Chapter 43: The Little Butterfly That Longs for the Light

Ji Laili furrowed his brows, never expecting Shen Yu to be dragged into this matter.

The injuries on Eugene’s face must have come from the altercation in the training room that day when Shen Yu followed him. Ji Laili had assumed the little butterfly who secretly watched him had already gone back, but unexpectedly, Shen Yu had later returned to the training ground and sought out Eugene in the lounge.

Ji Laili instinctively touched his brow bone. Just yesterday, a cute band-aid had been stuck there, but now, the wound had already completely healed and disappeared.

Alphas had strong self-healing abilities, not to mention it was just a minor injury.

He lifted his gaze and, unintentionally, locked eyes with Shen Yu. Shen Yu still appeared indifferent, showing no particular emotion in response to Eugene’s words—only observing him…

Was he afraid Ji Laili would be angry?

For some reason, Ji Laili recalled their previous conversation.

He pressed his lips together just as someone bumped his arm. Lei Po motioned toward the front, raising an eyebrow.
“Philo Instructor is here. Looks like we’re in for a good show.”

Within their line of sight appeared an Alpha with a warm and proper smile. His military uniform was impeccable, and his light amber eyes gazed toward them from afar.

His eyes briefly met Ji Laili’s. The Alpha gave a gentle smile and nodded slightly as a greeting before his gaze naturally shifted to Shen Yu.

“What’s going on here?”

“Eugene, why are you and Shen here together?”

“Instructor!” Seeing Philo, Eugene seemed to have found his pillar of support and took a few steps closer to him.

Lifting his chin arrogantly, he glanced at Shen Yu, who remained silent, and smirked.
“You arrived at the perfect time.”

“Earlier in the training room, Shen Yu attacked me without reason. The wounds on my face are his doing. The Federal Military Academy has rules—without an approved application, it’s against regulations to engage in combat.”

“Instructor Aiger has already agreed. Instructor, why not serve as a witness?”

Hearing this, Aiger’s expression darkened in displeasure, and he cast a dangerous sidelong glance at Eugene.
“You think I’d go back on my word?”

Eugene stiffened for a moment but still gritted his teeth and replied firmly,
“Everyone knows Shen Yu is one of your top students.”

The implication was clear—who knew if Aiger would cover for him?

This foolish Alpha dared to maliciously question his integrity!

Aiger smirked dangerously.
“I won’t cover for him, but do you think having Philo here gives you the right to run your mouth at me? Are you tired of living?”

With that, Aiger suddenly unleashed his Alpha pheromones. The dense scent of gunpowder and smoke spread through the entire training ground.

Every Alpha present turned pale at the overwhelming pressure. It crushed down on their knees, making breathing difficult. Their brains instinctively released pheromones to resist, but they stumbled under the sheer force.

This was Aiger, the number one-ranked instructor in the Federal Military Academy.

With just his pheromones, he managed to knock down all these Alphas in an instant.

But!

They all wanted to scream:

Instructor, look properly!

We’re not the enemy!

Shouldn’t you be focusing on Eugene alone?!

Eugene was already halfway to collapse. As the primary target, he bore the greatest impact.

Yet, he stubbornly clenched his jaw, his eyes burning with defiance as he glared at Aiger, refusing to yield even a little.

Under such pressure, the first to speak was Instructor Philo.

He sighed, “Eugene, apologize.”

“Instructor!” Eugene bit down hard, tasting blood in his mouth as sweat dripped down his face. He clenched his fists. “I…”

I don’t want to. Why should I be the one to apologize?!

Eugene stood there, unyielding.

Aiger crossed his arms and scrutinized him with a sharp, disdainful gaze.
“You can’t handle this already?”

“Aiger, he’s still just a student. Don’t hold it against him too much,” Philo sighed.
“Eugene, no matter what, Aiger is an instructor, and you should—”

“Instructor, may I interrupt?”

Amidst the smoky, oppressive atmosphere, a young voice interjected.

Philo paused and turned his head.

Among the many Alphas struggling against the pheromone pressure, drenched in sweat with twisted expressions, one young man stood effortlessly unaffected. His curly chestnut hair swayed slightly in the breeze, and his bright, clear eyes shone.

Compared to the others, he seemed entirely untouched.

How is that possible? Even Philo had felt the pressure… His gaze flickered slightly as he chose to observe.

Ji Laili immediately noticed Shen Yu’s pale face and quickened his speech.
“Instructor Aiger, openly releasing pheromones is also considered a form of provocation.”

Aiger looked at Ji Laili in surprise, intrigued by how he remained completely unaffected.

“You sure memorized the handbook well.” He casually withdrew his pheromones, instantly releasing the struggling Alphas from their torment.

The Alphas weakly massaged their legs.

Then, they looked ahead at Ji Laili, who stood there as if nothing had happened.

Damn… terrifying.

Ji Laili was unaware that his image had just risen to legendary status among the other Alphas. He simply continued, choosing his words carefully.

“Eugene, you said Shen Yu was the one who injured your face, correct?”

Eugene’s voice was hoarse. He sneered coldly.
“Who else? You?”

“You’re overestimating yourself.”

At that moment, Shen Yu’s cold gaze stabbed at Eugene, leaving him confused.

“In that case, Eugene, you’re a member of the patrol team, correct?”

Eugene scoffed, “Of course. That’s the only position barely worthy of me.”

“Then it all makes sense. Instructor Aiger, I believe this is a misunderstanding.”

Aiger’s eyebrows twitched. “You mean?”

“Misunderstanding? He beat me up like this.” Eugene thought of his bruised face and laughed coldly. “You call this a misunderstanding?”

Philo chuckled and patted Eugene’s shoulder.
“So that’s what happened.” His light amber eyes turned to Shen Yu.
“Young Alphas are bound to fight sometimes. It’s not a big deal.”

Hearing Philo’s words, which seemed to dismiss the situation, Eugene was unwilling.
“Instructor—”

A sharp pain shot through his shoulder as his bones let out a faint cracking sound.

Under his mask, Eugene’s expression shifted, and he swallowed his words.

“Eugene isn’t the type to hold grudges. Why not apologize?”

Philo’s gaze remained gentle as he looked at Shen Yu.
“What do you think?”

“Instructor Philo, I believe you’ve misunderstood something.”

Ji Laili smiled and continued,
“Eugene himself admitted that Shen Yu is of a higher rank in the patrol team.”

“That means this is an internal disciplinary action—Eugene must have done something wrong.”

Ji Laili discreetly winked at Shen Yu, signaling for him to relax.

Shen Yu wasn’t concerned about any punishment he might face, but Ji Laili’s actions filled him with a warm sense of comfort.

He quietly watched the young Alpha standing up for him.

The lingering discomfort from the pheromone suppression seemed to ease slightly.

“Instructor Aiger, I’ve memorized the handbook well. Page nine, last line of the fourth paragraph—Instructors are not allowed to interfere with patrol team matters.”

“So, Instructor Philo, I’m afraid you can’t make Shen Yu apologize.”

Ji Laili’s warm golden smile shone radiantly, like a natural source of light.

Unknowingly, a little butterfly was drawn toward the glow.

Shen Yu’s lips curved slightly, his cold, dark eyes softening under the warmth.

Eugene saw everything.