SCOM - Chapter 79

Chapter 79

The two had only just made their feelings clear when they were separated upon their return. Ji Yuezhi always felt that what had happened on Xijiang Exile Star was a product of his own imagination, so he took the initiative to message Zuo Luohuan.

He wasn't so direct, only saying that with a week left before school started, he wanted to ask for her guidance on using a skeletal mech in advance.

As for the venue, the apartment in the central city happened to have an empty space for training, which was very suitable for the two of them.

Zuo Luohuan went along with him and agreed.

Early in the morning, she drove to the Ji residence. She didn't drive directly to the entrance, however. As she neared, she parked to the side and walked the rest of the way.

She happened to run into Ji Xixiu as he was coming out. Their eyes met, and Zuo Luohuan called out, "General Ji."

"You are not part of the Seventeenth Army, there's no need to call me General." Ji Xixiu's gaze swept over her. "Or am I not worthy of you calling me Uncle Ji?"

Uncle?

"If I remember correctly, you should be a month younger than my father," Zuo Luohuan said.

To argue about such a thing at a time like this, Ji Xixiu's brow arched, ready to 'guide' the younger generation. The next second, Ji Yuezhi walked out from inside, a faint, pleasant smile on his lips.

Hearing the footsteps, Ji Xixiu glanced back at his son and ultimately didn't say another word to Zuo Luohuan.

Ji Xixiu asked Ji Yuezhi, "Not sleeping in a little longer?"

Ji Yuezhi shook his head. "I went to bed very early yesterday."

"Be safe on the road."

"I know."

After the father and son finished speaking, Ji Xixiu left.

Ji Yuezhi walked up to Zuo Luohuan, pursed his lips, and looked up at her.

In truth, apart from that time in the hotel room, the two had had no other intimate contact. Now, standing face to face, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Come here." Zuo Luohuan reached out and took his hand, leading Ji Yuezhi toward her car. "Didn't you say you wanted me to train you?"

Ji Yuezhi looked down at their ten intertwined fingers and instantly relaxed. After getting into the passenger seat, he picked up a 13-inch case, placed it on his lap, and opened it. Inside were two spheres. "My father gave these to us."

The skeletal mechs they had used before were taken back on their return trip. Zuo Luohuan didn't have a skeletal mech, so Ji Yuezhi had asked his father for two sets.

As Ji Yuezhi opened the case and picked up a sphere, Zuo Luohuan turned to help him pull the seatbelt across and buckle it carefully.

Ji Yuezhi looked up at her side profile, forgetting what he was originally going to say, and just stared at Zuo Luohuan in a daze.

Noticing his silence, Zuo Luohuan looked over and met Ji Yuezhi's gaze. She raised a hand to half-cup his face, her thumb brushing against it gently. Inside the car, their breaths gradually intertwined.

"What are you thinking about?" Zuo Luohuan let out a laugh, her eyes lowering and unconsciously landing on Ji Yuezhi's lips.

They were so close that if either of them moved forward just slightly, they would touch. Naturally, every little movement was crystal clear. Ji Yuezhi noticed where her gaze lingered, and a faint heat bloomed on his lips, even though they had felt cool when she kissed him before.

He leaned back against the car seat, tilting his head up slightly, wanting to take the initiative to press closer. But Zuo Luohuan moved back a little, maintaining the exact same distance as before.

At first, Ji Yuezhi thought it was his imagination. But after tilting his head to get closer several times, she would retreat a little each time, yet not pull away completely, always maintaining this intensely ambiguous distance.

The Alpha's wicked nature was on full display.

Perhaps sensing the annoyance leaking from Ji Yuezhi's eyes, Zuo Luohuan finally stopped her teasing. The hand that was loosely cupping his face applied a little pressure, stopping him. She leaned down and kissed him, a gesture of appeasement. It was a light touch that didn't deepen.

Zuo Luohuan returned to the driver's seat and fastened her seatbelt. She pulled away quickly, her next words all business. "The school is going to conduct skeletal mech training?"

"Yes. From now on, starting from the second year, all students will undergo skeletal mech training," Ji Yuezhi said, forcing himself to ignore the previous sensation and calm down.

Zuo Luohuan started the car and drove toward the central city. Ji Yuezhi remained silent on the way, sitting quietly beside her, sometimes unconsciously turning his head to look at her.

"You didn't bring a training uniform?"

Zuo Luohuan asked Ji Yuezhi as they got out of the car.

"I forgot," Ji Yuezhi said, carrying the case with the skeletal mechs, his tone somewhat self-righteous.

Zuo Luohuan wasn't too surprised. She took a backpack out of the trunk. "I brought a few extra sets."

Although the training uniforms had cinched cuffs, the fabric was elastic and generally loose. The two were about the same height, so they could easily wear each other's clothes.

They walked into the elevator side by side and arrived at the same apartment as before.

The interior looked no different from when Ji Yuezhi had left, and even the thin blanket they had used was still piled messily in a corner of the sofa.

"I want to change into a training uniform," Ji Yuezhi said, putting down the case in his hand.

Zuo Luohuan opened her backpack, took out two black and white training uniforms, and handed them both to him. "For the next few days, you can wear these."

After taking the uniforms, Ji Yuezhi didn't immediately turn to change. Instead, he stood opposite her and said, "You never returned the clothes my father sent over before." Though it was a statement of exposure, when he said it, it carried a subtle coyness of an Omega toward an Alpha.

Zuo Luohuan admitted it directly. "Yes. I wanted to keep them for when you came over in the future."

