The Cannon Fodder Became the Empire's Beloved Omega - Chapter 24

Puzzled, Yu Ruan went to open the door.

Unexpectedly, the person standing outside was Gu Yu.

The other had changed into a loose set of casual clothes, looking rather languid. He waited until Yu Ruan opened the door, then slightly lifted his gaze and studied Yu Ruan for a moment. “Need help?”

Yu Ruan was a bit dazed. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Aren’t you also awake?”

“Ah, I’m just…” At the mention of this, Yu Ruan felt particularly embarrassed. “I’m afraid of messing it up, so I’ve been hesitating while writing.”

“Need help?” Gu Yu asked again.

Yu Ruan hesitated for a moment, then, seeing that the person in front of him had no intention of leaving, nodded. “Alright, thank you.”

He opened the door wider to make space for Gu Yu.

Gu Yu gave a soft “Mm,” sidestepped inside, and walked over to Yu Ruan’s cluttered computer setup, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Seeing this, Yu Ruan’s face instantly flushed red. Embarrassed, he quickly walked over, trying to make conversation. “You’re still up so late couldn’t sleep either?”

Gu Yu kept his eyes fixed on the computer. “The light was on.”

“?”

“The light in your bedroom has been on all this time.” Gu Yu turned toward the open door and window in the distance, tilting his chin slightly. “Remember to close it properly next time.”

Yu Ruan followed his gaze toward the balcony and indeed noticed that Gu Yu’s room was right next to the balcony of his own bedroom. The railings were so close together that one could easily leap from one balcony to the other with just a small step and a light jump.

It wouldn’t stop any Alpha.

In an instant, Yu Ruan understood the implication behind Gu Yu’s words.

He hurried over, closed the sliding door that had been left mostly open, and fastened the window securely, murmuring softly, “Thank you.”

Although Starcloud University was a safe place, he was still an Omega. In an environment full of Alphas, it was indeed necessary to be cautious and vigilant.

Just as Yu Ruan finished closing the window, Gu Yu’s voice came from behind him. “May I use your computer?”

“Ah, yes, of course.” He quickly turned around. “Is there something that needs to be changed?”

“Mm.” Gu Yu responded indifferently, highlighting a section marked in red. “The wording here needs to be adjusted, and here, you made a mistake with the data in this part.”

Hearing that there were so many errors, Yu Ruan hurriedly leaned in to take a closer look. Gu Yu made space for him, stepped away to grab a chair, and sat down beside Yu Ruan.

“Fix it first,” he said succinctly.

Yu Ruan glanced over the highlighted sections and realized there was indeed room for improvement. As for the data Gu Yu had pointed out as incorrect, it was likely a mistake he’d made earlier when he was too drowsy and had copied the wrong values.

Just from a quick look, Gu Yu had managed to catch so many details. Yu Ruan couldn’t help but feel deeply impressed and silently reminded himself: he couldn’t afford to be so careless anymore.

After saying “thank you,” Yu Ruan sat down and began earnestly revising the sections Gu Yu had pointed out.

The soft glow of the wall lamp cast a faint shadow under his eyelids. Gu Yu tilted his head and gazed for a moment at the serious Omega beside him, then calmly averted his eyes.

He opened the university’s Star Network forum and skimmed through it casually.

Though it was late at night, the Starcloud forum was still bustling. A few posts had made it to the front page, boldly titled “Discussing the Transfer Student,” and had already been heatedly pushed to “Hot” by impassioned students.

Upon opening it for a closer look, he found it was mostly the same old clichés: complaints about the school being useless, lamenting the decline of Star Cloud, and ending with a few criticisms about Omegas. The same repetitive grumbling, with nothing new to see.

After skimming a few lines, Gu Yu closed the webpage. He casually opened the administrator backend, muted the irritating posts on the homepage with a single click, and shut down his light brain.

Having done that, he lifted his head. Not far away, Yu Ruan had just finished revising the last part of his speech, wrapping it up, and instinctively glanced toward Gu Yu beside him.

Their eyes met perfectly.

Yu Ruan blushed slightly. “Could you take another look for me? I’ve finished the revisions.”

“Mm.” Gu Yu rose from his chair, walked over to him, and stopped. “Wait a moment.”

A faint scent of lime drifted to his nose, carrying the damp freshness unique to post-shower skin.

Realizing they were standing a bit too close, Yu Ruan quickly made some space, awkwardly averting his gaze and forcing himself to focus back on the screen. “No problem, take your time.”

“Mm.”

“Would you like something to drink?” Yu Ruan asked again. “I can make you a hot beverage?”

