Seeing Yan Xun approach, Gu Chongyang let out a soft “Tsk.”
Fu Siheng turned to look at him, but Gu Chongyang merely wore a confused expression and gave him a friendly smile.
For some reason, Fu Siheng couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something malicious behind that smile. Of course, it could also be the influence of all those rumors.
Yan Xun strode over, staring fixedly at Gu Chongyang, his tone sharp: “What are you doing?”
The students helping out under the canopy trembled as they typed in the group chat: Fuck, Senior Yan and Senior Gu are squaring off on the sports field! It looks like a fight’s about to break out!
Early Spring Wants to Drink Peach Soda: Huh? I thought they always went out of their way to avoid each other. How did they end up facing off?
Abba Abba: It seems like… they’re fighting over Instructor Fu(?) I don’t know, ahhh, the atmosphere is terrifying!
Today Is Chongyang’s Simp Cat: I’m here, I’m here! Where are you guys? Waaaah, how’s Senior Chongyang? Did he get even more handsome?
Shi Shi Doesn’t Talk About Love: ……
Li Xiao: Hahahaha, are the protagonists of the Imperial Army’s top three legendary scenes all gathered here?
Early Spring Wants Peach Soda:? What top three legendary scenes? How come I don’t know about them?
Li Xiao: [/smirk] Yan Xun fighting, Fu Siheng piloting a mecha, and Gu Chongyang hitting on girls. Don’t ask how I know; just assume I dug it up from the old forums.
Today Is Chongyang’s Licking Cat: Hitting on girls? What the hell! Pfft hahaha, but Senior Chongyang really does love to play around.
Xiao Hai – Accepting Suppressant Agent Pre-orders (DM me): Holy crap, do those three know each other?
Li Xiao: Senior Yan and Instructor Fu know each other, but Gu Chongyang is from the Northwest Campus, so they probably don’t.
Xiao Hai – Accepting Suppressant Agent Pre-orders (DM me): Oh oh oh, you scared me. Aba, hurry up with the livestream! I want to watch!
The student looked up at the three men, each wearing a different expression, unable to believe that the protagonists of the three greatest living legendary scenes were right in front of him.
Gu Chongyang, stung by Yan Xun’s remark, didn’t get angry. Instead, he naturally raised his elbow and rested it on Fu Siheng’s shoulder. “I’m here to proctor the exam, aren’t you?”
Yan Xun glared at Gu Chongyang’s arm, his gaze so intense it seemed he might lunge forward and snap it off at any moment.
Fu Siheng felt the heavy weight on his shoulder and frowned imperceptibly, stepping aside.
Gu Chongyang’s hand met empty air, and he withdrew it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Yan Xun’s expression remained gloomy as he stared at him.
Sensing the strange tension in the air, Fu Siheng set down his cup and addressed Yan Xun. “What are you doing here? Director Huang said not to wander around.”
Yan Xun’s glare shifted from Gu Chongyang to him, his sense of grievance deepening. “I’m thirsty,” he declared indignantly.
He reached for an untouched paper cup on the table and drained the snow pear soup in a single gulp.
Fu Siheng: “…”
“Want another?” he asked, lifting the thermos and shaking it slightly in front of Yan Xun.
Yan Xun retracted his murderous gaze and turned to leave in a huff.
“It seems Instructor Fu and our Chairman are on pretty good terms,” Gu Chongyang remarked from behind.
Fu Siheng tossed the paper cup into the trash bin. “So-so.”
“Instructor Fu is from the Marine Corps, isn’t he?” Gu Chongyang said, watching him. “I imagine the class you’re leading must be anything but ‘so-so’.”
Fu Siheng looked back at him. “You’ve been away for a few months, yet you’re still so well-informed. What’s the matter? Did your little lackey complain to you?”
Gu Chongyang sneered. “He’s not worthy of complaining to me. He’s nothing but a dog. Instructor Fu, I’m looking forward to your class’s performance.”
With that, he took the stopwatch and strolled toward the track.
Fu Siheng frowned. Gu Chongyang’s words had left him with a very unpleasant feeling.
He had just been thinking that Yan Xun’s personality was somewhat similar to Gu Chongyang’s; both were arrogant and acted as if no one else mattered, but now he took that back.
