Chapter 26
Two minutes earlier, inside the Military Department battleship.
Chu Yunmiao’s words were heard by more than just Yu Changning; several of the Military Department’s higher-ups froze on the spot and exchanged looks.
None of them dared to speak, and none of them dared to make a decision.
If they agreed to the bombardment, they would be disregarding the Imperial Crown Princess’s safety.
If they refused the bombardment...
Who knew whether the Long Princess would settle accounts later and blame them for failing to obey orders.
Among everyone present, only Yu Changning, after confirming that no further information was coming through, firmly gave the order. “Prepare level-three weapons; lock onto the enemy ship’s starboard side and rear hold; prepare to bombard.”
A middle-aged man in dark green military uniform hurriedly stopped her.
“Lieutenant General Yu, y-you really want to bombard it? The Long Princess is still on that ship!”
“Of course I know that,” Yu Changning said. “Wasn’t that the instruction she personally gave us?”
The middle-aged man looked helpless. “The Long Princess is in the middle of it all; how can she judge the situation clearly?” He looked at the others. “The Long Princess doesn’t hold any post in the Military Department. Even if we don’t do exactly as she says, it doesn’t count as disobeying a superior’s orders. I think we should keep things as they are. After all, they already promised that as soon as they reach the spatial jump point, they’ll let her go.
“We don’t need to do anything extra. If we anger them, the Long Princess’s safety won’t be guaranteed.”
If the hostage were someone else, perhaps they might have had the courage to try. But the person up there was the precious Imperial Crown Princess; no one could bear that responsibility.
Of course, he wasn’t the only one thinking that way. With him taking the lead, most of the others nodded, clearly more in favor of this approach.
Yu Changning frowned. “Have you ever thought that doesn’t she understand this logic herself?
“Why else would she risk being harmed to send out such crucial information?”
No one answered. Yu Changning snorted, not without sarcasm. “Of course; it’s to clean up after the useless Military Department!”
Seeing the others look embarrassed, Yu Changning continued, “We can indeed cooperate with that group and successfully rescue the Long Princess. And then what?
“Then let the imperial Military Department become a laughingstock, an existence that other nations’ mercenaries can trample on at will?”
The middle-aged man’s face flushed red, but he opened his mouth and couldn’t force out a single word.
Yu Changning took a deep breath.
If the situation weren’t so urgent, she would have continued to make them understand Chu Yunmiao’s painstaking intentions. But now there was no time to waste.
“Do as I say! Arrange the bombardment immediately!
“Everything that comes from this order; I, Yu Changning, will bear full responsibility.”
Once she had said that much, no one else dared object to Yu Changning’s command. The Military Department personnel took up their posts, and soon the artillery fire began; two light bombs struck the enemy ship’s starboard side and rear hold with precision.
Yu Changning did not idle either. She personally piloted a small craft close to the ship, found the breach blasted open by the bombardment, and took the lead in flying through it.
The message Chu Yunmiao had sent earlier had not mentioned where the ship’s central control room was. As anxious as Yu Changning was, she could only force herself to search slowly, bit by bit. But emotions might fool others; they couldn’t fool herself. Beneath her tightly fastened protective helmet, cold sweat already covered her temples.
Yu Changning had never felt this nervous before.
Probably, in the eyes of the other soldiers, she had given the bombardment order with great certainty for the sake of the Military Department’s dignity, or perhaps simply to earn merit, as if she had not thought it through at all.
But only Yu Changning knew how much inner tearing and struggle it had taken for her to make that decision.
If there was anyone present who worried most about Chu Yunmiao’s safety, it had to be her.
After hearing the bombardment information Chu Yunmiao had transmitted, her mind seemed to split into two halves. One voice told her that if Chu Yunmiao did that, she would be in danger. But the other voice said—
She wants you to trust her.
It was a very difficult choice; worse still, time was pressing, and wasting even one second was a sign of tactical negligence.
For Yu Changning, that instant felt as long as an entire winter. She felt trapped in ice and snow, with a cliff ahead and an ice cave behind her; the wilderness stretched endlessly, everywhere was white, everywhere was a dead end.
Of course, in reality time kept moving. She blinked once and made her decision.
Unlike the other people in the Military Department, Chu Yunmiao was not merely a symbol of “the Long Princess” to her.
