Part 2
Tuberose was located at the back door of NDU. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary building. Several bodyguards stood outside the door, but inside was a different world.
The underground bar was massive, with dim, ambiguous lighting and deafening music. The air was filled with chaotic pheromones.
There was a huge ring in the central area, surrounded by a circle of booths. The second floor had spectator seats. It didn’t look like a place for drinking, but rather like an underground arena.
Xie Ren sat in the middle booth, casually swirling the wine in his glass. The fracture in his left hand had already recovered; the healing speed was astonishing.
The bar manager brought people to serve the stored wine, speaking enthusiastically, “Young Master Xie, long time no see. You’ve been gone for a month without posting a single status update. I was worried enough to ask your school about you.”
Xie Ren laughed. “You were afraid I died outside and wouldn’t come to spend money, right?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! Pei pei pei,” the manager quickly said. “How’s your hand? Is it okay?”
Xu Ze scratched his head. “If Boss hadn’t saved me, he wouldn’t have hurt his hand. I’ll punish myself with three drinks first.”
Everyone laughed as they watched him drink. The manager asked casually, “Does that booth want wine served?”
There were a few empty seats next to them, reserved in advance.
Zhao Yi waved his hand. “Oh, he might not even come. Don’t worry about him.”
“Who is it reserved for?” The manager was curious.
“Who else? The new Instructor Fish,” Zhao Yi smiled and draped an arm over Xie Ren. “Brother Ren, are you that sure he’ll come? I don’t think he’ll like this kind of occasion. He seems to have a bit of social anxiety.”
Xie Ren raised an eyebrow. “How do you know he has social anxiety?”
“Researchers are all socially anxious. He never deigns to talk to us. It’s always that cute assistant calling roll, and he rarely calls on people to answer questions in class. Isn’t that social anxiety?”
Xie Ren shook off his hand. “Just that? And here I thought you knew so much.”
Zhao Yi said unhappily, “Hey, don’t underestimate my title as the Social Butterfly of NDU. I really do have connections in the Third Institute. My high school desk mate is in there.”
Ye Bingyang said, “The Omega who splashed water on his face last time.”
“You step aside,” Zhao Yi said. “Let me tell you, Instructor Yu has a nickname: The Great Demon King of the Third Institute. Any intern assigned to him cries to the heavens and hits the earth, tortured until they’re barely human.”
Xie Ren scoffed, looking disdainful.
Zhao Yi said, “Don’t you believe it? They say his family is in the arms business. No one in the Third Institute dares to provoke him. You know Old Tang, right? Even that stubborn old man has to yield three points to him… No, Brother Ren, why aren’t you surprised at all?”
Xie Ren said dryly, “Everything you said is on Sundial Wikipedia. What kind of insider info is that?”
“Oh… wait, you searched his Wikipedia?”
“I think your connections aren’t reliable at all,” Xie Ren said.
“That’s not true!” Zhao Yi scratched his ears and cheeks, holding it in for a long time before thinking of a big one. “Right! My desk mate said that starting last year, he frequently went on blind dates. He’s probably married by now. Tsk tsk, I wonder what kind of Alpha could handle him.”
Xie Ren’s hand holding the wine paused, spilling a few drops.
Everyone was clamoring, their voices drowned out by the music.
The manager led three people to the adjacent booth and greeted them, “Instructor Fish, please come this way. Someone asked me to save seats.”
Yu Shi didn’t speak. Xu Bohan corrected, “His surname is Yu, as in Yujinxiang (Tulip). Those brats just love calling him nicknames like Instructor Fish.”
“Hahaha, sorry, Instructor Yu,” the manager apologized profusely.
They sat down and ordered snacks and alcohol. The music faded, and two Alphas were fighting on stage, one wearing a vest revealing a large tattoo on his back.
Qi Huan said excitedly, “That’s someone from the Falcon Regiment.”
“Which one? Do you know him?” Xu Bohan asked.
Qi Huan shook his head. “I don’t know him, but everyone in the Falcon Regiment has that tattoo.”
Yu Shi looked at the stage. “What is the tattoo?”
