Chapter 9: Baby Brother
Ye Zhile slept very heavily. In the morning, he was woken up by Ji Shuohan knocking on the door. He was so sleepy he couldn’t open his eyes. When he turned over, the soreness all over his body made him feel as if he had been run over by a car.
Ye Zhile was pained into wakefulness. Moving even a little felt like his body parts had been disassembled.
Seeing no response, Ji Shuohan placed his hand on the doorknob. “I’m coming in.”
When he entered, Ye Zhile was staring at the ceiling with a face full of misery, motionless.
“Ye Zhile.” Ji Shuohan called him. Ye Zhile rolled his eyes and said with despair, “I feel like my body has been dismembered…”
“…” Ji Shuohan was speechless. “That’s because you never exercise; your body just isn’t used to it.”
Ye Zhile struggled to get up. He felt like an old man over fifty, slow and decayed.
“Ugh… so painful…” Ye Zhile sat up.
“I’ll have the infirmary write you a note. You take a leave of absence,” Ji Shuohan said.
“No need.” Ye Zhile refused. “I’ll get used to it.”
He raised his head, looking at Ji Shuohan with expectant little eyes. “Can the Leader give me a hand?”
Ji Shuohan raised his hand. Ye Zhile placed his hand in his palm. Compared to Ji Shuohan’s broad, warm, and calloused hand, Ye Zhile’s hand—which had never done rough work—was slender, fine, fair, and soft.
Ji Shuohan held his hand, thinking it incredible. An Omega, such a soft creature. A match with Alpha pheromones would be a match made in heaven, but if it were his pheromones, just a little bit would cause the Omega to crumble in defeat.
Ye Zhile endured the soreness. After washing up and eating a simple breakfast, he went to assemble.
Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one with these symptoms. In the company, apart from a few Alphas with good physiques, the rest were all wailing like ghosts and wolves.
Ye Zhile found it funny. Holding back his laughter, he limped over. Just as he stood back in the line, his leg was suddenly slapped. He let out a miserable shriek.
“Why did you hit me?” Ye Zhile asked Leng Xingtu in disbelief. Leng Xingtu laughed out loud. “I just wanted to see you in pain, hahahaha… Isn’t it refreshing?”
“…” Ye Zhile’s face was covered in black lines. While Leng Xingtu was laughing, he reached out and punched his thigh too. Leng Xingtu instantly went from joy to sorrow.
“Hahahaha…” Ye Zhile was happy now. Looking at Leng Xingtu’s resentful eyes, he shook his head back and forth. “But you hit me first; it really hurts.”
“Tch.” Leng Xingtu folded his arms and ignored him.
Ye Zhile slowly leaned toward his ear. “Stingy ghost, drinks cold water, turns into a devil after drinking.”
“!!!” Leng Xingtu’s eyes widened. “Why are you so childish!?”
Ye Zhile blinked innocently. “You started it.”
Leng Xingtu was rendered speechless and folded his arms, ignoring him.
Ye Zhile stopped teasing and stood properly. At this moment, Leng Xingtu suddenly asked him, “Why didn’t you return to the dorm last night?”
“Uh…” Ye Zhile turned his head, lying with his eyes wide open. “I was at my brother’s place.”
Leng Xingtu squinted, obviously not believing it. “What is your relationship with the Supreme Leader?”
“We don’t have a relationship. What relationship could we have?” Ye Zhile looked calm.
Leng Xingtu glanced at him sideways and didn’t ask anymore, but Ye Zhile could tell from his reaction that he obviously didn’t believe it.
But no matter how he guessed, he couldn’t possibly guess that the Supreme Leader’s marriage partner was him, right?
The military training content this morning was the same as yesterday, but this time Ye Zhile wasn’t at the bottom alone; everyone was at the bottom together.
During the break, everyone was discussing the newly appointed instructor for the Mech Academy. It was said to be a Major.
“Have you seen him? I heard he’s a handsome man, and a top-tier Alpha.”
“What handsome man? That’s the second son of the Military Minister, a Major from the frontline corps.”
“Oh my god! Why would he suddenly come to Imperial Star University to be an instructor?”
