Chapter 32: No, Bro, You Really Splashed Him?
Yu Shi hadn’t expected him to be so bold. Caught off guard, he nearly crashed into Xie Ren’s chest, his entire body instantly stiffening.
“What are you doing? Let go!” he shouted.
The hat slid down. Xie Ren’s expression was both innocent and rogue-like as he said nonchalantly, “You blocked my face; I couldn’t see anything.”
He kept his grip on Yu Shi’s wrist. His palm carried the residual heat from exercise, and his palm lines pressed against the rhythmic pulse, creating the illusion that his skin might be burned.
Such a thin wrist bone, yet it was unexpectedly smooth to the touch.
Xie Ren couldn’t resist rubbing his thumb against the protrusion of the bone between his ring and middle fingers.
Mm, it’s not an illusion. It really is smooth.
Yu Shi shuddered violently and snapped, “You can see now, so let go already.”
Xie Ren smiled and released him. “Don’t be angry, Instructor Yu. I just wanted to ask where you found my hat.”
“The roadside, a green belt, a trash can—I’ll find it wherever I feel like finding it.”
Yu Shi dropped those words irritably, bumped his shoulder against Xie Ren’s as he passed, and walked toward the door without looking back.
He rarely acted this way, so he must have been truly furious. Xie Ren’s smile widened, and he called out loudly, “Wait, Instructor Yu.”
Yu Shi was extremely impatient, but he still stopped in his tracks.
“If you ever go into heat again, just come to me for pheromones,” Xie Ren drawled. “Don’t go looking for hats or homework in roadsides, green belts, or trash cans anymore. I’ll provide them for free.”
Yu Shi left immediately, as if he didn’t want to stay for a single second longer.
Get lost.
Over the next few days, Xie Ren occasionally took leave to arrange the venue for the gun exhibition. Two weeks later, the three-day gun exhibition officially began.
Many officials visited the National Defense Academy this time. The entrance was lined with bulletproof cars and soldiers armed with live ammunition; even a mosquito flying in would have been scrutinized.
The outside was noisy. Li Yang was rummaging through a cabinet for a camera, saying, “Instructor Yu, when they do the pass-in-review later, could you please take some photos? I have to shoot the people on the rostrum and the Chief’s speech. Ahhh, I thought we’d get three days off, but who knew it would be a three-day nightmare! I’m swamped!”
A few days ago, they had started tidying up and doing a school-wide cleaning. Since school was about to start, students from other academies were gradually returning and were all dragged in as forced labor.
When the discipline inspectors did their rounds, they were so meticulous they used tissues to wipe floor tiles and gaps between roof tiles to ensure there wasn’t a speck of dust.
Even Yu Shi, who had a mild case of OCD, was puzzled. “Is this really necessary?”
Li Yang explained, “This is the standard set by the Principal. Not only is the Sovereign coming, but also Marshal Xie, who is from the K9 Headquarters. He places great importance on discipline. The last time he came for an inspection was eight years ago, and they started tidying up a week in advance. It was a total ordeal.”
“Let me tell you a secret: the Sovereign is very considerate toward the soldiers, but Marshal Xie loves ‘surface-level work’ a bit more.”
Actually, ever since returning from the racecourse, Yu Shi had seen that he was a commander who prioritized formality. Most people from K9 followed this trend; it was staggering.
He casually asked, “Is his son coming too?”
“Son?” Li Yang was confused. “I only know his father is an old general. No one else from his family has ever made a public appearance. They’re probably well-protected.”
Yu Shi didn’t think much of it. Li Yang said, “The camera seems to be in the storage room. I’ll go look for it.”
“I’ll go. You handle the other things.” Seeing Li Yang was run off his feet, Yu Shi took over the task.
The storage room was the last room on the third floor. As he approached the door, he heard a slight movement inside. The door was tightly shut, and he didn’t know who was in there.
Just as he was about to push the door, Tang Tianhao walked out, his right hand in his pocket and a hint of panic on his face.
Upon bumping into Yu Shi, his expression shifted from panic to resentment.
He wasn’t in a hurry to leave and stared fixedly at Yu Shi.
Yu Shi had no intention of clashing with him and stepped aside to make way.
Tang Tianhao still didn’t move. He sneered, “Hmph. I was wondering why even Principal Tang was protecting you. Turns out you’ve climbed onto a high branch.”
Yu Shi glanced at him indifferently. “It’s broad daylight. What kind of fever dream are you having?”
Tang Tianhao sneered, “Stop playing dumb. If Xie Ren knew you were casting a wide net, had gone on countless blind dates, and were a piece of trash in private, do you think he’d find you easy for any man? Ha, though you’ve always been that kind of person. Who knows how you slept your way into getting those medals!”
Last time, he had lost face completely and was being tormented by logistics work. Now, all the staff looked at him with strange eyes. At the thought that all of this was because of an Omega he couldn’t have, his hatred cut to the bone.
When certain male Alphas lose their cool, their words become exceptionally bottomless.
Yu Shi didn’t speak, just looked at him quietly.
