Chapter 151

Chapter 151

The next day, Luo Yu lived up to both their expectations.

That evening, Luo Yu initiated a sparring request with Bai Xingshu.

Bai Xingshu paused briefly when he saw the request, then let out a laugh and readily agreed.

This sparring session didn’t last very long—they called it quits after an hour.

This surprised Bai Xingshu quite a bit. He had assumed that after yesterday’s events, Luo Yu would surely last longer today.

However, the next day, Luo Yu once again tracked Bai Xingshu’s regular login time and sent him a sparring request, still for just one hour.

At this point, Bai Xingshu figured out Luo Yu’s pattern. Sure enough, from then on, Luo Yu consistently sent him an invitation every day.

One hour each day—thoughtful not to cut into Bai Xingshu’s rest time. Meanwhile, the intervals Luo Yu needed to regroup grew shorter, and the effective training duration actually increased significantly.

This pleased Bai Xingshu quite a bit.

Moreover, Bai Xingshu noticed that Luo Yu’s fighting style grew more controlled.

The instinctive and habitual reactions from before gradually faded, and many of the key points Bai Xingshu had packed into his 'present' were slowly being integrated into Luo Yu’s techniques.

The speed of improvement was much faster than Bai Xingshu had anticipated.

In total, it took only about half a month.

After all, skills are easy to learn, but habits are hard to change.

Luo Yu’s performance could be described as exceptionally talented.

Bai Xingshu was never one to withhold praise, and he dished out daily praise to Luo Yu. He almost saw Luo Yu beaming through the screen in every message sent back via their friend chat.

However…

Bai Xingshu turned to Shen Geng, puzzled. "You think I should swing by? Xiao Luo really okay? He hasn’t shown up at our place in days."

Though his words suggested he might go himself, the tone and posture when he said "I" might as well have shoved Shen Geng toward the door.

It was almost a blatant nudge for Shen Geng to check on Luo Yu.

Couldn’t be helped—Luo Yu used to show up at their place daily, but his sudden absence began the very night Bai Xingshu sent him that sparring request on the platform.

Undoubtedly, Bai Xingshu himself was the reason for Luo Yu’s radio silence.

Text messages could be edited and emotions could be faked, so Bai Xingshu wasn’t entirely sure whether Luo Yu actually wanted to see him.

Shen Geng, naturally, couldn’t care less. He, too, was somewhat puzzled and concerned about the situation.

However, Shen Geng believed this was something Luo Yu needed to work through on his own. Unlike the proactive Bai Xingshu, Shen Geng wouldn’t butt in unless asked. He preferred giving people space to work through their stuff.

But two weeks should have been enough time. So without hesitation, Shen Geng agreed.

No time like the present, and Shen Geng never dragged his feet. In no time, he knocked on Luo Yu’s dorm door.

"Who is it?" Shen Geng heard Luo Yu’s confused call.

"It’s me, Shen Geng," he replied. Almost immediately, a scramble of hurried noises came from inside the room.

The dorm door had good soundproofing, so Shen Geng couldn’t hear clearly. He only sensed several seconds pass before Luo Yu’s voice approached from behind the door.

Luo Yu didn’t open the door but instead asked cautiously, as if wrestling with himself, through the door panel, “Bro Shen, is it just you?”

Hearing this, Shen Geng’s mind raced with thoughts.

As everyone knows, when people ask questions, their words unintentionally reveal their own hopes.

For example, “Are you okay?” implies a hope that the person is fine, while “Do you have time?” suggests a wish for availability.

Luo Yu’s words undoubtedly revealed such a hope.

As an outstanding student in military strategy, Shen Geng was accustomed to analyzing relevant information, but that didn’t stop him from answering Luo Yu’s question.

“Yeah, just me.”

Though he couldn’t hear any sound from behind the door, Shen Geng sensed that Luo Yu inside seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

*Snick!*

A crisp sound rang out as Luo Yu’s dorm door opened. Shen Geng was stunned silent at the sight of Luo Yu’s red, slightly puffy eyes.

