Before Qin Muge could voice her doubts, Chaoge explained why she was so impressed with the boy: "I interacted with him during the freshman orientation in the first semester of my sophomore year, and I even pursued him once. After we got together, I dumped him. Guess what happened next?"
Qin Muge hadn't expected things to turn out this way after they got together. She smiled and shook her head, indicating she didn't know, her eyes unconsciously revealing a hint of tolerance. Even though she didn't really care about the issue, seeing the 'Ask me, and I'll tell you' look in Chaoge's eyes, she went along with it this once.
Chaoge wore a very standard smile, but it was obvious that her smile was meaningless and couldn't even express her feelings. Or rather, it was a smile she only showed when she didn't want to smile. Qin Muge subconsciously reached out to poke the dimple on the side of her face.
"We got back together, and then he dumped me. Guess why?" Chaoge's story is as convoluted as her imagination.
Now Qin Muge was genuinely interested and exclaimed, "Oh?" In her opinion, the reason was no longer the point, because she couldn't imagine how someone with her temperament could tolerate being dumped.
She knew that Chaoge's personality was somewhat similar to hers in some ways, but she was powerful enough in this world that the world adapted to her, not the other way around.
Conversely, Yan Chaoge also had some principles that she kept to herself. She simply kept those things deep in her heart because she had no right to flaunt them.
“Once, when we were having dinner, we talked about games and novels, and somehow the conversation turned to sexuality. I casually said that although I’ve never liked a girl, I can’t rule out the possibility that I’m bisexual.” Chaoge’s eyes were clearly lost in memories. When she talked about these kinds of relationships with others at night, she couldn’t help but get caught up in the emotions of the past.
Qin Muge abruptly released her waist, then used a force somewhat unfamiliar to Chaoge to lift her chin. Without a word of negotiation, he lowered his head and bit her lower lip. After hearing a soft groan escape her lips, he licked the soft spot where his teeth had left a mark with the tip of his tongue, before kissing her lips. His red lips parted slightly, and his light voice carried an unspeakable threat: "Yan Chaoge, how can you speak of this kind of person in front of me with such a nostalgic tone? Do you want to die?"
Chaoge reached out and placed her hand on her shoulder, but the hand that was running along her hair behind her head had already disappeared into her hair, firmly fixing her head in place. It was impossible to get away. She could only gasp for breath, not daring to stick out her tongue to lick the wound on her lips. It seemed as if a faint taste of blood seeped between her teeth, but she didn't know if it was just her imagination.
She'd never seen anyone so unreasonable! This guy was the one who brought up the guy first, and she just mentioned him casually! Why was she the one who ended up suffering the consequences?!
General, aren't you being a bit too domineering!
☆ Chapter 17: The Seventeenth Evaluation of General Qin
In short, the two of them had a very pleasant evening for General Qin. As for Chaoge's feelings, the General said that it was not a matter for her to consider.
Chaoge vaguely felt that the last bit of distance between them had disappeared, and the last trace of unease in her heart had also vanished without her realizing it. The distance between the two of them had been shortened considerably.
At some point, the room returned to silence. Chaoge's breathing gradually became even. Qin Muge looked down and saw her sleeping face, completely unguarded. Only her hand was still unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes. Although she wasn't using much force anymore, her curled fingertips still revealed her previous intentions.
It felt as if a feather had brushed against the tender tip of her heart, causing her heart to skip a beat. The fluctuation of her emotions was so subtle, yet Qin Muge still sensed it. The upward curve of his lips returned to its original position, but the smile quietly crept from the corners of his lips up his face to the corners of his eyes, leaping into those dark eyes, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, slowly spreading out in tiny ripples.
After quietly watching her for a while and making sure she was asleep, Qin Muge slowly removed the corner of her clothes from her hands. The blanket on this bed was already covered by her, so he had to go to another bed to get it, gently tucked the blanket around her, and then turned and went into the bathroom.
Because of the good facilities in the bathroom, you can't even hear the dripping water. Especially after the door is closed, the indoor and outdoor areas are separated into two different worlds.
"Assistance function activated on the 20th, video connection—Ling Tianshu." Her good mood from just now left no trace on her face. She wiped her face with her hand and gave a command. When the holographic projection appeared in front of her, it was already back to its original appearance.