Although Yan Xun was domineering, he knew how to respect people. He might beat someone up, but he would never treat them like trash.
Gu Chongyang, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He derived pleasure from humiliating others, including those close to him.
A person like this is dangerous.
The afternoon’s physical fitness test concluded quickly. The results across the three classes were surprisingly balanced.
Class 1, with its larger number of S-rank Alphas, held a significant advantage in physical ability, temporarily taking the lead with a five-point margin over second place. Class 3 trailed Class 2 by a single point, placing last.
Physical fitness is largely determined by genetics, though it can also be improved through later training.
After the assessment ended, Fu Siheng held a brief class meeting.
Standing at the front of the room, he addressed the students below. “Everyone did very well today, even exceeding my expectations. After you’ve all finished, I want each of you to write a report for me, summarizing the lessons learned from this experience and creating a reasonable training plan for yourselves. Strive to do even better next time.”
The students, who had all been keeping their heads down, looked up at him in astonishment.
After the cheating incident in the morning and their last-place finish in the afternoon, they had expected a reprimand from their instructor. Instead, he was praising them for doing well.
However, Fu Siheng saw things differently. Although he had been prophesied from birth to become a top-tier Alpha, his delayed differentiation had given him a profound sense of helplessness due to his weak mental strength.
An S-rank Alpha or higher could easily complete a five-kilometer run in around ten minutes. They wouldn’t tire during exercise, and their breathing and heart rate would remain steady and controlled. But only Fu Siheng knew how much time and sweat he had poured into reducing his time from fifteen minutes to under ten.
Everyone assumed he was a natural prodigy, able to outclass them all even without using his spiritual power. But there was no such thing as an overnight success, only the result of countless hours of grueling practice.
Because he lacked spiritual power, his body would ache all over after combat training, and he’d suffer from headaches and nausea after piloting a mecha. Only he knew the true cost of his achievements.
Now, facing this group of students who weren’t natural prodigies themselves, he empathized with them deeply. He couldn’t find fault with their efforts.
“You can’t get fat by eating one meal,” he said. “Similarly, letting your guard down over time will ensure you’re always left behind by the other two classes. In tomorrow’s combat assessment, give it your absolute all. Don’t bring shame to Class 3.”
It had only been a few weeks since the start of the semester, and he’d only taught them a few combat and mecha classes. He knew all too well that their skills were far from meeting the required standards.
The students, emboldened by his words, roared in unison, “Yes, Instructor! We won’t let you down!”
The next day, the combat assessment arrived as scheduled.
Since it was a one-on-one sparring event, each chief examiner brought an assistant to help observe the students’ movements.
Yan Xun brought a first-year graduate student Alpha. Shi Yuanyang was paired with Yi Fengbei, while Gu Chongyang was assisted by a short-haired female Alpha.
Fu Siheng arrived a little late after collecting the roster from Director Huang. By the time he showed up, everyone was already in position.
From a distance, he waved to Shi Yuanyang, who waved back.
The female Alpha explained that Gu Chongyang had gone to the restroom to smoke. Another junior, who was helping with the recording, added, “Instructor Fu, you just missed a huge drama.”
“Hmm?” Fu Siheng raised an eyebrow.
“Senior Gu just went over to Class 2 and asked Senior Yi with a smile if they could swap partners,” the junior explained. “Senior Shishi completely lost it on the spot, grabbed the stopwatch, and threw it right at him. Holy crap, it scared the life out of me!”
Fu Siheng raised an eyebrow in surprise. He’d never known Shi Yuanyang to have such a short fuse.
The female Alpha scoffed. “You didn’t know? Last year, Gu Chongyang bet someone he could win Senior Shishi over in three days. He got his ass handed to him, so he’s probably still nursing a grudge.”
“He tried to pursue Senior Shishi?” The junior gaped in disbelief.
The female Alpha sneered. “What’s so surprising? He’s basically the male version of a public bus; his private life is a total mess. Scumbags who flit from flower to flower like him always obsess over the one who rejects them. It’s not love; it’s just his competitive streak acting up.”
Fu Siheng glanced at her, feeling she looked vaguely familiar.
