Chapter 042 Military Exercise 12

Chapter 042 Military Maneuvers 12

Zhou Younan opened his eyes to find himself on an unfamiliar bed, the inky blackness of space visible through the window.

The strange surroundings immediately put him on high alert. He scanned the room—a typical single-occupancy cabin on a spaceship, with a bed, table, cabinet, and walls all made of metal. Some surfaces bore deep claw marks.

The sight of those savage claw marks, however, paradoxically eased Zhou Younan’s tension. They belonged to Wei San, which meant he was now with Wei Qing.

The automatic door slid open, and Wei Qing entered. He wore a red hoodie and black pants, his long golden hair cascading down to his waist.

Seeing Zhou Younan awake, Wei Qing’s previously impassive face broke into a wide, radiant smile, revealing his small, white canines.

For some inexplicable reason, Zhou Younan’s heart skipped a beat. He lowered his head, suddenly hesitant to meet Wei Qing’s gaze.

"Younan, I guessed you’d be waking up soon, so I made some congee and whipped up a couple of dishes," Wei Qing said, settling onto the edge of the bed.

He placed the food tray onto the small table and set it before Zhou Younan. The aroma awakened Zhou Younan’s appetite, and his stomach rumbled audibly.

The room was quiet, and Zhou Younan distinctly heard Wei Qing chuckle. His face flushed instantly, and he buried his head deeper.

"Hungry? Dig in," Wei Qing said, handing him a pair of chopsticks.

"Mm," Zhou Younan took the chopsticks and began eating, head still bowed.

Wei Qing’s cooking was delicious, and Zhou Younan ate with gusto.

"Take your time, no rush," Wei Qing said, slinging an arm around Zhou Younan’s waist.

Sensing the movement, Zhou Younan turned to look at him, then at the hand resting on his waist. "You..."

He had intended to ask Wei Qing to remove his hand, but somehow, the words that came out were a concerned question instead: "Aren’t you eating?"

Wei Qing beamed. "I already ate. You should have more."

"Oh," Zhou Younan nodded, obediently taking another sip of congee.

"You care about me," Wei Qing murmured, wrapping both arms around Zhou Younan’s waist and resting his head against his neck, nuzzling him affectionately. "I knew you loved me."

Hearing this, Zhou Younan nearly spat out his congee. He forced it down and coughed violently.

"What’s wrong?" Wei Qing asked, concerned.

"Nothing," Zhou Younan waved a hand. "Just choked."

He had hoped to play it off, but when he looked up and met Wei Qing’s suspicious gaze, his heart sank.

Wei Qing narrowed his eyes. "Did I say something that shocked you?"

"...N-no," Zhou Younan stammered. "I really just choked accidentally."

Wei Qing continued to scrutinize him skeptically, and Zhou Younan, feeling guilty, unconsciously swallowed hard.

"Remember our first meeting? You kissed me first. So what’s wrong with me saying you love me?" Wei Qing pressed, his expression stern.

"N-nothing’s wrong."

Zhou Younan hadn’t expected Wei Qing to interpret their first kiss that way. He instinctively averted his eyes.

Wei Qing leaned in closer, tilting his head. "You won’t look at me. Are you lying?"

"N-no, I’m not," Zhou Younan murmured.

Wei Qing pouted playfully, then tapped his own cheek with a finger. "Then kiss me here to prove you’re not lying."

Zhou Younan froze.

He regretted sleeping with Wei Qing. Wei Qing had taken a capsule that made him devoted to him—he wasn’t in his right mind. Zhou Younan, however, had been completely sober and should have refused.

But the physical pleasure had overwhelmed him, and he had even grown fond of the feeling of being with Wei Qing.

Now, he was caught in a dilemma.

"Here," Wei Qing tilted his cheek closer.

Zhou Younan’s grip on the chopsticks tightened unconsciously. He leaned in and quickly brushed his lips against Wei Qing’s cheek.

Even though he knew he shouldn’t, he couldn’t refuse.

As soon as he tried to pull away, Wei Qing’s arm tightened around his waist.

"Huh?" Zhou Younan made a questioning sound.

Wei Qing smirked mischievously. "I was just faking anger. You fell for it."

"We still have four days until we reach Yaoxing. All the time in the world."

