Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Meng Shijiu turned back, raising his hands to forcefully push them apart. He turned his face away, slowly exhaling.

Jue Ning didn't press further about who was upstairs. He cupped the Silver-haired Alpha's hand, which was braced against his chest, his voice dripping with cloying intimacy. "If you're cold, why are you out wandering around?"

He was full of small movements; whenever he touched the Silver-haired Alpha's skin, he would pause, linger, then continue his upward climb.

Meng Shijiu remained silent. The hand being held by Jue Ning suddenly exerted force, pressing down hard on Jue Ning's chest—

*Thump.*

A vibrant, powerful, warm pulse, transmitted through the Alpha's solid chest, thudded against Meng Shijiu's slightly cool palm.

A living person's searing heartbeat.

"So you are alive," Meng Shijiu mocked. "I thought you were a ghost."

The warmth from the waist beneath his palm seeped through the fabric bit by bit. The black-eyed Alpha relished every flicker of emotion he elicited from the person in his arms, his chest filled with an unprecedented, strange sense of satisfaction.

He buried his face in the other's neck, like a lost soul finally finding warmth in the night.

"Ghost, pervert, bad dog…" Jue Ning murmured with a sigh. "Xiao Jiu really has a way with insults."

Meng Shijiu dodged his seeking lips and shook off his hand, walking forward. "I'm in a hurry."

The roadside was quiet, and in just this short while, the wind had died down too.

Jue Ning casually caught up, unconcerned, and latched onto him again. "Where to? I'll go with you, Xiao Jiu."

Meng Shijiu glanced at the person playing dumb. "If you didn't know, would you have specifically waited here for me?"

He hadn't mentioned it, but the qualifying round schedule wasn't a secret. Yue Xuanli had a match tonight, and Jue Ning had naturally seen it as well.

"...Xiao Jiu is so good to him."

Jue Ning gave a meaningful, low chuckle and grabbed his hand. "I have a match tomorrow too. Will you come watch, Xiao Jiu?"

"?" Meng Shijiu narrowed his eyes and sighed. "Don't push your luck... My schedule conflicts with your match."

Jue Ning pretended to suddenly realize. "So that's how it is. Even our match times clash. Xiao Jiu and I truly are meant to be."

Meng Shijiu was clearly used to his shamelessness. "A cursed fate."

Jue Ning: "..."

*

The venue for the preliminary matches was the central stadium of the First Academy. The setup inside somewhat resembled the underground arena of NO3.

The matches followed a 1v1 elimination format with opponents determined by draw.

After all participants gathered in the auditorium for a meeting in the afternoon, the draw ceremony was held. It was only then that the students learned their preliminary opponents were fellow competitors.

Amid speculation such as "The preliminaries will be invigilated by a secret federal department...", this news was naturally good for some schools and bad for others.

—An ordinary preliminary round was actually going to eliminate half the participants right off the bat.

Those counting on luck prepared accordingly; those who didn't intend to rely on luck simply didn't care.

Because of this, as the opening night match of the preliminaries, a sizable crowd had gathered.

After all, with such a mechanism, if a contestant was unlucky enough to draw a strong opponent, or if contestants from the same school ended up in internal conflict...

Well, that would be quite the spectacle.

Stadium One inside the venue.

The spectator seats completely encircled the arena, leaving only four entrances. Today, only one was open—after all, these were preliminaries, quite different from the main event, meant to be much more low-key.

Yue Xuanli's match was the first of the night session. Another match was simultaneously taking place in the adjacent arena.

By now, the match was more than halfway through. The outcome held little suspense, and some of the audience had already left, though a significant number remained.

On the large screen projected at the center of the stadium's west side, the silhouette of a black mecha dominated the entire frame.

Yue Xuanli piloted Rong Yun, each move crisp and decisive. The cold, gleaming light reflecting off the mecha's joints flashed clearly across the screen.

The opponent's attacks all missed, effortlessly evaded or blocked by Rong Yun's fluid movements.

The next moment, the black mecha pressed a single knee against the chest of the opponent's mecha, its body leaning forward.

Even through the protective energy barrier surrounding the arena, the audience could still sense the overwhelming force emanating from the black mecha.

Simultaneously, from Stadium Two next door, the adjacent arena erupted with boiling cheers, followed by the sudden roar of music like a heatwave.

Everything silently declared that the match in the other arena had concluded. Judging by the momentum, it was likely a victory for the host team.

Yet, the spectator stands in Stadium One remained quiet. Many spectators stared intently at the screen, holding their breath, waiting for Rong Yun's clean, final strike.

