IMAO Chapter 58

Although Jiang Yuan’s team’s match had long ended, the number of viewers watching the replay kept increasing.

Many mecha enthusiasts in the Federation analyzed every detail of the techniques displayed and created highlight reels of the match footage.

These quickly spread across the interstellar network.

At the competition venue, as soon as the match ended, the Omega sitting beside Horace left hurriedly, clearly worried. The tall Alpha also hurriedly followed. With the chattering Omega gone from his ear, Horace finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as Horace felt this relief, a male voice sounded near his ear. The voice wasn’t deliberately lowered or deepened, yet it was inexplicably pleasant to hear.

“So, how was our son? I trained him well, didn’t I?”

Horace responded with a simple, “Mm.”

As the match concluded and spectators began filing out, Horace stood to leave the venue. He also planned to go and see Ji Rong. They were supposed to meet at the ball earlier, but Ji Chong’s involvement disrupted those plans.

Thinking of how his son was handed over to Ji Chong right after birth, guilt rose in Horace’s heart. The domestic situation was dangerous then, and fearing he couldn’t protect Ji Rong, he reluctantly sent him to Planet Noth.

…

Fine beads of sweat still dotted Jiang Yuan’s forehead. Three consecutive matches were still physically exhausting for Jiang Yuan.

Ji Rong jogged back from the logistics staff with water in hand.

Seeing the water, several thirsty teammates extended their hands toward Ji Rong in unison.

Ji Rong bypassed them all, running straight to Jiang Yuan to hand him the bottled water.

Gu Bai resentfully complained, “Did you not see all our hands reaching out?”

Ji Rong: “…”

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan chuckled and accepted the water. “This treatment is exclusively mine. If you want water, get it yourselves.”

That’s certainly true, Ji Rong silently added, glancing at the water in Jiang Yuan’s hands.

Jiang Yuan twisted open the cap and drank half the bottle in one go. His body really couldn’t compare to Ji Rong’s. That guy was really made of steel.

After drinking, as they walked backstage, they saw Ji Chong entering with someone. The person wore sunglasses covering half their face, leaving the students dumbfounded.

Ji Rong was equally stunned.

His father had brought his future stepfather to watch the match!

It seemed the stepfather’s official status wouldn’t take long to establish.

Looking closer, his father was holding hands with this person.

Their fingers were tightly interlocked.

“Hello, Marshal!” Gu Bai called out.

“Well done,” Ji Chong said.

The kids were immediately elated at being praised by their idol.

Great!

But Ji Rong wasn’t happy; he felt rather anxious.

Although his future stepfather wore large sunglasses, he could feel his intense gaze studying him.

Ji Rong frowned slightly and looked at Horace. who stood beside Ji Chong.

Just as Horace wanted to take this chance to chat with Ji Rong, he spotted Hans and Alfonso walking over, deep in conversation.

Fearing Hans would recognize him, Horace swallowed his words. “I feel a little uncomfortable. I’ll leave first. Please continue talking.”

Ji Chong lowered his eyes, gripping Horace’s hand tightly, and said softly, “I’ll escort you.”

Ji Rong: “…”

Watching Ji Chong escort his future stepfather away, Ji Rong thought: Seems like my stepfather doesn’t like me…

Hans approached the group and looked at everyone present. After exchanging a few pleasantries, his gaze lingered on the departing figures of Ji Chong and Horace.

“Who was that?” he turned to ask Alfonso.

Alfonso replied, “Ah, that’s Ji Chong. The Omega with him is someone he met here at Hoyt. It was love at first sight, you know.”

Omega? Hans took another look. Perhaps he overthought it. He initially thought he saw His Majesty. Hans gently rubbed his temple.

…

After the competition ended, Jiang Yuan’s group didn’t stay longer. A morning of matches had been exhausting enough. They returned to the Silver Palace to rest. Although they had left, the entire mecha competition forum was exploding with activity.

Red Star, Red University, 10 p.m.

Song Yirui had barely entered the dormitory when he heard his roommate excitedly shouting, “Damn, did you watch the livestream today? The Federation team is incredibly strong this year! They completely massacred Ella!”

“Holy shit, they’re amazing! I read that the player called YUAN graduated from Red First High this year before entering First Military Academy. He’s from Red Star.”

“First High? Damn, I went to Second High. If I’d studied harder to get into First High, I might have met him!”

Song Yirui didn’t watch today’s match, or rather, had deliberately avoided it. Jiang Tianze knew about the competition and did not deliberately hide it from him, so he learned from his father that Jiang Yuan would be representing First Military Academy in this year’s competition.

Since returning to Red Star from Earth, he deliberately avoided anything related to Jiang Yuan. Or, more accurately, he wanted to follow the news but didn’t dare to.

Song Yirui took a deep breath, entered the room, and sat at his desk. His roommate immediately pulled up a chair, hugging its back, and asked, “Yirui, you’re back?”

Song Yirui nodded silently.

“Yirui, weren’t you from Red First High?” his roommate suddenly asked. “Then you must know Jiang Yuan, right?”

Song Yirui: “…”

“Was he this amazing back in school? His marksmanship is incredible, and his combat skills are insane. In the second round, he instantly demolished his opponent!”

“Why even ask? Lao Song definitely knows Jiang Yuan, although Jiang Yuan probably doesn’t know him! Hahaha!”

Hearing this, Song Yirui’s body stiffened. He bit his lip hard and instinctively clutched his chest, feeling waves of dull pain.

“I…” Song Yirui wanted desperately to say that he knew Jiang Yuan, that they were even a couple just months ago, but the words turned bitter in his mouth. Under his roommates’ gazes, he silently accepted their assumption that Jiang Yuan didn’t know him.

Song Yirui sat dejectedly on his bed while his three roommates watched the replay, discussing the Federation’s matches.

