Forcibly Marked by My Fiancé’s Best Friend - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The two of them turned toward the door simultaneously, catching a glimpse of several trainees flashing past their field of vision. A commotion immediately erupted in the hallway. Even the trainee about to enter for his pheromone draw couldn’t resist his curiosity, grabbing the person next to him and telling them to go first.

Yu stood up to leave, but a fair, delicate hand quickly pinned him down.

“What exactly do you mean by that?!”

“Exactly what I said.”

A fleeting look of consternation crossed Xie Shata’s eyes. She found it hard to believe that He Yu was the type of person who played with people’s emotions.

She vaguely remembered meeting him years ago during a grueling practical combat team evaluation. He Yu’s suicidal fighting style had terrified her; he had eliminated almost every single enemy on the simulated battlefield.

Though Xie Shata was scared, she sensed no malice from him—only an aura of inexplicable dread and sorrow.

The point of a team was cooperation. Although He Yu hadn’t spared her a glance while single-handedly taking down an entire squad, he was still her teammate, and he had blocked a lethal blow for her at a critical moment. Bandaging his wounds, she had asked him, “Do you want to get into the Star Tower that badly? You’re throwing your life away just to pass.”

To this day, Xie Shata still remembered He Yu’s dull, hollow eyes staring fixedly at the wreckage of a mecha in the distance as he said coldly, “Yeah. The person I’m looking for is there.”

“Is it someone important? Family, or… a lover?”

He Yu hadn’t spoken another word.

After that evaluation, Xie Shata hadn’t seen He Yu again until she became a member of the Star Tower Medical Center. She saw him while bandaging the wounds of training officers.

His parents were deceased, and his only brother served at the base. He wasn’t looking for a family, which left only…

Xie Shata didn’t dare speculate too much. Later, He Yu had casually remarked, “I might never find that person again. He hates me, so he doesn’t want to see me.”

Yet, not long after, He Yu emerged from his slump, transforming into a cheerful, carefree Alpha she had never known. He told her, “See that Omega running in the lead? He’s the top scorer of this Star Tower evaluation. My student.”

At the time, Xie Shata didn’t realize what there was to brag about.

Later, on that rainy night, she began to understand a little. But He Yu’s words today overturned her theories once more.

Yu’s heart was truly a needle at the bottom of the ocean.

Confused by the contradictions, she reached only one conclusion: He Yu hadn’t “moved on.” He had given up on himself. Because he couldn’t find the person he cherished, he decided to become a “scum Alpha” who toyed with Omegas!

Despicable!

“I don’t get it. What do you gain from doing this?”

Yu lifted his eyelids to look at her: “I…”

“Group Leader Lian!” A loud voice outside suddenly interrupted him.

The two realized the commotion outside had vanished. They looked toward the door just as a dark shadow flashed past. Then, a sturdy, brawny Beta stood at the door, peeking in with a somewhat dazed expression: “I-Instructor He, can I come in now?”

Yu nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the doorway.

That specific figure did not reappear.

“Was… Group Leader Lian at the door just now?” He Yu’s voice was somewhat wavering.

The trainee turned his head: “Oh, yeah. Group Leader Lian was at the door when I came. I greeted him, but he didn’t acknowledge me and just walked away.”

“What was his expression when he saw you?”

The trainee thought for a moment: “I didn’t see clearly. He seemed… unhappy.”

Then again, Group Leader Lian had been stone-faced and unhappy since he arrived at the Medical Center, so it wasn’t particularly noteworthy.

He Yu glanced at Xie Shata and suddenly stood up: “I have things to do. Keep an eye on the testing for me.”

Xie Shata: “…”

…

Yu’s mind was a mess of conflicting emotions. He had been so preoccupied that he hadn’t noticed someone at the door. He didn’t know when Lian Xu had arrived or how much he had overheard.

By the time he chased him out, the Omega was nowhere to be found. He grabbed a random trainee coming out of a medical room and asked, “Have you seen Group Leader Lian?”

“Group Leader Lian? Wasn’t he in the room next door? There… over there.”

The trainee pointed to the last medical room at the end of the hallway.

