【Interstellar Contract Magician】Ruyuanke

"But, your fosterer... Shan Qi? Didn't you say your fosterer was Wen Ya?" Nightingale raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Shan, that's an interstellar business legend. Tsk tsk."

I rolled my eyes at him, not wanting to respond. I couldn't explain why the matching system, Nuwa No. 3, had suddenly misjudged me, finding me such a large number of "biological fathers" as guardians. After screening, a full eight remained. Most of us had only met once. We would take turns living in their respective settlements.

Nightingale didn't seem surprised by my lack of explanation. Instead, he raised an eyebrow. "Eight?" He chuckled. "I thought you were the sole heir to some noble family. I didn't expect you to have so many 'fathers'."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes: "Could you please not speak in such a joking tone?" I picked up the laptop and quickly browsed the new tasks on the taskbar, hoping to divert his attention and stop him from continuing to ask questions on this topic.

But Nightingale clearly had no intention of letting me go. His gaze, like that of a predator, fell quietly on me. "You said your adoptive father was Wen Ya." He paused, "Wen Ya... one of the empire's top artists. Many people are proud to have even met him. Being his adopted son is no small feat."

I knew what Nightingale said was true. Wen Ya was indeed very famous in the Empire. Although I didn't know this before, I could tell from that concert. He was a musical genius, and naturally, he was also a friend of many noble families. Naturally, he had countless followers.

In contrast, Shan Qi was different. His business empire encompassed almost the entire galaxy, and his name was almost legendary in the business world. Many people fought tooth and nail for his resources and power.

"But, about Wen Ya..." I sighed and didn't continue. Nightingale obviously saw my mood, his eyes were a little playful, but he didn't continue to attack me.

"Nuwa No. 3 seems to be very fond of pairing you with some 'special' characters," Nightingale said with a hint of curiosity and amusement. "But, I'm curious, have you always been wavering between Wen Ya and Shan Qi?"

I was startled again, my heartbeat quickening, but I quickly suppressed my complex emotions. "I just didn't expect the system to get my identity wrong," I rolled my eyes. "Besides, there's really nothing to say." I didn't want to delve into these complicated family relationships in front of him. Perhaps it was because I couldn't even sort out those tangled emotions myself.

Although he didn't hit the nail on the head about my "sway".

Nightingale continued to stare at me, seemingly seeing through my unwillingness to speak, but he didn't press the issue. "It seems you don't plan on going back to see these 'fathers', huh?" he said calmly.

I looked down at the notification on my laptop, feeling an inexplicable heaviness in my heart. Finally, I shook my head. "No, they're all the same to me anyway." I tried to keep my voice calm. "I'm doing just fine on my own, and I don't need them to interfere."

Nightingale nodded, seemingly saying nothing more. His gaze softened slightly, but he remained calm. "Do whatever you want. After all, these matters are up to you alone." He said, then lowered his head and began to organize his equipment.

I won't say any more. Life wasn't supposed to be this messy, with my roles as father and caregiver mixed up, and my relationships with these people complicated. Fortunately, they were all relatively serious about me.

"Are you really planning to continue skipping classes?" Nightingale suddenly asked, breaking my silent thoughts.

I didn't answer immediately, but instead glanced at the quest hall screen. The system displayed several new high-risk quests, with tempting rewards. To accumulate merit, I really needed to work harder.

"Well, I haven't decided yet," I turned to look at Nightingale, "but I will go after the mission is over. I just don't know how they will treat me then."

Nightingale raised a playful smile at the corner of her mouth: "There will always be a way to solve it."

I nodded, but I didn't feel any confidence at all.

"Let's do one more job in the last three days. I'll call it a day. There's no need to make things difficult for Shan Qi. After all, he's only in charge of me for one or two months." I fiddled with the light brain and checked the task information.

Nightingale raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly unsurprised by my decision, but a complex expression flashed in his eyes. He knew my character well and knew I wouldn't easily give up any opportunity, especially in these last three days.

"Is that your plan?" he asked calmly, his tone somewhat tentative.

Without turning back, I simply tapped the screen and confirmed a high-risk mission. "Yes, last one. No more delays once we're done," I replied, calmly reading the mission details—an interstellar transport mission involving sensitive items. The risk was immense, but the reward was also substantial.

Nightingale looked at me, saying nothing. He knew I wouldn't change my mind easily. We both understood that these final three days were a chance for me to reconsider. Three days—not too long, not too short—enough for me to make a decision: whether to accept the fate that life had thrust upon me.

"Since you have made up your mind, let's go." Nightingale sighed slightly and started the hovercraft. "But remember, you are not making the decision alone." He spoke softly, as if telling me that although my actions seemed to be lonely, he was always by my side.

I glanced at him, a faint smile playing on my lips. "Don't worry, I can do everything on my own in the last three days."

Despite the lighthearted words, deep down, I felt a sense of uncertainty. Leaving the empire, seeking my own freedom, searching for the one I longed for so deeply—all of this still seemed out of reach.

The hovercar drove out of the city, swiftly weaving through busy streets and tall buildings. The mission had been determined, the goal clear. The prompts in the mission hall began to sound, and a new challenge was about to begin.

I took a deep breath and decided to escape for a while before facing it formally.