After Transmigrating as a Man-Eater Omega, I Got the Protagonist Shou - Chapter 15

At the military training base, the night air was filled with the rhythmic waves of chirping insects.

Gao Jingping sat cross-legged on his dormitory bed. Seeing Qi Yan enter, he busily offered a freshly brewed cup of green tea and asked with excessive concern, “Is Brother Yan back? Was training tiring today? Do you need me to knead your shoulders or massage your back?”

Gao Jingping’s acting skills were practically non-existent, and his attitude was far too unusual. Qi Yan paused, scanning him expressionlessly. “Did you take the wrong medicine?”

“Oh, you should not say that,” Gao Jingping replied. In his heart, he knew he was only being nice because he had been bribed with food. He pulled a package of imported biscuits from his locker. “How about some supper? Try these. They are imported from Switzerland and are delicious. I ate several bags today.”

Qi Yan recognized the logo on the packaging immediately. It was the brand Qiao Xingyin usually liked most.

“Did he give them to you?” Qi Yan asked.

“Huh?” Gao Jingping froze for a second before reacting. He scratched his head sheepishly. “So you knew. Qiao Xingyin specifically asked me to take extra care of you.”

He then pulled out a box of throat lozenges. “He gave these too. He said shouting slogans in a few days will be hard on our voices.”

“And mosquito repellent patches,” Gao Jingping continued. “Look, your arms are covered in bites. I personally hate mosquitoes. Your skin is fair, so you look like a target they would love. You cannot let them have their way.”

Under the dim yellow light of the dormitory, Qi Yan’s cold features seemed to soften slightly. He took the biscuits, his fingertips lightly stroking the packaging.

Gao Jingping leaned in, winking mischievously. “Qiao Xingyin is really devoted to you. His eyes were so sincere that I actually felt embarrassed.”

What was even more sincere was the realization that these imported snacks were expensive, and together they added up to a significant sum.

“If you ask me, the people in our class who follow the crowd to ostracize you are just blind,” Gao Jingping said, putting an arm around Qi Yan’s shoulder. “Do not worry. As long as I am here, I guarantee no one will dare trouble you in the dorm.”

Qi Yan stiffened for a moment before saying quietly, “Thank you.”

“Hey, do not thank me. I do not deserve it,” Gao Jingping waved his hands repeatedly. “In the past, I never stood up to speak to you. As a Beta, I am ashamed to say I have less courage than an Omega. But Brother Yan, believe me, those bad days will pass. I have a feeling they will be over very soon.”

Gao Jingping discovered with horror that after the struggle of the first day of military standing, the second day brought even more of the same.

He reached a conclusion. “Is there anything in the world more painful than standing in military formation? No!”

“There is,” the instructor said, pacing with his hands behind his back. He let out a cold laugh. “I will let you experience it later. Do not be in a hurry.”

“Instructor, I did not mean it that way!” Gao Jingping cried out. “I am not in a hurry! I am not in a hurry at all!”

The instructor ignored his pleas and barked, “Squat!”

Following the command, the students from Class 8 and Class 1 squatted down in unison. At first, some whispered that it was not difficult, but within two minutes, the training ground turned into a living hell.

Qiao Xingyin squatted in the middle of the line, his bangs soaked with sweat. His calf muscles trembled uncontrollably, feeling as though thousands of ants were gnawing at them. He glimpsed Qi Yan out of the corner of his eye, who remained as still as a statue with an unchanging expression. He could not help but marvel. As expected of Qi Yan; if he had to describe him in two words, it would be “freakish strength.”

After a while, someone in the ranks asked, “Instructor, how many minutes are left?”

The instructor did not even look at his timer. “Three and a half minutes!”

“What? Only one and a half minutes have passed?”

“Everyone, hold on! Young people today are really lacking. You cannot even squat for five minutes? In our day, we squatted for five hours!”

“Five hours? I do not look up to anyone but you, sir!”

