TL: Hua

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Chapter 35

Perhaps fearing the owner might say something even more scandalous, Pei Yingye rushed through the boarding paperwork. After letting the man deduct the fee from his earnings, he hurriedly dragged Ji Xuan out of there.

His footsteps thundered down the stairs. Ji Xuan allowed Pei Yingye to half-pull, half-clutch his sleeve, following leisurely behind him.

“You don’t look like someone who’s particularly short on cash.”

Pei Yingye burst out of the bar entrance, taking a breath of air that wasn’t exactly fresh but was better than the stuffy interior, before realizing what Ji Xuan was referring to.

The money he won from underground boxing was still in the owner’s account, so when asked for a payment method, Pei Yingye had instinctively told him to just deduct it. Ji Xuan must have misunderstood and thought he came here to earn a living.

He guessed it just from that one sentence?

Seeing his confusion, Ji Xuan explained, “I recognized you last time when I was downstairs.”

“From that far away? And I was wearing a hood…?” Pei Yingye was genuinely surprised.

Ji Xuan chuckled. “Your build is so recognizable; it’s hard to mistake you for anyone else, isn’t it?”

To Pei Yingye’s ears, those words took on an entirely different meaning. He jerked his head away, staring at a flickering neon sign at the corner of the street, his Adam’s apple bobbing awkwardly.

“I’m definitely not short on money,” Pei Yingye said, striding over to his bike. “But the training and simulations at the military academy don’t provide this kind of release. I have to come here.”

Ji Xuan raised an eyebrow. “But I read in books that 3S-grade Alphas don’t usually suffer from pheromone disorder or need frequent venting.”

Pei Yingye paused.

“Do you remember that ‘accident’ Lai Zhou mentioned?”

Ji Xuan leaned in, tilting his head forward to hear better, his chin resting on Pei Yingye’s shoulder. “Yeah.”

“It’s pretty much that accident. I got a little injured, and my mental power is sometimes unstable.” Pei Yingye’s tone was very calm, as if he didn’t take it seriously, and he even described the process very concisely.

“So our Ah Ye… has suffered such hardship.” Ji Xuan seemed to be thinking of something; his eyelids drooped slightly, his warm breath grazing the side of the other’s neck. His voice turned soft and slow. “Do you need me to comfort you?”

The name “Ah Ye” was spoken with a tone that was almost a sigh, carrying an indescribable intimacy and… tenderness.

Pei Yingye’s entire body went rigid. By reflex, he slammed on the brakes; the hoverbike let out a piercing screech as it came to an abrupt halt. The massive inertia sent Ji Xuan slamming into his back with a short, muffled grunt.

Whether it was because of the intimate nickname or the suggestive offer, Pei Yingye’s neck instantly flushed hot, his ears turning a bright crimson. He turned his head indignantly to glare at Ji Xuan, who was nonchalantly pulling back and smoothing his ruffled hair.

Does he even know what it implies when an Omega tells an Alpha they want to ‘comfort’ them?

Pei Yingye wanted to ask, but he felt it would be futile.

Ji Xuan would surely have a thousand excuses to brush it off, and in the end, Pei Yingye would be the only one left feeling restless.

Ji Xuan acted as if he hadn’t noticed the glare. He scanned the surroundings and noted, “This doesn’t seem to be the way back to the Upper City.”

Pei Yingye’s chest heaved as he took two sharp breaths. He turned back forcefully and restarted the bike. “…I’m taking you to dinner.”

Ji Xuan looked at him with a half-smile. “Are you really taking me on a date?”

Pei Yingye pursed his lips. “Why else? You thought I was lying to him?”

With that, he revved the throttle harder.

The hoverbike eventually stopped at the mouth of an alley. Unlike the clamor of the bar street, this place was filled with a grounded, lived-in atmosphere rarely seen in the Upper City.

The air was thick with a spicy, enticing aroma. Pei Yingye swung his leg over the bike and pointed toward a shop with warm yellow lights and a few old tables and chairs out front. “Over here.”

The shop owner, a middle-aged Beta, greeted Pei Yingye familiarly. “You’re back? The usual? Clear broth and tomato?”

Pei Yingye glanced at Ji Xuan, who was leisurely taking in the shop’s decor. He said stiffly, “A split pot today.”

He then sat down at a familiar table along the street.

Their food arrived quickly. A split pot sat in the center of the table; one side was a bubbling, milky-white mushroom broth, while the other was packed with dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. It seemed to be a beef tallow base that looked like it would make one’s tongue go numb.

