Night Linyuan said, “Alright.”
Tong Sui excitedly got up from the hospital bed and put on his shoes.
His coat was casually held by Night Linyuan.
The three of them got into a floating vehicle, and considering Tong Sui’s health, Tong Sinian decided to head to the food street near the military academy.
Nearby the military academy, there were also a bride academy and several comprehensive universities, all of which were open all day, unlike their semi-closed arrangement.
This food street mainly served students.
Tong Sinian picked the highest-rated restaurant inside, which had private rooms and was relatively clean and spacious.
The round table in the private room was quite large, accommodating over ten people.
Tong Sinian entered and sat down first, about to pull out a chair beside him and beckon Tong Sui to come over.
However, he saw Tong Sui sitting diagonally opposite Night Linyuan, right next to him.
Tong Sinian: “……”
The food was served quickly.
Before long, all the dishes were on the table.
Night Linyuan remained expressionless, using chopsticks to fill a small porcelain bowl with a balanced mix of nutrients, placing it in front of Tong Sui.
“Eat.”
Tong Sui responded with a slight “mm.”
He obediently picked up the chopsticks and focused on his meal.
Watching their interaction, Tong Sinian suddenly felt a bit unnecessary.
After dinner, Tong Sinian sent Tong Sui and Night Linyuan back to the military academy.
As he sat in the vehicle, he glanced through the window at the two walking side by side, a sense of relief evident on his face.
The secretary in the passenger seat remarked, “……”
His boss’s mood swings were too drastic.
He had left with a gloomy expression, and now he was wearing a silly grin.
“Boss, are you sure it’s okay to leave the second young master with him?”
Night Linyuan didn’t seem easy to get along with.
Tong Sinian replied, “I know what I’m doing.”
He rolled up the window and told the driver, “Let’s go back. I can finally get a good night’s sleep today.”
The old campus roads were lush with green trees, blocking some of the street lights’ glow, stretching their shadows long.
Tong Sui asked, “Aren’t you going back?”
“I’ll drop you off first.”
“Oh…” Tong Sui said, “I’m sorry for bothering you today and wasting so much of your time.”
He quietly turned his head.
Night Linyuan still had his coat tucked under his arm.
Tong Sui couldn’t help but smile slightly, and he subtly shifted his steps to the right.
Their shadows seemed to lean against each other.
But it was unfortunate that opportunities to be sick were rare; he might not be able to see Night Linyuan often thereafter.
Tong Sui unconsciously slowed his pace, hoping the walk would stretch out just a bit longer.
Night Linyuan said, “It’s alright; as long as you’re okay. If you feel unwell later, make sure to ask the instructor for leave and don’t push yourself.”
He continued walking at his usual pace, soon noticing that Tong Sui had fallen a bit behind.
Night Linyuan stopped and waited for him.
He turned back.
In the night, Tong Sui’s originally flamboyant hair color deepened, making him appear even more gentle and harmless, the little spikes from earlier fading away.
The night breeze gently blew, dispelling some of the heat but also stirring his heart restlessly.
Night Linyuan’s gaze dropped slightly, fixing on Tong Sui’s lips.
It seemed like the warmth from their earlier touch still lingered, along with questioning from those red-rimmed eyes, the lips soft and warm.
His eyes deepened a touch, thoughts flitting past and being suppressed again, restoring his usual cold exterior.
While he was distracted, his arm was suddenly wrapped around by Tong Sui, who said, “Slow down.”
The closeness was overly ambiguous.
Night Linyuan stared at the arm for a few seconds, then said nothing, subtly shifting his gaze away and slowing his pace.
What was previously a short distance took them double the time.
Fortunately, the old campus dormitory housed only new students this year; tired from military training during the day, no one was willing to come out and socialize.
By the time they arrived at the dormitory, they hadn’t encountered anyone.
Tong Sui felt a bit dazed.
Had they really reached so quickly? He reluctantly accepted the uniform jacket Night Linyuan handed to him.
“Will we still see each other tomorrow?” Tong Sui asked, looking down at his toes. “I mean, will you come to patrol again?”
Tong Sui didn’t hold out much hope; after all, he had already wasted Night Linyuan’s entire day.
School had just started, and there would surely be many things to attend to.
If he couldn’t come tomorrow, maybe the day after would work—
“Yeah, I’ll come.”
Huh?
Tong Sui looked up.
He met those dark, deep eyes, which were still calm and expressionless, yet a flutter of joy surged in Tong Sui’s heart.
“Can I add you as a friend?” Tong Sui asked. “If you want to see me, you can send me a message. I mean, when you’re on patrol.”
“Mm.”
Night Linyuan opened his light brain, and with a beep, Tong Sui’s list added a new name.
“Great,” Tong Sui said, taking a few steps back and waving from the steps. “It’s getting late, so you should go back and rest.”
After Tong Sui turned and headed upstairs, Night Linyuan stood where he was and looked back, watching the lights in the building turn on one by one.
Only then did he retract his gaze and turn to leave.
As Tong Sui walked upstairs, he heard several Alphas chatting in the hallway.
“Hey, why don’t we have any Omegas in our school? I was just out for a stroll and almost died of envy.”
“I heard that Night Linyuan has proposed to the Empire for the past three years to establish an admission channel for Omegas, but it was rejected every time.”
Tong Sui paused for a moment.
His ascent slowed; although today’s technology could suppress everyday pheromone leakage, the Empire’s stance on Omegas had always been conservative.