Chapter 41
He Yuan stared blankly at Chu Xi, his eyes and mouth betraying his obvious panic. He didn’t speak for a long time.
Chu Xi said coolly, “So you’re not willing to tell me.”
He Yuan waved his hands frantically, saying urgently, “No! It’s not like that! It’s…”
“Fine, fine.” Chu Xi also waved his hand. “I won’t force you to say it. I’ll ask another way: Do you like Wen Su? You asked me that question before, so I can ask you, right?”
He Yuan knew Chu Xi was unhappy but was trying not to mind for the sake of their friendship. He felt a bit guilty himself. He swallowed and shook his head. “I… I don’t like him.”
“Really?” Chu Xi questioned seriously.
He Yuan nodded just as seriously.
“Good. It’s better if you don’t like him.” Chu Xi’s tone remained chilly.
He Yuan was confused.
Why was it “better” not to like Wen Su?
As he pondered, his large eyes blinked rapidly. As he blinked, he saw Chu Xi refresh his phone again. The view count on that photo had instantly jumped to a staggering number.
He Yuan was scared to death. He grabbed Chu Xi’s arm for help. “Xiao Xi, so many people have seen the photo. Am I doomed?!”
“Doomed? Doomed to what?”
“Rumors, scandals, that sort of thing.”
“Spread a scandal about Wen Su? Are they tired of living? Especially since he’s holding a position at the school now; he’s not far away in the heavens anymore. Like I said, no one will dare say anything openly.”
“Then in private…”
“We can’t control what people say in private.”
“But, but…”
“If you’re so worried, wouldn’t it be better to just stay away from Wen Su from now on? Take the initiative to draw a clear line. If the gossip has no follow-up, people will eventually forget.”
He Yuan froze.
That seemed to make sense.
“Though the gossip about you and Wen Su hasn’t just happened once. It won’t be easy to make it disappear on your own.”
He Yuan’s heart leaped into his throat again. He thought, True. Back when he accompanied Admiral Wen Su to the school for a meeting, they had just sat on a bench to chat and eaten at the cafeteria, yet everyone said they were dating.
When they went to the military’s Mecha Appearance Competition, people thought they were dating then, too.
And now…
Sigh, why can’t people imagine anything other than romance?!
“Xiao Xi, is there any way to make the gossip disappear faster?”
“There is,” Chu Xi said as if it were obvious.
He Yuan was instantly delighted. “What way? Tell me quickly!”
“Find someone to actually date. Then the rumors will be debunked.”
He Yuan: “…”
He Yuan: “……”
He Yuan: “………”
“What kind of solution is that? Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Besides, the key is that I don’t want to date at all,” He Yuan said miserably.
Chu Xi said, “You can find someone to pretend.”
“How could that work?!” He Yuan’s train of thought couldn’t keep up at all. He pressed a hand to Chu Xi’s forehead. “Xiao Xi, stop the brain! Your ideas are getting too weird.”
Chu Xi wore a look of world-weary indifference.
It’s not me who’s weird, it’s you who’s too naive, he thought.
The aftermath was exactly as Chu Xi predicted. On the surface, it was as calm as if nothing had happened, but an undercurrent was surging.
Walking on the road, He Yuan was certain—and definitely not out of narcissism or overthinking—that many people were secretly looking at him. Those walking in pairs would whisper and discuss things.
The head of the Drama Club no longer let him handle daily chores, even though he said he had time and didn’t find it busy.
Even his roommates—three Omegas who lived locally and usually stayed at home—had clearly heard. On the rare occasions they met in the dorm, they looked at him with an incredibly hesitant expression.
It was the look of someone who desperately wanted to ask but felt their relationship wasn’t close enough to speak up.
…Sigh.
He wondered if Admiral Wen Su had seen the photo.
Probably not. After all, Admiral Wen Su was someone who cared about nothing but work.
But he cared about you.
And he had seen the photo.
Not only had he seen it, but whenever he had time, he would take it out to look at it, admiring and studying it repeatedly. He set it as his Star-Brain desktop and even printed it out to put in a frame on his bedside table.
It really was a wonderful night.
Suddenly his phone rang. It was an unknown number.
Already annoyed by the interruption of his blissful reminiscing, Wen Su’s irritation reached its peak when he heard the voice and identified the caller.
“Talk? What could I possibly have to talk about with you?”
He usually didn’t show much emotion—it was just his personality. However, when he did have emotions, he didn’t bother hiding them—that was also his personality.
When he said “you,” he emphasized it heavily, making his disbelief and disdain very clear.
The person on the other end paused.
“Regarding Xiao Yuan’s business, you won’t talk? Then forget it.”
“…Wait.”
On the phone, Chu Xi gave a smug laugh. Since he had finally managed to get a handle on Wen Su, his tone became arrogant. “You and I don’t see eye to eye anyway, so I’ll be blunt. First, that photo on the school forum—did you have someone secretly take it and post it?”
There was no need to specify which photo. Chu Xi knew Wen Su would know.
Sure enough, Wen Su didn’t ask for clarification, but said directly, “No.”
“Then have someone delete it.”
“Why?”
Why? Getting a bargain and then acting innocent—you shameless Alpha.
“Because Xiao Yuan is troubled by it. You’re affecting his life and his mood.”
Wen Su fell silent.
This time he needed confirmation.
“Is that true?”
“It’s true.”
