Chapter 72: Can I Hug You?

Hey, hey… isn’t this cheating?

That tone sounded like he was coaxing someone—saying things like “so amazing, so impressive…” It was too weird!

Ji Laili felt a little shy but was mostly just really happy.

His heart swelled, filled to the brim with joy that was about to overflow.

Suddenly, Ji Laili had the urge to hug him.

“Shen Yu, can I hug you?”

Shen Yu froze, as if he hadn’t expected those words.

The cold and beautiful man stared at him in confusion.

On the other hand, Ji Laili, having spoken his mind, was completely at ease.

“There are always rewards for getting first place.”

“So, can this hug be my reward?”

Shen Yu still seemed unresponsive, his gaze absentmindedly shifting to Ji Laili’s face, lingering on his bright, smiling eyes.

Wow.

A little bit cute.

It looked like a wild butterfly curiously observing a puppy.

Ji Laili tilted his head, his eyes naturally curving with amusement.

“I heard that sometimes, silence is a form of agreement.”

“So, can I take this as…”

“You accepting the hug?”

Just as he finished speaking, smoke suddenly rose, covering everything in a thick white mist.

Shen Yu didn’t even have time to react to the unexpected smoke before he was pulled into a warm, clean embrace.

Ji Laili hugged him.

His chin rested on Shen Yu’s hair, his lips unable to hold back a smile.

Once again, he joyfully announced—

“Senior Shen, I’m first place~”

Keeping his promise—how wonderful.

---

Meanwhile, at the Surveillance Room—

The instructors’ faces were grim.

“The smoke’s too thick—we can’t see anything! Damn it, that kid ran so fast, and now, look! He kicked the broadcaster away, and we’ve lost all visuals!”

“Where did that smoke grenade come from? Weren’t all the Imperial forces neutralized?”

“If I remember correctly, didn’t that kid get lucky and draw a smoke grenade earlier?”

Xishan was stunned. “Wait, are you saying Ji Laili set off the smoke grenade himself?”

“What’s he trying to do?”

Xishan muttered in confusion.

What was he trying to hide from them?

“I KNOW!”

Eugene’s eyes lit up, staring at the screen as if trying to pierce through the mist.

Seeing that expression, Xishan twitched.

He already knew what this idiot was going to say.

So did the other instructors—looking completely unimpressed, as if they were waiting for him to spout nonsense.

“I’m telling you, Ji Laili must’ve had some shady conversation with Shen Yu!”

“That’s why he set off the smoke grenade!”

The instructors all sighed.

Called it.

Hoping this guy would see reality was obviously impossible.

Eugene raised a smug eyebrow, the corners of his lips curling as if everything was within his predictions.

Ji Laili? Fooling him?

Impossible!

His judgment was flawless—never wrong!

Thinking back to what he saw earlier, Eugene became even more confident.

“…Philo, how did you even pick this kid? He can’t even figure out something as simple as an enemy relationship?”

“Anyone with eyes can see how much Shen Yu hates Alphas.”

“Good thing this kid isn’t in the command division. Otherwise, our Federation would be doomed.”

“Philo, I used to be jealous of how many students you had, but now… seems like having too many isn’t a good thing. The quality is all over the place.”

An instructor patted Philo’s shoulder sympathetically.

“Be careful when picking students next time.”

Philo: “……” 🙂

Never in his life did he think he’d receive pity because of Eugene.

Eugene was furious.

These fools didn’t understand at all—fine.

But to insult him?!

Did they think that just because they were instructors, they could freely judge his intelligence?!

Well, he’d tell them—yes, instructors were amazing!

Eugene clenched his jaw, his face betraying silent resentment.

Then, he noticed Philo looking at him, his expression indifferent.

Eugene suddenly felt a bit wronged.

At least Philo understood him.

With a rare moment of sincerity, he muttered, “At least you get me, Instructor.”

“In this world, no one understands me better than you.”

The arrogant Alpha actually looked genuinely moved, his eyes filled with suppressed emotion.

Philo: “……” I feel a little nauseous.

Barely avoiding Eugene’s gaze, Philo overheard the other instructors discussing their true conclusions.

“I bet Ji Laili finally got fed up with Shen Yu’s attitude and rushed in to fight him.”

“But to avoid getting caught and punished, he set off a smoke grenade first.”

“Makes sense! You’re sharp!”

“Haha, thanks, thanks.”

“……”

---

Back in Reality—

Logging out of the mental simulation, Ji Laili felt a bit disoriented.

A wave of exhaustion hit him all at once.

He slowly climbed out of the pod, yawning as his eyes teared up from drowsiness.

The medical team, already waiting nearby, immediately stopped him.

“Hold still, we need to give you a recovery shot.”

Shen Yu exited a moment later.

Compared to the other Alphas, who had experienced significant mental strain from the prolonged battle, he looked almost completely fine.

After locating Ji Laili’s room, he entered—only to find the little puppy nodding off, head drooping little by little.

The Beta medic sighed helplessly.

“Keep your head still. The next shot goes into the back of your neck.”

After an Imperial soldier had tried to inject Zhai Yifei’s gland earlier, Headmaster Lais ordered all freshman Alphas to be examined.

Since the gland was too important—and Alphas were too aggressive—the staff decided to take blood samples from a safer spot: the back of the neck.

Ji Laili’s constant head-dropping was making it difficult.

“Hold his head still.” The Beta doctor finally gave in.

Two assistants nodded and reached out—only to feel an unexpected chill down their spines.

They hesitated.

Then, a cool voice came from the doorway.

“I’ll do it.”

Under everyone’s shocked gazes, Shen Yu calmly walked over.

His movements were gentle as he held Ji Laili’s head.

But what stunned them even more—

He didn’t just use his hands.

Instead, in an utterly natural manner, he placed that fluffy little head onto his own shoulder.

As if worried about comfort, he even adjusted his posture, shifting slightly so that Ji Laili’s head fit perfectly into the curve of his neck.

Medical staff: !!!

Shocking—absolutely shocking!

Wasn’t the forum saying these two hated each other?

Were they… reading fake news on company time?!