That was quite a good question. Lu Qiao cleverly… remained silent, awkwardly leaning back against his seat, while Lun En laughed so hard that even his shoulders were shaking.
Lu Qiao could feel the man’s cool gaze beside him still lingering on him, and he suddenly felt a little guilty.
He didn’t regard Yan Qiu as an idol, after all. Of course he couldn’t worship Yan Qiu the way he admired Lun En and Marshal Yan. As for the clothes…
Lu Qiao thought for a moment, then tugged at Yan Qiu’s sleeve.
Yan Qiu glanced over and gave him a look.
Lu Qiao said quietly, “Actually, I designed a chibi version of you!”
Although at the time, it had been a few girls around him who admired Yan Qiu who had egged him into drawing it, once the thought had occurred to him, Lu Qiao really had seriously drawn several drafts.
Yan Qiu’s eyes shifted slightly. “Then what about the shirt?”
Lu Qiao lowered his head and immediately answered, “I never made it.”
Yan Qiu: “…”
He once again returned to his expressionless face.
Lu Qiao hurriedly reassured him, “But! That’s because… I drew several drafts, and I wasn’t satisfied with any of them!”
Yan Qiu gave him a sidelong glance, waiting for him to continue.
Lu Qiao scratched his cheek and explained, “Your chibi version is especially difficult to design. I wasn’t satisfied with it myself, so how could I possibly make it…”
For some reason, he had been able to design chibi versions of the other marshals successfully in just two or three drafts. But with Yan Qiu, no matter how he drew him, Lu Qiao always felt that something wasn’t right.
Yan Qiu thoughtfully asked, “Do you still have the discarded drafts?”
Lu Qiao obediently replied, “I do. I’ve kept all your discarded drafts carefully.”
Yan Qiu paused, then asked with great interest, “Did you keep the discarded drafts of the others too?”
“Hm? No. I only kept yours. I deleted everyone else’s—” Lu Qiao blurted it out instinctively, then his heart suddenly jumped. He immediately changed his words. “Everyone else’s clothes were already made, so why would I keep the discarded drafts!”
A smile immediately spread across Yan Qiu’s eyes. Lu Qiao became flustered and flushed from being laughed at, saying helplessly, “What’s so funny? I’ll… I’ll delete your discarded drafts when we get back too. They’re just wasting space!”
What was so funny about that?!
Lu Qiao awkwardly avoided Yan Qiu’s gaze.
“No,” the man’s deep, pleased voice sounded right beside his ear, his breath seeming to brush into his ear canal. “I want to see them. Don’t delete them.”
Lu Qiao: “!”
He shrank his neck. His ears felt hot, and his voice unconsciously softened.
“W-What’s there to see…?”
From the front seat, Lun En softly went, “Tsk”—
The sour smell of love was practically overflowing from this aircraft. Come on, you two!
Beside him, Sai Er looked out the window with an indifferent expression.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the military headquarters.
Lun En had to report for duty, so he asked Yan Qiu to go with him. They also had some other matters to discuss. He said that Sai Er could take Lu Qiao to register.
Before Yan Qiu’s gaze could turn toward him, Lu Qiao said, “You go ahead. I can handle things on my own here.”
It was only registering. He wasn’t a child who needed Marshal Yan, acting as his parent, to accompany him the whole way.
Hearing this, Yan Qiu didn’t say anything more. He only nodded at Sai Er.
“Sorry to trouble you.”
Sai Er smiled. “It’s fine. I happen to be going there myself.”
In the end, Lun En and Yan Qiu got off the aircraft, while Lu Qiao and Sai Er remained aboard. Yan Qiu’s pilot would fly them directly to the registration office.
Before they separated, Yan Qiu said to Lu Qiao, “Once you’re done there, go to Training Ground B3 and wait for me. The pilot will take you there directly.”
“Okay.” Lu Qiao obediently accepted the arrangement and waved at Yan Qiu. “Bye-bye.”
Once the aircraft took off again, the atmosphere inside became quiet.