She was a living, breathing person; the one she had cherished in her heart for more than ten years; the deity that had supported her through countless obstacles to reach this day. The Chu Yunmiao she liked was absolutely not some poor little thing who could only wait passively to be rescued; she was someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her, someone Yu Changning would have to chase with all her strength just to walk beside.
Chu Yunmiao said: bombard it. Then Yu Changning could no longer consider any other plan.
So she issued the order; so she came rushing in first.
Thinking of that, Yu Changning calmed down a little. She thought that perhaps she should trust her Long Princess a bit more. Chu Yunmiao would not gamble with her own life; what she was capable of was far more than those who only saw her as a vase could imagine.
After steadying herself, she searched more carefully.
After turning a corner, a figure flashed at the edge of her vision. Yu Changning stopped short at once, brought the craft to a halt, leaped out of the cockpit, and ran over.
Chu Yunmiao was holding a box in her arms, her expression bright with excitement. “You’re here!”
They had finally reunited. She had so much she wanted to say to Yu Changning, but before she could even speak, the other woman hugged her without warning.
Yu Changning’s embrace was tight, as if she wanted to press Chu Yunmiao into her own body. She had lost her usual composure; the two of them clung together so closely that Chu Yunmiao could feel the faint tremor in her body. Chu Yunmiao abruptly forgot what she had been about to say. Her mind was filled with only one thought:
Hug her back.
Unfortunately, she had something in her arms and couldn’t make the movement at all.
Fortunately, Yu Changning knew the environment was wrong. The embrace lasted only three short seconds before she let go. She did not even have time to check whether Chu Yunmiao was hurt; she immediately brought her onto the craft, preparing to leave the ship and return to Military Department territory.
She said nothing, which made Chu Yunmiao feel a little awkward.
So the Long Princess had no choice but to open the conversation herself. “Mm, thank you for trusting me and really bombing the ship. I’m fine; Mother gave me a top-grade defensive device. You should know about that.
“Oh, right!”
She held up the box in her arms. “I also snatched this back in the chaos. This is something very important, right? It belongs to our Huáqí Empire, doesn’t it?”
Yu Changning’s lips were pressed very tightly together. Only after Chu Yunmiao asked again, unable to hold back, did she give a muffled “Mm.”
“That’s good.” Chu Yunmiao set the box down beside her and patted it. “I brought it back; now you have to keep it safe. Don’t lose it again.”
Yu Changning didn’t even spare the box a glance. She only looked deeply at Chu Yunmiao.
Chu Yunmiao’s sharp intuition told her that she seemed to have gotten herself into something terribly serious; Yu Changning looked very... angry. She didn’t know whether “angry” was the right word to describe the other woman’s current state, but in any case, Yu Changning was completely different from usual, and that difference made her a little uneasy.
Very soon, the two returned to the Military Department battleship.
The follow-up matters were naturally taken over by the Military Department personnel. Yu Changning had been specially invited to participate in the work, so these things were not originally hers to manage. She handed off the work, placed Chu Yunmiao under her own protection, and then took her back to her room aboard the battleship.
Chu Yunmiao only managed to exchange a glance with the other higher-ups before Yu Changning pulled her away.
To be honest, she did not want this at all. Her intuition told her that being alone with Yu Changning now would definitely lead to something bad, but she also did not dare ask the others for help.
So, under Chu Yunmiao’s weak, helpless, but unwilling-to-resist tacit consent, she and Yu Changning entered a room very much in the other woman’s style. Then the door was mercilessly locked by Yu Changning.
Watching Yu Changning approach step by step, Chu Yunmiao forced out a friendly smile that was better than nothing. “The, the rescue mission counts as a big success, right? Not only am I fine, but the thing was also taken back.” She tried to distract Yu Changning. “Do you know how I finally got that box? I used a bit of psychological warfare; my performance even exceeded my own estimate. After you bombed the ship, I threatened that leader and said you all were anyway... mm, Yu, Yu Changning?”
Halfway through her sentence, Yu Changning had already moved in.
The beautiful and dangerous Lieutenant General Yu now looked more like a beast. Her face held no expression, but her gaze was full of undisguised possessiveness.
Chu Yunmiao felt she had already fallen into some kind of encirclement.
During this semester’s training, she had tried many times to break free from Yu Changning’s grasp, but unless Yu Changning deliberately let her go, she had never truly succeeded once.