Recalling the gut-wrenching sobs he had heard from Luo Yu two weeks ago, Shen Geng was at a loss for words.

There was no doubt that Luo Yu had shed many tears during these days.

Most likely, he had only recently started recovering, which was why his tear-swollen eyes were still in the process of healing.

Shen Geng found it a little funny but also sad as he looked at Luo Yu.

Being someone mindful of others’ pride, Shen Geng pursed his lips and made an effort to pretend not to notice Luo Yu’s unusual state. In a very casual tone, he said, “You haven’t shown up in two weeks. Bai Xingshu asked me to check on you.”

By directly mentioning Bai Xingshu’s name, Shen Geng shifted the reason for his visit entirely to Bai Xingshu.

Given Luo Yu’s current state, though the likelihood of him harboring any resentment toward Bai Xingshu was small, Shen Geng still didn’t want Luo Yu to have even the slightest grievance against Bai Xingshu.

Then, Shen Geng clearly saw Luo Yu’s dull mood instantly lit up upon hearing those words.

A wave of happiness radiated from Luo Yu, his eyes brimming with unconcealed emotion as he stared at Shen Geng. “Really? Senior is concerned about me?!”

Seeing this reaction, Shen Geng’s stomach dropped.

He keenly noticed that Luo Yu had even raised his hand, instinctively rubbing his eyes.

Anyone could tell from this gesture how eager Luo Yu was at that moment.

Luo Yu made no attempt to hide it—in that instant, he desperately wished the redness and swelling in his eyes would vanish immediately so he could rush to Bai Xingshu’s side in a flash.

What kind of situation would make Luo Yu care so much about whether he looked his best in front of someone?

The answer was obvious.

It certainly wasn’t about his everyday look.

After all, if he were merely concerned about his image, Luo Yu wouldn’t have opened the door so decisively upon confirming that only Shen Geng was outside.

What Luo Yu cared about was only that his messy appearance must not be seen by Bai Xingshu.

Shen Geng effortlessly deduced Luo Yu’s thoughts.

So Shen Geng looked at Luo Yu, who was beaming with happiness, and fell silent.

He couldn't bring himself to wonder when exactly Luo Yu had developed such feelings for Bai Xingshu.

Shen Geng felt like he was already used to it.

That damn heartbreaker, Bai Xingshu!

Luo Yu had no idea that his unconscious feelings had been completely seen through. He was just so happy he could spin in circles, inwardly cursing the fact that modern medical devices could only treat injuries and illnesses—useless for his current condition, which didn’t qualify as either.

Just a few more days now.

Unable to suppress the smile on his face, Luo Yu suddenly remembered something and turned to Shen Geng with hopeful eyes. “Bro Shen, I’ve been such a bother to Senior lately. I’d like to take him out for a nice meal this weekend to thank him. Could you ask him if he’s free?”

As he spoke, Luo Yu’s expression instinctively carried a hint of shyness, his youthful infatuation completely unconcealed.

Shen Geng —

He really didn’t want to answer.

But given his upbringing, he couldn’t bring himself to be so rude.

After a long silence, just as Luo Yu’s eyes began to fill with confusion, Shen Geng finally responded.

He looked at Luo Yu and said with mock offense, “What? Just your senior? What about me?”

Luo Yu went rigid.

When he'd made the request, he genuinely hadn’t thought about Shen Geng at all—his mind had been full of Bai Xingshu, imagining how happy the food-loving senior would be after a good meal.

Shen Geng hadn’t even crossed his mind.

Luo Yu flushed with embarrassment.

Oh no! How could I forget?!

Shen Geng had always looked out for him just as much—there was no reason to leave him out when expressing gratitude!

“Of course you’re invited too, Bro Shen! I’d never forget you!” Luo Yu tried to hide his guilt and fix his mistake.

Watching Luo Yu’s reaction, Shen Geng —

At that moment, Shen Geng realized Luo Yu was probably completely unaware of his own feelings.

The corner of Shen Geng’s mouth twitched slightly.

He thought to himself: Did the Combat Department only produce emotional idiots?