SCOM - Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Jiang Hong paced back and forth on the warship, occasionally passing by where Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi were sitting, his eyes secretly glancing at the two of them.
They sat side by side, appearing no different from usual on the surface. There was even the distance of two armrests between them, making them less close than Luo Shaoyuan, who was sprawled out asleep in the front row next to Yan Yan.
Ji Yuezhi was looking at his optical computer, while Zuo Luohuan had her eyes lowered, playing with the soft blade in her hand. If one were to ignore what had happened before, and someone told Jiang Hong now that the two were together, he would have cursed them for being blind.
"Do you have a weak bladder?" Zuo Luohuan looked up at Jiang Hong, who had passed by five times in an hour. "Doctor Fang is right up front. He already has a way to treat it. You're so young, don't be shy about seeing a doctor."
Jiang Hong: "..."
At that moment, Jiang Hong noticed that as soon as Zuo Luohuan spoke, Ji Yuezhi, who was sitting on the inside, turned his head to look over. Not at him, but at Zuo Luohuan.
He hadn't noticed it before, but Jiang Hong now felt that the way Ji Yuezhi looked at Zuo Luohuan was a bit... how to put it, it was truly the kind of gaze one only has for someone they like, listening intently to whatever Zuo Luohuan said, as if everything she said was fascinating.
It even carried a hint of devout admiration.
Hah! Couples who subtly showed off their affection like this were even more detestable.
"I don't have a weak bladder, my eyes just hurt." Jiang Hong turned and walked away, plopping back down in his seat.
Jiang Hong was angry at himself for being so blind. The two of them had been interacting right under his nose for so long, and everyone else had noticed, yet he, someone from a family specializing in information, had been completely oblivious. However, he wouldn't admit that he was also jealous of Zuo Luohuan.
But when he logged into the First Military Academy's anonymous forum, Jiang Hong suddenly felt balanced again. He knew now, but those people at school didn't.
When this news reached the school, that bunch would absolutely have their jaws drop.
The thought of this future scenario made Jiang Hong's heart feel balanced once more.
When they returned to the capital's port, Ji Xixiu personally came to pick up Ji Yuezhi this time. The reason it was clear he was there for his son and not waiting for the 'Seventeenth Army' was that there was no one else with him, and even the car was his private one.
"You all head directly back to the military academy. Hand over the damaged Skeletal Mechs to the relevant personnel for repairs." Ji Xixiu said only this to the dispatched 'Seventeenth Army' members, then turned directly to Ji Yuezhi and said, "Yuezhi, let's go home."
Ji Yuezhi glanced at Zuo Luohuan before following his father away.
From beginning to end, Ji Xixiu did not say a single word to Zuo Luohuan.
"I think you two... are in a precarious situation." Jiang Hong said with some sympathy, nudging Zuo Luohuan as he watched the father and son's departing figures.
Zuo Luohuan, however, didn't take it to heart. "Ji Xixiu didn't just ignore me; he didn't say a word to you guys either."
"How can we be the same as you?" Jiang Hong felt Zuo Luohuan was being too nonchalant. "In the future, I mean, if by some chance, you two really get, you know, together, you'll be his son's partner. The Ji and Zuo families would be in-laws! I think Ji Xixiu is dissatisfied with you."
"Probably." It wasn't that Zuo Luohuan hadn't noticed Ji Xixiu had an issue with her, but she knew he wouldn't stop Ji Yuezhi from associating with her.
"Senior Sister, Senior Brother, I'm going to meet my parents now." Yan Yan came over to say goodbye to Zuo Luohuan and the others.
Zuo Luohuan nodded. "Alright."
The 377th Army had come to the capital together. They would have to wait for Zuo Dihong's arrangements, but they would likely be staying in the capital.
Luo Shaoyuan disembarked midway in the Western District, where An Yingjing was waiting for her with his people. She was alone, with no baggage. Once the matter on Xijiang Exile Star was concluded, she went off to have fun again. In short, not a single day of the winter break could be wasted.
As soon as he got home, Ji Yuezhi changed into casual clothes, revealing the scent patch on the gland on the back of his neck. Ji Xixiu saw it at a glance, sighed inwardly, and sat down beside his son. "When she marked you, did you feel any discomfort?"
Ji Yuezhi shook his head. "She... Father, my pheromones are fine."
"The doctor said that although you now test as a complete Omega, your gland still needs time to repair, and there might be some residual effects from before." Ji Xixiu stroked his son's hair. "Her pheromone level is too high; no Alpha in the entire Federation can compare. It would be very strenuous for an Omega to bond with her, and you are... A temporary mark is fine, but let's take some other things slowly."
"I know." Ji Yuezhi lowered his head, looking at the pattern on the floor at home, the tips of his ears turning red.
"School starts in a week. The matter of the Skeletal Mechs has been exposed, so this semester, you all should begin learning about them." Ji Xixiu advised. "Last semester, some third and fourth-year students already tested them. All the data has been adjusted, so they should be a better fit now."
"The Skeletal Mechs haven't been fully optimized?" Ji Yuezhi recalled the feeling of wearing one. "The weight of the Skeletal Mech isn't light enough."
