Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Yi Ye felt like his hand was about to give out.

This... this wasn’t what he expected! How could someone inexperienced last this long?

"Are... are you not done yet?" Yi Ye tried to stay calm, but his trembling voice betrayed him. He was too embarrassed to open his eyes.

Bai Chuan rested his head on Yi Ye's shoulder, his gaze clear as he glanced sideways at Yi Ye's flushed face. Yi Ye looked genuinely startled, his eyelashes fluttering rapidly, his lips tightly bitten, and tiny beads of sweat forming on the tip of his nose.

Bai Chuan let out a silent chuckle, his eyes filled with deep infatuation. His heart was racing so fast it felt like it might burst. Just the thought of this person touching him sent his adrenaline skyrocketing, excitement coursing up his spine.

At that moment, Yi Ye seemed to lose control of his strength, letting out a pained yet indulgent groan. "Be gentler..."

Yi Ye was nearly in tears.

What was up with the protagonist?!

Never mind that they were in an open garden—how could the protagonist's stamina be so terrifyingly long? This completely contradicted Yi Ye's understanding of an Omega.

He tried to reassure himself, thinking this was just a normal "brotherly favor." Don’t male college roommates sometimes watch videos and help each other out? He was just assisting his younger brother with a physical need. It should be... normal, right?

Yi Ye was beginning to convince himself.

...

More than ten minutes later.

Yi Ye sat, trembling and exhausted, on the steps of a white stone statue, while Bai Chuan knelt on one knee, meticulously wiping Yi Ye's hand with a handkerchief. From fingertips to palm, he cleaned every inch with care.

"Sorry," Bai Chuan apologized sincerely.

What could Yi Ye even say? Heat cycles are a normal physiological response for Omegas, and Bai Chuan's glands had been damaged. Plus, he had been drinking, and Yi Ye hadn’t refused in the first place. Yi Ye's emotions were all over the place. He withdrew his hand, intending to pinch the bridge of his nose, but paused when he saw his palm, switching to his other hand instead.

Bai Chuan averted his gaze. "Next time something like this happens, you can just leave me be."

"How could I do that?" Yi Ye frowned in protest. "Leaving you on the roadside would be like tossing a piece of meat to a pack of wolves. I could never do that. Anyway, let's just consider it... brotherly assistance..."

His voice softened. "Let's just pretend it never happened."

Bai Chuan: "...Okay."

"But what if I go into heat again next time?"

"It's fine. I just thought of a great solution," Yi Ye said proudly, slapping his thigh. "I'll carry the inhibitor with me from now on. That way, even if you forget, you can just find me, and I can help control your heat cycle."

Bai Chuan was at a loss for words. "Brother, you're so smart."

Yi Ye responded with a proud hum. "Right? I think so too."

"..." Bai Chuan chuckled softly. "Yes."

Bai Chuan knew this incident wouldn’t have any lasting impact on Yi Ye. His preference for female Betas was deeply ingrained, and it would be hard to shake.

But at least, he had managed to bring Yi Ye back to his side.

Bai Chuan folded the handkerchief and put it away, sitting down next to Yi Ye. The person who had just been caught in a storm of heat now seemed calm and composed, as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, Yi Ye was still fanning himself awkwardly.

His preconceived notions about the protagonist had been shattered. Every time he saw that aloof face, he couldn’t help but think of the word "big." It was an unsettling feeling.

No wonder the system said the emotional line in the original timeline would collapse.

Pulling out something bigger than the top—who could deal with that?

Speaking of which, Yi Ye suddenly remembered he’d left Bush Meihua behind in the auditorium.

"So, this is why you were so set on finding someone else to be your dance partner?" After Yi Ye explained the whole forum and terminal situation, Bai Chuan went quiet for a moment. He’d assumed Yi Ye and Bush Meihua were close, which was why they partnered up, but...

Bai Chuan felt a bit silly about his own childishness, pursing his lips. "I’ll learn to dance later," he said.