Yu let go of the trainee’s shoulders and sprinted toward the end without hesitation.

The trainee froze, mouth agape in terror, panting as he tried to calm his racing heart. When Instructor He Yu had grabbed him, his soul had nearly left his body. Luckily, the Instructor was only looking for Group Leader Lian.

Reaching the door, He Yu stopped. He watched the figure inside with their back turned to him. After about two seconds, the trainee inside finished their draw and left; only then did He Yu step inside.

“Our Group Leader Lian is truly diligent and responsible!”

Lian Xu turned at the sound. He saw He Yu with his chin tilted up and a slight smirk, leaning lazily against the white wall of the medical room. He looked quite punchable.

“Want to fight?” Lian Xu said casually in his usual tone. “I’m busy right now.”

He Yu licked his back teeth: “Can’t you fit anything in that brain besides fighting?”

“Yes. Killing you.” He said it with such sincerity it was devoid of any pretense.

To He Yu, this was a blatant provocation. Lian Xu’s serious face was even more “intoxicating” than when he was smiling and hitting him; it made He Yu want to bully him.

He cracked his knuckles.

“Have you been here the whole time?”

Lian Xu looked at him as if he were an idiot: “Where else would I be? Looking for you to start a fight?”

“I don’t have time for that.”

He Yu: “…”

The Alpha clenched his fist, grabbed Lian Xu by the collar near his nape, dragged him out, and pinned him against the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the hallway.

“Lian Xu, stop acting. Where were you just now?”

If Lian Xu could read He Yu’s mind, he would have called him a stupid psychopath. He Yu wasn’t even pretending; he was being blunt and direct.

Why are you yelling?! Is this something that can be discussed in public?!

Lian Xu felt a bit guilty: “You… you saw everything?”

Yu’s pupils contracted. So it’s true!

“It was an accident. I… I didn’t want to, but I really couldn’t help it at the time.”

Couldn’t help eavesdropping?

He Yu smirked. He had always known Lian Xu was a fool who loved to listen to walls but couldn’t hide it to save his life. It seemed that even after all this time, he was still prone to exposing himself.

Such a stupid Omega—He Yu felt like if he looked away for a second, Lian Xu would get into trouble.

Yu hovered over him, his thumb rubbing the corner of his lip as he pressed: “Since you did it, why did you run?”

“Nonsense. If I didn’t run, would I wait for you to catch me?”

Looking at the dangerous glint appearing in the Alpha’s eyes, Lian Xu thought it was a good thing he ran fast, or he’d never hear the end of it.

He Yu, however, found it strange. He’s admitting it and he’s not even angry?

Does he not care, or is he waiting for a chance to settle the score later?

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

“What… what can I say?” Lian Xu’s eyes blinked rapidly, darting around as he avoided He Yu’s gaze.

One trainee had unique pheromones; the extracted liquid actually contained white flecks. Seeing those white things being sucked into the syringe, Lian Xu suddenly remembered something and couldn’t help but rush out to vomit.

He had looked pale as a ghost in the mirror. He had barely regained his composure after splashing his face with cold water, but the image of himself kneeling on the floor dry-heaving was incredibly pathetic. He didn’t know how much He Yu had seen, but the man had chased him down to mock him the moment he returned to the room.

However, seeing He Yu’s uncertain expression, Lian Xu figured he hadn’t seen the whole thing. Otherwise, why would the mockery be so simple?

Thinking this, Lian Xu regained a bit of his confidence, banking on the fact that He Yu didn’t witness the full scene.

“What, you want to threaten me? I suggest you stop dreaming!”

Yu narrowed his eyes, wondering if this person had any conscience regarding peeking at other people’s secrets.

He stepped forward, using his leg to pin Lian Xu against the window so he couldn’t struggle—especially not in a crowded hallway.

“Let go! The testing isn’t over, I need to go back and watch.” Lian Xu twisted his wrist held by the Alpha. The movement was so forceful it left a red mark, but he didn’t seem to feel it.

He Yu leaned down slightly, whispering against his ear: “Group Leader Lian shouldn’t move around so much. If the trainees see us, they’ll think we’re doing something scandalous!”

Lian Xu sneered: “Stop pretending to be a good person.”

