TL: Hua

Chapter 63

It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that Pei Yingye and Ji Xuan have become much closer since their training trip to North Star Fortress.

Shaikh’s gaze swept over Pei Yingye’s hand holding Ji Xuan’s. Knowing this was a performance meant specifically for him, a flicker of gloom crossed his blue eyes.

However, he said nothing. Keeping his usual harmless mask in place, he gave Ji Xuan a smile, stood up, and returned to his original seat.

The bell rang right on time, and the old professor stepped into the classroom at the very last second.

Pei Yingye withdrew his arm from the back of the chair, shot a glance at Shaikh’s annoying back, and rolled his eyes imperceptibly.

At the podium, the old professor cleared his throat, opened his lesson plan, and began another round of erratic lecturing.

This course, Introduction to Interstellar Civilizations, was a notorious filler class. Less than ten minutes in, Pei Yingye started feeling drowsy. He yawned, his hand still resting on Ji Xuan’s palm, his fingertips lightly scratching it. Ji Xuan’s fingers instinctively curled but didn’t pull away. So, Pei Yingye took advantage of the situation and simply covered Ji Xuan’s palm with his whole hand, playfully trying to pry open Ji Xuan’s fingers one by one, then weaving his own fingers between them.

Ji Xuan’s hands, which usually held knives, were unusually soft at this moment, as if they were meant to be admired at will.

Pei Yingye’s drowsiness finally dissipated a bit. Propping his head up, he amused himself by doing whatever he pleased with the hand.

Faint rustling came from the back rows. Likely students who woke up late and were rushing to catch the second half of the lecture; the sound of bumping desks and chairs came in waves.

The commotion was too loud to ignore, and the old professor on stage, who wasn’t deaf or blind, was bound to notice. He pushed his glasses up in confusion, his gaze scanning the room over and over before he finally couldn’t help but speak: “I recall this class was for the Combat Department, correct? Did we enroll these many students this year? Are we planning to invade the Zerg or surround some interstellar pirates?”

“Or has my academic career suddenly hit a second spring right as I’m nearing retirement?”

The classroom immediately erupted in low chuckles.

“Professor, haven’t you been browsing the forums lately? Most of them are probably here for our ‘Annual Number One.'”

“Couldn’t get up for the first period, so they had to crash the second.”

A few Alphas in the front rows, clearly enjoying the drama, explained it to him.

Hearing this, the professor raised an eyebrow. His eyes swept from the back rows to the middle, finally landing on the two sitting by the window.

“Oh?” he drawled, looking enlightened. “So that’s how it is. It seems I’m basking in the reflected glory of our top student.”

With that, he tapped the podium and changed his tone: “However, since you’ve come to my classroom, you must follow my rules. You students standing in the back, find an empty seat and sit down. Don’t block the light.”

After a small commotion, the latecomers found seats, including a few Combat Department students who had overslept and were trying to blend in. Two Omegas, seemingly unable to find adjacent seats in the back, hesitated for a moment before walking down to the row behind Ji Xuan and sitting down.

One of them almost tripped over a chair.

“Since everyone here has to take my class anyway, let’s add a pop quiz before the end of the hour.”

The laughter instantly turned into wails. The Combat Department students who had chimed in earlier began desperately haggling with the professor.

Pei Yingye didn’t know if the professor had checked the forums, but he certainly had. Ever since Ji Xuan took the top spot for the year, the forums had been buzzing with threads about him every day. Especially after the news of his Second-Class Merit broke, candid photos, analysis threads, and even long-form confessions had become ubiquitous.

Taking advantage of the professor’s blind spot, he secretly opened the forum. Sure enough, the real-time discussion thread had already been bumped to the top.

[1L: Eating such a feast first thing in the morning is great for my eyes. Dedicated my first 8 AM of the semester to our walking Second-Class Merit. [Image]]

[2L: OP, are you the one sitting in front of me? I just saw you sneak a photo of JX.]

