Today, the guards Lu You and Ji Bai, who were responsible for following Yun Xunlan, also walked into the cafeteria. They glanced at the debris on the ground and then at Zhou Shun’s face, which still bore faint traces of blood, their eyes filled with confusion. Commander Dick widened his eyes, desperately questioning them with his gaze about what on earth they were doing.

Yun Xunlan stood firmly between Yu Chen and Zhou Shun. His expression was calm and gentle, but the inherent dominance of a high-ranking alpha gave his tone an oppressive edge: “Repeat what you just said.”

Yu Chen remained silent, glancing at Zhou Shun and gesturing with his hand for him to go first, since their conversation had started with Zhou Shun.

Zhou Shun’s face turned ugly, and he straightened his body, saying, “Your Highness, we… were just joking around a bit.”

“Did I not express myself clearly?”

Yun Xunlan fixed his gaze on Zhou Shun’s face, his eyes indifferent: “I said: repeat.”

A heavy pressure accompanied by a slightly hoarse voice seeped from every word spoken by the silver-haired alpha, filling the air with a chilling intensity that made Zhou Shun’s breath momentarily halt.

His mind went blank from the lack of oxygen, and he couldn’t even remember when this overwhelming pressure had taken control of him. He stammered, “Yu Chen… why aren’t you eating and just drinking nutrient solution here…”

Yu Chen’s expression was emotionless as he coldly replied, “I took a suppressant, I have no appetite.”

…

The two of them seemed to be performing an emotionless act, mechanically reciting the words they had previously spoken in front of everyone.

Once they finished, the large cafeteria fell silent, the atmosphere more dead than a graveyard at midnight, so quiet it was unsettling. Finally, it was the silver-haired alpha who broke the silence, causing the almost frozen air around everyone to start flowing again.

He softly asked Zhou Shun, “Major Zhou Shun, you said you were joking with Yu Chen. Do you think your jokes are funny?”

Zhou Shun’s throat felt dry, and he swallowed hard, saying hoarsely, “… Not funny.”

“As one of the participants in your joke, I also find it not funny.”

Yun Xunlan didn’t say something like, “If you don’t find it funny, then why joke?” He simply stated his thoughts plainly, then turned to the researchers who had come with him and asked, “What do you all think?”

“As Major Yu Chen said—”

A female omega with green eyes crossed her arms and shrugged, “I just feel like throwing up. It’s like seeing someone not flush after using the toilet; it’s really disgusting.”

“Hahaha, Teacher Ye, your joke is much funnier than his.”

Laughter erupted from the crowd.

“I’m not an omega, but I also find it quite disgusting.” A beta standing next to the female omega shook his head and sighed, “I’ve already experienced how severe the side effects of the alpha third-generation sensitivity suppressants are.”

“Major Zhou Shun—”

The closest brown-haired omega slowly walked up to him and asked, “I remember you were selected from a hundred alpha officers, right?”

Zhou Shun lowered his head, his body stiff: “… Yes.”

“First of all, we all appreciate your willingness to join the military and become a soldier guarding the empire, fighting for the empire.” The young omega paused, “But I still want to ask you—”

“Who do you think you are?”

He pulled down his mask from his uniform pocket and looked at Zhou Shun, saying, “My name is You Yao. You may not have seen my face, but my name is on the cover page of the textbook for the ‘Mecha Defense Systems’ course you took at Anluos Military Academy.”

“I’m really curious, as someone who can be replaced at any time, how do you have the face to point fingers at us?”

Zhou Shun couldn’t answer any of You Yao’s questions, his face alternating between green and white, and finally, when Yun Xunlan apologized, he completely crumbled.

Because Yun Xunlan said, “I’m sorry, everyone. This is my mistake. I chose him, which is why he became a royal guard.”

This casually spoken sentence was a fatal blow to Zhou Shun. He felt as if he had been struck down, unable to maintain his upright posture, his back collapsing instantly, his figure swaying unsteadily.

