After I Stopped Being a Simp, My Husband Fell for Me on His Own - Chapter 17

The birthday party was quite tedious; it only became somewhat interesting during the gift-giving segment. Cheng Sui and Bai Changfeng presented Bai Ziqi with a mecha as a birthday present. If Yu Yi remembered correctly, this was the third mecha Bai Ziqi now owned.

Previously, everyone assumed Bai Ziqi would differentiate into an Omega, so the past mechas were all in pastel colors. Now that he had differentiated into an Alpha, the mecha’s color scheme had shifted to a dark tone that fit the stereotypical Alpha aesthetic.

The metallic, navy blue mecha rose slowly on a circular platform, looking completely out of place amidst the soft, lovely flowers of the ecological garden. Yu Yi sat leaning back in his seat, munching on an apple. Because of his “family” status, he had been assigned a front-row seat. For some reason, he felt an Omega nearby casting scrutinizing glances at him from time to time, which made him feel annoyed.

He glanced back a few times and thought the Omega looked familiar, but he could not recall where they had met. It could not be helped; he hardly knew anyone in the Upper City. Even on the day of the engagement, he had only clearly seen Ji Xingxiao’s face. Everyone else had ignored him entirely. Unlike the Upper City nobles sitting upright around him, Yu Yi’s posture was remarkably relaxed.

As the mecha reached the halfway point of its ascent, Yu Yi’s chewing suddenly stopped. He saw a cartoon pattern printed on the mecha’s outer armor. Squinting, he realized it was the logo from Mecha Masked Prince. Mecha Masked Prince was Yu Yi’s introduction to mechas, though it had not actually helped much with his technical foundation.

However, that was a children’s show, was it not? It was a preschool educational show for kids under six. Was Bai Ziqi still watching children’s shows at his age? That was actually quite innocent. Yu Yi could not help himself. The moment he saw the cartoon logo, he let out a “pfft,” nearly spitting out a mouthful of apple.

This caused the people around him to turn and stare. Noticing the eyes on him, Yu Yi silently straightened his posture and took tiny, nibbling bites of his apple, trying to mask his embarrassment. To be honest, showing up at the Cheng residence dressed as shabbily as he was had already made him eye-catching enough. That sound was particularly jarring in the quiet atmosphere of the banquet, and even Bai Changfeng and Cheng Sui heard it.

Cheng Sui turned his head, glaring at Yu Yi with a cold, piercing gaze. Yu Yi looked back, unfazed. When the mecha was finally fully revealed, Yu Yi realized he had seen it wrong. The logo was part of the mecha itself; a visual trick of the light had made it look like the cartoon pattern. Now that the whole unit was out, it looked nothing like what he had imagined. Yu Yi turned his eyes away sheepishly.

After the banquet ended, Yu Yi waited in a corner until Cheng Sui was finished hosting before approaching him. Before he could even speak, Cheng Sui said with a cold face, “Yu Yi, I have nothing to talk to you about. Since you are unwilling to listen to me and leave the Upper City, and you have now found a backer, do not come looking for me again.”

“A backer? Who? Ji Xingxiao?” Yu Yi was stunned. He suddenly realized that Cheng Sui would never pay for his course retake fees. If he revealed the truth now, he would only be kicked back to the Lower City sooner.

Yu Yi felt angry, but more than that, he felt powerless. He tilted his chin up, refusing to show weakness. “Oh. I do not have anything to say to you, either.” Then, pretending not to care, he turned and walked away. After a few steps, he actually heard Bai Ziqi calling his name from behind.

“Brother?”

Yu Yi’s footsteps paused, but he did not look back. He felt the fragrance of the surrounding flowers drifting through the air, seemingly mocking his poverty. The flowers at Bai Ziqi’s birthday party cost far more than 400,000 Star Credits, yet these people would not spend a single cent on him.

“Brother?” Bai Ziqi caught up in a few strides. Seeing that Yu Yi had no intention of acknowledging him, he anxiously grabbed Yu Yi’s wrist. The strength of an Alpha forced Yu Yi to a halt. “What is wrong? Are you leaving so soon?”

