every screen in the sky was broadcasting the same image,
and that voice now seemed to surround the entire city.
Mishula stopped in her tracks, staring at her sister, who stood rooted to the spot, her usual grace gone — mouth slightly open, eyes trembling.
She followed Huperion’s gaze to the massive outdoor screen —
There, on the screen, was the young man in the purple suit with brown hair and green eyes, speaking confidently with the national-level host, Leora.
“So even though you have no intention to run, you believe you could win?”
Leora asked curiously.
The young man did not answer right away.
He let the silence hang for a few seconds — a show of respect for the question and a moment to gather his thoughts.
He tilted his shoulder, smiled slightly, and looked Leora straight in the eye — then turned toward the audience as if inviting everyone into his world of thought.
“I’m not completely sure, but I do think I could win.
I’ll tell you this — I rarely lose in life.”
His voice was calm but brimming with confidence.
“If I ever leaned toward running for president,
I think the people would favor me.
I’d say my chances of winning are very, very high.”
“Because I don’t know exactly what the audience thinks —
but I believe people, like me, are tired of watching the Protos Empire get cheated.”
And beneath the circle of giant screens in the plaza —
Huperion blurted out:
“What the hell!!!”