Side Story 1: Ji Shuohan & Ye Zhile
At the First Legion at the border, Ye Zhile entered the tent and saw a group of people discussing things in front of a topographic map. He stood to the side without saying a word, waiting until the meeting ended before stepping forward.
Ji Shuohan had sensed Ye Zhile’s pheromones, but when he looked up and didn’t see anyone, he thought he was hallucinating; they were so far away—how could his wife possibly be here? It wasn’t until the crowd dispersed that he saw Ye Zhile standing in the back.
Ye Zhile ran forward and hugged him. “Surprised? Shocked?”
“More like terrified.” Ji Shuohan frowned. “Why are you here?”
“I have work here,” Ye Zhile said.
“The company sent you?” Ji Shuohan asked as he pulled Ye Zhile in for a full-body check; wars had been frequent lately, and the fighting at the border was intense. He had been relieved that his wife and son were safely at home, but then his wife appeared right in front of him.
Ye Zhile shook his head and said, “The Leader’s Department issued a call for front-line journalists, so I applied.”
Ji Shuohan didn’t speak, clearly unhappy. Ye Zhile hugged him and acted piteously spoiled. “Don’t be angry. It’s dangerous here regardless, and if I didn’t come, someone else would. It’s the same for everyone, isn’t it?”
“Sophistry.” Ji Shuohan asked, “You don’t have any experience as a front-line journalist, yet you came just because the department needed someone?”
“I don’t have front-line experience, but I’ve been a journalist for how many years now? Aside from the location, what’s the difference?” Ye Zhile questioned him.
Ji Shuohan kept a cold face; Ye Zhile had been married to him for twenty years and had been pampered like a child all that time—his temper was still the same. He hugged Ji Shuohan tightly and said aggrievedly, “I just wanted to be with you… you came to the border… and there was no news… I was worried about you.”
Before Ji Shuohan could say anything, Ye Zhile’s tears began to fall.
Ji Shuohan was both helpless and heartbroken; he cupped his face and spoke in a low, placating tone, “I wasn’t even being harsh with you, so why are you crying?”
“I don’t care…” Ye Zhile said stubbornly.
“Do you think a few tears will make this go away?” Ji Shuohan leaned down. “There are plenty of war journalists. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is here? A shell could fly in and blow this place up at any second. Besides, I wrote a letter home just a few days ago. Don’t tell me you didn’t see it.”
“I saw it.” Ye Zhile had a “so what” look on his face.
Ji Shuohan was so angry he was speechless. “You don’t listen at all.”
Ye Zhile gave a light “Hmph.” “Say whatever you want. I’m already here, and don’t even think about packing me back. I have work to do.”
Ji Shuohan had no way to deal with him and said, “Then aside from work, you aren’t allowed to go anywhere. You stay with me, do you hear me?”
“Understood.” Ye Zhile became happy again. “Did the Leader miss me? I missed the Leader so much… it’s so cold sleeping alone…”
Ji Shuohan had been gone for a month, and Ye Zhile had spent his days at home except for work, missing him terribly; having finally gotten this opportunity, he was naturally going to take it.
“Was it that boring at home alone? Didn’t Zhile stay with you?” Ji Shuohan stroked the Omega’s head; hearing the Omega describe how much he missed him, his heart softened completely, and his anger vanished in an instant.
“Did the Leader forget? Zhile is in high school now and stays in the dorms.” Ye Zhile glanced at him. “You don’t even know your youngest son is in high school?”
“Of course I do. But didn’t he say the cafeteria food was bad and that he wanted to be a day student?” Ji Shuohan asked.
“Oh, his eldest uncle donated money to the school, so the meals are great now,” Ye Zhile said.
Ji Zhile was an Omega, but his personality was worlds apart from a typical Omega’s; he spent his days being a troublemaker. When he was in middle school and hadn’t differentiated yet, he fought constantly. Ji Shuohan and Ye Zhile were busy and didn’t have time to manage him, so his eldest or second uncle always settled things for him; this led to his uncles pampering him to the point of being lawless.
