SCOM - Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Zuo Luohuan changed into a clean set of clothes and went to the Ji residence. She didn't go to see Ji Xixiu right away. She had previously agreed to pick up Ji Yuezhi on the weekend afternoon to take him back to school, so she acted as if she knew nothing.

When she arrived, Ji Yuezhi was already waiting for her. The moment he heard the sound, he quickly walked out from inside.

Through the front windshield, Zuo Luohuan watched the person standing at the main gate. He was facing her direction, and although he couldn't see her yet, the corners of his eyes and brows carried a faint smile.

He was this happy just because she was here to pick him up?

Zuo Luohuan parked the car, her fingers unconsciously tightening on the steering wheel, but she released them the next second. She opened the door and walked toward him. "Have you been waiting long?"

Ji Yuezhi shook his head. "I heard your car from inside and just came out."

The engine of Zuo Luohuan's car was indeed louder than a normal vehicle's, but it would be easy to miss if one wasn't paying close attention to the outside.

Some things became much clearer once you started paying attention to them.

Seeing that he was only carrying a backpack, Zuo Luohuan asked, "We're going to the academy. Have you packed your things?"

"All packed." Ji Yuezhi's gaze fell on her still-damp hair. "What were you doing today?"

Zuo Luohuan reached out and took his hand, leading him toward the front passenger seat. "I went to the training grounds with Jiang Hong to test out the light guns."

After watching him get settled, Zuo Luohuan walked to the other side. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but in the end, her gaze only lingered on the Ji family's main gate for a moment before she looked away.

She opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, and turned to fasten Ji Yuezhi's seatbelt. "We'll train together next week."

"Okay." Seeing her lean over to fasten his seatbelt, Ji Yuezhi tilted his head up slightly and kissed the corner of Zuo Luohuan's lips. His beautiful eyes curved into crescents, looking very happy.

Any Alpha would be extremely pleased by such a display from an Omega. Zuo Luohuan was no exception; a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes as well.

---

This time, when someone in the parking lot saw the two of them getting out of the car together, they were no longer surprised, but they couldn't help but sigh inwardly: the most famous rivals of their First Military Academy were now a couple. Who wouldn't marvel at the unpredictable and ever-changing nature of the world?

"Captain!" Qian Mao had also just gotten out of his car. Seeing them, he immediately came over to greet them. "Starting next week, I'll be assigned to attend classes with you all."

"Attend classes together?" Ji Yuezhi was a bit surprised.

"Not exactly. It's just that we students from the weapons department are going to start researching weapons compatible with skeletal mechs," Qian Mao explained, holding a large pile of documents.

Ji Yuezhi understood. It was because Zuo Luohuan's progress was too fast, so they were bringing in the weapons department students ahead of schedule.

"You two..." Qian Mao's gaze shifted downward to their intertwined hands. He gave a dry laugh. "Haha, I have something else to do, so I'll be going."

Zuo Luohuan raised an eyebrow. He was tactful enough. She turned her head to Ji Yuezhi and said, "I'll walk you back to your dorm."

---

On Tuesday afternoon, Ji Yuezhi had class, but Zuo Luohuan did not, nor did she have to go to training. So, she snuck off campus.

Ji Xixiu was handling affairs at the Military Committee. Zuo Luohuan had sent him a message in advance and was waiting outside.

An hour later, someone came out and led her into an office.

After a long while, Ji Xixiu pushed the door open and entered. Seeing Zuo Luohuan, he said, "You needed to see me? Go on, what is it?"

"Why did he differentiate into an Omega?" Zuo Luohuan asked, getting straight to the point.

With Ji Yuezhi not present, Ji Xixiu made no effort to restrain his aura. A deep and heavy pressure was directed straight at Zuo Luohuan. He sat down and lifted his eyelids. "Why the sudden question? You don't like that he's an Omega?"

Zuo Dihong fought on the borderlines year-round, and his oppressive presence was just as heavy as Ji Xixiu's, if not more so. Zuo Luohuan didn't feel much pressure.

She looked at Ji Xixiu. "During the temporary mark, he was uncomfortable. Was he rejecting my pheromones?"

Zuo Luohuan had never temporarily marked another Omega. At the time, she had assumed her pheromone level was too high, making it a bit much for Ji Yuezhi to bear. Coupled with his reluctance to go to the hospital, she had buried the matter in her heart and hadn't thought much about other reasons.

Later, Ji Xixiu's half-spoken reminder forced her to re-examine Ji Yuezhi's reaction at that time.

Ji Xixiu raised his eyes and stared at Zuo Luohuan, his gaze like a cold sword. "What else do you want to say?"

"I found the hidden report. He showed signs of a differentiation period when he was fifteen." Zuo Luohuan did not look away. "I want to know why."

After a long moment, Ji Xixiu suddenly smiled, leaning back in his chair. "Haven't you already guessed the real reason in your heart?"

Zuo Luohuan's expression changed drastically. "You agreed to it?"

"It was his own wish. Why wouldn't I agree?" Ji Xixiu retorted.

Since stepping into this office, this was the first time Zuo Luohuan had lost control of her emotions. Her face was extremely grim. She clenched her fists several times, trying her best to control herself, and finally managed to calm down. "What did the doctor say? How severe is the damage to his body?"

"It's not what you'd call damage, but you'd better exercise some restraint. His glands still need time to develop," Ji Xixiu said coldly.

Hearing this, Zuo Luohuan's brow relaxed slightly, but the weight in her heart did not lessen.

"Alright, did you skip class to come here again? Go back to your classes," Ji Xixiu said, lowering his head to look at the documents on his desk.

