Chapter 24: A Beating – What Does Yun Shaocheng’s Punishment Have to Do With Him?
The person who spoke was none other than Ye Zhichen.
Yu Xia helplessly massaged his temples. He hadn’t expected to be so unlucky as to run into this man on his very first day at Imperial Star Academy.
He had considered this possibility. Although Ye Zhichen had already asked him for a letter of forgiveness—and Yu Xia had specifically included a condition requiring the man to stay far away from him—they were both students of Imperial Star Academy now. It was likely impossible to avoid each other entirely. However, as long as they looked straight ahead and acted like strangers when they crossed paths, there shouldn’t have been a problem.
Everyone could have lived in peace.
But clearly, Ye Zhichen didn’t see it that way. Not only did he fail to keep his distance after their encounter, but he even went out of his way to call out to Yu Xia, as if the document they had signed was nothing more than a scrap of waste paper.
Yu Xia let out a sigh and turned to Qin Yizheng. “Qin-ge, I remember you telling me that a letter of forgiveness has legal standing, right?”
Qin Yizheng nodded. He looked at the frustrated Yu Xia, then glanced back at Ye Zhichen, who was rushing toward them followed by an unfamiliar Omega. Sensing the situation, he replied, “A letter of forgiveness is legally binding, though the process to enforce it can be a bit tedious.”
Yu Xia wanted to ask about the specific steps, feeling it was quite necessary to know, but before he could speak, Ye Zhichen arrived in front of them with Yun Shaocheng in tow.
Yun Shaocheng looked at Yu Xia and bit his lip, his hand tightly clutching the hem of Ye Zhichen’s school uniform. “Brother Ye…”
Ye Zhichen reached out and gently patted the back of Yun Shaocheng’s hand, soothing him with a tender gesture. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Yu Xia retracts your punishment today.”
Listening to their conversation, Yu Xia felt as though several question marks were popping up over his head.
What did Yun Shaocheng’s punishment have to do with him? He had never given Yun Shaocheng any punishment!
If someone else had punished him, what was the use of coming to him? Was there a leak in these two people’s logic?
Ye Zhichen was quite gentle with Yun Shaocheng, but the moment he faced Yu Xia, his face turned cold. He spoke to Yu Xia in a nearly commanding tone. “I was the one who caused your mental power shock. Why are you taking it out on Shaocheng? Did his presence at the orphanage bother you that much? Send him back immediately. What kind of person bullies a kid from an orphanage? If you have the guts, come at me instead!”
Yu Xia blinked. “Alright, I’ll come at you then.”
He then shifted his body toward Qin Yizheng. “Qin-ge, please bear witness for me later. He was the one who approached me this time. Also, let me search for the consequences of violating a letter of forgiveness…”
Before Yu Xia could find the results, Qin Yizheng provided the answer for him. “Violating the explicit regulations written in a letter of forgiveness renders the document void. Any punishment that was waived because of the letter will be reinstated. Since the other party has clearly violated the agreement, you can report it directly to the school. Any grade dean will do. You probably don’t know yours yet, but I can call mine over. Is it that urgent?”
Ye Zhichen’s originally arrogant demeanor instantly cooled down. “Wait, you clearly signed that letter of forgiveness!”
Yu Xia admitted it. “Indeed. At the time, I specifically added a condition: you and the one beside you must never appear before me again. In exchange, I guaranteed I wouldn’t initiate contact with you either. It was written clearly in black and white. How long has it been since you forgot? How did you even get into Imperial Star Academy with such a terrible memory?”
Ye Zhichen let out an impatient “Tsk.” “You aren’t hurt, and your condition has stabilized. Why are you being so petty? Do you have to target us like this?”
Yu Xia opened his mouth to retort, but the person beside him spoke first in a voice as cold as ice. “So, the one who caused your mental power shock and worsened your disorder was Ye Zhichen?”
Qin Yizheng’s voice was far too sharp. Even though it wasn’t directed at him, Yu Xia still felt a shiver run down his spine. He even forgot the retort he had planned for Ye Zhichen and simply nodded. “Uh, yeah, it was him. Why—”
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a gust of wind as the person beside him vanished. By the time he regained his senses, he heard a scream from Yun Shaocheng.
