Chapter 24 1/2

Jiang Li’s heart secretly beat a few times faster. He had never talked to anyone about marriage. He reluctantly discussed it, steering the conversation towards “I can’t be with your Cen team,” while the person in question stood outside… too embarrassing.

Cen Lang had provided him with excellent research conditions, and here he was talking nonsense.

The overly friendly Alpha chimed in, “My wife is a teacher, and she knows many…” But he was cut off mid-sentence by a pinch to the back of the neck.

Alpha turned slowly to see Cen Lang staring down at him. There was an instant panic, as if he had hit a landmine while digging.

Cen Lang said, “Doctor Jiang can’t cure the habit of talking too much. Next.”

The overly familiar Alpha blushed and left. Jiang Li bit his lip, the same shade of red appearing on his face.

Cen Lang gestured for the soldier to leave first and raised the entrance door of the warship. The sealing of the warship was excellent; once the door closed, the air inside seemed to compress.

Jiang Li excelled academically and rarely made mistakes. When Cen Lang sat down in front of him, Jiang Li suddenly experienced the reverence and panic of a mediocre student talking to his mentor.

He withdrew his hand from the table, placing it on his knee.

Cen Lang squinted, noting Jiang Li’s appearance—a semblance of someone waiting to be reprimanded. He spoke earnestly: “Do you think the standards you’ve set for finding a partner are reasonable?”

Jiang Li replied, “I don’t want to find a partner.”

Cen Lang explained, “The people outside are all regular members of the space force. There’s nothing special about them. For marriage, you should find an Alpha who is responsible, rich, good-looking, and has time to accompany his wife.”

Jiang Li agreed, “You’re right, but I don’t want to find a partner.”

Cen Lang suggested, “Despite their alpha appearance, the top Alphas have messy personal lives. If you claim to be single, many people will add you to their communication devices.”

Jiang Li refused, “I won’t give my contact information.”

Cen Lang, satisfied internally, explained his actions: “Well, you’re under my leadership in the space force, and you’re still a student. I have a corresponding duty to advise you.”

He stood up, opened the door again, and glanced at the Alphas. The overly familiar Alpha had already spread the news, and as soon as the door opened, the single Alphas became restless.

What are they thinking?

Cen Lang pulled a chair and sat next to Jiang Li, discouraging the Alphas from trying to get his contact information with his gaze.

In a certain top Alpha group, excitement rippled. “Is there anything we can send to the base?” “Can we ask about Dr. Jiang’s preferences?” “To be honest, my sexual orientation has always been Beta.”

Until someone said:

[False brother: There’s no chance for the boss, and Dr. Jiang, I have a chance! ]

[Real brother: Think about why he doesn’t deny it.]

A bucket of cold water poured down, and everyone suddenly felt much older. Who dares to be a romantic rival to Cen Lang?

Cen Lang accompanied Jiang for an afternoon, calmly concluding that the problem was probably a lack of exercise.

Therefore, the base broadcast announced: Night training, assemble in five minutes!

Jiang Li also heard it. He looked at Cen Lang and asked, “Are you going?”

Cen Lang pretended that he didn’t announce it himself: “Yes, the general just talked to me about it. I’ve been away for two months, and the training has become a bit lax.”

Jiang Li asked, “How long will you be back?”

Cen Lang smiled and said, “The whole night. You go to sleep first. If you feel bored, I’ll call a transport to take you over.”

Jiang Li declined, “No need. I’ll stay in the warship.”

After saying that, he wondered if Cen Lang would worry about him alone on the warship. After all, the warship was a soldier’s second life, which was crucially important.

He changed his mind and said, “Either way.”

Cen Lang said, “Alright, I’ll watch for the right time and call you.” The space in the warship was small, and Jiang Li was cautious not to go to the cockpit. It was also good to go out and move around.

After Cen Lang left, Jiang Li read a chapter, took out his tablet, found an exercise video, quickly went through the pregnancy-safe exercises, deleted the data usage record, and started stretching.

Recently, he felt awkward exercising in front of Cen Lang. When sleeping, he lay straight, woke up sitting upright, and was always cautious. About two hours later, the warship prompted a visitor. Following Cen Lang’s instructions, Jiang Li opened the door.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Dr. Jiang. I’ll take you to the training ground.” The other person drove a transport vehicle, technically a flying craft for ground patrols, a perfect fit for two people.

After Jiang Li got in, the transport vehicle turned into a sightseeing vehicle.

The driver introduced various functional areas while driving: “You can see the aurora from this position at midnight.” “Dr. Jiang, do you want to… no, wait for Mr. Cen to take you?”

Jiang Li listened and found the tour guide’s voice familiar. He turned his head, sniffed, and looked at the face through the other person’s helmet.

“General Meng Ru? Why is it you?” Jiang Li had occasionally watched military news recently, and General Meng Ru, the highest commander of the space force, would appear on major occasions.

A general serving as his tour guide…

Meng Ru smiled and said, “Don’t be nervous. Just consider me Mr. Cen’s chief secretary. You probably often ride in Mr. Cen’s car; I haven’t.”

Jiang Li: “…” Right, in the eyes of others, being Cen Lang’s driver was a higher privilege. “You’re busy with military affairs. How do you have time?”

Meng Ru, profound, said, “Maybe because I’m the only Beta who doesn’t need training.”

This sentence had two key points: he didn’t need training, and he was a beta.

During the day, someone who had developed an aversion to Alphas forbade any Alpha from being alone with Jiang Li. The reason was quite sufficient: What if the foolish Alpha couldn’t control his pheromones?

As they talked, the two arrived above the training ground, and Jiang Li’s attention was drawn to the scene below.

Was it… hand-to-hand combat?

Meng Ru explained, “I just finished a weighted cross-country run.”

The Alphas had lost half their stamina but were regrouping for group combat. Cen Lang pointed to a few numbers: “S89, K64… step forward.” The military formation shifted, and several Alphas stood at the forefront, including top-tier ones.

“You guys, come with me.”

The Alphas who stepped forward looked hopeless. Wasn’t this waiting to be beaten unilaterally?

Why were they chosen? The few exchanged glances, and in an instant, a top Alpha asked quietly, “Did you also ask Dr. Jiang for his number?”