Lu Qiao didn’t know how to start a conversation with Sai Er. Just as he was searching for a topic, Sai Er’s gentle voice came from the front.
“You and Marshal Yan are really close now.”
“Maybe it’s because we’ve been locked together these past few days.” Lu Qiao smiled. “I hadn’t spoken to him for five years before this either.”
“With him taking care of you, a lot of things must be much more convenient, right?” Sai Er turned around and smiled. “It should also make it easier for you to enter the military.”
Lu Qiao looked completely puzzled.
“Don’t I still need my genetic disorder to get better before I can enter the military? …But if my illness gets better, I won’t need his help. I can get in by myself. I still have that much confidence.” He smiled.
The smile at the corner of Sai Er’s lips stiffened slightly. He was about to say something when Lu Qiao paused and lowered his eyes, speaking gently.
“But Yan Qiu really does take good care of me. I only found out yesterday that although we haven’t been in contact for the past five years, he had actually been quietly doing a lot for me. If it weren’t for him… I definitely wouldn’t be like this now. He really… treats me very well.”
As Lu Qiao spoke, he unconsciously grinned foolishly.
Sai Er’s expression had already stiffened. Several seconds passed before he came back to himself. Then, out of nowhere, he asked, “Lu Qiao, do you know that Yan Qiu’s adjutant position is about to become vacant?”
Lu Qiao froze.
Sai Er stared at him and said, “Although he said he already has someone in mind, I’m still planning to give it a try.”
…Yan Qiu was going to recruit a new adjutant.
For the rest of the journey, this thought kept circling around in Lu Qiao’s mind.
He followed behind Sai Er into a building, subconsciously watching Sai Er’s back.
If he had already entered the military now, he could submit an application for this position too, right?
Lu Qiao clenched his hands.
But he…
They arrived at the registration area in silence. Sai Er glanced at Lu Qiao behind him, then turned around and smiled at a staff member not far away.
The next moment, his smile disappeared.
Three people walked out through a door. The man at the front was handsome, with a carefree smile on his face and both hands stuffed into his pants pockets.
When he suddenly spotted Lu Qiao, his eyes lit up. He waved at them.
“Lu Qiao, Sai Er!”
Lu Qiao came back to his senses and looked over. To his surprise, it was Ji Zhuyun, whom he hadn’t seen for two years.
His spirits immediately lifted, and he happily waved back.
“Ji Zhuyun! I guessed you’d come back with Yan Qiu and the others!”
Ji Zhuyun jogged over to Lu Qiao and said cheerfully, “Yeah, I’ve been back for two days, but before I even got here, I heard that you and Yan Qiu had been locked together.”
His smile was teasing.
The two people accompanying Ji Zhuyun had also graduated from the Royal Academy back then, and Lu Qiao knew both of them.
One was brown-haired and extremely friendly toward people. The other was blond and had never particularly liked Lu Qiao.
The two followed behind Ji Zhuyun. Upon hearing this, the brown-haired one gave an ambiguous smile.
“I really didn’t expect this, Lu Qiao. Weren’t you and Yan Qiu apart for five years? Or have you two been secretly keeping in touch all these years? How did you suddenly end up locked together?”
From their tone, Lu Qiao knew exactly what they wanted to tease him about. He awkwardly said, “We weren’t in contact…”
Sai Er couldn’t help interrupting them for the moment and asked with a smile, “What are you here for?”
“Hm? Isn’t it obvious why we’re here?” Ji Zhuyun said lazily. “The three of us are all here to apply for Yan Qiu’s adjutant position.”
Sai Er forced a smile.
“…All three of you?”
“Of course.” The brown-haired one shrugged. “You know how popular the position beside Yan Qiu is. When we went to submit our applications just now, we asked about it. Today is only the first day applications have been opened, and there are already more than three hundred applicants. There’ll only be more afterward, right?”
Lu Qiao was stunned. He hadn’t expected the competition for Yan Qiu’s adjutant position to be this fierce!
Seeing Lu Qiao’s astonished expression, Ji Zhuyun snorted with laughter and teased him.
