Chapter 155

Chapter 155

Shen Geng wasn’t particularly surprised by Luo Yu’s choice. Instead, he was caught off guard and flustered by Bai Xingshu’s sudden glance in his direction.

What did Bai Xingshu mean by that look?

In Shen Geng’s mind, Bai Xingshu was completely oblivious when it came to matters of the heart.

He didn’t realize Song Xiyan liked him, didn’t notice Lin Lie’s feelings either, and certainly had no idea…

that Shen Geng himself liked him.

Yet now, Bai Xingshu was reacting to Luo Yu’s words?

Was Bai Xingshu actually this attuned when it came to Luo Yu?

Shen Geng’s chest tightened.

A flurry of thoughts rushed through his mind.

Was it because their similar obliviousness made them resonate so easily? Or did Bai Xingshu already like Luo Yu a little?

Shen Geng’s fingers curled slightly.

Whether or not it was true, there was no denying that Bai Xingshu was genuinely thrown off by Luo Yu’s choice at this moment.

Shen Geng had no intention of spelling it out for his rival in front of Bai Xingshu.

He wasn’t that noble.

Turning his gaze to Luo Yu, Shen Geng clearly saw the flushed, awkward expression on the younger man’s face.

After a quick thought, Shen Geng opened his mouth and said to Bai Xingshu with utter nonchalance, “I’m from the Combat Command Department. Teaching a student from the Combat Department—how does that even make sense?”

“Xiao Luo just didn’t fall for your tricks,” Shen Geng added logically, smoothly bailing Luo Yu out.

There was nothing wrong with the reasoning, but Bai Xingshu wasn’t entirely convinced.

He had observed Luo Yu and Shen Geng’s training matches before—the clear gap between them was noticeable, given that the Luo family wasn’t exactly a military background.

If Shen Geng wanted to teach, he could definitely do it.

Bai Xingshu knew that, and Luo Yu surely did too.

Moreover, compared to his own improvisational combat style, Shen Geng’s more by-the-book tactics might actually suit Luo Yu better.

Of course, one could also argue that the academy’s methods would be taught by the school’s instructors anyway, whereas Bai Xingshu’s unique improvisational style was truly one-of-a-kind in the whole galaxy.

This wasn’t really a big deal in the first place.

Except…

Bai Xingshu couldn’t help feeling something was off about Shen Geng’s tone.

Though the words sounded reasonable and confident, Bai Xingshu sensed a tinge of unease in them.

Unaware that his act was paper-thin in Bai Xingshu’s eyes due to how well they knew each other, Shen Geng continued.

“Besides, ditching the person who’s been teaching you all along for some petty reasons—that isn’t exactly the kind of trait we want in soldiers, is it?”

This reason completely won over Bai Xingshu, so he didn’t call out Shen Geng’s weird tone. Instead, he gave an approving nod.

Indeed, Luo Yu wasn’t that kind of person.

Meanwhile, Luo Yu had been wondering why he’d chosen to abandon his family’s expectations and go with his gut. After hearing Shen Geng’s words, he also began nodding.

Yes! Exactly! That’s right!

That was exactly what he thought!

Luo Yu’s face lit up, completely casting aside the confusion in his heart.

Shen’s a genius!

Shen Geng watched as the two knuckleheads looked utterly enlightened, fully accepting his words, and couldn’t decide if he should be amused or annoyed.

"Let’s eat," Shen Geng finally said, with a tired sigh.

The other two complied and went back to eating.

However, with Bai Xingshu around, the peace lasted all of ten minutes before he was off and running again.

This time, the topic zeroed in on Shen Geng’s deal.

In the past, Bai Xingshu had never had anyone to bounce this off of.

He wasn’t about to ask Shen Geng’s parents about such things—they were elders, and since they were always busy, Bai Xingshu hadn’t interacted with them much.

Not to mention, the two of them were all over each other, leaving no opening to chat during their limited interactions. Even someone as naturally sociable as Bai Xingshu couldn’t wedge himself into their bubble.

As for others, they were clueless about Shen Geng’s hidden identity.

But now, bam—perfect target!

Luo Yu!

Game on!

And so…

"Xiao Luo, does Bro Shen really have the surname Shen?" Bai Xingshu asked.

The second the question popped out, Bai Xingshu could immediately feel the two beside him go stiff.

Originally, Bai Xingshu had just thrown out a random icebreaker.

After all, it was a dumb question—if Shen Geng really went by that name, how would Luo Yu have screwed up?

And yet…

They freaked!

Wow, so entertaining!!

Bai Xingshu’s inner troll was fed.

Watching their deer-in-headlights looks, Bai Xingshu didn’t even wait for Luo Yu and Shen Geng to come up with some excuse. Instead, he nodded first and said, "Guess it’s not Shen, huh?"

"Then I guess his name isn't Shen Geng either." Bai Xingshu watched with amusement as Shen Geng took a strategic sip of water, holding back laughter.

Of course, at this moment, the one under the most pressure wasn't Shen Geng but Luo Yu, who had caused this whole mess.

Seeing the mortifyingly awkward situation, Luo Yu quickly spoke up to cover for Shen Geng: "It's not entirely wrong! Bro Shen's name is still very much related to his actual circumstances!"

Bai Xingshu, observing Luo Yu looking like he was about to explode, decided not to push him too hard and nodded understandingly. "I get it—takes his mom’s last name, huh?"

"And his age, is he really nineteen?"

At this question, Luo Yu nodded eagerly, his expression one of utter relief and delight, as if he had just solved an extremely difficult math problem only to be faced with something as simple as 2+2.

"Then I suppose the Beta part isn't wrong either?" Bai Xingshu, taking pity on Luo Yu, fed him another softball.

However, this question prompted Shen Geng to protest: "Using a fake gender to sneak into the opposite-sex dorm—I’m not *that* sketchy, okay?"

After his protest, Shen Geng glanced at Bai Xingshu’s teasing gaze and then at Luo Yu, who looked like he was about to cry, and sighed. "If there’s anything you want to know, just ask me directly. I’ll spill everything."

Bai Xingshu believed him.

In fact, back when Shen Geng had confessed to him about his connection to the Queen, he had already shown this kind of attitude, which was why Bai Xingshu hadn’t pressed further at the time.

But still...

Getting concrete details straight from the person involved was nowhere near as fun as hearing tea about them from someone else!

Especially when the subject of said tea was sitting right next to him.

This was *gold*!

"Flat-out no!" Bai Xingshu refused, continuing eagerly with his questioning aimed at Luo Yu. "You mentioned earlier that everyone says Bro Shen is really kind to people—are there any stories behind that?"

With this one question, Bai Xingshu wore his nosiness plainly on his face.

How the hell was Luo Yu supposed to answer *that*?

Who would dare spill tea in front of the *royals*?!

Luo Yu’s face might as well have screamed 'HELP!' louder than Bai Xingshu’s curiosity.