Chapter 48

At the Federal University office, Elai, the teacher in charge of the sophomore class, carefully reviewed the materials Wu Ying had submitted. She knew Wu Ying's identity—the wife of the Fourth Military District commander—and had assumed she was just racking up credits without any real intention of studying.

To her surprise, Wu Ying actually had some skill.

Research on novel soil for flower plants—a rare topic. It looked like Wu Ying had already mapped out her future plans. A pioneering experimental paper like this deserved bonus credit.

"Alright, I'll approve your leave. You've missed quite a few classes, so you'll have to catch up on your own. If you have questions, come to me. Do you have my contact number?"

The moment Elai finished speaking, the others in the office glanced over. After all, she usually kept up an aloof, untouchable demeanor—this was the first time she'd acted so... eager.

Wu Ying exchanged contact numbers with Elai before leaving the office. It was just a contact number, after all—no need to sour things with the year teacher.

Cynthia linked her arm through Wu Ying's and leaned her head against her shoulder. "Wu Ying, Wu Ying, you're finally back. But you're too late—Su Yi just took leave, so we can't all be together again."

"Aren't Huo Lin and I enough?"

"Huo Lin doesn't even stay in the dorm, so it'll just be the two of us anyway." But at least she had Wu Ying to keep her company; otherwise, she'd be bored to death.

At the mention of the dorm, Wu Ying bit her lip and spoke in a small voice: "Um, so... you're still staying in the dorm?"

Wu Ying's guilty expression was impossible to hide. Cynthia planted her hands on her hips and demanded, puffing with indignation: "What do you mean by that?!"

"Well, I mean... how about you move out too?"

"What the heck? I stayed in the dorm to have someone to talk to, and now you're all— Is the outside world really that great?"

Cynthia grabbed Wu Ying's arm and shook her, thoroughly riled up.

"Hey, stop shaking me. You know my family keeps a tight leash on me."

Wu Ying threw Asher under the bus to steady Cynthia. "But he's busy a lot. How about you just move in with me? I'd love to live with you too."

Either way, they'd be together. Wu Ying thought it was a fine idea. The dorm wasn't bad, but it was too small, not as nice as the place she'd picked out—and Asher had promised to install a lab and a flower room in the house for her.

She was tempted.

Cynthia was tempted for a second. She did want to go, but what if she ran into the commander? No, to be precise—she'd definitely run into him!

"Hmph, so I can be your third wheel?"

Wu Ying assured her she was overthinking it. Given how busy Asher was, the opportunities were few and far between.

"You promise?"

"Can't promise that. Hahaha. Then how about you be my neighbor?"

It was her own fault—she lacked willpower. Asher would tempt her at every opportunity, and she genuinely craved it. Most importantly, of course, there was the lab and the flower room.

Wu Ying stayed in the dorm for a few days, burying herself in her studies day and night to catch up. The dorm management center kept messaging her to move out. If the school hadn't been so proper and reserved, they probably would have come to the dorm to kick her out.

"Are you dragging your feet because you can't bear to leave me?"

"Yeah, I really like you, Cynthia. I want to take you with me!"

Cynthia, in her slippers, smugly crossed her legs, pleased with her own charm and cuteness. Then she suddenly remembered Wu Ying was moving out, and her slipper thudded to the floor. "Like me? Then why are you still moving out? Hmph!"

Wu Ying twirled a strand of her hair—freshly washed and smelling clean—inhaled it, and nodded with satisfaction. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for a pretty face."

She was moving tomorrow. Jiujiu was already packing her things, and a single truck would haul everything over in the morning.

"The house is right by the school, super close. Come visit me whenever."

Cynthia shot her a speechless look. Did Wu Ying really think she'd have time? These overachievers, all hustling for their careers. She'd misjudged Wu Ying—she'd thought they could laze around together, but the girl had turned around and dove into research.

"Can't be bothered. Go cuddle with your husband."

"Ah," Wu Ying scratched her head at that, thinking Cynthia was spot-on—Asher had said he'd arrive tomorrow evening. "Hahaha, then I'm off to bed. Good night!"

On the border defense line, Asher stood in the command room, watching the light screen where countless tiny dots flickered in and out of existence. Those were insect creatures surging out of the wormhole—all low-tier beasts, throwing themselves into the defensive line like they were bewitched.

He had a bad feeling about this.

"Commander, you're really taking leave tomorrow? These insect creatures out there will take at least another three days to clear. You're just going to leave like that?"

Asher glanced at the speaker. "Low-tier insects—can't you handle them?"

"We feel safer with you here."

Asher paid him no more attention, straightening his sleeves and picking up his military cap from the desk before turning to leave. He had to finalize the deployment before he could leave with peace of mind. The high-tier insects wouldn't show up for now, but he wanted to be absolutely certain.

His S-level mental power gave him far more endurance than others. Research showed that the higher one's mental power, the more developed their brain. Asher had been full of energy since childhood and had grown into a workaholic.

