The Cannon Fodder Became the Empire's Beloved Omega - Chapter 37

It felt as if a string in his mind suddenly tightened.

Hearing these words, Yu Ruan hesitated for a moment, slightly raised his head, and looked somewhat nervously at the Alpha before him.

The other’s ink-blue eyes were fixed on him, like an unfathomable deep pool. With a slight flutter of his long, thick eyelashes, the Alpha moved his lips, a barely noticeable emotion flashing in his eyes. His voice was calm: “Step back with your right foot.”

Yu Ruan froze briefly, then did as instructed.

The next moment, a warm sensation brushed past him. His breath hitched as his body was abruptly guided into motion.

His previously stiff and sluggish limbs seemed to have been suddenly infused with a soul. His fingertips pressed tightly together, held firmly in Gu Yu’s grasp. In an instant, everything became incredibly effortless.

“Turn around.”

“Slow your steps, not too fast.”

Gu Yu’s voice was low, but his words were clear and forceful. Spurred by his tone, Yu Ruan quickly shed his nervousness, immersing himself fully in the lesson and focusing on mastering what was being taught.

The initial sweetness and enchantment gradually faded, replaced by a sense of calm. Gu Yu lowered his gaze to the Omega in his arms, so close at hand, his eyes sweeping over the pair of eyes lost in thought. After a moment’s pause, his steps faltered slightly.

Immediately, the owner of those sea-blue eyes lifted his gaze, looking at him with confusion.

It felt as if something in his heart had been abruptly seized. Gu Yu pressed his lips together as if to conceal his emotions, withdrew his gaze, and said indifferently, “It’s nothing.”

“Are you really okay?” Yu Ruan asked with some doubt.

“Continue,” he repeated. “I’m fine.”

“…” Seeing his insistence, Yu Ruan could only nod. “Alright.”

Just then, a crisp ringtone suddenly sounded from Gu Yu’s wrist. Yu Ruan instinctively glanced over and saw the Alpha’s brow furrow tightly. A moment later, Gu Yu released Yu Ruan’s hand. “Sorry.”

Yu Ruan nodded understandingly and took a step back. “It’s fine, go ahead and answer it.”

As a star figure at the school, Gu Yu was far busier than he was. Besides, the other had only happened to pass by and kindly offered some guidance. There was no reason for Yu Ruan to keep troubling him or prevent him from leaving.

The soft sensation in his palm abruptly vanished. Gu Yu’s eyes darkened slightly, but he said nothing. He calmly withdrew his hand, gave a faint “Mm” to Yu Ruan, and quickly strode out of the training room.

For some reason, Yu Ruan felt that his brow seemed even more tightly furrowed than before.

Was the trouble that serious?

A wave of concern washed over him.

But merely worrying wouldn’t solve anything. Yu Ruan walked over to the robot, switched on the practice mode, and decided to ask Gu Yu in detail when he returned, to see if there was anything he could do to help.

Music began to play.

Thanks to Gu Yu’s earlier guidance, Yu Ruan’s movements were noticeably better this time. He didn’t accidentally kick the robot’s leg again, nor did he repeatedly step on its feet and risk being blinded by the warning lights.

Yu Ruan was immensely grateful. If the other hadn’t been on a call just then, he would have rushed over to give him a tight hug to express his excitement.

He danced a full round with the robot, quite satisfied with the result.

With just a bit more practice, he should be able to avoid making a fool of himself at the dance.

As the dance was nearing its end, Gu Yu finally finished his call and walked back into the training room.

Hearing the faint strains of music drifting from inside, he paused mid-step, lingering just outside the door.

Following the sound, he saw that the Omega who had previously been stumbling through the steps now seemed to have fully grasped the techniques he had taught. The movements flowed smoothly and gracefully, no longer requiring any further guidance.

After a moment of thought, he lowered his gaze and opened his light screen, switching to the messaging interface and dragging Yu Ruan’s name into the recipient field.

Before he could start typing, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Gu Yu turned his head coldly and saw Cheng Mu, who had returned at some point without him noticing.

“What is it?” he asked in a detached tone.

From a distance, Cheng Mu had spotted the familiar figure loitering outside the door. Filled with curiosity, he approached and peeked into the training room, instantly stunned by the sight before him.

“He dances this well?” Cheng Mu murmured to himself. “I remember this dance robot being pretty hard to use?”

Gu Yu remained silent.

Cheng Mu’s muttering wasn’t exactly quiet, and it soon caught the attention of the Omega dancing inside.

Startled, Yu Ruan stopped abruptly. The robot emitted a sharp alarm, and the progress reset to zero. Embarrassed, he glanced toward the door and met Gu Yu’s eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you there. Are you done with your work?”

Gu Yu gave a faint “Mm” in response.

Only then did Cheng Mu belatedly realize: these two had already been practicing together behind his back without his knowledge!

He felt both a pang of melancholy and a touch of relief.

Seeing Cheng Mu’s conflicted expression, Yu Ruan was utterly bewildered. After a moment’s thought, he turned to Gu Yu and said, “It’s fine. If you have things to do, you can go ahead. Thank you for teaching me earlier, I can manage with the robot from now on.”

Gu Yu didn’t reply immediately.