“Didn’t expect Yan Qiu to be so popular? He’s that capable, and he’s handsome too. Who wouldn’t admire him?”
The brown-haired one exclaimed, “Whoa, whether he’s handsome or not has nothing to do with me! Don’t make it sound like I have some weird thoughts about him, okay? Lu Qiao’s right here!”
Lu Qiao couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted.
“Yan Qiu and I aren’t like that!”
Ji Zhuyun and the brown-haired man looked at each other, then burst into loud laughter together.
Sai Er, however, no longer had the relaxed expression he had earlier. He looked at the three people chatting and laughing, his lips tightly pressed together.
Ji Zhuyun suddenly remembered something. He stopped laughing and looked Lu Qiao up and down.
“Are you here to register for military recruitment today?”
Lu Qiao nodded.
“Yeah!”
Ji Zhuyun thought for a moment and said, “I remember the application period for the adjutant position will remain open until after your new-recruit assessment ends. If you pass this new-recruit assessment and officially enter the military, you can immediately submit an application for the adjutant position. You’ll still make it in time.”
Lu Qiao froze.
“That… works too? Can a new recruit apply for an adjutant position?”
“Why wouldn’t they?” Ji Zhuyun knew that Lu Qiao must be eager to participate in this competition, so he smiled and said, “As long as you can prove you’re stronger than everyone else, the position is yours.”
Lu Qiao immediately became interested and began thinking to himself.
If it was really possible, of course he wanted to give it a try.
He wondered what Yan Qiu would think about this…
The blond man had been listening for a while. At this moment, he sneered and added, “Yan Qiu has always treated him differently. He wouldn’t give him special treatment and open the back door for him, would he?”
Everyone froze for a moment.
Lu Qiao quickly composed himself, his voice slightly lowered.
“He’s not that kind of person.”
Ji Zhuyun and the brown-haired man both frowned slightly.
When Sai Er heard the blond man’s words, some of the tension that had just tightened through his body eased slightly. He smiled and tried to smooth things over.
“He’s just joking. Don’t take it seriously, Lu Qiao.”
But Lu Qiao ignored him. He stared at the blond man and emphasized every word.
“Yan Qiu isn’t that kind of person. Neither am I. Please don’t make these unrealistic assumptions again in the future.”
The blond man stared back at him for a while, then clicked his tongue and looked away disdainfully.
“I was just saying.”
Ji Zhuyun spoke in an indifferent tone.
“If Yan Qiu really opened the back door for you, why would you even submit an application? You know he doesn’t give people special treatment. And you at least know that he doesn’t like people who have ulterior motives, right?”
After Ji Zhuyun said that, the expressions on the blond man’s and Sai Er’s faces both became somewhat unpleasant.
Ji Zhuyun had never been particularly close to the blond man in the first place. Today, the other man had simply followed him here, so he didn’t care even if their atmosphere became awkward.
As for Sai Er…
Ji Zhuyun glanced at the young man, his gaze carrying a hint of meaning.
Back then, he had thought that this little tagalong who followed behind Yan Qiu was quite cute.
But in recent years, he had increasingly felt that Sai Er had gone down the wrong path, gradually drifting farther and farther away from them.
Yan Qiu had always been on the front lines of the battlefield and did not have much contact with them nowadays. Perhaps he didn’t know about the changes in some of them.
Perhaps he should remind Yan Qiu.
The atmosphere on their side had become somewhat tense, but another voice suddenly came from behind.
“…Lu Qiao?”
Lu Qiao turned around and saw a black-haired young man standing there with a slightly dazed expression.
It was Song Yue!
Wow, had everyone gathered together today?
Song Yue was Lu Qiao’s good friend. The two of them remained in contact normally, but Lu Qiao had indeed forgotten to tell Song Yue before coming here today.
So when Song Yue saw Lu Qiao at the military headquarters, he was just as surprised.
However, he remembered that the adjutant applications had begun and that recruitment season had also started. If Lu Qiao hadn’t come, he had actually been planning to remind him about it.
He excitedly ran over.
Lu Qiao asked him, “Why are you here?”