"Are you going to see your wife?"

Meng Ke looked up at Asher, finding it somewhat unbelievable. He was often by Asher's side, so naturally, he'd noticed the changes.

Setting everything else aside, the sheer number of leaves Asher had taken was telling enough. Most importantly, the destinations changed with his wife's whereabouts.

Back when she was on Beta Star, he'd assumed the commander was just tired and returning to rest. Now, it just felt surreal.

That the commander—unmoved by anything—now had someone he cared about. It was almost inconceivable. The commander never showed such things; he only gave orders and stayed silent, like a Buddha statue observing a vow of silence. But that statue was slowly melting.

Asher gave a slight nod. This leave's destination was Pilan Star. Wu Ying had gone back to classes, so he had to go there.

"This time, you stay behind."

Wei Li'an was better suited for this trip's escort duties. There were some matters he needed Wei Li'an to handle.

Meng Ke nodded. "Yes."

With that acknowledgment, he swallowed his questions and quietly left. Meng Ke had been married once—his ex-wife divorced him because she found his work too demanding and him too unromantic. They'd barely spent three months together, always apart, and sometimes when he tried to recall her face, it was blurred.

He didn't understand marriage or love. He just found Asher's changes strange. Sometimes, he'd see the commander replying to messages on his Light Brain, his expression unlike his usual self—typing, deleting, as if weighing every word for a long time.

At first, he'd tried to step in and help, thinking whoever it was must be a difficult person to deal with. But Asher just frowned at him, paused for a while, and said it wasn't necessary.

Now he knew—that difficult person was the commander's wife.

The deep-space night looked no different from usual, only quieter and deeper. Asher checked the time. At this hour, Wu Ying would be fast asleep. Waking her would be disastrous.

Asher thought for a moment, then placed a call to Wei Li'an.

Before long, Wei Li'an appeared on the light screen, fully dressed. He already knew about Asher's leave plan. This return to Pilan Star would have a cascade of implications—noble family visits, school obligations, and so on. Wei Li'an would have to prepare for all of it.

The two talked for a long time, going over every matter. When the call ended, the room fell completely silent.

It wasn't until after noon the next day that Asher's fleet actually departed, with an estimated arrival time of 9:00 PM capital time. Pilan Star's port entry approvals were strictly reviewed. Fortunately, Asher had a legitimate reason—a soldier visiting family. He was going to see his wife.

"Ding-dong—"

The doorbell woke Wu Ying from a long, deep nap. Her mind still fuzzy, she mumbled, "Huh? Asher's here early?"

Maybe he missed me that much, Wu Ying thought happily, padding to the door with a spring in her step. Her hand was already on the handle when the image on the display froze her in place.

Not male. Familiar yet strange. Overwhelming presence.

It was Asher's mother—Ming Yu.

Ming Yu stood at the door, a flicker of displeasure crossing her elegant, composed face. She was clearly home—why wasn't she opening the door? She nearly let out a cold snort, thinking Wu Ying didn't dare face her. A woman who couldn't even hold her own in polite society.

Wu Ying indeed didn't dare, but she hadn't planned to leave her standing outside either. The delay was pure shock.

"Madam Ming Yu, why have you come?"

Wu Ying invited her to sit, and Jiujiu promptly brought tea.

Ming Yu surveyed the villa. A newly purchased residence—the decor and arrangement told you the most about a person's taste and character. She'd been right. This woman Wu Ying was sloppy and ill-mannered by nature.

The paintings on the wall were incomprehensible, hung all crooked, their purpose unclear. Strange-shaped throw pillows were scattered everywhere, and the color coordination was a travesty. Ming Yu found it all grating.

Wu Ying thought: This is called casual dopamine style...

When there's no common ground, every word is wasted. Ming Yu lowered her gaze to her tea, sipping silently to hide her critical eyes. She wasn't here to fight. "By rights, since you've come to Pilan Star, you should have visited me first. I came to you instead. Do you know why?"

Are you sure you're not here to fight?

"It's my fault. After returning to school, I've been swamped with coursework, so I never found the time to visit you."

Ming Yu didn't care to dwell on that. It wasn't the reason she'd come. "I've signed you up for some courses. Remember to attend them. The schedule has been sent to your Light Brain."

What courses? Wu Ying stole a glance at her. She hadn't seen what they were yet, but she could guess—etiquette classes, image management, wine tasting? Floral arrangement? No, her flowers were hidden in her flower room.

She opened the schedule. There really was an etiquette class. Oh, architectural aesthetics? Wu Ying opened the course details—it was actually about architectural design and interior decor.

Wu Ying tilted her head, dazed, blinking as she looked from the schedule to Madam Ming Yu and back.

Still, "I'm sorry, but I don't have that much free time for classes." If it were online courses, or fewer of them, Wu Ying wouldn't have refused. That was how cowards worked—if they couldn't afford to offend someone, they just didn't.