Chapter 55

Chapter 55

"Joint military academy operation..."

Yi Ye twirled his pen, reclining on the pillow with his legs crossed, deep in thought. The main challenge was securing a spot... given how the committee usually operates, the spots would definitely go to other senior members first.

As Yi Ye pondered, a flurry of message notifications caught his attention.

"Kawaguchi Group Headquarters"

@Supreme Leader Yi Ye, Leader! Shouldn't we organize an event for the new year!

"Member 1": I'm in.

"Member 2": I'm in +1

"Member 3": I'm in +2

…………

Yi Ye was startled; he had nearly forgotten about Bai Chuan's fan club.

"Member 1" I propose a poetry recital, where each member composes a poem for Bai Chuan, praising his excellence and virtues!

"Member 2" What century are you from, old-timer? A poetry recital sounds boring. Let's do a singing contest instead, where everyone can show off their singing skills. Leader, I've been practicing over the break, and my song is called "My Future is Not a Dream"! Let me participate!

……

The screen was scrolling so fast it made Yi Ye's head spin.

"The Man Closest to the Leader - Vice Leader" Everyone, settle down! Whatever we do, it's up to the Leader. As Bai Chuan's older brother, who else's words carry more weight than the Leader's?

The members quickly agreed: Yes, yes, yes.

"Supreme Leader Yi Ye" I think...

Yi Ye suddenly recalled the booklist Jing had handed him.

"Supreme Leader Yi Ye" How about we start a book club? I've got the booklist ready.

"The Man Closest to the Leader - Vice Leader" Got it, Leader. What kind of books are we looking at?

"Supreme Leader Yi Ye" Oh, studies on Ancient Earth.

The group: …………This is hell.

On the event day, Yi Ye lugged the books up to the rooftop terrace of the military academy library.

The place resembled a half-greenhouse, with glass walls, a constant temperature year-round, and neatly arranged pots of colorful tulips, their scent rich and intoxicating.

When Yi Ye arrived, everyone was already gathered.

The Kawaguchi Group was made up solely of Omegas and Betas, with a strict no-Alpha policy. This was his rule; who knows what good those Alphas could do for the protagonist if they got together. The current member mix was perfect, and thanks to Yi Ye (the slacker king) and the Vice Leader (the doer), the Kawaguchi Group ran like clockwork.

"Is everyone here?"

Even now, Yi Ye's relaxed demeanor was unmistakable, legs crossed, pants hiked up to show slim white ankles, eyes still sleepy, yawning lazily. "Since everyone's here, let's get started. Grab a book, read it, and then write me a summary."

"Leader, why do we have to write summaries?" someone piped up, raising their hand.

Yi Ye kept a straight face and didn't miss a beat: "My younger brother loves reading the most. If you can finish a book in a short time and summarize it concisely, I believe he will look at you in a new light."

This statement was like a shot of adrenaline, pumping everyone up as they took out their notebooks and began writing furiously. The sound of pens scratching and voices reading aloud echoed through the greenhouse. Yi Ye flipped through a few pages of a book on the ecological environment of Ancient Earth, but finding it uninteresting, he started tapping his fingers on his knee, his mind starting to wander.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the student next to him secretly writing something.

Looking up and squinting, he read: "Organization Creation Application..."

The Beta student jumped, hurriedly hiding the paper and whispering, "Don't be mad, President! I was just scribbling!"

"Want to be the president too?" Yi Ye smiled and beckoned him over. "So, what kind of organization are you thinking of starting?"

"Can I really say it...?"

"Go ahead."

After a lot of hesitation, the Beta pulled Yi Ye to a corner and, clenching his fists, said with determination:

"President, I want to create an organization exclusively for Betas!"

"I want to empower the Beta community. For too long, we Betas have been looked down on, treated like we're weak, but I believe Betas can have their own heroes! Not only do I want to create this organization, but I also want to expand it, to make it the biggest organization in the Empire."

Yi Ye clapped seriously: "That's a big dream, my friend."

"And I've even thought of the president!" Encouraged, the Beta got really excited, looking straight at Yi Ye.

If there was anyone at the military academy best suited to lead the Beta group forward, it was undoubtedly Yi Ye! He'd joined the Kawaguchi group just to get closer to Yi Ye. He believed that if he was sincere enough, he could win people over, and Yi Ye would definitely be willing to lead them toward a brighter future!

"Yi Ye, I wonder if you would be willing..."

"Oh, by the way," Yi Ye suddenly remembered something and spoke up, "You're free to create this organization, but you can't recruit during our events. You still gotta respect me as the president."

"No, I mean—"

Yi Ye pursed his lips and frowned: "If I wasn't the president, I might've joined your club, but forget it. Keep at it, I believe in you!"

After saying that, Yi Ye patted his shoulder and returned to his seat.

The Beta: "..." It seemed like something shattered.

His president... his grand organization... had crumbled before it even began, oh no—

Yi Ye's nose itched, and he wrinkled it.

Was someone talking about him?

The book club lasted for three hours. After it ended, Yi Ye let the others leave first while he stayed behind to tidy up the tables and chairs, stuffing a few completed reading summaries into his bag.

While organizing, he remembered he had forgotten to ask them about the military academy's joint operations.

"I'll ask in the group later," Yi Ye muttered to himself, dumping the last of the fruit shells into the trash.