So being controlled now did not make her want to run.
How could she run? Might as well just wait to die; there was no hope.
But before “death,” Chu Yunmiao still wanted to understand her “crime.”
She lowered her voice and asked timidly, “So, what exactly did I... do wrong?”
Helping the Military Department get its dignity back; logically speaking, shouldn’t she be getting credit?
Why was Yu Changning being so unreasonable?
Yu Changning lowered her eyes; her long eyelashes trembled faintly with them. For a moment, Chu Yunmiao was drawn to that fan-like elegant curve, but she was quickly pulled back by Yu Changning’s words.
Yu Changning said, “Since you had a defensive device, why didn’t you activate it at the start?”
Counting from the moment she was discovered, Chu Yunmiao absolutely had many chances to turn on the defense and protect herself, but she had not done so.
At that, Chu Yunmiao clenched her teeth and told the truth obediently. “I ran into them near the first-year mission area. At first, when I noticed them, I didn’t think in that direction; I thought they were people sent by the school or the Military Department to supervise us. Later, I realized something was off about their clothing, and only then did I understand there might be danger. At that point I really did have a chance to activate the defense and run, but...” She took a deep breath. “If I had done that, I was afraid they’d realize they couldn’t deal with me and go cause trouble for the other students instead. The others don’t have that kind of defensive mechanism, and they’re definitely not of such a noble status that those people wouldn’t dare to hurt them. If they ran into those guys, the consequences would be unimaginable.”
Yu Changning narrowed her eyes. “So you didn’t think about yourself at all? Your own safety wasn’t within your consideration?”
Chu Yunmiao carefully observed her expression. “Mm, well, they were pretty decent toward me, so I judged they probably wouldn’t strike immediately. And... by then, the news of my kidnapping must have already been transmitted to the school through the cameras. I knew that once the school and Military Department got the message, they would definitely organize a rescue right away. Rescuing just me would certainly be easier than rescuing the entire first-year class. Also...”
She paused, and for some reason, brightness appeared in her eyes. “I thought you were nearby. No matter what happened, I wouldn’t be in danger.”
At those words, Yu Changning froze. A crack appeared in her serious expression, like the first hint of spring breaking through ice.
She stared directly into Chu Yunmiao’s eyes. “Because... I was there?”
She confirmed it again. “You trust me that much?”
Chu Yunmiao nodded without hesitation. “Of course.”
She smiled ingratiatingly. “No matter what identity it’s from, instructor or friend... you would come to rescue me, wouldn’t you?
“I trust you!”
Yu Changning found it hard to describe the feeling in her heart.
When Chu Yunmiao said the four words “I trust you,” her expression was so pure and determined, as if no reason could shake that conviction. That both affirmed Yu Changning and made a sour ache rise in her heart.
She lowered her head and rested her chin on Chu Yunmiao’s shoulder. “...But I don’t trust myself.”
Chu Yunmiao was a little puzzled.
The two of them were in a very strange position now.
On one hand, Yu Changning was still pinning her hands, an absolutely suppressive posture. On the other, the head resting on her shoulder revealed Yu Changning’s fragility.
Chu Yunmiao felt at a loss. Yu Changning’s emotions inevitably affected her, leaving her in a tangled state, unable to tell what role she herself now played in the other woman’s eyes. She only knew that she wanted to hug Yu Changning, but her hands could not move freely, so even that tiny impulse could not be carried out.
After thinking for a moment, Chu Yunmiao asked, “Don’t trust yourself about what? You’re not sure you’d come rescue me?”
Yu Changning’s breath brushed against the skin at her neck. “I’m not sure I could bring you back unharmed.”
Chu Yunmiao let out a laugh. “Unharmed? That’s too high a standard.”
She corrected her, “As long as you bring me back, that’s enough. What happened today already counts as overachieving the mission, doesn’t it?”
Yu Changning did not speak, but Chu Yunmiao felt her press in closer, until there was almost no gap between them. As if confirming her existence, Yu Changning deepened her breathing and began drawing in the warmth and scent from her body.
Chu Yunmiao felt a little uncomfortable.
She felt that both of them were off now, and she couldn’t figure out why Yu Changning was treating her like this. What was clear was that this absolutely went beyond the normal relationship between instructor and student.