The female Alpha flashed him a toothy grin. “Oh, Instructor Fu, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Nan Weiyang.”
Fu Siheng finally realized who she was and nodded. So she’s Nan Chen’s granddaughter.
A few minutes later, Gu Chongyang returned, and the assessment officially began.
This time, the order was reversed from before, with Class 3 going first. The instructors and examiners from the other two classes had nothing to do, so they gathered around to watch. Only Shi Yuanyang and Yi Fengbei stayed away.
The first to take the field for Class 3 was the class president, whose opponent was Luo Shu. Both were A-rank Alphas, and their movements barely met the standard.
Nan Weiyang blew a bubble with her gum and muttered a low-voiced critique, “Holy shit, his legs look thinner than mine.”
Fu Siheng smiled. “You’re an S-rank. They naturally can’t compare to you.”
“Huh? How do you know I’m an S-rank?” Nan Weiyang asked, puzzled.
Fu Siheng replied, “Dean Nan is one of my idols. I was fortunate enough to visit his residence a few times when I was a child.”
Nan Weiyang burst into laughter. “So you’ve known me since I was a kid? Hey, Hera just immigrated here… Ah, wait, that was over twenty years ago. Were you born on the spaceship?”
She asked too many questions, and Fu Siheng didn’t feel like chatting. He simply nodded and turned his attention back to the field.
Yan Xun overheard their conversation and glanced at Fu Siheng thoughtfully.
The second pair soon took the field: Shi Hongjun and another student.
Halfway through their match, Gu Chongyang shook his head repeatedly. “Instructor Fu, with all due respect, is this it? How am I supposed to grade this?”
Yan Xun frowned and looked over.
Fu Siheng replied calmly, “Grade them normally according to the standards. Although their movements were constrained by their mental power, neither crossed the line, and their pheromone clash was evenly matched.”
“Hmph, so this is the Marine Corps standard?” Gu Chongyang’s tone was laced with mockery, drawing the attention of everyone around them.
Fu Siheng turned to him at the mention of the “Marine Corps.” After a moment of silence, he said, “No, this is the Imperial Military Academy’s standard. The one you should be adhering to.”
As the nephew of Gu Xiao, the second-in-command of the National Defense Headquarters, Gu Chongyang naturally harbored no good feelings toward the Marine Corps.
He sneered at Fu Siheng, “In my opinion, none of these people would pass under my command. Instructor Fu, frankly, I’m a bit disappointed. Perhaps you’ve heard of National Defense Unit 3761?”
Yan Xun couldn’t help but take a step forward. “Are you fucking done yet?”
Fu Siheng stopped him, a faint smile on his lips. “Oh, you mean that bunch of defeated subordinates of mine from the Mecha League? I vaguely recall them.”
Gu Chongyang’s expression stiffened, his voice turning cold. “The Mecha League is a team effort. That only proves the opposing commanders were no match for you. How about we make a bet? Let’s see if your class can even pass my midterm assessment in a month.”
Yan Xun raised his hand, but Fu Siheng was faster. He grabbed Gu Chongyang by the collar and yanked him forward.
Gasps erupted from the crowd. The two other instructors, sensing trouble, rushed over to intervene, and Shi Yuanyang approached as well.
But Fu Siheng had no intention of hitting him. Gu Chongyang was slightly taller, yet he didn’t look disheveled at all even with his collar gripped. Instead, he met Fu Siheng’s gaze with a mocking glint in his eyes.
“The soldiers I lead are never incompetent,” Fu Siheng said slowly, his eyes turning cold. “One month. If they pass, what will you do?”
Gu Chongyang narrowed his eyes. “I’ll apologize and admit my mistake in front of the entire school. You can beat me, and I won’t fight back.”
“I won’t hit you,” Fu Siheng replied.
Gu Chongyang glanced at Shi Yuanyang, a casual smile playing on his lips. “Then if they fail, you promise me…”
He leaned in close to Fu Siheng and whispered something only the two of them could hear.
Fu Siheng’s lips parted, but before he could speak, he felt a sudden lightness in his hand.
Yan Xun had snatched Gu Chongyang’s collar from his grasp, raised a fist, and smashed it down. “Fuck you! I’ve been holding back for long enough!”