Unsure of what he was thinking, Yu Ruan waited patiently for his response.

For a moment, silence hung between them.

Cheng Mu glanced from one to the other, suddenly feeling like an oversized, high-wattage heater so out of place that even he found himself annoying.

He began wondering if he should find an excuse to leave.

“It’s fine,” Gu Yu finally spoke after a long pause. “Do you still need help? I’m not very busy today. I can stay in the dorm all day.”

All day?!

That would be far too much of an imposition.

Yu Ruan didn’t want to take up so much of his time, and besides, practicing with the robot was perfectly fine. So, he said, “No, no, I’ll practice on my own for a bit. If I run into any issues later, I’ll contact you. Is that okay?”

Gu Yu was silent for a moment before nodding slowly.

Watching this exchange, Cheng Mu nearly choked on his own breath. After wrestling with his thoughts, he couldn’t resist asking, “By the way, Ruan Ruan, since you’ve been practicing for so long, have you drawn your number for the ball yet?”

Yu Ruan looked at him blankly.

“Before the ball starts, everyone gets a numbered card,” Cheng Mu explained patiently. “They’ll draw a random number, and whoever’s number is called will dance with the person drawn. So you need to go get your number card ahead of time, or all this practice will be for nothing.”

Yu Ruan nodded in understanding.

At this point, he suddenly remembered the game partner matter he’d overheard earlier in the classroom: “What about the team-based games later? Are there any points to pay attention to?”

“That,” Cheng Mu thought for a moment, his expression turning subtle, “probably nothing too noteworthy.”

After all, the themes from the previous two years had seemed quite mild. Even if the participants were Omegas, they should be able to complete the competition without much trouble. He really couldn’t think of anything that needed special emphasis.

But since the topic had come up, Cheng Mu recalled something else.

“Have you found your team partner yet?” he couldn’t help but ask.

In previous years, participants were either Alphas or Betas, so there wasn’t much need for caution. However, Yu Ruan was the first Omega admitted to Nebula University, and to prevent any special circumstances, Cheng Mu felt it necessary to bring it up.

Hearing this, Yu Ruan paused for a moment and shook his head: “Not yet. Is there a problem?”

Cheng Mu immediately spoke with earnest concern: “If you’re going to choose a partner, be careful.” He glanced at the indifferent Gu Yu beside him and weighed his words carefully. “If you plan to accept an Alpha’s invitation, make sure it’s someone you’re familiar with.”

Yu Ruan suddenly understood: “You mean it’s better to team up with a Beta?”

He immediately opened his communicator, ready to send a message to Le Meng, intending to ask if she had a partner and whether they could team up.

In an instant, Cheng Mu felt a chilling gaze from beside him, almost pinning him to the wall.

Cheng Mu: “…” Was he about to be killed by Gu Yu?

Finally, Gu Yu, who had remained silent for a long time, spoke up: “He’s advising you to carefully screen your partner. Team-based games take place in enclosed environments. If it’s not someone you know well, it could be difficult to handle if any special situations arise.”

Seeing Yu Ruan nod with partial understanding, Gu Yu’s breath hitched slightly, and he added, “Also, don’t team up with a young girl. When the time comes, she’ll be even more panicked than you and won’t be of much use.”

Cheng Mu: “…” Unbelievable!

Yu Ruan belatedly caught on and withdrew his intention to message Le Meng. Instead, he turned to Gu Yu and thanked him sincerely: “I’ll go back and think it over carefully. Thank you for reminding me.”

“You’re welcome.”

Cheng Mu was utterly impressed.

He felt like the fool who had been frustrated with Yu Ruan earlier.

With mixed feelings, Cheng Mu chimed in, feeling that his presence was no longer needed. He said rather dispiritedly, “Well, I won’t disturb your practice then. If you need any help, just call me.”

Yu Ruan nodded gratefully.

In an instant, the room was once again occupied only by Yu Ruan and Gu Yu.

Gu Yu didn’t take the initiative to leave, and Yu Ruan felt too awkward to urge him to go. Noticing that Gu Yu seemed to have no intention of moving, Yu Ruan didn’t bring it up again. Instead, he reset the robot and resumed his earlier practice.

Gu Yu’s dark blue eyes watched him, as if pondering something.

Unconcerned, Yu Ruan simply assumed Gu Yu was observing his dance practice intently. He said nothing more and focused all his attention on the practice at hand.

It was a good opportunity to reinforce the techniques he had just learned while Gu Yu was still there. If any issues arose, it would be easier to identify them.

Soon, evening arrived.

During this time, Gu Yu remained half-reclined in his chair, never mentioning leaving. One moved, the other stood the two coexisted peacefully until the training session ended.

After dancing nonstop for several hours, even with his usual light exercise routine, Yu Ruan felt quite tired. He turned off the robot, frowned slightly at his sweat-drenched shirt, and shifted his attention to Gu Yu.

The other party remained silent, lost in thought.

“Shall we go?” Yu Ruan asked nervously.

He genuinely suspected that the young master had grown so bored that he’d fallen into a light sleep with his eyes open.

Surprisingly, his question received an immediate response.

With a slight flutter of his long eyelashes, Gu Yu lazily lifted his gaze and rose from the chair. “Mm.”

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