Chapter 1
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In late September, the summer heat persisted even in the evening, scorching the shrubs. In the mecha room, Beta Little Wang was using air conditioning, bored with his phone in hand.
Hearing the familiar roar outside, Little Wang knew without looking that it was probably an almighty Alpha, most likely a combat department student returning their mecha.
About three to five minutes later, a slender figure appeared at the glass door.
The young beta who had just returned to school pushed the door open with one hand. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants, slim and tall, with slightly long hair that partially covered his distinctive innocent face. However, it couldn’t hide the inherent cleanliness and obedience in his bones, especially his delicate and beautiful features, like hiding dazzling jewels that were enchanting and captivating.
Beta loved to socialize with other betas, especially those in the A University beta community.
So, Little Wang greeted him warmly, “Ah, it’s Rong Qiu. Why has your department been away for so long? It’s been half a month already.”
Rong Qiu smiled at Little Wang’s words, “We went to G Star this time. It took three days round trip.”
Little Wang scanned the mecha’s condition, and all the data remained at excellent levels, “Not bad. Other students come back with damaged mechas, but yours is as good as new, and you’ve been using it for three years.”
“Yeah, I prepared lubricating oil and spare parts for each mecha, ready for maintenance anytime.”
Little Wang chuckled, “It’s not just about oiling; you must be taking care of it as if it were a partner.”
With a “beep,” the announcement system reported, “Mecha 0097 scanned qualified and can be successfully stored.”
Little Wang gestured “OK” with his hand, “Alright, successful storage. Go back and rest. There are huge dark circles under the boss’s eyes.”
Hearing Little Wang’s words, Rong Qiu couldn’t help but touch the corners of his eyes.
Little Wang didn’t notice earlier, and now he was surprised, “What happened to your hand?”
Looking at the back of his hand, Rong Qiu said, “It’s nothing. I was in a hurry when getting on the mecha, and the mecha cabin door hit me.”
Little Wang disagreed, “The hands of you combat department guys are like the minds of the command department guys. You have to protect them well.”
The skin on Rong Qiu’s hand was porcelain white, usually flawless, but now the entire back of his hand was red and swollen, as if there was blood pooling. Rong Qiu knew this hand was fine, but being cared for by someone made his heart warm, “Alright, I’ll listen to Brother Wang and take good care of these hands.”
If he could, he also needed to protect Qin Ye’s mind.
Little Wang was amused by his protective statement, and Rong Qiu followed suit, laughing. When he smiled, he radiated a dazzling light.
Little Wang took a few more glances.
Truly good-looking.
Unfortunately, it’s a pity that Rong Qiu is a beta. If he were an alpha, he would have already caused a bloody storm throughout the entire federation.
In military schools like A University that highly values pheromone levels, alphas have an unparalleled status. The most popular command and combat departments at A University have always only accepted alphas.
Someone like Rong Qiu, a beta, piloting a mecha is the first of its kind since the school was established.
As a genius student at A University, Rong Qiu entered the preparatory class at the age of 15, completing two years of coursework in one year. With straight A’s in theoretical subjects and outstanding physical test results, he was admitted to A University in advance and joined the combat department.
During regular classes, he was like the boy next door, friendly and approachable. But when he got into the mecha, everything changed. His presence became imposing.
Little Wang had witnessed it once.
Among several batches of combat department students, only Rong Qiu could control the mecha as if it were an extension of his own body.
Too amazing.
Unfortunately, he’s just a beta.
***
After sending off the mecha, Rong Qiu held his phone all the way, reading messages from Qin Ye. His sapphire-colored pupils sparkled, clear and charming.
Thinking of Qin Ye, the beta’s heart felt like it was being hammered by a small mallet.
He and Qin Ye had been lovers for Ah Year.
He met Qin Ye last autumn, a senior in his third year and an outstanding student in the combat department. He was assigned to be Rong Qiu’s mentor when Rong Qiu, a sophomore, was brought over by the teacher.
Coincidentally, Qin Ye was assigned to him.
Among the students, Qin Ye stood tall and handsome, with a face that shone brilliantly in the golden glow of the sunset. Even without pheromones, he outshone all the alphas present, with a strong and bold charisma, coupled with an indescribable touch of casualness.
