Chapter 45 – It Was Never Him

Chapter 45 - It Was Never Him

The square was already filled with orderly rows of people.

Luo Le pushed through the crowd, searching for Yu Bing's figure as he walked.

"Luo Le, over here."

He followed the sound of the voice and saw Yu Bing standing ten meters in front of him to the right, waving in his direction.

"I finally found you. Are you alright? Nothing happened, I hope?"

In the past few days, Yu Bing had tried to contact Luo Le, but it was as if he had vanished off the grid.

Today, he had come with a mere hopeful mindset, not really expecting to find him.

To his surprise, Luo Le actually showed up.

The corner of Luo Le's mouth twitched, avoiding Yu Bing's gaze as he replied, "Uh, I'm fine."

At the mere thought of that day when Huo Lanjing had made such a scene in front of so many people, Luo Le felt like giving him a good beating.

It was truly humiliating.

Yu Bing sighed softly and said, "That's good then."

"What are they doing?"

Luo Le hastily changed the subject, afraid to be questioned about it again.

Yu Bing glanced at him. "You don't know? Didn't the General tell you?"

Luo Le paused. "He seems quite busy lately."

Yu Bing nodded. "Yes, that's true. After all, the military zone was just attacked. There must be a lot to deal with. And I heard that the insectoids rescued the researcher the General brought back."

An image surfaced in Luo Le's mind – that out-of-place lizard.

If the military zone wanted information on the insectoids, they would surely try to extract it from the lizard.

So many lives have been sacrificed.

If he were rescued without obtaining the information, that would be a tremendous loss.

"Luo Le, the Admiral will be making an announcement today. He's also likely to recognize the heroes of this battle, and you're a major one. You should definitely attend."

Luo Le paused, feeling too embarrassed to mention that Huo Lanjing had never mentioned this to him.

"Silence."

Someone on stage suddenly spoke, interrupting their conversation.

The assembly finally began. First, representatives from each department reported on the damages and then discussed the recovery efforts.

As Luo Le listened to their speeches, his mind began to wander.

Suddenly, Yu Bing's voice interrupted his thoughts—

"It's almost the Admiral's turn, so it should end soon. How are you holding up? Are you alright?"

He leaned close to Luo Le's ear, whispering in a voice audible only to the two of them.

Luo Le glanced at the stage and then leaned in. "It's alright."

Yu Bing and Luo Le stood six meters directly below the platform, within Huo Lanjing's line of sight if he chose to look down.

He cast a casual glance, but neither of the two below seemed to notice him.

Huo Lanjing spoke a few words, which were then conveyed by Captain Lin.

Captain Lin: "This time, not only did our military district suffer losses, but a crucial insectoid was rescued by the insect race. We hope you take this as a lesson and prepare for the worst. If such an incident happens again, there will be severe consequences."

After these remarks, he continued with other matters before announcing the list of commendations.

Captain Lin read out a long list of names, paused, and then said, "The last one, Chen Wuxing."

From the start of the announcement, Yu Bing had been listening attentively. He was certain that he hadn't misheard - Luo Le's name was nowhere to be found.

With great caution, Yu Bing turned his head back, seeing Luo Le with his head bowed, deep in thought. His expression was indiscernible.

He sincerely wished he could turn back time twenty minutes and scold himself for saying those words.

Wanting to inquire about Luo Le's well-being but feeling it inappropriate, he hesitated.

Luo Le sensed his intense gaze and snapped out of his thoughts, "Why are you staring so..."

His sentence trailed off as he suddenly understood the hidden meaning behind Yu Bing's gaze. He smiled and playfully continued, "Coach Yu, you can't possibly have a crush on me, can you? That wouldn't be appropriate."

Upon hearing this, Yu Bing turned away in a huff, "Who has a crush on you?"

Luo Le genuinely didn't care about such matters. At the designated time, he would leave without seeking military accolades; having Yu Bing's name on the list was enough for him.

However, he hadn't expected that this wasn't typical behavior from Huo Lanjing.

