Chapter 44: If You Don’t Accept Love, Then Try My Hatred

Something felt off. This was way too off.

Why would Shen Yu show such an expression… Eugene thought about the right word, his brows furrowing in discomfort. It really wasn’t like him.

Or rather, why was he showing that kind of expression to Ji Laili?

Could it be…

They were in on it together?!

As lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, something seemed to click in Eugene’s mind. He sneered coldly, clenching his teeth.

So that’s how it is. No wonder Ji Laili spoke up for Shen Yu. No wonder Shen Yu punched him without a second thought that day!

Just wait. He would definitely find evidence that these two were involved with each other!

Otherwise, he, Eugene, would eat shit upside down!

—

Eat shit?

Ha, not a chance.

To avoid such humiliation, Eugene showed extraordinary perseverance, stubbornly sticking to his post despite his injuries.

At first, the Alphas assumed he’d flee in disgrace. They were surprised when he still showed up.

And with… a slightly odd-looking face.

Alphas had powerful self-healing abilities. Even without medical treatment, their genetics kicked in. By the third day, Eugene’s face had mostly recovered. The real issue was his nose.

The realignment wasn’t quite right—it tilted slightly upwards.

The moment Eugene stepped onto the training grounds, the freshmen erupted into laughter without a shred of mercy.

Naturally, he beat them up. Hard.

Cracking his knuckles, Eugene looked down at them with arrogant disdain.

He couldn’t beat Shen Yu. He almost lost to that brat Ji Laili. But these freshmen?

If he couldn’t even handle them, he might as well go eat shit now.

Eugene’s return was good news for some of the Alphas acting as substitute instructors.

Even though they had previously distanced themselves from him, ashamed of his disgraceful conduct, now that he was back, they conveniently forgot their earlier contempt and eagerly approached him.

“Eugene, you’re finally here!”

“Welcome back, Eugene! With you here, our side has more power now.”

They were all students under Philo’s mentorship—some had joined the patrol team, some hadn’t. But they all shared one thing in common: they didn’t like Shen Yu.

As Eugene finished dealing with the freshmen, his sharp gaze was already locked onto Shen Yu like a predator stalking its prey.

The other Alphas noticed this and immediately relaxed, exchanging knowing looks.

“Eugene, you know Shen Yu’s back, right?”

“I know.”

Eugene’s eyes were fixed on the two figures ahead.

The curly-haired boy and the aloof senior stood close together, talking about something. Suddenly, the boy laughed brightly, his smile dazzling.

Beside him, the Alpha turned slightly, his dark eyes surging like a rising tide—deep, calm, yet concealing an undercurrent of danger.

And yet, Ji Laili didn’t avoid him!

Eugene narrowed his eyes, quickly calculating the distance between them.

1.15 meters!

His golden eyes flashed with a knowing smirk. This close? Who would believe they weren’t involved?!

As he analyzed the situation, an Alpha beside him spoke up.

“Shen Yu even came back during his susceptibility period. He’s definitely doing it on purpose.”

Their voices carried a hint of resentment.

“He’s already a patrol team leader, but he still won’t loosen his grip. Does he think this place is his personal kingdom?”

“No idea why Instructor Philo doesn’t rein him in. He’s just letting Shen Yu do whatever he wants. If he loses control during his susceptibility period, we—”

The Alpha hesitated, recalling Shen Yu’s terrifying combat prowess, before continuing, “Good thing you’re here, Eugene.”

“With the few of us together, plus some Alphas in the patrol team who don’t obey Shen Yu, we actually have a chance against him.”

At the very least, they couldn’t let him rule this place unchecked.

Their plans sounded good in theory. Unfortunately, the person they were trying to recruit wasn’t paying attention.

Eugene was still focused on gathering evidence.

Just measuring their distance wasn’t enough—he needed more solid proof!

“Eugene… Eugene…”

Annoyed, Eugene turned his head with an arrogant, hostile expression.

“Are you a mosquito? Buzzing non-stop. You waiting for me to swat you?”

The Alpha’s face darkened. “Eugene, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“What’s it supposed to mean?” Eugene tilted his head, letting out a scornful chuckle.

“Hah. Ridiculous.”

“I said you’re annoying. What, you wanna fight me? You think you can win?”

With his slightly crooked, upturned nose, Eugene looked both ridiculous and infuriating. The Alpha clenched his fists, resisting the urge to punch him again. No wonder this guy had no friends—he was impossible to get along with!

Who would want to hang around someone this brain-dead? If the Federation Military Academy didn’t prioritize rank and physical ability, there’s no way someone like him would have made it in!

After cursing Eugene inwardly, the Alpha spat out a threat.

“Eugene, since you refuse my goodwill, then try my hatred instead!”

Eugene: “…”

Eugene sneered. “Bring it on!”

After exchanging threats, the Alpha threw one last warning—“Don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because we trained under the same instructor!”—before turning to join the freshmen.

Eugene shot them a dismissive glance before returning his focus to Ji Laili and Shen Yu.

His gaze was so blatant, so undisguised, that Ji Laili had noticed him long ago.

The reason he had been laughing so hard earlier was because of Eugene.

When Ji Laili felt someone watching him, he instinctively searched for the source. And when he spotted Eugene’s ridiculous, pig-like nose, he barely managed to hold back his laughter.

He whispered to Shen Yu, “Seriously, who fixed his nose? This is too funny.”

“Does he really have no one in his life who cares about him?”

How bold.

Though he knew he shouldn’t laugh, Ji Laili just couldn’t hold it in… and eventually burst out laughing.

Seeing him so happy, Shen Yu reluctantly tolerated Eugene’s existence.

Though he didn’t bother to hide his distaste.

In a cold tone, he muttered, “If he still hasn’t healed from such a minor injury, what a waste of an Alpha.”

Wow, how ruthless.

Hearing Shen Yu’s rare display of ice-cold disdain, Ji Laili’s eyes curved into crescents as he chuckled. He playfully touched his own brow and quipped, “If that’s the case, then I’m about to shatter.”

Even though it was just a faint scratch, the fact that it hadn’t healed instantly was apparently a crime.

Shen Yu’s icy expression softened when he looked at Ji Laili, his cold gaze shifting to one of calm indifference. Hearing Ji Laili’s words, his eyes briefly flickered with rare confusion.

“…Shatter?”

Ji Laili nodded solemnly. “Shatter into a heartbroken little puppy.”

He was joking, of course. But for some reason, Shen Yu didn’t seem to catch that.

Instead, he actually reached out and pressed down on Ji Laili’s shoulder.

His expression slowly turned cold again—his face pale, eyes indifferent, brows furrowed. He scanned Ji Laili up and down.

“What’s wrong?”

Ji Laili quickly explained, “It’s a joke! I’m fine!”

He had to swear multiple times that he was perfectly okay before Shen Yu finally released his grip.

Realizing he might have overreacted, Shen Yu lowered his gaze.

His long, thick eyelashes trembled slightly—like a startled butterfly fluttering its wings.