He wiped his hands clean and was about to leave when a text message came through.

"BSMH" look behind.

"Bush Meihua?"

He looked around and, as he turned, was suddenly blocked by a hand over his eyes. Bush Meihua's hand was cold, standing behind him, playing a childish game of guess who. Yi Ye expressionlessly pulled down the arm, turned around, and met Bush Meihua's smiling face.

"...You're not planning to stay here all day, are you?"

Bush Meihua: "I nap here at noon."

Yi Ye noticed that Bush Meihua didn't do any real work all day, skipped classes, and just lounged around avoiding responsibilities. Instructor Clark never seemed to show any dissatisfaction with him, which might be the privilege of a young master from a big family. Yi Ye pursed his lips; the lingering effects of the original plot's psychological shadow still haunted him, so even though Bush Meihua smiled kindly, he felt strange, with a sense of dissonance and insecurity.

He nodded in greeting and turned to leave.

Bush Meihua stepped forward, blocking his path.

Yi Ye: "Is there something else?"

"It's been a break since we last saw each other, and you seem to have completely forgotten about me?"

? Besides the dance, did they have any close relationship?

Yi Ye managed a tight smile: "Did we? I don't think so."

Bush Meihua gave a helpless chuckle: "Yi Ye, you really dislike me, don't you?"

It wasn't exactly dislike, but Bush Meihua always struck him as insincere. He couldn't sense any sincerity from Bush Meihua, so naturally, he didn't want to interact more.

People don't always need to wear their hearts on their sleeves, but if every word is pretended, it would be meaningless. But Yi Ye didn't say it directly; he thought that if a person always wears a mask, perhaps there are unspeakable reasons.

He simply said, "We're just classmates, nothing more."

"Ordinary... classmates?"

Bush Meihua mulled over his words, a strange smile playing on his lips, "Alright, ordinary classmates. As classmates, I heard you're planning to bring Bai Chuan to this year's military academy joint operation?"

Yi Ye frowned.

"Don't look so suspicious, I told you, I'm not into spying on people. It's just that your expressions are easy to guess."

That wasn't exactly a compliment.

"Yes, so what?"

"I can help you out; securing a spot is easy for me."

Yi Ye's expression turned serious. "What's the catch?"

Bush Meihua shook his head.

No strings attached? Yi Ye was skeptical.

He would help him get a spot for no reason? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Yi Ye wasn't stupid; even if there's no condition now, he would use it to bind him later.

"I'm telling you the truth."

Yi Ye turned to leave.

"Wait! If you need a condition to agree, how about a handshake?" Bush Meihua's tone was very helpless.

Yi Ye looked at him in surprise, catching a rare glimpse of sincerity in Meihua's smile, not like a joke. But was a handshake all he wanted? It cost Yi Ye nothing, but he couldn't fathom why Meihua wanted something so trivial.

After making sure he heard correctly, Yi Ye gave in. "Fine."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Bush Meihua's lips curled into a slight smirk.

Their hands crossed, the warmth of the youth's palm pressed against Meihua's cold fingertips. A simple and ordinary gesture, yet Bush Meihua looked utterly entranced.

He always harbored an intense possessiveness towards Yi Ye, so intense that he repeatedly asked his doctor if it meant he was in love with Yi Ye. However, the doctor did not give him a clear answer, only advising him to figure it out properly once he returned to school and repeatedly reminding him to approach the other person as a friend.

Many relationships start as friendships, and Bush Meihua saw no issue with that.

But he found it harder than he expected.

The sight of Yi Ye made him crave physical contact. If they were lovers, he might never let the youth leave the bed, pulling him into corners to kiss whenever he got the chance. Those full lips would be irresistible to bite, and he would get very hard. Yi Ye's slender wrists and fair skin would bear the marks of their intimacy beautifully... For the first time, his self-control felt so fragile, it almost made him hate himself.

His hand almost clenched to seize the youth. But he knew that if he did that, Yi Ye would definitely become wary and escape, and never give him another chance. So, for the sake of future opportunities, Bush Meihua forced a calm smile, clenched his teeth, tensed his muscles, and used all his strength to maintain composure.

This was really testing his limits, he thought.

How could he make it up to him later? Bush Meihua thought of many interesting scenarios.

"Shouldn't this be long enough..." Yi Ye's palm was getting clammy from being held.

"Ha, sorry." Bush Meihua reluctantly released his grip.

As they parted, Yi Ye suddenly noticed scabbed wounds peeking out from under his sleeve.

Not just on his right hand, but his left as well.

"Is your hand okay?"

Bush Meihua raised his hand, making the two rings of scabs more visible, then pretended it was nothing and hid it behind his back.

"Just a minor injury, it doesn't hurt. Don't worry, I'll let you know once I get the spot."

Yi Ye: ...Suddenly feeling a bit guilty, what should I do?

Even after leaving the library, he was still thinking about the wounds on Meihua's wrist, which seemed quite severe, covered with scabs as if rubbed by something hard.

But wasn't he supposed to be retaking exams during the holiday? Where did he get injured?

He realized that these protagonists all had mysterious backgrounds. If anything, the one with the simplest background was actually Ling Pei.

But Ling Pei was swamped with work at the Vanguard Legion, so they probably wouldn't have a chance to meet in the future.

Thinking of that face, Yi Ye couldn't help but shrug again.

Maybe it's better not to meet.