Chapter 28 The Real Deal Woe-is-Me Act

Chapter 28: The Sweet Smell of Playing the Victim

Qi Yanshen walked up to the fourth-year students of the Mecha Combat Department and spoke calmly, "Wanna spar?"

The group of fourth-years scrutinized him.

What was this first-year Command Department top student trying to do? Just a friendly match, or was this a challenge?

After a few moments of silence, someone stepped out from the group.

It was a female alpha, built more solidly than most, with striking, handsome features, messy short hair, and a voice deeper than most, closer to a male alpha's.

"Fourth-year Mecha Combat Department, Ke Yuxi. Are you sure you want to spar?"

Qi Yanshen nodded, called over a training hall robot, and opened the waiver for a cross-class spar. He gave Ke Yuxi a look, urging her to confirm if she accepted.

Ke Yuxi stepped forward without hesitation to confirm.

The cross-class sparring waiver meant both parties were responsible for any consequences, as long as there was no death or malicious severe injury.

As Ke Yuxi stepped forward, the surrounding crowd, including the fourth-year teachers, students, and Lu Yan, cleared a space so they wouldn't get in the way.

Seeing they were going through with it, Lu Yan couldn't help but worry. Qi Yanshen had always excelled in command, and while command required well-rounded development, his hand-to-hand wasn't bad either. However, compared to a fourth-year, his moves were basic and he lacked experience.

He definitely couldn't win. Lu Yan could only hope Qi Yanshen wouldn't get hurt.

But Ke Yuxi, as far as he remembered, was among the top elites of the fourth-year Mecha Combat Department. Expecting to come out unscathed under her hands was next to impossible.

The other fourth-year Mecha Combat students watched from the sidelines, including their department chief.

As for why he didn't step forward, first, it was beneath the chief to spar with a first-year, and second, Qi Yanshen's combat skills might be a decoy, just like his previously rumored command abilities. If Qi Yanshen was holding back and still lost, the chief's reputation would remain intact.

In the arena, Qi Yanshen and Ke Yuxi had already assumed their fighting stances, neither one making the first move.

After a few seconds of silence, Ke Yuxi moved, and Qi Yanshen moved at the same instant.

Both were S-rank alphas, and those who could get into the military academy were among the best of the best in terms of physical fitness and reflexes.

In a split second, the two who had been five or six meters apart were right in each other's faces.

Ke Yuxi struck first, throwing a hook punch toward Qi Yanshen's abdomen. Qi Yanshen reacted swiftly, hooking Ke Yuxi's calf and leaning back, and her punch sailed past.

As an alpha ranked in the top twenty for combat among fourth-years, Ke Yuxi had rock-solid balance. So when Qi Yanshen pulled her leg, she used the momentum to spring back up.

Ke Yuxi's first punch missed, but a second punch was already on its way. This time, Qi Yanshen blocked the punch and, in the same motion, snapped a side kick toward Ke Yuxi's head.

Ke Yuxi instinctively used her other hand to block, protecting her head. In this position, she couldn't put her full strength behind it. Qi Yanshen retracted his leg, pushed away her punching hand, and followed up with an elbow strike toward her abdomen.

Ke Yuxi blocked it with a cross-arm guard, creating some distance before jumping up to launch a flying kick toward Qi Yanshen.

Qi Yanshen let a smirk flicker where she couldn't see it. The force from this move should be enough.

Qi Yanshen feigned a slow reaction, crouching down and raising his forearm to block.

With the added momentum from the kick, Qi Yanshen relaxed his muscles, letting the blow snap the bones in his forearm out of place.

At this point, the supervising teacher, seeing the match was effectively over, immediately called a stop.

Ke Yuxi, seeing Qi Yanshen's clearly fractured arm yet not uttering a sound, questioned, "Are you messing with me?"

Qi Yanshen refused to admit it. "My reactions have been slow lately. Let's spar again next time."

Ke Yuxi thought to herself, *Slow? Your reactions are slower than mine, but not by much. Are you using me as a training dummy?*

Moreover, he didn't brace for impact at all—his muscles were completely relaxed!

But now that the match was over, bringing it up now was pointless. Plus, this whole spar came out of nowhere, so it was better to be cautious.

The onlookers sighed as the spar ended in less than ten seconds. They hadn't even had a good look, and it was already over?

However, seeing Qi Yanshen's talent and effort in command was indeed impressive, but his combat skills were lacking. This gave the students present some comfort. If Qi Yanshen could also defeat a fourth-year in combat, it would just be unfair.

Lu Yan, seeing Qi Yanshen lose in less than ten seconds and with what looked like a fractured arm, barely kept the worry off his face.

As Qi Yanshen's childhood friend, Lu Yan dared to swear that Qi Yanshen hadn't gone all out—he had definitely lost on purpose!

