Chapter 65

Wu Ying turned her face toward him, her amber apricot eyes glaring stubbornly. "Then why do you want me to come back? Do you really like keeping me at home so much? Why, Asher? Do you like me?"

She asked it plainly, but Asher fell silent, like a statue immersed in ancient time, merely gazing at her calmly. Or perhaps calm—Wu Ying didn't know; there were too many things she didn't know, too many uncertainties.

"You don't even like me, so why do you care where I stay? You're always managing this and that. If you're having a control freak episode, there should be other candidates." Wu Ying mocked him, spreading her hands. "Beta Star restricts everything. There are so many things I can't do here; I can only stay in the villa. You keep telling me to come back—do you want me to be your caged bird?"

Asher turned his head slightly, a rare hint of fluster and helplessness flickering across his face. "I don't." His throat felt nearly choked. He wanted to answer her, but some words—Wu Ying said them so naturally, yet he couldn't voice them.

She didn't know which question he was answering, but Wu Ying decided it didn't matter anymore.

"You don't what? Weren't you just asking a bunch of questions? Now there's only one 'I don't'? Asher, are you just used to people saying 'yes' and 'okay'—you ask, and they answer mechanically? Am I not just having a normal conversation with you?"

Wu Ying considered that she hadn't said a single curse word; she was just speaking a bit urgently, her voice a little loud.

"Yes." Asher could only latch onto her last question. He hadn't sorted out answers for the rest—honestly, he had no idea how to respond at all.

She seemed to be communicating properly, yet Asher couldn't manage a reply.

"Are you mocking me? Because I just said you're used to people answering 'yes'?" After snapping at him, Wu Ying closed her eyes in frustration. What was she even saying? Why had she suddenly gotten angry over this?

Calm down!

"Alright, enough. Let's stop here."

"Wu Ying, don't hang up! I'm not done talking." Asher stopped her again. Then he raised his arm, and in the projection, Wu Ying clearly saw a burn wound on it.

Asher said he'd spent these days on the frontline. Where mechs couldn't go, he'd taken weapons and gone in on foot. Some insectoids sprayed corrosive fluids that could burn through a mech's outer shell.

"Why didn't you treat it? Is it serious?" He reported it flatly, like a briefing, but the wound on his arm was shocking enough.

Asher shook his head, saying it wasn't serious. The topic ground to a halt. Wu Ying looked at him, and after a long pause, she spoke slowly: "Take care of yourself. Don't get hurt. Go get that treated now."

Asher nodded. "You really won't tell me your plans for this period?"

Wu Ying shook her head. She was tired, too tired for more words. She ended the call, and only then slowly let out the breath that had been trapped in her chest.

She didn't go downstairs. She only sent a message in the group chat—the person was arranged by Asher, so for the roommate situation, she could only act as a middleman and ask both sides. Su Yi replied "ok."

Wu Ying set down her Light Brain and collapsed onto the bed. She seemed to have spent too many chapters on melancholy. So many that even she found it tiresome. What was she even trying to confirm?

She wanted Asher to say he liked her, that he missed her. But Asher didn't say it. He didn't even know how to chat. He'd raised his injured arm, sharing his affairs with her like she'd once told him to.

Even if it was ill-timed, she went silent. The cold edge around her heart slowly softened—but there was nothing more she could give. She was exhausted. When had she become so easily upset, hanging on every reaction from Asher, getting angry or throwing a tantrum whenever it didn't match her expectations?

She wanted spontaneity and freedom, both. She wouldn't accept any binding from anywhere.

Wu Ying refused to become a dependent waiting around. Asher didn't understand anything—how could he be worth her pouring all her heart into loving him? She needed to protect herself first.

The ugliness of throwing fits to win attention—Wu Ying caught only a glimpse of it before shrinking back in alarm, afraid of tainting herself with even a speck. But when she looked back, she hadn't escaped unscathed after all.

She pulled out her summer plan schedule and began recalling each goal she'd set. A plan became a plan because it had goals, and goals existed to mark growth.

That evening, the three of them gathered by the fireplace chatting. Su Yi talked about her graduation plans—a long string of credit bonuses and experiment scores. She expected to complete all her coursework by junior year and apply for the graduation assessment. Her schedule was packed; just listening made Wu Ying's head ache.

"Based on the current plan, this isn't hard. Don't you think continuing to spend time on studying is a waste?" Besides school, Su Yi had a family business to take over. Time was too precious for her.

"But studying takes time," Wu Ying replied after thinking seriously. She considered her own routine—she hadn't been slacking off; she just didn't grind herself to the bone.

"But studying needs technique, not blind effort. For example, if I can learn two subjects in the time you learn one, wouldn't you still say it's a waste?"

Wu Ying was stunned. Really? For the same subject, Su Yi only needed half the time she did?!

Cynthia nodded in agreement, then turned to Wu Ying to assure her: "I can vouch for her. She's really good at studying."

"Master! Please accept my bow!"

Wu Ying immediately pressed her palms together, bowed her head devoutly, hands joined at her forehead, eyes closed, muttering "Teach me your immortal arts."