Ye Zhichen had been slammed face-first into the ground. Qin Yizheng stood tall and straight, casually dusting off his hands as if nothing had happened. “How is Yu Xia targeting you? He simply followed the proper procedures to ensure you received the punishment you deserved. How can that be called ‘targeting’? Now, what I’m doing—this is called targeting you!”
Saying this, he lifted his eyelids and glanced at Yun Shaocheng, who was standing to the side. “Do you want a taste of that too?”
Yun Shaocheng immediately took a step back. “I… I’m an Omega. You can’t hit me…”
Qin Yizheng frowned. “Why can’t I hit an Omega? If the Alliance sent a squad of Omegas during a war, would we just stop fighting? Where did such idiotic logic come from? Did this Ye fellow tell you that? No wonder Major General Ye said his son isn’t cut out for the military!”
“Exactly! There are plenty of fierce Omegas in our Imperial army. They’re way more ruthless than Alphas when they actually fight. Like Qin-ge’s mother, for instance,” Luo Siqi chimed in from the side, sharing some gossip with Yu Xia. “I heard Qin-ge’s mom went out on some mission recently. When she came back, she gave Qin-ge a beating. Apparently, it was because he fished for intel during her mission, forcing her to write several extra reports.”
“Qin-ge can’t beat Major General Ning, so he’s been suppressing his temper. Now Ye Zhichen just had to crawl over. Isn’t he just asking for it?”
Yu Xia caught the key detail. “Qin-ge’s mother is Major General Ning Qing?”
Luo Siqi replied, “Eh, you know her? Even though Major General Ning Qing is an Omega, she is one of the most formidable Major Generals in the Empire. It’s said she and Marshal Qin didn’t even become friends until they fought each other!”
Yu Xia nodded and couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “Yeah, one of my proctors during the exam was Major General Ning. I think I know why he got beaten.”
Luo Siqi asked curiously, “Why? I asked him before, but he refused to tell me.”
Yu Xia coughed lightly, suppressing his smile. “He probably wanted to fish for my mental power grade. He asked me several times in secret back in the virtual world. It seems he decided to take a shortcut through Major General Ning.”
Luo Siqi realized the truth. “I see! So, what exactly is your mental power grade?”
Yu Xia chuckled softly. “You can go ask Qin-ge. I’m not telling you.”
However, after watching Qin Yizheng deliver such a swift and decisive beating to Ye Zhichen, Yu Xia’s lingering annoyance vanished. He stepped forward and gave Qin Yizheng a tug. “Forget it, let’s go. Don’t waste time on these people. There’s a lot to do today. My luggage is still with Professor Wen; I need to go pick it up in a bit.”
Since Yu Xia said to let it go and Qin Yizheng had already vented his frustration, he didn’t continue the physical assault, but he wasn’t finished. He opened his optical computer screen. “I won’t ‘target’ them anymore, but I’ll still cause him some trouble. There are only two single-dormitory slots per major each academic year. Since Ye Zhichen’s slot is now vacant, I’m sure many people will be happy. I’ll let the grade dean know.”
Ye Zhichen, who had just struggled to stand up, widened his eyes at Qin Yizheng’s words. “Qin Yizheng, what did you say?”
Qin Yizheng raised an eyebrow in a good mood. “What, did you think that just because you got a letter of forgiveness from Yu Xia, the fact that you worsened the condition of a Mental Power Disorder patient just ceased to exist? You did something like that and still expect to compete for a single dorm? Ye Zhichen, who do you think you are? There are plenty of people more qualified than you!”
Luo Siqi slapped his own thigh. “Why am I not in the Command Department? I want to compete for a single dorm too!”
Yu Xia glanced at him. “You aren’t in the same department as Qin-ge? I thought you were together since you seem so close.”