So, Huo Lanjing truly disliked him to such an extent.

Luo Le chuckled, thinking that marrying him was indeed a great sacrifice on Huo Lanjing's part.

Not only did he have to tolerate living with him, but he also had to endure the disgust of sharing a bed with him.

It seemed that this trip wasn't entirely in vain; he could finally make a decision.

There were still a little over one and a half months until departure, but it was soon. When the time came, he would take care of everything.

He might as well play the role of a good guy this once.

"The leader of the Ninth Planet has sent a plea for help. The situation in the Red Jade Region is critical. Everyone, prepare yourselves; we will depart in three days."

The First Military District truly did frequently head to battlefields – at least Huo Lanjing hadn't lied about that.

Luo Le heard Yu Bing sigh. He tilted his head. "What's wrong?"

Yu Bing turned back. "We've only just arrived, and now we're leaving again. It seems the military district really isn't suitable for research."

His project required test subjects, preferably those with high mental power levels. The First Military District was the most fitting, which was why he had applied for deployment.

But aside from no results in these past years, he had also experienced 'displacement.'

Before Luo Le could speak, Captain Lin's voice rang out again. "Those in the Mecha Building won't be deployed."

Yu Bing's happiness was evident on his face.

With that, the assembly concluded, and everyone dispersed.

Luo Le intended to return to his dormitory, while Yu Bing needed to head to the mecha building, each in their separate directions.

Yu Bing hadn't driven his hovercar today. Just as he reached the entrance, the public hovercar bound for the mecha building arrived, and he boarded it promptly.

Luo Le's back injury had yet to fully heal; prolonged walking would cause him discomfort due to sweating.

He waited by the roadside for a hovercar heading to the dormitories.

After waiting for over ten minutes, it still didn't arrive.

Feeling slightly fatigued from standing, he thought of shifting his posture when a familiar hovercar suddenly pulled up in front of him.

Looking up, he saw Lieutenant Lin grinning at him.

As Luo Le stood up, he caught sight of Huo Lanjing sitting at the back, completely ignoring him, as if he cared less.

"Madam, please get in the car."

Luo Le's anger flared up every time he saw Huo Lanjing, so there was no way he would get into his vehicle. He shook his head, his tone resolute. "Not necessary."

Yu Bing caught a glimpse of the person in the backseat out of the corner of his eye, looking rather awkward. "Madam, the General has something to discuss with you."

Luo Le glanced at the man in the backseat, who remained in the same position, as if he was the one who had begged for this meeting. He was amused by his own anger. "Let him speak to me directly, does he not have a mouth?"

Huo Lanjing's expression visibly darkened.

Lieutenant Lin noticed and wisely kept quiet. This was not a matter he could intervene in.

Huo Lanjing didn't respond for a long while, which only irritated Luo Le further.

"Do you actually have something to say or not? If not, move aside, you're obstructing my path."

Huo Lanjing turned his head, casting a glance at him. "Get in the car."

It was his usual tone and demeanor.

Looking at his demeanor, Luo Le couldn't help but recall what had happened last night. His heart felt heavy as he turned and walked away.

He could always just walk back.

After only a few steps, he realized the car was following him. Huo Lanjing didn't say a word, simply trailing behind him.

A distinctively recognizable hovercar followed closely behind a young lad, drawing curious glances from passersby.

After a while, Luo Le could no longer tolerate being the center of attention. He decided to halt.

The hovercar came to a stop as well.

Letting out a sigh, Luo Le opened the car door and got in, his tone tinged with annoyance. "Take me to my dorm, please."

Lieutenant Lin silently keyed in Luo Le's dorm address and then made every effort to minimize his presence.

Luo Le spied their destination and, crossing his arms, pretended to doze with his eyes closed.

When the car arrived at the dormitory entrance, he planned on stepping out and walking away without a word from Huo Lanjing.

The interior of the vehicle was eerily quiet. After a dozen minutes, Huo Lanjing's cool voice broke the silence.