The more he showed this expression, the more Tang Tianhao felt Yu Shi looked down on him from the bottom of his heart, causing his breakdown to be even more complete.
He couldn’t control his mockery. “An Omega like you who doesn’t even have pheromones deserves to never find a compatible Alpha. Just wait to die alone!”
Yu Shi wasn’t provoked at all. He looked at him as if looking at an ant, with a clear sense of condescension.
He said lightly, “Are you insane?”
Tang Tianhao was unsettled by his gaze, but without the Xie family’s support, what could an Omega do to him?
“I’m insane? Last time you let him humiliate me like that, you must have been secretly enjoying it, right? Stop pretending!”
“Except for this face, you have nothing worth showing. If you ever kneel and give me a blowjob when you’re in heat, maybe I’ll be willing to bestow some pheromones on you, you lowly thing!”
Yu Shi narrowed his eyes. “How could an Omega like me, who doesn’t even have pheromones, accept your ‘bestowal’?”
Tang Tianhao was stunned. He heard Yu Shi say airily, “I can only make your life a living hell. That’s all.”
In the next second, high-level Omega pheromones crashed toward him, sweeping over his entire body like a terrifying avalanche.
Tang Tianhao had been suppressed by high-level pheromones twice. The first time, he had collapsed before he could react. This second time, he saw the ceiling spinning and the ground shaking as if in an eight-magnitude earthquake. This sensation was infinitely magnified, accompanied by immense terror.
With a pop, his eardrums burst, and two streaks of blood trickled out. His whole body felt as if it were being constricted by a venomous snake flicking its tongue. He felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar, shivering uncontrollably from the cold.
So cold, so cold… He had never encountered such cold offensive pheromones.
Blood slowly trickled from his seven orifices, seemingly losing its warmth as it crawled coldly across his cheeks.
Unconsciously, he was already kneeling at Yu Shi’s feet. His internal organs felt as if they were being ground by a meat grinder, so painful that his vitals seemed to be glued together. He couldn’t even scream.
The Omega’s pheromones were colorless and odorless, yet they were like the wrath of thunder—damp and desolate. Tang Tianhao wailed in his heart, wanting to beg for mercy, but his throat couldn’t make a sound. It was as if he had been struck dumb. Unable to support himself, he slumped to the ground, trembling violently.
Like a dog, he crawled and grabbed Yu Shi’s pant leg, fluttering twice.
Too cold.
It feels like I’m going to die.
Yu Shi bent down, a mysterious grayish-blue color appearing in his eyes. Tang Tianhao felt he was hallucinating.
He saw incredible colors, like the vast, gloomy sea he had seen for the first time, but now it felt more like the gaze of the Grim Reaper.
Yu Shi’s tone was gentle. “In the future, no matter where it is, please take a detour when you see me. I have a worse temper than Xie Ren and I’m afraid I might accidentally kill you. Do you understand?”
Tang Tianhao’s crotch was wet. He desperately wanted to nod but couldn’t move an inch, tears mixing with blood as they gushed out.
In his eyes was a bone-deep fear—the innate dread of a lower creature facing a higher one.
Yu Shi brushed off the part of his pant leg that had been touched and turned to leave composedly.
At ten in the morning, the school leaders gathered at the school gate. Yu Shi and Li Yang were required to stand in the back row, waiting quietly under the scorching sun.
Xie Ren led the team, standing nearby in full gear.
Tang Jiadong said to him, “Marshal Xie’s car is the second one. Go over and open the door later, and greet him.”
His voice was very low. Xie Ren looked back to ensure no one was listening and said unhappily, “I’m not going.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I specifically arranged for someone to take photos of you two.”
“Then I’m definitely not going,” Xie Ren said. “I don’t want to appear on the news page with him. If you like it, go yourself.”
Tang Jiadong frowned. “The Sovereign is present. Can’t you just cooperate a little!”
“You also know the Falcon Regiment only obeys the Sovereign.”
“No, you brat, why are you so stubborn…”
Xie Ren interrupted him, “Principal, according to the Guard Laws, repeatedly disturbing a guard on duty—especially one on duty for the Sovereign—is grounds for administrative detention.”
Tang Jiadong’s curses were stuck in his throat. “…”
Half an hour later, the motorcade drove through the gates. Xie Ren stepped forward to open the door for the first car. The middle-aged Alpha who stepped out was the face that appeared on the news every day.
The Sovereign had a dignified yet amiable face. He smiled and returned Xie Ren’s military salute, then casually patted the badge on his arm. Li Yang hurriedly raised his camera and clicked away.
Xie Chengfeng stepped out of the second car. After seeing that scene, he didn’t say anything and nodded to the school leaders.
Yu Shi slowly frowned. Last night, he had received a message from Zheng Xiao. It was just a simple sentence, telling him to find a way into the armory within these three days.
This operation was very risky, but from the moment he stepped into the Third Academy, he had been waiting for this day.
It could be said that this was his real purpose for coming to the National Defense Academy.