“Report, Instructor!” Gao Jingping could not go long without causing a scene, so he shouted his report. “I think I heard my knees screaming for mercy!”

The ranks erupted into muffled laughter. The instructor narrowed his eyes and walked over to Gao Jingping. “Oh? And what did your knees say?”

“They said they want to apply for discharge!”

“Approved!” the instructor shouted. “I approve you to change your posture and continue squatting!”

Gao Jingping collapsed onto his backside. The instructor commanded cruelly, “You will restart your squat later.”

Gao Jingping wailed, “No! I will do anything! I will even stand in formation!”

“Fine, I will satisfy you. Stand in formation now!” The instructor added immediately, “And squat again when you are finished standing!”

Gao Jingping wanted to cry. “Instructor, you cannot do this! Do not pause like that when you speak!”

“How is it? Compared to squatting, does standing feel much better?” The instructor understood the essence of this psychological tactic. “Since that is the case, we will stand for an extra hour today!”

Gao Jingping finally understood the true meaning of an inescapable fate. Also, the instructor was actually quite humorous.

By midday, several boys in the class had become quite friendly with the instructor. They joked around, saying, “Instructor, I saw videos online before coming here. Other people get to eat watermelon during military training. Why don’t you buy some for us to share?”

“Is one watermelon enough for all of you?” the instructor sneered. “And what will we use to split it? Our bare hands?”

The group cheered, “We believe you are so excellent that you can definitely split it with your hands!”

The instructor kept a stony face. “Splitting one is fine, but splitting enough for a whole company? Do you want my hands to fall off?”

“It is fine. We can lend you our hands!”

To everyone’s surprise, the instructor actually said, “Perform well today, and I will try to get you popsicles and ice cream tomorrow.”

The mood instantly became much more cheerful. “This positive reinforcement is much better than a trampled bee!”

“A moment of silence for the bee.”

“Silence.”

“Deepest condolences.”

The instructor remained silent.

Of course, within the hardworking yet pleasant atmosphere of military training, there were occasional unpleasant interludes.

During a break when the crowd was dispersed, Chen Ming maliciously unscrewed Qi Yan’s water bottle and knocked it over, spilling the contents everywhere. In the heat of military training, having no water was akin to torture.

He then said spitefully to Qi Yan, “Oh, I am sorry. I accidentally knocked it over. You should not mind, right?”

Qiao Xingyin, who was always paying attention to Qi Yan, saw this, and his beautiful face instantly turned cold. Without any hesitation, he walked straight to where Chen Ming kept his water. He picked up Chen Ming’s military-green canteen, pulled out the stopper, and poured it over Chen Ming’s head before he could react.

Chen Ming was caught off guard and soaked instantly. “What the hell! What are you doing!” he cursed in anger.

Qiao Xingyin sneered, “I accidentally knocked it over. You should not mind, right?”

Chen Ming had chosen a deserted corner for his act. Everyone else was busy cooling down and replenishing their strength, so no one had noticed. It was not until Chen Ming started shouting that the instructor looked over. “What is going on?”

Chen Ming was shaking with rage, pointing at Qiao Xingyin. “Report, Instructor! Qiao Xingyin poured water all over me.”

Qiao Xingyin lowered his gaze, his clear eyes showing just the right amount of confusion and grievance. He looked completely innocent. “Instructor, he is slandering me. He said he was too hot and wanted to cool down since he cannot take a shower yet. But after he did it, he felt embarrassed and wanted to find a way out for himself.”

Qiao Xingyin’s harmless appearance worked perfectly in that moment. It was hard for the instructor not to believe a clean, beautiful Omega over an Alpha who looked like a hooligan and clearly had bad intentions. Now, he felt this Alpha was not just ill-intentioned but also an idiot.

“What are you shouting about? In this heat, it will be dry in ten minutes! Just stand there and cool down. Any more noise and you will get extra training!”