[3L: Couldn’t get up for the first period, barely made it to the second. Almost got caught by Old Jiang. Why are these Combat Dept Alphas so heartless? Why’d you expose us? T_T I don’t want a quiz.]

[4L: Relax, Old Jiang is all talk; there’s no way he’ll actually make us do a quiz. But the Combat Dept is truly miserable having filler classes at 8 AM.]

[5L: I have to say, JX in person is even better looking than the forum photos. JX… JX… [Pink bunny pressed against glass.jpg]

[6L: ? I don’t understand what the person upstairs is saying. Why is it so lively so early in the morning?]

[7L: In less than a few months, someone went from bottom-tier to Second-Class Merit, suddenly becoming a forum celebrity. Life really is full of ups and downs and ups.]

[8L: Wait, isn’t JX an Omega? Why does it feel like more Betas and Omegas come to see him, while Alphas are fewer?]

[9L: Alphas only dare to dream in private. After all, they can’t beat PYY, and they can’t beat JX. Betas and Omegas might get treated a bit more gently 🙂 ]

[10L: If I give PYY 100 million, will he give up the seat next to JX? I want to sit there.]

[11L: For 100 million, PYY might call you Dad.]

“What kind of pipe dreams are these?” Pei Yingye snorted. He glanced toward the back, catching several people looking up guiltily. He raised a brow provocatively and leaned in toward Ji Xuan, resting his head directly against the other’s arm.

“Betas are one thing, but what are Omegas doing joining the fray?”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing.” After saying that, Pei Yingye scrolled down and saved all the new candid photos people had posted.

Ji Xuan felt that this behavior was exactly like a clingy Golden Retriever. He reached up and gently smoothed out Pei Yingye’s messy hair.

At that moment, the Omega who had just sat down behind them tapped Pei Yingye on the shoulder.

“What?” Pei Yingye snapped, looking back and measuring the distance between them with naked eyes. “Your arm is certainly long enough.”

The Omega gave a shy smile and then shoved a cup of milk tea right in front of his face.

Pei Yingye: ?

Thanks, I hate sweet drinks.

And do you not see who I’m sitting next to?

He opened his mouth to refuse, but to his surprise, the Omega’s next words were, “Could you help us pass this to Ji Xuan? Thank you.”

Pei Yingye: ???

Ji Xuan, turning around because of the commotion, was also taken aback. Seeing him look over, the Omega quickly added, “People from the association said you always drink milk tea when you go to the cafeteria, so I brought a cup especially for you today.”

“What association? You don’t mean your Omega…”

“Thank you.” Ji Xuan reached out and took the milk tea.

“But you don’t need to go through the trouble in the future,” he said, polite yet distant.

The Omega’s face instantly flushed red as he waved his hands frantically: “No trouble at all! As long as you like it…” Before he could finish, his companion secretly tugged at his sleeve, gesturing for him to look at Pei Yingye’s expression.

Ji Xuan gave them a slight nod and said with a half-smile, “If you only bring one for me, someone might be a bit unhappy.”

“…Huh?” the Omega exclaimed. “The former number one surely couldn’t be that petty, right?”

Hearing this, Pei Yingye raised an eyebrow. He leaned all the way back, using the chair to block the two Omegas’ view of Ji Xuan. “Sorry. The former number one is exactly that petty.”

However, because of these two pioneers, the number of people proactively trying to strike up conversations with Ji Xuan on the road surged over the following days. Omegas, Betas, and Alphas alike, some even approached him during Mecha class under the guise of technical exchange.

After all, while the Alliance’s military academies didn’t ban Omegas from the Combat Department, the reality was that Omegas who excelled there were few and far between. Ji Xuan’s underdog-to-top-tier journey was incredibly dramatic. Since the founding of Mars Military Academy, no Omega had ever ranked first in the annual assessment, let alone participated in a mission led by the Azure Bird Guard. Admiration for the strong is human nature—and watching a beautiful Omega is even more so.