“Did he ask you to come tell me?”
“No.”
Wen Su fell silent again.
Chu Xi blinked, suddenly realizing he had been too honest. He hurriedly added, “Even if he didn’t, this is how he really feels!”
“You’re so sure?”
“Of course I’m sure! Given my relationship with Xiao Yuan…”
“What is your relationship with him?”
“I…”
Chu Xi blinked again, realizing the tables had been turned. He said angrily, “None of your business!”
Wen Su said, “Young Master Chu, if you are sincerely making friends with Xiao Yuan on the premise that he is willing, I indeed have no right to interfere. But if you have bad intentions and hurt him, I will certainly make you pay the price.”
Chu Xi: “…”
His fists tightened. He was furious.
Just as he was about to retaliate, Wen Su added, “You said ‘first’ just now. I assume there’s a ‘second’?”
Chu Xi: “……”
Fine, I’ll endure for He Yuan’s sake.
“Exactly. Second, be sensible and stay away from Xiao Yuan in the future! You’ve really caused him a lot of trouble, you know? Xiao Yuan doesn’t like you! He told me so himself! Stop hovering around him; there will be no result!”
Although He Yuan hadn’t explicitly said it, Chu Xi had figured it out by connecting the dots.
He Yuan had been doing a great job as a life assistant and then suddenly stopped. He was vague about the reason and said he didn’t like Wen Su. That could only mean Wen Su liked him!
At the military gala, Wen Su’s attitude toward He Yuan was clearly special. Everyone else had accepted it; only He Yuan was too silly to notice.
It must have been after that time that Wen Su confessed to He Yuan, He Yuan rejected him, and couldn’t continue being his assistant as if nothing had happened, so he resigned.
He kept it quiet out of consideration for Wen Su’s pride.
That had to be it.
Thinking about it now, Wen Su made him suffer, but He Yuan made Wen Su suffer. Indeed, He Yuan was the one truly destined for him!
At this moment, Wen Su asked, “You know about our business?”
“I do.”
“How much do you know?”
“Everything.”
Wen Su let out a snort. “Impossible.”
The sheer decisiveness and certainty in his voice made Chu Xi flustered.
“Wh-why impossible? You… you’re just a rejected unrequited lover…”
“Even if I were just a rejected unrequited lover, my weight in Xiao Yuan’s heart is much higher than yours, Young Master Chu.”
“Ha? Stop being so full of yourself! Do you know what my relationship with Xiao Yuan is now? We’re together whenever we have free time—practically inseparable! He asks for my advice on everything he does, and if he has a problem, I’m the first person he asks for help! He even changed my name! We—”
Wen Su laughed again.
The kind of laugh that suggests “Man proposes, God disposes.”
“Young Master Chu, that kind of relationship has a specific name. It’s called a ‘Dazi’.”
“You…”
“I have noted your requests, and my stance has been made clear. I don’t believe there is any need to continue this call. Thank you very much for helping Xiao Yuan when my robot butler malfunctioned. That is all. Goodbye.”
Wen Su hung up.
Just because he had a bad attitude toward Chu Xi didn’t mean he wouldn’t seriously consider his words.
If he truly was affecting He Yuan, that would be the last thing he wanted.
After discreetly investigating the campus situation for two days, he did as Chu Xi wished and had the forum moderators delete the photo. He also found and had a talk with the student who took the photo.
It was all handled by his subordinates.
After receiving Wen Su’s permission, the subordinates gradually released clues to subtly shift the rumors.
They said He Yuan had once applied for a part-time military job and happened to know Wen Su by chance.
They weren’t close and only had interactions through work. The previous encounter on the school lawn and the cafeteria was actually for work purposes.
Wen Su’s backstage photo this time was also a necessary part of his duties as the Honorary Dean of the Military Academy. Tying the shoelace was a chance encounter and a perfectly normal act of a gentleman.
A very ordinary gesture had been sneakily photographed and edited to create a narrative, which was very rude and disrespectful to both Wen Su and He Yuan.
As a high-ranking officer and dean, Wen Su had originally no intention of interfering in students’ jokes, but when a joke went too far, it had to be clarified.
The subordinates were very capable. They used just the right amount of guidance, and after a little time, the students accepted the new information. He Yuan clearly felt his situation had changed.
“Wow! Xiao Xi, what do you think happened?”
Chu Xi didn’t want He Yuan to think he was meddling, so he hid the fact that he called Wen Su. He simply said, “Probably Wen Su heard the rumors too and felt they affected him, so he sent people to control the narrative.”
Seven parts truth, three parts lie—and he added a bit of “selfish, overbearing tyrant” to Wen Su’s character description.
Let’s see if He Yuan hates you now!
Instead, He Yuan let out an even louder and more enthusiastic “Wow,” his eyes shining.
“In fact, these little rumors at school wouldn’t affect him at all, right? He probably did it because he was afraid they would affect me… Admiral Wen Su is really such a good person!”
Chu Xi: “?”
Did I just play myself?
At the same time.
The “good person” Wen Su was calling his subordinate—
“Good progress. One more thing. The person who took the photo must have taken more than one. Have them hand them all over. Every single one.”
“Yes, Your Excellency. I already did that. So, the next step is to destroy all the photos, correct?”
The subordinate asked with helpful certainty.
However, Wen Su said, “No. Do not destroy them. Send them all to me.”
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