Chapter 73 Just Partners 18
The mock military academy competition has ended, and now it's time for the much-anticipated holiday.
Whether it was the hell of the final exam week, the failure of the mock competition, or the unsatisfactory final ranking, none of this could affect the students' natural longing for the holidays. For a time, the whole school was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, and the previous tension was nowhere to be seen.
Even Xia Yanshen, who had been depressed for several days after the final match, felt much better when packing his luggage. He wasn't the type to be easily discouraged, but the blow he suffered in a field where he was usually confident was a bit hard for him to accept.
Although Xia Yanshen was not depressed, there was another matter that made him hesitate and struggle for a long time. He kept typing and deleting on his personal computer, carefully considering each word. He finally managed to send the message and breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as he relaxed, his only remaining roommate bumped his shoulder twice, winking at him and saying, "Hey kid! I'll be waiting for you to treat me when school starts."
Xia Yanshen blinked blankly and said "Huh?" in confusion.
His roommate immediately gave him a "don't pretend" look, patted him on the shoulder encouragingly, and said, "Don't worry, excellent Comrade Xia, you are our 228 god! No matter if you're male or female, as long as the person's orientation is male, they can't possibly refuse you."
Xia Yanshen?
He was stunned for a while before he understood what his roommate meant from the winking and gesturing. So this jerk thought he had just confessed his feelings?
Xia Yanshen's group 228 is a collection of several lively characters who have gotten together and are used to teasing each other. As a result, Xia Yanshen, who used to be very serious, could laugh off many jokes. But this time was different.
Thinking of the person he had just contacted, Xia Yanshen quickly tried to explain, "No, I..."
Before Xia Yanshen could finish speaking, a mirror was thrown at him, which he caught instinctively.
My roommate laughed without hesitation, "Take a look, take a look! Look at our God of Summer, even she looks so nervous! This is the God of Summer who didn't even flinch when she came down from Old Xu's Environmental Science Theory exam!"
Xia Yanshen subconsciously glanced in the mirror, and upon hearing those words, he was immediately at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Before he could explain further, the person opposite him had already uttered a "Holy crap!" while yelling, "It's already this late!!", and dragged his suitcase, leaving Xia Yanshen with a disheveled yet dashing back view.
Even after all that, he still managed to wave goodbye to Xia Yanshen one last time, saying, "Brothers, we're waiting for your good news!"
Xia Yanshen: "..." No! I didn't, I didn't!!
He just wanted to ask someone some questions.
Just then, the computer beeped, indicating that the message I sent had received a reply.
This should have been a normal exchange, but because of the teasing earlier, Xia Yanshen froze. His fingers twitched unnaturally before he finally opened the message.
However, the address left by the other party startled Xia Yanshen, and he completely forgot about the joke he had just made.
—Is he in the hospital?
On the other side, Duan Rui arrived at Weisi Star.
He found the address in the school's address book, but hesitated at the door, unsure whether he should go in and disturb them.
Just as I was hesitating, the door next to me opened, and an elderly woman, who looked quite energetic, appeared inside.
She looked at Duan Rui, who was blocking the doorway, and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"
"Hello, I'm Ren Yi's classmate. I just happened to be passing by and came to visit him."
"You're here to see Yiyi?" The old lady visibly relaxed upon hearing this, but quickly became puzzled again. "Yiyi went on a trip and has been gone for several months. Didn't he tell you?"
Duan Rui glanced at the door subconsciously, paused, and then stiffened. "I didn't contact him beforehand."
The last message between the two was the diagnosis result sent by the other party. Duan Rui kept pushing that message down, as if not looking at it would prevent him from accepting the result.
The old lady had seen Ren Yi's group photo at school, and after Duan Rui's reminder, she remembered the young man. At this moment, she did not doubt Duan Rui's words, but sighed, "Oh dear, what a coincidence."
She quickly and warmly invited Duan Rui to come in and sit down. Duan Rui declined several times but was unsuccessful. In the end, he was pulled into the house by this old lady who was quite old but still very healthy.
As soon as he entered, the old lady began to serve him tea and fruit. Duan Rui had never experienced anything like this before, and he stiffened up for a moment. The old lady noticed his discomfort and comforted him with a smile, "You are Yiyi's friend, so just make yourself at home. Yiyi used to come here often and sits right where you are."