"What?"

Wei Qing’s words meant they were already on their way to Yaoxing!

He would see Luo Luo soon?!

Excited, Zhou Younan wanted to ask for details, but Wei Qing cut him off with a demanding kiss, swallowing all his words.

"Mmph—" Zhou Younan was pushed down onto the bed, Wei Qing looming above him.

Wei Qing wedged himself firmly between Zhou Younan’s legs, then sat up and swiftly pulled off his hoodie, revealing his lean, muscular frame.

His long golden hair swayed behind him, the movement making Zhou Younan’s face flush and his heart flutter.

Inside Crimson Flame’s cockpit, the dim lighting had obscured Wei Qing’s form. Now, in the brightly lit cabin, Zhou Younan couldn’t help but see everything.

Wei Qing was beautiful—not just his face, but his body too. His muscles were tautly sculpted, smooth and powerful, with even his scars adding to his rugged charm.

Zhou Younan hastily threw an arm over his eyes, too embarrassed to look.

Wei Qing pulled his hands away, twining their fingers together and pressing them into the mattress before slowly releasing them. "You’re cute when you blush."

"You—mmph—"

Wei Qing pressed down, scattering kisses from Zhou Younan’s lips to his eyes, then his ears—each one burning hot, as if searing into his skin. Unable to hold back, Zhou Younan let out a soft, shuddering gasp.

His entire body flushed with warmth. Half-lost, he heard Wei Qing whisper in his ear, "The whole room smells like you. I’ve been patient long enough—this time, we can truly indulge."

The chopsticks slipped to the floor with a crisp *clink*. Zhou Younan’s hands had somehow clutched at Wei Qing’s back.

Overwhelmed, Wei Qing nipped at the soft flesh of Zhou Younan’s earlobe, his voice husky with desire. "You’re intoxicating. I love it."

"Wei… Qing, don’t… talk."

"Heh, fine, I won't talk, I'll just do."

"...Mmm."

Don't say "like," and don't say "love." Those words only pierce my heart over and over again.

Again and again, time after time—who knows how long it lasted...

Zhou Younan's mind turned into a haze, completely unable to think. He was lost in this moment, to the point where he couldn't even bring himself to say "stop."

The unusually high body heat seemed to meld him and Wei Qing together, until the last star in the universe faded from existence.

In his hazy afterglow, Wei Qing tore open a nutritional supplement pack he had prepared by the bedside, but accidentally spilled some on Zhou Younan.

Wei Qing licked it up and fed it to Zhou Younan, the sweet strawberry flavor filling both their mouths.

So sweet... so sweet...

Bliss.

This was Zhou Younan's feeling after his three-day heat cycle finally ended.

The heat in his body gradually faded, and he lay limp against Wei Qing's chest like a contented feline. Wei Qing fed him the nutritional supplement pack with one hand while gently stroking his hair with the other, his movements loving and deliberate.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Zhou Younan swallowed the nutritional supplement in his mouth and looked up to ask.

"Not my taste. You shouldn’t have too much either—I’ll cook later."

"Can I help?"

Wei Qing raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "If you can stand up, I won’t stop you."

"Why wouldn’t I be able to stand?" Zhou Younan sat up on the edge of the bed, trying to prove himself. But when he attempted to stand, his legs completely gave out, and he nearly toppled over.

Luckily, Wei Qing grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Wei Qing rumbled with amusement. "See? I told you you couldn’t."

Feeling the vibrations of Wei Qing’s chest, Zhou Younan flushed with humiliation. First, he was furious that he couldn’t stand—Wei Qing was the culprit, yet he had the nerve to laugh at him mercilessly.

Second, he was annoyed at the state of his body, covered in red love bites with not a single patch of unblemished skin left—it looked positively wrecked.

Third, his legs could barely stay together.

Pouting, Zhou Younan took a big gulp of the nutritional supplement and vengefully kissed Wei Qing’s lips. Wei Qing didn’t refuse, accepting the nutritional supplement he supposedly disliked.

Thinking he’d gotten his revenge, Zhou Younan felt much better and deliberately asked, "How does it taste?"

Wei Qing licked his lips. "Zhou Younan-flavored nutritional supplement? I actually like it. More?"

