What Should I Do If My Ex-Girlfriend's Pheromones Smell Too Good? - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Embrace

Shu Qiong hesitated for a moment and temporarily skipped this field, as this information could be filled in later after entering the finals.

When everyone had finished eating, Yan Xiangyu called a small robot over to pay the bill.

The group slowly walked out, enjoying the scenery while strolling to aid digestion.

The path was winding yet flat. The lighting along the way was moderately bright. The cool moonlight, combined with the warm streetlights, seemed to drape a layer of gauze over everyone.

Shu Qiong trailed at the end of the group, and as she walked, she found Yan Xiangyu walking alongside her. Walking together made the path feel slightly crowded. Shu Qiong felt the other person’s hand subtly brush the back of her own hand.

It was gentle and inconspicuous, like the brush of a feather, resembling a cautious flirtation.

Shu Qiong observed Yan Xiangyu’s expression out of the corner of her eye, but couldn’t discern anything in the dim light.

She retracted her hand, loosely crossing her arms over her chest, and walked leisurely, kicking at the wildly growing grass leaves along the path.

Then she saw Yan Xiangyu put her hands into her pockets.

“Are you free tonight?” Yan Xiangyu asked her as they approached the parking lot.

Shu Qiong was vigilant: “What for?”

Yan Xiangyu pointed to herself: “Self-recommendation.”

However, Shu Qiong felt her expression was not like self-recommendation, but rather like offering oneself up.

Shu Qiong humbly inquired: “How do you ‘recommend’ yourself?”

The car headlights shone from afar, casting a shadow beneath Yan Xiangyu’s eyelashes: “To the training hall. I will prove to you that whether it’s as your daily test operator, your mech pilot for the finals, or anything else, I am the most suitable one.”

Shu Qiong’s heart suddenly pounded intensely.

For a moment, she thought the other person was confessing to her, but the tone was not like that. It was plain and straightforward, as if stating a self-evident fact.

Shu Qiong was very quiet on the way back.

As soon as they entered the school gate, Yan Xiangyu proactively said goodbye to the others: “Shu Qiong and I need to go to the training hall first.”

Shu Qiong silently agreed with this statement and walked with Yan Xiangyu in the opposite direction from the living quarters.

The military academy’s training area was mostly deserted in the evening, with only scattered lights on in a few studios on the second floor and above.

Yan Xiangyu entered the resting area, took out her mech, climbed into the cockpit, skillfully put on the sensor gear, and waved high to Shu Qiong before closing the hatch.

Shu Qiong felt that if Jin Yan were here, she would definitely say, “This Yan B-King is starting again.”

So, a slight smile appeared on her face.

Her bracelet vibrated with a real-time voice call request from Yan Xiangyu. Shu Qiong accepted the call as she walked toward the spectator seats.

Yan Xiangyu had already maneuvered the mech to stand up, flexing its joints as if warming up, and controlled the five fingers, which could easily crush someone’s head, to stretch and then clench.

Her voice entered Shu Qiong’s ears: “Give the command. Tell me to do anything.”

Shu Qiong pondered for a moment: “First, jog slowly around the field for two laps.”

Yan Xiangyu complied.

Shu Qiong opened the timer and said: “Increase speed. Start sprinting after two hundred meters. Stop when I say so.”

Yan Xiangyu indeed maneuvered the mech to gradually increase speed. After two hundred meters, the mech’s soaring figure looked to Shu Qiong’s naked eye like a rapidly advancing blur.

Pressing the stopwatch, Shu Qiong yelled: “Stop.”

Yan Xiangyu slammed the brakes, stretched her body to counteract the inertia, and simultaneously reversed the power system, successfully stabilizing her stance.

“Quite good.” Shu Qiong noted down her reaction time and fastest speed in seconds. “Next, repeat the in-class mini-test from the practical lesson. I know you held back this afternoon. Now, show me everything you’ve got.”

Yan Xiangyu seemed to be smiling on the other end: “You found that out too? Well, nothing escapes Student Shu’s sharp eyes, indeed.”