“Yes.” Yu Yi originally wanted to shake off the hand, but he felt there was no need to take his anger out on Bai Ziqi. Besides, today was the boy’s sixteenth birthday. He feigned indifference. “I do not have anything else to do, so I am heading back.”

“Then,” Bai Ziqi looked a bit regretful, “let me walk you back.”

Yu Yi froze. What was wrong with Bai Ziqi? He would not dare let the guest of honor escort him back. “No need. The Command Academy is very close,” Yu Yi refused.

“Are you two really living together?” Bai Ziqi asked, sounding somewhat incredulous.

“Why would we not be?” Yu Yi gave a cold laugh and said pointedly, “I should thank you for differentiating into an Alpha. Otherwise, I would not have had this opportunity.”

“No, I,” a look of shame appeared on Bai Ziqi’s face. After a moment of silence, he suddenly looked up, staring earnestly at Yu Yi. “Brother, if you do not want the marriage alliance, it is okay. I will go talk to Father for you.”

“Who said I do not want the alliance? I do.” Yu Yi could not take it anymore. He violently shook off Bai Ziqi’s hand, which was so fair and delicate it did not have a single callus, and walked straight ahead without looking back. Truly a pampered young master of the Upper City, thinking that everyone had options like he did, that all roads led to Rome. Bai Ziqi instinctively chased after him for a few steps, then stopped in his tracks, stunned.

The banquet ended, and androids moved through the private ecological garden, performing meticulous cleaning work. An elegant, refined male Omega was standing beside Bai Changfeng. His gaze lingered subtly in the direction where Yu Yi had left. Only after Yu Yi’s figure vanished from sight did he slowly turn his eyes back. “Is that Yu Yi?”

“Yes,” Bai Changfeng nodded slightly.

“He is quite different from how he was on the engagement day.”

Hearing this, Bai Changfeng smiled faintly. “Though he is a bit different, I believe being straightforward is not a flaw.”

Both of them had witnessed Yu Yi’s rudeness just now. The Omega glanced at Bai Changfeng, having no intention of saving face. He let out a light sneer. “A shameless thug with the inferior genes of the Lower City.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Changfeng’s expression faltered for a barely perceptible second before he resumed his genial smile. As if he had heard nothing, his tone remained warm and appropriate. “Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend Ziqi’s birthday party, Madam Ji.”

Yu Yi left in a fit of rage. Fortunately, he had stuffed his pockets full of fruit to eat on the way. He wanted to eat them right now! Yu Yi tossed a cherry into his mouth as he hopped onto the hovering train that had just arrived at the station.

What should he do now? He was at a loss. Ji Xingxiao would not take him to the polluted zones for missions, and Cheng Sui would not help him. Yu Yi was just an empty shell; someone could push him over with a single finger and he would not be able to get back up. Did he really have to drop out of the Defense Academy and roll back to the Lower City with his 200,000 Credits?

The thought made him so angry he wanted to spit out the cherry pit. Since there were no trash cans on the train, he could only crunch the pit loudly between his teeth. Why should he? He was not going to leave! But was staying really something he could decide just by being unwilling to go?

The train sped along the levitating tracks. Yu Yi leaned his head against the window, watching the neon lights and shadows flash by. It was not until the scenery became increasingly unfamiliar that he snapped out of his sadness and confusion. “Wait? Why am I getting further away?”

Yu Yi quickly looked up at the holographic route map inside the car and realized he had taken the train in the wrong direction. He was speechless. The train was heading toward the city center. Thinking that he had nothing else to do anyway, Yu Yi decided to wander around the city.

He wondered if it was human instinct to long for nature; after coming out of the Cheng family’s private ecological garden and looking at these uniform, unchanging artificial plants in the city, he felt it was a bit eerie. He had a sudden urge to go on a shopping spree. Since there was no way out anyway, why live so stingily? He might as well enjoy himself first!