Pretending?

He Yu didn’t agree with that description.

Lian Xu was clearly the one who “seduced” him first (in He Yu’s mind), yet his friendly warning was met with hostility. As the saying goes, “The dog bites the hand that feeds it.”

“Instructor He! Have you seen Group Leader Lian? He said he had something to discuss after the draw, but he’s gone. Did you see him?” An Alpha trainee came out of the room and didn’t see Lian Xu, but unexpectedly found Instructor He with his back to the crowd, hands braced against the window at the end of the hall.

It was strange; he had just seen Group Leader Lian watching his draw a moment ago, and in the blink of an eye, the man had vanished. Seeing He Yu remain silent, the Alpha trainee scratched his head, preparing to leave.

“If you haven’t seen him, then I’ll… look elsewhere.”

“Wait!” He Yu called out.

He looked down at Lian Xu, one eyebrow arching as he mouthed with a mischievous grin: “Be good!”

Just those two words. Lian Xu understood them perfectly and nodded vigorously without thinking. His meaning was clear: As long as you don’t expose me, I’ll do anything.

Lian Xu considered himself an expert in lip-reading and believed his interpretation was 100% correct. He had no idea He Yu meant something else entirely.

Seeing him nod so without hesitation, He Yu was stunned for a moment before a faint smile played on his lips.

His thumb grazed the Omega’s pale lip. Those eyes, usually clouded with an aloof mist, were now darting around anxiously. Yu narrowed his eyes, catching every subtle movement.

The humiliating things he (He Yu) had said earlier—whether they were heartfelt or just a performance for others—didn’t matter now. Whether Lian Xu heard them or not didn’t change the outcome. Lian Xu would eventually leave him for another Alpha; it was only a matter of time.

If He Yu simply took a step back and turned aside, exposing Lian Xu against the window, the trainees would surely describe the scene online with pinpoint accuracy. With the speed of the Star Network, the prestigious Cabinet Premier would be shamed into annulling the engagement.

But the price was high. Lian Xu’s pride would be shattered along with the engagement. He Yu only had to move his arm, and the Omega was already terrified, clutching the buttons of his military uniform tightly.

“It’s nothing. You can go,” He Yu said, deciding to preserve the Omega’s dignity after all.

Once the trainee left, Lian Xu breathed a sigh of relief.

He had almost thought his embarrassment would be witnessed by the trainees. If that happened, he might as well leave the Star Tower and find a wasteland to bury himself in.

“You owe me a favor,” He Yu said with a laugh.

Lian Xu’s lip twitched. He pushed the man away, proving he could flip a mood faster than a page in a book: “Oh. Then I’ll owe it. I’ll pay you back when you’re on your deathbed.”

With over a meter between them, He Yu had no more leverage to threaten him. He had to accept the loss. This Omega was far too cunning; he had no choice but to swallow his grievance.

Seeing He Yu frustrated made Lian Xu feel immensely satisfied. So what if you saw me? You still can’t do anything to me.

He gave a provocative smile and turned to leave.

…

Xie Shata kept her word, finishing the task in just half a day. All 280 trainees had their pheromones drawn, and she promised to upload the precisely accurate results to the system within three days.

However, Lian Xu requested that the upload happen only after the Commander announced the results. He wanted to use the Commander’s status to silence everyone.

If Qu Baijing’s threshold still showed problems then, the Commander would not go easy on him—nor on the examiners who participated in the initial evaluation.

Colluding in cheating and tampering with results were both violations of the Star Tower Regulations.

After leaving the Medical Center, Lian Xu drove directly to the SCA Base, where the mecha were housed.

In the changing eras of the interstellar age, four-wheeled vehicles had been mostly phased out. Higher civilizations chose advanced flying vessels, and only the Imperial Planet still kept these “antiques.”

Despite being antiques, four-wheeled vehicles had their perks. Their energy consumption was extremely low, making them the most common choice for transport on the Imperial Planet, given the frequent wars and resource shortages.

Not everyone could afford a flyer, even in the Star Tower.

When Lian Xu arrived at the SCA Base, a three-meter-tall humanoid mecha came into view.