IMAO Chapter 14

During the ceremony, Jiang Yuan turned his head as he sensed someone’s gaze upon him, meeting Arlo’s furtive glances.

Jiang Yuan smiled at Arlo and, leaning across Ji Rong between them, whispered, “Sorry for startling you yesterday.”

Hearing Jiang Yuan’s words, Arlo’s face reddened further. He bit his lip and declared firmly, “No, I wasn’t startled!”

He was an Alpha, after all. How could he possibly be startled?

Jiang Yuan nodded slightly at Arlo’s response, offering another smile before turning his attention back to the speech on stage.

Meanwhile, Ji Rong’s expression darkened. What did that mean? Talking to Arlo over him as if he weren’t even there?

Why didn’t Jiang Yuan ask about his dark circles? Then again, he wouldn’t know how to answer if asked…

Startled Arlo?

Hah! The way that boy’s face was flushing so suspiciously, who knew what he was thinking? He hardly looked startled.

Ji Rong glanced sidelong at Arlo, whose cheeks were puffed out and crimson. For some inexplicable reason, he found the sight irritating. He felt an urge to grab Arlo and shake him.

Jiang Yuan, oblivious to the thoughts of the two seated to his right, was pondering how to earn money for suppressants. It had been six days since he left home for school, meaning less than forty days remained until his younger brother Qiu Jingming’s birthday.

The 10,000 star coins his mother Fang Shi gave him could go toward buying medicine, but he was still over 10,000 short. Jiang Yuan sighed, recalling how he never worried about money as an interstellar adventurer.

The ceremony concluded swiftly. Jiang Yuan didn’t rush to leave, mainly because the crowd was too dense. Exiting now meant either fighting through or being pushed out.

“Arlo, hurry up! We won’t get seats in the cafeteria!” Two of Arlo’s friends called out to him.

Arlo had wanted to say something to Jiang Yuan but decided to leave first after hearing his friends. If he stayed near Jiang Yuan any longer, he might really start pursuing a Beta!

Arlo stole another glance at Jiang Yuan before departing. Jiang Yuan’s beauty differed entirely from the softness of Omegas. If Arlo hadn’t known Jiang Yuan was Beta, he might have thought him Alpha.

Dating a Beta like Jiang Yuan would be practically the same as dating an Alpha. After all, Jiang Yuan was exceptionally strong, ranking first in their class. He’d crush Arlo completely. If they got together, this Alpha feared he’d end up on the receiving end!

As Arlo turned to leave after that final look, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

But when he glanced back, he only saw Ji Rong’s expressionless face, seemingly devoid of emotion.

Strange.

Arlo nodded at Ji Rong in acknowledgment before leaving with his two friends.

Ji Yang approached, calling out to Jiang Yuan while noticing Ji Rong seated beside him. Ji Rong’s stern face, though still handsome, looked intimidating and authoritative compared to his usual grinning demeanor.

Suddenly, Ji Yang’s jaw dropped. He’d always found Ji Rong familiar, but seeing him frowning like this, he bore a striking resemblance to Ji Yang’s idol, Marshal Ji Chong!

Ji Yang scratched his head. With Ji Rong’s imposing aura, he dared not speak to him directly. Instead, he waved at Ji Rong before addressing Jiang Yuan, “Jiang Yuan, these three are my roommates.”

Jiang Yuan greeted Ji Yang’s three roommates, exchanging names.

Ji Yang suggested, “Let’s head to the cafeteria together. We might not get seats if we wait any longer.”

Jiang Yuan nodded in agreement. The school’s food was quite good, even delicious. Though the cafeteria occupied an entire building with ample seating, arriving early ensured they could eat together.

In fact, there were seats in the cafeteria even if they did not hurry. After all, the school cafeteria was not just a floor. But a whole building! But if they did not come earlier, they would have to eat separately.

As they were about to leave, someone quietly coughed twice.

Ji Rong cleared his throat, hinting at Jiang Yuan that he was still waiting for an invitation.

However, it wasn’t Jiang Yuan who responded, but Ji Yang, who nervously invited, “Ji Rong, join us!”