Ji Yuezhi had only wanted to seize a bit of the initiative, but he hadn't expected her to admit it. "You already... back then?"

"Why would I temporarily mark someone I don't like?" Zuo Luohuan stared at Ji Yuezhi's face, not missing any change in his expression, and said word by word, "Apologizing to you after the temporary mark wasn't sincere either. I was very happy to mark you that day."

Back then, she couldn't sleep night after night, not just because she had to take care of Ji Yuezhi during his heat, but also because of the excitement and pleasure that rose in her heart, almost making her tremble.

Zuo Luohuan knew from start to finish how despicable she was. She knew he could only be helped by a temporary mark, yet she trapped him by her side, giving no other Alpha a chance, nor giving Ji Yuezhi any other choice.

She had liked Ji Yuezhi for a very, very long time. The young master was noble and beautiful, his every move etched into Zuo Luohuan's heart back then. At that time, she had only wanted to be friends with him, but his indifferent gaze and words made her shrink back. She thought he didn't like her, so for all these years, they had been like strangers, avoiding contact whenever possible.

Later, she presented as an Alpha, and the young master's test report also indicated he would present as an Alpha. At that time, the rivalry between the Ji and Zuo families was in full swing, and it naturally extended to the next generation. Everyone openly and secretly compared the two of them.

From the moment Ji Yuezhi was predicted to present as an Alpha, Zuo Luohuan had completely given up on the idea, treating him only as a future rival. But she never stopped paying attention to news about him.

She knew that even though his presentation was delayed, his grades were as outstanding as ever, surpassing even Alphas who had already presented. She knew he had become the head of the Disciplinary Committee.

At that time, Zuo Luohuan felt that watching him from a distance like this wasn't so bad. She would wait for the young master to present as an Alpha, and then they could be rivals. At least then, she would be in his line of sight.

No one knew how fast her heart was beating on the first day of school when Ji Yuezhi walked toward her.

The young master had grown up, as beautiful and cold as ever. When the corners of his long, narrow eyes swept over, it made one's heart itch.

Zuo Luohuan carefully concealed all her emotions behind a casual attitude in front of him, but he appeared before her again and again. The more they interacted, the more uncontrollable the emotions in her heart became, until the young master unexpectedly presented as an Omega.

The Omega exuded the sweet scent of iris, and overwhelming, presumptuous thoughts instantly flooded the Alpha's mind. In the end, however, she only managed to find an inhibitor and inject it into his body.

Behind the suppressed desires was endless worry—the young master had been proud since childhood, hoping for so many years to present as an Alpha, only to present as an Omega at his coming-of-age ceremony. It was undoubtedly a shattering of his pride.

The secret she revealed was merely an ultimatum she had given herself. Their interactions during that time had always given her the illusion that perhaps they had a chance. By speaking it out, if he rejected her, then there would be no other relationship between them from then on.

Zuo Luohuan did not get the awakening from her illusion she expected. Instead, she fell into a beautiful, woven dream. In this dream, Ji Yuezhi said he liked her too, and even wanted to offer himself up during her susceptible period, not just to repay the favor of the temporary mark.

She had to constantly recall his expression at that time, testing him repeatedly, just to be sure it wasn't a dream.

Now, telling him her most despicable thoughts, Zuo Luohuan wanted to test him one last time.

Hearing Zuo Luohuan's last sentence, Ji Yuezhi was a little dazed. As time passed, he seemed to gradually understand the meaning behind her words, and his beautiful, misty eyes widened slightly. "You..."

He didn't finish his sentence, instead turning his face away. His long, crow-feather-like eyelashes drooped as he stood there in silence.

Zuo Luohuan's heart sank a little. The young master would not like someone scheming against him.

However, what happened next stunned Zuo Luohuan. She saw a faint blush appear on Ji Yuezhi's long, fair neck, and it even began to spread to his face.

"When you marked me, I was very happy too." Ji Yuezhi finally regained some of his composure, turning his head back to meet Zuo Luohuan's eyes and speaking softly, "That it was you, I was very happy."

Zuo Luohuan looked at Ji Yuezhi for a long moment, then strode forward and hugged him. The training uniform in his hands fell to the floor, but neither of them paid it any mind.

Ji Yuezhi wrapped his arms around Zuo Luohuan's waist, resting his head on her shoulder. As he spoke, his lips kept brushing against her face. "...I'm staying here tonight."

"Only tonight?" Zuo Luohuan turned her head to ask him. "We agreed on five days."

"Then I'll stay here for four nights." Ji Yuezhi nuzzled her with the tip of his nose. "Alright?"

"Yes." Whatever you say is fine.

The two held each other for a long time before changing into their training uniforms and going to the training room.

After putting on the 100-kilogram skeletal mech, Ji Yuezhi felt that his movements were not as convenient. Furthermore, there were no weapons on the arms. If weapons were to be added in the future, the weight would likely increase even more.

However, Ji Yuezhi's adaptability was excellent. After training in the skeletal mech for a day, he could already move freely, though his running and jumping still couldn't reach his usual speed and height.

"This kind of training can't be accomplished in a day or two. It requires long-term adaptation," Zuo Luohuan said, watching him from the side.

Ji Yuezhi deactivated the skeletal mech and placed the sphere back in its case. Despite performing so many movements, he was already covered in sweat, while she showed little reaction.

"Have you trained like this before?"

Zuo Luohuan revealed one of her wrists. "Not really, I just wore weighted bands."

Ji Yuezhi walked toward her and reached out to touch it.

---

Previous Table of Contents Next