Chapter 38: Hi, How Are You?

Chapter 38: Hey, Nice to Meet You

"General, there's an urgent meeting."

Lieutenant Lin suddenly appeared, panting as if he had run all the way.

The moment Huo Lanjing saw him, it seemed like he understood something. He glanced back at Luo Le and instructed, "Send him back."

Then, he strode past Luo Le and left the room.

Lieutenant Lin turned to Luo Le and said, "Ma'am, I'll have them escort you back."

Luo Le knew they were busy, so she didn't give him a hard time. She simply nodded in response.

When they arrived at the dormitory, Yang Liqing had already taken a shower and was sprawled out on his bed.

Upon seeing Luo Le, he pointed at him and scolded, "Well, look at you, learning how to stay out all night now. Do you know they conduct checks? Did you read the military regulations? A single instance of staying out overnight results in punishment, and three times will get you expelled from the military."

Luo Le wore an expression of mixed emotions; he hadn't intended for this to happen.

"So... did you check the dorms last night?"

Yang Liqing replied with a sour tone, "Yes, we did."

Luo Le responded casually, "Oh."

Seeing Luo Le's indifferent attitude, Yang Liqing's anger flared up. He had retreated without a word last time, and now he was staying out all night.

He disliked when soldiers acted nonchalant after enlisting.

"Why did you join the military in the first place? If you still don't take it seriously, I suggest you quit."

Understanding the reason for Yang Liqing's anger, Luo Le hurriedly explained, "I had something to attend to yesterday... It definitely won't happen again."

Seeing his sincere attitude, Yang Liqing's mood improved.

He remembered that he had to receive punishment and write a 5,000-character self-reflection essay.

"In that case, I'll go receive my punishment first."

"No need to go, I had someone pretend you were in bed yesterday to avoid suspicion. But there won't be a next time."

Luo Le nodded earnestly.

Yang Liqing went back to his own affairs without inquiring about Luo Le's activities from the previous day.

It wasn't proper for him to pry into others' personal matters.

Luo Le tugged at his sticky clothes, still wearing the same outfit from yesterday. When he woke up this morning, the clothes were callously thrown on the floor.

He glanced through Huo Lanjing's wardrobe, which was filled with military uniforms. The ranks displayed on the chest made it impossible for him to wear them.

Luo Le could only toss his own clothes into water for a quick rinse before putting them back on, feeling quite uncomfortable.

As he adjusted the buttons on his shirt, he entered the room.

After his shower, Luo Le rummaged through his old clothes and found a bottle of perfume. He sprayed it behind his ears and on his wrists.

Satisfied by the scent, it emerged from its hiding place.

As Luo Le passed by, Yang Liqing suddenly caught a strong whiff of perfume, intertwined with a subtle hint of cool pine scent.

"Wait a moment."

Luo Le turned back, his voice trembling slightly from guilt. "W-What's wrong?"

Yang Liqing fixed his gaze on him. "You've already taken a shower. Why are you still spraying perfume?"

He was even dressed so warmly.

Luo Le chuckled dryly. "Yeah, I've been greasing all day, so I smell quite strong. That's why I'm using some perfume to get rid of the odor."

Yang Liqing seemed to accept this explanation and didn't ask further. Suddenly, something came to his mind, and he asked, "Do you know we're leaving for the Ninth Planet tomorrow?"

Luo Le wiped his palms and patted his face with his eyes closed. "Tomorrow, huh?"

It was just too arid here.

He wouldn't apply any moisturizer; his face would flake the next day.

"Right, they just sent out the documents. We should start packing soon. They'll likely notify you shortly."

"Sure, I don't have much to pack. You seem to have quite a few belongings. Let me help you later."

Luo Le had his ring space; he could easily stow everything away tomorrow. As for toiletries, he could always buy them later.

Yang Liqing dabbed his index finger in the cup's water and touched it to his cheeks, pouting. "Little Le, you're too kind. How did I end up with such an amazing roommate? It must be a blessing from eight lifetimes..."

"Enough."

Luo Le closed the lid and lounged on the bed. "I'm going to rest for a bit."

"Alright, take your rest. There's no rush."

At three in the morning, the military whistle sounded, signaling the start of boarding the vessel.

Half-asleep, Luo Le followed behind Yang Liqing. Just as they were about to climb aboard, an officer stopped Luo Le.

"You, come with me."

The two exchanged a quizzical glance.

Yang Liqing stepped forward and asked, "What does this mean?"

The officer gave Luo Le another look and inquired, "Are you Luo Le?"

Luo Le nodded.

"Didn't you receive the order? From now on, you'll be the mechanized armor specialist assisting Admiral Hao."

Luo Le grasped the situation. After informing Yang Liqing, he followed the officer.

In no time, Luo Le boarded a significantly larger and more impressive warship and was led to a room.

"Wait a moment. I wish to see Admiral Hao."

The officer shot him an impatient glance. "Just wait."

The wait stretched until ten at night before Huo Lanjing finally summoned him.

When Luo Le entered, Huo Lanjing was seated in his chair, gazing at the galaxy outside the window.

The room was unlit, illuminated only by the starlight filtering through the window. It made it seem as if Huo Lanjing was embedded within the vast expanse of the universe, blending seamlessly with the stars.

Luo Le found himself entranced.