Gu Yu kept his head down, his fingers swiftly scrolling across the light screen. “No need.”

Originally planning to leave, Yu Ruan had no choice but to sit back down awkwardly.

He felt like a primary school student waiting for the teacher to grade his homework, full of anxiety. And the one grading it showed no expression at all, eyes lowered, focused solely on the screen, not even bothering to say a word.

If it weren’t for the occasional tap on the screen, Yu Ruan would have suspected Gu Yu was bored to the point of dozing off.

After what felt like an eternity, Gu Yu finally stopped. “It’s fine now.”

“No more revisions needed?” Yu Ruan was a bit confused.

Gu Yu gave an “Mm” and sent him an address. “Before the ceremony, there’s usually a rehearsal. Go to the student building, tell them what you’re there for, and they’ll take you directly.”

Surprised by the intricacies involved, Yu Ruan paused for a moment before quickly saying “Okay” and jotting down what Gu Yu had told him.

“It’s getting late, you should sleep.” Gu Yu withdrew his hand, casually slipping it into his pocket as he headed toward the door.

Yu Ruan snapped back to reality, immediately stood up, and hurried to see him out.

He stood sheepishly by the door. “I’ve really troubled you today.”

First helping him find something, then assisting with revising the essay. Yu Ruan couldn’t help but wonder just how many batches of sweets he’d have to make to repay the favors he owed.

Would he end up rotting Gu Yu’s teeth?

The thought suddenly surfaced in Yu Ruan’s mind, startling him so much that he vigorously shook his head, swiftly clearing the terrifying idea from his thoughts.

Noticing the little face that had grown tense for some unknown reason, Gu Yu slowly raised an eyebrow.

He stared at Yu Ruan for a moment before asking, “What are you thinking about?”

Yu Ruan instinctively replied, “I was thinking about your…” cavities.

Halfway through the sentence, he suddenly realized what he was saying and panickedly covered his mouth. Then, he quickly grasped just how ambiguous that half-spoken sentence sounded. His face instantly flushed bright red.

“Oh?”

“I didn’t say anything just now!” Yu Ruan was so embarrassed he wished the ground would swallow him. Without bothering to be polite to the person in front of him, he mumbled a hasty excuse, ignored the other’s rather subtle expression, and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

So humiliating!! QAQ

Yu Ruan felt this incident would definitely go down as one of the most embarrassing moments of his life, he had never been this mortified before.

Too preoccupied to worry about what the young master locked outside might be thinking, Yu Ruan covered his burning face and hurried to the bathroom to wash up.

Only after splashing cold water on his face for a long time did he feel the overwhelming sense of shame subside slightly. He lifted his head sorrowfully, staring at the faint blush still visible on his face in the mirror, and thought: I’m never pulling an all-nighter again.

If something like this happened one more time, he’d seriously want to jump off a building.

With his hair still damp, Yu Ruan returned to his computer, carefully reviewed the speech he had written earlier, and spent another half-hour polishing it before finally going to bed satisfied.

The next day, Yu Ruan brought his speech to the student building.

The handsome and kind-hearted young master didn’t bring up the incident from the previous day, so Yu Ruan gladly pretended nothing had happened. Following the map the other had shared, he made his way somewhat dazedly to the Student Union office of Nebula University.

As soon as he entered, the violent pheromones intertwining in the air made Yu Ruan’s hair stand on end. He pursed his lips and noticed several Alphas arguing in the distance, their faces red and necks thick with anger. Their pheromones were recklessly unleashed, creating the illusion that a fight might break out at any moment.

He immediately took a quiet step back, intending to avoid the conflict zone.

Just then, someone bumped into him hard from behind. A dull thud followed, accompanied by a flustered voice asking, “Ah? Oh no! Classmate, are you okay?!”

To be honest, it hurt a little.

Even without looking, Yu Ruan knew the spot where he’d been hit was probably red. He turned and saw a girl around his age sprawled on the floor, her eyes red from the fall, looking pitifully at him.

Instantly, Yu Ruan couldn’t bring himself to blame her.

He quickly reached out to help her up and handed her a tissue. “Are you hurt?”

“No, no, I’m fine. Thank you,” she said, accepting the tissue with a grateful smile. “You’re so nice! I’m the one who bumped into you, I’m sorry!”

Yu Ruan couldn’t stand seeing girls cry and waved his hands dismissively. “It’s fine, really. As long as you’re okay. It was just a bump, don’t worry about it.”

He glanced at the scattered materials on the floor. “Do you need help?”

