Chapter 27 “Rejecting the Woe-is-Me Act”

Chapter 27: "No Playing the Victim"

When Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan got Jian Fuxu back to the dormitory, it was almost midnight.

Originally, Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan were planning on letting Jian Fuxu rest in the medical room overnight. They intended to let him recuperate in the dorm once he was stable enough, especially since he couldn't receive blood transfusions. The available drugs to stimulate blood production could harm him, so the best method was to let his body recover naturally.

But as soon as Jian Fuxu woke up and the bleeding was under control, he insisted that the treatment room was filled with too much alpha pheromones. With a pale face, dead set on returning to the dormitory, the two had no choice but to bring Jian Fuxu back in the middle of the night.

Jian Fuxu had been granted a special one-week leave, with six days remaining. He could spend the whole week recovering in the dorm.

As soon as they arrived, the three of them noticed the lights on the second floor, indicating their beta roommate was still awake.

Sure enough, they saw Ji Anzhi upstairs. He seemed to have already bathed, wearing a loose, modest white bathrobe with his hair down, sitting on the sofa and focusing intently on his smart device.

Noticing the sound of the three coming upstairs, Ji Anzhi turned his head. Seeing Jian Fuxu being supported by Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan, he quickly ran over to ask.

"What happened? You weren't at the blast chamber where the incident occurred today, were you?"

Jian Fuxu nodded, reassuring him, "It's nothing, just a minor injury. Thanks for your concern."

Ji Anzhi's suspicion was completely confirmed. His gaze towards Jian Fuxu darkened slightly as he probed further, "What were you researching? The commotion was so big it could be felt even in the teaching building."

Jian Fuxu replied, "Nothing much, just a few Energy Tanks that accidentally detonated."

It was clear Jian Fuxu was withholding information. Seeing this, Ji Anzhi knew he wouldn't get any more answers and didn't press further.

"Then you should go back to your room quickly and rest, take good care of yourself."

"Mm."

After the three went upstairs, Ji Anzhi stood in the living room, his expression inscrutable.

Energy Department... Mecha Department...

For people from those two departments to be in the treatment room... What could interest them so much that they'd risk their lives to observe? Most likely, it was related to Mech Energy Tanks and mecha energy weapons.

And since Jian Fuxu mentioned Energy Tanks, it was probably a Mech Energy Tank they were researching.

He remembered that during the opening challenge, his seat was relatively close to the podium. He heard the principal say that if Jian Fuxu won, he would give him the Energy Tank from the research institute.

In other words, the cause of today's explosion was the Mech Energy Tank the principal gave to Jian Fuxu, and its energy storage capacity was definitely not low.

...Could it be one of the three Mech Energy Tanks I sold?

Ji Anzhi slumped back onto the sofa, his handsome face filled with gravity.

If it were true, the trouble would be no small matter. Ji Anzhi had no desire to be wanted by the largest interstellar nation.

He pressed a hand to his forehead, hoping his guess was wrong.

Rarely feeling so agitated, Ji Anzhi tried to clear his head and went upstairs, intending to fall asleep quickly. Unfortunately, he didn't fall asleep until after 2 a.m.

As a result, he woke up late the next day, not fully conscious until past 7:20. After washing up, he didn't even have time for breakfast. He hurriedly grabbed a few Snow Honey Peaches and some bread, then boarded the Automatic Hovercar to the teaching building.

He entered the classroom just as the 8 a.m. bell rang. The first class was for the Star Chart Department. The teacher, showing great care for him as the top student, didn't criticize Ji Anzhi for nearly being late. Instead, he asked with concern if Ji Anzhi had encountered any issues recently or if he had been frightened yesterday, leading to his near tardiness today.

Ji Anzhi was pleasantly surprised and quickly shook his head, explaining that he had just stayed up a bit late studying.

Under the teacher's concerned gaze, Ji Anzhi silently took his seat in the second row and listened attentively.

After class, Andrew approached. Ji Anzhi thought he would ask about star chart questions, but today, surprisingly, he didn't. Instead, he inquired about something else.

"Jian Fuxu was the one who booked the blast chamber where it happened yesterday."

Hearing this, Ji Anzhi wasn't surprised. He had guessed that yesterday. It seemed Andrew's family held a high position within the Federation's upper echelons.

Ji Anzhi nodded calmly and asked in return, "What about it?"

Andrew asked, "Do you know what he was researching?"

Andrew usually didn't ask such things. Curious, Ji Anzhi inquired, "Did your brother ask you to find out?"

Andrew nodded honestly. Ji Anzhi thought to himself, with Andrew being like this, wasn't he sure to be swindled out of every last penny?

Nevertheless, he answered Andrew's question: "I don't know. We're just roommates."

