“Is this your room?”
Salorian was pulled by Lu Heguang to sit on the edge of the bed. Looking at the sparsely furnished room, he couldn’t help but feel it was empty, as if they had just moved in not long ago. “So, you really are from a small town in the countryside?”
“Of course, why would I lie to you, Senior?” Lu Heguang went out to fetch two cups of black tea. Following him, the old butler of the Marshal’s residence, Moter, brought in two servings of pastries. “Young Master, Mr. Lu asked me to bring these over.”
“Please thank Dad for me.” Lu Heguang took them and, after seeing the old butler off, handed one serving to Salorian. “Senior, try these quickly. My dad’s cooking is really delicious.”
Salorian still remembered the rice ball Lu Heguang had given him on his first day at school. Hearing that it was made by Lu Ze, he immediately accepted it, though the corner of his mouth was injured, so he couldn’t eat too quickly.
Lu Heguang briefly recounted his experiences to Salorian, omitting the part about his succubus bloodline. Salorian listened so intently that he forgot to eat his pastry. “I never thought something like ‘running away with a child’ would happen in real life.”
“Dad told me he just didn’t want to be tied to someone for life just because he had a child. But now, after all these twists and turns, he’s back.” Lu Heguang ate quickly and was now leaning against the door with an empty plate, waiting for Moter to come and collect it. “At least he tried to resist back then, and I grew up safely. It’s just hard on Feiluo’er.”
“Hmm?”
“Including the time Dad was pregnant, we were away from him for a full nineteen years.” Lu Heguang lowered his head. “I feel like I owe him something.”
“What’s there to owe? It’s already great that you both returned to him safely.” Salorian finished his pastry in a few bites, seeming a bit choked. He quickly took a sip of black tea to catch his breath before continuing, “The older generation had their youth too.”
“Are you staying at our place tonight, Senior?” Lu Heguang took the plate from his hands, only to find Salorian following him to the doorway. It was then that he noticed Mitchell standing outside, waiting.
Mitchell smiled slightly and bowed. “Young Master, I’ll take Salorian back to rest. I wish you success in the survival battle the day after tomorrow.”
Salorian sighed. As he passed by Lu Heguang, he shot him a pleading look. The latter blinked and, before Mitchell could take Salorian away, hurriedly added, “Senior, you promised to team up with me for the survival battle. Don’t forget!”
“I won’t, I won’t.” Salorian breathed a sigh of relief, waving to Lu Heguang over Mitchell’s shoulder. “See you the day after tomorrow!”
Lu Heguang watched the two brothers leave. He could roughly guess why Salorian had asked for his help an Omega raised among Alphas, who had also caused trouble at the academy. Who knew if he would be grounded when he got back?
But with Lu Heguang’s reminder, Salorian would definitely show up at Huaiyate the day after tomorrow.
“Xiao Guang, come here.” Lu Ze called out to him from behind. Lu Heguang turned to see Feiluo’er standing beside him, holding several sets of formal attire. “Come try on these clothes.”
“Clothes?”
Feiluo’er curled his lips into a smile. “These are the outfits for your birthday banquet. I prepared several sets for you.”
The two-day holiday passed neither too quickly nor too slowly. Lu Heguang, aside from learning to adapt to life in the Marshal’s residence and coming to terms with having a father who was the Imperial Star Marshal, was also studying aristocratic etiquette and basic combat skills.
Coincidentally, it was Mitchell who taught him combat skills. From him, Lu Heguang learned that Salorian had indeed been “punished.”
“Does Senior also have to take combat classes like me?” Lu Heguang picked up his sword from the ground, sweat dripping from his forehead. “I thought he’d be locked in a dark room…”
“Don’t overthink it.” Mitchell immediately understood he had misinterpreted his earlier words. “I said he’d be bullied by Alphas, not that he’d be bullied by the Alphas in his family.”
As the youngest child in his family, Salorian had been somewhat spoiled growing up. Because of this, he initially lacked vigilance toward Alphas outside his family, which led to trouble.
“It’s a good thing for him to learn some combat skills. Last time, I taught him a couple of moves, and this time he managed to punch Parker back.” Mitchell raised his hand, signaling Lu Heguang to take a break. Lu Heguang quickly rested his sword on the ground for support and heard Mitchell ask, “I heard Parker was severely traumatized, but aside from the punch Salorian gave him, there were no other injuries on his body. Do you know what happened?”
Mitchell’s gaze scrutinized him, and Lu Heguang knew what he was thinking. After all, in Mitchell’s eyes, only Lu Heguang had gone after Parker that day.
“My dad taught me some skills too.” Lu Heguang didn’t avoid the question but didn’t elaborate either. “Maybe I scared him.”
Mitchell understood his meaning and chuckled softly, raising his sword to point at him. “Again.”
Lu Heguang hurriedly picked up his sword to meet his attack, not forgetting to ask about Salorian’s current situation. “Is Senior doing okay? He wasn’t hurt, was he?”
“Worry about yourself before worrying about others!” Mitchell seized the opportunity, tapping the tip of his sword against Lu Heguang’s waist, leaving a white mark on each side. “Don’t get distracted during a fight.”
