The Cannon Fodder Became the Empire's Beloved Omega - Chapter 26.1

A meal?

Compared to her previously cold demeanor after his self-acceptance, Han Ran’s current friendliness left Yu Ruan utterly bewildered. He stared blankly at the hand extended toward him, hesitated for a moment, and finally shook it politely.

“Hello, I’m Yu Ruan. I believe I mentioned it to you last time,” he replied tactfully. “Thank you for your kindness, but there’s no need for a meal. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He actually turned down the student council president’s invitation?!

Those around them couldn’t hide their surprise upon hearing his response.

After all, Han Ran’s position as president of Xingyun, a school teeming with exceptional talents wasn’t just due to her outstanding abilities. Her family background was also top-tier. Forming a connection with her would undoubtedly bring immeasurable benefits in the future.

Even if this Omega was the current imperial heir, he couldn’t afford to overlook the influence Han Ran represented.

Yet he had refused?!???

For a moment, astonished gazes converged on Yu Ruan, making him slightly uncomfortable. He furrowed his brows subtly, bowed to the tall female Alpha before him, and said, “I’m sorry, but I need to head back now.”

With that, he stepped around Han Ran, intending to leave directly.

Unexpectedly, Han Ran smiled faintly at his words.

She tilted her head, her eyes fixed on Yu Ruan as he tried to leave, and said, “It’s alright, you might have misunderstood. My earlier remark wasn’t meant as a personal invitation. It’s actually part of the annual welcoming ceremony held at the Sky Garden.”

Yu Ruan halted and looked back at her in confusion.

“Every year, Xingyun sees graduates depart and new students join,” she explained with a smile. “As the senior dorm head of the Sky Garden, it’s my responsibility to help newcomers integrate into the community.”

“So it’s?”

“Yes, the entire dormitory will be there,” Han Ran confirmed. “So, will you still decline the invitation?”

Finally understanding her meaning, Yu Ruan felt a wave of embarrassment over his earlier misunderstanding. He murmured an “Mm” and nodded to Han Ran. “Alright, then I’ll trouble you with the arrangements. Is there anything I need to do?”

“Just address me the way Cheng Mu and the others do,” Han Ran said. “Let’s start by adding each other as friends on the Star Network.”

Yu Ruan quickly opened his light brain and accepted the friend request she sent.

“How about we set it for tonight?” Han Ran asked after adding him. “If you have other plans, we can reschedule.”

“I don’t,” Yu Ruan shook his head, glancing at the group of Alphas craning their necks nearby. “In that case, Sister Ran, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now?”

Only then did Han Ran notice the commotion behind him. Her smile vanished, replaced by a stern tone. “What are you all staring at? Get back inside and stand properly! Who gave you permission to come out?”

The Alphas immediately shrank back, trembling like quails.

Yu Ruan was utterly amazed.

No wonder Cheng Mu referred to Han Ran as “Big Sis”, her commanding presence was truly convincing.

After scolding the eavesdroppers, Han Ran resumed her usual expression and said to Yu Ruan, “You can go back now. If anything else comes up, I’ll notify you directly via message.”

“Okay.” Yu Ruan nodded obediently. “Goodbye.”

Han Ran waved at him.

On his way back, the light computer on his wrist suddenly beeped.

Yu Ruan opened it and found a reply to the thank-you message he had sent to Gu Yu earlier.

When he played the voice message, the other’s cool, detached voice came through: “No need to thank me.”

Just as Yu Ruan was about to say something else, he recalled the “whole dormitory gathering” that Han Ran had mentioned.

After a moment’s thought, he couldn’t help but ask, “Ran Jie just told me that the dormitory is planning to hold a welcome party tonight. Since it’s my first time attending this kind of gathering, is there anything I should pay attention to?”

Gu Yu had enrolled earlier than him and must have experienced this party before. It was better to ask in advance and prepare than to be completely clueless when the time came.

After sending the message, Yu Ruan walked toward the Sky Garden while waiting for Gu Yu’s reply.

To his surprise, after sending the message, there was no response from Gu Yu for several minutes, as if the message had sunk into the sea.

Considering that the other might be busy at this time, Yu Ruan didn’t rush. He put away his light computer and focused on walking. The student building wasn’t far from the Sky Garden. By the time he started sweating slightly, he could already see the dormitory gate of the Sky Garden.

Just then, Gu Yu, who had been silent all this time, finally sent Yu Ruan a reply.

When Yu Ruan opened it, the reply was truly in Gu Yu’s personal style, extremely brief: “…”

A string of ellipses, without a single additional word.

Yu Ruan: “……?”

What did the other mean by this?

