He raised a hand to touch his chin; the small area of skin that rubbed against it bore no marks, yet he still felt a slight itch. A faint scent of sweet orange lingered in the air. Unlike the aggressive pheromone smells common among alphas, this sweet fruity aroma was subtle yet pleasant.
Night Linyuan’s gaze shifted outside the floor-to-ceiling window. He quickly spotted the first-year mecha class amidst the numerous classes resting. As he noticed Tong Sui surrounded by a few seniors, Night Linyuan frowned. Although the upperclassmen were just attempting to be friendly, it still felt irritating—were they not aware that she wasn’t interested? Why were they still clinging on?
With a soft click of his tongue, Night Linyuan stood up and walked outside. His assistant hurried to stand, questioning, “Where are you heading?” Night Linyuan did not slow down; his presence felt rather chilly. “Going for a patrol.”
Once Night Linyuan’s figure disappeared, the assistant dared to let out a sigh and glanced lovingly at the new students sunbathing below. They were probably going to be in trouble.
As the upperclassmen struggled to persuade Tong Sui to drink water, a hand suddenly reached out, snatching the water bottle from them. The senior, taken aback, turned to say, “You—” But upon recognizing Night Linyuan, he immediately fell silent. The other seniors followed suit, reflexively saluting, “Director Ye.”
Night Linyuan threw the water back and coldly said, “You have three seconds to get lost from here.”
Although the alphas didn’t understand what had irritated this “King of Hell,” they didn’t dare waste a second and practically ran away. Night Linyuan turned, frowning, and met a pair of bright, shining eyes. Any remnants of dissatisfaction within him instantly dissipated.
He coughed lightly. “They didn’t bully you, did they?” Tong Sui shook her head and took a step forward as if she wanted to hold his hand. But then, remembering something, she merely grasped the hem of his shirt, her tone barely concealing her joy. “…Why are you here?”
Noticing the attention around them, Night Linyuan replied, “I came to check on you all; I was worried you weren’t taking your training seriously.”
“I am very serious! The instructor praised my standing posture just now.”
She looked up, showing a few damp strands of her red hair peeking out from under her cap. Her cheeks were sun-kissed, rosy with a hint of perspiration.
Night Linyuan replied, “Hmm, I can see that.”
The instructor, having observed Night Linyuan relax his expression, approached cautiously. “You came specifically; is there any instruction?”
Night Linyuan responded, “It’s hot; be mindful of the training intensity.” After saying this, he turned to leave.
The instructor stood there, utterly confused, wondering if he misheard. Could he really hear words of concern from Night Linyuan? Had the sun risen from the west today?
He looked at Tong Sui, asking, “What’s your relationship?”
Tong Sui replied, “It’s just the third time we’ve met.” He wouldn’t reveal that they had been together for quite a while, even if it was in another world.
Rumors spread on the campus forum about Night Linyuan again after he left the mecha first-year class. It was reported that he patrolled several classes after that, extending training sessions by half an hour to an hour each. Many new students called him a “king of hell.”
Yet, while Night Linyuan was strict, he never cared about the students’ comments; even insults went unnoticed by him.
The military training content was quite repetitive, conducted over and over to achieve muscle memory. After the morning session, they lined up to head to the cafeteria for lunch. The dishes served were hardly gourmet, but the new students, exhausted from physical exertion, didn’t care about the taste.
However, after a morning in the sun, Tong Sui found she had no appetite. She barely took a few bites before feeling unable to eat more.
“Hey, Sui, you’re eating so little again!” Little Fatty noted. He barely saw Tong Sui eat much at breakfast.
The instructor in charge of order scolded, “You over there, no talking!”
Little Fatty quickly hunkered down, focusing on his meal. He ate quickly, soon finishing, and even helped Tong Sui finish her uneaten food, wasting nothing.
After lunch, they returned to the dormitory for a one-and-a-half-hour rest. Most alphas were not picky and simply crashed on their beds, exhausted.
Tong Sui, having sweated a lot, couldn’t stand not showering. She grabbed some clothes and headed to wash up. After finishing her shower and opening the door, she ran into a figure blocking her path.
Bian Sheng asked, “Why do you smell so good?”
Tong Sui was taken aback, thinking, “…” She didn’t want to entertain Bian Sheng’s silly question and tried to walk past him. But he reached out to stop her.
Bian Sheng teased, “Are you feeling guilty for not speaking?”
Looking up, Tong Sui noticed droplets of water clinging to his lashes from her shower. “What do I have to feel guilty about?”
“You must be an omega?” Bian Sheng continued. “You’re so attractive, have that lovely scent, and your skin is so fair; you don’t look like an alpha at all.”
Tong Sui remained silent. She just sidestepped him and glanced towards Jiang Che in the dormitory.
In a way, he was close to the truth, just mistaken about the identity. It was someone else pretending to be an alpha, not her.
Seeing Tong Sui divert her attention, Bian Sheng believed she was guilty, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
He said, “Don’t worry; I can help keep your secret as long as you obediently follow my lead.”
Tong Sui lifted her eyelids, staring at the bruises on his face that hadn’t yet faded. “What on earth are you talking about?”
Her tone was flat with little emotion, her face calm.