Chapter 239

Chapter 239

Upon hearing the news, the students’ first reaction was…

Squad Leader, no way! The Deputy still doesn’t know you’re into him?!

In the students’ minds, if Bai Xingshu had gone to the Fourth Legion, then Shen Geng from the Combat Command Department would most likely be there too. Under such circumstances, making Lin Lie see the person he likes being affectionate with someone else every day would be way too harsh—it’s definitely not something their Deputy would do.

The students were pretty confident about this.

So, there could only be one explanation.

Squad Leader, you’re hopeless!

Sensing something from the students’ stares, a vein throbbed in Lin Lie’s forehead: “What are you looking at? I’m joining the Sixth Legion, got it?”

Who says just because the Fourth Legion’s marshal shares my surname, I have to go there?

“I refuse to be like my brother!” Lin Lie growled fiercely.

That wasn’t a lie. Back when they were freshmen, Lin Li had casually suggested that Lin Lie try to recruit Bai Xingshu for the Fourth Legion. At the time, Lin Lie had already made clear his plan to join the Sixth Legion.

Later on break, after seeing how things were going for Bai Xingshu in the Fourth Legion, Lin Lie had second-guessed himself—he’d been certain Bai Xingshu would become part of the Fourth Legion without question. And back then, he really had wavered.

He wanted to be with Bai Xingshu.

But now…

Whether for his own sake or to avoid putting Bai Xingshu in an awkward position, Lin Lie had decided to stay the course and stick with his original plan.

Witnessing the noisy scene between Lin Lie and their classmates, Bai Xingshu: …

Bai Xingshu: …………

Hold up—what the hell?!

Am I seriously the *only* one who didn’t know Lin Lie likes me?!

Bai Xingshu was completely floored!

When the ruckus died down and the students turned around, they saw Bai Xingshu standing there with a shell-shocked look, his face screaming, *How do you all know this?!*

The students: …

Even though their Squad Leader wasn’t hopeless, their Deputy sure was a total dumbass.

So, one by one, the students reached out and condescendingly patted their Deputy’s head: “You’ll get there.”

“No one’s perfect. Deputy, you’re killing it academically, so it’s totally normal you’re clueless about this stuff.”

They took turns twisting the knife in Bai Xingshu’s heart.

Feeling like his so-called friends were asking for a beating, Bai Xingshu clenched his fists.

Looks like they knew their days of group beatdowns from him were running out, so they were trying to get their last licks in, huh?

That day, Squad S of the Combat Dept became a total disaster zone.

Soon enough, the long break for the first semester of junior year sneaked up on them amid everyone’s chatter.

This was the first extended break of their junior year—and also the last long vacation of their entire military academy life. After the Intercollegiate League concluded next semester, once they submitted their preferred military units and positions and received official notices, they would begin their field training directly.

Their senior year would be spent entirely within various military units, with final graduation assessments based on performance reviews from those units.

There would still be one last opportunity at that point to change their preferences based on their scores—but it was a long shot, and few actually did so.

After all, the remaining available positions were nothing to write home about.

Unlike in previous years, no one went to work as temporary staff at the police stations this time. Everyone was tense, focusing instead on extra drills under their instructors’ guidance.

But Bai Xingshu and Shen Geng went against the trend.

They returned to the Shangqing Police Substation for one final gig as temporary staff—though this time, not for the whole break, just a month.

—The results of Bai Xingshu’s pheromone test had come back, showing his rut cycle would fall during the last half of the break.

Which meant Bai Xingshu’s original plan wasn’t impossible to manage alongside this.

Putting on their uniforms again—their first time in them in quite a while—they both felt a tinge of nostalgia… and then—

Bai Xingshu saw Shen Geng pull out, from who knows where, the lily brooch that had always sat in the most prominent spot on his desk, one he’d never dared to wear before.

Now, it was proudly pinned to the most visible part of his chest.

This might as well have been a neon sign.

Bai Xingshu chuckled, a grin spreading across his face. A little itch stirred inside him too—though…

He reached out and touched the brooch, voice full of regret. “I wish I brought the brooch you gave me.”

Of course, if Shen Geng wanted to shout his feelings from the rooftops, Bai Xingshu—who had briefly shaken off his love-drunk mindset only to fall right back into it—felt the same way.

So…

Hardly had Bai Xingshu finished speaking when Shen Geng’s eyes lit up with amusement. He extended his other hand toward Bai Xingshu, revealing the celestial brooch right before his eyes.

Hmm… Clearly, someone had this up his sleeve all along.

After changing clothes and stepping outside, the observant officers at Shangqing—naturally sharp-eyed by profession—immediately noticed the matching accessories standing out on their uniforms.

Tsk tsk tsk, too cringe to watch.

The officers ribbed them endlessly. Truth be told, though, seeing the young duo they’d shipped finally together filled them more with warmth than anything else.

As Bai Xingshu and Shen Geng went about their duties, the residents of Shangqing District quickly caught wind of their return.

Welcomes and encouragement naturally followed.

For ordinary civilians, the go-to way to show affection was through food.

Expensive items were still off-limits—they couldn’t accept those—but homemade goodies were hard to say no to, no matter how disciplined one was.

Each time they came and went, their pockets ended up loaded with sweets.

Looking at the station’s snack tray—which had been refilled countless times—Bai Xingshu paused, thoughtful.

Were they the ones handing out candy now?

Not that anyone cared.

In this world where everyone is happy, the only ones unhappy are the newly emerged criminals in the Shangqing District recently.

They were shocked and furious.

Are you kidding me?! Bai Xingshu, you said you'd work as temporary staff at different police substations every long vacation!

Skipping the last two vacations was one thing, but now you're going back on your word too?!

Even without the system, both Bai Xingshu’s superpower and Shen Geng’s newly developed plant-based abilities had sensory functions.

Over that month, the two made the most of their time, thoroughly cleaning up the Shangqing District once more before quietly removing their temporary police uniforms and stepping back into the imperial palace.

The emperor and empress had not faked the busyness they showed Bai Xingshu during his freshman year—one went to hold an art exhibition, while the other went to inspect work on another planet, with no plans to return anytime soon.

Free from the elders’ teasing, Shen Geng went all out.

Bai Xingshu sat in the seclusion room, watching Shen Geng haul box after box himself—determining where each item should go, what needed replenishing, and which spots should be stocked with water and fortifying foods.

Even though Bai Xingshu was approaching his season, Shen Geng looked far more anxious than he was.

It was almost like…

A preening peacock building a nest.