Chapter 66

He wasn't given much time to struggle. The adjutant knocked, and the insect race launched another attack.

Asher snapped his eyes open, put away his Light Brain, and strode out the door without a second thought. The Mecha had all been repaired; he would take them to the front lines.

The war began anew, cannon fire echoing once more across the starry sky like an ancient war song. But this time, what could have drawn the entire Federation's attention was largely blocked by the Fourth Army.

On Tuotuo Star, far away, people knew even less. Wu Ying browsed related news reports online, and every time she saw words like "insect race" or "war," her heart pounded with anxiety.

She knew Asher was powerful, and the Fourth Army had rich combat experience—there was no way anything would go wrong.

Everyone else thought the same; the reports were filled with praise and optimism. The rare dissenting voices were reported and their articles deleted as soon as they appeared, on the grounds that they fabricated data without evidence—but really, what media outlet could get border defense data? They could only speculate based on past records.

Arrogant, overbearing, and domineering—that was the man. Wu Ying grumbled inwardly; if Asher and the Fourth Army hadn't truly been distinguished in battle, they'd have been dragged through the mud long ago.

The arrogant man and his one-man rule.

"Slacking off?" Cynthia crept over and startled her.

Wu Ying put away her Light Brain and patted her shoulder seriously. "I'm keeping up with international affairs. Are your tasks done?"

"Are you a demon?"

Wu Ying smiled. "Nope."

The experiment was going very smoothly. Wu Ying had never felt an experiment go so effortlessly—she didn't have to worry about anything, just hold her notebook and work. Su Yi handled everything else entirely.

"Finally over. Who would've thought? I came here to play, and you guys dragged me onto your ship."

Cynthia dragged out her words and collapsed into the sofa without moving. Huo Lin sat with her legs crossed, peeling a strange-looking fruit with a knife. She looked at Cynthia and laughed smugly. "Ship? Who are you calling a pirate?"

"I'm talking about you guys!"

Cynthia raised her head indignantly and saw Wu Ying coming down the stairs; her expression grew even more bitter.

"Wu Ying, Wu Ying, are you really leaving? What about our promise? Have you forgotten? Just ten-odd days ago, didn't we say we'd travel together, eat good food together? Oh, and you also said you'd build a snowman with me."

Wu Ying stopped in her tracks. She did seem to remember something like that. "Well... we've been busy. How about we go build a snowman right now? Does that work for you?"

Her guilt was obvious, and seeing that, Cynthia's indignation flared even more. She stood up quickly. "No. You owe me. How are you going to make it up?!"

"Then what do you suggest?"

Wu Ying conceded for a second, then stubbornly protested: "Why don't you go argue with Su Yi? I'm just hired help."

"You're the one who didn't hold your ground and got lured into the enemy camp, dragging me down with you!"

"I didn't drag you. I'm not admitting to that."

"Look at me, and look at Linlin—she's the most pitiful. She got roped in without even knowing what was going on."

Huo Lin, who was being defended, raised an eyebrow. To be precise, she had volunteered to join. But the principle of watching a good show was to stay quiet.

"So, snowman?"

"Hmph, fine!"

The snow in the courtyard was fresh every day—layered, soft, and fine. The three of them put on coats, their clear footprints blooming like flowers in the snow. Though Cynthia was satisfied, she still couldn't resist taking jabs at Wu Ying from time to time. Huo Lin threw out snarky remarks from the side. Three women, one play—it was quite a show.

"Living it up, are we? Not coming to help me."

Su Yi stood at the courtyard gate, watching them play in the snow with exasperation. Cynthia called her over, and to be fair, Su Yi felt she shouldn't miss out.

Laughter and chatter echoed through the yard. Jiujiu was busy recording as always, and the camera on the eaves silently turned, capturing the joy yet again.

...

As soon as summer homework was submitted, the sophomore year officially began. Compared to the casual dabbling of freshman year, the number of experimental courses increased visibly. Fortunately, they mainly involved observation experiments that required independent completion—no chance of getting someone to help.

Now Cynthia finally understood how lucky she'd been doing experiments with Su Yi over the summer.

"Ah, Su Yi, save me!"

Su Yi was drying her hair when she heard the wail. She ambled out of her room and leaned against the doorframe, watching her with amused composure. "Wasn't it just a few days ago that someone called me an ugly ambition monster? How can ugly old me save anyone?"

"I was wrong. Don't be mad."

Cynthia made a mournful face. She didn't study well, didn't pay attention in class, and had assumed it'd be like previous years—more theory classes. Who knew there'd be a reform this year, starting experiments from now on? She didn't have a clue.

She should have enrolled a few years later—no wait, she should have enrolled earlier.

"Can you include me too?"

A head poked out from Huo Lin's door. As a fellow slacker who didn't take things seriously, she was also sweating over this.

Wu Ying heard the commotion in the living room and immediately walked out. No sooner had she stepped out than Huo Lin grabbed her in a hug—where she'd come from, no one knew.

"Another one. Cynthia, you beg Su Yi, and I'll take Wu Ying."

"Huh?"

"These are just simple observation experiments for now. What are you going to do when field experiments come along?"

"Field experiments?"