"The weight is already at its limit, unless a new type of material is found," Ji Xixiu said. "This is currently just the first year, and we need a large amount of training data from military academy students. But you've seen the performance of the rescue army. What did you think?"
Ji Yuezhi had seen the improvement in Xiang Chengping and his team's strength, but he hesitated for a moment before saying, "They're very strong. They can withstand the damage from the Robot Dogs."
The chip control of the Robot Dogs remains a mystery. The Gashiro people can hide and control them remotely, but the Federation can't. The modified Robot Dogs from the previous military exercise could only execute simple commands, not reaching the level of the Gashiro Empire's Robot Dogs. That's why they took a different path, developing the Skeletal Mech to provide the greatest protection for the army groups.
"Anything else?" Ji Xixiu could tell his son seemed to have more to say.
"The rescue army's strength has improved significantly, but they probably haven't fully adapted yet." Ji Yuezhi couldn't help but recall how Zuo Luohuan looked when she wore the Skeletal Mech on Xijiang Exile Star.
A smile suddenly appeared in Ji Xixiu's fox-like eyes. "To reach Zuo Luohuan's level, it will indeed take more time."
Ji Yuezhi was taken aback. "Father... you know?"
"Xiang Chengping sent over a video." No matter how complicated Ji Xixiu's feelings about Zuo Luohuan were, her strength was truly not to be underestimated.
So far, the Skeletal Mech was just an experimental project. The First Military Academy students who had taken on the mission in the early stages had trained for a semester and their strength had improved. However, this level of strength wasn't enough to fully convince the Military Committee to continue investing in the project, because the cost of the Skeletal Mechs was enormous.
But in the video sent by Xiang Chengping, the strength Zuo Luohuan displayed completely changed the Military Committee's mind. If most people could eventually be trained to her level of speed, and corresponding weapons were developed later, they would no longer have to worry about the Gashiro's machines.
After Ji Yuezhi went home, Zuo Luohuan was also called back by Yi Tong.
"Was Xijiang Exile Star fun?" Yi Tong asked as if making small talk, a routine inquiry, but her tone was laced with coldness.
Zuo Luohuan pretended not to hear. "Besides the underground black market being a bit interesting, the rest was average."
Yi Tong slammed her chopsticks down, looking at the nonchalant Zuo Luohuan across from her. "Your father contacted me a few days ago. He said you got involved with Ren Pingbo. Were you just not going to tell us if no one found out?"
Zuo Luohuan placed a piece of food into her mother's bowl with her chopsticks. "I only found out recently myself."
Yi Tong was not comforted. "You've always been headstrong since you were little, wandering around all day, and I didn't interfere. But you have to cherish your own life. If there's any danger, you must tell your parents."
During this time, both Zuo Dihong and Ji Xixiu had been driven to their wits' end by Ren Pingbo. At first, they thought Ren Pingbo had set a trap because he saw that Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi had discovered something was wrong on Xijiang Exile Star.
Who would have thought that a few days ago, Ren Pingbo had used an untraceable optical computer to contact Zuo Dihong.
This was not something he did infrequently.
Since he was young, Ren Pingbo had been extremely proud and arrogant. After betraying the Federation, every time he led the Gashiro Empire to victory, he would brazenly contact Zuo Dihong or Ji Xixiu to show off, leaving the entire Military Committee feeling stifled.
In the words of some in the Federation, Ren Pingbo was psychologically abnormal, incomprehensible to the average person. This point did bear the characteristics of the Gashiro people.
This time, Ren Pingbo had set up a chain of schemes, yet it couldn't be considered a win. Although the army group on Xijiang Exile Star suffered many casualties, in comparison, the Federation definitely did not suffer too great a loss.
Ren Pingbo contacted Zuo Dihong, saying his daughter was not bad and that he looked forward to their next encounter.
Zuo Dihong thought Ren Pingbo's attention had only been caught because Zuo Luohuan and the others had disrupted the Gashiro Empire's plan this time. He never expected that in the next second, Ren Pingbo would send a short video.
"As expected of Zuo Dihong's daughter, she's tough." On the other side of the optical computer, Ren Pingbo was mature and handsome. Even after so many years, the arrogance in his eyes had not faded one bit. After all, in his view, no one in the Federation could surpass him.
Just looking at his well-defined features and imposing aura, it was hard to imagine this was a person who had betrayed the Federation simply out of boredom.
Zuo Dihong rarely showed his emotions, but upon seeing the scene of his daughter being tortured in the video, the fingers hanging by his side trembled unconsciously—a sign of extreme rage.
Ren Pingbo narrowed his eyes, likely having noticed Zuo Dihong's anger. The displeasure from his plan being interrupted vanished instantly. Before hanging up, he left a final sentence: "Zuo Luohuan is very interesting. I look forward to facing her again."
Zuo Dihong didn't send the video to Yi Tong, but Yi Tong had already guessed most of it from her husband's words.
