Chapter 35: He Seems to Really Dislike You

Chapter 35: He Seems to Really Dislike You

Shu Hanqing stared at Rong Hua before him, almost unable to look away.

In just a month's time, the person before him seemed to have become someone entirely different, carrying a strange and detached ferocity from head to toe.

Rong Hua stood in the crisp military uniform of the Central Base, belt cinched snugly, meeting Shu Hanqing's gaze. Gone was the smug, endearing, spoiled-boy air he once wore when hovering around Shu Hanqing.

The unfamiliarity was jarring.

Shu Hanqing couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness.

Rong Hua shot him a cold, cutting look. When Shu Hanqing stayed silent, he sneered, "Are you mute?"

"Put your gun away."

Another voice cut in.

Yan Shenyun had appeared at some point, stepping around Shu Hanqing to fix a cold stare on the bristling Rong Hua. "Shu Hanqing, are you an idiot? Letting someone hold a gun on you."

Rong Hua's gaze locked onto Yan Shenyun like a viper's.

To a top-tier offensive superpowered individual like him, this pretty-faced, bookish weakling from the military brass—who relied solely on his brains—was hardly worth fearing.

Watching Yan Shenyun shield Shu Hanqing behind him like a mother hen, and recalling how Shu Hanqing kept his eyes down, too guilty to even meet his gaze, Rong Hua felt nothing but irritation and a suffocating frustration.

Lei Zheng had been right all along.

Shu Hanqing was nothing but a restless man who loved flitting from one man to another.

Back then, he'd taken advantage of Rong Hua's youth, naivety, and gullible nature, using that cold, innocent facade to deceive his feelings and play with his body. Once he'd grown bored and used him up, he tossed him aside.

What a wicked man!

Now that he'd latched onto the base's Chief Scientist, he was too guilty to even look him in the eye.

Seeing this, the two guards flanking Yan Shenyun stepped forward to escort Rong Hua out, but before their fingers could even touch his sleeve, several thick, pitch-green vines sent the two superpowered guards flying with a heavy slam.

Fortunately, those guards weren't ordinary men and quickly recovered their balance.

"Was I talking to you?"

Rong Hua's gaze drilled straight past Yan Shenyun to Shu Hanqing. "Don't cower behind some other pretty boy. I have something to say to you."

Shu Hanqing watched Rong Hua, who looked ready to explode at any moment and showed no respect to anyone, and with a slightly complicated expression, edged half a step out from behind Yan Shenyun. "What do you want to say..."

But before his words could even finish, Yan Shenyun grabbed Shu Hanqing's hand and once again blocked him entirely behind himself. "There's nothing to say. He's mine. If you have something to say, say it to me directly."

The auras of two superpowered individuals silently clashed and tore at each other.

Rong Hua stared at their intertwined wrists, then suddenly laughed, manic and almost unhinged: "Shu Hanqing, is this your new boy toy? Your charm really is something—is there any man in this world you can't seduce?"

Making Shu Hanqing sound like a complete player.

Yan Shenyun, for all his book smarts, had quite a grip.

Shu Hanqing tried to subtly pull his hand free, only to find it wouldn't move an inch.

Before he could muster more force, Rong Hua's humiliating accusations hit him like a ton of bricks.

Shu Hanqing frowned at Rong Hua. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Rong Hua merely stared at him coldly, as if convinced Shu Hanqing was nothing but a man who couldn't keep it in his pants. "Am I wrong?"

Just as the two were locked in a standoff, a furious voice suddenly rang out from further down the corridor: "Rong Hua! Are you asking for a beating, causing trouble all day long?!"

Lei Zheng came over with several men. As he stepped fully into view and his gaze swept over, he abruptly froze upon spotting Shu Hanqing standing behind Yan Shenyun.

His blazing anger inexplicably stalled. A flicker of suspicion crossed Lei Zheng's ever-arrogant face as he stared at Shu Hanqing. "What are you doing here?"

Shu Hanqing watched Lei Zheng's meddlesome demeanor, as if the whole world were his business, and sneered inwardly.

What business was it of Lei Zheng's?

Did Lei Zheng really think he could rule the roost here in Central Base?

