Chapter 39
The first half-day of training had officially come to an end, and everyone couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, suppressing their strong desire to lie down and take a break. They struggled and made their way back to eat and shower.
Taking advantage of the lack of attention from others, Lu Kongbin strolled over to Lu Jingning and quietly asked, “Hey, Jingning, want to grab a meal together?”
Lu Jingning hardly needed to think about it: “No need, it’ll be too obvious.”
Lu Kongbin looked aggrieved, wanting to retort, but after contemplating for a while, he couldn’t find a convincing reason to persuade him. He could only frown and look at Lu Jingning with annoyance.
Just then, Wen Xingchen, who had gone out to wash his face, returned.
As he approached, he casually greeted Lu Kongbin, “Hello, Instructor.”
Lu Kongbin snorted through his nose.
He didn’t see this kid show any respect towards him as an instructor earlier, so why the change now? Did he finally give up trying to defy him?
After Wen Xingchen finished speaking, he turned to look at Lu Jingning and asked, “Want to have a meal together?”
Lu Jingning didn’t hesitate this time: “Sure!”
Lu Kongbin watched from the side, almost ready to explode in anger. Lu Jingning refused to eat with him, but he readily agreed to Wen Xingchen. Was this kid really his own son?
Fuming, he was about to walk away when he heard Wen Xingchen’s calm voice asking, “Instructor, would you like to join us?”
Lu Kongbin’s steps came to a halt, and he reluctantly turned back. After some thought, he reluctantly nodded, “Since you invited me, I guess I can.”
Wen Xingchen smiled faintly, “It’s our honor.”
While witnessing these two putting up a show, Lu Jingning felt like he couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He sighed deeply, raised his hands to shove them into his pockets, and turned to leave. Out of sight, out of mind.
For lunch, they chose a nearby restaurant with a good reputation. After sitting down, Wen Xingchen took the menu and casually asked, “Instructor, any specific preferences?”
Lu Kongbin replied, “None.”
Having spent years living a rugged life outside, he couldn’t afford to be picky, so he had no particular dietary restrictions.
Wen Xingchen nodded and asked again, “What about spiciness? Do you prefer something spicy or mild?”
“Either is fine,” Lu Kongbin replied. Then, he couldn’t help but glance at Wen Xingchen and said with a displeased tone, “You keep asking me about my preferences, but why don’t you ask your classmate?”
Wen Xingchen responded with an “Oh” and said casually, “I don’t need to ask; I know what he likes.”
Lu Kongbin filled with suspicion when he saw Wen Xingchen nonchalantly handing over the completed menu. He only confirmed that everything he said was true when the dishes arrived.
A table full of dishes, all of Lu Jingning’s favorites, with no room for any complaints.
However, the more perfect it seemed, the more uneasy Lu Kongbin felt. He couldn’t help but turn to Lu Jingning for an explanation.
Caught off guard by the scrutinizing gaze, Lu Jingning looked puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Lu Kongbin’s tone was serious, “Just tell me honestly, what’s the situation between you and that Alpha?”
Lu Jingning was a bit bewildered by his sudden and vague question, “What situation?”
Lu Kongbin stressed, “Dad isn’t a narrow-minded person. If you really like someone, there’s no need to hide it from me. I promise not to go and beat the person up.”
Lu Jingning laughed, “Where did you get that idea? Wen and I are brothers!”
Lu Kongbin remained doubtful, “Can Alphas and Omegas just be brothers?”
Lu Jingning responded, “Why not? Yu Qingcang and I practically grew up together. According to you, does that mean I have feelings for him too?”
Mentioning Yu Qingcang, Lu Kongbin subconsciously shook his head, “No way, he’s too weak.”
After hearing Lu Jingning’s explanation, he didn’t continue probing further. However, before leaving, he couldn’t help but remind him with concern, “Jingning, if you really like an Alpha, remember to tell Dad. He can look out for you. You don’t know how Alphas these days can be quite scheming. Like Wen Xingchen, you treat him as a brother, but who knows if he has other ideas?”
Lu Jingning chuckled and interrupted, “I can assure you, even if I had any ideas, Wen would never be interested in me.”
If he were interested, he wouldn’t have needed such a hard time just to get a temporary mark.
Although Lu Kongbin should have been reassured by Lu Jingning’s confident response, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed, furrowing his brow.
Why did it sound like that guy Wen looked down on their precious Jingning?
Acting all arrogant, with such high standards?!
…
After returning, Lu Kongbin left the training program with the exchange team and continued their daily practice. During this period, Lu Jingning took the opportunity to visit the hospital, but unfortunately, Wen Xingchen refused to listen and undergo a full-body examination.
However, there was good news.
After the excitement of the pirate incident and the subsequent intense release, Lu Jingning’s disrupted pheromones had improved significantly. As long as he paid a little attention to certain points, he wouldn’t have any problems even when participating in the competition.
Finally, after half a month, the day of the Military Academy Exchange Tournament arrived.
Under the leadership of their captain, the representatives of the Imperial Navy set off for the host, Heavy Cloud Defense University.
Upon entering the campus, two uniformed receptionists greeted them and led them to their exclusive resting area.
Heavy Cloud Defense University had a unique nature among military academies. Unlike the front-line combat-focused military forces, it leaned more towards cultivating emergency personnel in the rear. Therefore, the distribution of Alpha, Betas and Omegas at Heavy Cloud was closer to that of a typical civilian university in the Empire.
