Gu Chongyang was talking to Fu Siheng when he was caught completely off guard, a fist slamming into his face.
But he recovered instantly. His left hand seized Yan Xun’s arm, and his other hand swung back with a punch of its own.
Every move in a martial arts competition is designed to be sleek and stylish, but none of them ever felt as real as this. This was a true clash between two beasts fighting for territory, refusing to dodge, charging straight at each other to trade brutal blows.
The crowd froze for a few seconds before rushing in to pull them apart.
Yi Fengbei held Gu Chongyang back, while Yan Xun, panting heavily, glared at him with bloodshot eyes.
His lip was split, and a bruise was already swelling on his cheek. Fu Siheng handed him a tissue. “Are you okay?”
Yan Xun shot back, “What did that bastard say to you?”
The surrounding crowd watched them, and Nan Weiyang’s expression was complicated.
Fu Siheng frowned deeply. “It was nothing. Go to the infirmary and put some iodine on that.”
“Forget it.” Yan Xun’s temper was still flaring. He dodged the hand holding the tissue and turned away, walking back to his own classroom without looking back.
Fu Siheng watched Yan Xun’s lonely, stubborn figure walk away, his heart pounding wildly.
The students nearby wore a range of priceless expressions as they all stared at him. He waved a hand. “Don’t crowd around here. Go take your exam.”
Only then did the crowd disperse. Class Two’s instructor took Gu Chongyang aside.
Class 3 was now being proctored by Nan Weiyang. Order was restored, and the students went up to take their exams one by one.
She couldn’t help but strike up a conversation with Fu Siheng. “Instructor Fu, do you know Yan Xun?”
“College classmates,” Fu Siheng said tersely, his gaze fixed on the students.
Nan Weiyang’s eyes darted around as she asked, “Boyfriend?”
Fu Siheng cleared his throat, his voice awkward. “No.”
“Really? He’s actually…” Nan Weiyang’s voice trailed off.
Fu Siheng didn’t hear her. “What?”
Nan Weiyang lowered her voice. “Someone said Yan Xun is… lacking in that department. He spent seven years at Imperial Military University without ever dating, just because he was afraid people would find out he’s… impotent.”
She whispered the last two words, yet they fell clearly into Fu Siheng’s ears.
“…” He choked, at a loss for words.
“No one has ever smelled his pheromones. Oh, I mean his sexual pheromones,” Nan Weiyang said. “But don’t Alphas love to release their sexual pheromones all the time? At least I do. Whenever I see a cute guy or girl, I’m like a peacock fanning its tail, releasing them like crazy. But he’s never done it once. In fact, no one even knows what his pheromones smell like.”
Pheromones are always more distinct the higher the compatibility. But even the most incompatible Alphas and Omegas still have at least a 1% to 5% compatibility rate; it’s impossible not to smell them at all.
For her to say that no one knew what Yan Xun’s pheromones smelled like, there were only two possibilities. One: he had never released them. This was highly unlikely, as Alphas unconsciously release pheromones during intense exercise. Two: he was actually impotent and had no sexual pheromones.
Fu Siheng couldn’t help but recall the orchid-musk scent he’d smelled on Yan Xun that day, but that was probably just his body wash.
“You guys are really gossipy,” he said, unable to offer any real opinion.
In truth, a sliver of curiosity had also taken root in his own mind.
Could it really be what they’re saying?
He suddenly remembered the night he’d caught Yi Fengbei watching adult videos. Yan Xun had claimed he wasn’t involved.
At the time, it seemed completely absurd. How could a roommate watch porn right in front of you and you still act like a saint?
But thinking about it now, the realization was terrifying.
If that’s true…
God, is even masturbating forbidden now?
He suddenly felt a wave of pity for Yan Xun.
After the assessment, both Yan Xun and Gu Chongyang had vanished.
The Class Two instructor mentioned that someone had taken them to Principal Gu’s office. Fu Siheng’s expression darkened.
Gu Xiao was Gu Chongyang’s uncle; he wouldn’t let his nephew suffer. But Yan Xun was an outsider. If he got bullied, it wouldn’t be good.
With this thought, he hurried toward the Administration Building.
Back when they were dating, he’d asked Yan Xun what his family did for a living.
At the time, Yan Xun had replied flippantly, saying his father had a bad temper and spent his days leading people into fights. His mother had left for another planet when he was very young and had never returned.
To Fu Siheng’s ears, this meant his father was a thug, and his mother had run off with someone else, abandoning them.
Because of this, for a long time, Fu Siheng always paid for their meals.
Later, Yan Xun started buying things for him, but Fu Siheng scolded him for wasting money. Yan Xun had just shrugged it off, saying his grandfather had left him a sum of money. Only then did Fu Siheng stop worrying that he would be forced to secretly eat instant noodles.
Although the Empire was very just now, treating students from poor backgrounds even better than regular students, encountering someone like Gu Chongyang was still a nightmare.
Vice Principal’s Office
Two boys, who had just finished fighting, stood before the desk. The man seated behind it was speaking into a communicator.
Gu Xiao shared a passing resemblance to Gu Chongyang, but his gaze was far more somber, and a smile rarely touched his lips.
“Yes, Chongyang is fine,” he said, his tone gentle. “Commander, there’s no need to worry about him.”
“Not at all, not at all. It was just a childish scuffle. Please don’t give it another thought.”