"You get injured and don't even tell us," Yi Tong said angrily. "You say nothing, and go find an outside doctor on your own. Zuo Luohuan, your parents are still alive!"
Ever since she learned that Zuo Luohuan had been carrying injuries ever since returning to the capital to resume her studies, her heartache had been followed by extreme anger.
"Just a small injury, it's already healed," Zuo Luohuan said nonchalantly. "Mom, you don't need to worry."
Yi Tong: "..."
The Zuo and Ji families had always been the focus of public attention. Many people thought the Ji family's son was cold and distant, but in reality, she knew Ji Yuezhi was very close to his parents. Then there was Zuo Luohuan, who always had a smile on her face and seemed easy to get along with, but actually kept everything hidden in her heart, not even telling her parents.
Yi Tong already regretted letting Zuo Luohuan wander around and develop freely for so many years. She didn't know why she had developed such a personality; Zuo Dihong had never put any pressure on her either.
"You're grown up now, I can't control you," Yi Tong said, leaning back in her chair, somewhat exhausted. "When your dad called, he seemed a little sad."
Zuo Luohuan's chopsticks paused. "It won't happen again. I'll tell you if anything comes up."
Yi Tong waved her hand. "You're used to making such empty promises."
"Mom, there's something I want to say," Zuo Luohuan said seriously, also putting down her chopsticks.
Yi Tong froze for a moment, then suddenly became tense, the blame and heartache showing on her face. "Are you injured again or..."
"No," Zuo Luohuan interrupted. "I like Ji Yuezhi."
Hearing her say no, Yi Tong subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately processed the second half of her daughter's sentence. "...Who do you like?"
"Ji Yuezhi."
Yi Tong somewhat doubted her own ears, but Zuo Luohuan's expression was uncharacteristically serious. She was silent for a moment. "You like Ji Yuezhi?"
Zuo Luohuan nodded.
"That's not very appropriate, is it?" Yi Tong pressed her forehead. Her own daughter bullied Ji Yuezhi every time she saw him. "Although Ji Yuezhi is very good, these things require mutual affection. You two..."
Seeing that her mother had misunderstood her meaning, Zuo Luohuan rephrased. "We should already be together."
Yi Tong was stunned. After a while, she asked, "What do you mean, 'should be'? Are you together or not, you're not even sure?"
"A temporary mark and mutual affection, does that count as being together?" Zuo Luohuan picked up her chopsticks again, feigning calmness.
Yi Tong, who had just been agonizing over her daughter not sharing her joys and sorrows, now had her full attention on whether she and Ji Yuezhi were together. "You've been temporarily marked? When did this happen? This time on Xijiang Exile Star? How could Ji Yuezhi possibly like you?"
Zuo Luohuan: "...He really does like me. As for the rest, Mom, you don't need to know the details."
Yi Tong still felt her daughter was lying to her. Ji Yuezhi was so well-behaved, good-looking, and smart; how could he like someone as devil-may-care as her?
But seeing the faint hint of pride in Zuo Luohuan's eyes, Yi Tong felt it might be true. She had never seen her daughter display her emotions so openly.
Yi Tong still asked for confirmation one more time, "Really?"
"Really."
"You eat first, I have something to attend to." Yi Tong stood up and walked towards the master bedroom.
Zuo Luohuan didn't need to turn around to know her mom was going to call her dad to talk about this.
She propped her cheek on one hand, leisurely picking at the rice in her bowl. She didn't know what her dad's mood would be when he found out, but in any case, she was very happy.
Because of this interruption, Yi Tong temporarily held back what she had originally planned to say. Instead, she began to ponder what her attitude towards Ji Yuezhi should be in the future, and whether she should send him a gift.
Thinking of this, that evening, Yi Tong called Zuo Luohuan over and asked, "For the coming-of-age ceremony before, you gave Ji Yuezhi a separate gift. What was it? Were you two already together then? It didn't seem like it."
Recalling the gift from the coming-of-age ceremony, Zuo Luohuan couldn't help but be startled. That gift...
"It was just a small gift. We weren't together back then." Zuo Luohuan glanced at her optical computer. "Mom, I'll be staying out for the next few days."
"Why are you going out again?" Yi Tong didn't used to mind, but now she was worried about Zuo Luohuan.
Zuo Luohuan raised a fist to her mouth and coughed. "I won't be alone."
Looking closely at her daughter's expression, Yi Tong finally understood. She said, a little awkwardly, "Fine. You two... take precautions."
Things had developed too quickly. Yi Tong couldn't recover for a long time. After returning to her bedroom, she couldn't hold back and called her husband again to talk about it.
Zuo Luohuan didn't much care what her mom was thinking now. After returning to her room, she opened her chat with Jiang Hong and asked if he had found any information.
Jiang Hong: 【...We've only been back a day. How could it be so easy to get information on the Ji family? What makes you think Ji Yuezhi is unwell? Just because of one thing Ji Xixiu said?】
Zuo Luohuan: 【You wouldn't understand.】
Jiang Hong: 【...】
Fine, he, the single guy, didn't understand. Only she did. If she was so capable, then she shouldn't have asked him for help!
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