But if she looked at it from the perspective of friends?
If Yu Changning was still like before, like when they had not yet fallen out, treating her as her best friend?
Then this embrace... maybe it would be...
Understandable?
Chu Yunmiao’s mind was a mess; she could only barely force herself to accept that explanation. Still dazed, she spoke again. “You really did very well. Although I wasn’t there... you should have been one of the people who agreed to the bombardment plan, right?”
She guessed wrong. In that situation, Yu Changning had been the only one who agreed to the bombardment, not one of several.
Of course, Yu Changning would not correct her. Chu Yunmiao continued, “Mm, actually, when I made the bombardment request, I didn’t expect you to do as I said. But you still chose to believe me, and I’m really happy!”
Yu Changning felt uncomfortable with the word “you all.” She wanted Chu Yunmiao to have only her in her eyes.
That seemed not hard to do. With just a little force, she pushed Chu Yunmiao over onto the bed beside them; then she pressed herself on top, fully covering the other woman beneath her body. Looking at Chu Yunmiao’s face—surprised beyond words, yet obediently cooperating without any intention of resisting—Yu Changning could not deny that she was pleased.
She said, “Mm, I trust you.”
If the earlier embrace while standing could still be interpreted as “friendship,” then right now Chu Yunmiao’s mind was completely blank; she could no longer find any excuse to deceive herself.
Her breathing grew a little heavier. As if to match the atmosphere, her body began to heat up as well, while her mouth gave a dry, awkward response.
“Ah... thank you.”
Yu Changning looked down at her from above. “But you must learn your lesson. No matter the situation, you can’t put your own safety last. Today’s situation; if it had been some other force that wasn’t after money, do you know what the consequences would have been?”
Chu Yunmiao almost cried. “I think I’ve already learned the lesson, really.”
Yu Changning narrowed her eyes and examined her carefully, as if checking whether she was lying. Chu Yunmiao hurriedly banished all stray thoughts and put on a well-behaved smile, hoping to slip by.
Yu Changning stared at her for a long time; no one knew what she was thinking. At last, she lost strength and collapsed onto her, murmuring, “Forget it.”
Chu Yunmiao didn’t know how to move either. Yu Changning was pressing down on her, but not hard; as long as she reached out and pushed, she could move the other woman away. Yet her hands were raised at her sides, unable to find anywhere to act. After a brief stalemate with herself, she huffed and lowered her hands, giving up on the idea of escaping from beneath Yu Changning.
Once she had calmed down like this, Chu Yunmiao finally had the mind to pay attention to other things. She discovered that...
Actually, being pinned by Yu Changning didn’t feel bad at all. She could feel the other woman’s heavy weight, and through that, confirm that she had really escaped danger under Yu Changning’s protection.
She worked hard to gather her nearly scattered rationality and asked, “Forget what?”
Yu Changning answered, “Do whatever you want to do; I know you’re very measured.”
Chu Yunmiao took a moment to react before realizing that Yu Changning was actually affirming what she had done.
Just moments ago, she had still been saying Chu Yunmiao didn’t care about her own safety; why was she suddenly willing to say she could do whatever she wanted?
Yu Changning then added, “But no matter what happens, you must be by my side.”
Chu Yunmiao opened her mouth.
From that simple sentence, she seemed to vaguely touch some vulnerable point in Yu Changning.
She licked her lips. “But... that’s not something I can control. You, could you really stay by my side all the time?”
Yu Changning propped herself up and looked at her. “Would you be willing?”
Chu Yunmiao didn’t know how to answer.
The question sounded so easy, as if the other woman had already cleared away every obstacle, as if one nod from her would let the two of them accompany each other forever. That idea was obviously unrealistic, but Chu Yunmiao couldn’t stop her face from turning red.
She took a deep breath and said nothing; she merely turned her face away, silently resisting the urge to think further.
Yu Changning had no intention of letting her evade it. She pinched Chu Yunmiao’s chin and forced her face back around.
Their gazes finally met. In Yu Changning’s eyes, Chu Yunmiao clearly saw some kind of surging desire. Before she even realized it, her heartbeat had already surpassed the normal range, even faster than when she had been kidnapped and placed in danger earlier. Yu Changning slowly lowered herself, swallowing the distance between them. The air was alive with the scent of Alpha pheromones, and Chu Yunmiao was bound by some invisible force.
