Chapter 42
“Wow! The effect is so much better after these changes!” He Yuan looked up from his computer, giving his best friend “star-eyes.”
His best friend, however, looked very serious. “You’ve always been independent. Since you’ve come to me to help with your resume, it seems you’re determined to get this.”
He Yuan said immediately, “Of course!”
“But is this really okay? Do you really want to apply for the Administrative Assistant position at the Military Academy? Admiral Wen Su is the Dean. You were just kicked out by him, and now…”
“Those are two separate things, and it’s not as serious as you say. I wasn’t kicked out, I was laid off! It’s because Admiral Wen Su found out about the research project and couldn’t accept being a subject. He doesn’t have a personal problem with me!”
When he had returned to school despondently, he first contacted this best friend. Unfortunately, his friend was in another city at the time for a student union exchange program. They couldn’t meet and only chatted over the phone.
Naturally, the friend asked why he returned. The friend also knew about the life assistant research project, so He Yuan just used Wen Su’s explanation.
His friend was extremely worried and even wanted to cut the exchange trip short to come back and accompany him. He Yuan quickly stopped him!
Such a precious opportunity shouldn’t be ruined because of him! Besides, he was fine!
But his friend still wanted to do something for him, so he contacted the student union and got him a volunteer spot at the sports meet stall.
“Sigh, if I had known you were coming back, I wouldn’t have left for anything!” his friend had lamented on the phone back then.
“But you can’t buy ‘if I had known’ for any amount of money!” He Yuan said with a smile.
Not long ago, the exchange program ended and his friend returned. The first thing he said upon meeting was the sameā
“If I had known you were coming back, I wouldn’t have left! I really missed so much! You actually became famous for acting! And as a girl! And there were scandals in school! It caused a bloodbath!”
“Hehe, that’s why you can’t buy ‘if I had known’! But you’re being too dramatic. What bloodbath? People were just talking privately. It’s all fake and it’s all over now!”
On the day they reunited, He Yuan was joking around and didn’t take it to heart. But his friend clearly didn’t think so now.
He asked solemnly, “Even if Admiral Wen Su doesn’t have a problem with you, why do you have to do a part-time job there? It’s not like you can’t find anything else.”
He Yuan froze, saying in confusion, “There’s an option right in front of me that’s suitable in every way. Why look elsewhere?”
“Suitable in every way?”
He Yuan nodded. “Yeah! The Military Academy is close, so it saves a ton of travel costs! The work is clerical, which I’m good at and want to pursue in the future! It shouldn’t be too tiring! And doing a part-time job at the school means I won’t have to deal with annoying things like being bullied by a boss or colleagues, or having my wages docked. Don’t you think?”
He Yuanās smile was bright, but his friend looked deeply troubled.
“He Yuan, we’re best friends, right?”
“Of course! We’re childhood friends!”
“Then tell me the truth.”
“What truth?”
“What exactly happened between you and Admiral Wen Su?”
Instantly, the smile froze on He Yuanās face.
His friend said, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I’ve seen the photos, too. I always feel…”
“Stop the brain!” He Yuan stood up and pressed his hands against his friend’s forehead. “I told you it’s all fake, and you’re still overthinking!”
“But…”
“No ‘buts’!”
“Why no ‘buts’? There are so many life assistants. Why are you and Admiral Wen Su the only ones with rumorsā”
“I don’t know either! I didn’t want this! But I can’t control other people!”
He Yuan got flustered as he spoke. He really didn’t want this! Even if he had been marked by Admiral Wen Su, the things people were saying weren’t true! Besides, the marking was an accident!
Now, not only was everyone else gossiping, but even his best friend didn’t believe him!
He felt very wronged.
His expression was clearly off. His friend saw it and felt regretful.
“He Yuan, I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t believe you. I’m just worried that if you go to the Military Academy for a part-time job, you’ll… you’ll…” He couldn’t say what for a long time. His own feelings were very complicated.
“Forget it,” He Yuan whispered, lowering his head.
His friend looked at him helplessly. “Then… don’t be angry?”
He Yuan shook his head. “I’m not… angry.”
To be honest, he was a little bit.
But he also knew his friend had always cared for him. He could try his best not to be angry.
He tried to adjust his mood and forced a smile.
“Hey, the administrative assistant position at the Military Academy is super popular. Not to mention there’s a lot of competition. If I think cynically, maybe they’ll just fill it internally through connections. I probably won’t get it. Everything we just said was for nothing!”
“True,” his friend muttered. “I hope so.”
He Yuan heard him and felt a bit of resistance. He tried to redeem the situation: “And even if I do get it, I probably won’t see Admiral Wen Su. He’s only the Honorary Dean. He’s busy and doesn’t have time to come to the school!”