Upon hearing this, You Yao no longer cared about Zhou Shun and quickly turned to Yun Xunlan, frowning and speaking anxiously, “Your Highness, how could this be your mistake?”

Other researchers also spoke up urgently: “Yes, Your Highness, this has nothing to do with you!”

“You don’t need to apologize for someone like him…”

Yun Xunlan gave You Yao and the others a calming glance, signaling them to be quiet, then turned his gaze to the dejected Zhou Shun, his voice steady: “Actually, the development of the new generation of alpha sensitivity suppressants and omega estrus suppressants was conducted simultaneously. However, the omega estrus suppressants have gone through eight generations of iterations, and the optimization direction is very clear, so I was able to quickly improve the ninth generation by standing on the shoulders of my predecessors.”

“The alpha sensitivity suppressants, on the other hand, have been slow in development due to insufficient data. Later, for some special reasons, I halted the research on alpha sensitivity suppressants and handed the project over to the medical team fully supported by Teacher Jian Wenxi to continue tackling it.”

“But regardless of which type of suppressant is being developed, the start and halt of the project are determined by my personal will and have nothing to do with any of your assumptions.”

Yun Xunlan looked at Zhou Shun’s face, his gaze as calm as a tranquil lake, without a ripple: “Major Zhou Shun, do you have any doubts that you need me to clarify?”

Zhou Shun hoarsely replied, “… No.”

Yun Xunlan then asked Yu Chen again: “Do you think what you said has any problems now?”

Zhou Shun lowered his head: “… Yes.”

Yun Xunlan stepped aside, making room: “Then please apologize to everyone, okay?”

Zhou Shun complied, immediately bowing deeply to You Yao and the others to apologize.

Then Yun Xunlan nodded to Dick to take Zhou Shun away: “Goodbye, Major Zhou Shun. I hope the next time I see you, you will have learned how to write the word ‘respect.’”

Once Zhou Shun’s figure disappeared, he smiled gently at everyone: “Let’s eat, everyone.”

The crowd dispersed one after another.

And Yu Chen, until he met Yun Xunlan’s gaze, seemed to snap back to reality, turning his eyes away from their intersecting line of sight.

He glanced at the mess Zhou Shun had left on the ground and, without thinking, half-squatted down to clean it up. However, just as he reached out, the back of his hand was pressed down by a few slender, pale fingers.

“The sanitation robot will come to clean it.”

A faint chill transmitted from the fingertips to his skin, combined with the owner’s usual lazy and hoarse voice, stirring up an inexplicable heat within him.

Yu Chen paused his movement, swallowed hard, and without looking up, replied, “Okay.”

But after Yun Xunlan retracted his fingers, he lowered his voice and softly called out his name: “Yu Chen.”

—Without any suffix.

Yu Chen had heard Yun Xunlan call him this before, but that was in situations where it was just the two of them, as it should be.

So when the norm was broken, Yu Chen instinctively looked up at the silver-haired alpha squatting in front of him, and then heard him say: “Sorting garbage is everyone’s responsibility. Thank you for helping to recycle a harmful piece of trash today.”

Recycling harmful trash?

His palm was clean, and he hadn’t picked up any trash at all. So who was this harmful trash referring to?

Yu Chen raised an eyebrow, and after a moment, couldn’t help but lower his voice and quietly say, “You’re welcome… Yun Xunlan.”

The alpha smiled as he stood up and walked away, his long hair shimmering with a silver arc as he moved.

This time, Yu Chen stared for a long time before turning his gaze away, while not far from him, someone was still staring at Yun Xunlan’s back, unable to look away: “As expected of the Third Prince!”

His methods were both soft and hard, and in just a few minutes, he had handled Zhou Shun’s matter, leaving everyone satisfied and without any complaints.

