The Cannon Fodder Became the Empire's Beloved Omega - Chapter 38

Yu Ruan stored the robot away and walked out of the training room with Gu Yu.

The cool night breeze drifted into the corridor, calming his slightly feverish mind. Recalling Cheng Mu’s earlier mention of a dance partner, Yu Ruan couldn’t help but furrow his brow, feeling rather conflicted.

There was no reason for those two to lie to him. Naturally, he needed to be especially careful when choosing a partner.

However, he hadn’t been on the capital planet for long and didn’t have many acquaintances, let alone potential partners. Le Meng, one of the few who seemed approachable, was out of the question. That left only the few people in his dormitory as possible choices.

Han Ran, Cheng Mu, Gu Yu.

Cheng Mu seemed like the popular type. Even among a group of Alphas, he could blend in effortlessly and certainly wouldn’t lack dance partners. Gu Yu, though aloof, was, as Yu Ruan understood, the type most favored in the school.

Moreover, from daily observations, Gu Yu was indeed very popular.

So, Gu Yu had to be ruled out as well.

That left only one final choice, Han Ran?

Han Ran was sharp and decisive in both style and methods. As the student council president, he often evoked fear in others. Though he had his share of admirers, it seemed far less likely that he would be without a partner compared to the other two.

As his thoughts drifted aimlessly, Yu Ruan, lost in contemplation, accidentally bumped into Gu Yu’s back.

His nose suddenly felt sore, and the faint scent of lime mixed with laundry detergent filled his nostrils. Yu Ruan’s face instantly flushed with heat, and he instinctively apologized, “I’m sorry!!”

Gu Yu glanced sideways at him. “The elevator.”

Yu Ruan covered his nose, nodding in embarrassment and shame: spacing out to the point of bumping into someone was truly mortifying.

Seeing those teary, sea-blue eyes, Gu Yu’s heart softened unexpectedly. His eyelashes fluttered slightly as he averted his gaze and said calmly, “Is something wrong?”

Yu Ruan looked at him blankly.

“Your expression gives you away,” Gu Yu remarked casually. “If you have a problem, just say it. No need to overthink it.”

Just say it?

Hesitating for a moment, Yu Ruan considered the matter. After all, choosing a dance partner was quite personal. It would be one thing to ask Han Ran directly, but asking Gu Yu.

After a moment’s thought, he said tactfully, “It’s nothing, really. I just feel like I don’t know many people at school well enough, and I’m not sure who to ask to partner with” for it to be appropriate.

Before he could finish, the Alpha in front of him interrupted, “Cheng Mu already has a partner.”

Yu Ruan felt a sense of “as expected.”

He nodded, about to say something, when he suddenly noticed the Alpha in front of him lower his gaze, his dark blue eyes seeming to hold something unspoken as he slowly added, “Han Ran has a partner, too.”

Yu Ruan: “…”

He had underestimated their social networks.

Though not entirely surprised by this outcome, Yu Ruan still felt a sense of helpless confusion. After racking his brain a bit longer, he asked dejectedly, “Then, what about this game?”

“?”

“Can I go alone?” Yu Ruan asked without much hope, feeling quite dejected. In fact, he thought his question was rather foolish and showed a lack of understanding, if the ball allowed solo attendance, what would be the point of the team formation process?

It was obviously impossible.

As expected, the moment he voiced his question, the Alpha in front of him stiffened slightly, his brow furrowing. After several seconds, he seemed to snap back to reality and uttered two words:

“No.”

Just as I thought.

Yu Ruan felt that he might really have to give up on this ball.

The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding. He stepped out, lost in thought, briefly considering the consequences of an heir skipping the ball, and hesitated for a moment.

Just then, a calm voice drifted over from beside him: “I haven’t found anyone yet.”

Yu Ruan: “!”

He turned in surprise to look at the speaker, who seemed indifferent, as if the ball didn’t matter to him at all. Noticing Yu Ruan’s reaction, the other person lifted his gaze slightly and said in a composed tone, “If you really can’t find anyone else, you can come to me for help.”

The pleasant surprise was so sudden that Yu Ruan felt a bit overwhelmed. He hesitated for a moment and instinctively asked, “Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you?”

He remembered a classmate explaining to him that occasionally, a few students would choose to invite someone they were interested in to participate in the game together, hoping to deepen their relationship.

Though he was touched that Gu Yu was willing to sacrifice for the sake of friendship, Yu Ruan felt he couldn’t be so inconsiderate as to block his friend’s chances at romance.

After all, this ball only happened once a year!

Thinking this, he carefully replied, “Thank you for your kindness, but there’s no need to go out of your way for me. I’ll try to think of another solution. Your own preferences should come first. If by then you still don’t have someone you like to go with, we can team up as a last resort.”

“There isn’t.”

Suddenly, the person before him cut him off. Yu Ruan blinked in surprise, noticing that Gu Yu’s eyes were slightly lowered, his lips pressed tightly together, as if he were in a terrible mood. A moment later, he repeated his earlier words: “I don’t have anyone I like.”

