Chapter 80

Chapter 80

As a Beta, Yi Ye would never know that wandering the streets of the academy with disheveled clothes and the scent of an Alpha on him was a shocking sight to others. Fortunately, the scent of Eugene had been mostly diluted by the wind, otherwise Bai Chuan might have instantly collapsed in disgust.

The smell of incense was nauseating, yet it was on the person he admired.

Bai Chuan couldn't decide whether he wanted to drag him back to the room, strip off his shirt, and wash him thoroughly with warm water, or confront Eugene right now, or perhaps find another way to replace the scent with his own. But the calm he had maintained since the start of the semester began to crack at this moment.

There were more and more people around him.

Dogs, twisted black shadows, surrounding him tightly.

But Bai Chuan sometimes wondered, wasn't he enough alone?

"Xiao Bai..."

The other's fingertips were icy and piercing, seeping into his skin and bones. Yi Ye, like a spider sensing danger, felt a fleeting sense of peril and tried to pull his hand back forcefully. But Bai Chuan was too strong; his hand was tightly gripped and couldn't be withdrawn. A cold, damp feeling, like raindrops trickling down a moldy wall, spread from the part of his skin that was being held.

He curled up his reddened fingertips from the cold.

"Can't you explain?" Bai Chuan's voice carried a barely noticeable restraint.

He pursed his lips and didn't answer, so Bai Chuan turned his palm over. The slap he gave Eugene had been too forceful, leaving a faint pink redness on the skin surface that couldn't be hidden.

Bai Chuan closed his eyes deeply: "Who did you hit?"

Yi Ye felt guilty: "Just a jerk..."

"Eugene, right?"

"How did you—" He quickly covered his mouth, laughing it off, "Eugene? Who's Eugene? I don't know that person." But Bai Chuan's gaze was too hard to face, and Yi Ye finally gave in, "Okay, I admit it. He said some strange things, so I slapped him."

"You shouldn't have hit him."

Yi Ye thought Bai Chuan was warning him not to provoke these powerful people, feeling somewhat discouraged: "Alright, alright, he's the Pope's nephew, I really shouldn't have messed with him."

"...Wrong."

Yi Ye had no idea of his own attraction to those Alphas. Humiliation was a reward, pain was candy, and a slap would only make those disgusting creatures' testosterone surge, generating a desire to conquer and love. But Bai Chuan could never say these words out loud. He could only pretend, acting like a good younger brother to deceive him: "Next time something like this happens, you should kill him. Him touching you, holding you, it's all just an excuse to exploit you."

Yi Ye was slightly stunned: "Is it that serious?"

"Yes, brother."

"But I'm a Beta, not an Omega..."

"It's the same. You should protect yourself." Bai Chuan whispered, "If you don't want to do it, I'll do it for you."

Bai Chuan's tone was so cold and unfeeling that for a moment Yi Ye couldn't imagine these words coming from the protagonist of the world, and he didn't know how to respond. Then he heard him ask again: "Doesn't brother want to kill him?"

This question was filled with probing danger.

A moment of silence. The sharpness honed from killing zombies a thousand times shot straight to his heart. Yi Ye quickly wiped his hands clean and then clapped them onto Bai Chuan's face with a crisp sound. The sudden action made Bai Chuan's expression freeze, his cheeks reddened with palm prints, and the coldness in his eyes turned into stunned confusion.

"Xiao Bai." He said seriously, in the tense atmosphere, "I brought a bag of sweets. Do you want some?"

Bai Chuan: "…………"

The eerie atmosphere was clumsily broken by Yi Ye, and the topic awkwardly jumped to another direction. Bai Chuan's expression momentarily showed the word "speechless," but Yi Ye cleverly pretended not to notice.

Yi Ye, in terms of emotions, is like a snail participating in a marathon, but when it comes to sensing danger, he is as swift as a cheetah. He swore that if the previous topic had continued, it would have led to irreversible consequences, just like a hidden dark branch in an AVG game. So, even if it felt awkward to the point of making his teeth ache, he had to steer the conversation away.

Clearly, he was right.

Because his words happened to interrupt Bai Chuan's plan for a second drunken seduction.

...

The military academy league was about to end, and after the closing ceremony, all non-current members of the academy had to leave the Imperial Honor Military Academy. There were many courses to follow, with hardly any holidays. After taking a shower in the dormitory, Yi Ye planned to go to Instructor Alva to find his father, Kewen.