Everyone had thought he would be an Alpha, but he differentiated into a top-tier Omega with E-rank mental power—it was absurdly high! After differentiating, he restrained himself a bit, and they hadn’t heard of any more fights; perhaps the child had grown up and become a bit more sensible.
Meanwhile, at Imperial First High School, in the Principal’s office, Ji Zhile was holding Ye Zhijin’s arm and pointing at the person he had beaten. “Eldest Uncle, he harassed me!”
“I did not!” the Alpha hurriedly said. “I—I was confessing to him… he—he didn’t agree and even cursed at me…”
Hearing this, Ye Zhijin let out a silent sigh and glanced at the Ji Zhile who was feigning innocence. He said to the Alpha, “You’re still young. You should focus on your studies.”
“Exactly…” Ji Zhile echoed.
The Principal also chimed in to smooth things over, “This… children in their adolescence, it’s normal. As long as they are guided and corrected, I hope this student will recognize his mistake.”
“That’s good.” Ye Zhijin nodded. “Sorry for the trouble, Principal.”
“No trouble at all, no trouble at all.”
After walking Ye Zhijin to the school gate, Ji Zhile waved obediently. “Goodbye, Eldest Uncle. See you next time.”
Ye Zhijin nearly tripped and said, “Let’s not meet at school next time.”
He simply couldn’t understand it; his brother was obedient and beautiful, with a matching personality—his little nephew had his mother’s face, so why was his personality the complete opposite?
One day he’s on the roof, the next he’s tearing tiles off; the number of times he’d come to the school was nearly equal to the number of times he’d gone to the Military Department.
“Eldest Uncle is the best. Such a good person—no wonder he and Eldest Auntie are so in love~” Ji Zhile did have his virtues; he had a sweet tongue and knew how to coax people, keeping the family wrapped around his finger every day.
Ye Zhijin couldn’t help but laugh and said, “I like hearing that. I’ll have your auntie send you something delicious next time.”
“Deal!” Ji Zhile smiled.
Ji Zhile returned to the classroom and sat down grandly in the back row like a delinquent. His friend Ke Ran came over and teased, “Parents were called again?”
Ji Zhile gave a disdainful “Tch.” “So what if they were? My parents aren’t even here anyway.”
“Yeah, your uncles dote on you, but if your parents find out when they get back, you’re in for it,” Ke Ran said.
“Don’t worry, my uncles won’t tell on me. Besides, that guy deserved a beating!” Even though he had a short fuse, Ji Zhile was still a beautiful Omega with sweet pheromones, attracting many pursuers; but Ji Zhile didn’t have a romantic bone in his body—whenever someone pestered him, he gave them a lesson.
“True.”
The person Ji Zhile feared most was his mother, and the second was his father; it wasn’t because his mother was harsh, but because his mother was too gentle—if he upset her, his father would kill him!
Back in the tent at the border camp—
Ji Shuohan had someone bring water, and after a quick wash, he lay down with Ye Zhile in his arms; the wind howled outside, making the tent rustle. Ji Shuohan held him and said, “It’s noisy here. You won’t be able to sleep.”
“I can sleep as long as the Leader is by my side,” Ye Zhile said, looking at him.
Ji Shuohan suddenly felt a wave of heartache; when they first married, his departure and the subsequent events had wounded the Omega’s heart—even now, whenever he went out, the Omega was filled with fear.
“Don’t be afraid.” Ji Shuohan touched his face and kissed him. “I promise you, I will come back safe and sound every time.”
“Mhm.” Ye Zhile nodded.
Translator’s Note: Welcome to the side stories! We get a glimpse into the future where Zhile is a seasoned journalist and Shuohan is still the devoted Enigma. And meet their second son, Ji Zhile—an Omega with the fire of an Enigma! It seems the Ye family uncles have their hands full.
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