Yu Ruan paused, then tentatively asked, “Then?”

The other’s gaze rested on him, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. The two stood in the hallway, silence stretching between them. After a long while, Yu Ruan saw the other person nod faintly and say, “Let’s team up.”

“…” Unsure if he had just gotten lucky, Yu Ruan thought for a moment, then extended his hand with a smile. “Then, happy cooperation?”

The other’s hand slowly reached out and clasped his palm. “Mm.”

For now, it was resolved perfectly.

Yu Ruan hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. After bidding farewell to Gu Yu, he returned to his dorm, washed up, and sat down in front of his computer to review the day’s lessons.

He flipped through a few pages of the course materials when suddenly, Cheng Mu’s words echoed in his mind. Yu Ruan paused, minimized the materials, and followed the instructions to find the lottery system Cheng Mu had mentioned.

The lottery interface was simple just a basic random function. Yu Ruan followed the prompts and clicked the button to draw a number. A brief animation flashed by, and soon the system displayed the generated number:

No. 001.

“Hey, I’m not trying to be nosy, but are you sure you don’t want me to pull some strings and get you a spot?”

A teasing voice came through the receiver. Gu Yu’s expression remained cold as he prepared to end the call. “Mind your own business.”

“??? Wait, seriously?” Cheng Mu nearly choked on his words. “I’m just trying to help! Why are you being like this? I just wanted to make sure you could dance with the one you like!”

Considering future developments, Cheng Mu reluctantly held back the words, “With your amateur-level skills, if someone snatches them away, you’ll have no one to cry to,” swallowing his frustration.

Unsurprisingly, the person on the other end of the line still treated his goodwill as nothing but trouble. “I don’t need it.”

Before Cheng Mu could say anything more, the call was abruptly cut off.

“…” Cheng Mu felt like he was about to suffocate.

Clutching the communicator in frustration, he couldn’t help but think: This stubborn fool is going to get his comeuppance one day!

Mark my words!

The call ended.

Gu Yu lowered his gaze, listening as the earpiece gradually fell silent. He removed the neural interface and tossed it onto the bedside table.

He could probably guess what the other person had left unsaid. Just being partners was already drawing enough attention. If he went any further, it would come off as too deliberate.

Besides, this dance wasn’t just for students at the school.

The former heir and the current heir together, anyone could imagine the kind of stares they would attract.

“Your Highness!”

A delighted call came from a distance. Yu Ruan turned toward the voice and saw Le Meng, carrying a stack of documents, waving at him.

Running into her at a time like this was quite a surprise. He nodded slightly, and the cheerful girl quickly ran up to him, stopping in front of him. “Long time no see, Your Highness! How have you been lately?”

It had only been about a week since they last met. Yu Ruan smiled at her and said, “I’ve been doing well. How about you?”

“Ah!” She hesitated for a moment, stammering, “I-I’m okay, I guess.”

“?” Noticing her reaction, Yu Ruan couldn’t help but show a hint of confusion. “Did something happen?”

Le Meng looked troubled, nervously glancing at him. “Your Highness, have you found a partner for the dance?”

Surprised by her question, Yu Ruan thought for a moment and replied, “Yes, I have. Why, are you having trouble?”

“Who did you ask?”

“Gu Yu,” Yu Ruan said, slightly embarrassed. “It just so happened that he didn’t have a partner either, and since we’re familiar with each other, we decided to team up.”

“Oh, I see.”

Hearing this, she let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest. “I was worried that since you’re new here, some shady Alpha with ulterior motives might try to trick you. But if it’s Gu Yu, that should be fine.”

At this, Le Meng couldn’t help but marvel, “So Gu Yu actually accepted an invitation. I thought he just tossed all those friendly advances straight into the trash!” Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him. “As expected of you, Your Highness! You’re truly amazing!”

Yu Ruan felt a bit flustered by her praise. He instinctively took a step back, then caught a particular detail in her words. “Trash?”

Could it be?

Sure enough, the next moment, Yueming explained to him matter-of-factly, “Yes, didn’t Your Highness know? At this time last year, His Highness Gu Yu lost all his ball invitations and participated in the competition alone.”

Yu Ruan blinked in confusion.

Had he just heard some very important information?

“Alone?” Yu Ruan couldn’t help but murmur.

Seeing his interest, Yueming also grew serious. Recalling the harmonious and well-matched scenes she had witnessed between the two earlier, her fan instincts kicked in, and she decided to build upon that foundation earnestly.

“That’s right!” Yueming shook her head emphatically. “His Highness Gu Yu was incredibly cool! Even though he was all alone, he didn’t hesitate to defeat every other team! Everyone was waiting to see him fail, but who would’ve thought that out of all the competing groups, not a single one could outperform him. When he won the championship, the entire school went wild! It was seriously super, super impressive!”

Support