Although he didn't know why Qi Yanshen did it, it didn't stop Lu Yan from inwardly criticizing Qi Yanshen's scheming.

The teachers and upper-year students present might not know how skilled Qi Yanshen really was, but they could confirm one thing: Qi Yanshen definitely hadn't given his all, especially in that last move. As an S-rank alpha with training, he wouldn't have foolishly stood there to take the hit.

Moreover, Qi Yanshen's mother, Commander Qi Lan, would never have neglected his combat training. The only possibility was that Qi Yanshen had intentionally not dodged.

But no one pointed this out openly. They remained silent, secretly guessing what Qi Yanshen was up to.

After the robot confirmed the end of the spar, Lu Yan went over to support Qi Yanshen, nodded to the teacher, and took him to the infirmary.

Ignoring the "brave warrior" looks everyone gave Qi Yanshen along the way, as soon as they left the training hall, Lu Yan whispered, "What are you trying to do?"

Qi Yanshen didn't reply, mumbling vaguely, "You'll find out later."

Seeing that he didn't want to say, Lu Yan dutifully helped him to the infirmary, muttering quietly along the way about Qi Yanshen's lack of trust.

Since both bones in his forearm were fractured, they needed ten days to heal properly after being set. The school doctor recommended wearing a hard cast during this period to make sure it healed perfectly.

Qi Yanshen readily agreed to the hard cast. Lu Yan looked at him suspiciously from the side. Qi Yanshen had fractured bones before, but he had always opted for soft casts and rest. He had never considered a hard cast—why today?

But since a hard cast was better for Qi Yanshen's recovery, Lu Yan didn't say anything.

So when Ji Anzhi returned to the dormitory, he saw the new patient sitting on the sofa.

Qi Yanshen had changed from a long-sleeved to a short-sleeved shirt under his uniform. A sling supported his plaster-cast right arm, only his fingers exposed.

Had he been beaten up?

Ji Anzhi asked, "What happened to your hand?"

Qi Yanshen replied calmly, "Sparring with an upperclassman. Didn't notice it was fractured."

Ji Anzhi asked with concern, "How long will it take to recover?"

Qi Yanshen replied, "The school doctor said the cast can come off in ten days."

Ji Anzhi nodded. Ten days wasn't too serious—it seemed the upperclassman had held back.

"Then rest well."

Just as Ji Anzhi was about to go upstairs to check on Xiaoxue, Qi Yanshen said, "Could you help me with classes recently? It's hard to get around with this thing."

Ji Anzhi turned back, puzzled. Help you?

"Was Lu Yan injured too?"

Qi Yanshen shook his head and explained, "Lu Yan's rut is coming up, his pheromones are volatile, and I'm injured. Being around him would just lead to friction, and it'd be awful."

Ji Anzhi almost said, "Isn't there Jian Fuxu?" but then remembered that Jian Fuxu was also injured, and worse off.

If Qi Yanshen needed care, he was indeed the best candidate, but he really didn't want to get too involved with these high-status alphas.

Ji Anzhi pressed, "Don't you have any other friends who could help take care of you?"

Qi Yanshen answered something completely unrelated: "Jian Fuxu's here with me."

Ji Anzhi didn't understand at first—what did that have to do with whether he had other friends?

Seeing the confusion in Ji Anzhi's eyes, Qi Yanshen knew he hadn't understood and explained further, "They're afraid of Jian Fuxu."

Now Ji Anzhi got it. Wait, so you really don't have any other close friends? Just how terrifying was Jian Fuxu in the upper echelons of the Federation...

Ji Anzhi reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Send me your schedule so I can sync it with mine."

Qi Yanshen lifted his left arm, maneuvering the smartwatch on his wrist toward the fingers of his immobile right hand, fumbling to turn it on.

Seeing him like this, Ji Anzhi's reluctance to care for an alpha for the next ten days faded somewhat.

Ji Anzhi had figured it might just involve attending some main courses in the Command Department or perhaps classes like the Mecha Combat Department—no big deal.

But when he saw the two mecha practical training classes and three combat classes, he knew he had dug himself into another hole...

As a beta, and a research-oriented one at that, he was truly hopeless at mecha or combat.

Ji Anzhi tentatively asked, "Is there no way to get out of the combat and mecha practical training classes?"

Qi Yanshen shook his head. "They're required electives; you can't skip them."

With a grave expression, Ji Anzhi added these two courses to his own schedule, replacing almost all of his previous electives except those that conflicted with his major.

After finishing the replacements, he said he had something to do and went upstairs.

Qi Yanshen followed Ji Anzhi with his eyes as he went upstairs. Lu Yan, who had been waiting at the stairwell and overheard their conversation, came up and gave Qi Yanshen a weird look.

"You... did all this just for that?"

Qi Yanshen nodded calmly, his face a perfect blank.

Lu Yan was appalled. "I never thought you, Qi Yanshen, were this kind of person! All these years as childhood friends, and I never saw it! Are you trying to..."