She struggled to maintain her last thread of clarity, but her brain was really not working well at the moment, and she could only manage a question that sounded very stupid.
“What do you want to do?”
The moment she asked it, Chu Yunmiao regretted it. She felt like some naïve, sweet little animal; when a predator approached its prey, was it really there to make friends?
To her surprise, Yu Changning actually stopped because of those words.
She seemed to be distracted, as if she had thought of something outside the current situation. The expression full of desire had cracked a little, and the corner of her mouth even twitched faintly. In the next instant, the predatory feeling in her movements diminished, replaced by a faint trace of anger.
She lowered her head, opened her mouth, and caught Chu Yunmiao’s lower lip between her teeth, biting down lightly, not hard, not soft.
Chu Yunmiao’s eyes flew wide open; for those two or three seconds, she even forgot to breathe.
Fortunately, three seconds later, Yu Changning let her go, sparing the Long Princess the risk of escaping the thieves’ den only to suffocate to death.
She pulled the thin blanket beside them over both of them, and in that intimate posture, said softly, “Rest for a while.”
“R-rest?” Chu Yunmiao’s mind couldn’t wrap around it.
Unlike last time in the dormitory, when they had been affected by pheromones, this time both of them were fully conscious!
Shouldn’t Yu Changning explain to her why she had done that kind of thing to her?!
Just kidding; whether intentional or accidental, or...
Chu Yunmiao couldn’t find a proper explanation.
By the time she pulled herself free of her thoughts and turned her head to look at the person on top of her, she found that Yu Changning had already fallen asleep.
Only she was still hung up on the lip-biting just now; Yu Changning had not taken it seriously at all, or rather, she clearly knew what she was doing, so she would not question her own behavior.
Chu Yunmiao was a little annoyed.
But at the moment, she was the only one awake in the room, and she could not drag Yu Changning up to interrogate her. Gradually, sleepiness also crept in; the warmth transferred from Yu Changning beside her was just right, and she felt as if she were soaking in a hot spring, so comfortable that she could no longer lift her eyelids.
Before falling asleep, Chu Yunmiao raised both hands and gently hugged Yu Changning once, counting it as finally settling the impulse she had wanted to act on ever since she saw her aboard the enemy ship.
——
After the battleship returned to the assessment planet, the Military Department personnel woke the two women resting in the room by ringing a bell.
Chu Yunmiao woke first. She lowered her gaze, about to wake Yu Changning as well, when she suddenly caught sight of the faint dark circles beneath her eyes.
The Long Princess was immediately a little baffled.
Had she been wrong? Was the instructor who stayed in the school’s monitoring room actually even more tired than the students out doing the mission?
Thinking of that, Chu Yunmiao lowered her voice. “Instructor Yu? Instructor Yu?”
After calling several times, the other woman still showed no sign of waking. Chu Yunmiao had no choice but to raise her voice a little and change the way she addressed her. “A-Ning?”
This time, after just one call, Yu Changning opened her eyes and slowly sat up.
Chu Yunmiao froze for a moment, then reacted. “You were pretending to sleep?”
Yu Changning sat up and turned her head away, but a trace of red had appeared at the tips of her ears. She replied with obvious pretense, “It felt comfortable sleeping; I didn’t really want to get up.”
Chu Yunmiao asked casually, “Since when did you pick up the habit of sleeping in? Huh, mm—” Before she could finish, the Long Princess sucked in a sharp breath.
Yu Changning frowned and looked back. “What’s wrong?”
Chu Yunmiao tried moving her body. The moment she lifted her hand, she realized the left side of her body was slightly numb; her arm in particular felt painfully sore and numb with the slightest movement. A little thought made it obvious that this had been caused by Yu Changning sleeping half on top of her just now. Chu Yunmiao felt helpless, but she didn’t want the other woman to know that she had become incapable of movement just from being pressed down a little, so she swallowed the cry of pain and sat up stiffly. “Nothing.”
Of course Yu Changning could tell what had happened, but a hint of awkwardness appeared in her beautiful eyes, and then she slowly even carried a bit of a smile. “That’s good; you got your lesson.”
Chu Yunmiao busied herself arranging her hair and clothes, looking as though she had no idea what nonsense the other woman was talking about.