Shu Hanqing shot him a dismissive glare and turned away pointedly, ignoring him.

"He's here with me."

Yan Shenyun said flatly.

The moment Rong Hua saw Lei Zheng approach, his reckless, charging energy deflated like a popped balloon. He shot Shu Hanqing one fierce glare, shoved aside the subordinate reaching for his gun, and stalked off toward the other end of the corridor.

But just as he passed, Rong Hua couldn't help but turn back and throw one last venomous glare at Shu Hanqing.

Shu Hanqing's gaze did land on him, and Rong Hua thought maybe Shu Hanqing was still thinking about him.

Too bad he wasn't the type to take someone back.

But if Shu Hanqing sincerely admitted his mistakes, repented, and promised never to contact other men again, staying devoted to him alone, he might think about it.

Yan Shenyun caught all these subtle undercurrents. He released Shu Hanqing's wrist, turned to the attendant beside him, and said, "Take him out first. Have him rest on the first floor."

Shu Hanqing couldn't wait to leave this suffocating den of trouble.

And so, only the two men remained—both holding high positions and radiating wildly incompatible auras.

Lei Zheng: "Why is Shu Hanqing here? Professor Yan, got nothing better to do than bring him here?"

Yan Shenyun: "He's now my personally approved assistant in the group, officially under my lab. Officer Lei, is there a problem with that?"

No problem.

Of course there was no problem.

No matter how much power Lei Zheng wielded in the military, no matter how far his reach extended, he could never lay a finger on Yan Shenyun. The special treatment and freedom granted to this Chief Scientist were ironclad and unique across all ten safe zones.

Lei Zheng deliberately backed down: "Rong Hua was out of line earlier and offended you, Professor Yan. I'll apologize for him."

"To be honest, from the very first time I met him, I felt your brother had a kind of naive stupidity about him," Yan Shenyun said with biting sarcasm. "Once I learned he was your brother, Officer Lei, I was even less surprised after that."

As Lei Zheng's face darkened, Yan Shenyun went on, "Shu Hanqing may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but his decision to dump Rong Hua back then was, in my opinion, quite wise. After all, his taste has never been great—it couldn't stay that bad forever, could it?"

Lei Zheng was speechless.

Yan Shenyun turned and left.

Lei Zheng stared at that retreating figure, thinking he should have let him die in that zombie horde back then.

He prided himself on being an excellent judge of character, yet he simply couldn’t fathom how someone as inherently cold and detached as Yan Shenyun could be so fiercely protective of Shu Hanqing—refusing to yield an inch on his behalf.

Shu Hanqing had been brought in as a bottom-tier trainee. This place offered no special treatment—he was assigned to a shared dormitory housing several others.

Yan Shenyun glanced at the narrow bunk and said flatly, “You can move in with me.”

Shu Hanqing declined without hesitation. No way—he had no intention of waking up every day to Yan Shenyun’s perpetually frostbitten, keep-your-distance face.

Rejected, Yan Shenyun’s expression soured slightly. He told Shu Hanqing to come to him if he had any problems, then left.

Not long after, Yan Shenyun’s people delivered a set of basic daily necessities.

Shu Hanqing surveyed the room, picked a lower bunk in the farthest corner pressed against the wall, and set his things down.

Before he could even arrange his toiletries, the dorm’s crude iron door was shoved open from outside. A crowd filed in—unfamiliar faces, but their gazes carried the distinctive scrutiny of superpower users.

The first one through was a man built like an iron tower.

His physique was staggering—those bare arms exposed outside his black tank top looked, at a glance, nearly thicker than Shu Hanqing’s thighs.

The man greeted him in a gruff voice: “Hey, I’m Shi Lei, earth-type superpower. Looking forward to working with you, brother, for the next month.”

Shu Hanqing immediately slipped into a bright, harmless smile, introduced himself openly, and said he was a water-type ability user.

His gaze seemed to stick to Shi Lei’s muscle-corded arm, his eyes gleaming with undisguised interest.

“Man, your build is insane.” Shu Hanqing’s tone was half admiration, half itching to touch, laced with unabashed envy. “Can I feel your arm?”

Shi Lei, rough by nature, laughed heartily and slapped his chest without a care: “What’s the problem with that? Go ahead, touch all you want!”