Qi Huan didn’t expect him to be interested. He thought for a moment and said, “I’m not too sure. It seems to be a winged creature… My sister’s ex-boyfriend was in their Political Department. He said everyone in Operations Command has this tattoo.”
Yu Shi glanced at him, seemingly curious.
He was dressed low-key today, in a well-tailored white T-shirt and trousers. His face was beautiful and his temperament otherworldly, like a pure little white flower who had wandered into a place of debauchery by mistake. When he sized people up, his eyes seemed to have hooks.
Qi Huan’s cheeks turned slightly red from his glance. Wanting to prove something, he took out his communicator and scrolled through his sister’s StarChat moments.
“I remember she posted it… Ah, found it. This one.”
He clicked on a group photo from a trip. One Alpha was showing off the tattoo on his back—it was the ancient mythical bird, the Bifang.
Yu Shi rested his chin on his hand and asked, “Does everyone have to get this tattoo?”
“No, senior commanders have a different totem,” Qi Huan said, realizing it was rare for Yu Shi to care about trivial matters, so he couldn’t help adding, “Director Yu, you met someone from the Falcon Regiment during your blind dates, right?”
Yu Shi sighed lightly. “Old Chen really can’t keep his mouth shut.”
Xu Bohan laughed loudly. “Even the cafeteria lady knows. She @’ed me in the pancake group chat, telling me to persuade you. She said nine out of ten Alphas in the Falcon Regiment are scum, and you absolutely shouldn’t be so shortsighted.”
Qi Huan felt this deeply. “The lady is right. My former brother-in-law was a cheating scumbag. The Falcon Regiment really is a Scumbag Headquarters.”
Yu Shi originally had no real feeling about this statement, but now he nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Each has their own way of being scum.”
A ghostly voice came from behind them.
“Instructor Yu, Assistants, don’t beat a whole group to death with one stick. I still have to take the Falcon Regiment assessment this year,” Zhao Yi said aggrievedly.
Xu Bohan looked like he’d seen a ghost. “My mother! Where did you pop out from?”
Zhao Yi was holding three Mojitos, which he placed on the table. “This is a treat from the Scumbag Regiment Commander.”
He stepped back half a pace, revealing the booth behind him. The Alphas looked over in unison. The distance wasn’t close, but it was close enough to hear the discussion just now.
Yu Shi: “…”
He met Xie Ren’s gaze head-on.
Xie Ren wore a black jacket over his vest, long legs crossed as he leaned back in his chair, calmly raising his glass to him.
Under the red lights, his facial contours looked as if carved by an axe. His brows pressed down heavily, carrying an aggressive provocation. He stared intently at Yu Shi, practically writing the words “Scumbag Representative” on his face.
Yu Shi took a sip of his drink. The alcohol was mixed with refreshing mint, spicy with a hint of sweetness. He looked away without batting an eye.
The lights dimmed, and the fight on the ring ended. The host said, “Everyone, it’s time for the adult games. Are you all ready?”
Enthusiastic cheers came from below. Spotlights swung, the music grew louder, and white lights flowed over the waves of people. The atmosphere became exuberant.
Xu Bohan said loudly, “Isn’t it just assembling guns? They’re making it look like a striptease.”
Amidst the crazy jeering, a spotlight caught Yu Shi off guard, shining on him and making him squint slightly.
Xu Bohan and Qi Huan suffocated instantly, both a bit dumbfounded.
The light seemed to be teasing him, sliding into the crowd again. Just as the two breathed a sigh of relief, the light slid back the next second, hovering over Yu Shi and selecting him again.
The host smiled. “It seems the lighting technician has an agenda. Guest, are you willing to come up on stage and participate in the game?”
Unbridled laughter erupted below. Yu Shi looked up at the lighting booth on the second floor. His students were sitting there, and Ye Bingyang was waving at him with a cheeky grin.
“Wait, it’s an Omega? He looks like he’s going to faint from fright.”
“The lighting tech is teasing him. Even I can’t watch this.”
Someone shouted, “Forget it, reroll! Don’t make it hard for an Omega—”
The light flowed again and, amidst gasps of surprise, landed on Xie Ren.
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