Soon, escorted by the Military Department, the two returned to the school base and boarded the transport ship belonging to the school. By then it was already the early hours of the next morning; the sun had not yet risen, and it was the darkest time of day. Chu Yunmiao had originally thought she could slip back to her dormitory on the transport ship under cover of the night, but the moment she entered the ship’s doors, she was startled by the dense crowd waiting at the entrance.
Looking closely, besides a few senior school administrators, every single person from Class 1 was present. On careful inspection, she could also see a few class representatives from other classes staying behind.
Before Chu Yunmiao could even organize her thoughts into words, Lin Mo, whose eyes were red, had already rushed over from not far away. She reached out as if to embrace Chu Yunmiao, but the moment she bumped into her body, Chu Yunmiao let out a groan. “Hiss—”
At that, Lin Mo no longer dared to act recklessly, but everyone around them had their hearts lifted at once.
“Class monitor, you’re hurt? What happened? Is it serious?” Lin Mo asked in panic, keeping a safe distance while looking at Chu Yunmiao with concern.
Chu Yunmiao waved a hand. “No, I’m fine; don’t worry.”
How was this an injury? Clearly, her body still hadn’t recovered from being pressed numb by Yu Changning earlier, and Lin Mo’s excited collision had only made it protest violently. It was only because Chu Yunmiao herself had not reacted in time that she hadn’t managed to hide it.
The others did not believe her.
The most sentimental, Stephanie, looked at her and said, “How could you possibly be fine? You were kidnapped by those bad people; you must have suffered a lot, right? Let’s not crowd here; hurry and take the class monitor to the Infirmary for a checkup.”
Chu Yunmiao shook her head. “I’m really fine!” She made a few simple movements to show everyone that she was truly all right; at the end, she even explained, “It was just... when I was resting on the battleship earlier, I accidentally slept with half my body numb.”
Lin Mo looked utterly bewildered. “That... you can even numb yourself by sleeping?”
Hearing that reason from someone else’s mouth, Chu Yunmiao only felt even more embarrassed. She subconsciously glanced at Yu Changning nearby, who was reporting the situation to the school higher-ups, then quickly looked away again guiltily. “Ahem, it was just... I wasn’t used to the place, and I didn’t rest well.”
At that, Yu Changning seemed to glance over here without meaning to. Chu Yunmiao grew anxious, but fortunately the other woman said nothing and soon returned to focusing on her report.
Chu Yunmiao secretly let out a breath, while at the same time her heartbeat inevitably sped up.
Since when had her interactions with Yu Changning already fallen into the category of things that couldn’t be seen in public?
The thought made her uneasy, but the comforting part was that Lin Mo and the others had finally accepted the explanation, their faces shifting from sorrow to joy.
Lin Mo said, “I knew Class Monitor, you’d definitely be fine. Those blind idiots actually dared to kidnap you; they need to know just how stupid their behavior was!”
Then she asked, “By the way, now that you’re back, have those people been caught too?”
Chu Yunmiao nodded. “They’ve already been caught. What happens next depends on the Military Department’s actions.”
Lin Mo frowned. “This time the Military Department was really too unreliable. When I heard you’d been taken hostage, I almost couldn’t stop myself from cursing out the person who came to report it! How could something like this actually happen inside the Empire? It’s unbelievable.” She pointed at Yu Changning beside her. “Luckily, the instructor had already been invited by the Military Department to help with the work. With her there, we at least felt a little more at ease. And sure enough, she really brought you back safely.”
Only then did Chu Yunmiao learn that Yu Changning had been working for the Military Department these past few days; no wonder she had looked somewhat tired.
She forced herself not to think about Yu Changning and changed the subject. “Mm, at least everything ended without too much danger. Speaking of which... how did the assessment go?”
“The assessment is over!” Lin Mo finally perked up and thumped her chest. “It went perfectly; our Class 1 won by a huge margin, hehe!”
Chu Yunmiao looked at the people from the other classes. Their expressions were a little ugly, but they still said a few words like “congratulations” with good grace.
Chu Yunmiao was very happy.
“That’s great!”
She had chosen not to resist and go with those people precisely to protect the first-year students, and her teammates had not disappointed her. In the final moments, even while she was missing, they still completed the mission wonderfully.
Lin Mo was excited and wanted to tell her more details, but Stephanie, always attentive, interrupted her.