Luo Siqi waved his hand. “Heh, I’m in the Mecha Department. Qin-ge and I are close because we grew up together. You have no idea how sneaky he was as a kid. He’s a master at shifting blame. I can’t count how many times I’ve been his scapegoat! I am absolutely not staying in the same department as him!”
After sending the message to their grade dean, Qin Yizheng walked directly between Luo Siqi and Yu Xia, letting out a scoff at Luo Siqi. “Isn’t it just because your mental power is mediocre and you lack the big-picture vision to enter the Command Department?”
Luo Siqi retorted, “Even Ye Zhichen can be second in the Command Department! How could I not even get in? My mental power is S-rank, okay? Not entering the Command Department is a sign of my big-picture vision!”
Qin Yizheng smiled and explained to Yu Xia, “Luo Siqi isn’t wrong about that. He’s quite self-aware. He’s lazy and hates using his brain, so he chose the Mecha Department. The Command Department is fine for now, but the coursework will only get harder, and there will be more practical sessions. Don’t let Ye Zhichen being second fool you; the competition in the Command Department is only going to get more intense. According to Major General Ye, the academy will filter him out before he even makes it to the army.”
Yu Xia tilted his head. “Major General Ye? Is that Ye Zhichen’s father?”
Qin Yizheng nodded. “Yes. Major General Ye is a man of great foresight. He rose from a common soldier to the rank of Major General and sees things very clearly. Apparently, he told Ye Zhichen long ago that he isn’t suited for the Command Department.”
Yu Xia glanced at Ye Zhichen in the distance. “Why wouldn’t he be suited for it?”
“Personality issues. He’s indecisive and overly soft-hearted. That kind of person causes disasters on the battlefield. But Major General Ye also said that Ye Zhichen likely won’t even get the chance to step onto one,” Qin Yizheng explained briefly.
Yu Xia realized what he meant.
According to the original plot, there would be a conflict later where the protagonist gong and shou would clash with the protagonist gong’s father. The reason was that the protagonist gong insisted on going to the battlefield to earn military merits, while his father, the Major General, refused. They were at a stalemate for a long time. Despite the persuasion of the protagonist gong, the shou, and the gong’s mother, Major General Ye wouldn’t budge.
Eventually, the conflict shifted toward the father’s dissatisfaction with the protagonist shou. Later, both sides reached a compromise: the protagonist gong stopped insisting on going to the battlefield, and Major General Ye acknowledged the relationship between Ye Zhichen and Yun Shaocheng.
This part of the plot had always confused Yu Xia when he read it. He felt like they were talking about one thing and then suddenly switched to another.
Qin Yizheng looked at Yu Xia and changed the subject. “You just said where your luggage is? Since we’re all here, we’ll help you go get it.”
Yu Xia pulled back his gaze. “It’s with Professor Wen. He told me to finish the registration process first and send him a message when I’m done. He’ll drive his hovercar over at noon to deliver it.”
The three of them walked away chatting, leaving Ye Zhichen and Yun Shaocheng standing there after their pointless trip.
Yun Shaocheng had overheard their conversation as well, but he didn’t have the heart to think about anything else. Compared to all those trivial matters, he was more worried about his tuition and future living expenses. “Brother Ye, what do we do? Yu Xia isn’t willing to retract my punishment at all!”
Qin Yizheng hadn’t held back his strength. Even though a while had passed since the blow, Ye Zhichen still felt a dull ache in his body.
Hearing Yun Shaocheng’s urgent questioning, Ye Zhichen felt a spark of irritation. At this moment, he wished Yun Shaocheng would soothe his emotions, but the Omega didn’t seem to have that intention; he only cared about getting his punishment retracted.
Ye Zhichen glanced at him. “What else can we do? The Empire’s student policies are quite good. Even though you aren’t part of the orphanage anymore, your records from all those years can still be found. Student loans are easy to apply for. You just need to talk to your tutor and fill out a form. Living expenses will take some effort, but Pharmaceutics is a lucrative field. You’ll be able to pay it back soon.”
Yun Shaocheng: “…”
But if I were still part of the orphanage, my tuition at Imperial Star Academy would be waived by at least fifty percent! Those waivers are vital for me right now!
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