Ji Rong: …

Seeing Ji Rong’s darkening expression, Ji Yang felt unfairly caught in the middle. He wished he’d waited for Ji Rong’s mood to improve before addressing him.

Ji Rong glanced at Jiang Yuan, consoling himself that being invited by anyone was better than being ignored.

He then flashed a charming smile, shaking hands with Ji Yang’s roommates and introducing himself.

After getting their food, Jiang Yuan quickly found their reserved seats. The group chatted while eating.

Having finished his meal and some water, Jiang Yuan set down his cup and asked Ji Yang, “About those suppressants you mentioned earlier – how soon could I get them if I ordered?”

Ji Yang grinned broadly, “Hehe, we offer same-day delivery across the entire galaxy.”

“Your family business must be quite large,” Jiang Yuan remarked.

Ji Yang chuckled sheepishly, “It’s… decent.”

Overhearing their conversation, Ji Rong gave Jiang Yuan a puzzled look. Could Jiang Yuan be an Omega pretending to be a Beta? No, the First Military Academy had admitted an Omega six years ago. Even if Jiang Yuan were an Omega, there’d be no need for deception, as the school explicitly stated they admitted based on merit, not gender.

“What do you need suppressants for?” Ji Rong leaned close, his deep, magnetic voice brushing Jiang Yuan’s ear like ghostly, enticing fingers.

Before Jiang Yuan could answer, Ji Yang chimed in, “Oh, Jiang Yuan’s buying them for his younger brother, who’s an Omega.”

“Brother?” Ji Rong looked at Jiang Yuan, understanding dawning. He’d thought it odd – Jiang Yuan clearly wasn’t an Omega. As a Beta outranking him in the entrance exams, it was embarrassing enough for the people of Noth to know. If Jiang Yuan had been a delicate Omega, they’d have laughed themselves silly!

“Jiang Yuan, is your brother really good-looking?” one of Ji Yang’s roommates asked with a wink, clearly interested. If Jiang Yuan was this attractive, surely his Omega brother must be something special?

Jiang Yuan considered briefly, “Mm, he’s not bad.”

“Could we see a photo?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Yuan took out his phone and showed them a picture of Qiu Jingming.

Undeniably, Qiu Jingming embodied most Alphas’ ideal Omega: beautiful, gentle, considerate, a good cook, with a sweet smile and petite, charming figure.

After seeing Qiu Jingming’s photo, Ma Lin, one of Ji Yang’s roommates, looked sheepishly at Jiang Yuan and asked, “Um… Jiang Yuan, could you ask your brother if he’d be willing to exchange contact information with me?”

Jiang Yuan: “…” Was he inadvertently setting up another blind date for Qiu Jingming?

After considering the request and Ma Lin himself, Jiang Yuan decided to agree. As Ji Yang’s classmate, Ma Lin was also in the Mecha Engineering Department. Though he wouldn’t join the military after graduation, opting instead for the Federation’s Academy of Sciences, he’d still hold a military rank. Qiu Jingming had mentioned having someone he liked, but the details were unclear. It wouldn’t hurt to ask; if Qiu Jingming refused, that would be the end of it.

“I’ll ask him when I get back,” Jiang Yuan said solemnly.

“Great, thanks!” Ma Lin looked at Jiang Yuan gratefully.

Jiang Yuan continued, “Speaking of which, do any of you know how I could earn some money? I’m short about 20,000 for the suppressants. Are there any quick-paying jobs you can think of?”

Ji Yang shook his head helplessly, “I can’t help with finding work, but I can lend you money. My grandfather just sent me quite a bit.”

Ji Rong chimed in, “I can too.”

Jiang Yuan declined their offers, “I’d rather not borrow for now.”

“Earning money, huh…” Adelman, the blond sitting next to Ma Lin, thought before suggesting, “I know one way, but it might be quite demanding.”

“What is it?” Jiang Yuan asked eagerly.

Seeing Jiang Yuan’s attention, Adelman smiled and said, “Testing mechas.”

As everyone looked puzzled, Adelman explained. Apparently, the First Military Academy’s Mecha Engineering Department randomly divided graduating students into twenty groups for their final projects. These projects were notoriously difficult.

