Chapter 115

Chapter 115

"..."

"..."

A faint glow seeped through the heavy curtains, making it hard to tell if it was morning or evening.

The Alpha was sunk deep into the bedding, his face half-buried in disheveled silver hair. A hazy light glimmered beneath his dark lashes, an unnatural flush spreading across his pale cheeks all the way to the corners of his eyes.

His half-lidded eyes were still glistening, heavy with damp exhaustion. Livid red marks began their invasion from his neck, leaving little clean skin untouched—a pitiful and terrifying sight.

"How many... days has it been?" His lips were dry and stuck together, making it difficult to even part them.

The Alpha behind him pressed him deeper into his embrace, his nose pressed against the skin of his nape as he took a deep breath.

The rough breathing made the silver-haired Alpha stiffen slightly.

The room fell silent for a moment.

"...Jue Ning, I want to go back." Meng Shijiu's voice was very soft.

For a long time, there was no response from behind him. Meng Shijiu tried to turn, but a wave of soreness pulled him back, leaving only a muffled groan: "Mm..."

"..."

His Alpha pinched his chin, fingers slipping into his mouth to stroke his soft tongue. His tone held a curious note, as if discussing the weather: "Seems better now."

Meng Shijiu's scalp prickled, his words coming out haltingly: "N-not... yet."

It was still clearly swollen; the root of his tongue still ached.

As if he could bear it no longer, desperately needing to prove this point, Meng Shijiu gently tilted his face up, his tongue eagerly pressing against that fingertip, saliva dribbling out.

*Feel it, it's still swollen.*

Meng Shijiu said plaintively: "It's not better."

But it was too late; Jue Ning's palm was already covering the back of his neck.

...In his daze, Meng Shijiu kissed Jue Ning back.

This kiss was long, deep, and unnervingly gentle—the only truly lingering kiss in these past three days.

When they parted, Meng Shijiu's face was smeared with saliva all over, as if licked by a large beast; even his eyelashes were wet.

Meng Shijiu, too weak to hold it up, let his face droop: "Your mouth is so hot."

Jue Ning's lips slid down from his chin. He seemed not to hear Meng Shijiu's voice, or simply didn't want to, only licking every inch of him obsessively and meticulously, as if savoring an exquisitely crafted pastry.

Meng Shijiu blinked open his eyes in confusion, biting and scratching at him again, but the man remained unmoved, his tongue licking until the gland on Meng Shijiu's nape stirred with that unbearable itch once more.

He could only repeat futilely: "Jue Ning... Jue Ning... I want to go back."

...

Jue Ning didn't speak.

His palm pressed against Meng Shijiu's pulse, feeling the vivid, rapid heartbeat beneath his fingertips, his lips against the rise and fall of Meng Shijiu's chest, his ears filled with the low complaints about the clothes being uncomfortable...

"..."

Everything stirred an almost uncontrollable excitement in him.

"..."

The taste of this person belonging completely to him was truly too...

Jue Ning lifted his head to gently kiss the silver-haired Alpha's shoulder, his voice cruel as he said: "It's still early."

Meng Shijiu let out a soft sob.

He was sick of hearing those two words, "still early." Meng Shijiu would hear them in any bed he lay in.

And what always followed those two words was an uncontrollable loss of control.

Two more days passed.

Finally, on the day of the main competition, the day Meng Shijiu had to get out of bed.

The silver-haired Alpha finally left the hotel.

On the way back to First Academy, the blatant dissatisfaction on Jue Ning's face only subsided somewhat after receiving two long-accumulated slaps from Meng Shijiu.

In the car, Meng Shijiu looked out the window.

The brim of his hat hid his face, only his chin reflected in the glass, looking somewhat aloof.

The symptoms of his rut hadn't disappeared yet.

*

The venue for the main competition was indeed set at Lottelance First Military Academy.

However, the competition format had some adjustments compared to the preliminary rounds, though the first round still adopted a 1v1 duel format.

On the eve of the competition, online and offline hype had been building for a long time.

Cloud Shadow had also started live-streaming previews, with countdowns lighting up in the channels.

Today was the opening ceremony of the event.

On the Cloud Shadow plaza, netizens were buzzing with discussion.

- I heard the stadium used as the venue collapsed during the preliminaries, so First Academy changed locations.

Comments:

"Huh? I heard it was two specific competitors fighting that caused the competition venue to collapse."