No one could hear the conversation between master and mecha inside the cockpit—

Rong Yun stated calmly, "We've already dragged it out for ten minutes."

The cold light from the screen cut across the contours of Yue Xuanli's profile, like the silent ridges of a cliff.

He withdrew his gaze from the spectator stands. "We didn't drag it out."

Rong Yun: "..."

Yue Xuanli: "Finish it."

...

Meng Shijiu finally managed to "deal with" Jue Ning before entering the main gate of the First Academy—the specific process is better left unsaid. In any case, when he left, there was a fresh, damp-looking red mark added beside the gland on the back of his neck.

Jue Ning didn't insist on following him in; he had no desire to watch Yue Xuanli and Meng Shijiu act all "brotherly" in front of him. Only after watching Meng Shijiu's silhouette completely disappear inside did he withdraw his gaze and leave.

Delayed by Jue Ning for a while, Meng Shijiu arrived outside the stadium just as Yue Xuanli's match concluded.

The open area outside the venue was filled with temporary rest stations set up by visiting schools.

As soon as the competition mechanism was announced, schools with sharp instincts had predicted the main event would likely still be held at the First Academy, and the format would probably remain the classic 1v1 mecha duel. Some teams that reacted even faster had already contacted their support teams, having them rush to the First Academy.

The rest station of St. Maria still maintained its noble academy style, appearing completely out of place among the array of simple, unadorned rest stations.

Especially the golden iris emblem atop the station, clear and radiant in the night, like a serene night pearl, silently proclaiming its presence.

Quite the attention-stealer. Typical of you, St. Maria. Meng Shijiu stood outside the rest station, silently observing it while firmly deciding he would never step foot inside.

The next second, he saw a familiar head suddenly pop out from the half-open door of that very St. Maria rest station—Ying Canglun.

Ying Canglun's gaze swept precisely across half the crowd, as if equipped with an auto-lock system, before landing on Meng Shijiu. Then, his eyes "shua" lit up instantly.

Brimming with anticipation—nothing but anticipation.

Meng Shijiu: "..."

He walked silently into the rest station.

The lounge wasn't crowded.

Ying Canglun must have been tinkering with something earlier, as tools were scattered all over the floor.

The few other Saint Maria students, who looked like they'd just arrived, were faces he didn't recognize. All of them were tall and burly, with third-year badges on their chests. Upon seeing Meng Shijiu, they all fell silent.

Meng Shijiu's glance took in many partitioned compartments, each with a lit-up sign for this or that department. It all looked quite proper.

The second room from the entrance also had a lit-up sign, bearing just three words.

—"Cloud Cat."

Unlike the serious names on other doors, this room's door was slightly ajar. Meng Shijiu had just started to move closer for a peek when Ying Canglun blocked him.

Ying Canglun scratched the back of his head and mumbled a few vague explanations.

After listening for a moment, Meng Shijiu roughly understood.

This was pretty much a "gray" organization working like a relay station, mostly taking in outside mail deliveries that couldn't get into First Academy.

It was probably something Ying Canglun had rigged up by abusing his authority and smuggling in personal stuff. It was just unclear how, given Saint Maria's consistently high-end style, they ended up with such a name.

Cloud Cat...

What's more, Ying Canglun looked downright guilty, his eyes shifting around nervously as he explained, as if scared Meng Shijiu would turn him in any second.

Meng Shijiu prepared to leave, and Ying Canglun didn't even try to stop him.

Meng Shijiu: ...

*

The moment the cockpit hatch opened, the floating screen above the arena froze and zoomed in on the "Winner" call.

In the center of the arena, a soft, warm point of light appeared, slowly growing. It drifted down and came to a perfect stop above Rong Yun's open mechanical palm.

It was a crystal, representing the pass to the main tournament.

Yue Xuanli recalled his mech and accepted the crystal.

By the time he walked toward the exit, the hall was still lit.

Both matches were over by now. Most of the crowd had dispersed, and those who remained had gone to watch the next match, leaving the hall nearly empty.

Thus, the unfamiliar Alpha standing beside the silver-haired Alpha near the hall entrance stood out starkly.

Yue Xuanli's steps hitched slightly, his brow creasing faintly.

He walked directly toward the two, his footsteps echoing clearly in the empty hall.

Meng Shijiu hadn't expected Xie Zehuan—who'd been in a pseudo-rut just hours ago—to show up for a match that evening.

Xie Zehuan seemed much more clear-headed now. The restless, irritable air about him had completely settled, replaced by an almost rigid composure.