Almost the instant the screen lit up, Ling Tianchu's usually composed voice rang out, his slightly faster-than-usual speech reflecting his current mood: "General!"
Qin Muge's expression was indifferent, only reflected on the screen at this moment. If Chaoge saw her at this moment, she would definitely be able to see the absent-mindedness in her expression.
Ling Tianchu didn't care about that. To him, the fact that Qin Muge could reappear unharmed was already the best news. "Kaiyang and I are both fine. Apart from that, we've lost contact with everyone else. The search team can shift their focus and report to me immediately if there's any news. Also, withdraw the personal guards from the outer perimeter of Tianzi Star."
His first words were either simple reassurances or a series of commands.
Ling Tianchu was clearly used to his boss's habit, and quickly adjusted his mindset, replying firmly, "Yes!"
Behind the clear lenses, his eyes closed briefly, and when he opened them again, all his sharpness was hidden deep within them, revealing only a composed demeanor.
As for the replacement... Qin Muge didn't even need to think about it, and simply announced: "Hasn't the Yan family always wanted to get involved in national defense affairs? Let Yan Zihe consider who to put in place."
Ling Tianchu didn't know what move Qin Muge was planning, but he kept his doubts to himself and calmly agreed.
Yan Zihe would surely be very interested in this benefit. Although Qin Muge had never paid any attention to her, the smug look on the Yan family's face whenever their influence in the military expanded was always an eyesore to the few loyal guards.
Originally, there were several members of the personal guard who took turns guarding the planetary belt of the Emperor Star. This time, they were all recalled. Qin Muge was fine, but Ling Tianshu was the one who had a headache.
It goes without saying that General Qin is not the kind of person who would consider the trouble he might cause to others.
Seeing that Qin Muge seemed to be about to end the call, Ling Tianchu immediately asked the most important question: "When will the general return?"
Qin Muge's reply was quick and simple, like asking if he had eaten today: "I don't plan to go back anytime soon. I'll leave you with the trouble of attending the military meetings during this period."
For three seconds, Ling Tianchu's expression was one of repeated attempts to speak, then silence, then speak again, then silence again—a state of speechlessness.
As if remembering something, Qin Muge showed a look of realization and added, "Also, leave the issue of the P4 Nebula planetary mine to the technical department to figure out. Kaiyang can't come to Yuandu to take up his post in the short term, so let's pick one of those guys who are free to fill the vacancy, that's all."
The topic was completely illogical. Ling Tianshu couldn't even pretend that General Qin was serious. The development of the P4 Nebula planetary mine, which was a headache for everyone in the military day and night, was on the same level as Min Kaiyang not being able to take office in Yuandu and needing a replacement.
Even someone as composed as him couldn't help but repeatedly brainwash himself: obeying orders is my duty, obeying orders is my duty, obeying orders is my duty.
The video call resolved Ling Tianshu's most pressing concern, but it also left him with more troublesome issues. After hanging up, Ling Tianshu remained calm and composed.
Only he himself knows how ridiculous and frustrating it is to have an irresponsible boss.
The transfer orders for the captains of the patrol guards alone require careful consideration. Although Qin Muge did not specify whether her safety could be announced, Ling Tianchu could tell from her words today that the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
The general must have encountered some trouble, otherwise she and Kaiyang wouldn't have been the only two left to return safely to Tianzixing.
Fortunately, after learning about the general's disappearance, those individuals proactively submitted applications to the military to join the search team.
Ling Tianchu could only console himself that the general's safety was their greatest happiness.
Chaoge had no idea that while she was asleep, the sky above the empire had begun to change. An invisible gloom hung over the vast empire, and no one knew what the final scene would be like.
She only vaguely sensed that today seemed unusually different, and wondered why the bed felt smaller and more cramped.
I struggled to open my eyes and found myself being held in someone's arms, my movements almost completely restricted. No wonder I had nightmares last night, it must have been this guy pressing me down!
General Qin, do the people of the whole country know how terrible your sleeping posture is?
Although she was still quite weak after waking up, Chaoge's mind guided her actions, and she resolutely used both her hands and feet to push Qin Muge away.