Pei Yingye saw various “encounter” threads on the forum more than once—cafeteria, training center, and Omega dorm area. It felt like players hitting achievement checkpoints, reminiscent of the frenzy when the “Nine Days and Nights Across the Sea” beta first launched.

Ji Xuan, however, took it all in stride. When he was in a good mood, he would actually chat with them for a few sentences.

As a result, during various practical training sessions, Pei Yingye either wasn’t grouped with Ji Xuan, or if he was, their world for two was quickly interrupted.

Like today.

Shaikh, who had finally been randomly assigned to the same group as Ji Xuan, picked up a pistol casually, waved it at the displeased Pei Yingye, and followed Ji Xuan to their shooting range position.

“Brother, which of us starts first?”

Ji Xuan glanced at him but said nothing. His right thumb lightly pressed the catch, and with a coordinated shove from his left hand, the barrel separated from the slide.

His movements in disassembling the gun were as fluid as moving water. Standing beside him, Shaikh didn’t feel awkward at his silence; instead, he stared at Ji Xuan’s hands with keen interest, his blue eyes shimmering with a bright light.

“Can I ask a question?”

Ji Xuan was placing the last part into the tray when he tilted his head to sweep a glance at him.

Taking this as a form of permission, Shaikh leaned in closer. “Why did you choose Pei Yingye?”

“What does that have to do with you?”

With all the components arranged neatly in the tray, Ji Xuan withdrew his hands and waited for the instructor to issue the command.

Shaikh spoke with a feigned sense of grievance: “I’m just a little unwilling to accept it. After all, I was your first friend after you arrived at the capital planet.”

“There’s nothing to be unwilling about.”

The instructor’s whistle happened to sound in the distance. Without a hint of haste, Ji Xuan picked up the slide and steadily pressed the recoil spring into the guide rod. His hands moved with a combination of dexterity and composure, fast yet effortless.

“You should know full well how you treated me in the past. Who exactly are you putting on this act for now?” he said nonchalantly. If Shaikh hadn’t insisted on being so blunt, Ji Xuan might not have laid out the past so plainly for him to hear.

“I regret it.” Shaikh suddenly took a step forward, pressing his hand onto the table beside Ji Xuan, and repeated, “I regret it, Ji Xuan.”

Things he once dismissed with disdain were now things he desperately wanted to possess. But Ji Xuan no longer relied on him, and Shaikh was no longer his only “friend.” Ji Xuan’s gaze was already fixed on someone else.

Ji Xuan’s movements didn’t pause. “You don’t regret it; you’ve simply failed to get the toy you wanted.”

If Ji Xuan were still the old Ji Xuan, neither Shaikh nor Ji Jingche nor Shen Que would feel regret; they would likely have continued the status quo. People like to be perverse; they don’t cherish what is within reach, and only when it’s lost do they give birth to a self-righteous remorse. But Ji Xuan felt that, in reality, most of this was just resentment at losing.

—You used to fawn all over us, but why are you unwilling to do so anymore?

The final part clicked into place with a “clack.” The pistol was cocked. Ji Xuan put on his blindfold and raised the gun expressionlessly.

The blindfold covered his eyes, leaving the lower half of his face exposed—exquisite yet cold and hard. His thin lips were pressed into a flat, indifferent line, and his skin appeared dazzlingly white against the black leather.

His grip was steady; the dark muzzle of the gun locked firmly onto Shaikh’s face.

Shaikh could almost hear the sound of his own blood freezing and then boiling. In his suddenly constricted pupils, he saw the silhouette of Ji Xuan pulling the trigger without hesitation—

“Bang!”

The rubber bullet whistled past his ear.

“I don’t lack friends, nor do I need them. I liked the things you sent, so I didn’t refuse them, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you for what you did.” Ji Xuan slapped the gun onto the table and reached up to tear off the blindfold. “You should be grateful, for my response is already a great mercy. As for anything else—”

“—Don’t even dream about it.”

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