The two parted ways at the entrance of Xie Guanning’s apartment building.
As night deepened, it was a rare occasion where Xie Guanning went to bed early. Usually a deep sleeper, he expected to drift off quickly, but he found himself tossing and turning late into the night, sleep nowhere to be found.
He watched the silver moonlight peeking through the gaps in the curtains, his mind saturated with the words that child had said. After a while, he let out a dry laugh, feeling utterly ridiculous.
What am I doing? Taking a child’s random babbling seriously…
As he thought this, his hand involuntarily moved to cover his lower abdomen. It was still flat, with the faint, firm outline of abdominal muscles. No change at all.
Satisfied with this silent confirmation, he forced his mind to settle. As the night grew thick, he finally closed his eyes.
…
But his sleep was anything but peaceful.
Xie Guanning snapped his eyes open and stared at the ceiling, his gaze hollow. He rubbed his temples, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
He’d had a nightmare. He dreamed his stomach grew larger and larger until a toddler burst out of him, growing instantly the moment it hit the air. The child chased him, screaming “Daddy! Daddy!” like a relentless, brain-piercing siren.
In the dream, he was a frantic mess—feeding the kid, changing diapers, and scrubbing messy bottoms. He watched his bank balance on a giant screen plummet from seven figures to six, five, and finally to a pathetic two decimal places. In the end, he and the kid were so poor they had to beg in the Central Plaza.
Just then, the giant LED screen in the plaza displayed Jiang Yan’s face—calm, stoic, and expressionless. Every word he spoke echoed across the square: “I have no intention of marrying, nor will I have children.” As he said this, his gaze lowered, locking right onto the disheveled, pathetic Xie Guanning below.
The toddler tugged at his sleeve, teary-eyed. “Daddy… does Big Daddy not want us anymore?”
Xie Guanning took a deep breath. What on earth was that? It was suffocating.
He sat up and checked the time. Because of the dream, it was only six in the morning—earlier than his alarm. Shaken by the nightmare and unable to return to sleep, he got up, dressed in suitable clothes, packed his bag, and wandered out the door.
The breakfast stalls outside the residential buildings were already open. He stopped at his usual baozi shop and bought two buns and a cup of soy milk. He took a tentative bite; the aroma was mouth-watering. He chewed slowly and swallowed.
His eyes crinkled slightly with relief. Good, I have an appetite. It really was just his imagination running wild.
In a significantly better mood, he finished his breakfast on the way. Recognition from neighbors brought friendly greetings. Since it was early and the morning rush hadn’t started yet, he arrived at school promptly at 8:45 AM.
Stepping off the bus, he looked at the school gates and hesitated. Above the entrance, a massive LED screen flashed in exaggerated, bold red characters:
WARM CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR STUDENT XIE GUANNING FOR WINNING THE TOP SCHOLAR TITLE!
The font was so vibrant and eye-catching that every passerby stopped to stare and point. Xie Guanning took a deep breath, feeling as though the school he had attended for three years had suddenly turned into a lion’s den.
To make matters worse, he had messaged his homeroom teacher before arriving. Just as he was contemplating an escape, a middle-aged man in a formal suit burst out of the gates, waving frantically. “Guanning! Guanning! Over here!”
The eyes of everyone nearby instantly locked onto him. His face stiffened as he hurried inside, desperately trying to block out the public scrutiny.
His teacher greeted him with overwhelming enthusiasm. “Oh, you’re so early! I thought you’d be a bit later.”
Once inside the campus, Xie Guanning finally let out a sigh of relief. “It’s not that early. My appointment with the Military Academy is soon.”
The teacher’s face fell instantly. “Seriously, what is going on with you? I was stunned when I heard you wanted to apply to the military. With grades like yours, why the sudden change of heart?”
Xie Guanning smiled. “The Military Academy has always been my goal. I haven’t considered anything else.”
“But you have to consider the practical factors,” the teacher urged. “Any other university offers countless job opportunities. If you go to a military academy, what do you plan to do? Join the army? I heard your intended major is… Mecha Design?”
The teacher paused, speaking with earnest gravity. “Guanning, don’t take this the wrong way. Mecha design requires a mountain of money; even ordinary rich people can’t afford it. No matter how good the academy’s scholarship is, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the bottomless pit of mecha development. What will you do in the future?”
Mingli High School had two types of students: the wealthy and the high achievers. Xie Guanning belonged to the latter; he had been recruited with a full scholarship. Most people knew a bit about his background, the illegitimate son of the Xie family. While not outright bullied, he was largely ignored by the wealthy cliques. His teacher had only begun to pay him real attention as his grades stayed consistently at the top. No one expected him to explode into such fame as this year’s Number One Scholar.
Xie Guanning knew the teacher’s concern was genuine. He replied sincerely, “I know you’re worried about me, but I’ve made my decision. As for the future, I’ll take it one step at a time. I won’t starve, at least.”
Seeing he couldn’t be swayed, the teacher sighed. “Fine. I can only offer guidance; the path is yours to walk. As long as you don’t look back with regret, so be it.”
While Mingli hadn’t produced a top scholar in years, they frequently sent students to elite schools like Imperial University. They didn’t strictly need him to go to Imperial University; in fact, the headline “Mingli Top Scholar Joins the Military” would generate even more buzz and prestige for the school.
They walked toward the administrative office. The teacher mentioned that the Principal and other leaders were there, telling him not to be nervous.
Xie Guanning wasn’t nervous. He had chatted comfortably with the First Prince and a Marshal of the Empire; a school meeting was nothing.
However, he soon found a reason to regret his arrival.
He hadn’t expected the Military Academy representatives to be waiting early. But more surprisingly, the Imperial First Military Academy wasn’t the only one in the room.