Having received his answer, Andrew nodded thanks, texted his brother 'don't know,' and promptly dropped the matter. He took out a paper with today's questions for Ji Anzhi, saying he would collect it tomorrow.

Watching Andrew leave so briskly, Ji Anzhi was momentarily at a loss for words. Finally, he gave a helpless smile and headed to his next class.

The next class was an elective on energy theory. As soon as he entered, everyone who had been discussing turned their gazes towards Ji Anzhi.

Ji Anzhi knew why the attention was on him today. He calmly sat down in a corner by the window, waiting for class to start.

While Ji Anzhi could calmly wait for class, someone in the classroom couldn't remain composed. After hesitating several times, a male alpha stepped forward and approached Ji Anzhi.

Looking up, Ji Anzhi was met with the imposing figure of the alpha looming over him. Truth be told, this made Ji Anzhi feel very insecure. The physical disparity constantly reminded him of the strength gap between betas and alphas.

He offered a gentle smile and asked, "Is there something you need, classmate?"

The alpha's rough voice sounded, but it didn't carry too much arrogance: "Are you Jian Fuxu's roommate?"

Seeing Ji Anzhi nod, the alpha asked somewhat urgently, "Then do you know why Jian Fuxu didn't come to class?"

Ji Anzhi answered truthfully, "He's injured." He wouldn't offer more information than was asked.

The alpha continued, "Injured? Do you know why he was injured?"

Ji Anzhi replied, "Not very clear. It seems he was injured during an experiment. I don't know any more specifics. After all, he and I are just roommates."

The alpha originally wanted to ask for more detailed information, but the last sentence effectively killed the questions in his throat. He could only thank Ji Anzhi and return to his seat.

Seeing the alpha leave, Ji Anzhi continued with his own affairs. Paying too much attention to others would only bring unnecessary trouble. He wasn't that emotionally invested. If they wanted to ask, they could ask. He would simply plead ignorance to everything.

When having lunch with Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan at noon, Ji Anzhi was still uneasy about yesterday's speculation. He tentatively inquired, "Do you know what exactly Jian Fuxu was researching yesterday that led to him being in that state?"

Lu Yan was wolfing down his food, so Qi Yanshen—who he hadn't talked to much—answered instead: "It was just a few Energy Tanks causing a chain explosion."

Not getting the information he needed, Ji Anzhi continued probing.

"How much energy was there in total? This explosion was no small matter."

Hearing this, Qi Yanshen stared at Ji Anzhi, his eyes sharp with suspicion. Then, he slowly uttered a number.

"5000."

For a moment, Ji Anzhi's pupils constricted sharply, and his heart seemed to skip a beat. However, he quickly lowered his gaze to conceal it and asked softly, "Caused by two or three Energy Tanks?"

Qi Yanshen nodded. Ji Anzhi's reaction was actually normal, but he just felt something was a little off.

Afterwards, Ji Anzhi didn't ask any more questions, and Qi Yanshen simply dismissed that weird feeling as a nervous illusion.

After finishing the meal, Qi Yanshen handed Ji Anzhi a bottle of ice water, which quickly beaded with condensation in the still-hot weather.

Ji Anzhi was so startled by this unusual gesture that his heart nearly skipped a beat. But thinking back to how he had brought water for the two of them before, he thanked Qi Yanshen and calmly accepted it.

The three of them had classes in the afternoon, so they quickly returned to their respective classrooms to get ready.

Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan had combat training in the afternoon, held in the training hall. When they arrived, only a few people were inside.

They chose a relatively quiet spot to sit down. Lu Yan planned to take a short nap there, while Qi Yanshen took out the book Lu Yan had given him, "How to Be 'Friends' with Him," and began flipping through it.

He found a bookmark where he had left off last time.

[How to Get His Attention]

[Getting his attention can be approached from both active and passive ways. Actively, create unexpected situations that make him notice you. It's best to present yourself as a victim, as this helps things along later. Passively, get close to things he's interested in, making him see you as a kindred spirit...]

He had already tried the methods on this page, and the results felt so-so—they were still just ordinary friends.

It seemed he really wasn't cut out for actively befriending a beta...

But for the sake of the Third Legion's Star Chart Department, Qi Yanshen had to force himself to adapt, even if it didn't come naturally.

Qi Yanshen turned to the next page.

[If the previous methods yield little effect, it is recommended to become a persistent presence.]

[Here, 'becoming a persistent presence' means making a concerted effort to enter the other person's social circle. Please do not intrude into their private life like a stalker, as doing so when unfamiliar could lead to being reported and facing charges...]

I wouldn't do that; I'm not that kind of creep.

[Enter his social circle, for example, by aligning your schedule as much as possible with his.]

[This way, you'll have more common ground and find it easier to interact.]

