Forcibly Marked by My Fiancé’s Best Friend - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Wails of despair filled the cafeteria at noon. Recruits roared between mouthfuls of food, “What kind of mortal suffering is this?!”

“F***, my initial assessment training wasn’t even this brutal!”

“Do we really have to endure this twisted training every day to become as strong as the instructors? I’m afraid I’ll drop dead before I even touch a mech.”

“No, no, no. The instructor is strong because he’s fundamentally different from a regular Alpha. Unless you’re a natural-born freak like him, otherwise…” An Alpha shook his head, trailing off.

The others understood exactly what he meant.

Back when He Yu was just a student, he had gone viral as the most popular “school grass” of the Imperial Star Tower Academy. Overwhelming piles of love letters used to stack up from the campus gates all the way to the training grounds.

Some were even crazy enough to pilot private aircraft over the training field, raining down roses and confessions.

Yu had ignored them all and reported the behavior to the Dean for interfering with training. Since then, Star Tower had strictly banned “high-altitude littering” and queuing at the gates to deliver letters. Anyone caught would have it recorded on their permanent file and be banned from Star Tower entrance exams for three years.

Most people were rational enough to stop after that, but everyone overlooked the impact of the StarNet.

Whether inside or outside Star Tower, people who had or hadn’t seen He Yu reached a silent consensus. They built massive discussion threads in the entertainment section of StarNet under the highly misleading title: “On the Correct Application of Star Tower Regulations.”

The content had absolutely nothing to do with regulations.

Posts with thousands of comments eventually sank to the bottom when He Yu graduated and became a formal officer at the Star Tower Military Base.

A new thread was born the day he took his oath at the base, titled: “On How Difficult the Star Tower Assessment Truly Is.”

The content, without exception, consisted entirely of praise and adoration for He Yu. To date, that thread had over 3,000 comments. Not a single one discussed the actual assessment. The only thing remotely related was a candid side-profile photo of He Yu taken a year ago when he served as a proctor.

Accepted into the Academy at 15; vanished into thin air at 16; returned abruptly at 18. Within a month of his return, he passed the most grueling assessments to become an officer. At 20, he was promoted to Major General. At 21, he became the youngest Five-Star General in the Empire, with a status equal to that of a Cabinet Minister.

Rumors swirled. Some said he spent those missing two years in secret advanced studies. Others whispered he had been kidnapped for clandestine experiments—how else could he have suddenly become so powerful? In just two years, every aspect of his physical evolution and combat prowess had skyrocketed. His assessment data could drop jaws; before the current Commander appeared, He Yu’s scores were the gold standard of the Academy.

However, the former Prime Minister personally stepped in to squash the rumors, claiming He Yu and his son, Yin Zhuo, had both broken their legs while playing and couldn’t engage in strenuous activity, necessitating a long recovery at home. Later, to catch up, they supposedly underwent rehabilitation at the Academy’s medical base.

The Dean confirmed the story, noting two students had indeed stayed in the medical base for over a year.

Thus, the rumors faded, and He Yu was labeled a “talent freak,” which only made him more desirable.

Perhaps because of his natural aura of authority, even those who adored him didn’t dare confess to his face. Any bold soul who did was met with a challenge. He Yu would say, “Beat me, and I’ll agree to date you.” So far, no one has succeeded.

“Aw, that’s just nonsense spread on StarNet. The instructor never said that,” an Alpha said, slamming the table. “What century is this? You actually believe that?”

“Exactly. The instructor doesn’t seem like the type to say something so casual.”

The Alpha who had been curious about the rumors suddenly went quiet. He agreed; the instructor didn’t seem like the “easy” type.

But while the speakers were careless, a listener took it to heart. An Omega actually believed the “Beat me and we date” rumor. He finished his meal quickly, packed his things, and rushed toward the instructor with excitement.

He Yu had just stepped out of the dorms. He wasn’t wearing his military jacket; his black, skin-tight training shirt outlined his impressive musculature. He was laughing and talking with a fellow officer as they headed toward the cafeteria.

The Omega suppressed a smile and approached shyly. “In… Instructor, can I challenge you?”

Yu knit his brows and glanced at Yin Zhuo.

Yin Zhuo suppressed a laugh and shrugged, as if to say, “He’s looking for you, why are you looking at me?”

“Instructor, I l… like you!”

The entire cafeteria went silent. Every eye turned toward the bold Omega, expressions of pure disbelief plastered on every face.

Some recognized this Omega—beautiful, and the second-place finisher in the Star Tower entrance exam. His composite score was only three points lower than the Alpha whom Group Head Lian Xu had kicked into semi-disability. He was a very formidable Omega.

Yu looked at him, his expression cold. “I don’t know you.”

“I know, but I’ve known you for a long time. I… want to challenge you. If I win, you become my Alpha. Is… is that okay?”

It was a blatant confession.