The unusually thoughtful female Alpha said, “All right, the class monitor has finally come back. She must be exhausted, so stop dragging her into conversation all the time.” Then she looked at Chu Yunmiao. “Class Monitor, you must be tired, right? Hurry back to the dormitory and rest. We’re all here; if you need anything, just call us!”
Chu Yunmiao smiled. “No need. It’s late; everyone should go back and rest.”
Saying that, she was the first to move, leading all the students to say goodbye to the school administrators and return to the dormitory area.
After taking a comfortable shower in the bathroom, Chu Yunmiao finally lay back down on her familiar bed.
The night was quiet, and the room played a dry, soothing sound suitable for sleep; the whole environment could not have been more comfortable. Sleepiness rose little by little. Chu Yunmiao got into bed and covered herself with the blanket, but she did not close her eyes right away.
After hesitating for a while, she still opened her light-brain terminal, found the contact labeled [Instructor], and sent a message.
【楚云苗：你回宿舍休息了吗？】
After a while, Yu Changning’s reply appeared.
【教官：还没有，学校和军部都需要我的述职报告。】
【教官：你应该会宿舍区了吧，怎么还没睡？】
At this point, Chu Yunmiao was actually already almost unable to hold on.
Fortunately, these two replies came in very promptly, and she woke up a little more.
【楚云苗：快了，马上就睡。】
【楚云苗：事情结束了，述职也不急于这一时。现在这么晚，学校怎么一点人情味都没有。】
Yu Changning, who was in a meeting, looked at this message that seemed to be caring about her rest and curved her lips.
【教官：是我主动要求立刻开始彻查。】
【教官：那些人敢动你，就得做好付出代价的准备。】
Chu Yunmiao paused.
【楚云苗：……哦。】
She suddenly remembered something important.
【楚云苗：皇宫那边，知道我被绑架的消息了吗？】
Yu Changning replied very quickly.
【教官：暂时还没有，我阻止了他们。但是，后面军部的述职报告要往上提交，帝君他们肯定会知道消息。】
Chu Yunmiao let out a small breath of relief.
【楚云苗：那就好，至少他们知道消息的时候也会同时知道我已经安全脱困，就不会为我担心了。】
【教官：嗯，我就猜你会这么想。】
Chu Yunmiao interpreted the meaning of that sentence.
Had Yu Changning known she didn’t want her family to worry, and that was why she had blocked the news?
She curled back under the blanket, but the corners of her mouth kept rising uncontrollably.
Once she noticed that she was in a somewhat wrong state, Chu Yunmiao quickly took a deep breath and rubbed at the corners of her lips, not letting herself break into a silly smile.
After thinking about it, she still advised Yu Changning.
【楚云苗：你还是早点去休息，明天再忙吧。】
【楚云苗：再不好好休息，你的黑眼圈又要加深了。】
【教官：睡不着。】
【楚云苗：？】
【楚云苗：刚才在军部战舰上，你不还起不来床吗？】
Yu Changning looked at the message and recalled their time together in the battleship room. In that memory, the other woman’s scent still seemed vividly present, sharply contrasting with her current solitary state; the fearless Lieutenant General Yu actually felt a little forlorn at this moment.
【教官：可是现在我的房间里面没有你。】
She boldly sent it.
【教官：要不现在我过去你的宿舍？】
楚云苗看着这几个简单的文字，脸却不由热起来。
She felt she should be angry at the other woman’s flippant teasing, but in fact, she couldn’t work up even a little temper.
【楚云苗：听不懂你在说什么，我先睡了，拜拜！！】
The last two exclamation marks were full of force, showing the sender’s firm determination to end the conversation.
Yu Changning, however, did not feel discouraged at all; instead, she felt the pleasure of successfully teasing the other woman.
【教官：晚安，云苗。】
Chu Yunmiao stared blankly at the chat box; after seeing the words “Good night,” she turned off the screen.
But not long after, she opened her eyes again, turned on the light-brain terminal, and pulled up Yu Changning’s profile. In the remark field, she deleted the words “Instructor.” After thinking back and forth for quite a while, she typed in “A-Ning” instead.
In the utter stillness of night, beneath the tranquil dark sky, the transport ship belonging to Huaqi University started up, flying away from that assessment planet and heading toward the glittering universe.