As the pot bubbled away, Pei Yingye kept fishing out food from the clear broth side.

“The hotpot here is good. Best on the entire capital planet,” he said indistinctly while chewing.

Ji Xuan, thinking Pei Yingye simply couldn’t reach the spicy side, specially scooped a piece out for him.

Pei Yingye looked down, staring at the slice of meat coated in chili flakes, his throat swallowing involuntarily. Then, taking a deep breath like a soldier facing execution, he picked up a clearly overcooked piece of beef, gave it a cursory blow, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The next second, Ji Xuan clearly saw those usually bright, piercing eyes instantly well up with physiological tears. The corners of his eyes flushed a startling scarlet, and fine beads of sweat broke out on the bridge of his straight nose.

So, he can’t handle spicy food, Ji Xuan realized.

Pei Yingye stiffened his neck, struggling to swallow the spicy meat whole. He immediately grabbed the iced drink beside him and tilted his head back, gulping it down. As the cold liquid slid down his throat, he managed to recover slightly, squeezing out a few words from his reddened lips: “…So… so spicy.”

His voice had changed pitch, sounding terribly raspy.

A soft look flickered in Ji Xuan’s eyes. He reached out to refill the empty drink. “You should have told me sooner. You don’t have to force it.”

Pei Yingye looked at him, his eyes completely bloodshot.

Ji Xuan’s gaze swept over the other’s lips. He inconspicuously grazed the corner of his own mouth with the tip of his tongue—a gesture that was almost suggestive. “…It’s swollen.”

“It wasn’t even this swollen that day when you kissed me.”

The way he mentioned that day with that specific tone and expression caused a heat even more searing than the spicy food to surge through Pei Yingye’s core. It raced through his bloodstream straight to his head, making even his own lips feel increasingly numb.

Yet, Ji Xuan acted as if he hadn’t noticed the shift. He picked up his chopsticks again, composedly lifting a piece of tripe from the red broth. He swirled it through the glistening oil of his dipping sauce and popped it into his mouth without batting an eye.

Pei Yingye pressed his tongue against the stinging corner of his mouth. “I thought you complained that my technique was lacking, yet you remember it so clearly?”

“You’ve even got the level of swelling down to a science.” Beneath the table, his long leg, clad in denim, nudged Ji Xuan’s knee before assertively sliding between his thighs. “It seems the impression I left on you that day was truly… unforgettable?”

“Indeed.”

Pei Yingye froze, surprised that Ji Xuan hadn’t denied it. His leg instinctively pressed forward a bit more until he could almost feel the warmth of the other’s thigh through the fabric.

Watching Pei Yingye’s jawline instantly go taut, Ji Xuan gave a soft laugh. “After all, when a little puppy bites someone with such reckless, bumbling force, it takes a bit of time to forget.”

The word “puppy” made Pei Yingye’s ears burn. He was about to snap back, “If you can’t forget, then don’t. Let me kiss you again and…”

But he was cut off by a crisp, youthful voice:

“Sir, would you like to buy a flower? For your Omega.”

Children like this were common in the Lower City; Pei Yingye had encountered them a few times before. The girl’s dress was faded from washing, and she carried a flower basket that was significantly larger than her head.

Pei Yingye’s attention had been entirely on Ji Xuan; he hadn’t even noticed her approaching from behind.

He wasn’t sure which annoyed him more: being interrupted by a kid or the fact that a kid had overheard his scandalous talk. However, the girl’s choice of title pleased him immensely. He let out a muffled “Tsk,” his hand instinctively reaching for his person as if searching for his terminal to pay.

Ji Xuan set down his chopsticks.

He looked at the girl, his gaze calm and steady as usual. He noted the old stains on her dress and the yellowed tint of her hair—signs of malnutrition—but he didn’t show the typical look of pity. He simply asked softly, “How much?”

The girl gestured a number.

The flowers in the basket were clearly past their prime; a few were even wilting. Despite the exquisite packaging, they weren’t worth the price she was asking.

Ji Xuan didn’t haggle. He held out his terminal. “I’ll take everything in the basket.”

Pei Yingye’s hand stopped mid-air. He looked at Ji Xuan in disbelief. “What are you going to do with all those flowers?”

The girl was also stunned, staring at him blankly. It took a few seconds for her to snap out of it; she hurriedly handed over the entire basket and completed the transaction.

