Chapter 43
Wen Su pressed his hands onto He Yuan’s shoulders, leaning in closer. His concern was etched with unmistakable heartache.
He Yuan was also startled by his own sudden outburst. He reached up to wipe his eyes vigorously, his ten fingers working in shifts, but his tear ducts seemed to have lost all restraint. The tears flowed down with an unstoppable force.
He felt absolutely pathetic. Shamed and frustrated, his efforts to stop only backfired; not only did the tears keep falling, but he even began to sob.
“Don’t rush, Xiao Yuan. Take it slow. Just focus on calming down.”
Guiding him to the sofa, Wen Su sat beside him. He gently stroked the boy’s back as it heaved with each sob, while simultaneously using a handkerchief to dab his face.
He Yuan simply took the handkerchief and used both hands to cover his face, burying his head like an ostrich.
This was too humiliating.
He couldn’t face Admiral Wen Su like this.
It took a long while before he finally managed to process his emotions, largely because…
Admiral Wen Su was gently stroking his hair.
The man even said, “It’s alright. Don’t take it to heart. Everyone has moments like this. I won’t think you’re weak because of it.”
He Yuan was moved.
Moreover, he felt truly encouraged.
Once his eyes were mostly dry, he sniffled, feeling that he probably didn’t look quite so unsightly anymore. He finally lifted his head and looked at Wen Su. “Does Your Excellency have moments like this too?”
Wen Su froze, seemingly not expecting such a question.
But since he had been asked, he answered seriously, nodding his head. “Mhm.”
“When was it?”
In He Yuan’s eyes, Wen Su was incredibly powerful! He was an invincible force across the entire galaxy! It was hard to imagine him ever crying.
He quickly added, “Falling down or getting shots when you were a kid doesn’t count!”
Wen Su smiled. ” I didn’t cry as a child.”
“Then…”
“It happened in my dreams, and in that transition moment when I first woke up.”
It had happened quite recently, in fact. And it had been because of you.
However, He Yuan didn’t know the details. He looked as though he thought Wen Su was just joking with him.
Nevertheless, it was rare for a man like Admiral Wen Su to crack a joke just to comfort him. Even if only for the sake of that rare kindness, he needed to pull himself out of his slump as quickly as possible.
He wouldn’t do it begrudgingly or because he felt forced, but with a truly positive spirit.
“Thank you, Your Excellency. I’m sorry for scaring you. I… I really didn’t mean to.”
“It’s no matter. Can you tell me what happened? You were clearly so happy when you left this afternoon.”
“Mhm.” He Yuan nodded. “It was because… I had a falling out with my friends.”
That seemed like a fair summary.
Wen Su immediately frowned. “Young Master Chu?”
He Yuan nodded again. “And my other best friend.”
Wen Su’s frown deepened. Seeing this, He Yuan assumed he was confused and explained, “The one I told you about before.”
“I know.”
The response was curt and decisive.
He Yuan didn’t overthink it. He gave a concise summary of what had happened. By the time he finished, even he felt like he was making a mountain out of a molehill, and he let out a helpless sigh.
“I’m probably just too sensitive and overbearing, right? Maybe they were just busy, and there’s no rule saying they have to match my mood or follow my lead.”
“Sigh, I managed to complicate something that should have been so simple.”
“I always seem to do that—I think I’m so capable, but in reality, I can’t do anything right.”
“I can’t handle my friendships, making everyone unhappy. Before… when I was your life assistant, I caused that massive disaster. Now, in this position, what if I—”
“Who told you that you can’t do anything right?” Wen Su’s voice wasn’t loud, but his tone was solemn and filled with disapproval.
He Yuan blinked his red-rimmed eyes at Wen Su and answered honestly, “Your Excellency always said I was weak.”
He put special emphasis on the word “always.”
A boomerang.
Wen Su felt a sharp pang in his chest, filled with immediate regret.
He said, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
He Yuan was utterly stunned. To have the most elite and proudest Alpha in the entire galaxy admit he was wrong to his face—what kind of inconceivable scene was this?!
His jaw dropped, his pupils quaking in a way that made Wen Su chuckle.
The man rubbed his head again and asked, “Believe me now?”
He Yuan, his chestnut hair now a mess, said with conviction, “Mhm!”
Since even Admiral Wen Su—a man with impossibly high, even exacting standards—had affirmed him, he naturally believed it!
“Don’t always blame yourself when things happen. Don’t fall into the habit of constant self-reflection. That only erodes your confidence until you truly can’t do anything well.”
Wen Su spoke with patient guidance, leaning back into the sofa. He looked incredibly relaxed, as if this wasn’t an office but a private space like his home, speaking to someone equally private who he could let his guard down around.
“As for making friends… I don’t have many myself, but I have some thoughts. So-called friends are nothing more than people who share the same path and seek common ground while respecting differences. This is something everyone involved must acknowledge and practice; if it’s not equal, it won’t last.”
“I have no friends precisely because no one shares my ‘path’ or ‘vision,’ and no one is willing to seek ‘common ground’ while ‘respecting my differences.’ Since that is the case, I am better off without them.”
He Yuan rested his hands on his knees, his inquisitive, wide eyes sparkling as he watched Wen Su.
Admiral Wen Su was just like that. The reason he was serious, stiff, cold, and aloof wasn’t because he was arrogant about his strength, but because he had already puzzled out all the logic of the world and distilled everything down to its simplest form.
Whenever He Yuan encountered a dilemma, a single word from this man could enlighten him. He was so amazing!
His mood was almost entirely restored. After a moment of thought, he said, “Admiral Tulip and you seem to have a good relationship?”
