Chapter 15
He Yuan moved his limbs stiffly, walking along the rugged, skeletal wings of the mecha, the Chongming Bird, toward Wen Su, who stood on its back.
Wen Su patiently watched He Yuan’s cheeks flush with a mix of surprise, excitement, and nervousness, and introduced the machine. “Its name is Chongming.”
“I… I know.” He Yuan nodded earnestly.
“You can say hello to it.”
He Yuan immediately stood at attention, as formally as if he were giving a report on stage. “Hello, Lord Chongming. My name is He Yuan—‘He’ from geometry, and ‘Yuan’ meaning distant!”
Wen Su smiled faintly. “Why do you address everyone as ‘Lord’ or ‘Sir’?”
“I don’t!” He Yuan looked solemn. “I only use ‘Lord’ for those who are truly powerful and amazing, whom I deeply respect and admire!”
Powerful and amazing, respect and admire… plus the specific emphasis on words like truly and deeply.
The Omega’s burning gaze, his desperate sincerity, and his unwavering tone couldn’t be faked.
Wen Su, accustomed to being feared, felt his heart sway despite having anticipated this reaction when faced with such diametrically opposed emotions.
He felt even more certain that his sudden impulse earlier had been the right decision.
“Chongming has multiple control modes. It can be controlled remotely, piloted from the cockpit in the abdomen, or used as a mount for cooperative combat like this… Come here.” He gestured for He Yuan to stand in front of him.
He Yuan worriedly said, “I-I’m afraid I won’t stand steady and fall off!”
“I’m here. You won’t.”
Immediately after, the ground beneath them jolted. The Chongming Bird vibrated its massive wings, rose vertically for several meters, and then—whoosh—shot diagonally into the sky.
“Ah—!”
He Yuan couldn’t help but scream. His body swayed, and one foot lifted off the surface, but his shoulders were instantly pinned down by a pair of strong, steady hands. He turned his head, looking at Wen Su’s face amidst the thump-thump-thump of his own violent heartbeat.
Wen Su looked relaxed and gentle, his features bright, wearing a handsome, faint smile.
The panic and tension vanished instantly, and the initial shock gradually faded. He Yuan relaxed, beginning to savor and process the moment.
Because he had said his ideal was to grow wings and fly, Admiral Wen Su was letting the mecha, Chongming, carry him into the flight.
Admiral Wen Su…
He was just too, too good.
The wind roared in his ears, lifting He Yuan’s hair and the hem of his clothes. Lakes, forests, and hills swept past beneath his feet. The vast world looked like a map, presenting a picturesque beauty, and he felt like the master of this map, free to roam wherever he pleased.
He tilted his face up with a smile, narrowing his eyes and spreading his arms to enjoy it to the fullest.
“By the way, Admiral, I saw on the military website a few days ago that there’s going to be a ‘Mecha Appearance Competitive Friendly Match’ soon. What is that?”
“Just as the name suggests, it’s a competition to evaluate the appearance of the generals’ mechas.”
“There’s a competition for that? Sounds like a beauty pageant.”
“Pretty much. In short, it’s a boring activity with no real meaning, euphemistically called ‘adjusting the atmosphere and bonding.’”
He Yuan laughed.
He knew Admiral Wen Su hated formalism the most!
“So, will you participate, Admiral?”
“It’s just work. I’ve participated in the past, so I will this time too.”
“So it’s been held before!” He Yuan grew curious. “Does Lord Chongming participate? How are his results?”
Wen Su didn’t answer immediately.
He Yuan waited a moment, then looked back, noticing Wen Su’s expression had changed slightly.
…Was that awkwardness?
He turned back around and looked down at the massive body beneath his feet. It displayed the mecha’s most primal color and structure.
He sort of understood.
The last orange-red hues of the sunset faded, and the curtain of night opened to embrace the entire world.
The Chongming Bird landed on a clearing atop a nearby hill. He Yuan climbed down, gazing at the sky and the earth, his breathing still laced with excitement.
“Chongming has always come in last.”
Wen Su stood beside him, explaining calmly.
“Many people like to add various external decorations to their mechas, but I don’t have that habit, nor will I change for a dispensable event. Chongming is always first in combat competitions, and that is enough.”
He Yuan smiled and said, “But you don’t reject it either, Admiral.”
“What do you mean?”
“If neither you nor Lord Chongming objects, leave the appearance competition to me this time!”
Wen Su paused.
In the night, the Omega’s large eyes were incredibly bright.
“Lord Chongming’s name is taken from the divine bird in the ancient legend Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing), right? I’ve read about it—shaped like a rooster, voicing like a phoenix, chasing away beasts, suppressing evil, born with double pupils… just imagining it feels super majestic and beautiful. Since that’s the case, let’s bring it to life! Not just for the competition, but because it’s what Lord Chongming deserves!”
After speaking, he ran to the front of the mecha and performed an elegant, retro gentleman’s bow, as if inviting a dance partner.