Song Yue replied, “For Yan Qiu’s adjutant position!”
Another one!
Even Song Yue wanted to compete for this position!
Lu Qiao was genuinely shocked!
Because of Lu Qiao, Ji Zhuyun and Song Yue were also fairly familiar with each other. Upon hearing this, Ji Zhuyun spread his hands at Lu Qiao.
“See? I told you, didn’t I? That guy has been a heartthrob since he was little.”
“That’s right, that’s right. Everyone worships Yan Qiu!” Song Yue nodded repeatedly, in complete agreement.
After saying that, he turned around and bear-hugged Lu Qiao, shouting excitedly, “Ah, I’ve missed you so much! It’s been ages since we’ve seen each other!”
Once ordinary soldiers entered the military, it was difficult for them to frequently go outside. Thus, Song Yue and Lu Qiao had not seen each other for nearly half a year.
He had always regarded Lu Qiao as his idol. Now that they had finally met again, he naturally had countless things he wanted to say. He gestured animatedly, practically itching to tell Lu Qiao every interesting thing that had happened over the past six months.
Nearby, the others had clearly been unable to get a word in. The blond had just been verbally shut down by Ji Zhuyun. He grabbed his hair and walked away without saying a word, while Seir also awkwardly turned around and walked toward the application office. The brown-haired man remained where he was with Ji Zhuyun.
The brown-haired man noticed that Ji Zhuyun suddenly seemed to think of something. He grinned wickedly and began fiddling with his terminal. Leaning over to take a look, he let out a “wow” and clicked his tongue. “You really love watching things get messy, don’t you!”
Ji Zhuyun grinned like a fox. “I don’t mind. Not at all.”
Yan Qiu was inside the small conference room when he received a message. He lowered his eyes and took a look.
Ji Zhuyun: “Lu Qiao got caught by Song Yue. That guy has been just as enthusiastic toward Lu Qiao as ever for years [laugh].”
Yan Qiu: “……”
He closed the message, looking completely composed.
It was only five years ago, when Ji Zhuyun was about to enter the military, that he finally realized what kind of feelings this good friend of his had for Lu Qiao. After that, when he carefully thought back over some details from the past, everything became rather amusing—such as Yan Qiu’s attitude toward Song Yue.
Song Yue and Lu Qiao had attended the same school and belonged to the same competition team, so naturally they had been together during competitions as well. Back then, before Yan Qiu had obviously realized his own feelings for Lu Qiao, he would already become especially attentive whenever he saw Song Yue clinging to Lu Qiao. At the time, Ji Zhuyun had even wondered what exactly it was about Song Yue that attracted Yan Qiu’s attention.
Only later did he understand—jealousy.
When you saw someone who seemed like a romantic rival clinging to the person you liked, you would naturally mind it.
Although Yan Qiu had not given much of a response on his terminal at the moment, Ji Zhuyun absolutely did not believe that Yan Qiu was truly completely unaffected.
And inside the conference room—
Yan Qiu’s composure lasted five minutes.
At one point, his fingers suddenly stopped tapping the armrest. Expressionless, he opened his terminal and sent out a message.
Lu Qiao and Song Yue were chatting happily when Yan Qiu’s driver suddenly came running over, panting heavily as he urged him, “L-Little Master Lu, have you still not finished the procedures? I need to get you over to the B3 training ground as soon as possible!”
Lu Qiao was a little surprised. “In such a hurry? Is Yan Qiu already finished over there?”
The driver nodded calmly. “Yes!”
Nearby, Ji Zhuyun had finally gotten to witness this scene and was thoroughly satisfied. Grinning mischievously, he sent Yan Qiu another message:
Ji Zhuyun: “Hahaha, I forgot to tell you. Song Yue got a girlfriend a month ago [tongue out].”
Inside the conference room, Yan Qiu saw the message.
“……”
Lun En was talking about serious matters. He turned around and was just about to add a word of agreement with Yan Qiu when he saw Yan Qiu staring at the terminal in his hand, his expression so cold it looked as though it had been frozen solid. Lun En immediately swallowed nervously.