How difficult? Less than half the students graduated after four years, with the rest held back due to failing their final projects. Many of last year’s students were still struggling with theirs. One group had been assigned to refurbish an old mecha.

The mecha arrived in pieces, and after painstakingly repairing it, they still had to modify it. The seniors who drew this project were on the verge of tears, with graduation seeming impossibly far off.

Testing the mecha required someone capable of piloting it to assess its performance after modifications. If this year’s evaluation scores remained low, they’d have to wait another year to graduate! The ideal testers were mecha department students, but unless they had close relationships with the seniors, who would volunteer their time?

Jiang Yuan immediately asked Adelman to help make contact. Adelman obliged, providing the senior’s contact information on the spot. Jiang Yuan quickly negotiated a price: 50,000 star coins total, with 20,000 paid upfront.

The senior, seemingly afraid Jiang Yuan might back out, transferred the money immediately upon agreement.

Jiang Yuan promptly forwarded 28,800 star coins to Ji Yang – the discounted price for 36,000 worth of suppressants. Ji Yang, upon receiving the payment, sent a message on his communicator and grinned, “Hehe, it’s still noon. The suppressants won’t take until tomorrow; they’ll be delivered to your brother by this evening!”

“Mm, thanks for your help,” Jiang Yuan smiled happily, then took out his phone to text Qiu Jingming about the incoming delivery. However, Qiu Jingming didn’t seem to have seen the message, as there was no reply for a long time.

Jiang Yuan shrugged, figuring the gift was sent, so he needn’t worry further.

After lunch, Jiang Yuan returned to his room to rest. Ji Rong, seeing Jiang Yuan close his door, turned to look at his own next-door room, 215. He opened his door, sat on the sofa for barely two seconds, rubbed his brow anxiously, then suddenly stood up and reopened the door he’d just closed.

Knock knock knock.

Arlo, who had just returned to his room, was startled by the knocking from outside.

Could it be Jiang Yuan?

Just as Arlo was lost in thought, someone at the door spoke up, “Arlo.”

It wasn’t Jiang Yuan.

Hearing a voice completely different from Jiang Yuan’s, Arlo felt a tinge of disappointment. When he opened the door, he saw Ji Rong standing there.

“Ji—Ji Rong? What do you want?” Arlo gave Ji Rong a strange look. They had sat next to each other that day, but in the entire world, he and Ji Rong had barely exchanged a couple of sentences. What could Ji Rong possibly want with him?

“Arlo, yesterday I smelled your pheromones all over Jiang Yuan’s room…” Before Ji Rong could finish, he noticed Arlo’s face suddenly flush red. Arlo quickly placed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence while making a ‘shh’ sound.

Pulling Ji Rong into the room, Arlo’s cheeks were still slightly pink as he explained, “Don’t get the wrong idea. Yesterday, Jiang Yuan said he wanted to do an experiment and asked me to release pheromones! I—I don’t have any feelings for him!”

Ji Rong looked at Arlo with a complicated expression. Did that look on your face really say you had no feelings? You might think you don’t, but you definitely do!

This guy…

Ji Rong frowned slightly, glancing at Arlo. “So that’s how it is. When I smelled your pheromones in Jiang Yuan’s room yesterday, I thought you liked him and wanted to do something.”

“Actually, it’s nothing much. I just wanted to remind you that Jiang Yuan has an Alpha boyfriend. It’s probably best for you to keep your distance.”

Upon hearing Ji Rong’s words, Arlo quickly lowered his head, looking dejected and somewhat pitiable. He said in a voice filled with grievance, “Thank you, Ji Rong. I understand.”

Ji Rong observed the forlorn Arlo and replied softly, “You’re welcome. I’ll be going now.”

Back in his room, Ji Rong sat on the couch in the living room with an irritated expression. He stared at the wall separating rooms 214 and 213. Why was his mood even worse now?!

What on earth did he just do?

He felt like a fool…

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Please consider supporting the author directly.

You can also follow me on Ko-fi to get access to advance chapters and the latest updates on my translation progress and new projects. I appreciate your love and feedback.