"No, they didn't change the venue. It was just the safety passage that collapsed. Luckily no one got hurt though."

"Actually, the competition arena collapsed too 🙂 Those two competitors got disqualified."

"Upvoted the comment above. Don't ask. Just know I finally managed to snag a volunteer spot, thought I got an easy job, but ended up cleaning up the mess they made until the competition started :)"

- The main competition is about to start, and I'm still begging for Shi Jiu's preliminary round footage 🙂

Comments:

"Same here"

"Don't count on it; the preliminary match recordings are confidential."

"No, it seems a teacher actually managed to get a recording..."

"Follow @OpenTheDoor (Cloud Cat Edition) so you don't miss a thing!"

"What they said ^"

- Looking forward to it.

Comments:

"Wow, another big shot active on here."

"The first competition is already this huge, how will they top it next time?"

"Think big—go big or go home."

...

*

First Academy.

Xie Zehuan took a shortcut, heading toward the Command Department.

The opening ceremony for the main competition was that afternoon, but morning classes were still in session.

The Command Department was short a student representative for live commentary during the practical demo; he’d been called to help.

The path wound around. Before he had even emerged from behind the Command building, he spotted a figure.

The person leaned against the wall in a black hoodie. His silhouette was sharp, yet his demeanor was lazy and languid.

A lollipop dangled from his lips, his hood pulled low to cast a shadow that half-concealed his eyes and features.

Xie Zehuan paid it no mind and continued forward. As he passed, he caught a whiff of a rich, sweet fragrance.

Xie Zehuan's brow instantly furrowed, and he subtly shifted half a step to the side.

*Where did this Omega come from, releasing pheromones so casually on the street?*

The Command Department was to his left, with the Intelligence Department further ahead.

Xie Zehuan turned left. The moment he stepped forward, his spine stiffened as a sudden sense of danger washed over him.

It was the wind.

Extremely light, carrying a chill, it sliced through the air from behind.

Before Xie Zehuan could fully turn, his right hand chopped backward. A silver arc flashed from his right rear; it was too late to dodge. The flat of a blade struck his wrist without mercy.

A numbness shot through his arm as the blade spun deftly, its edge already sweeping toward his throat.

Almost simultaneously, another hand reached from the side, gripping his shoulder and shoving him down. He bent his knees and leaned back, barely catching a glimpse of the black hoodie's hem.

The figure that had been lazily leaning against the wall now moved with fierce intensity. Xie Zehuan narrowed his eyes, staring directly at the person's face, trying to pierce the shadow beneath the hood.

The two engaged in a rapid flurry of movements. The blade grazed past him several times, only to be deflected by his knuckles and wrist.

Suddenly, that glint of silver pressed firmly against the side of his neck.

Xie Zehuan couldn't help but admire, in that split second, the beauty and precision of the other's movements.

He didn't hesitate. Instead, he used the momentum to retreat, slamming the Omega behind him hard against the wall.

The other's grip on the knife remained steady, the tip pressed against his throat without the slightest waver.

*Being held at knifepoint and pinned against a wall is a rare experience.* Xie Zehuan carefully turned his head.

The person still held the lollipop loosely between his lips, a small, cool shadow cast by the corner of his mouth.

The Omega ignored his slight shift, silently lowering his head. Xie Zehuan saw his eyelashes.

*So long.*

As he leaned closer, Xie Zehuan suddenly realized—

*That doesn't seem to be a lollipop.*

What drifted into his nostrils wasn't the cloying sweetness of artificial sweetener, but a distinct herbal fragrance.

Despite having a blade pressed against a vital point, Xie Zehuan didn't sense any hostility.

His tense muscles, enveloped by that wisp of slightly bitter medicinal scent, involuntarily relaxed a fraction.

Xie Zehuan heard himself ask, "Are you looking for someone?"

The person in front of him didn't respond. Xie Zehuan grew impatient. Just as he was about to counterattack, he caught a glimpse of the face revealed beneath the hood.

On the Omega's cheek, near the corner of his mouth, was a graze, still oozing a thin trickle of blood.

It stood out starkly against his pale skin.

For some reason, Xie Zehuan's voice softened. "You're hurt."

Hearing his words, the Omega paused but still didn't make a sound.

His hand reached out, first searching the pockets of Xie Zehuan's jacket. Finding nothing, he paused, then ran his hand down the seam of his pants.

When his fingers brushed against the thigh muscle through the thin fabric, a jolt shot through Xie Zehuan's midsection.

