Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Gu Shiyun didn't ask how Shi Jian had offended the drill instructor, nor did he say much else. Since Shi Jian didn’t eat other flavored candies, he simply returned the rest to the desk drawer.

He gestured toward a white leather sofa against the wall. "Would you like to rest for a while?"

Shi Jian had already napped and wasn't sleepy, but accustomed to comfort at home, a sofa was certainly preferable to a hard chair.

As he sat down, his back accidentally brushed against the cushion, pulling at the scraped area. His brows furrowed sharply.

Gu Shiyun’s peripheral gaze paused. He pulled open the right drawer again, took out a bottle of medicated oil, and walked over.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" Gu Shiyun waited for Shi Jian’s assent before sitting beside him, shaking the brown bottle in his hand. "This is medicated oil I brought from home. It works better than the school’s spray."

Shi Jian stiffened. "How did you know...?"

Gu Shiyun explained, "I noticed you moving carefully, and your reaction when you bumped into it was a bit strong."

Before his Secondary Differentiation, strangers like Gu Shiyun showing concern had been commonplace—Shi Jian was used to it. But now, such consideration was rare. Moreover, this white-haired Alpha appeared ice-cold, not the type to meddle in others’ affairs. His sudden meticulous attention made Shi Jian suspicious of an ulterior motive.

"I did bump into something during the argument with the instructor this afternoon. It might’ve scraped the skin a little, but it’s not serious." Shi Jian’s tone shifted abruptly as he asked directly, "But why are you so concerned about me? Did we know each other before this?"

Alphas admitted to the Federal First Military Academy were either wealthy, noble, or exceptionally gifted commoners. Yet Shi Jian had no recollection of Gu Shiyun. He had always been wary of Alphas who showed unwarranted kindness—even more so now that he had differentiated into an Alpha himself.

Gu Shiyun, however, said, "I’ve seen you before. When you were very young."

He didn’t elaborate further.

Shi Jian waited but received no follow-up, so he changed his approach. "Do you know my father?"

"I do. General Shi Cangfeng, currently the chief commander of the Ninth Military Region, twice awarded ‘Federal Hero’ and once the ‘Galaxy Medal.’ He has a distinguished military career, holds radical political views, advocates for the abolition of the monarchy, and is one of the leading figures among the young officer faction."

"...Stop reciting textbook introductions." Shi Jian rubbed his temples slightly. "Now I know who you are."

Gu Shiyun tensed slightly—had he figured out his identity?

But Shi Jian simply lowered his head, gazing into the middle distance. At this point, he wasn’t sure if his father’s insistence on sending him to the military academy came more from disappointment or concern. An unexpected Secondary Differentiation had forcibly wrenched off course the life he had already planned, dragging him—resisting yet powerless—toward an unknown ending.

Noticing his expression, Gu Shiyun asked, "What’s wrong?"

Shi Jian shook his head and said it was nothing. Now certain that Gu Shiyun was likely someone his father had asked to look after him, his wariness toward the white-haired Alpha eased considerably.

That afternoon, he had found an opportunity to nap in the detention room, and Gu Shiyun had pretended not to notice. Now, he was offering candy and medicated oil. If not for being instructed to take extra care of him, who would pay such attention to a "troublesome" lower-tier Alpha?

Gu Shiyun found it odd that Shi Jian’s gaze had suddenly softened, but since the other was willing to accept his goodwill, he was content to let it be.

"Turn around. I’ll apply the medicine for you."

"Mm."

Shi Jian let down his guard, turning to rest his arms on the sofa and sweeping his long hair aside to reveal the back of his neck—a place rarely seen by others.

Unaccustomed to sunlight, it was excessively pale, so slender it could be fully encircled by one hand. Gu Shiyun shouldn’t have looked, but his gaze was irresistibly drawn to that snowy expanse, lingering on the slight protrusion of bone at the base of the cervical spine.

An Alpha’s scent gland differed slightly from an Omega’s. Unlike the Omega’s gland, which ripened like fruit waiting to be plucked, an Alpha’s gland remained hidden beneath the skin, indistinguishable from a Beta’s under normal circumstances. Only during Rut, when licked, bitten, and flooded with pheromones, would it slowly open like a budding flower, revealing a tender pink interior.

After Shi Jian’s Secondary Differentiation into an Alpha, the once-prominent gland at the back of his neck had gradually receded into its proper form. The upside was that, aside from occasional burning pain when affected by pheromone suppression, it was usually unnoticeable. That was why he dared to bare it so openly—after all, no one would want to mark an Alpha’s gland.

Of course, it wasn’t just his gland that had regressed.

A soft swallow seemed to echo in the enclosed space. Shi Jian belatedly sensed the predatory gaze of a beast and instinctively shifted, only for a large hand to press down on his shoulder. Heat and roughness seeped through the leather glove as the deep voice of an adult Alpha sounded behind him: "Stay still."

Shi Jian abandoned the thought of looking back. He was curious—how could someone as cold as a robot like Gu Shiyun have such scorching palms and such strength?