“Please guide me well, Lord Chongming!”
Under the night sky, atop the hill, with the evening breeze blowing, the lively, brilliant youth made a pact with the guardian mecha. To Wen Su, the scene looked like a reenactment of a plot from a knightly romance or a fantasy movie.
But if such a plot truly existed, the knight should have been him.
In this situation, with Wen Su’s expression and mood as soft as the gentle wind, how could he possibly disagree?
“There are only ten days left. Is there enough time?”
He Yuan said with a sense of duty, “I’ll just work some overtime. There’s definitely enough time!”
“Then will you go with me when the time comes?”
He Yuan nodded vigorously, giving a heavy “Mm!” of affirmation.
Neither of them planned to go back immediately. He Yuan shaded his eyes with his hand, looking at the scenery from various angles, then took out his phone to take photos of the Chongming Bird from different perspectives. He sat down on the spot to carefully observe the photos and opened a document to record his modification ideas.
Wen Su stood leaning against the mecha, his deep gaze fixed in He Yuan’s direction, seeming to space out, yet also seeming to be deep in thought.
No response was needed. It wasn’t specifically to keep company, yet it was true companionship. This kind of interaction was the best kind.
He Yuan wrote seriously for a while until his phone chimed with a notification. It was his best friend!
He switched out of the document to check. The message on the screen read boldly: [I heard you and Admiral Wen Su are dating?! Is it true?!]
He Yuan: ?????????
No amount of question marks could express the bafflement in his heart. He even looked up at Wen Su in confusion, not even caring why Wen Su was also looking at him, before lowering his head to type furiously.
[Who said that? How could there be such a rumor?!]
[It’s spread all over the school. They said you and Admiral Wen Su came for a meeting today…]
His friend recounted everything people had seen regarding him and Wen Su on the West Lawn and in the cafeteria.
[They know we’re close, so they came asking me, but I didn’t know what to say at all! And you too—you came back to school today, and with Admiral Wen Su, why didn’t you tell me in advance?]
[Because I knew you have to go out for your part-time job on this day every week!]
[But I missed so much! If I had known, I would have asked for leave!]
[No, you didn’t! You didn’t miss anything. It’s a rumor, a very unrealistic and ridiculous rumor. I am clearly just Admiral Wen Su’s life assistant. You know this.]
His best friend was an orphan like him; they had grown up together in the Aid Center.
His friend was a year older and had gotten into Xingyuan University a year before him. They talked about everything. Even if his participation in the teacher’s research project and his role as Wen Su’s life assistant were confidential, he couldn’t keep it from his best friend. His friend’s character was impeccable and would definitely not leak the secret!
Sure enough, his friend asked next:
[Then what should I say? They’re acting like they won’t stop until they get an answer!]
He Yuan frowned slightly.
He couldn’t tell the truth, but avoiding the question might make it look like he was hiding something. Even if he didn’t care, Admiral Wen Su couldn’t be involved in such ambiguity.
It was indeed troublesome.
After weighing his words for a long time, he replied: [Just say Admiral Wen Su and I are not dating. Absolutely not! This must be explicitly denied! As for how we know each other, just say I found a general labor job with the military when looking for part-time work, and we met by chance. Say you don’t know the details.]
[Okay!]
That should work.
With the problem temporarily solved, He Yuan breathed a small sigh of relief.
His friend asked again: [Since it’s been rumored into a romance, it seems your work has been going smoothly lately?]
He Yuan smiled and typed briskly: [Yes! Admiral Wen Su was indeed hard to deal with at first, but slowly I found out that he’s actually a very good person. Especially good!]
Thinking back, he realized he had so many, many things to tell. He typed whatever came to mind, filling the phone screen with message after message. Finally, seeing a gap, his friend managed to squeeze in a reply:
[To be honest, it really sounds like you’re dating.]
He Yuan froze.
He subconsciously looked up at Wen Su again.
Wen Su was still looking at him.
He Yuan didn’t respond and lowered his head again. His friend messaged:
[Leaving everything else aside—coaxing him to sleep every day? Is that seriously part of a life assistant’s job description?!]
He Yuan typed back honestly: [Yes, it is.]
His friend sent a screen full of “going crazy” emojis.
He Yuan continued to reply honestly: [That’s how it is being a life assistant; the work content changes according to the situation. I take care of Admiral Wen Su in every possible way because it’s my duty. Besides, this is also one of the ways to serve the country! The Alliance’s top combat force is being taken care of by me—just thinking about it is so cool!]
…
The two chatted to their hearts’ content. Finally, after saying goodbye to each other, He Yuan raised his head again.
Wen Su was gazing at him, just as before.
“You were chatting? You looked very happy.”
“Mm, I chatted with a friend for a while.” He Yuan patted his butt and stood up. Remembering the chat content just now, he found it truly amusing and decided to let Wen Su share the laugh. He said, “Admiral, you’ll never guess this—my classmates all think the two of us are dating now!”
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