……What was this guy doing? Was he trying to murder his own terminal?
Over here, after hearing Lu Qiao and the driver’s conversation, Song Yue asked doubtfully, “Yan Qiu? You still have contact with Yan Qiu?”
Lu Qiao answered sheepishly, “Actually, he and I have been locked on……”
Song Yue’s eyes widened, and he immediately started shouting excitedly, “You and Yan Qiu?! Wow, I should’ve thought of it! The two of you have been locked on! Speaking of which, how could you not tell me about something this important?! Are you going to wait until you marry Yan Qiu before telling me?! Are we still good friends?!”
Lu Qiao: “……”
“No. Just because of that sentence, I don’t want to tell you anymore, okay!”
Fortunately, the driver awkwardly urged him again from the side. Song Yue could no longer keep Lu Qiao there talking, so the two of them exchanged glares and argued two more sentences over the matter before Song Yue brought up one last thing.
“By the way, are you still going back to your hometown in half a month? Want to go together?”
Lu Qiao and Song Yue were not only from the same school, but also from the same place. Every year, Lu Qiao would return to his hometown on a fixed date to clean the house his grandmother had left behind and visit the graves of his grandmother and his parents. In the past, he often went back together with Song Yue.
Remembering this, Lu Qiao agreed. “Sure. We’ll get in touch then.”
Song Yue: “Mm, we’ll contact each other then.”
The group parted ways there. Lu Qiao went to the military recruitment registration office, filled out an electronic application form on-site, had his photo taken, and left a blood sample. Soon, the impatient driver bundled him away.
The B3 training ground was only ten minutes away.
After the driver dropped him off, Lu Qiao walked alone into the enormous facility. Looking at the excellent equipment there, he felt a yearning arise in his heart.
So this was the kind of place people in the military could use.
It really was far more professional and advanced than ordinary training gyms and school training grounds. How great would it be if he could use a place like this freely every day……
He touched an electronic wall equipped with complicated procedures while sighing emotionally.
Yan Qiu did not make him wait long.
Five minutes later, the man quickly walked in.
Lu Qiao turned around and casually said, “You guys drive really fast.”
Yan Qiu’s footsteps paused. He nodded with complete composure. “Mm.”
Then he glanced at him and asked, “You ran into Ji Zhuyun and Song Yue over there?”
Lu Qiao answered honestly, “Yeah. Did the driver tell you? They’re both there to apply for your adjutant position!”
Thinking of this, Lu Qiao pursed his lips.
He wondered what Yan Qiu thought about him wanting to apply for this position as well. Lu Qiao was actually a little afraid that the man would tell him not to bite off more than he could chew. After all, given the current situation, whether he could even enter the military was still unknown. The pair of broken wings on his back had not recovered yet. If Yan Qiu really said something like that, it would feel rather embarrassing……
And Seir had said that Yan Qiu already had a preferred candidate, hadn’t he?
……It had to be said that Lu Qiao really cared about this. He also had no idea whom Yan Qiu had taken a liking to.
In these five years, had someone Yan Qiu admired this much already appeared by his side?
During this brief hesitation, Yan Qiu had already skipped over the subject. He stuffed a piece of clothing into Lu Qiao’s hands and said, “Change into this.”
Lu Qiao took a look. It was a special uniform for the Feathered Flight Clan. In order to leave room for their wings, two openings had specifically been made in the back.
“Practice with me. During the process, you can try stretching your wings several times. Don’t worry. I’m here.”
Yan Qiu ruffled Lu Qiao’s hair.
Lu Qiao obediently nodded. “Okay.”
The two of them changed clothes separately.
Lu Qiao took off his shirt and changed into the special uniform.
Yan Qiu simply unfastened his jacket, revealing the military-style tank top underneath.
Lu Qiao turned around and looked over, and his eyes immediately froze.
……It had to be said that although he and Yan Qiu had already showered together and had unobstructed opportunities to admire every inch of this man’s muscles, the feeling was still different when the other man put on a thin tank top.