As they walked, Lu Jingning couldn’t help but exclaim, “Heavy Cloud Defense University is so different from our school! The proportion of Omegas here is on a completely different level! You can casually walk down the street and see so many Omegas. It’s much more refreshing than the scene full of Alphas back at our University!”
Wen Xingchen was walking beside him, not intending to engage in the conversation. However, Lu Jingning continued, “When the exchange competition takes place, the students from Heavy Cloud will probably come to watch, right? I wonder if these Omegas will fall for my charm when they see me in my jeans?”
Wen Xingchen replied, “…”
What’s going on? Lu Jingning seems unsatisfied with Alphas now and doesn’t want to leave any Omega untouched either?
Before he could respond, someone next to them couldn’t stand it anymore and said, “Lu Jingning, can you please stop? You’ve already caused enough trouble with the Omegas at our Imperial Academy. Now that we’re at another school, can’t you spare us Alphas a break?”
Lu Jingning dismissed it, “What era is this? Still pursuing Alpha and Omega relationships? There are Alpha x Alpha, Omega x Omega pairings, and plenty of Beta options, so don’t get stuck in traditional concepts. Open up your minds and your world will become more colorful.”
The others couldn’t help but exclaim in exasperation, “Is that your excuse for robbing us of a chance to find true love?”
“You can’t target me just because I’m exceptionally outstanding.” Lu Jingning shook his head disdainfully and turned to Wen Xingchen for confirmation, “Lao Wen, tell the truth. Is it my fault that I was born with exceptional looks?”
Wen Xingchen looked back at him and lightly hooked his lips, “It’s not your fault.”
Satisfied, Lu Jingning nodded, but before he could say anything else, the person next to them continued, “So, in order not to waste this innate advantage, I suggest that before the competition, you walk a few rounds to showcase yourself better. Otherwise, we won’t get the full experience of your unique charm.”
Lu Jingning retorted, “I’m not a peac0ck showing off its feathers! Why do I need to showcase myself from all angles?”
Wen Xingchen replied nonchalantly, “Of course not, you have much more ideas than a peac0ck.”
Lu Jingning thought, “…”
He had a reasonable suspicion that this guy was mocking him, but he had no evidence.
Why does he always argue with others? Are his hormones acting up again today?
The others were already laughing their heads off.
Under this playful atmosphere, the receptionists led the Imperial Navy’s team to the rest area successfully.
As they entered, they happened to encounter another group of people.
As these were all representative teams from various schools, everyone was wearing their respective uniforms. From the neat and unified blue attire, it was apparent that this group was from the Silver Star University’s exchange team.
The person at the front of the group stopped when they reached Lu Jingning and smiled mysteriously, “Wen Ye, we meet again.”
Wen Ye raised his eyelashes and replied calmly, “Long time no see.”
Some of the senior members of the Imperial Navy’s exchange team had experienced the last exchange competition. Now, faced with these people, their expressions turned unfriendly.
In the previous competition, the Imperial Navy lost to the Silver Star University by a narrow margin, ending up second. At that time, Tang Jiaze was one of the official members of the Silver Star team. Now, he unexpectedly appeared again, this time as their captain.
The rivalry between the Silver Star University and the Imperial Navy University for the top spot among the Empire’s military schools had been going on for a long time. They were true arch-rivals. Thus, just a simple encounter like this was enough to stir up deep emotions, making it clear how narrow the road of rivalry was.
Tang Jiaze put up a good front, with a sincere tone as he said, “I’ve heard about the attack on Imperial Navy. I heard you suffered heavy losses. It’s really regrettable.”
Wen Ye’s expression remained unchanged, “Thank you for your concern.”
Tang Jiaze sighed lightly, “It’s such a pity. I thought we could have a good battle on the competition stage this time, but unexpectedly, such an incident occurred. It’s really tough on you to organize a team to participate in the competition during this difficult time. However, regardless of the result of this exchange competition, the spirit of participation is a role model for us military academy students. It’s worthy of our respect and learning.”
Listening to this strange speech, Lu Jingning frowned unhappily.
From what Tang Jiaze said, did he feel like their team was already doomed to lose this time?
The other members of the Imperial Navy’s team also felt a little displeased. The atmosphere around them became tense.
Bing Yunlin stepped forward, breaking the deadlock with a smiling face, “It’s too early to talk about things that haven’t happened yet, isn’t it?”
Tang Jiaze nodded, chuckling, “You’re right.”
Wen Ye said, “If there’s nothing else, we’ll go back and rest.”
Tang Jiaze stepped aside to let them pass and showed proper courtesy, “After you.”
The other members of the Imperial Navy’s team didn’t want to engage further with them, so they walked by without glancing at them.
As they passed by, someone in the Silver Star’s team frowned in confusion, “Did I see it wrong? There’s actually an Omega among the Imperial team?”
Tang Jiaze had noticed Lu Jingning standing among the group and lightly chuckled, “I can only say that the Imperial Navy suffered heavy casualties in the recent attack. I’m afraid they’re short of people. At such an important event as the exchange competition, they actually found an Omega to fill in.”
Others around him laughed lightly, “That’s why they say their spirit is commendable.”
Tang Jiaze joined the laughter and waved his hand, “Let’s go, let’s have a meal.”
Leaving behind the tho-ny presence of the Imperial Navy, the Silver Star University, aiming to defend their championship, seemed to have encountered another stumbling block.
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
If you like my translations, feel free to donate to my ko-fi!
I really, really appreciate all the support from my readers <3 It goes a long way and motivates me lots!
Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
Thank you for all your support <3 Leave a comment if you life 🙂 I love reading them!
Leave a Reply