Staring at the string of ellipses, Yu Ruan fell into deep thought.

Fortunately, before he could ponder for too long, Gu Yu proactively sent another message: “I haven’t been.”

Yu Ruan: “?”

Gu Yu: “…”

Gu Yu: “I haven’t attended the freshman welcome party. I don’t know.”

Yu Ruan: “…”

So that’s what he meant by “haven’t been.”

But upon second thought, this situation wasn’t entirely unexpected. After all, Young Master Gu didn’t seem like the type to be into group bonding activities. Asking him to attend such a lively welcome party was probably a bit too much.

Yu Ruan even suspected that, if circumstances allowed, the other might just sleep through the entire welcome party.

The situation instantly became very awkward.

After hesitating for a while, Yu Ruan tentatively asked, “Then, are you coming this time? If you don’t have time, do you want me to tell Ran Jie for you?”

“…” Immediately, the other fell silent again.

Just as Yu Ruan thought Gu Yu was about to decline, he suddenly heard the other’s cool voice: “No need.”

“?” Yu Ruan was confused.

“I’ll go,” Gu Yu said. After a pause, he added, “If you want to know more, you’d better ask Cheng Mu. He knows more about this.”

“Okay.”

“Anything else?”

“No, nothing!” Yu Ruan quickly assured him. “Thank you.”

The other paused slightly and said, “No need to thank me.”

Feeling grateful, Yu Ruan ended the communication and, as Gu Yu had suggested, sent a message to Cheng Mu to ask.

Cheng Mu seemed carefree and easygoing, but he was actually quite reliable. Not long after Yu Ruan sent the message, he replied promptly, asking what Yu Ruan wanted to know.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Ruan asked, “Could you please tell me about the schedule?”

“No trouble at all, just call me by my name,” Cheng Mu immediately replied. “Of course, I wouldn’t mind if you called me Brother Cheng either.”

Yu Ruan waited patiently for him to continue.

“Hey, it’s actually pretty simple, Ruan Ruan, you don’t need to worry at all,” Cheng Mu rambled on. “People who get into the Sky Garden aren’t really into all that pretentious stuff. At gatherings, everyone just grabs a bunch of bottles and drinks until” He trailed off.

Mid-sentence, Cheng Mu suddenly remembered that the person on the other end of the communicator was a delicate and fragile Omega.

If it were a group of Alphas, that would be one thing they’re tough and can handle their liquor. But Omegas are different. Their unique physiology means they can’t go wild with drinking like most Alphas do, using alcohol culture to build connections.

Cheng Mu: “…” Oh no, did I scare Ruan Ruan?

After hesitating for a few seconds, Cheng Mu smoothly changed his tune, forcing himself to say, “Drink haha, actually, to be honest, everyone at the Sky Garden really loves sweets. Haha.”

Yu Ruan: “?”

Why did Cheng Mu’s sentences feel so awkwardly connected?

“Really?” he couldn’t help but question. “Weren’t you just talking about alcohol.”

“Really, absolutely true! Truer than pearls!” Cheng Mu quickly insisted. His mind raced, and he tearfully added, “Ruan Ruan, you’re new here, so you wouldn’t know. There’s a bubble tea shop called 9PM near Stellar Cloud University’s entrance, it’s really good, and everyone loves it! It’s definitely not alcohol; you must have misheard!”

Remembering the maple sugar crepes he’d tried earlier, Cheng Mu suddenly felt that sweets weren’t so hard to accept after all.

Yu Ruan: “…”

No matter how he listened, it didn’t sound like the tone of someone who genuinely enjoyed sweets.

Yu Ruan was well aware that Gu Yu had a sweet tooth. But judging by Cheng Mu’s tone, it seemed most typical Alphas weren’t particularly fond of sweets.

Or perhaps, ordinary sweets were just hard for them to appreciate.

Recalling their last meeting, when Cheng Mu had happily polished off half the plate of crepes, Yu Ruan suspected it wasn’t that Cheng Mu disliked sweets in general, just sweets that didn’t suit his taste.

And as it happened, Yu Ruan’s offerings had aligned with Cheng Mu’s preferences. For the freshman welcome party, it was unlikely that everything would cater to individual tastes. Not wanting to come across as insincere, Yu Ruan opened his messaging app and sent Han Ran a message, tactfully inquiring about her thoughts.

He figured, given Han Ran’s approach to people, tonight’s banquet might very well feature an entire table of desserts.

Although Yu Ruan loved sweets, watching others struggle to eat them would weigh on his conscience. It’d be better to just take charge of tonight’s preparations himself, especially since he happened to be free.

“President, we have a batch of complaints here that need your attention.”

“Okay, forward them to me.”

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