“I… you… but…”

…

Hiss— Hiss—

A sharp burst of static electricity pierced Lian Xu’s ears. His fingertips, holding the listening device, trembled. He licked his dry lips and tossed the broken gadget aside.

Again.

The Maintenance Department called themselves geniuses and “Star Tower Masters,” yet they couldn’t even handle a primitive, simple-version wiretap. Calling them “useless” was a compliment.

Before the connection cut, he’d heard a fragmented, ambiguous sentence. Lian Xu dug his nails into his palms to force himself to stay awake. But what? Why didn’t he finish? Why did the wiretap fail right now?!

He felt inexplicably anxious.

His body swung between freezing cold and scorching heat. After experiencing the “two heavens of ice and fire,” he had to endure the agonizing itch of his heat. The blocking patch, soaked by the rain, had lost all functionality and lay crumpled on the floor.

Lian Xu raised a hand to touch his burning gland and pressed down hard.

A sharp pain shot through it, like a needle prick. But this pain was different from the suppression caused by an Alpha’s pheromones. The pain from his own hand could briefly alleviate the crawling, worm-like itch inside his body.

Locked in this cold, dark room, the fever made his mind hazy. He couldn’t tell what time it was. He could only wait for Yin Zhuo to bring food, pathetically cling to the man’s calf, and trade a slap for the confirmation of the hour.

Yin Zhuo enjoyed the process of mistreating an Omega; it made him incredibly excited. Lian Xu used this fact to extract the intelligence he wanted from him.

Sometimes, it was just to hear him say what time it was.

“What do you think you are? If it weren’t for the fact that you look seventy to eighty percent like him, I would have thrown you onto a desert planet for anyone to use the moment you drugged my drink!”

The words Yin Zhuo said a year ago echoed in his head. He hadn’t drugged the drink, but the accident had caused the Alpha to lose control and mistake him for someone else, locking him in a room all night. Even if nothing happened, once that door closed, rumors spread like toxic air.

A grand Prime Minister drugged by an Omega—it would be a laughingstock. To save face, the Yin family claimed the two had a long-standing engagement. They moved Lian Xu into the Prime Minister’s residence, and from then on, wherever Yin Zhuo went, Lian Xu had to follow.

He knew it was surveillance.

In less than a month, Lian Xu was promoted to a four-star Lieutenant General, which directly ignited Yin Zhuo’s fury.

The Alpha had pinned him to the floor, strangling him: “You’ve planned this well! First drugging me to force a marriage, now using me to climb the ranks!”

Once the seed of suspicion is planted, it can never be removed.

Lian Xu never explained. If there was a misunderstanding, fine—it saved him the trouble of coming up with excuses. To this day, Yin Zhuo still thought he just wanted a powerful backer.

Thinking of this, he leaned against the wall and smiled.

As he tilted his head, the blanket slid from his shoulder, draping loosely over his arm. Without patches or suppressants, he could only endure the heat through sheer willpower.

Lian Xu was suffering. He pressed his gland frantically for relief, but now he couldn’t even perceive the pain. He bit his lip hard, refusing to let go even when it bled. He used these cruel, self-harming methods to maintain moments of clarity.

Clatter—

The chains were being unlocked. The sound of polished iron rubbing together rang out.

Lian Xu closed his eyes, his arms dropping to his sides. He took small, shallow breaths as sweat rolled down his forehead.

With a creak, the door opened. A dark silhouette stood at the threshold. Lian Xu couldn’t immediately identify the Alpha. His shoulders shook as he asked in a trembling voice, “Is it night already?”

Usually, Yin Zhuo only brought food after evening training. But with his fever and clouded consciousness, he didn’t notice that the light entering through the crack was sunlight, not the white glow of an evening lamp.

The Alpha stepped in and closed the door. He moved the bowl on the floor and sat against the wall. He wrapped the thick quilt and blanket around Lian Xu, pulling him onto his lap, and exhaled a warm breath against his ear.

“Why are you so obedient in front of him?”

Lian Xu recognized the voice and forced his eyes open. The White Camellia sensed the agitation of the Cedar and immediately wound around it. The temperature of his gland began to normalize, and the stinging pain faded. His tense body suddenly relaxed, turning as soft as spring water in the Alpha’s arms.

Yu held him tighter, generously releasing a large amount of soothing pheromones. His fingertip traced Lian Xu’s lip before he lightly patted his cheek. “I help you through every heat, yet you’re so fierce with me. Meanwhile, you welcome your fiancé—who hates you to your core—with smiles and open arms. Tell me, are you just looking for trouble?”

Lian Xu rolled his eyes. It had only happened three times in total; there was nothing to brag about. Plus, the first two times were a year ago.

As he spoke, He Yu slid his hand under the quilt, wandering over the burning body. He found the curve of the Omega’s backside and gave it a spiteful, hard squeeze. The soft, elastic sensation reached his heart, and a dangerous smile curled the Alpha’s lips. “You’re not wearing anything. Just how thirsty are you?”