“Mhm. But that is Song Pei’s strength; I am not a special case for him.” Wen Su looked at He Yuan and asked nonchalantly, “You have a good relationship with him too?”
“No, no!” He Yuan waved his hands frantically. Song Pei was a high-ranking General; how would he dare claim such a connection? “We’re just acquaintances!”
Wen Su was very satisfied with this answer. He added, “Correct. He is enthusiastic toward everyone. You don’t need to feel pressured, nor should you think it’s anything special.”
“Oh.” He Yuan pondered for another moment. “Then I’ll contact the two of them later to see if they were actually busy. I’ll bring up the celebration dinner again, too. If their… reaction is indeed off, I’ll just be open and express my feelings.”
He was seeking Wen Su’s advice.
Having successfully comforted the Omega and earned his admiration and trust, Wen Su was pleased. However, seeing that he had simultaneously helped the Omega mend fences with those two lurking, ill-intentioned guys made him feel quite conflicted.
He checked his watch and said, “I’ll brief you on your tasks for now.”
“Oh, right!” He Yuan snapped back to reality, jumping up from the sofa. “I’m so sorry, Your Excellency! I almost forgot about official business!”
Normally, many of an Honorary Dean’s duties were optional. But for the current Wen Su, those duties were vital. He had to arrange everything with meticulous detail, and his assistant had to provide feedback with equal precision.
The situation entered the phase He Yuan loved most.
First, he registered his information into the access control and office systems. Then, he huddled near Wen Su to listen to the job briefing, taking notes on his phone and asking for clarification whenever he was unsure.
Wen Su was more than happy to break a single sentence down into ten, and he made sure to keep his speaking pace slow.
By the time they finished the briefing and he checked his watch again, only an hour had passed. It was still a bit too fast.
…Gurgle, gurgle.
Wen Su blinked. Seeing He Yuan blush, he looked toward the boy’s stomach.
He Yuan’s face turned even redder.
“Hungry?” Wen Su asked with a smile.
“Mhm,” He Yuan whispered. “I was worried about the interview at noon, so I barely ate any lunch.”
“Then let’s go together. I haven’t had dinner yet either.”
“The cafeteria probably doesn’t have much left now. Should we order delivery?”
“We’re going out,” Wen Su said imperiously, walking toward the door with no room for argument.
He and the Omega had never shared a meal that felt like an actual date.
It was unbelievable.
And unacceptable.
As the two walked out of the administrative building side-by-side, they were met with the sight of Chu Xi and He Yuan’s best friend standing right there.
Wen Su’s annoyance shot straight to the top of his head. He didn’t hide his scowl for a second. The other two were also caught off guard; they hadn’t expected to run into Wen Su directly. However, having finally caught He Yuan, they felt both a sense of success and a twinge of guilt, their gazes shifting away.
Only He Yuan’s joy was pure—he had already been comforted by Wen Su! His friends were proactively extending an olive branch, so of course he would take it!
He immediately ran down the steps, grabbing one of their hands in each of his. “Did you come here specifically to wait for me? Did you plan this together, or was it just a coincidence?”
In the darkness, Wen Su’s cold gaze remained glued to those two hands.
Returning the favor, Chu Xi rolled his eyes at Wen Su and said to He Yuan, “It’s a coincidence. What took you so long? What were you doing in there? You haven’t eaten yet, right? Come on, I’ll treat you to dinner. Consider it a celebration for getting the job.”
Wow! They were on the same page! They really were his best friends!
Good friends should be treated fairly!
He Yuan looked at the two and suggested, “How about we all go together?”
He was a little nervous as he said it, since the relationship between Chu Xi and He Yao had always been tense. Surprisingly, this time went smoother than he expected. Chu Xi nodded almost without hesitation. “Fine. The more, the merrier.”
He started to pull He Yuan away.
He Yuan paused against Chu Xi’s hand and turned back. “Um, Admiral Wen Su…”
Wen Su walked over, coming to a stop right next to He Yuan.
Chu Xi said, “What’s the meaning of this?”
He Yuan gave a placating smile. “Why don’t you join us too, Your Excellency? We were just about to go eat anyway.”
“The two of you were going to eat?” Chu Xi glared at Wen Su as if he were looking at a “Fox Spirit” schemer. After a thought, he used a tactical retreat to advance. “Now that he and I have joined, the world-renowned top combatant of the Star Source Alliance, Admiral Wen Su, surely wouldn’t deign to join us, right?”
“Aiyah,” He Yuan looked embarrassed.
Chu Xi glanced at He Yuan’s best friend, signaling for him to say something too.
But the best friend hadn’t dared to breathe properly since Wen Su appeared.
The pressure of raw power between Alphas was something an Omega couldn’t truly grasp.
It was already a struggle for him to remain standing there without fleeing; he was fueled entirely by his sincere devotion to He Yuan.
In the silence, Wen Su said, “I indeed do not deign to.”
He Yuan: “?”
Chu Xi let out a smug chuckle, thinking he had won.
However, Wen Su added, “But I can endure it.”
This “disdain” had nothing to do with whether he was a top combatant; he simply felt disdain for the intentions these two were harboring.
Thus, he added one more line: “If Young Master Chu cannot endure me, please feel free to leave on your own.”
He Yuan: “…”
Strange. They weren’t in a forced blind date situation anymore, yet they were still so antagonistic toward each other.
It was one thing for Chu Xi to have a “young master” temper, but why was Admiral Wen Su acting like this too?
He peeked at Wen Su. Next to the many glamorous labels he had mentally assigned to the man, he cautiously added a new one:
Vindictive.
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