Hearing this, Zhou Younan grumbled and rolled himself up in the blanket, turning away and burying his face in the bed. "I don’t want to talk to you."

Wei Qing laughed softly, bundling both man and covers into his arms. "If you won’t talk to me, I’ll talk to you."

After cuddling for a while, Zhou Younan finally remembered to ask about the military exercises.

"How did the military exercises go? Is Jonathan alright?"

"I won," Wei Qing said tersely. "Jonathan was sent to Tenggeli Star’s military hospital for emergency treatment, but he’ll need reconstructive surgery back on Canberra—they have the Empire’s best doctors there."

"That’s good." Zhou Younan was still worried. "Why would the Zerg ambush the *Sparrow Voyager*? Is there going to be a war?"

"That’s still under investigation. Can’t disclose anything yet."

"I know how serious this is. I won’t talk carelessly."

After a pause, Zhou Younan suddenly remembered. "And the Royal Guard..."

His face went pale in alarm as he asked Wei Qing, "Did you see the *Hexagram Ring* I was holding?"

Wei Qing smoothed Zhou Younan’s furrowed brow. "I put the ring away. What’s a married Omega doing holding another Alpha’s belongings?"

Hearing the jealous edge, Zhou Younan patiently explained, "It’s Luo Ou’s. He asked me to give it to..."

Glancing at Wei Qing, he abruptly cut himself off.

"He asked you to give it to Taylor Harris?" Wei Qing finished for him.

"How did you know?" Zhou Younan couldn’t hide his surprise.

Wei Qing quirked a knowing smile. "After Taylor Harris’s death was announced, Luo Ou got drunk one night and came to me, asking where Taylor was."

"He probably doesn’t remember, but I’ve known ever since that he liked Taylor Harris."

"Ah?" Zhou Younan had been trying to keep Luo Ou’s secret, only to realize Wei Qing had known all along.

Didn’t everyone say Wei Qing had been infatuated with Taylor Harris? But Wei Qing showed no irritation at all.

"You’re not angry?"

"About what?"

"That he liked you—your former spouse."

"Should I be?"

"Well... the Interstellar Net says you were really into Taylor Harris, even designed wedding attire for him." Zhou Younan forced casualness into his voice.

"The Interstellar Net says I liked Taylor Harris?!" Wei Qing looked thunderstruck.

"Yeah, you didn’t know?"

Wei Qing shook his head, sheepish. "I don’t use the Interstellar Net much."

Zhou Younan produced his personal terminal and searched Wei Qing and Taylor Harris’s names. The first result was an article from the Prometheus Tabloids: *The Untold Story Between Imperial Marshal Wei Qing and His Omega-passing-as-Beta Spouse.*

Zhou Younan showed Wei Qing the search results, and Wei Qing’s expression darkened.

"Complete nonsense!" Wei Qing looked at Zhou Younan seriously. "I never liked Taylor Harris. He was a... contemptible fraud!"

"Contemptible fraud?" Zhou Younan frowned in confusion. "What did he do?"

"He—he..." Wei Qing hesitated. "He was a liar. He deceived me."

"Deceived you?"

"Yeah. He wasn’t a good person. The Taylor Luo Ou liked was pure fabrication—nothing like his true nature." Wei Qing’s face contorted with revulsion.

Zhou Younan thought of the capsule he’d fed Wei Qing and felt a chill of apprehension. He ventured carefully, "If you met Taylor Harris again... what would you do?"

Wei Qing's answer was blunt: "Kill him."

Zhou Younan flinched. Taylor Harris had merely deceived Wei Qing, yet Wei Qing wanted him dead. If Wei Qing found out about the capsule Zhou had fed him, he didn't even want to think about what would happen to him.

Stealing a glance at the furious Wei Qing, Zhou Younan silently concluded that his own end would be far worse than death.

As Wei Qing went to cook, Zhou Younan lay alone on the bed, pondering what to do next.

His personal device buzzed with a video link from Noah Hall. Before Zhou Younan could open it, another message from Noah arrived: "The first-ever transforming mech in the entire galaxy—Crimson Flame! That's like Marshal Wei Qing piloting it, right? So cool! Even more impressive than in the games!"

Confused by Noah's message, Zhou Younan hesitantly clicked on the video.