Duan Rui froze upon hearing this, feeling the spot where he was sitting was also a bit hot. He shifted uncomfortably a couple of times, but ultimately did not move away.
The old lady seemed to have had no guests for a long time, so she was very hospitable.
She talked to Duan Rui for a long time before she came to her senses and apologized, "I'm sorry, people get old and can't help but ramble on."
Duan Rui listened attentively, but when she said that, he shook his head and said, "No, what you said is very interesting."
The old lady kept telling Duan Rui stories about Ren Yi's past, which revealed a side of Ren Yi that he hadn't known before.
Hearing his answer, the old lady couldn't help but laugh, "You and Yiyi have such a good relationship."
This wasn't a joke at all; it was just a well-intentioned remark, yet it made Duan Rui instantly uncomfortable. He spoke as if explaining, or perhaps emphasizing, "We're partners."
The old lady didn't know much about mecha, but within the context of the Alliance, she understood the meaning of "partner," and her gaze towards Duan Rui became increasingly affectionate. However, she quickly seemed to remember something, revealing a clear hesitation. After glancing at Duan Rui a few times, she hesitated before asking, "Do you know how things are between Yiyi and her boyfriend?"
Duan Rui froze, completely bewildered. He parroted the question, "Boyfriend?"
Because Duan Rui was usually expressionless, the old lady didn't notice this change in his emotions. Instead, she sighed softly, "Yes, boyfriend."
"Yiyi is shy and always denies it. But I'm not an unenlightened person. It's just that my boyfriend is a bit older, that's not a big deal, it's just..."
The old lady frowned and described how the man always came and went in a hurry, never showing his face.
He's old, doesn't like to show his face, and we don't keep in touch much; he only comes when he remembers...
All these factors combined give rise to some unpleasant associations; it certainly doesn't seem like a serious relationship.
The old lady couldn't hide her worry. "Yiyi is handsome and outstanding, but he's just too naive... If they really date, it'll be fine, at most he'll just be a little inconsiderate. I'm always worried that he'll be deceived."
Duan Rui, who had been neatly resting his fingers on his lap, curled them one by one, making a cracking sound from his knuckles. He leaned forward, his face as cold as ice, and almost gritted his teeth as he spoke, "Excuse me, could you please explain in more detail?"
The old lady hesitated for a long time before hesitantly agreeing, "...Okay."
Looking at Duan Rui's expression, she was a little worried that something might happen that could lead to someone's death.
Ren Yi was actually quite surprised that Xia Yanshen would contact him, since he hadn't really had any contact with him. However, he didn't refuse.
Ren Yi had a pretty good impression of the main characters in this world.
He had more contact with Duan Rui, and he did know that Duan Rui had his immature moments, but a boy of that age wouldn't be perfect. Duan Rui's personality was actually quite good; among the chosen ones Ren Yi had met, he was practically an angel.
Furthermore, Ren Yi didn't commit any heart-wrenching bloodshed in this world; he was merely a plot device, a catalyst for the main characters' interactions. If one had to nitpick, Ren Yi's character was simply unlucky—unlucky to encounter an alien attack during an exercise; unlucky to be injured; and even more unlucky to trigger radiation sickness, a disease with a probability of only a few in ten thousand.
It has nothing to do with the main characters being the top or bottom, so you really can't blame them.
...
When Xia Yanshen came over, he thoughtfully prepared a gift for visiting the sick, and even took notes on the questions he had prepared, categorizing them into different groups.
This very assertive way of asking questions made the person being asked feel happy as well. Ren Yi had nothing to hide from the protagonist of this world. The latter was able to become the protagonist because he was extremely talented. He was the kind of student who understood things quickly and was the most likable.
With each question and answer, a long time passed before we knew it.
There was a knock on the door twice, and Zhou Kai, who had appeared out of nowhere, reminded them, "That's about enough. Let's talk tomorrow. Didn't the doctor say you should rest now?"
The sudden sound startled Xia Yanshen. He looked at the person who had come and asked uncertainly, "Zhou Kai... Senior?"
Zhou Kai raised an eyebrow and finally turned his gaze over. "You know me?"