Shu Hanqing pressed his palm against it—hard as iron beneath his touch, brimming with explosive power.

He raised his other hand’s thumb, clicking his tongue in repeated praise. So strong—Shu Hanqing had always appreciated muscular men.

At that exact moment, the door was kicked open again.

Rong Hua stepped in, looked up, and caught Shu Hanqing practically clinging to the man’s thick arm, stroking away with relish.

In that instant, the air seemed to freeze solid.

Rong Hua’s face darkened to the point of dripping. The gear and basin in his arms were hurled at Shu Hanqing’s bunk with reckless force—a thunderous crash that sent the entire dorm’s air trembling.

The basin survived intact, quality surprisingly good.

Shi Lei jumped at the noise and was about to greet him, but Rong Hua’s icy glare swept over, treating him as if he didn’t exist. Rude and arrogant, he brushed past Shi Lei’s shoulder and stormed out, slamming the door behind him with a blaze of fury.

The door rebounded violently off the frame, shaking loose a few strands of aged dust.

Shi Lei scratched the back of his head awkwardly and turned to Shu Hanqing to complain: “Who’s that kid? On a rampage? Damn arrogant.”

The others chimed in that he was utterly rude.

Shu Hanqing stared at the still-trembling iron door: “He’s just naturally like that. Young, hot-tempered—but honestly, he’s not a bad person.”

Shi Lei shot him a suspicious look and pressed: “What, you know him?”

Shu Hanqing hedged: “…Yeah, sort of.”

Night deepened, and the dorm’s bunks gradually filled. The noise of footsteps and unpacking finally settled before late night fell.

Just before lights-out, logistics staff delivered the uniform training gear, dropped a time for the next morning’s assembly, and left in their military boots.

The room’s light suddenly dimmed. As everyone prepared to lie down, Shu Hanqing caught a subtle shift from the bunk above.

Rong Hua suddenly swung down from his bed.

His handsome face set in a grim line, he ignored everyone in the room, silently pushed open the door, and slipped into the corridor.

What’s he going out this late for?

Shu Hanqing threw off his thin blanket and crept out after him.

But the corridor’s sensor lights were dim, and Rong Hua moved fast. Shu Hanqing hesitated only a moment, jogged a few steps, and only caught a glimpse of the other’s sleeve disappearing around the corner ahead.

In a blink, he was gone without a trace.

Shu Hanqing stopped at the empty corridor bend, thinking he was being nosy, and turned to head back—when suddenly, everything changed.

Vines lashed out from an angle.

Shu Hanqing’s vision lurched violently, and he was hoisted upside down into the air. By the time he snapped back to reality, he was dangling head-first from the vines, then the next second, slung solidly over someone’s shoulder.

“Rong Hua?!”

Shu Hanqing’s heart jolted. He braced his palms against the other’s broad, hard back, struggling, his fingertips brushing the boy’s explosive muscle lines through the thin fabric.

“What are you doing? Put me down!”

Rong Hua ignored his shouts completely.

His shoulder pressed into Shu Hanqing’s stomach.

Forced to hang upside down over his back, Shu Hanqing’s stomach churned violently—the little dinner he’d eaten nearly came right back up.

When he was finally set down, Shu Hanqing leaned against the wall, clutching his stomach, brows furrowed, eyes flashing with angry accusation: “What the hell are you doing?”

Rong Hua stood over him, his silhouette blurred by the dim moonlight.

“You followed me first.” Rong Hua snorted coldly. “I haven’t asked what you’re up to.”

Hearing that sour tone, Shu Hanqing genuinely wanted to slap that handsome face, but meeting those startlingly bright eyes hidden in the shadows, the anger in his chest inexplicably deflated.

He let out a frustrated sigh: “You… did your father treat you well when you went back? Are you doing okay?”

The light in the corner was so faint that Shu Hanqing couldn’t make out the boy’s expression—only the sound of his breathing rising and falling in the cramped space between them.

After a long moment, Rong Hua curled the corner of his mouth and let out a mocking, cold laugh.

“Why should I tell you? You abandoned me!”

With that, Rong Hua turned and walked away.