“True,” his friend said again. “I hope so, then.”
They were sitting by the lake revising the resume when Chu Xi ran over, shouting, “Xiao Yuan, I’m here! That boring class is finally over!”
When his eyes met He Yuan’s best friend, his excited expression turned cold.
The best friend also looked at the newcomer as if he were an uninvited guest.
He Yuan looked left and right, feeling very helpless.
After his best friend returned, he had immediately introduced him to Chu Xi because they were both his good friends; he couldn’t favor one over the other!
He had imagined they could all play together, but reality slapped him in the face.
Although his friend and Chu Xi didn’t explicitly say anything, he could feel they disliked each other.
Chu Xi was used to being a young master. To people he didn’t want to greet, he didn’t even spare a glance. He just raised an eyebrow, walked up, and grabbed He Yuanās arm. “Let’s go. You promised to go out for lunch with me today.”
He Yuan looked at his friend awkwardly.
His friend was ultimately more mature. “Go ahead. I happen to have an appointment with a classmate anyway. I’ll talk to you about the interview tonight.”
Phew…
A tenuous peace.
As they walked away arm-in-arm, Chu Xi asked, “What interview? The part-time job at the Military Academy? You’re really going? The rumors just died down. Didn’t you decide to stay away from Wen Su?”
“I’ll just try. I might not get it anyway. Besides, Admiral Wen Su is just the Honorary Dean. He won’t come to school once in eight hundred years. How could I possibly see him just like that!”
He told Chu Xi the same thing.
Chu Xi blinked and said a faint, “Fine, then.”
When he had encouraged He Yuan to go to the Military Academy for a part-time job, it was because he didn’t know Wen Su would be the Dean. He had even thought about using his family connections to get He Yuan in. Now that he knew, he obviously couldn’t use them at all.
Let He Yuan handle it himself.
Not stopping him was already a sign of his high character.
Besides, there was probably no need to stop him. He had heard the position was being watched by many people. If they followed the normal process, He Yuan probably really wouldn’t get it.
A week later.
He Yuan went to the Military Academy’s administrative floor for the interview as scheduled.
Feeling both excited and nervous, he went upstairs and stepped out of the elevator. He froze.
The area was very empty. Not a single person was around.
Shouldn’t there be a lot of people gathered together waiting for an interview?
He checked his phone to confirm; the time and place were correct. Suppressing his confusion, he walked to the designated interview room door.
Knock, knock.
An electronic voice said, “Please enter.”
Then, a beep sounded.
He Yuan took a deep breath, went over the key points his friend had taught him one last time, and pushed the door open.
He was completely stunned.
In the spacious office, only one person was sitting behind the deskā
…Admiral Wen Su.
He Yuan froze in place, one hand on the doorframe, one foot in and one foot out, his mouth and eyes rounded into “O”s.
He had repeatedly told his friend and Chu Xi that he wouldn’t see Wen Su even if he got the job. As it turned out, before he even got the job, Wen Su was the first person he saw.
Wen Su looked at him and smiled.
It wasn’t the friendly smile of seeing an old acquaintance, but…
A smile as if he had seen something funny.
Was it because of his reaction?
He Yuan quickly stood at attention, his hands and feet straight.
Wen Suās smile became more obvious. “Come here.”
He Yuan bowed slightly, closed the door, and walked over.
His head was still spinning.
The last time they met was at night. He was wearing unusual clothes, about to perform, surrounded by people in a noisy environment. It had felt dreamlike and unreal.
This was their most familiar setting.
But it still felt unrealā
The period of separation in between felt unreal.
It was as if he were still at the base, still that life assistant.
“Iāve read your resume,” Wen Su said. “The office administrative assistant position is yours.”
With one sentence, He Yuan was pulled back to reality.
“Wh-what? It’s mine?! Just like that? No interview?”
“Isn’t this the interview right now?” Wen Su said as if it were a matter of course.
But clearly, it wasn’t.
“Your Excellency, you haven’t even asked me any questions!”
“Because I know all the answers you would give,” Wen Su said with certainty. “There’s no need to do something redundant.”
He Yuan: “…”
Wen Su pointed to the sofa next to him. “Sit.”
He Yuan obediently went over and sat down, hands on his knees, his bottom only touching the edge of the sofa.
Wen Su stood up and walked around the desk. He casually adjusted the position of a small notebook on the desk, drew half the curtain, and went to get some water. As he filled the cup, he asked He Yuan if he wanted a drink.
“Pure water, coffee, juice, tea. We have everything.”