Xia Yan nodded solemnly, "In the analysis report on swamp terrain warfare, I used the data from your final simulated battle as a case study."
Zhou Kai laughed upon hearing this.
He didn't hide his pride, and even praised, "You have good taste."
He then turned to Ren Yi, "From the cases you just mentioned, if this kid really wants to get started, he'll need practical training, right? Or at the very least, a simulated scenario."
Ren Yi nodded. Just as he was about to say something, Zhou Kai volunteered, "How about I be his main robot operator to assist him? The practical training is a bit difficult, but getting into the simulator shouldn't be too hard."
Ren Yi guessed that he had been too idle these past few days.
Although Ren Yi said he didn't need a caregiver, Zhou Kai clearly took Ren Yi's injury as his own responsibility and didn't plan to leave until Ren Yi was fully recovered and discharged. It's estimated that Zhou Kai will spend his precious vacation after this mission in the hospital, which will obviously be very difficult for an energetic husky.
Since Zhou Kai had taken the initiative to ask, Ren Yi had no reason to refuse. He looked at Xia Yanshen beside him and asked, "What do you think?"
Xia Yanshen "..."
Xia Yanshen had to try hard to restrain himself from letting his eyes linger on the two people.
He was already quite surprised to see Zhou Kai here. Although both of them were famous students at the First Military Academy, they were several years apart. When Ren entered the academy, Zhou Kai had already graduated. He had never heard of any friendship between them.
Moreover, this is clearly not an ordinary relationship.
Senior Ren only said a few words, and this veteran, who was a famous lone wolf during his military academy days, was willing to cooperate with him.
Despite his many thoughts, Xia Yanshen nodded stiffly under the gaze of two pairs of eyes, "Thank you, Senior Zhou."
Zhou Kai patted him on the shoulder warmly and laughed, "It's nothing, it's rare for him to think so highly of someone."
Maybe I can find a partner.
Not knowing Zhou Kai's thoughts, but sensing the subtle hint of intimacy in his words, Xia Yanshen became even more stiff.
...
Zhou Kai wasn't very good at teamwork, but he was more than capable of taking care of a freshman still in military academy. The training went very smoothly, but after Xia Yanshen snapped out of his calm state during training, he couldn't help but overthink things.
He tried to be tactful, asking, "When Senior Ren Yi was hospitalized, was Senior Zhou here with him the whole time?"
The events on Rode Star have not yet been made public. The official explanation for Ren Yi's current hospitalization is that he was injured in an accident during interstellar travel.
Zhou Kai nodded and said, "Of course."
Ren Yi is at least 80% responsible for this incident. He left Ren Yi in the hospital and went on vacation happily. Even if Zhou Kai is a terrible person, he wouldn't do such a thing.
Moreover, even if Zhou Kai wasn't sensitive to certain things, he could sense that his unusually long vacation was probably intentionally arranged by his superiors to keep him "accompanying" Ren Yi. Realizing this, Zhou Kai was indeed not very happy, but he felt more at ease having someone come in person than having someone else come, just like when his team leader was chosen to "visit" him last time.
However, after Marshal Tan personally went through that process, these problems were no longer problems.
Zhou Kai is simply keeping watch over him at this moment.
Xia Yanshen had no idea that there were so many twists and turns behind this seemingly ordinary hospitalization, but Zhou Kai's self-righteous "It's only right" was enough for him to imagine a lot of things.
Xia Yanshen tried to struggle, "I didn't expect that Senior Ren Yi and Senior Zhou knew each other so long ago."
He thought... although the two people didn't look alike at all, they might be related by blood.
“It’s not that early.” Zhou Kai was completely unaware of the probing, and even sighed with emotion, “If only it could be earlier.”
If he meets the other person before they have an accident, he can get this partner.
Xia Yanshen: "...?!"
A dozen minutes later, Xia Yanshen, who had been transported to the floating station, stared at his personal terminal for a long while, finally finding the contact and editing the text message: "[Senior Ren Yi is currently hospitalized at the Ninth Military Region Hospital. Senior Duan, would you like to visit him?]"
After sending the message, Xia Yanshen decisively turned off his personal terminal.
Considering we've been partners for almost half a semester, he's already done more than enough.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