Rong Qiu’s heart pounded.
He fell in love with Qin Ye at first sight.
Later, he found out that Qin Ye was a beta and intentionally took care of him.
He understood how difficult it was for betas in the alpha-dominated society, especially quiet ones like Qin Ye, who, like him, was an orphan. The difference was that Qin Ye’s adoptive parents died later, leaving him a substantial amount of money, which made his life at school comfortable but still prone to becoming a punching bag for bored alphas.
He started protecting Qin Ye.
He initially rejected him several times, even refusing to talk to him. Rong Qiu didn’t give up, treating him well as if nothing happened.
Approaching a cold and aloof big cat was difficult.
Rong Qiu was mentally prepared.
Eventually, things got better. Qin Ye gradually softened towards him, progressing from ignoring greetings to studying together.
Although they didn’t study together for many days before Qin Ye complained about him being noisy.
He wasn’t that noisy; he just refilled Qin Ye’s water when it was empty and approached during theoretical discussions when others were making noise. However, after doing it many times, he was labeled as a noisy party.
Qin Ye’s attitude changed on Qin Ye’s eighteenth birthday. Rong Qiu spent a considerable amount of money and personally prepared a table of food at an expensive restaurant. He even made a birthday cake.
That day, they drank together. It was Rong Qiu’s first time drinking, and he was cautious. He thought if Qin Ye got drunk, he would have to take care of him. However, Qin Ye was in high spirits and drank two bottles of wine. Perhaps it was the good atmosphere or maybe Qin Ye finally opened up to him. After cutting the cake, Qin Ye kissed him. It felt like a dream as he dizzily immersed himself in Qin Ye’s kiss, and they slept together.
The next day, he woke up with a headache, sore legs, and a sore butt.
There were several bills on the bedside table.
He suspiciously got up from the bed. The man by the window looked at the blurred dawn outside. Rong Qiu didn’t know how long he had been watching; the cigarette butt in his hand had burned to his fingertips. Qin Ye’s face shrouded in the smoke was enchanting, making him only suitable for distant admiration, not desecration.
Rong Qiu felt a sense of illusion, as if the man would disappear in the next moment.
Suppressing the faint anxiety, Rong Qiu called out to him in a soft and tentative voice, a nickname he had never used before, “Ah Ye.”
Fortunately, the next words from the man instantly reassured Rong Qiu, “Hmm?”
The man extinguished the cigarette, the white smoke still lingering. His face was hidden in it, “The money is on the table. Get yourself something to eat.”
“Okay! Let’s eat together.”
Rong Qiu grew up to be nineteen in a proper manner. All his energy was devoted to studying and piloting mechas. Naturally, he didn’t interpret the man’s money as an invitation to a frivolous relationship.
He was just happy about the man’s tenderness after a night.
Ah~
He and Qin Ye were finally together.
For Rong Qiu, the two best things he had ever done in his life were getting into A University and chasing Qin Ye.
As a child from the orphanage, Rong Qiu had a sensitivity that he didn’t even realize. Shrinking and craving for parental love in his childhood, he was adopted but then heartlessly abandoned by beta adoptive parents.
Growing up, Rong Qiu unexpectedly encountered the cold Qin Muye.
Once he had the person he loved, his barren emotional experiences made him not feel that something was wrong.
Feeling cold from a man’s indifference, he searched within himself for the reasons.
When the man’s attitude was better, all his previous unhappiness would turn into joy, turning into a sunflower orbiting around the small sun in his heart.
Now, the beta returning to school happily jumped and danced.
Had Qin Ye missed him during the half-month they hadn’t seen each other?
Unfortunately, there were no new messages from Ah Ye during the days Rong Qiu was on an external mission.
In Rong Qiu’s eyes, Qin Ye’s personality was very contradictory. Most of the time, he spoke harshly, but sometimes he stuck to people with pride and arrogance, like a beautiful big cat adhering to its own territory. Only when invaded would it extend its claws.
After returning to the dormitory, Rong Qiu briefly dealt with the injuries on his hands.
Before he could dry his hands with a towel, his phone in his pocket vibrated and rang again.
It was Ah Ye.