The fabric clung tightly to his powerful body, wrapping around his well-developed muscles and revealing the contours of his physique in a way that was almost more suggestive for being partially covered. Even just looking at him, Lu Qiao could feel that explosive strength.
Lu Qiao did not even know whether he was jealous or not. In any case, he swallowed.
At that exact moment, Yan Qiu raised his head and met Lu Qiao’s gaze. He smiled faintly, as though asking, “Haven’t you had enough of looking?”
Lu Qiao shuddered and stubbornly muttered, “I’ll have muscles like that too!”
Yan Qiu chuckled lightly and replied, “If that’s what you want, of course you can have them right away.”
Lu Qiao: “??”
He looked suspiciously at the man, always feeling as though there was another meaning hidden in those words.
Once both of them were ready, they finally stood in the center of the training ground.
Yan Qiu beckoned to Lu Qiao and said calmly, “Come at me.”
Lu Qiao took a deep breath and tensed his body.
For once, he became nervous—this was a feeling that no one in a third-class star training gym could ever give him.
Only Yan Qiu could make him this nervous.
Lu Qiao settled his mind, staring intently into Yan Qiu’s calm, pitch-black eyes. At a certain instant, he charged forward, and the two began exchanging blows!
He and Yan Qiu had not trained together for five years.
He had no idea what this man had evolved into on the battlefield, nor how far he had fallen behind him.
Thus, he went all-out from the very beginning. His condition was good today, practically the best it had been over the past week.
However, Yan Qiu’s strength was far more terrifying than he could imagine at present—
Every move the man made carried the taste of iron and blood, simple yet ruthless. His fighting style was already completely different from the past!
Lu Qiao was somewhat stunned, even struggling to keep up with Yan Qiu’s rhythm!
In the past, although he had never managed to defeat Yan Qiu either, he had understood Yan Qiu’s strength and fighting style well enough that he would not become overly flustered. But this time, he truly panicked for a moment, feeling that the person fighting him had already become completely unfamiliar.
His breathing began to grow disordered. Yan Qiu seized him from behind, pressed close to his ear, and whispered between breaths, “Focus. Don’t get distracted!”
Lu Qiao gasped for breath, broke free of the restraint, and suddenly swung a spinning kick toward him!
He steadied himself.
Yan Qiu’s experiences over these five years had been completely different from his own.
He had been in training gyms, while Yan Qiu had been on the battlefield.
The other’s style had changed tremendously compared with when they had been at school…… That was normal. This was the difference brought about by experience. This was reality.
Lu Qiao’s gaze became firm. He mobilized his body more completely, and his speed and strength rose yet another level.
And after shaking off the fear that had instinctively arisen in his heart just moments ago, Lu Qiao had to admit—
Yan Qiu had become stronger.
This was the current First Marshal of the Empire.
He stood at the very pinnacle of the entire Empire, even at the pinnacle of the entire Alliance. He was a bloodied, sharpened blade forged by five years of battlefield experience.
No one could stop him.
Lu Qiao could feel it. Yan Qiu’s aura, his strength—every part of him seemed to be trying to conquer him.
And he……
The two of them crashed heavily onto the ground with a loud bang! At the same instant, Lu Qiao let out a low groan, and two enormous, pure-white wings suddenly grew from his back. Once the wings emerged, they quickly folded together, enclosing the two of them inside.
Amid the drifting feathers, in the cramped space enclosed by the wings, Lu Qiao’s hands were seized by Yan Qiu with one hand and pinned above his head.
Yan Qiu’s other hand cushioned the back of his head—even in the midst of their intense battle, the man still remembered to protect his body. Just as he had said, it had been a long time since he had injured Lu Qiao during a fight.
They breathed heavily.
Lu Qiao lay on the ground, staring straight at the man braced above him. Their gazes intertwined, while their heated breaths from the exercise sprayed across each other’s faces, blending together.
Lu Qiao’s muscles burned and felt as though they were tearing apart. Even so, he was completely unable to resist this man.
Yan Qiu was trying to conquer him.
And he…… he had probably been conquered as well.