Xie Zehuan cursed under his breath. Ignoring the knife, he grabbed the Omega's wrist and yanked him forward. "What are you looking for?!"

The Omega, having found nothing, stopped. His voice was hoarse and slow. "Your student ID."

Xie Zehuan was furious, but seeing his meek, downcast expression, his anger instantly dissipated.

"I can give it to you. But first, tell me," Xie Zehuan reined in his temper, "who hurt you?"

The Omega looked up at him.

Seeing his face, Xie Zehuan's mind went completely blank, his grip on the wrist loosening.

A fresh burst of anger merged with the fury he had just suppressed. For a moment, it was unbearable, yet after struggling for a long time, he only managed half a sentence, his tone terrifyingly low. "Your face."

He suddenly fell silent, raised his hand, and tugged Meng Shijiu's hood down, completely covering his face.

Xie Zehuan sighed, his voice softening again. "What do you need my student ID for?"

"Xie Zehuan."

Meng Shijiu said calmly, "Do you have a split personality?"

The flat lollipop was filled with a pure, bitter aroma. Sucking on it seemed to help; the swelling in his mouth had gone down a bit. Meng Shijiu put the lollipop back in his mouth.

Xie Zehuan froze.

Meng Shijiu asked seriously, not seeming to joke. But the fact that he had a dual personality was something only he had ever known.

The first and second times they met, it was his alter, while the person Meng Shijiu saw at the emergency exit and the one before him now was Xie Zehuan’s host personality.

No one else had ever picked up on it. Even if he slipped up occasionally, no one would suspect a thing.

Xie Zehuan turned his face, looked into Meng Shijiu’s eyes, and couldn’t help asking, "How am I different from him?"

With the lollipop in his mouth, Meng Shijiu gave him another lazy glance. "...Don’t feel like talking."

There was a bit of a difference. That one was more scheming; this one, though seemingly arrogant, was... well, easier to fool ^^

Xie Zehuan looked at Meng Shijiu again.

All his anger vanished.

He circled back to the earlier topic. "Who hurt you?"

Meng Shijiu touched his cheek; the wound there had already disappeared.

After all, he was an Alpha. Though his healing wasn't on par with a normal Alpha's for various reasons, it was still decent.

He said, "El."

Not long after Meng Shijiu arrived at the First Academy, his terminal received a message from Cui Suifu.

But the message clearly wasn’t sent by Cui Suifu himself.

The message told Meng Shijiu to meet at the Command Department at 10:30 a.m.

Although he knew it was a trap, Meng Shijiu still wanted to come and see.

Sure enough, as soon as he arrived, he clashed with El. This Omega’s style was reckless and the methods were ruthless.

But he didn’t manage to catch her—she slipped into the Command Department.

He'd been staking out the entrance for a while but hadn’t seen anyone heading into the Command Department until Xie Zehuan showed up.

Meng Shijiu reached out his hand toward Xie Zehuan.

Xie Zehuan raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Meng Shijiu said matter-of-factly, "Your card."

Xie Zehuan looked at the hand extended toward him, reached out and pinched his fingertips, teasing, "I’m not in the Command Department. A student ID won't get you in there."

Meng Shijiu withdrew his hand. "Then why are you here?"

Xie Zehuan’s gaze shifted from his hand back to him, replying succinctly, "Temporary lecture."

Meng Shijiu thought to himself, *Well, this interception happened at just the right time.*

If Xie Zehuan went in and the students gathered, with El mixed among them, given her style, there was no telling what she might do.

He hadn’t yet figured out what Aier was really after, so it was better to be cautious.

Meng Shijiu asked, "Then how do we get in?"

*

At the Command Department security office.

After Xie Zehuan explained his purpose, the guard checked and nodded. "Alright, Teacher Yu mentioned it. You can go in—Room 106. Thank you."

Xie Zehuan nodded and stepped inside. Meng Shijiu followed calmly, half a step behind him.

"And this is...?" The guard’s gaze fell on him.

Xie Zehuan said, "My teaching assistant."

The guard looked over.

The young man’s strikingly beautiful face was expressionless, only offering a slight smile when their eyes met. "Hello."

The guard let them pass.

-----------------------

Author’s Note: The dual personality is a character setting for this story. Please do not compare it to reality.

Tired now, turning off the lights. Teacher Auditor, can we save the battle of wits for next time? 🙂