“Don’t say that. This has nothing to do with Axun. It was Chongyang who was being stubborn.”
Yan Xun glanced at Gu Chongyang, who returned his gaze with a look of sheer boredom. Clearly, the two had been through this many times before.
After setting down the communicator, Gu Xiao turned to Yan Xun. “How’s your face? Still hurting? I’ll have the school doctor come examine you in a moment.”
Though Yan Xun could freely trade blows with Gu Chongyang, he still felt a bit awkward in the presence of an elder. He waved a hand dismissively. “That’s not necessary. I’m fine, Uncle Gu.”
Gu Xiao didn’t even spare Gu Chongyang a glance as he continued to address Yan Xun, “I can’t let that be. Your mother entrusted me to look after you before she left. You’re her only son, so I must keep my word.”
Yan Xun forced a dry laugh and didn’t respond.
“She’s been on Haimu Star for over ten years now, hasn’t she? She should be coming back this year?” Gu Xiao seemed to want to chat more, asking in a gentle tone.
Yan Xun rarely spoke to him, but mentioning his mother brought a slight smile to his face. “Yes, she’ll be back next month. I just had a video call with her a few days ago.”
Gu Xiao nodded. “She has made outstanding contributions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is one of the most respected women in the Empire.”
The rest of the conversation was a mere formality. After exchanging a few polite pleasantries, Gu Xiao dismissed Yan Xun.
Throughout the entire exchange, Gu Chongyang’s expression remained completely blank, as if he were listening to a tedious daily news broadcast.
As Yan Xun passed by him, he instinctively wanted to glance at him but restrained himself.
The moment he stepped out the door, he ran straight into Fu Siheng, who was walking briskly toward him.
Yan Xun froze, a flicker of joy crossing his eyes before he feigned indifference. “What are you doing here?”
Seeing Yan Xun acting as if nothing had happened, Fu Siheng waved the file folder in his hand. “I’m here to pick up the assessment report. How did your talk go?”
Yan Xun’s expression instantly soured. “Not great,” he said coldly.
Just then, a muffled thud echoed from inside, as if someone had fallen to the ground.
Fu Siheng glanced at the gap in the tightly closed door. Yan Xun frowned and said to him, “Let’s go.”
Since he had confirmed that the person inside was fine, Fu Siheng didn’t want to get involved any further and followed Yan Xun downstairs.
Yan Xun glanced at the file folder in Fu Siheng’s hand and remarked with annoyance, “You really did come for the grade report. Impressive.”
Fu Siheng looked away. “Class 3 didn’t do well this time. We’ll need to step up their training.”
Ever since that incident that had made him angry, Yan Xun had stopped trying to prevent Fu Siheng from participating in the “Excellence Plan.” Hearing this, he said, “Actually, you don’t need to feel burdened. The majority of them will be sent to the battlefield in the future anyway. If you use the Marine Corps’ training methods, Dean Qu won’t say anything.”
Fu Siheng, of course, understood this reasoning. However, he felt that someone like Yan Xun, with top-tier spiritual power, couldn’t possibly understand how difficult it was to train them.
The soldiers in the Marine Corps were all S-rank on average. Although top-tier ones were rare, at least their physical fitness was up to par.
Fu Siheng pondered this, a plan gradually forming in his mind.
He waved his hand and said, “I’m going back to write the training plan now. See you later.”
Yan Xun noticed Fu Siheng’s eyes light up as he spoke, a look that reminded him of the inspiration Fu Siheng would get when struggling to devise a new tactic.
He loved this expression on Fu Siheng’s face, the look of someone completely devoted to something they were passionate about.
But at the same time, he felt a pang of disappointment. Fu Siheng truly didn’t care about him at all. He’d casually chat with other Omegas, stand close to the Alpha he despised most, and not even care if the Vice Principal had criticized him for fighting.
“Bye. Get some rest,” Yan Xun said listlessly, his heart aching with a mixture of bitterness and sorrow.
Fu Siheng’s mind was completely consumed by the training plan. He had just come up with a method to provide high-intensity training without having to suppress the students, and he planned to start writing the application as soon as he returned.
Because of this, he didn’t notice that even Yan Xun’s hair seemed to droop with dejection. He simply smiled at him and left.
Once he was back, he began to draft the detailed plan and application.
He worked straight through until around ten in the evening before finally stretching and opening his communicator to check his messages.
Lin Yue had sent a flood of messages asking about the day’s events. Shi Yuanyang had sent a few as well.
Fu Siheng tapped one open. Shi Yuanyang had asked: What did that bastard say to you today?
It took Fu Siheng a few seconds to process who “that bastard” was.
He recalled the condition Gu Chongyang had set: “Agree to one thing for me: help me apologize to Shishi. But I really wasn’t trying to play him.”
As he typed, Fu Siheng hesitated, Nan Weiyang’s words echoing in his mind.
Chaotic private life. A playboy. A drive to win.
He deleted his message and retyped: Nothing important.
A long silence followed before a reply came back: Figured.
After a moment’s thought, Fu Siheng added: I might be sent on an assignment away for a month.
Shi Yuanyang: Huh? Where? So sudden!
Fu Siheng: It’s only a possibility. I don’t know if the higher-ups will approve it yet.
He exited the chat interface, his finger hovering over Yan Xun’s name, but ultimately he didn’t open the conversation.