Shu Qiong also chuckled: “You just made it too obvious.”

Yan Xiangyu didn’t confirm or deny it. At least none of the many people present, not even the instructor, had noticed.

She stretched her limbs in place and, without warning, accelerated from a standstill to a terrifying speed, making Shu Qiong’s eyelids twitch violently.

The white curves on the track were irregular, but Yan Xiangyu’s steps were steady, and she advanced effortlessly along the twisted path.

While still a long distance from the horizontal bar, she suddenly jumped up, hung her arm onto the bar, performed a few smooth, fancy pull-ups, swung to the other side, and landed stably while skillfully slowing the impact. She immediately reactivated the power propulsion system and sped forward.

Finally completing the entire process, Yan Xiangyu stopped in place and heard Shu Qiong say before hanging up the communication: “See you in the resting area.”

Yan Xiangyu hadn’t expected her self-recommendation process to end so quickly. With a mix of anticipation and nervousness, she drove the mech back to the resting area and climbed out of the cockpit.

Shu Qiong handed her water and a towel, frowning: “Student Yan, I’ve found a problem.”

Yan Xiangyu’s heart skipped a beat.

Shu Qiong stepped forward and poked the muscles in her back, causing Yan Xiangyu to let out a muffled groan of pain.

“See?” Shu Qiong shook her head, walking around her in disapproval, occasionally tapping here and pressing there with the pen in her hand. “The price of rapid acceleration: muscle strain.”

Her expression was not pleasant. After completing a full circle, her gaze met Yan Xiangyu’s eyes directly: “I’ve felt your sincerity. You are also the most talented individual mech pilot I’ve ever seen. But I will not collaborate with a pilot who doesn’t cherish their own body.”

Yan Xiangyu avoided eye contact and pursed her lips: “I won’t do it again.”

Shu Qiong harrumphed: “Then I’ll have to reconsider. Let’s go.”

Yan Xiangyu didn’t know what state of mind she was in when she left the training hall. The soreness throughout her body could not outweigh the complex emotions bubbling up in her heart. Shu Qiong’s concern for her clearly exceeded the normal scope. Yan Xiangyu keenly caught this hint, feeling that the muscle strain was worth it.

“Is this the way back to the dormitory?” She noticed something was wrong as she walked.

Shu Qiong replied unceremoniously: “You think you can go straight back to sleep without treating yourself in this state? Let’s go. The infirmary is definitely still open.”

Yan Xiangyu knew she was at fault. She looked at Shu Qiong’s profile for a while and said weakly, “Actually, I feel a little dizzy too.”

After saying that, she even stumbled. Shu Qiong quickly supported her arm, but as soon as she touched it, she heard Yan Xiangyu gasp “Hiss,” immediately looking a little flustered: “Did I hurt you? Didn’t you say you weren’t dizzy just now? Just hold on, the infirmary is almost here.”

Shu Qiong immediately felt things were tricky; she couldn’t even support her.

Yan Xiangyu reminded her: “My waist doesn’t seem to be strained.”

So, Shu Qiong wrapped her arm around Yan Xiangyu’s waist, intending to support her forward. However, Yan Xiangyu didn’t put her full weight on her, only leaning half onto Shu Qiong’s shoulder, her neck slightly bowed.

“Still a bit dizzy,” Yan Xiangyu whispered after a few steps.

Shu Qiong stopped, loosely holding her, and thoughtfully suggested to the patient: “Want to rest here for a bit?”

After speaking, she tried hard to straighten her back and gently patted Yan Xiangyu’s back.

Yan Xiangyu took the opportunity to bury her head on Shu Qiong’s shoulder.

Shu Qiong immediately felt the skin on her shoulder and neck heat up. Yan Xiangyu’s gentle breathing brushed past, making her feel a little ticklish.

The streetlights elongated their shadows, intertwining and overlapping, stretching all the way into the bushes. The cicadas of late summer were still noisy, voicing the unconcealable feelings of youth.

The moonlight was cold, the evening breeze was cool, but Yan Xiangyu’s heart was incredibly warm.

At this moment, they shared the night.