[If your schedules cannot align or have little overlap, you can directly express your desire to be friends. Try to craft a pitiable, sympathy-inducing persona to increase the likelihood of them accepting you. Be sure to base it on your actual situation, keeping it mostly truthful, otherwise it could easily backfire and make them hate you...]

Qi Yanshen looked it over. He wanted to align his schedule more with Ji Anzhi's, but the problem was he had no idea which courses Ji Anzhi had chosen.

Moreover, based on last week, there were four classes a day, and Ji Anzhi was almost fully booked every day—twenty-four classes over six days.

His own course selections were mainly in the Mecha Combat Department, Starship Combat, and Logistics Management, all of which perfectly avoided Ji Anzhi's chosen courses...

And if he changed his courses, Lu Yan would likely follow suit. Lu Yan's current performance was only mid-to-upper tier; if he changed, his level would drop straight to mid-tier.

So the idea of aligning schedules had to be abandoned.

But the second method...

Qi Yanshen proclaimed himself a genuine alpha!

No pity parties, no scams.

But, unable to think of any other alternatives, Qi Yanshen could only consider whether the second method could be adapted somehow.

Unfortunately, after thinking for a long time, Qi Yanshen couldn't come up with any good ideas. He could only put the book away for now, hoping inspiration might strike later.

Still lost in thought, Qi Yanshen suddenly caught a strong scent of rum. It was clearly impossible to be drinking alcohol in the training hall, so it had to be Lu Yan's pheromones.

Qi Yanshen grabbed Lu Yan's forearm to check if the Pheromone Isolation Ring on his wrist was intact. After confirming it was fine, he woke Lu Yan up and asked if his rut was approaching in the next few days.

Interrupted from his nap in a safe environment, Lu Yan's brain short-circuited for a few seconds, letting out a confused "Huh?"

Only then did he register Qi Yanshen's question. Rubbing his chin, he said, "I think it might be around these days... Hmm... Last time, my rut ended a few days before we went to the black market. Calculating the time, it does seem like it's coming up soon."

Qi Yanshen: "Then be careful. Don't let your pheromones leak out without noticing."

Although the pheromone isolation bracelet could block pheromones, leaving only the scent, the lack of actual pheromones could make the concentrated smell be misinterpreted by other alphas as a challenge.

Moreover, the isolation bracelet couldn't block the oppressive pressure emitted by pheromones, especially for S-rank alphas like them. A moment of carelessness could overwhelm lower-ranking alphas nearby.

Lu Yan, of course, knew this. Even as he spoke, he was already applying the isolation patches he always kept in his Space Bracelet to avoid any mishaps.

But Lu Yan was a bit worried: "What about Little Madman if I go into rut soon? After an injury, an alpha's sensitivity to pheromones increases exponentially. Wouldn't my rut be like adding fuel to the fire?"

Hearing his words, Qi Yanshen suddenly thought of a plan.

He could actually get injured!

Now that Jian Fuxu was already a patient, if he got injured and had limited mobility, he could perfectly reasonably ask Ji Anzhi to take care of him, using Lu Yan's impending rut as an excuse!

This way, their interactions would naturally increase, and their relationship would grow closer and closer!

Actually getting injured wasn't selling misery. Besides, an injured alpha would indeed experience a geometrically increased physiological rejection of other alphas' pheromones compared to normal times, so it wasn't a scam either.

What was happening to him?

Seeing his unusually gentle expression, Lu Yan didn't disturb him. Instead, he sent a message to Jian Fuxu explaining the situation, advising him to stay in his room if he felt uncomfortable recently and have meals delivered by a robot.

Class time arrived quickly. Students from all four grade levels were in the hall, each practicing their respective moves and drills.

As class was about to end, Qi Yanshen suddenly walked toward the fourth-year students. His demeanor clearly indicated ill intentions.

Lu Yan followed behind Qi Yanshen, whispering, "What are you going over to the fourth-years for?"

Qi Yanshen casually uttered two words.

"Sparring."

Lu Yan hurriedly said, "...No, those are fourth-years! Fourth-year Mecha Combat majors! Qi Yanshen, have you lost your mind?"

The other didn't reply, continuing to stride resolutely toward the group of fourth-years. Lu Yan, unwilling to abandon his childhood friend, steeled himself and followed.

People in the training hall noticed the first-year Command Department's top student heading toward the fourth-year Mecha Combat majors and stopped to watch the show.

Were they going to fight?

In the military academy, everyone admired strength and was exceptionally enthusiastic about combat.

And Lu Yan, following behind Qi Yanshen, felt his legs go weak under the fourth-years' battle-ready gazes.

It wasn't that he was cowardly—really, the other side just had overwhelming numbers! If a fight broke out, he couldn't take on even one of them, let alone a whole group!