Seeing Lu Yan adding drama in front of him, Qi Yanshen calmly deflected the accusation. "I did it according to the book you gave me."

Lu Yan was speechless, remembering the book he had given Qi Yanshen the previous week, and obediently sat down.

He regretted not checking the book's contents at the time. He should have seen what was written in it. If his father or Aunt Qi found out that Qi Yanshen's fracture was because of him, he'd be scolded to death.

But Lu Yan still found it hard to believe. "Are you sure it was written in the book?"

Qi Yanshen recited the passage from the book to Lu Yan.

After hearing it, Lu Yan's lips twitched uncontrollably, and his look at Qi Yanshen said it all—I never thought you were the kind of person who would go to such lengths to achieve your goals.

Now, Qi Yanshen had achieved half of his goal. The other half required Lu Yan's cooperation: he needed to stay away from him during classes recently, as he was now injured and would find Lu Yan's rut pheromones repulsive and unbearable.

When Lu Yan heard Qi Yanshen's request to keep his distance, he thought to himself, "If I didn't know you were trying to win him over, I'd think you were trying to flirt with your roommate."

Although Ji Anzhi wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, he was good-looking, somewhat androgynous, with a gentle demeanor and appearance that gave off omega vibes. If he really were an omega, he'd definitely have no shortage of suitors.

Lu Yan snorted in contempt but agreed. Although he disapproved of his friend's methods, he'd always have his back.

Upstairs

Ji Anzhi was messaging Andrew, asking if he could help him with something recently, and offering to set aside time next weekend to answer questions in return.

He got an instant reply.

"Andrew: Sure, with what?"

"Ji Anzhi: I have something going on recently and can't attend my elective classes. Could you go to some of them and record the lectures for me? If possible, take videos and send them to me too."

"Andrew: Okay."

Ji Anzhi sent over his previous elective class schedule. A few minutes later, the other replied.

"Andrew: This many?"

"Ji Anzhi: Is that not okay?"

"Andrew: It's not that it's not okay, I'm just surprised you chose so many electives."

"Ji Anzhi: Hobbies."

"Andrew: Understandable. I'll record and send them to you."

"Ji Anzhi: Thanks."

"Andrew: Next weekend is a holiday."

"Ji Anzhi: I remember."

With his elective class issue resolved, Ji Anzhi breathed a sigh of relief and went to check on Xiaoxue.

Ever since getting that fruit, Xiaoxue had been guarding it, even moving her toys and sleeping nest next to the small refrigerator, never leaving its side.

Today, there should only be three pieces of fruit flesh left, as Xiaoxue ate one piece each day.

But after returning today, Xiaoxue was unusually not sticking to the refrigerator. Instead, she was tugging at his pant leg, trying to pull him toward the refrigerator. Even when he ignored her while messaging earlier, she persisted in dragging him toward it.

Following Xiaoxue to the refrigerator, he noticed that because of her, the small refrigerator had been left slightly ajar, not fully closed.

Looking into the plate, he saw that the fruit's skin had been torn open, revealing the liquid flesh inside, with the seed lying quietly in the middle.

Xiaoxue had clearly done this. He didn't understand why she would do such a thing—wasn't she very protective of this fruit?

Xiaoxue climbed into the refrigerator, trying to pull the plate out carefully, but some fruit flesh still spilled. Seeing this, Ji Anzhi quickly helped take it out.

After taking it out, Xiaoxue pawed at the floor left and right, as if a cat were burying something in litter.

Unable to communicate, Ji Anzhi tentatively placed her in the litter box, but Xiaoxue disdainfully returned to the fruit plate to lick her paws.

So it wasn't about the litter?

Ji Anzhi didn't understand cat language, so he could only guess based on Xiaoxue's behavior. Clearly, he had guessed wrong this time.

Thinking it over, he remembered that cat litter was a human convenience—in the wild, cats doing this are probably just digging in dirt. Did Xiaoxue want soil?

Ji Anzhi took the plant nutrient solution from his Space Bracelet and poured it into a special seedling pot, which already contained nutrient-rich soil.

He tentatively placed the seed into the soil. Xiaoxue didn’t resist, but seeing Ji Anzhi only bury the seed, she paced around the plate with the fruit pulp, meowing insistently and nudging it toward the pot.

Ji Anzhi understood instantly. He picked up the plate and poured the liquidy fruit pulp into the pot, starting with a little. Seeing Xiaoxue quietly watching without objection, he poured in the rest.

So Xiaoxue, who had been guarding the plate, now stood watch over the pot as if fearing a swap. She refused to leave its side for a second.

Worried she might skip meals, Ji Anzhi moved the pot next to her food bowl.

Seeing her settled quietly beside it, Ji Anzhi, satisfied, logged into the intranet to buy a sun lamp to help the fruit seed sprout.