Wu Ying felt a chill at the thought. Just yesterday, Teacher Nova had told her about a student who blew himself up doing a field experiment. Lucky for him, his explosive-making skills were so bad the blast was weak—otherwise, even ten doctors couldn't have saved him.

Sure, that student was from the College of Architecture, but it still showed how dangerous and uncontrollable field experiments could be. Wild plants had absurd attack power—like those things on the barren star.

"Will we have teachers protecting us?" Wu Ying asked earnestly, holding high hopes. Teacher Nova, for instance, was often sent to guard students.

"Don't count on it," Su Yi said. "Our College of Plant Science is rated the most timid college in the Federation. They won't actually send students anywhere dangerous. At most, the teacher will just tell you not to be scared."

The day the observation experiment actually arrived, the sky fell. Cynthia watched the potted plant writhing in the lab, her face contorting in disgust.

"Just looking at it makes me want to puke. And you want me to touch it with my own hands?" She shook her head like a rattle at the mere thought.

"Who said anything about touching it? I said do the experiment!"

Su Yi shook her head. She'd already bent the rules by bringing the plant from the wild into the lab—that was practically cheating in their favor—and Cynthia was still complaining.

"I don't want to! Even with gloves, I'm scared."

Huo Lin clicked her tongue and shook her head from behind. Cynthia whipped around to glare at her. "Annoying, aren't you? You're just coasting along, and you still make noises. I'm already stressed."

She didn't like doing experiments either, and she'd been following Huo Lin around collecting credits. She was racking her brain for a way out, and Huo Lin was making it worse. Seeing the situation, Huo Lin quickly chimed in to help: "I'm scared too. Is there an easier way, Su Yi?"

"No. This is already the simplest. It's easier to control in the lab; out there, it's truly dangerous. Unless you want to buy a passing grade like some people do."

Huo Lin and Cynthia exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison. They were content to take shortcuts, but they wouldn't dare do anything illegal.

"What about Wu Ying? What's she planning for this course?"

Neither Huo Lin nor Cynthia knew. They'd asked her yesterday, but she hadn't given a clear answer. If they'd known, they'd have dragged her over ages ago.

Wu Ying had originally been planning to see what tricks Cynthia and Huo Lin had up their sleeves—but Asher had arrived. By the time she got the news, he was already sitting comfortably in her house.

She hurried over. The house was the one Asher had arranged before; since the second half of sophomore year had her swamped with schoolwork and assignments, she'd barely been back.

She pushed open the door and felt a sudden sense of time rushing past. Then she saw the man inside the room, his cold, stern aura thicker than ever—oppressive before he even came near.

The smart security door, detecting someone entering, closed on its own. The heavy door shut with a soft click, jolting Wu Ying back to reality. She stepped lightly into the living room.

How to describe the sudden reality of his arrival? The blazing sun outside streamed through the window, painting patterns on the floor through the curtains' lace. The living room was bright, but he alone stood in its center, dark as a cutout. His black military coat lay carelessly draped over the sofa, and he stood tall and straight, looking at her. His deep, dark eyes held a cool gleam, and the summer heat clinging to her finally fell away.

Asher had seen her long before. It was high summer on Pilan Star, yet he still wore his proper long-sleeved military uniform, the collar buttoned to the top, as if to elevate his exquisite features and handsome face to a pedestal.

"You're here."

"Why are you here?"

The two spoke at once, then fell silent together.

Asher didn't say another word. He saw her standing there frozen and walked over himself. They hadn't seen each other in a long time. They'd fought last year, and Wu Ying left Beta Star. Now, halfway through the second semester of her sophomore year, she still hadn't gone back, and Asher hadn't had the chance to steal a spare moment to see her.

"You didn't come home for winter break either. I came to see you."

By the time he finished speaking, Asher had already reached her. He was so tall, it was a struggle just to look at him. Wu Ying stepped back, but Asher reached out and pulled her close, not letting her retreat.

He leaned down, resting his head on her shoulder. "Why haven't you come home? Are you still angry?"

Wu Ying hadn't expected him to press against her so suddenly. Her body went stiff. He nuzzled affectionately against her neck, his straight nose brushing back and forth. She raised her hand to push him away. "That was ages ago. Don't bring it up. Am I really so petty? Now sit properly."

Asher held her hand, his rough fingers kneading her soft, boneless palm. He moved a step closer.

He missed her so much—so much that he couldn't bear to fall asleep for fear of dreaming of her, and if he dreamed of her, he couldn't bear to wake. He buried his face in the hollow of her neck, inhaling her scent, and the taut string that had been pulled tight in his mind for days finally loosened.

"Wu Ying, I've missed you."

His low, husky voice carried an unnamed emotion that made Wu Ying's bones melt. His voice was so close it buzzed against her scalp.

"You... stand up properly first."

"Wu Ying, Wu Ying, Wu Ying..." He called her name over and over, holding her tight, arms locked around her waist, pressing her hard against him.

Then his kisses came down, landing on her face and lips like raindrops, not even sparing the curve of her ear. Wu Ying pressed her hand against his chest, her heart surging like a stormy sea.

Wet kisses came one after another, mingled with gentle bites and licks. Asher arched his back, his muscles flexing like a drawn bow, pouring all his strength into her.

"You... ah, you brute!"