Kewen rented a small inn near the Imperial Honor Military Academy, but he booked a cheap and remote location. Every day, he had to go through traffic jams, security checks, more traffic jams, and then more security checks. After two rounds of this, he was so frustrated that he simply moved into Alva's instructor dormitory at the academy.

When Yi Ye arrived, the dormitory door was tightly shut. Just as he knocked, Principal Howard came out from inside, with two buttons on his collar undone. His usually neat and elegant black hair was disheveled, with a few strands falling onto his forehead, and a bruise was visible on his brow.

Yi Ye was startled: "Principal?"

Seeing it was him, Principal Howard coughed lightly and smiled nonchalantly: "Student Yi Ye, are you feeling better now?"

"I'm fine."

But you don't seem to be doing well?

The principal nodded with relief and left in a hurry without saying more. Yi Ye sensed something unusual and quietly peeked through the door crack. His father, Kewen, had his legs propped up on the table, holding a wine bottle, while Alva stood beside him with an expression of shock, as if he had seen an elephant stuffed into a single-door refrigerator.

The atmosphere was weird, really weird.

Yi Ye suspiciously examined the two, handed half of the sweets he had taken from Prince Peide to his father, and then casually found a comfortable spot to sit down. Glancing up, he saw Instructor Alva still standing and kindly patted the sofa beside him: "Instructor, don't be shy, sit down."

Alva was speechless, inwardly cursing that this father and son were bandits! He sat down on the sofa with a grim face, at the same time readjusting one of the cushions that Yi Ye had tilted.

Symmetrical position, symmetrical color. Damn, finally comfortable.

Yi Ye came to see his father, Kewen, firstly to thank him for strategizing before the simulation duel, otherwise Yi Ye might not have chosen Lei Li as the undercover; secondly, to see him one last time before he left, though this phrase sounded quite ambiguous. The moment he blurted it out, a wine bottle came flying at him. Yi Ye deftly dodged, and the bottle smashed into the innocent Alva, who had just been pleased with the neatly arranged sofa. He yelped in pain, his body instantly curling up like a spring roll on the sofa.

As one of the accomplices, Yi Ye made a solemn prayer gesture and patted his shoulder: "It's okay, I've been through this kind of hardship before."

Alva: Aaaaaah!

"Dad, when are you leaving?" Yi Ye asked Kewen while patting his shoulder.

"In two hours, by spaceship."

Yi Ye frowned; this was too efficient.

"There's the closing ceremony tomorrow, won't you stay to watch it?"

"A bunch of flashy performances and boring speeches, it's not worth staying for." Kewen glanced at the time, then stood up, grabbing the leather jacket hanging on the back of the chair and putting it on. As if remembering something, he took something out of his pocket and tossed it to Yi Ye.

Yi Ye caught it steadily: "...A key?"

"Don't come back for the summer vacation. Since you and Bai Chuan won first place in the simulation duel, you'll probably have to go to the main planet to receive your rewards. I have a place there; you can stay there when you go." Kewen squinted and looked up, recalling, "By the way, do some cleaning. The place hasn't been lived in for over twenty years. If you tidy it up, I might stay there again someday. If anything happens on the main planet, let me know. Avoid provoking the people in the palace if you can. Oh, and don't engage with the church people; they're good at brainwashing. If you see someone in a golden robe, don't talk to them. Run if you can, ignore them if you can't."

Kewen meticulously instructed Yi Ye on many things. Meanwhile, Alva had fully recovered from the pain and joined Kewen's side. They tag-teamed for half an hour, creating an illusion for Yi Ye that "the main planet is the eighteenth layer of hell."

"Got it all?"

Yi Ye: "Got it, the main planet is hell."

Kewen: "..."

Alva: "..."

Well, he's not wrong, is he?

"Let's go." Kewen laughed heartily and pushed the door open. Yi Ye got up and chased him all the way to the end of the corridor, calling his name through the dimly lit windows, only to see Kewen turn around and look at him.

He grinned, with the demeanor of a father: "Silly boy, why are you chasing after me? You'll see me again after your award ceremony."

"No."

Yi Ye raised his hand: "You forgot your dessert, remember to eat it on the way."

"...Brat." Without hesitation, Kewen punched him on the forehead and took the bag. "I'm really leaving this time, go back."