"Why are you saying sorry?" Yi Ye leaned back on the steps, gazing up at the night sky. "Anyway, the dance is almost over. It’s fine if we don’t get it. Just lower your expectations, and you won’t be disappointed. The old one’s still usable."

Bai Chuan stayed silent, his expression unreadable.

It was getting late, and after what had just happened, Yi Ye’s uniform was smeared with Bai Chuan’s pheromones and a bit of liquid. Even after wiping it down with a handkerchief, faint wet spots remained. He couldn’t go back to the auditorium looking like that, so after dropping Bai Chuan off at the dorm, he headed back to his room.

The moment he flipped the light on, Yi Ye made a beeline for the bathroom.

The stains were on his outer clothes, so he stripped down, tossed everything into a basin to soak, and stepped into the shower.

The bathroom was steamy, and in the warm yellow light, only a faint, slender silhouette was visible.

Yi Ye looked down as he washed, his eyes drifting to a certain spot without thinking. After a pause, he let out a regretful sigh.

"The difference between people is huge. Why can’t he have something like that?"

"System, should I take some tips from the protagonist?"

"System: ..."

"System: I’d advise against it."

Of course, the idea of learning from him was just a joke. After washing up, Yi Ye got into bed, turned off the light, and drifted off to sleep.

After a brief silence—

He bolted upright.

"Oh, right—Kaiser still isn’t back."

Rewind an hour and a half, back in the auditorium.

*

Left without his dance partner, Bush Meihua sat with Kaiser on a corner sofa. The dance floor was alive with noise and energy, the deep tones of the cello weaving through the dancers, but their corner was eerily quiet, almost frozen in time.

"How’s it feel to get ditched by your dance partner? Not great, huh?" Kaiser crossed his long legs, lazily leaning against the armrest of the sofa, sneering sarcastically.

"It’s fine," Bush Meihua smiled. "Not as bad as the Audria family, who don’t even have a dance partner."

"...That’s because I don’t care for them."

"Oh?" He chuckled. "Is that so?"

Kaiser couldn’t help but get irritated: "Whether I have a dance partner or not is none of your business. As for you, deliberately pretending to be a stranger on the forum to trick Yi Ye into finding you—is this how the Meihua family uses their judge-like cunning? I see it’s nothing special."

"I never denied who I was to him. He just never asked."

"That’s still malicious concealment." Kaiser really didn’t want to waste another word on such a deceitful person and got up to leave.

"Not going to talk some more?"

Kaiser scoffed coldly, "What could I possibly have to talk about with you?"

"Did you forget what I promised to tell you?" Seeing Kaiser pause, Bush Meihua nodded in satisfaction. "If you're still interested, take a seat."

Kaiser sat back down, skeptical but intrigued. Bush Meihua signaled a waiter over, took two glasses of champagne, and handed one to him.

Kaiser didn't even reach for it. "Quit wasting my time. Who is it?"

"What will you do when you find out?"

"I'll beat the crap out of him until he quits and never dares to show his face on Imperial Star again."

"I hope you can back that up."

Bush Meihua flashed him a cryptic smile, then slowly uttered a name,

"It was Yiye Langley who ambushed you that day."

…………

Ino had a restless sleep, waking up sore all over, especially his hands, shaking like an old man's.

He struggled to wash his face and brush his teeth, and was shocked to see Kaiser still out cold when he stepped out of the bathroom. He crept over to Kaiser's bedside, noticing Kaiser wasn't wearing a shirt, his tanned chest bare, exuding a sexy, athletic aura.

"Hey, Young Master, time to get up for the seven o'clock class!"

Dead silence.

"Is he out cold again?" Ino tilted his head.

Kaiser: "..."

Kaiser was so irritated he could have killed someone.

He had returned to the dorm last night, staring at Ino sleeping soundly, unable to sleep. The info from Bush Meihua was a bombshell; he never suspected Ino. But, truth be told, Ino was the type to knock someone out with a black hood and a stick.

But why?

Did they have a grudge?

Kaiser thought about it all night and couldn't figure it out.

He opened his eyes heavily and sat up, meeting Ino's smiling eyes, cursing inwardly.

Ino: "Young Master, we should get up, right?"