“Even the Supreme Leader came personally, so what’s impossible?”
Second Brother is back?
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhile was so excited he scrambled up and headed toward the direction of the Mech Academy.
From a distance, Ye Zhile saw a tall figure walking toward him, a smile on his face, bright and brilliant. Ye Zhile’s eyes instantly lit up. Disregarding the soreness in his body, he ran toward Ye Zhichen.
“Second Brother!” Ye Zhile threw himself into Ye Zhichen’s arms, his eyes instantly moist.
“Aiyooo~” Ye Zhichen caught him steadily. He hugged Ye Zhile and patted his head. “My baby brother, did you miss Second Brother?”
“Mn…” Ye Zhile choked with sobs. His eldest and second brothers were stationed at the frontier year-round, and his father was often dealing with the Federation. Occasionally when war broke out there and there was no news, he and Dad couldn’t help but worry about the three of them.
The whole family doted on Ye Zhile. Hearing his baby brother sobbing, Ye Zhichen’s heart ached. “Lele be good. Isn’t Second Brother back now?”
Ye Zhile raised his head, eyelashes wet, and complained, “You and Big Brother didn’t even make a single phone call home.”
Ye Zhichen expressed his innocence. “Communication is bad over there. Didn’t we write letters often?”
Ye Zhile gave a light hmph. “Where’s Big Brother? Did he not come back?”
“Who says? Big Brother and I went home immediately after coming back, but as soon as we arrived, we heard our Lele had already started school. Most importantly…” Ye Zhichen bent down, teasing hidden in his eyes. “Our Lele got married to the Supreme Leader?”
Ye Zhile pursed his lips and smiled, nodding without concealment.
“Are you happy being married?” Ye Zhichen asked him.
“Happy.” Ye Zhile didn’t understand why Second Brother asked this, but he was happy and joyful.
Ye Zhichen pinched his cheek and remained silent. He knew his baby brother’s marriage was just a transaction, with no other choice. It seemed that before the impending great war, this was the best outcome.
“Yo~ Major Ye, which family’s Omega are you hitting on?” Ye Zhichen’s comrade, Gu Yueming, teased as he walked over with a roguish air. As soon as he saw Ye Zhile, his eyes lit up. “Aiyooo~ What is the little beauty crying for? Did Major Ye bully you? Don’t be afraid! Brother is here to protect… F*ck! Why did you kick me!”
Ye Zhichen kicked him, holding Ye Zhile close. “This is my damn brother! Biological! Are you crazy? Casting your designs on my brother.”
“Ah?” Gu Yueming seemed stunned by the kick, then immediately became serious. “So it’s the younger brother. Sorry, sorry. The Major’s brother is my brother. Hello, brother, I am Gu Yueming.”
Ye Zhile reached out to shake his hand. “Hello, Brother Yueming.”
This “Brother” made Gu Yueming bloom with joy. He nodded repeatedly. “Eh eh eh! Good good good! Ah-Chen…”
Looking again at Ye Zhichen’s expression, which was as black as it could get, Gu Yueming immediately nudged him and whispered, “Don’t worry, a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass by its burrow. This is our brother.”
Ye Zhichen couldn’t be bothered with him. He hugged Ye Zhile and walked away. “Second Brother will take you to eat something good.”
“I can’t. I still have military training later.” Ye Zhile said helplessly, “My instructor is the Supreme Leader; I don’t want to ask for leave.”
“Aiyooo~” Ye Zhichen looked distressed. “What a pitiful little thing. Then when you finish school, Brother will take you out to eat, together with Big Brother!”
“Okay!” Ye Zhile was incredibly excited.
After Ye Zhile left, Gu Yueming stared at the retreating figure and sighed. “I say, Ah-Chen, your family’s genes are too good. No wonder you show off your brother in the unit every day. If I had one, I’d show him off too.”
“Is he cute and beautiful?” Ye Zhichen glanced at him sideways, full of boasting and pride. Gu Yueming scoffed. “Yeah, the Major even switched to a baby voice. Aiyooo~ What a pitiful little thing~”
Ye Zhichen laughed in anger and cursed him. “Psycho.”
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