He waved at Yi Ye, turned around, and disappeared into the corridor with his hands in his pockets. Yi Ye stood by the corridor, looking down through the window at the cool figure in the black leather jacket passing through the shadows of the trees. But he seemed to pause for a moment, glancing back through the swaying branches, a fleeting yet profound look of paternal love, before disappearing into the darkness.

*

The next day.

The closing ceremony of the military academy league was packed with people. The performance was a joint artistic showcase selected by the top ten military academies, blending song, dance, acrobatics, and, of course, the essential flight display of military academies. The grandeur of the scene was indescribable. However, Yi Ye was thoroughly enjoying himself, munching on sunflower seeds and peanuts non-stop. Unfortunately, he had fainted for too long and missed the chance to sign up for the event, otherwise, he might have had a shot at winning a free five-day trip to the main planet.

After that, the judge representatives and Principal Howard took the stage to give speeches. Principal Howard, as usual, maintained his lofty status in the hearts of the students. From the first word he spoke, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause, though there were also some murmurs.

"Is Principal Howard's brow a bit bruised?"

"It does seem like it, when did he get hurt?"

"That can't be, who could possibly hurt the principal?"

Yi Ye crushed a peanut and tossed it into his mouth, overhearing the students nearby discussing it. His gaze swept over the area, and a flash of the scene he had witnessed the day before crossed his mind. He seemed to guess something, thoughtfully propping his chin on his hand.

After the closing ceremony, the students returned to their respective classes. Others left in an orderly manner, making the Imperial Honor Military Academy feel like a rapidly deflating balloon, with waves of people streaming out, carrying away the heat and noise.

Meanwhile, on the square where the shuttles landed, the transport ships of various military academies were neatly lined up. The sound of engines starting up as several ships lifted off the ground shook the earth like a minor earthquake, even causing the desks in the classrooms to tremble.

Yi Ye held onto the cat-shaped cookie that almost flew off the table and looked out the window. A ship bearing the emblem of Melville Academy darted in and out of the clouds.

Ding. A notification sounded from his terminal.

"Eugene: I'm waiting for you."

Yi Ye's thumb brushed over the terminal screen, and after a moment of silence, he blocked the sender.

*

With the major nuisance successfully sent away, Yi Ye's life suddenly became much easier. He no longer had to worry about suddenly encountering some pervert staring at him with a bruised face. His appetite improved, and he slept soundly. As the summer approached, he started wearing his old man's tank top again at night, often walking out shirtless after a shower, occasionally slinging an arm around his good buddy Kaiser to show the deepened camaraderie after the military academy league.

But Kaiser seemed to be suffering from excessive internal heat recently, having had three nosebleeds. After returning from the infirmary with medication, his expression was particularly grim. Yi Ye asked him what was wrong, and Kaiser pinched the soft flesh on Yi Ye's arm, hesitating before another nosebleed started.

The fourth time, it almost gushed like a flood.

After that, Kaiser started keeping his distance from Yi Ye. Well, it didn't matter much to Yi Ye; he had plenty of good buddies. If one didn't work out, he naturally turned to others for companionship. But it didn't take long for Kaiser to find out, and Yi Ye was subsequently subjected to a round of scolding and roughhousing (normal interactions between good buddies?). Later, when Bai Chuan noticed the marks left from the roughhousing, the next day, both Bai Chuan and Kaiser walked into the classroom with bruised and swollen faces.

As for Yi Ye himself,

He was lying on the desk, his hair sticking up, dreaming of Alice in Wonderland, Yi Ye-style, with a little black cat.

Life returned to normal after the grand gathering, and the discomfort akin to withdrawal symptoms made Yi Ye feel off for a couple of days, but he quickly regained his usual state. He moved between the classroom, cafeteria, and dormitory every day, occasionally keeping an eye on Bai Chuan to prevent him from getting too close to other protagonists, sometimes playing the role of a mascot at the committee, and from time to time rallying the members of the Kawaguchi Group to strengthen the protagonist's forces.

He had a grand dream: to develop the Kawaguchi Group into the empire's number one fan club!

But unfortunately, things didn't start off well. Just half a month after the military academy league ended, a mysterious organization suddenly emerged on the forum, called the "Beta Freedom Society." It was said that their president was an incredibly skilled and mysterious top-tier Beta. Yi Ye scoffed at this, and to defeat the rival fan club, he even created a fake account to infiltrate and gather information. However, they kept their secrets too well, and after much probing, he couldn't find any dirt on the "president," so he returned disappointed.