When the notification pinged, the amount was far beyond the actual value of the flowers. The girl’s eyes lit up at the number on her screen. She gave Ji Xuan a deep bow and chirped happily, “Thank you, sir! I wish you and your Alpha a century of harmony and many children!”

Then, like a happy little bird, she skipped away.

Pei Yingye occasionally felt a strong urge to give the residents of the Lower City a crash course on The Proper Use of Idioms.

“That’s a huge basket. Are we supposed to carry—”

He watched as Ji Xuan carefully scanned the wilting flowers, eventually picking out a few relatively intact stems with a hint of blue at the edges of the petals. He held them out to Pei Yingye.

“…What?”

“Thanks for the meal?” Ji Xuan propped his head on his hand, looking at him with shimmering eyes.

Suddenly, Pei Yingye felt as though his burning, spicy stomach didn’t hurt quite so much anymore.

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The hoverbike crossed back into the Upper City, the scenery on both sides gradually changing from chaotic city life to orderly, dazzling lights. Pei Yingye carefully brought those blue-tinged flowers back to his dorm and placed them in a bottle of fresh water.

That night, Ji Xuan opened the training site application interface. Without hesitation, he entered “North Star Fortress” into the system and sent a screenshot of the confirmation to Pei Yingye.

Whether it was Pei Yingye’s logic of “choosing the best if you’re going to choose” or the potential connection between North Star Fortress and the Zerg species that might have caused the original owner’s injury, Ji Xuan knew he had to go.

Because of this decision, Ji Yan, who was supposed to go to North Star in the original plot, lost his spot. On the night before departure, Ji Yan sent a message since Ji Xuan wouldn’t answer his calls.

[I’ve been in heat these past few days, so I didn’t get a chance to congratulate you on taking first place, Second Brother! I sent the rankings to Big Brother; even though he didn’t reply, I’m sure he’s happy for you.]

[Have you contacted Big Brother? I heard he’s currently in the Azure Bird First Guards, directly under General Ying. You can ask him to look after you.]

Ji Xuan skimmed the tireless messages but didn’t respond.

On the day of departure, as soon as he met up with Pei Yingye, he asked out of the blue, “Why were you given that name?”

Pei Yingye was baffled but answered honestly: “Because my dad’s surname is Pei and my female-father[1] is Ying. They thought their love was as solid as gold and had to project that onto me, I guess?”

Ji Xuan’s eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, amused by the mixture of righteousness and slight grievance in his explanation.

“What are you laughing at?” Pei Yingye felt a bit self-conscious. He reached out to touch the curve of Ji Xuan’s lips but stopped himself halfway, opting instead to rub the back of his own neck. “Is it a bad name?”

“It’s good.” Ji Xuan pulled back his smile, though a lingering softness remained in his gaze. “I just didn’t expect that to be the reason.”

A boarding announcement echoed in the distance, and the two joined the crowd heading toward the ramp. The gangway retracted, the engines gave a low roar, and the starship slowly detached from the port, sailing into the vast, glittering sea of stars.

Outside the viewport, nebulae looked like splashed paint, and distant stars flickered with a cold, magnificent light.

Ji Xuan stood by the viewing window. For the first time, Pei Yingye saw such an expression on his face—his eyes were bright, filled with unmistakable wonder. He gazed at the river of stars, murmuring something under his breath as if moved by the vastness of the universe.

Who knew that behind that calm exterior, he was the sentimental type?

Pei Yingye thought mischievously, leaning against the window with his hands in his pockets, staring intently at Ji Xuan.

The long interstellar journey passed through successive warp jumps until the massive North Star Fortress appeared at the edge of their vision like a crouching steel beast.

They landed at the fortress spaceport. This time, they were the only two trainees assigned to North Star.

Pei Yingye led Ji Xuan to the distribution point with practiced ease. The officer receiving them wore a mechanical smile. After checking their information with high efficiency, he read out their names and assigned departments in a hollow tone.

“Pei Yingye: Azure Bird First Guard, Assault Team.”

Immediately afterward, the officer’s gaze fell on Ji Xuan, then glanced at the terminal screen, and read aloud in a completely flat voice:

“Ji Xuan: Material Allocation Office.”

The relaxed smile on Pei Yingye’s face vanished instantly. He narrowed his eyes. “Why is he in logistics?”

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[1] Both his parents are Alpha and the one who birthed him should be Ying Xun because he addresses him as 母父 literally translated to mother-father, so I just translate this to female-father.

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