“Failing to get what you want, so you try to seduce your fiancé during your heat… but what a pity. He doesn’t seem to want to see you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let me take advantage of this.”

Yu rubbed Lian Xu’s thigh repeatedly, his expression unreadable.

“Why don’t you beg me? If I’m happy, I might help you. Otherwise, if the quilt gets wet, how will you sleep tonight?”

Lian Xu panted, clutching He Yu’s training shirt. His heat radiated against the Alpha’s firm muscles. The Alpha felt an itch in his heart as the fuzzy top of the Omega’s head rubbed against him. Unable to scratch it, he gripped the base of the Omega’s thigh harder and harder.

Going any deeper would inevitably touch the dangerous, blood-pumping region. A warm current, carrying a powerful force, seemed to suck at the Alpha’s fingers.

“Please…” Lian Xu let out a tiny sob, but his tone had a strange, discordant edge of command.

“Please what?” Yu deliberately shifted his fingers and laughed.

Lian Xu looked up slightly. The thick White Camellia had turned the Cedar into a mess.

“Can you… hold me?”

He Yu raised an eyebrow. “Am I not holding you right now?”

“Not… like this.”

The Omega’s voice became soft and light. The coquettish tone made the Alpha’s ears itch; he had never seen Lian Xu like this.

Yu gritted his teeth and pulled Lian Xu into a crushing embrace.

“Lian Xu… who do you think you’re sleeping with? Your fiancé?”

Lian Xu didn’t make a sound. His shoulders shook as he shrunk further into He Yu’s chest.

He Yu took a deep breath.

At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to tear off his “nice guy” mask and release his ugly desires. To forcibly claim the person in his arms, bullying him over and over until he cried for mercy.

But this was someone else’s fiancé.

After the Lakala operation was over, the two were set to walk down the aisle and become the Empire’s most watched newlyweds.

A powerful sense of morality suppressed his malicious thoughts. At most, he could only use his pheromones to please the Omega before him, letting the White Camellia linger on him to achieve a sense of inner satisfaction.

The Omega’s eyes were red. This “Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus,” usually too noble to be picked, was sitting obediently in his lap asking for hugs, his sobbing voice soft and melodious.

He Yu felt satisfied and released a bit more pheromones. Lian Xu rested his head on He Yu’s shoulder, his nose brushing the back of his neck. At the point closest to the Alpha’s gland, he inhaled the scent of White Camellia deeply.

Most Omegas go through an excruciating process during heat, especially those who have tasted the sweetness of an Alpha’s soothing pheromones. They crave that rare antidote even more. But Lian Xu was special—his heat was more agonizing than most, yet he regained his senses more easily.

As long as he inhaled a bit of compatible pheromones, he could immediately recover his clarity and logic. As his body temperature returned to normal, his strength would follow. Because the White Camellia and Cedar were so compatible, his energy would actually become more abundant and excited than usual, as if he’d been injected with a high-potency suppressant containing adrenaline.

Lian Xu’s fingers moved. His blurred eyes cleared as the pheromone concentration rose.

He smiled and bit down hard on the Alpha’s shoulder.

He Yu hissed in pain. He pressed his palm against the back of Lian Xu’s head, pushing down with a surge of hostility.

“Are you a puppy? Biting people whenever you feel like it.”

Lian Xu snorted, devoid of guilt. “I learned from you.”

Recalling how he often left bite marks on Lian Xu’s thighs, the Alpha was left speechless. He did indeed like to bite, especially where the flesh was thickest.

But only on Lian Xu.

Other Omegas could strip naked and offer themselves to him, and he wouldn’t spare them a second glance. Just like the Omega who had challenged him in the cafeteria earlier.

At first glance, He Yu thought that Omega was beautiful and looked familiar. But the moment the Omega revealed his purpose without restraint, He Yu felt only disgust and a desire to vomit.

After leaving the cafeteria, he’d headed straight for Lian Xu’s new room, only to find it empty. So, he had shamelessly returned to Yin Zhuo’s place.

Such a clumsy excuse—that his own room was too cold to sleep in—only Yin Zhuo would believe. The man had even generously given up the master bedroom, choosing to sleep in a temporary dorm at the training grounds instead.

Perhaps because the room was chained, Yin Zhuo was confident no one would notice this hidden chamber.

But He Yu followed the faint scent of Cedar leaking through the cracks in the wall and found the canary trapped in the cage.

He sniffed the Omega’s scent greedily, his lean waist and abdomen involuntarily tensing.

Lian Xu felt the Alpha’s shift against his hips. He pushed against He Yu’s shoulders to create some distance. Their eyes met—those beautiful, seductive eyes were openly hooking into He Yu’s heart.

The Omega curled his lips into a faint, ghost of a smile.

He Yu froze for a moment. His vision was consumed by the Omega’s lush, enticing lips. He instinctively leaned down to kiss him.

Slap—

The moment their noses touched, Lian Xu didn’t hesitate. He jerked his head back and landed a sharp slap across the Alpha’s face.