“Ah, no, no!” She shook her head repeatedly. “I can manage. You should go take care of your own business.”

Seeing her flustered state, Yu Ruan hesitated for a moment but couldn’t bear to leave her. He crouched down and began helping her gather the documents.

The girl looked on the verge of tears from gratitude. “You’re so kind, thank you!”

Yu Ruan felt a bit embarrassed. “Don’t mention it.” He glanced warily at the Alphas who seemed on the verge of a fight in the distance and asked hesitantly, “What’s going on over there? Isn’t anyone stopping them?”

“Ah, them.” The little girl glanced back as well, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “This kind of thing is just daily life in Nebula. You’ll get used to it! After all, they’re all Alphas top-tier physical fitness. A little fighting can actually help strengthen their bond!”

Yu Ruan: “…” He had lost this round.

Seeing his bewildered expression, the girl explained further, “Because managing Alphas is such a hassle and it’s easy to get burned in the process, so nobody really bothers. Of course, if they go too far and cross the line, we might step in a little.”

She flashed Yu Ruan a quick smile. “Oh, and if you ever run into this kind of situation in the future, remember to duck out of the way so you don’t get caught in the crossfire. After all, we Betas aren’t as tough as Alphas. If we get hurt, it’s really gonna hurt!”

Hearing this, Yu Ruan understood: she had mistaken him for a fellow Beta who had tested into Nebula. No wonder she was being so friendly.

He obediently nodded, not bothering to correct her. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, “Do you know how to get to the audition room? I can’t seem to find it.”

Her attention was immediately diverted. “Oh, I know that like the back of my hand! Hang on, I’ll take you there in a bit!”

“Okay.”

“I told you, Cheng Mu, if you keep messaging me to harass me, I’ll block you too.”

“Hey, no, no, no, Sis Ran, don’t be so heartless. We’re in the same dorm, after all. How can you be so cold? I…”

Sensing that the person on the other end of the line seemed to want to say more, Han Ran raised an eyebrow and cut off the call.

She strode into the hall, where the air was thick with violently aggressive pheromones, making her frown in displeasure. Han Ran swept a glance around impatiently, only to spot two people colliding head-on not far away.

Her steps faltered, and she paused.

It was the Omega she had seen the day before.

Rumors about an heir parachuting into Nebula University had been circulating for a long time, and Han Ran had naturally heard them.

She had no interest in such messy affairs. As for why she had treated that person with such an attitude, it was simply because she believed in strength above all else and genuinely had no fondness for those who got in through underhanded means.

But seeing the scene unfolding in the distance, Han Ran’s thoughts shifted slightly.

The pretty-looking Omega, clearly in pain from the collision, had still gently extended a hand and was softly comforting the Beta girl who had accidentally fallen.

If it were someone else, of a different status or gender, Han Ran wouldn’t have thought much of it. But this person was not only the rumored “spoiled and willful” heir but also a fragile and delicate Omega.

Yet they seemed quite humble.

Just then, Cheng Mu’s call came through again. In a better mood, Han Ran glanced at the screen and answered directly, “What is it? Spit it out.”

“Hey, Sis Ran, you really have to listen to me this time.” Cheng Mu chattered on incessantly. “Don’t believe those rumors outside. Ruan Ruan is really sweet and super nice. If you get to know him better, I’m sure you’ll really like,” him!

“What kind of person he is, I’ll find out for myself.” Han Ran watched the figure in her line of sight crouch down to help pick up the scattered documents. “I don’t need you to embellish things for me.”

Cheng Mu: “…”

“How can you call that adding fuel to the fire?! He was clearly just telling the truth!”

Cheng Mu listened indignantly.

Just as he was about to defend himself, he heard the call which had taken so much effort to get through beep and get hung up on the other end.

Cheng Mu: “…” Sinks into silence.

Han Ran ended the communication on her light brain and watched the retreating figure in the distance, following the directions given by the Beta girl. She strode over and grabbed the arm of the young girl who had just been asked for directions. “Do you know why he came here?”

The girl, who had been grinning foolishly, was caught off guard by Han Ran’s sudden grip and jumped in fright. When she realized it was the Student Council President who had grabbed her, she grew even more terrified. “Ah! Reporting, President! He said he was going to the audition room.”

“What is he going to the audition room for?”

“I don’t know!” The girl shook her head. “Maybe to prepare for a speech or something.”

Han Ran waved her hand, signaling that the girl could leave.

Relieved, the girl quickly bowed to her, hugged a large stack of documents, and hurried away.

Having obtained the information she wanted, Han Ran thought about her schedule and headed straight for the audition room.

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