Yu Shi had never met the Sovereign in real life. One look at him and Yu Shi knew that for this Alpha to bring the Celestial Gnomon to its current interstellar status, he truly brooked no argument.
Unfortunately, a saint is not a perfect person, and omissions are inevitable in certain aspects.
Yu Shi’s feelings were extremely complicated. Li Yang held the camera in front of him, interrupting his thoughts.
“Gosh, I’m such a natural at candid shots. My not studying Journalism was a loss for the political world!”
In the photo, Xie Chengfeng stood behind the Sovereign and Xie Ren. From this angle, his and Xie Ren’s profiles somewhat overlapped. A strange feeling welled up in Yu Shi’s heart. Just as he was about to look closer, the following cars arrived one after another, and Li Yang shouldered his “big gun” of a camera to head to the front line again.
Dozens of military vehicles drove into the playground in order. The officials sat on the rostrum, officially launching the 17th Gun Exhibition.
This year’s opening ceremony was quite innovative. Besides the hawk-releasing ceremony, there was also a group water-splashing event involving some returning students and faculty from the Command Academy.
As the golden eagle was released from its cage, colorful ribbons streamed from all directions. Under the blue sky and white clouds, vigorous voices rang out in the center of the playground. Drums and slogans rose and fell, making even the bystanders excited.
Xu Bohan and Qi Huan rolled up their sleeves and joined the fray.
Yu Shi skirted around to the end of the line, quietly observing the Falcon Regiment.
These people were all wearing face covers, making it impossible to tell who was who.
Their uniforms were slightly different from those of K9. From a design perspective, they were more form-fitting and stylish. Their armbands were made of rare metal, engraved with a soaring eagle.
The combat uniforms and bulletproof vests were heavy, inevitably leading to sweat. However, there was no scent of Alpha pheromones in the air, indicating these soldiers had top-tier control. They were a group of very difficult people to deal with.
Yu Shi observed their actions, trying to distinguish each person’s behavioral characteristics.
Xie Ren stood at the commanding position on the side, with a large water replenishment barrel beside him. People occasionally came over to refill their water guns.
Zhao Yi squirted him with a water gun and poked him with a laugh. “Marshal Xie is looking at you from the rostrum. Aren’t you going to play with us?”
Everyone in the Falcon Regiment knew him and watched them play with smiles.
Xie Ren picked up a water ladle, pretending he was going to splash him. “Looking for trouble, are you? See if I don’t give you a thrashing.”
Zhao Yi fled with his head in his hands, retreating urgently and nearly bumping into Yu Shi.
He looked back with a grin and said, “Instructor Yu, you aren’t participating? Is your idol baggage too heavy?”
The Alphas of the Falcon Regiment all looked over. The gazes under their face covers were very explicit. This was an Omega who caught everyone’s eye wherever he went. Even in basic shirts and trousers without any adornment, he could make people unable to look away.
“You guys play. I have no interest in children’s games.”
As Yu Shi spoke, his eyes drifted toward those Alphas, calculating in his mind how to avoid these troublesome individuals.
Xie Ren’s gaze darkened, and a mischievous smile flashed across his face. He suddenly picked up the water ladle and splashed it toward him.
“You aren’t that much older,” he countered.
Yu Shi wasn’t paying attention and was splashed with water.
The surroundings suddenly went silent. Zhao Yi’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “No, bro, you really splashed him…”
Before he could finish, Xie Ren regretted it and muttered a curse under his breath.
That ladle of water had splashed onto Yu Shi’s shirt. The soaked, expensive fabric clung to his abdomen, outlining a narrow waist and faint abdominal lines. Water droplets flowed through the button gaps into his belt. It was enough to make one’s blood boil. Fortunately, it hadn’t gone any higher, or the scene would have spiraled out of control.
Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have splashed him, Xie Ren thought.
The Alphas’ eyes widened. He turned his head and barked, “Look down!”
Everyone immediately looked at their toes. Zhao Yi covered his eyes and said, “It’s over, it’s over. Instructor Yu, don’t be mad. If you want to curse, curse Xie Ren. Don’t curse the rest of us.”
Yu Shi didn’t get mad, nor did he curse.
He looked up at the culprit whose face was flushing.
Xie Ren said stiffly, “I didn’t do it on purpose. I just wanted to joke with…”
Suddenly, Yu Shi grabbed his collar and pushed his entire upper body into the water barrel.
Xie Ren: “Gurgle gurgle…”
“I was also just joking with you. Don’t be mad.”
The seemingly weak Omega clapped his hands and walked away gracefully.
Xie Ren abruptly lifted himself from the water, his eyes dazed from being dunked. Water kept dripping from his hair as he wiped his face in disbelief.
After a moment of silence, the surrounding area erupted into raucous laughter.
Translator’s Note:
- Administrative Detention (行政拘留 – Xíngzhèng jūliú): A common punishment in China for minor offenses that don’t quite reach the level of a crime but still warrant a few days in jail.
- Pass-in-review/Reviewing the troops (分列式 – Fēnlièshì): A formal military parade where troops march past a reviewing official. See you in the next chapter for the aftermath of the “dunking”!
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