"Hahahaha, Wu Ying, you're so cute!" Cynthia was stunned for a second, then collapsed laughing on the sofa. Su Yi was also frozen for a moment, not quite getting what Wu Ying meant.

"So, great master Su Yi, can you teach me too? I don't want to waste time either!"

"Huh? You're going to go crazy grinding credits too?" Cynthia was instantly unhappy. Was her good partner about to become a slave to academics? Something had felt off since last semester.

"Cynthia, I think Su Yi's right. We can't idle away our time like this. The God of Time will witness everything." As she spoke, Wu Ying was about to break into song.

"Don't think you can talk nonsense just because you're good at ancient languages." Cynthia sneered in refusal.

Su Yi chuckled, rolled her eyes at her, and took Wu Ying's hand, her face full of gratification. "Good. I'm glad you understand. I'll definitely teach you well. Join this project directly—I'll re-register the whole thing."

A godsend—was there anything better than this? When you want to work hard, a path just appears right in front of you. Wu Ying immediately agreed, nodding like a pecking chick.

"Ah, no!"

"Your howling won't help. You're coming too."

Huo Lin, learning the news from afar, sent a question mark, then said: "Sign me up too. I can join with funding."

The whole dorm was on board. Su Yi was single-handedly carrying all four of them, one of them reluctantly. Wu Ying was in charge of muffling Cynthia, and Huo Lin fired shots from afar.

The impromptu experiment kicked off with fiery momentum, and everyone threw themselves into it.

Cynthia pulled off her protective suit, struggling in despair: "I think this experiment is too intense. I can't handle it. Also, I haven't done my summer homework. I need to go."

Su Yi grabbed her by the scruff of fate and chuckled lightly: "So you think that's why I chose this project? Precisely because of the summer homework."

Wu Ying nodded. Indeed, the observation experiment for the summer homework was already included in the third phase of the experiment.

"Truly worthy of the great master Su Yi—strategizing from afar, winning a thousand miles! Bravo!" Wu Ying laughed, raising her thumb. Her soft, sweet voice and dazed little gesture made everyone burst out laughing.

Except Cynthia, whose eyes were clouded over with exhaustion. "Suck-up!"

"She's calling me that!" Wu Ying turned to Su Yi with a wounded look, tugging at her sleeve and swaying it—as passive-aggressive as she could get.

Su Yi snorted a laugh, then played along with a stern face at Cynthia. "Can't call people names."

"Ah, I can't go on living."

Huo Lin: "Tsk, you two really can act."

—

Amid the cannon fire, Asher led his men in retreat. "Right arm of mech damaged. Please arrange repairs immediately." The mech's AI flashed red in warning. He glanced at it, climbed out of the cockpit without hesitation, and the mech technician immediately moved forward to inspect.

The benefit of mech combat was that it kept external injuries at bay. Asher's mental power was formidable, and mech combat amplified his combat strength—when the steel giant went berserk, it embodied the aesthetics of violence to the fullest.

"Sir, the military command is holding a meeting. They require your attendance." The adjutant opened his Light Brain, and the AI screen unfolded, floating before him. Da Li glanced at the schedule and felt a dull ache at his temples.

It wasn't hard to guess the meeting's main agenda: blame. According to the intelligence he'd gathered, the military command intended to use this meeting to force the Fourth Army out of the Guard Army, with the excuse that the frontline defense had been mishandled.

In their view, not ending the war quickly was mishandling. Hilarious.

Asher lifted his dark eyes, raised a hand, and loosened his collar slightly—a clear sign of extreme impatience. Sure enough, his voice came out cold and deep: "Hah. Go in my place. Just pass along one line: if you've got the guts, come talk to me on Alpha."

His words landed like a hammer. The adjutant's dazed expression couldn't be hidden, and he strained but could only twist out: "Just that one line?"

Asher didn't answer. A faint look shifted over, and Da Li immediately smoothed his expression. He already knew the answer. He bowed his head with a "yes, sir," then followed Asher off the deck.

Behind them, two men muttered quietly. One said the commander was getting more and more domineering—he'd cut off the military command without a second thought, not even bothering to acknowledge them. The other agreed: did those people in the command have half the commander's meritorious service? Why should he listen to them! Both nodded in unison, declaring their support for the commander.

These were men who'd fought under Asher for years, stationed on the frontline. They wouldn't accept orders from anyone but him.

Back in his quarters, Asher swept his gaze across his surroundings. The familiar furnishings felt cold. He thought, Wu Ying would never like this place.

Asher closed his eyes, and suddenly a sigh broke out as he tried to expel all the stifled air from his chest. It didn't work well. He pulled out his Light Brain again, and on the screen, Wu Ying's avatar slid under his fingertip.

"Liking you, missing you—Wu Ying, do you like hearing those words?" His voice was almost a murmur. But upon reflection, it wasn't hard to understand. Asher knew Wu Ying was like that—she never spared sweet talk. Maybe she said it so much herself that she felt shortchanged never hearing it back.

He shouldn't let her be shortchanged.

It truly was his fault. Asher leaned back in his chair, a posture bordering on defeat. His brow was deeply furrowed, his black eyes half-lidded, filled with struggle.