"Apologies," he began, his voice considerably calmer than during the day. "For my earlier... behavior. And... I haven't properly thanked you yet."

He held out a hand to Meng Shijiu, though it came off as distant.

Before Meng Shijiu could raise his hand in response, Xie Zehuan suddenly withdrew his own.

Meng Shijiu didn't pay it much mind, giving a slight handshake. "Oh, it's fine."

Just as Meng Shijiu was about to pull his hand back, Xie Zehuan's grip tightened slightly, not releasing immediately. Only when Meng Shijiu looked up with a hint of confusion did Xie Zehuan lower his gaze and let go, asking hesitantly:

"Your... name?"

Meng Shijiu tucked his hand back into his jacket pocket. "Meng Shijiu."

Hearing the name, Xie Zehuan's expression showed no ripple.

Despite the short span of a few hours, he had already memorized to perfection all the available information about this strikingly beautiful silver-haired Alpha, along with every trivial preference and detail.

The unexpected encounter clearly pleased him. Beneath the carefully maintained composure in his arrogant features, a faint, relaxed curve appeared.

Suddenly.

"Shi Jiu." A low voice sounded from behind.

Before Meng Shijiu could turn around, Yue Xuanli walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Meng Shijiu had to tilt his head back; seeing it was Yue Xuanli, he slowly curved the corner of his mouth upward.

"Time to go back." Yue Xuanli looked down at Meng Shijiu, his voice quiet.

The Alpha's thumb gently stroked the back of Meng Shijiu's shoulder in a soothing manner before releasing him. He then raised his hand to tidy the slightly disheveled strands of hair beside Meng Shijiu's ear.

"Running off." The tone held a clear, intimate exasperation.

Xie Zehuan's gaze slowly shifted from Meng Shijiu's face to Yue Xuanli beside him.

He tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes, his voice calm:

"Is this... the boyfriend who came to pick you up this afternoon?"

Before the words had fully faded, the moment certain syllables were uttered, Meng Shijiu clearly sensed the Alpha standing beside him freeze, his aura solidifying instantly.

The surrounding silence grew thick and heavy.

Yue Xuanli lifted his head, slowly looking at Xie Zehuan.

"Boyfriend?" Yue Xuanli repeated softly.

Before Meng Shijiu could speak—

The display screen in the hall, which had been showing the match victory, suddenly flipped to a new page, revealing a fresh matchup.

Meng Shijiu looked over.

From another arena starting in the same time slot, a duel between students from the same school was abruptly pushed before everyone's eyes:

"Saint Maria's Cui Suifu vs Saint Maria's Jue Ning"

As was said before, with such a tournament mechanism for a preliminary round, it's hard to avoid situations where students from the same school face each other.

It was perfectly normal.

Meng Shijiu looked away.

Yue Xuanli’s gaze, however, remained fixed on the screen.

He didn't know Cui Suifu, wasn't aware of his notorious history of being a pickpocket right under Meng Shijiu's nose, but he understood human nature.

Cui Suifu would be more than happy to kick Jue Ning, that "legitimate" presence, away from Meng Shijiu's side during the preliminaries. Ideally, Jue Ning would lose to him, be utterly humiliated, and stop bothering Shijiu.

The Crown Prince, who loathed a certain someone deeply and possessed formidable execution skills, had long since quietly written the script.

Under the watchful eyes of a full auditorium, performing a bit of insignificant "behind-the-scenes manipulation" to precisely place himself and Jue Ning in the same match—this was no difficult feat for Cui Suifu.

Who knows if Jing Shu noticed? He probably did, and even if so, he likely turned a blind eye—finding it all too convenient.

As for Jue Ning... was Cui Suifu the only one who loathed him? A prince who dared to openly covet, disturb, and sabotage others' relationships—if he could use his own hand to clear this presumptuous "obstacle" from the board... why not?

Yue Xuanli looked away.

...So, who exactly was the "boyfriend" mentioned by this pretentious Alpha became abundantly clear.

Yue Xuanli’s expression remained unchanged. "Let's go home."

Meng Shijiu glanced at Yue Xuanli uncertainly a couple of times before responding slowly, "...Yeah."

...

Watching the two figures depart.

Xie Zehuan slowly, very slowly, slipped the black glove he had just removed back onto his hand. The faint sound of the leather tightening was exceptionally clear in the empty hall, encasing his fingers inch by inch until it fit perfectly.

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Author's Note: Sorry I'm half an hour late [I'm begging you]

Can anyone tell me how to write their match? I'm dying to see it [melting]