He Yuanās face instantly turned red. He remembered the day he woke up after being marked. Admiral Wen Su had been like this then too, preparing many kinds of drinks just because he said he was thirsty.
…No, no, stop the brain!
He quickly waved his hand to say no and added a “thank you.”
For some reason, he felt Admiral Wen Su was a bit different than before. He seemed… a bit more lively.
Observing secretly, perhaps it was because they were at a school rather than in the military. Admiral Wen Su wasn’t even dressed in his usual stiff and cold manner. In a suit that was both casual and fashionable, he appeared very bright and clear.
Wen Su leaned against the desk with a coffee cup, quietly looking at He Yuan.
“When do you plan to start work?”
The progress was so fast.
He Yuan gathered himself and said seriously, “Your Excellency, I think something’s not right.”
“What’s not right?”
“Is this a legitimate interview?”
Wen Su lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, “No.”
He Yuan: “……”
So honest.
“Then… then Iām afraid that won’t do. I don’t think this is good.” He looked at Wen Su, his eyes shining with honest light. “Your Excellency, why… why are you doing this?”
Wen Su said bluntly, “Do you feel like Iām doing this to satisfy my own selfish desires?”
He Yuan lowered his eyelids and didn’t speak.
Wen Su looked at him persistently. “If I were that kind of person, I wouldn’t have let you leave in the first place.”
He Yuan looked up in surprise.
“First, the position of administrative assistant at the Military Academyāsuch an ordinary positionāis actually coveted by many people. They think it can get them close to core personnel, and theyāve tried their best to plant their own people. Since that’s the case, Iād rather plant my own person than have someone else do it.”
He Yuan understood this point. Wen Su indeed hated being interfered with.
“Second, I can’t spend all my energy here, so naturally, I need to choose someone I truly trust. It’s too much trouble to select and train someone new.”
Mhm, also very reasonable.
“Finally, He Yuan, I said before that there was no way to fulfill your wish to continue being an assistant. That was then. Now, I can.”
“Your interview indeed wasn’t a formal one, but I guarantee that your future work will definitely be a formal assistant’s job.”
He Yuan was stunned.
He hadn’t called him “Xiao Yuan” again.
He meant…
Just like that, He Yuan’s new part-time job was settled.
He started work the next day, arranging his work hours around his studies.
He was an assistant again, back to his old trade! But he had changed from a life assistant to an administrative assistant, expanding his business scope!
He Yuan was very happy. After leaving the office, he immediately shared the good news with his best friend and Chu Xi. He even thought about treating them to dinner to celebrate, but…
The two of them, as if they had discussed it beforehand, replied with “Okay” and “I see.” There were no congratulations, no extra words at all. The distance and even displeasure could be felt through the screen.
He Yuan, of course, couldn’t bring himself to mention dinner again.
He put his phone away, and sadness slowly washed away his joy.
He understood that both his best friend and Chu Xi were unwilling for him to work at the Military Academy, but he didn’t understand why. If it was because of Admiral Wen Su…
But they didn’t know what had happened between him and Admiral Wen Su.
And now, there was nothing between him and Admiral Wen Su anyway.
His shoulders slumped as he let out a long sigh. Walking alone on the road, he couldn’t help but reflect on himself: If both his best friend and Chu Xi were like this, two against one, was he really doing something wrong without realizing it?
He went to the west lawn alone to digest his feelings.
He looked at the sky, the ground, the clouds, and the people passing by.
Unfortunately, not only did he fail to digest it, but the knot in his heart grew bigger and tighter.
He sat there blankly until dusk. His phone rang. Wen Su had sent a message saying he forgot to register his access card earlier and asked if he was free now.
Of course he was.
A quick trip back and forth, but in that short time, his mood was completely different.
However, he wouldn’t show it in front of Admiral Wen Su. He was a professional assistant!
He tried his best to smile politely and act as if he were ready for work. He didn’t expect that as soon as he walked into the office, Wen Su would ask him, “What’s wrong? You’re unhappy?”
He Yuan was startled and quickly tried to hide it. “No… no.”
Wen Su frowned, stood up from behind the desk, and walked over to He Yuan. He looked down at his face.
“Do you still have to put up a brave front before me? Tell me the truth. Have you been bullied?”
Admiral Wen Su always had incredible insight.
His voice was also incredibly steady and magnetic, and when he said certain sentences, his tone would be very gentle, even carrying warmth.
He Yuanās heart instantly softened.
He couldn’t resist it at all. He transformed into a weak Omega on the spot, and tears suddenly burst from his light brown eyes.
“…Xiao Yuan!”
Wen Su pressed his hands on He Yuanās shoulders with concern.
If he still held back at a time like this, what kind of Alpha would he be?
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