Gu Shiyun removed his glove. "Are you taking it off, or should I?"

Terrible phrasing.

Shi Jian unfastened the top buttons of his shirt himself, tugging the collar down to his elbows.

Half of his snow-white back was now exposed to Gu Shiyun’s view. He couldn’t understand how a nearly adult Alpha could be so thin, so delicate, like a sheet of paper. Unthinkingly, he raised his left hand and measured the span of Shi Jian’s back, realizing it was only two handspans wide, his waist even slimmer, tapering into an astonishingly narrow hip-to-waist ratio.

His skin was porcelain-pale, flawless, without a single blemish—like fine mutton-fat jade (a prized white nephrite). That made the red scrape on his left shoulder blade all the more glaring, like plum blossoms on snow.

Gu Shiyun noticed his breathing had quickened. He tried to steady it, to no avail. Even his hands, which never trembled after hours of marksmanship training, now shook uncontrollably—and he hadn’t even started applying the oil yet.

The sharp aroma of liquor and herbs filled the air, as potent as the mingled pheromones of Alphas in the academy. Shi Jian wrinkled his nose in distaste, regretting his agreement to let Gu Shiyun smear this stuff on him.

And Gu Shiyun hesitated.

He had never faltered like this, not even when taking a shot to take down a hostage-taker while avoiding a six-year-old girl. But now, he questioned whether his earlier suggestion had been wise. The warmed oil pooled in his palm, yet he couldn’t bring himself to proceed.

Shi Jian’s skin looked too delicate. The calluses on Gu Shiyun’s hands from years of training might scrape it raw with the slightest pressure.

The late-summer air wasn’t cold, but after waiting bare-shouldered for so long without any movement from the Alpha behind him, Shi Jian grew impatient. "Hurry up already."

Gu Shiyun responded with a low hum before slowly pressing his palm to the reddened skin. The chilled silk texture reminded him of whipped cream—irresistible.

Shi Jian hissed. "Ow—gentler. You’re too rough."

Gu Shiyun forced himself to slow down. His expression remained impassive, his eyes devoid of emotion, yet the heat radiating from his palm was like burning coal. With each circular motion, Shi Jian felt the skin over his shoulder blade ignite, scalding hot.

After a few minutes of this, Gu Shiyun abruptly said, "Done." Shi Jian secretly exhaled in relief.

Just as Shi Jian was about to sit up, Gu Shiyun—as if possessed—suddenly clenched his hand into a fist and pressed his forearm lightly against the curve just above Shi Jian’s hip, measuring the length against his body.

...Converted, it would probably reach his stomach.

Gu Shiyun jerked his hand back, straightened up, and stared rigidly ahead, his heart pounding wildly.

Shi Jian leisurely buttoned his shirt, glanced at Gu Shiyun, and burst out laughing. "Why are you sitting like an old party cadre? Anyway, thanks for the help."

The Alpha stiffly muttered, "No need for thanks," like a glitching android.

After a pause, he suddenly remembered something and handed the medicated oil to Shi Jian. "Take this."

"Give it to me?"

"New students often struggle with the intense training and get injured easily. This’ll come in handy."

Shi Jian accepted it without fuss. "When I go home, I’ll tell my dad to secure you a position in the Ninth Military Region."

"Your father wouldn’t agree."

Driven by a child’s urge to boast about their impressive, doting parent, Shi Jian immediately retorted, "My dad always listens to me. Don’t worry—if you look out for me, I won’t let you come up short."

Gu Shiyun felt oddly aggrieved. Why did he suddenly sound like some status-climber currying favor with a privileged young master?

"I’ll take my leave now. Thanks again for today." Shi Jian stood, straightening his rumpled uniform.

Gu Shiyun also stood up: "Didn't the instructor punish you by sending you to the detention room for reflection?"

Shi Jian raised an eyebrow: "Did he explicitly say he was locking me in the detention room?"

Gu Shiyun shook his head: "No."

"Did he personally tell you how long I was supposed to be locked up?"

"No, he didn't."

"Then that settles it," Shi Jian smirked challengingly, revealing a sharp canine tooth like a mischievous little devil. "The military academy is my home. I’m just wandering around my own turf—what’s wrong with that?"

"Uh..."

"Oh, I forgot—you're the head of the Disciplinary Department."

Shi Jian, unusually, gave a faint smile and took a step forward, extending two slender, snow-white fingers to lightly tap the nameplate pinned to Gu Shiyun’s uniform over his chest.

"So, Chief, could you cut me some slack?"

Gu Shiyun stiffened like a fishing line suddenly pulled taut to its limit, his pupils narrowing to reptilian slits. That Eden's-apple smile blurred and expanded before his eyes, bringing waves of dizziness. Until finally, he couldn’t hear what Shi Jian was saying, couldn’t see the movement of his lips, and didn’t even notice when the boy left the office.

Without thinking, he raised a hand and hesitantly touched the nameplate on his chest. The metal felt cold and smooth, carrying a lingering scent from his fingers—just like the sensation of touching his snow-white back earlier, cold jade holding hidden warmth.