“YUAN’s counter-kill was beautiful!”

“Perfect prediction in that shootout, instant kill! So powerful!”

The commentator’s voice kept echoing through the dorm. Song Yirui hurriedly showered and returned to lie on his bed. A roommate kindly reminded him, “Lao Song, your communicator rang earlier. By the way, are you going home this weekend?”

Song Yirui shook his head slightly. “No.”

“Oh, then can you collect a delivery for me this weekend? I’ll have the robot send it to the dorm!”

Song Yirui hummed in agreement and picked up his communicator from the bedside table.

Qiu Jingming: Rui-gege, are you there?

Qiu Jingming: I have a hospital checkup tomorrow. I don’t want to go alone, will you come with me?

Qiu Jingming: Rui-gege, are you busy? Please reply when you see this, okay?

Song Yirui’s hand paused as he read the messages. He replied: I have class tomorrow.

The moment he sent it, the other side showed “typing.” He was obviously holding the communicator waiting for his reply.

Soon, the communicator pinged.

Qiu Jingming: Can’t you skip it?

Song Yirui: I’ll fail the course.

Qiu Jingming: You’ve been so busy lately… You don’t even come home on weekends. Are college courses really that intense?

Song Yirui: Yeah, I’m tired. I’ll ask Ah Zheng to go with you to the hospital tomorrow. I’m going to sleep.

Qiu Jingming: Okay then, goodnight, Rui-gege.

After sending the message, the conversation ended with those “goodnight” words. Qiu Jingming sat at his bedside, and just as he turned off his comm screen, he heard a notification. Thinking it was from Song Yirui, he quickly opened it, only to find a message from a classmate instead.

Lin Xuan: [Picture][Picture]

Lin Xuan: Xiao Jingming, this is your brother, right? I remember your brother just started college this year! He’s incredible!

Qiu Jingming looked at the screenshots taken after today’s livestream, when the players were leaving.

The photo was crowded but organized. It was clearly a casual snapshot. Among the dozen or so people in frame, his eyes immediately found Jiang Yuan.

In the photo, Jiang Yuan was turned sideways, talking to a handsome man beside him. Qiu Jingming recognized him as the Alpha classmate of Jiang Yuan’s, whom he’d met before.

That person’s eyes, when looking at Jiang Yuan, couldn’t hide their joy.

He truly liked Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan seemed thinner than when he’d last seen him, probably due to the rigorous training.

Qiu Jingming stared at Jiang Yuan in the photo, finding his presence particularly striking.

When Jiang Yuan told him he “no longer liked Song Yirui,” he thought that Jiang Yuan was lying. He didn’t believe it then, but now he did.

The current Jiang Yuan was like the sun, while he and Song Yirui were mere stars.

Even the brightest stars must dim their light before the sun.

And beside Jiang Yuan was another sun.

Qiu Jingming’s gaze swept over Ji Rong, who was standing next to Jiang Yuan in the screenshot. He lowered his eyes and touched his stomach. Although he was disappointed that Jiang Yuan wasn’t heartbroken, he was still happy to have won Song Yirui.

Snatching Song Yirui from Jiang Yuan was partly about showing off, but there was another reason. He truly liked Song Yirui. The warmth he received from the young man in childhood was the softest touch in his heart. Even now, he could remember the hand extended to him, the gray checkered scarf he was given.

Since returning to Red Star, he’d repeatedly urged Song Yirui to marry him, but Song Yirui always used his studies as an excuse, and they still hadn’t registered their marriage.

Disappointed? Of course.

But he had even more hope.

“Beep.”

Lost in thought, Qiu Jingming’s communicator vibrated again. Looking down, it was another message from Lin Xuan:

Lin Xuan: I just realized your brother is super handsome! All the Omegas in class are fighting over wanting to marry your brother and become your ‘in-law’! If you weren’t sick and away from school, they’d definitely surround you endlessly and drive you crazy.

Lin Xuan: You must get better soon! Come back to school quickly~[Encouraging hug]

After reading Lin Xuan’s message, Qiu Jingming set aside his communicator. It didn’t stop buzzing all day, constantly receiving messages from middle and high school classmates asking if that was his brother competing. Even former rivals from school were asking.

Just as he was thinking this, he received a video call from his closest friend: “Xiao Qiu, how could you not tell me your brother was in the mecha competition! I only found out when someone posted in the Omega group chat. Your brother is so handsome!”

“Ahhh! Gege is perfect!”

Qiu Jingming: “…”

On the screen, a delicate, pretty face showed both surprise and joy, voice clear and bright with excitement. “I’ve seen your brother before and thought he was handsome, but seeing him now, my heart’s beating so hard it might burst!”

The Omega suddenly paused, “Hey, you look thinner. You haven’t been to school lately, and you won’t let me visit. What’s wrong with your health? Let me come see you tomorrow after class!”

Qiu Jingming hurriedly replied, “N-no need, I’m fine.”

“Really?” The Omega frowned slightly, looking at Qiu Jingming with doubt.

Qiu Jingming nodded, “Really.”

“Well, okay. But speaking of which, Xiao Qiu, you and your brother aren’t blood-related, right?”

Hearing his friend’s question, Qiu Jingming hesitated before answering, “N-no, we’re not. Why?”

“You’re still asking me why?” Tao Le looked at Qiu Jingming like a disappointed father watching his hopeless son. “With someone like your brother around you all the time, you’ve never had any thoughts?”

Tao Le winked at Qiu Jingming, who was startled by these words. Seeing Qiu Jingming’s face turn pale, Tao Le shrugged, “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Xiao Qiu, you look really bad. Take care of yourself and get some rest.”

Qiu Jingming: “…”

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 the latest updates on my translation progress and new projects. I appreciate your love and feedback.