“Well, well, who do we have here? Isn’t this our former First Seat of the First Military Academy, the legendary SS-rank genius Yuan Mu?”
A sweet, delicate female voice rang out from behind the crowd, and the onlookers immediately parted to make way for her.
“Isn’t that Lan Weiying? Why’s she here?”
“To watch the drama, obviously.”
“More like kicking someone while they’re down. As one of the academy’s three campus belles, she chased after Yuan Mu for a whole year. Too bad the falling flower had feelings while the flowing water had none. Yuan Mu never gave her so much as a pleasant look from beginning to end. Now that Yuan Mu’s crippled, she’s finally venting her frustration.”
“Tsk tsk, this is going to be entertaining.”
“…”
The crowd whispered among themselves.
Cheng Li raised a brow. This Lan Weiying showed up quite often on the First Military Academy forums. She had been one of Yuan Mu’s most devoted admirers. Yet now she had changed sides without hesitation, and not only that, she even came over to mock him. Her character really was questionable.
Though she truly was beautiful.
“So this is your wife?” Lan Weiying looked Cheng Li up and down with open disdain before giving a scornful snort. “Ugly, crippled, and just an ordinary person. Yuan Mu, the current you is only worthy of a woman like this.”
Cheng Li’s mouth twitched. She was ugly? This beauty clearly had eyesight problems.
“She’s kinder than you,” Yuan Mu replied indifferently.
“What do you mean by that? She’s kind, so I’m vicious?” Lan Weiying’s features twisted slightly.
Yuan Mu merely shot her a cold sideways glance without saying a word. His expression seemed to say that everything spoke for itself.
Furious, Lan Weiying reached out to shove Yuan Mu’s wheelchair. Cheng Li reacted swiftly and turned the wheelchair aside first, pushing him away.
“Come on, come on, we should get the paperwork done.”
With that, she pushed Yuan Mu off.
The gathered students also dispersed as class time approached, whispering among themselves as they walked away.
“What a pity. The former First Seat was such a good person. Who would’ve thought something like this would happen to him?”
“Exactly. I cried the whole night for him. He was my dream guy.”
“Mine too. Who could’ve imagined he’d marry an ordinary person who’s disabled too? I feel so wronged for him. He deserved someone better.”
“Better how? No guide would marry a crippled family castoff like him. If it were you, would you agree?”
“Uh…….. no.”
“So really, the two of them are pretty well matched.”
“………”
Cheng Li glanced at Yuan Mu and thought, ‘Aren’t we, though? One missing an arm, the other missing both legs. We really are a perfect match.’
Throughout the process of handling his withdrawal from school, Yuan Mu did not say a single word. His face seemed covered in a layer of frost. Even after they walked out through the gates of the First Military Academy, that icy expression still had not melted away.
He turned back to look at the tall, imposing school gates. His eyes were slightly red, as though he were desperately suppressing something.
“Can’t bear to leave?” Cheng Li asked.
Yuan Mu turned his head away and answered with something unrelated. “We’re going back.”
Cheng Li followed behind the wheelchair, watching his thin shoulders tremble slightly. She could not help sighing inwardly. After all, he was only a nineteen-year-old boy. After suffering such a massive upheaval, he must have been hurting terribly inside.
Cheng Li stayed with Yuan Mu for a long stretch of the journey. Only after his emotions gradually returned to normal did they board a hovercar back to the Yuan family estate.
Early the next morning, Cheng Li, Yuan Mu, and Uncle Zhao set out together for the starport to board a starship. The Yuan family owned a private starship, but it was usually used by Yuan Zhaoling and Ye Zi. Even this time, when Yuan Mu was heading to the mining planet, Yuan Zhaoling still had not agreed to let him use it.
The moment she boarded the starship, Cheng Li looked exactly like a country bumpkin seeing the world for the first time. She craned her neck everywhere, touching this and poking that, fascinated by absolutely everything.
Even Yuan Mu, with his perpetually expressionless face, felt embarrassed watching her. It was simply too humiliating.
Uncle Zhao, however, wore a kindly smile and patiently introduced her to various bits of knowledge about starships.
Meanwhile, Cheng Li’s ability had already spread into the hull, absorbing the residual source energy hidden within the metal. Feeling her depleted powers slowly recovering, she beamed brightly and praised, “Uncle Zhao, you really know so much.”
Uncle Zhao waved his hand modestly. “Not at all. My knowledge is shallow. Young Master is the one truly proficient in all kinds of starships.”
Cheng Li turned to look at Yuan Mu, but he had already closed his eyes, clearly having no intention of showing off.