The instructor turned and left. His attitude made the situation clear to the crowd. Whispers broke out among the students, saying Chen Ming had nothing better to do than give himself a bath.

“Qiao Xingyin, you are quite the liar,” Chen Ming hissed, wishing he could tear him apart. But in reality, he could do nothing but seethe in impotent rage.

“It was nothing. I learned it from you,” Qiao Xingyin shrugged nonchalantly. “Besides, I am not really lying. At most, I am just letting you hoist yourself by your own petard.”

Qiao Xingyin did not plan to pay any more attention to Chen Ming. Wasting his time on such a person made him feel sorry for his own limited life.

“Qi Yan, are you thirsty? You can drink my water,” Qiao Xingyin turned to Qi Yan. He hesitated slightly as he handed over his water bottle. “But… I have already drunk from it. I do not know if you mind.”

There was no canteen nearby, so he could not think of a better way. Qi Yan looked down at it, reached out to take it, and drank from it. His Adam’s apple rolled steadily with the rhythm of his swallowing. A few drops of water slid down his exquisite jawline and disappeared into the collar of his camouflage uniform.

After drinking, Qi Yan lowered his head, his moist lips still glistening. He raised his hand to wipe the water from his chin with his thumb, but his gaze remained locked on Qiao Xingyin.

In the air heated by the scorching sun, Qiao Xingyin’s heart skipped a heavy beat. As expected of the “Beautiful Shou,” even the way he drank water was sexy. Realizing the adjective he was using, Qiao Xingyin’s cheeks flushed. He told himself it was perfectly normal and natural for good friends to share a cup.

The night sky far from North City was dotted with stars, and the silhouettes of distant mountains were faintly visible. The night breeze rustled the treetops, bringing the coolness of late summer, but it could not disperse the passionate singing of the boys.

A staple of military training, the song-chanting competition was in full swing.

“Company One! Give us one! Company One! Give us one!”

“One, two, three, four, five, we have waited so hard! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, we are so anxious!”

The slogans started off normally. Then, a company started a trend that quickly devolved into absurdity, fueled by youthful energy. A boy from Company Two with a very loud voice roared out, “One, two, three, four, five!”

The whole company took a breath and joined in, “Company One has not found the tune yet!”

Company Three paused for a second before their own adapted version rang out: “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven! Company One sings like they are raising chickens! The tune has drifted to the Milky Way!”

The students of Company One were laughed at by these ridiculous descriptions, which eventually turned into a collective urge to prove themselves. If they stayed silent, the labels of singing like chickens and being off-key would be stuck to them forever.

“Go! We have to go!” someone growled. The morale of Company One was ignited by the ridicule.

“Qiao Xingyin, you be the conductor,” Jiang Shixu’s clear voice rang out distinctly among the crowd.

Tao Yanxi was about to volunteer himself, but hearing Jiang Shixu, he swallowed his words in frustration. Before Qiao Xingyin could react, he was pushed to the front of the line by his classmates. His features were exquisite; even his expression of shock was beautiful.

Under the eager gaze of his classmates, Qiao Xingyin’s fingertips instinctively made a standard conducting gesture. It was a habit etched into his muscle memory.

“Wait, Qiao Xingyin knows how to conduct?” Wen Ke marveled.

Jiang Shixu explained calmly, “He was in the Xinghe Choir in junior high and won a provincial gold medal.”

Wen Ke was even more surprised. “His junior high was in South City, was it not? Class Monitor, how do you know that?” Why did the monitor know things he did not? He felt like he was failing as a deskmate.

Jiang Shixu replied calmly, “Old Xu showed me his enrollment resume; it was written there.”

“Oh,” Wen Ke scratched his head. “Class Monitor, you are really good to the students in our class.” He then realized Jiang Shixu seemed exceptionally good to Qiao Xingyin specifically.