Kaiser's face was a mix of emotions as he pressed his lips together, then threw off the blanket and walked straight into the bathroom.

Forget it, class first.

The two got ready and hurried to the classroom. The morning class was Instructor Clark's Imperial Current Affairs and Politics. Although Instructor Clark seemed gentle, he had a devil inside, scolding people with a smile that hid a knife, sparing no one.

Ino had experienced this during the last Zerg invasion.

Stepping into the classroom at the last second at 6:59, Ino landed steadily.

"Cutting it fine again, Ino!"

"You should really thank Instructor Clark for never showing up to class early."

"Next time, I'll report it to Instructor Clark!"

A chorus of teasing voices filled the classroom.

Yi Ye: "Being able to time it perfectly is a talent, not everyone can pull it off."

The class erupted in laughter again.

After going through the freshman assessment and the Zerg attack, Class S developed a strong sense of unity. Many Alphas started to see Yi Ye in a new light, no longer viewing him as a lazy Beta who just mooched off Omegas. Alphas are naturally drawn to strength, and with Yi Ye's great personality, good looks, and readiness to help anyone who asked, plus his talent for cracking some hilariously dry jokes, it was hard for anyone to dislike him.

This was probably his natural charm, effortlessly drawing people to him.

Back at his seat, Yi Ye dug out two candies from his bag and handed them to Bai Chuan.

Bai Chuan took the candies and gave him a look.

Yi Ye: "I snagged these from the dance last night—grape flavor, they're really good."

Bai Chuan put the candies away: "The list of top dancers was announced last night."

"So, was it me!?" Yi Ye couldn't help but hold onto a bit of hope.

Bai Chuan said softly, "...It was a fourth-year senior."

Yi Ye slumped back into his seat, muttering, "Oh."

Guess it's true—you shouldn't get your hopes up too much.

Bai Chuan glanced at his disappointed face, fingers tightening around the candies in his pocket, and said, "Check your drawer."

Confused, Yi Ye looked down at his drawer and found an unopened terminal inside.

He was shocked, "Did—did you get this for me?"

Bai Chuan nodded, "Yeah."

"But how did you afford this? This must've cost tens of thousands of star credits."

"Omegas get scholarships, and I don't really spend much." Bai Chuan watched him holding the box, unmoving, then reached over, unwrapped the terminal, and placed it in his hand. "It's already open, so you can't return it. If you don't want it, just toss it."

"No way!" Yi Ye carefully tucked the terminal into his bag, grinning, "I'll make sure to get you something nice too."

Bai Chuan clutched the candies, saying nothing.

But deep down, he thought Yi Ye had already traded the terminal for candies—that was enough.

...

Classes lasted fifty minutes, and Yi Ye spent the time doodling turtles on paper, half-listening to Instructor Clark's stories from the past, yawning quietly, and when he was really tired, he'd doze off with Bai Chuan covering for him.

When class finally ended, Yi Ye headed to the restroom during the break.

On his way out, he ran into someone unexpectedly.

"Bush Meihua?" Yi Ye looked around, "You actually came to class?"

The other smiled: "I came to find you." "What for—" Just as he asked, Bush Meihua handed him a box.

...Isn't this the Terminal's box?

Bush Meihua gave a faint smile: "I'm sorry I didn't win best dancer. Consider this a thank-you gift for being my dance partner yesterday. Please take it."

...

After handing over the item, Bush Meihua left, coming and going like a gust of wind. Confused, Yi Ye took the item and headed back to the classroom. Before he could enter, he was suddenly bumped into by Kaiser, who strode out.

"Where have you been!" Kaiser glared at him fiercely, then took out a box from behind and shoved it into his arms. "Take it!"

Yi Ye: Another Terminal!?

"I'm embarrassed seeing you run around with a broken-screen Terminal all day. Take this quickly and don't embarrass me."

With a scowl, he added, then turned back to his seat.

So now, Yi Ye had a Terminal in his left hand, one in his pocket, and another in his bag.

He stood there, a bit disoriented.

Is today... the apocalypse?