However, Qin Muge was extremely alert and woke up almost the moment she made a move. He then completely suppressed her, holding her tightly in his arms, resting his chin on her head, and stroking her back. "Be good, don't make a fuss."
Chaoge desperately wanted to slap her away, but the reality was that even reaching her hand over her head became an extremely difficult task because she was stuck there. What's going on?! I'm never sleeping with you again! You won't let me sleep in peace! Chaoge's frustration was practically tangible.
Just then, a whistle rang out in the room—an emergency assembly call during the special military training period. Chaoge was annoyed, but Qin Muge let go of her and got up so quickly that when she finally finished getting ready to leave, she found Chaoge still sitting there rubbing her eyes while holding the blanket.
"I won't care if you're late. The first day is ten laps." Seeing that she didn't seem to feel any urgency, Qin Muge leaned against the door and gave her a casual reminder.
Ten laps... Chaoge went through the concept in her mind many times, and then the huge playground appeared in her mind. She instantly woke up and rushed to the bathroom, not forgetting to add, "Help me fold the blankets."
The dignified general was so naturally summoned to fold the quilt. Qin Muge could only glance at her helplessly before folding the quilt, which she had been pressing down on all night, into a neat and square shape.
When we arrived at the meeting point, we found that everyone had arrived very quickly... except for Luo Qinghe, who had been kept behind for extra training yesterday.
Behind the instructor was a transparent screen displaying the remaining time, with numbers flashing across it. The countdown had now entered its final thirty seconds.
Chaoge's gaze involuntarily drifted towards Qin Muge, her eyes revealing the exact meaning of her doubt: "Hey, your little brother is probably going to get punished again."
Qin Muge raised an eyebrow slightly, and the corners of his lips seemed to rise a little: Isn't that your follower?
Okay, the conclusion of the first round is that Luo Qinghe is probably doomed. Either her roommate didn't wake her up, or she's been tricked again. The latter is extremely likely, especially after Chaoge felt a malicious gaze coming from Yan Ziyu.
Could it be that the feng shui of the Yan family's ancestors clashed with that of the Yan family? Apart from that, Chaoge couldn't find any other reason why the Yan family had to insist on having a love-hate relationship with her.
During a break, Chaoge casually mentioned this idea to Qin Muge, receiving a half-smile and a sarcastic "heh" in response.
During this break, Luo Qinghe was struggling to run her ten laps. Running ten laps without having eaten breakfast—if Chaoge were to do this, she would definitely vomit the nutrient solution she drank last night all over the instructor's face.
"I feel like the Yan family is really annoying. Is their family motto to be professional troublemakers for a hundred years?" Chaoge remembered that Luo Qinghe's excuse for being late this morning was that she couldn't find her pants, but the instructor just used that excuse to give her three extra laps.
Qin Muge simply hummed in response, it was unclear whether she agreed or disagreed, or more likely she didn't take the matter to heart at all. Seeing the pity in Chaoge's eyes as she looked at Luo Qinghe, she simply reached out and patted her head.
She was still too naive. Yet this naivety was the only thing she gave up.
That's the biggest difference between the two of them.
Qin Muge suddenly had a thought: if she had kept her naivety, would the path she took have been completely different from his own?
☆ Chapter 18: The Eighteenth Evaluation of General Qin
Time flew by, and half a month of military training had passed in the blink of an eye. Qin Muge was living a leisurely life, and Chaoge was doing alright, but Luo Qinghe was probably the one who suffered the most in the entire training class.
Chaoge would help her whenever she had time, turning a blind eye to the trouble caused by Yan Ziyu and others. Over time, Yan Ziyu seemed to get used to arguing with her, and Luo Qinghe was the one caught in the middle suffering the most from both extremes.
Chaoge had told Yan Ziyu that if anyone had a problem, they should come at him. However, Yan Ziyu already knew that Min Ge was not someone to be trifled with, and he didn't seem like the type to meddle in other people's business. Yan Ziyu would never do anything like provoking Chaoge by going after him.
The only consequence of this inexplicable standoff was that Luo Qinghe had somehow joined Chaoge and Qin Muge's group of diners, and Chaoge and Qin Muge became a fixed trio.