A smile unconsciously appeared on Rong Qiu’s lips, warm and pleasant.
“Hey, Ah Ye.”
“Why didn’t you answer my call this morning?”
The male voice on the other end of the phone was deep, ignoring the faint impatience in between, leaving behind a subtle magnetism. Rong Qiu liked listening to Qin Ye speak. Every time Qin Ye used that naturally attractive voice in bed, Rong Qiu’s entire being felt incredibly warm.
But now, there was no time to savor it. Rong Qiu immediately explained, holding the phone, “I was piloting the mecha at that time, couldn’t use the phone.”
“Wasn’t intentionally avoiding my call? Being outside for so long, did you find someone else?”
“No, there’s no one else.”
Worried that Qin Ye might misunderstand, Rong Qiu hurriedly explained, “No, I’m clean, it’s just you.”
On the other side, for some reason, Rong Qiu couldn’t hear Qin Ye’s subsequent words clearly.
Rong Qiu waited for a while, only to be greeted by a burst of noise.
He pursed his lips, wanting to initiate a conversation and say a few more words, but Qin Ye dropped a casual “I have a late class today, see you after class” and hung up. In the beep-beep-beep sound, Rong Qiu’s “okay” was swallowed back.
Well.
Qin Ye should be busy…
Rong Qiu felt a moment of frustration.
But soon, Qin Muye sent him a message –
The clothes in the laundry basket need washing.
All worries dispersed, receiving a message from his lover, Rong Qiu’s eyes became moist, his long eyelashes trembling non-stop, and the smile in his eyes couldn’t be contained, even his mood lightened.
His fingertips moved swiftly, typing a line of text.
Thinking it might be inappropriate, too clingy…
After careful consideration, the beta deleted and rewrote, finally sending a simple “okay.”
***
As for washing clothes, Rong Qiu was willing to do it. In his view, the classes in the command department were more brain-intensive, somewhat more tiring than their combat department. Several times, the man would collapse tired on his single bed, not saying a word, just resting with narrowed eyes.
Rong Qiu liked this side of Qin Ye, hiding all the edges, unexpectedly gentle.
Like a lover, and also like family.
Growing up as a lonely child, Qin Ye was the first person who made him feel a sense of family. Even though Qin Ye was always stern, Rong Qiu was still very happy to have someone like him by his side.
Rong Qiu took a quick shower, changed into a new set of clothes, and went to the dormitory floor of the command department upstairs.
The man only had one piece of clothing that needed washing.
Rong Qiu found it in the laundry basket, a simple white shirt. Just looking at this shirt in his hands made Rong Qiu’s heart feel tender.
Clearly a beta like him, but was already towering at 1.9 meters tall. It was fine when he wore clothes casually, and the loose white shirt could reduce his explosiveness. But on the bed, everything changed. The whole person seemed to be glowing, the smooth lines of muscles on his body, combined with that exceptionally handsome face, captivated him.
Both fierce and charming.
The little beta’s face blushed.
The clothes soaked, he started washing.
Apart from the scent of laundry detergent, there was an unknown fragrance in the room. Rong Qiu, with limited experience, felt it was somewhat like the smell of sandalwood, but on closer inspection, it didn’t seem like it. The fragrance was much more complex.
Moreover, this kind of scent, the little beta liked very much.
Heh heh…
After sniffing a few times, Rong Qiu started rubbing and scrubbing the soaked clothes. Countless tiny bubbles emerged from his fingertips, and Rong Qiu’s eyes curved. His hand movements quickened a bit, and the small bubbles on the sleeves were rinsed clean in just three to five minutes.
Rong Qiu, who had changed his collar, noticed a dazzling red.
The beta’s movements abruptly stopped.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
Besides his sexual orientation being bent like a mosquito coil, everything else about the beta was straight.
If it were someone else, they would have noticed at first glance that it was a flirtatious lipstick mark.
But now, the naive beta just wiped it off with his fingertips and sniffed it.
This touch of red seemed to have a bit of fragrance, still sticky. But with a few more rubs, it was easily washed away. Seeing the clean clothes without a trace, the beta’s troubled expression finally relaxed.
Luckily, it’s clean now.
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Ah.. I’m speechless. Is this what they call love brain?