Lu Heguang took a deep breath and adjusted his stance. “Again.”
After swordsmanship came shooting practice. It was Lu Heguang’s first time handling firearms, so Mitchell didn’t let him use advanced weapons. Instead, he provided him with an MDR rifle for beginners.
“I thought it would be something like a pistol.” Lu Heguang, handed the bulky weapon, expected to struggle holding it steady, but that didn’t happen.
Mitchell couldn’t help but laugh. “Haven’t you gotten used to being an Alpha yet? What Alpha can’t hold a gun steady?”
Lu Heguang coughed twice and followed his instructions for adjustments. Mitchell chuckled. “It’s normal. Your development is a bit slow. Has your rut cycle started yet? Do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?”
“No, not yet.” Lu Heguang grew wary, fearing Mitchell might ask, “Do you like my brother?” Fortunately, Mitchell only said, “It’s a good thing to settle down with someone as soon as possible. Your rut cycle won’t be as difficult, and as a soldier, you shouldn’t let it affect your performance. The MDR is the prototype for most weapons. Once you get used to it, handling other weapons will be no problem.”
Lu Heguang wasn’t quite accustomed to Mitchell’s abrupt topic changes but still followed his instructions and began practicing.
Something that surprised Lu Heguang was that Lu Ze occasionally came to practice with him, and Lu Ze’s skills could actually rival Mitchell’s.
“Dad, you’re really cool.” After two days of training, Lu Heguang and Lu Ze were sitting side by side on the sofa in the lounge. Lu Ze was fiddling with something on his smart device, while Lu Heguang was trying to get in touch with Salorian.
Lu Ze chuckled, “Of course Dad is cool, but why the sudden compliment?”
“You not only earn money to support the family, but you can also fight, shoot well, and make so many delicious dishes.” Lu Heguang leaned back onto his lap, looking up at Lu Ze. “Dad, you’ve worked hard.”
“Worked hard? It’s all thanks to Feiluoer.”
“Huh?” Lu Heguang sat up upon hearing this. “What does Father have to do with it?”
“You think I’m really a genius incubus?” Lu Ze ruffled his hair. “Back then, I didn’t know anything either. I just wanted to rely on Feiluoer for everything. Although he indulged me, he forced me to learn a lot.”
Economics, combat skills, shooting, cooking, and even many courses Lu Ze could no longer name.
“When I took you away from Feiluoer, I didn’t think much of it. I just thought it was fine to play around with him, but having a child meant I’d really be tied to him. I thought I could raise the child myself.” Lu Ze stretched lazily and said softly, “But in the end, it was only because of what he taught me that I could raise you to be this big.”
After seeing Lu Ze off to rest in his room, Lu Heguang ran into Feiluoer downstairs. The latter patted the sofa beside him, signaling Lu Heguang to come sit.
“Xiao Guang,” Feiluoer said after Lu Heguang sat down, tapping his fingers on his knees. “I heard what Lu Ze said earlier. You two have worked hard all these years.”
Lu Heguang thought for a moment and tentatively moved closer to him. The shoulders of the father and son touched, and the blue-haired Alpha softly comforted the father who had been absent for nineteen years, “Actually, all these years, you’ve always been by our side.”
Lu Ze’s every word and action carried the shadow of Feiluoer wasn’t that a form of companionship in itself?
Early the next morning, after his morning run, Lu Heguang went straight to Wyatt Academy. Mitchell wasn’t accompanying him today, but as soon as he arrived at the academy gate, he saw Salorian.
The Omega was dressed differently than usual today. The conspicuous white lab coat somewhat concealed his figure, but in Lu Heguang’s eyes, his senior still looked very handsome.
“Senior, you’re here early.” Lu Heguang jogged over. “Has the injury on your face healed?”
Only when he got closer did Lu Heguang notice that Salorian was wearing a pair of glasses, which made him look much quieter than usual. However, as soon as he spoke, his true nature was revealed: “You came just in time! That day, I was clearly dragged away by Park, but he insists I stood him up. Come help me explain it to him!”
“That Omega?” Just as Lu Heguang leaned in to look at his smart device, the other party sent over a provocative emoji, along with the message, “I already have a boyfriend / way more Alpha than you.”
Salorian: “Another Alpha!”
Lu Heguang quickly covered his smart device. “Senior, you didn’t see anything.”
“Forget it, forget it. Today’s your big day, no need to bother with him.” Salorian wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “We’re about to assemble. We’ll be leaving on the starship soon. You don’t get motion sick on starships, do you? If you do, listen to me find a seat by the window.”
The Omega carefully explained all the things to pay attention to along the way. Lu Heguang looked at his profile, feeling delighted inside Even though I’m an Alpha too, can other Alphas make Salorian take the initiative to get close?
Not far away, Wen Zhao, who was waiting for his good buddy, looked up while sipping his nutrient drink and saw Salorian walking over with Lu Heguang, who was taller than him, tucked under his arm. When he glanced at Lu Heguang, Wen Zhao actually saw a hint of shyness on his face.
Wen Zhao: “”
I must still be dreaming.