At times, Luo Le wished that Huo Lanjing was just Huo Lanjing, so he could spend more time by his side.

But he knew that it was precisely in the military compound where he had fallen head over heels for Huo Lanjing, captivated by his commanding presence and irresistible allure.

Realizing that he was being watched, Luo Le snapped back to reality.

Recalling the purpose of his visit, he asked, "Did you arrange all this?"

Huo Lanjing responded, "Is there something?"

He seemed to be taking it for granted.

Luo Le frowned at him, looking displeased. "Can you ask for my opinion before making decisions like this?"

Huo Lanjing simply stared back, not saying a word.

From his expression, Luo Le could tell that he must think this was what he wanted again.

In the past, that might have been true, but things were different now.

He couldn't always revolve around Huo Lanjing.

He let out a sigh. "Handing me this opportunity like this wouldn't be fair to others. Besides, I'm already involved in Yu Bing's research. If you send me back, I don't think you'd want others to know about our relationship. Please don't do this again."

This position should normally be earned through competition and assessment, not just handed over like this.

Huo Lanjing tried to find any hint of insincerity in Luo Le's eyes, but his genuine expression wasn't a ploy to feign reluctance.

Luo Le hadn't come to the First Military Region for him.

This realization weighed heavily on Huo Lanjing's heart, causing his expression to turn colder.

"What are you talking about?"

Luo Le looked puzzled, then suddenly sensed something amiss. "Didn't you arrange for me to be your mecha engineer?"

Huo Lanjing showed signs of impatience. "Luo Le, do you really think I'd bother with such trivial matters?"

Was it truly not Huo Lanjing?

"Then... Captain Lin?"

Huo Lanjing straightened his sleeve and replied coolly, "Luo Le, as a soldier, your first duty is to obey military orders. Don't you know that?"

Luo Le hastily responded, "I know, but... I don't want to give up on the other job. Besides, there won't be any major issues with the mecha. If there are, you can just bring it to me directly. There's no need for me to stick by your side all the time, right?"

Huo Lanjing paused before saying, "You just need to come regularly for maintenance. It won't interfere with your other tasks. As the creator of this mecha, shouldn't you take full responsibility for it?"

Luo Le: ...

Suddenly, he regretted giving the armor to Huo Lanjing.

"Alright, how about I visit once a week?"

Huo Lanjing remained silent, seemingly in agreement.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'll be heading back."

Upon hearing this, Huo Lanjing finally reacted.

He looked at Luo Le and asked, "The day before yesterday, you..."

Luo Le paused. What happened the day before yesterday? Didn't Huo Lanjing act like a mad dog and forcibly mark him?

Was he now bringing this up because he was worried about Luo Le being pregnant?

A hint of mockery curled at Luo Le's lips. "Don't worry, I took the pill the next day. I won't hinder your bright future."

As he finished speaking, Luo Le noticed an awkward nod from Huo Lanjing.

Huo Lanjing must have been relieved.

Luo Le didn't want to see him anymore and left after a word.

Huo Lanjing didn't stop her.

Luo Le didn't rush back. Instead, she went to find Captain Lin.

Captain Lin's office was at the end of the opposite corridor. He could spot it right away.

Luo Le walked over and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Upon seeing Luo Le entering, Captain Lin wore a puzzled look.

"Madam, is there something you need?"

Luo Le got straight to the point. "Did you arrange for me to become a military mecha engineer and change my living quarters?"

Captain Lin hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes, what's the matter, Madam?"

Luo Le asked, "Why?"

Captain Lin pondered and answered, "Madam, I assumed it was for General's first campaign, and since the armor was your gift, I took the liberty to make the arrangements. If you don't like it, I apologize; that was my mistake."

It turned out it wasn't arranged by Huo Lanjing after all.

Recalling her previous self-righteous attitude, Luo Le wished she could find a crack in the ground to hide in.

"I've already discussed with him, and we'll have maintenance every week from now on. Also, I'd like to return to my previous room. Please switch it back."

"Madam, may I get back to you later? The warship has already set sail, so it's not very convenient to change now."

Luo Le realized that was true. At this speed, it would be difficult to make a stop and switch rooms.

"It's alright, I'll stay here for these two days. I'll move back when we arrive."

"Very well, Madam. I'm still occupied at the moment. Would you like to go back first? I'll give you an answer later."

"Certainly."

Luo Le nodded and turned to leave.

The room assigned by Captain Lin was spacious, consisting of a living room, a bedroom, and a study.

Toiletries were already prepared, leaving him with no need to worry about such details.

Feeling restless in the room, Luo Le decided to go out for a stroll.

Upon opening the door, he found someone from the opposite room stepping out as well, and they exchanged glances.

It was Chen Wuxing.

What kind of lousy room did Captain Lin arrange? How could he have ended up right across from Chen Wuxing?

Not long ago, he had gotten into an argument with both Chen Wuxing and Huo Lanjing.

Looking at Chen Wuxing, Luo Le couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for some reason.

In the meantime, Chen Wuxing gazed at the Omega standing across from him. The young man had rosy lips, pearly teeth, a slender figure, and straggling hair that brushed against his brows, giving off an air of vulnerability.

He greeted with a smile, "Hey, how are you?"

Luo Le turned away silently, slamming the door shut with a bang.

Chen Wuxing touched his face. Was he really that intimidating?