"Captain Lin."

Captain Lin had been anticipating this moment and promptly retrieved a piece of paper from his bag. He turned around to hand it over.

"Madam, for you."

Luo Le reached out and took it. It was a certificate of military merit.

Startled, he accepted it and then turned to Huo Lanjing, waving it slightly. "What's this about?"

Huo Lanjing turned to look at him. "Yours."

Luo Le placed the certificate directly on Huo Lanjing's lap. "Pardon me, but I didn't hear my name just now. This doesn't belong to me."

Huo Lanjing's expression turned grim in an instant. He bowed his head to examine the certificate for a while before passing it back to Luo Le without uttering a single word.

His eyes bulged as he stared at the bold red characters spelling 'Luo Le' on it.

What was this supposed to be?

His name hadn't been on the list during the ceremony, and now they were secretly giving him a certificate?

If not for the official stamp on it, Luo Le would almost believe that Huo Lanjing had scribbled it just to comfort him.

He wasn't someone who needed to be hidden away.

The certificate kept changing hands between their knees, eventually landing back in Luo Le's possession.

Luo Le gazed blankly at the words on it, making no move.

Seeing that Luo Le didn't pass the certificate back, a hint of the gloom in Huo Lanjing's heart dissipated.

"Go back and pack your things. We'll set off in three days."

Luo Le turned to look at him. "Aren't we not going to the Mecha Tower?"

Realizing his mistake, he remembered that he was still Huo Lanjing's military mecha operator.

Luo Le looked regretfully out the window. Perhaps due to various departments needing to settle matters, no one had returned yet; the area downstairs was deserted.

If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have given that mecha to Huo Lanjing even if it had rusted away.

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Fine, I'll go."

Just as he finished speaking, the car came to a stop.

Luo Le angrily opened the car door and rushed out. After a few steps, he grew angrier by the second and turned back.

The hovercar hadn't left yet.

Luo Le walked over and knocked on the window. Huo Lanjing looked at him questioningly upon hearing the sound.

Assuming he had some issue, she was about to inquire when she saw Luo Le delicately pinch the certificate between his index fingers and thumbs, then with a sharp sound, tear it in half.

Lieutenant Lin froze, unable to resist glancing back at the rear seat.

For a warrior, military merit wasn't just an honor; it symbolized the Empire itself.

To tear the certificate was a grave insult to the Empire.

Huo Lanjing's brows knitted, his pupils constricting as a suffocating wave of his pheromones bore down: "What tantrum are you throwing? Do you know the consequences of tearing this certificate?"

His tone was laced with threats and warnings.

Luo Le proceeded to shred the remains of the certificate before raising them up and tossing them into the car through the window.

The scattered fragments fluttered like snowflakes, a few landing on Huo Lanjing's head.

He smiled inwardly at the occupants: "I, Luo Le, never shy away from the repercussions of my actions."

With that, Luo Le left nonchalantly, the frustration in his heart dissipating instantly.

Perhaps due to venting his frustration, he felt an indescribable sense of relief and even hummed a tune.

Hearing the melody drift in, Huo Lanjing removed a scrap of paper from his head and held it close, his gaze fixated, a shade of gloom in his eyes.

"Return to the main military zone."

Captain Lin nodded. "Understood."

He would keep today's events to himself.

*

"What?!"

Yu Bing's tone escalated abruptly on the holographic screen, making Luo Le rub his ears.

"How can that be? You're still recovering, and you're his omega. Why would he summon you? That's a warzone, very dangerous."

Luo Le smiled faintly. Huo Lanjing had never recognized him as his omega.

His life or death meant nothing to Huo Lanjing.

A day off, I promise to make up for it tomorrow.

A day off, I promise to make up for it tomorrow.

A day off, I promise to make up for it tomorrow.

A day off, I promise to make up for it tomorrow.

A day off, I promise to make up for it tomorrow.

A day off, I apologize, my hand is injured and typing in the hospital is difficult. I'll make it up tomorrow.