But after walking around, he still ended up entering a communication device store. Yu Yi looked down at the glittering accessories, feeling a pang of sadness. “What is the point of buying this? I might not even be able to stay in the Upper City.”

In the end, he bought nothing. He wandered the city for a long time before catching the last train back to the Command Academy. It was already 9:00 PM by the time he reached the dorm. The lights were off, but Ji Xingxiao’s natural ability still stood in the center of the room, emitting a faint blue glow. The entire space felt as if it were underwater.

Ji Xingxiao had not returned. He was going on a mission to the polluted zone tomorrow, so he was likely still training. Yu Yi might not even see him tonight, as Ji Xingxiao could go directly from the training area to the bedroom. Just as Yu Yi stuffed his worn-out shoes into the bottom of the shoe cabinet at the entrance, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

So late? Who would be looking for him? Yu Yi pulled out his phone in confusion. The screen displayed a string of unfamiliar numbers containing letters. This was the type of number that appeared only when a communication device called a phone. Was it the jerk looking for him? No, that was not his number.

Yu Yi answered. To his surprise, Teacher Ruan’s voice came from the other end. “This number is way too long and hard to dial. Why have you not changed to a proper communicator yet?” As soon as the call connected, Teacher Ruan started complaining.

Yu Yi did not speak. Teacher Ruan continued, “Remember to ask for a leave of absence tomorrow. Even if you are going to the polluted zone for a mission, you have to follow the procedure, otherwise it counts as an unexcused absence.”

“Huh?” Yu Yi finally made a sound. Why would he need to ask for leave?

“Is tomorrow not the Command Academy’s final mission? They discovered an ancient ocean ruin in the polluted zone and are currently formulating a cleanup plan. There will not be any more missions this semester.”

“Oh,” after hearing this, Yu Yi felt even more dejected. Did that mean he had completely lost his chance?

“If you do not go out with him tomorrow, when will you go?” Teacher Ruan reminded him. “Remember to submit your leave slip.”

“I understand,” Yu Yi said despondently. “Thank you, Teacher.”

The other side hung up. Yu Yi tucked his phone away gloomily and slowly sat down on the sofa. What was he going to do? The retake fee was 380,000 Star Credits. He had 200,000 in hand, and Old Ba had 8,000. In the Lower City, Yu Qing had not left Yu Yi anything. It was too late to rush back and file a lawsuit against that low-budget version of Cheng Sui.

Yu Qing’s passing had been too sudden. Most of her savings over the years had been swindled by that gigolo. In the end, they had been forced to move from a high-end apartment in the Lower City to the most dilapidated house. Even adding everything together, he could not make up that 180,000.

Yu Yi felt lost and helpless once again. It was just like when Yu Qing had first died. He could not even recognize her face at the end; it had been completely burned. He had signed the cremation documents and completed all the procedures in a daze. When he got home, he found he could not open the door; the password had been changed.

His luggage had been tossed outside. No matter how hard he knocked, that man never opened the door. At sixteen, he had lost his only mother and his only home. Meanwhile, his half-brother’s sixteenth year was glamorous, surrounded by flowers, with a brilliant future ahead of him. And now, Cheng Sui did not care about him either.

Thinking of this, Yu Yi’s eyes welled up. He quickly tilted his head back, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. Then, remembering something, he suddenly pulled two oranges he had not given away out of his bag and began to peel them.

He did not know why he suddenly wanted to eat oranges. He just felt that if he kept thinking, he would only get sadder. It was better to find something to do or eat something sweet to comfort himself, especially since the fruit he brought from the Cheng house had been finished during his afternoon wandering.

The orange peel was a bit tough. When he tore it open, the juice sprayed into Yu Yi’s eyes. It was stinging and painful. Yu Yi could not hold back anymore; he started crying while stuffing the orange into his mouth, sobbing as he ate.

When Ji Xingxiao returned, this was the scene he encountered. Yu Yi was crying while stuffing orange slices into his mouth, eating while trembling with sobs. He was completely stunned.

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