After finishing, this person’s envious gaze burned into the back of Yu Chen’s hand—the spot that Yun Xunlan had touched.

Yu Chen had been contemplating whether it was appropriate for Yun Xunlan to touch his hand and whether he should dodge next time, but after being glared at by Fu Yanxi, he coldly scoffed and deliberately waved his hand in front of Fu Yanxi as if to provoke him.

“Don’t get cocky.” Fu Yanxi was burning with jealousy, “Commander Dick will definitely punish you with extra training when he comes back.”

Regardless of the reason, it was a fact that Yu Chen had hit a colleague. This kind of thing could be overlooked if it didn’t reach the commander’s ears, but once the commander saw it, he would have to be punished. However, the blame wasn’t entirely on Yu Chen, so the punishment wouldn’t be too severe.

As for Zhou Shun, he would definitely be sent back to where he came from, and the reason for being kicked out of the elite guard would be written into his record. His future was probably set like this.

“Training is training, what’s the big deal about a little extra training?”

However, Yu Chen wasn’t afraid of extra training at all. He waved his hand in front of Fu Yanxi again, continuing to provoke him: “Besides, I made a killing.”

Fu Yanxi: “!!!”

Seeing Fu Yanxi’s expression turn dazed and his gaze blank, as if he had lost his soul, Yu Chen finally felt comfortable.

He walked over to the cold cabinet to grab another nutrient solution to drink, but he overheard two engineers in white lab coats chatting at a table behind him: “Did the prince go to find Doctor Jian again?”

“Probably. I saw him take a nutrient solution and head towards Doctor Jian’s office.”

“The prince is impressive, able to knock on Doctor Jian’s door. I’ve been working here for over half a year, and I can count the number of times I’ve seen Doctor Jian on one hand.”

“Haha, that’s for sure. They grew up together as childhood friends…”

Hearing this, Yu Chen looked around the cafeteria and indeed didn’t see that silver-haired figure anymore. He pressed his lips together, staring at the nutrient solution in his hand, feeling even less appetite than when he was confronting Zhou Shun earlier.

On the other side, once Yun Xunlan walked out of Yu Chen’s sight, he retracted his smile.

He sighed wearily to the system: “Sigh, I really shouldn’t have just checked off all the top nine candidates. I should have finished reviewing the interviews.”

Several of the top nine candidates’ interviews were scheduled after Yu Chen’s, and Zhou Shun was one of them. Yun Xunlan had checked them all without even looking, which was why someone like Zhou Shun had slipped through.

The system also sighed wearily: “Sigh, but even if you had watched all the interviews, you might not have been able to kick him out.”

Zhou Shun had a refined appearance and an elegant demeanor, looking like a polite gentleman. Who would know that he was such a person behind the scenes?

Moreover, Zhou Shun’s admiration for Yun Xunlan was not feigned. He knew how to act obediently in front of Dick and Yun Xunlan, and even though other guards knew he spoke without restraint and lacked discretion, they couldn’t say much due to their colleague status and personal upbringing. At most, they would give him a few subtle reminders and avoid interacting with him. So, it was probably only someone like Yu Chen, with his “I’ll hit you if I don’t like you” personality, who could retaliate against him.

“Indeed, one cannot judge a book by its cover.”

Yun Xunlan once again recognized how absolute this truth was.

After all, he almost brushed Yu Chen off just because he found him unpleasant, didn’t he?

Fortunately, Yu Chen’s excellence couldn’t be hidden, and he timely voiced that deafening oath, which enlightened Yun Xunlan and made him realize his mistake, leading him to change his mind and keep Yu Chen.

Yun Xunlan warned himself: “I must never make such a mistake again.”

He finished the nutrient solution in a few gulps and walked into Jian Wenxi’s office.

Jian Wenxi was having lunch, and upon seeing Yun Xunlan approach, he raised his holographic wristband and asked, “Yun Xunlan, why did you suddenly transfer me thirty billion?”