—He had been conquered by Yan Qiu.
Lu Qiao opened his mouth and asked hoarsely, “Seir said you already have an adjutant you want. Who is it?”
His heart was pounding wildly, instinctively refusing to hear the answer, yet he also knew that he had to hear it before he could let the matter go.
He shouted inwardly, Say it, say it. Tell me who it is that makes you feel they deserve to stand beside you now.
Then he heard Yan Qiu speak.
The man lowered his head slightly, almost touching the tip of his nose to Lu Qiao’s. His voice was low.
“I want you.”
Lu Qiao’s eyes widened.
The man’s gaze swept over his eyes and lips, and his voice became even huskier.
“The person I want is you, Lu Qiao.”
The door to the training ground opened, and three soldiers walked in, chatting and laughing. When they saw the scene in the distance, they were startled.
In the center of the training ground, that was……
“Wings?” one of the soldiers rubbed his eyes.
The two wings were folded together like a gigantic cocoon. They could vaguely see someone underneath the wings, and…… there was more than one person.
“Fuck, what kind of play is this? This is so passionate!”
All three soldiers were stunned.
Just then, the two wings slowly spread apart, revealing what was inside……
M-M-Marshal Yan?!!
The three soldiers stood there dumbfounded.
The next second, Yan Qiu, who was braced over someone in the distance, turned his head and gave them a cold glance. The three soldiers immediately jolted!
“Sorry, we’re disturbing you!”
They immediately saluted in unison, turned around, and fled as fast as their legs could carry them.
As they ran, they were all thinking:
Big news!! Big news!! Marshal Yan really knows how to have fun! He’s actually this adventurous?!!
As for Lu Qiao…… Lu Qiao had not even realized that he could already control his wings.
Although they still would not immediately appear whenever he wanted to summon them, and there was still a certain time delay—they were not entirely obedient—once they emerged, his wings no longer showed traces of blood. There was no pain, and he could even control them!
Of course, Lu Qiao also had no idea what it meant that he had instinctively folded the two wings together just now, covering the two of them underneath……
At this moment, he planted both hands on the ground and pushed himself up slightly, blinking as he stared fixedly at Yan Qiu.
Yan Qiu turned back and stood up.
The two stared at each other for several seconds.
Lu Qiao stammered, “Y-Your chosen adjutant is me?”
Yan Qiu answered him very directly. “Yes.”
Lu Qiao froze again.
The person Yan Qiu had chosen was him? Really him?!
Yan Qiu suddenly smiled. He looked at Lu Qiao meaningfully and teased, “Were you questioning me just now?”
Lu Qiao: “……”
He answered sheepishly, “N-No.”
He had merely been affected by his emotions, making his tone a little stiff……
Besides, he had already prepared himself to hear Yan Qiu name some stranger. He had never expected Yan Qiu to say that it was him!
Lu Qiao himself did not notice that the hostility that had briefly risen within him had disappeared. The corners of his lips curved into a hint of a smile, and when he spoke again, his voice was filled with satisfaction and joy.
“In these five years, you really didn’t have anyone you particularly liked?”
Yan Qiu paused for a moment and raised an eyebrow. “If I had—”
The smile on Lu Qiao’s lips instantly froze, and his little face tightened again.
“If I had, would I still have been able to coax you?” Yan Qiu finished.
Lu Qiao let out a long breath. After realizing what he had just heard, he went, “……”
He said without much confidence, “I don’t need you to coax me. Don’t treat me like a child!”
Yan Qiu chuckled and stood up.
Lu Qiao hurriedly followed him to his feet. However, he still was not accustomed to the two wings on his back. The distribution of his body’s weight had changed, and so had his center of gravity. He failed to stand steadily for a moment and fell backward again.
Yan Qiu immediately caught him.
Lu Qiao had not even regained his footing yet. Leaning against Yan Qiu’s chest, he could only whisper, “So you weren’t coaxing me just now? You really didn’t have anyone you liked?”
“No.” Yan Qiu’s voice was filled with gentle patience. “Lu Qiao, if you had been able to enter the military normally two years ago, you would have already become my adjutant.”