Shu Hanqing stood there, watching that back—more solitary and defiant than ever—a heavy tangle pressing on his chest. In the end, all he could do was let out a helpless sigh.

What a karmic mess.

The next morning, the assembly whistle tore through the stillness.

The schedule here left no breathing room—from wake-up to lights-out. Daytime superpower training was, in essence, high-intensity physical and ability exhaustion—endlessly blasting and destroying military-grade hardened obstacles with their powers.

Among these Superpowered Individuals, Rong Hua was like a lone wolf.

He was always the first to finish all the brutal tasks with a blank expression and leave, while Shu Hanqing was his complete opposite—dead last in the rankings.

Shu Hanqing sat at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The glances cast his way were not without smug, gleeful looks.

"Some people really make you wonder how they got in here—their Water Ability is so weak it'd be too slow even for mopping floors."

The harsh, mocking voice came from nearby.

The speaker was Qin Shenzhen, who had taken second place in this assessment. With his nose in the air, he deliberately raised his voice as he passed by Shu Hanqing.

Several others in the training camp chimed in with low murmurs of agreement, their cold stares and obvious exclusion undisguised.

Shu Hanqing himself didn't care. He had deliberately held back, because this kind of training wasn't worth going all out for. Why bother pushing himself so hard?

He'd already lived two lifetimes. Looking at these people, several years younger than him with competitiveness written all over their faces, he simply couldn't be bothered to argue. Still, those words worming into his ears did leave a sour taste in his mouth.

"Hanqing, it's fine. I think your speed today was much better than a few days ago. Don't listen to them."

Shi Lei reached out an arm and pulled Shu Hanqing up, offering him some plain, sincere comfort.

Shu Hanqing followed Shi Lei's pull to stand up from the mud, raising a hand to pat off the sticky wet muck from his palm, and felt a surge of gratitude.

He smiled at Shi Lei, his tone brightening: "Shi Lei, thanks for the encouragement. I feel a lot better now. Come on, let's go eat. After I eat, I'll come back tonight and put in a few extra hours of practice."

The two walked side by side toward the cafeteria. As soon as they entered the hall, Shu Hanqing's gaze landed on Rong Hua sitting in the most secluded corner.

A standard military ration tray lay before him, and within a three-meter radius there seemed to be an invisible vacuum—no one dared to approach.

Rong Hua always kept to himself.

Shu Hanqing felt that Rong Hua had become even more withdrawn than before. Back when they were still in the same squad, Rong Hua had often been quiet, but at least he still had a bit of warmth to him. Nothing like the way he was now.

Many times, when Shu Hanqing ran into Rong Hua in the cafeteria or the hallway, he would instinctively raise a hand to greet him, but the young man wouldn't even glance his way, treating him as if he didn't exist.

After enough times, Shu Hanqing gradually got used to it.

This tense, estranged state between them was even worse than before they'd ever been close.

After dinner, Shu Hanqing didn't head straight back to the dorm. He told Shi Lei he was going to hit the training room.

He went there alone, gathered his superpower in his hand, and let it loose—a torrent of Water Ability smashed through the obstacles with devastating force.

There was no trace of the soft, harmless front he usually put up.

When he quietly pushed open the dorm door, about to wash up and turn in, he looked up and noticed Rong Hua's bunk empty, the thin blanket neatly folded.

No one expected things to go wrong during the next afternoon's sparring session.

For some reason, Rong Hua and Qin Shenzhen had gotten into a brawl.

Neither of the two Superpowered Individuals used their abilities—it was just raw, bloody hand-to-hand fighting.

The dull thuds of heavy fists hitting bone made your teeth ache, dust flying everywhere, until the fight escalated so badly that Lei Zheng, his face dark with fury, personally stepped in and pulled the two apart.

Rong Hua was ordered back to the dorm to cool off, while Qin Shenzhen reportedly had his arm dislocated—whether any bones were broken was unclear—and was carried off by the medics right then and there.

Taking advantage of a break in the main group's intense training, Shu Hanqing slipped out of the training ground under the pretense of using the restroom, ducking low as he slipped out.

He jogged all the way back to the dorm, pushed open the door, and saw Rong Hua fast asleep on the hard wooden bunk.