"I don't have class this afternoon." Zuo Luohuan bowed slightly to Ji Xixiu. "Uncle Ji, I'll be leaving now."

Only after the office door closed did Ji Xixiu look up, frowning at the empty space before him.

---

Zuo Luohuan walked out of the Military Committee building and finally lost control. She stopped, lowered her head, and gripped the railing tightly, her knuckles turning white from the strain.

Ever since returning from Xijiang Exile Star, she had been wondering why people said Ji Yuezhi's health was poor. Apart from that one time he had rejected her pheromones, Zuo Luohuan hadn't noticed any other signs.

When she saw the hidden test report, a guess had formed in her mind, but the possibility was so low that she didn't dare believe it, nor did she want to. That was why she had come to Ji Xixiu for confirmation.

Now... her guess was confirmed.

There was a period in the Federation's history when Omegas relied on a certain drug injected into their glands to make them atrophy, losing the ability to release and store pheromones, making them similar to ordinary Betas. Later, because this drug caused irreversible damage to an Omega's body, it was eventually banned.

But there was another, extremely small possibility. There was once an Omega who, in the pre-differentiation stage, managed to change their differentiation characteristics through sheer willpower, becoming an Alpha.

There wasn't much information left about this Omega, only occasional mentions in certain documents.

Ji Yuezhi had transformed from an Alpha into an Omega. Zuo Luohuan didn't even know how much damage this transformation would cause his body in the future.

Zuo Luohuan released the railing and, with heavy steps, got into her car and returned to the academy.

Her emotions spiraled out of control several times on the way, but by the time she reached the academy, all the negative feelings had vanished completely, leaving only a feigned calm.

Zuo Luohuan walked to the building where Ji Yuezhi had his class and waited for him to come out.

---

After Ji Yuezhi finished a class and had just stepped out of the classroom, someone in the corridor called out to him.

"Classmate Ji, Zuo Luohuan is waiting for you outside!"

"I think she's been waiting for a while."

Many military cadets in the corridor were leaning on the railing, gossiping as they watched Zuo Luohuan below.

"Thank you," Ji Yuezhi said to the person who had informed him. His expression was calm and detached, but his heart was filled with joy. He quickened his pace and walked out of the building.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Zuo Luohuan indeed standing there waiting. Ji Yuezhi walked toward her and asked softly, "Why did you suddenly come over?"

Zuo Luohuan concealed the depth in her eyes, a smile on her face. "I missed you a little."

Her words were undisguised, but she didn't make any inappropriate gestures, merely reaching out to take his hand and lead him away. Upstairs, the gossiping cadets who had been waiting to see some real-life couple action were instantly disappointed and dispersed.

Ji Yuezhi never refused Zuo Luohuan's closeness. He talked to her about the potential improvements to the skeletal mech project. "...Qian Mao and the others are already getting familiar with the materials and data for the skeletal mechs, so they can better research compatible weapons."

"Mm," Zuo Luohuan responded lightly. She wasn't interested in the skeletal mech project right now.

Perhaps sensing that something was off with her, Ji Yuezhi thought it was because he hadn't responded. As they passed the next corner, he tugged on Zuo Luohuan's hand. When she looked over, his beautiful eyes were filled with a sparkling smile. "I missed you a lot too."

Zuo Luohuan's heart skipped a beat. In the end, she reached out and pulled him into a hug.

She was usually restrained, at most holding his hand when they were outside.

Ji Yuezhi was a little surprised, but Zuo Luohuan quickly leaned close to his ear and asked with a smile, "When are you going to tell me that secret?"

"You guess." Ji Yuezhi rested his chin on Zuo Luohuan's shoulder, a faint curve appearing on his lips.

Zuo Luohuan held the person in her arms, feeling the warmth of his body. After a moment, she said, "I won't guess anymore. I'll wait for the day our Yuezhi is willing to tell me." Although she already knew his secret was the same as her own.

They were so close that Zuo Luohuan only had to lower her eyes to see the gland on the back of Ji Yuezhi's neck. He was exposing his most vulnerable spot to her without any defense.

Zuo Luohuan subconsciously raised her hand, wanting to touch that spot, but in the end, she lowered her hand and let go of Ji Yuezhi. "Are you hungry? Let's go eat."

Although to outsiders, Ji Yuezhi was the unapproachable one, he was not quiet when he was with her. Most of his conversation revolved around her future skeletal mech training.

It wasn't until dark that Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi parted ways.

Although Zuo Luohuan's dorm was a single room, she didn't invite Ji Yuezhi up. She didn't want him to become a topic of discussion at the academy.

Walking back to the Alpha building, Zuo Luohuan first went to Jiang Hong's dorm.

"You..." Jiang Hong was coming out with a meal box. Seeing the gloom on Zuo Luohuan's brow, he froze for a moment. "You went and asked?"

"You don't need to investigate his matter anymore," Zuo Luohuan said. "Ji Xixiu already told me."

"Huh?" Jiang Hong didn't know what information she had gotten from Ji Xixiu, but it definitely wasn't good news. He couldn't help but ask, "Is there really something wrong with Ji Yuezhi's health?"

Zuo Luohuan's face darkened. "He's fine."

Jiang Hong studied Zuo Luohuan's expression and could only tell that she was in a bad mood. Plus, he had also seen that report and had a general idea. He mentioned, "Doctor Fang is still in the capital recently. Do you want to..."

"I'll find some time to go see him," Zuo Luohuan said. Fang Yong had been able to remove his own glands; he should have some expertise in this area.

It really is a pheromone problem, Jiang Hong thought. Pheromones have a huge impact on the body. If not handled properly, things could easily go wrong. He had no idea what kind of problem Ji Yuezhi was facing.

---

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