The music began. Qiao Xingyin’s fingertips traced sharp arcs, his sleeves sliding down slightly to reveal his fair, slender wrists. His control of the rhythm was surprisingly powerful, and his expression was as focused as if he were in prayer. The originally loose Company One was instantly synchronized by his rhythm.

“Holy cow,” someone whispered. “This is professional level, right?”

They suddenly felt that their previous malicious speculation about Qiao Xingyin was truly unjustified. This was clearly a wonderful and excellent boy. Qi Yan stood at the back of the line, his gaze dark as he watched the boy in the spotlight. Qiao Xingyin stood in the light while Qi Yan was in the shadows, his throat tightening from the brilliance.

Qiao Xingyin’s conducting amazed everyone and was incredibly infectious. Unsurprisingly, he led Company One to first place in the competition.

“If we had such a good-looking conductor, we would be first too,” a boy from the neighboring company said sourly, refusing to accept the defeat.

A student from Company One rolled their eyes. “Give it a rest. You lot are born tone-deaf; just admit defeat already.”

After the competition, the instructor announced a game of “Pass the Parcel” using a plastic flower. Whoever held the flower when the music stopped had to perform a talent. The ancient game took on new life among the teenagers. The drumbeat was as fast as a heartbeat, and the plastic flower was passed quickly through the crowd.

With the tacit cooperation of Company One, when the drumbeat stopped, the flower landed exactly in Qiao Xingyin’s palm. The crowd erupted into cheers. Watching him conduct was not enough; they wanted to hear him sing, perhaps even a solo. Usually, they had no chance to look at Qiao Xingyin for long and could only steal a glance. Having him perform in public was undoubtedly the best time to appreciate his legendary looks.

Qiao Xingyin did not feel shy. He stood up gracefully, his gaze passing through the crowd to look directly at Qi Yan at the back. “I will sing a song.”

His voice was soft and clear, strangely quieting the entire field. The night wind brushed his bangs, revealing eyes as bright and shining as stars.

“In your eyes, an entire galaxy flows, It is the brightest beam of light at dawn. Even the wind must lighten its step as it passes, Afraid to disturb the sharpness between your brows. You are the unmelting frost upon the cedar, The cool peppermint of a midsummer night. You are the embodiment of all that is beautiful in this world, The clearest sound of a spring in my life.”

His voice was like morning dew—the clearest sound of a spring. The song was an original track by a singer, used to describe a precious person in one’s life. Qiao Xingyin was singing it for Qi Yan. His gaze never left the tall boy; it was as if Company One did not exist and the whole world was just the two of them.

“Mother, I am in love!” an Omega girl exclaimed, clutching her chest. “Who says an Omega cannot be with another Omega? I declare Qiao Xingyin is my new idol! From today on, I am going to be a crazy fan; none of you are allowed to say a bad word about him!”

“Why did they confiscate my phone? If I had recorded that and posted it online, I would be the new top influencer!”

“Friendly reminder: the influencer would be Qiao Xingyin, not you!”

“Am I allowed to watch this for free? This face, this voice… I thought I was at a superstar’s concert, and I have front-row seats!”

The galaxy hung low overhead, seemingly within reach. Qi Yan stood at the very back, his eyes growing deeper, swirling with indescribable emotions. Qiao Xingyin had not only expressed how much he cherished him in private, but now he was also unhesitatingly gifting him the most beautiful words in front of everyone.

Before this, he had low self-esteem and a low sense of worth; he never thought the word “beautiful” could be associated with him. Any beautiful thing associated with him felt like a desecration.

As the song ended, the night breeze brought a sense of coolness. Qiao Xingyin was still looking in Qi Yan’s direction, the corners of his mouth turned up in a soft curve. He was telling him with his eyes that every word he sang was exactly what he felt, without any embellishment or falsehood. He stood before him with a heart of complete sincerity, simply because he was worth it.

Qi Yan felt the heart in his chest beating like a drum, as if it were about to burst through his throat.

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