Lu Qiao: “!!!”
His eyes brightened another degree.
Lu Qiao happily said, “Really……? But becoming your adjutant isn’t something you can just decide I can do, right?”
With a smile, Yan Qiu said, “You need to pass an assessment, but for you, it definitely won’t be a problem.”
Lu Qiao: “!!!”
His eyes grew even brighter.
Lu Qiao felt that Yan Qiu’s words sounded far too good. Had this guy eaten candy before coming here today?
He replayed Yan Qiu’s words in his mind and suddenly caught an important point.
Two years ago, when he had not yet graduated, Yan Qiu had already been a general for some time.
Normally, once someone became a general, wouldn’t they have an adjutant? An adjutant wasn’t someone you could simply replace whenever you wanted. Even if Lu Qiao had graduated normally and entered the military at that time, if there hadn’t been an opening beside Yan Qiu, he would have had no way to take the assessment.
Lu Qiao voiced his confusion.
Yet when Yan Qiu heard the question, he did not answer immediately. Instead, he fell silent.
At first, Lu Qiao did not understand. But then he suddenly thought of a possibility, and his heart gave a violent leap.
No way…… No way?
He stared at the man before him with hesitation and astonishment. It felt as though someone had squeezed his heart, and even the flow of blood throughout his body seemed to accelerate.
Lu Qiao tightened his hands and asked softly, his voice dry, “When you had just been promoted to general…… did you have an adjutant?”
Yan Qiu looked at him and answered his question.
“……No.”
Lu Qiao froze.
Yan Qiu lowered his eyes and said calmly, “I didn’t want an adjutant at the time.”
Lu Qiao clenched both fists.
When Yan Qiu had just become a general, he had not wanted an adjutant.
And this man had just said that if Lu Qiao had been able to enter the military two years ago, he would have already become his adjutant.
What did that mean? How could Lu Qiao possibly not understand?
Lu Qiao’s body began to tremble.
Yan Qiu called softly, “Lu Qiao.”
Lu Qiao slowly rested his head against Yan Qiu’s shoulder, his entire body still trembling uncontrollably.
Yan Qiu paused. He said nothing more, only silently tightening his arms around him.
What was this…… Why had this man quietly done so many things that touched him so deeply?!
He hadn’t known any of it!
If he hadn’t asked, would Yan Qiu ever have told him?
Lu Qiao felt as though he could hardly breathe.
In the past, he had always chased after Yan Qiu’s back. He had thought that he was chasing desperately, panting for breath, while the man ahead of him calmly continued forward, only occasionally remembering the person pursuing him and turning around to glance at him.
He had never imagined that Yan Qiu had not merely turned around to look at him.
When he stopped halfway, bracing his hands against his knees as he caught his breath, this man…… had actually turned around completely, watching him and waiting for him?
Lu Qiao’s voice trembled as he whispered, “If only I hadn’t gotten sick……”
Yan Qiu silently patted his back.
Lu Qiao closed his eyes.
If only he hadn’t gotten sick.
Yan Qiu had left a place for him, but he had failed to make it there!
Lu Qiao could not even put into words how painful he felt right now.
Suddenly, he felt a hand stroking his wing.
Lu Qiao shuddered and raised his head.
Yan Qiu gently caressed his wings and said, “Your wings are beautiful.”
Lu Qiao silently looked at him.
Yan Qiu lowered his head to meet his gaze and said, “Don’t hate them, Lu Qiao.”
Lu Qiao stared blankly.
“Your condition is unusual, but I believe that this special trait could not have appeared without reason. There must be some cause behind it. We simply don’t know what it is yet,” Yan Qiu said slowly. “Don’t hate your wings. Believe in them.”
“Although we lost two years, it’s not too late. Now, the position beside me has become vacant again.” There was a powerful force in Yan Qiu’s voice as he spoke softly. “Lu Qiao, come and take it.”
Lu Qiao held his breath.
—That was the position that belonged to him.
And there, Yan Qiu had been waiting for him.