However, there was some good news during this period.

After a thorough review process, the punishment for Lion Feather Military Academy was finally determined. Lion Feather Military Academy was banned from participating in the next three military academy leagues, meaning they could only return to the league after nine years. Additionally, all students involved in using cheating devices were expelled from Lion Feather Military Academy and permanently barred from admission to any school.

Yi Ye didn’t feel particularly satisfied about this, thinking that Lion Feather Military Academy was just sacrificing some pawns to divert attention. However, he did receive substantial compensation, enough to ensure that he could live comfortably for the rest of his life, even if he chose to laze around at home like a wealthy little black cat.

Feeling that his life had suddenly reached its peak, Yi Ye thought about the phrase his old colleagues often mentioned in his previous life: "Get promoted, make money, and marry a wife." Now, he was about to be promoted from a B-level honor student of the Imperial Honor Military Academy to an A-level honor student, which was equivalent to a promotion. As for money, he now had millions of interstellar credits, so he no longer needed to worry about the cafeteria staff skimping on portions when buying snacks. That left only one thing: marrying a wife.

Yi Ye was troubled.

He hadn’t yet met a girl who made his heart flutter. When would he be able to marry a wife?

"Yi Ye, look up."

A man’s steady voice sounded in front of him, and Yi Ye snapped out of his thoughts.

Ling Pei leaned slightly forward, adjusting the collar of his shirt. His hands, full of strength and security, moved with meticulous care as they tidied the collar.

Looking at Ling Pei’s handsome features, Yi Ye suddenly had a mischievous thought. If he married someone like Ling Pei, wouldn’t he be able to live carefree, both at home and outside, like a little slacker?

But it was just a fleeting, cheeky idea. If Ling Pei found out, he’d probably knock him out with a punch.

"Done."

Ling Pei lifted his gaze and withdrew his hands.

He had come to the Imperial Honor Military Academy only to train them for the competition. His duties in the military were busy, and he couldn’t spend most of his time here. Today was the day he was supposed to leave the academy. However, Ling Pei didn’t inform anyone. He didn’t like the feeling of being watched as he left. He only called Yi Ye, perhaps because he felt this student was somewhat to his liking, so he wanted to see him one last time before leaving.

"Your performance in the military academy league was excellent, but more eyes will be on you in the future. You’ll need to learn to get used to it."

Yi Ye smiled with his eyes curved: "General, I think I’m quite used to it."

The youth’s charming smile was undeniably captivating. Ling Pei silently lowered his gaze and then took out a pair of gloves from his pocket.

"Give me your hand."

Yi Ye tilted his head: "?"

"Your skin is delicate and prone to injury. Elman asked me to bring you a pair of gloves."

The gloves in Ling Pei’s hands were clearly made of high-quality, expensive material. Yi Ye raised his eyebrows in delight: "The old squad leader is so good to me."

He extended his hand, and Ling Pei carefully helped him put on the gloves. The leather gloves were breathable and not stifling even in the heat of summer. Since they mainly protected the joints, a small part of the back of his hand remained exposed. His long, elegant fingers were wrapped and outlined by the black leather gloves, creating a strikingly beautiful silhouette. Just looking at his hands, they exuded an alluring charm.

Yi Ye spread his fingers and then closed them, clearly pleased with the gift he had just received.

"Please thank the old squad leader for me, General."

Ling Pei: "Alright."

"General, it’s time to depart!"

The pilot’s voice sounded from behind. Ling Pei nodded slightly and said to Yi Ye, "When you go to the main planet, you can send me a message."

Yi Ye, who was still admiring the gloves, responded with a puzzled "Huh?": "Why?"

"Many people in the royal family and the Senate want to meet you. Before meeting them, you’ll need to prepare yourself."

"But I’m just a student of the Imperial Honor Military Academy. Why would these important figures want to see me?"

"You’re just a student now, but what you’ll become in the future—they’re more curious about that than you are."

He paused mid-sentence and sighed deeply. Behind him, the shuttle’s propulsion system had already started, and the roar of the engines cut through the air. His dark eyes once again met Yi Ye’s with a deep, solemn gaze, his tall figure in the silver-white military uniform standing firm in the wind.

"Good luck on your journey to the main planet."