General Qin merely raised an eyebrow at this, and the matter simply became a habit.
That afternoon, the class preparing for mecha training was shocked to find that their supposedly fierce male instructor was nowhere to be seen. Instead, waiting for them at the assembly point was a dashing short-haired woman in an orange military uniform. With a calm expression, she succinctly conveyed her purpose to the group of freshmen: "Su Yaoguang, your next mecha training instructor."
As soon as he finished speaking, the freshman class, which always emphasized discipline, was in an uproar. Anyone with a little military knowledge knew the names of the captains of General Qin's personal guard like the back of their hand, and the name Su Yaoguang was well-known.
Chaoge, who lacked common sense, quickly realized what was going on, but her reaction was slightly different from the norm: "Hey, Little Red Riding Hood, it's time to show your worth! Send me Su Yaoguang's information." That's right, she didn't know who this person was, but she had a cheat code.
After quickly skimming through Su Yaoguang's deeds, Chaoge couldn't help but glance in Qin Muge's direction.
Oh dear, your loyal dog has come knocking on your door, General Qin, how are you going to deal with this?
Qin Muge's approach was very simple: just do what needs to be done. His mecha training was still excellent, but it was within the normal range and there was absolutely no reason to doubt it.
Qin Muge was naturally aware of his subordinates' abilities. He estimated that Ling Tianshu had identified the location by the background tiles in the bathroom last time. After all, certain details of the Yuandu Military Academy were still somewhat recognizable.
The only difference between the new instructor and the previous one was that the instructor was definitely from the Yan family. Both instructors were performing poorly, but Su Yaoguang singled out Luo Qinghe for extra tutoring while the others had one-on-one sparring matches. She practically taught the struggling students herself.
Of course, there's also the reason why Yen Tzu-yu has toned down her behavior a bit.
The reason is obvious: the Yan family was able to rival other families in the military, so they naturally wouldn't maintain a good relationship with Qin Muge's personal guard.
However, none of this mattered to Yan Chaoge. That evening, back in her dorm, she looked at Qin Muge with a panicked expression: "What am I going to do! I can't even drive a car, let alone a mecha! If Luo Qinghe hadn't made me the worst performer today, I would have been the one getting extra training!"
At that moment, General Qin was sitting on the edge of the bed, idly flipping through the new students' textbooks, just to get an idea of the current level of education. Hearing Chaoge's anxious tone, he simply nodded, his eyes never leaving the book: "Hmm, good luck." As his words fell, there was a clear sound of pages turning.
There is no sincerity whatsoever.
Chaoge: ...Can we still have fun together?
"Hey, are you really not going to talk to me? Be careful, I'll go and expose you to Su Yaoguang right now. Look, your great general is here." Although she still didn't know why Qin Muge came to Yuandu, Chaoge was able to see Su Yaoguang's transfer order through Little Red Riding Hood's cheat, which had just been issued by the military, so she just made up a guess.
Such voyeuristic behavior towards military secrets would have landed anyone else in some department and subjected them to a different kind of life.
Qin Muge didn't even glance in her direction, only extending a finger to beckon her, as if teasing a pet. Chaoge told herself she had to endure it, but after only a couple of steps, Qin Muge handed her the book he was holding and casually picked up another one.
Chaoge glanced at the title on the cover, "Mech Piloting Theory and Principles," and his mind went straight to the non-stop stream of "Holy crap!" Haven't you heard the saying, "You can't learn to swim by standing on the shore, General?" Can't you be a little more practical?!
He casually flipped through the book and found it was all stuff he couldn't understand. So Chaoge simply opened the book, covered his face with it, and lay on the bed waiting to be judged by Instructor Su the next day.
What does it mean to give up treatment? It's nothing more than this.
Qin Muge was looking at "The History of the Empire," which occasionally quoted the opinions of some people in the current military. When he saw some unreliable statements, he just laughed them off.
"Eh? It seems the Yan family doesn't have a grudge against me, but against you. Look, Yan Zihe isn't flattering you at all." Chaoge, not knowing when, came to her side again, leaned on her shoulder, and pointed to a quote from the Yan family head in the book.
Qin Muge merely curled the corners of his lips slightly, saying nothing.