Shu Hanqing tiptoed to the head of the bed and leaned over to get a closer look. The corners of Rong Hua's eyes and lips were scraped up.

"...Qin Shenzhen, that bastard, he really did a number on him." Shu Hanqing muttered under his breath, staring at that face even marred by injury. "He had it coming, getting his arm broken."

He pulled a tin of special medicinal ointment from his pocket and set it by the pillow—one that Yan Shenyun had slipped him earlier.

With that done, Shu Hanqing didn't linger. He turned and quickly left the dorm.

The moment the door clicked shut, Rong Hua, who'd seemed dead asleep, opened his eyes. Those narrow eyes were sharp and wide awake—not a trace of drowsiness.

He picked up the ointment beside him, and the corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile.

Two weeks flew by.

Shu Hanqing had climbed several spots from the bottom of that shameful ranking, when they suddenly announced a new marksmanship course—and the instructor assigned to their cohort turned out to be Lei Zheng.

On the shooting range, the smell of gunpowder mixed with the sharp smell of cordite.

Lei Zheng stood in a crisp military uniform, his expression stern as he gave a demonstration at the front of the formation.

His gaze scanned the crowd, then briefly landed on Shu Hanqing.

A moment later, Lei Zheng moved to stand directly behind Shu Hanqing.

"Stand up straight." Lei Zheng's voice was low, carrying an oppressive weight that left no room for argument.

Shu Hanqing paused for half a second, then slowly straightened up. But the next moment, Lei Zheng stepped forward again, the toe of his boot touching Shu Hanqing's heel, closing the distance between them to nearly nothing. The aggressive aura of a top-tier Superpowered Individual filled the air around them.

"Raise your hand a bit higher." Lei Zheng tilted his head slightly, reaching out as if to correct his form, and sneered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "I really underestimated you. How did your Lightning Ability get so weak? Did Yan Shenyun help you take care of it? You'd better stay away from Rong Hua from now on. Since you've already chosen your little squad leader, don't go messing around with anyone else."

How annoying.

Shu Hanqing's eyes turned icy cold, his fingertip resting on the frigid trigger, saying nothing.

Lei Zheng's calloused fingers deliberately brushed against his arm, his tone carrying a predatory edge: "I told you before, I can help you with your ability. All you have to do is—"

Bang! Bang! Bang!—

Before Lei Zheng could finish, Shu Hanqing squeezed the trigger hard.

The deafening gunfire tore through the air of the range. A few sharp cracks later, the electronic target indicator in the distance flickered wildly—all bullseyes, dead center.

The stunned gazes of everyone around snapped toward him in unison.

Without even glancing back at Lei Zheng, Shu Hanqing tossed the still-smoking modified gun onto the table beside him with crisp efficiency.

"Officer Lei, may I leave now?" Shu Hanqing raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the guidance earlier."

Lei Zheng glanced at Shu Hanqing's excellent results and nodded his approval.

Shu Hanqing gave a slight nod toward Shi Lei and the others watching nearby as a casual greeting, then pulled off his tactical gloves, stuffed them into his pocket, and strode out of the range.

Shu Hanqing's appearance was far too refined and handsome, and he usually carried himself as mild-mannered and easygoing around the base. But in that single moment, he was as sharp and lethal as a legendary blade just pulled from quenching blood.

Lei Zheng stood in place, staring at the tall, sharp figure receding into the distance, and swallowed hard, his throat bobbing involuntarily.

Deep within those narrow, elongated eyes, a blazing, frenzied desire spread like wildfire, coiling tighter and tighter. Lei Zheng's gaze was leering and greedy, as if he were looking at prey already within his grasp.

"Brother, he really seems to hate you."

Rong Hua had appeared beside Lei Zheng at some point, hands tucked into his trouser pockets.

Lei Zheng turned around, raising a hand to heavily pat Rong Hua's shoulder.

"Of course he hates me, and he hates you too. He likes that protective squad leader of his. Back then, for that Mu Ye, didn't he heartlessly toss you aside?"

"But unfortunately, that squad leader he can't stop thinking about—this time on the mission... might never come back. I promised you before, I'd help you settle this score, with interest..."