As the starship departed the starport and entered the sea of stars, Cheng Li looked out through the window. The vast expanse of glittering stars dazzled her completely, and she could not help exclaiming, “This is way too beautiful!”
Yuan Mu opened his eyes, but what he looked at was not the scenery outside.
He looked at the girl instead.
He realized the clarity and brilliance in her eyes did not pale beside any planet beyond the window.
In fact, they were even more beautiful.
The voyage would take five days. Uncle Zhao had only booked one room, so Yuan Mu and Cheng Li stayed together while he himself slept in the communal bunk area. The room was not large. It contained a bed, a small dining table, and a private bathroom.
“Looks like we’ll have to sleep on the same bed. There’s not enough room on the floor for bedding,” Cheng Li said.
Yuan Mu frowned. “Book another room.”
“I already checked. There aren’t any left. Even the communal bunks are full,” Cheng Li replied truthfully before comforting him, “The bed’s one point eight meters wide and two meters long. We can sleep sideways, one at each end. There’ll still be over a meter of space between us, so we won’t touch at all. If you’re still worried, I can even put two suitcases in the middle.”
Yuan Mu remained silent.
“I’ll take that as agreement, then. I’ll sleep over here, you sleep over there.” They had gotten up before five that morning, and Cheng Li yawned, intending to catch up on sleep.
She pulled out the blanket she had brought from the Yuan family estate, spread it over the bed, and lay down. Turning her head, she asked, “Can you get up by yourself? Need help?”
“No need.” Yuan Mu rejected her coldly and did not get onto the bed.
Cheng Li stopped bothering with him. She closed her eyes and fell asleep within minutes.
Her breathing gradually evened out.
Yuan Mu frowned as he stared at the sleeping girl, deeply dissatisfied inside. She had really just gone to sleep like that? She trusted him that much, convinced he would never do anything to her?
For some reason, a heavy irritation welled up in his chest.
Only after confirming Cheng Li would not wake up did Yuan Mu lift the blanket covering his wheelchair and brace himself up with his arms, climbing onto the bed.
The process was neither difficult nor exhausting.
But it was ugly.
He had seen himself in the mirror before. Like a gorilla.
No, even worse than a gorilla. At least gorillas had legs.
As for him, he was like some kind of monster. Just like the insectoid race he despised most. Ugly.
Every time he looked at himself, he hated himself a little more.
Even if he did not like Cheng Li, he still did not want her to see him in such an ugly state.
Cheng Li slept for two hours. When she woke up, it was just in time for lunch. She turned her head and discovered Yuan Mu was still asleep, so she quietly got up and left the room.
The moment she left, Yuan Mu immediately opened his eyes.
By the time Cheng Li returned carrying lunch, Yuan Mu was already back in his wheelchair.
The two silently finished their meal together. Cheng Li took the trays back, then asked, “I’m going to wander around for a bit later. Want to come?”
The starship had entertainment facilities such as a gym, bar, and movie theater, all freely available to passengers.
“Not going.” Yuan Mu refused and picked up a physical book.
In the blink of an eye, four days passed. Cheng Li and Yuan Mu had peacefully shared the same room without incident. Their coexistence was surprisingly harmonious.
That day, Cheng Li was playing games in the arcade when she suddenly heard a scream, followed by the sound of gunfire.
She immediately threw aside the game controller and sprinted toward their room.
The starship had descended into complete chaos. With only one arm, Cheng Li had an even harder time keeping her balance than everyone else. She stumbled the entire way, and just as she was about to arrive, a burly man suddenly grabbed her by the collar and lifted her into the air.
The giant of a man carried her like a chick, walked a few steps, then tossed her into the crowd.
“Stay put. If anyone refuses to behave…”
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. Someone collapsed to the floor, blood spreading across the ground.
“This is what happens. Understood?”
Cheng Li lowered her head and shrank into the crowd.
“A-Are they star pirates?” someone whispered, their voice trembling with tears.
“Who else besides star pirates would hijack a starship? I just hope they only want money and not lives,” another person replied shakily, forcing themselves to stay calm.
The people hiding in their rooms were also dragged out by the pirates. The moment Cheng Li saw Yuan Mu being carried over by one of them, her heart nearly leaped into her throat.
“He’s just a cripple. Was there really any need to drag him over?” one of the star pirates sneered.
“He’s still a sentinel, at least,” the sentinel carrying Yuan Mu replied before casually throwing him over.
Yuan Mu closed his eyes, expecting to crash painfully onto the floor.
Instead, he fell into a soft embrace.
He opened his eyes and met the girl’s pale face.
“Whew. Good thing I caught you,” the girl muttered under her breath.