Chapter 116: Imperial Capital Wu Yue
Huai Yu carried a basket to collect rose petals, still using her old trick of sweet talk.
But in the imperial capital, Wu Yue felt like he had run into an old trick himself.
“General Wu, I heard the newly promoted captain of the garrison was trained by you personally? Truly, a strong general produces no weak soldiers!”
“She’s quite promising too, rising through the ranks so fast!”
“Well deserved! I heard during the recent mission, despite being a young girl, she fought fearlessly and charged ahead…”
“Exactly! We all watched the footage they sent back. General Wu, she really reminded us of your do-or-die attitude from a few years ago!”
Wu Yue kept a faint smile on his face, but his eyes were full of indifference. The others seemed oblivious, continuing to heap on the praise.
It was making him feel irritated inside.
It was always like this—surrounding him to praise their own kids, trying to get them into the garrison, or just using it as a way to get closer…
So annoying.
He tugged at his collar and forced a smile, “I’m going for a smoke.”
“Go ahead!” Everyone laughed warmly, and the noise gradually faded behind him.
But as Wu Yue walked alone into the garden, he didn’t see that behind him, though their smiles remained, the conversation quickly turned, “You know, I ran into General Wu once when he was smoking—how come he was smoking a cheap brand? Doesn’t logistics supply something better? Or does he just like that brand?”
“Tsk! Should I change the brand of my New Year gift too?”
“Ugh, you guys are always so passive-aggressive. Who doesn’t know his mom loves to splash out and show off…”
“I heard he used to have a girlfriend for years, seemed like a really decent girl, but his mom broke them up, thought she was too low-class…”
“Well, isn’t that typical? Did you see the way he talks to us… like we’re beneath him!”
“Exactly…”
“You know what’s weird? Back then when General Lin was arrogant and sharp-tongued, I didn’t even get mad. But looking at this guy’s sour face just annoys me.”
“General Lin didn’t talk much to us, but he didn’t talk much to anyone! Plus, he was straightforward—refused things directly or got things done. Better than this indecisive type.”
“Tch, you all act like he’s nothing, but he is young and capable…”
“Hahaha Lao Chang, you’re honest—but your place is near his, we’re just afraid you’ll rat us out.”
“Bah! As if I care! His mom already yanked out the chives I grew in my yard! I watered those with purified water!”
“Don’t even bring it up! This guy was wild when he was young, really went all out, that’s why the top brass liked him. But over the years…”
They hummed and hawed, struggling for words.
Finally, a younger man summed it up precisely, “Arrogant and greasy?”
“Yes, exactly!”
They all mulled over the words and agreed it was spot on.
Arrogant and greasy—what a combo.
And what’s the point of acting high and mighty with people who also risk their lives?
Sure, we’re not as gifted as you, and we didn’t manage to create a Rose Corridor that can protect a city for 5-6 years…
Pfft! Rose Corridor—what bad luck!
General Lin was arrogant back then too, strongest in solo combat and excellent in coordinated battles, but he wasn’t this greasy.
Whenever you talk to him, it feels like you’re begging for something… gross!
People bring their kids to say a few polite words, and he has to make a big deal out of it just because he’s young.
And let’s not even start—Wu Yue’s been holding back in fights for years. How many wilderness missions does he actually take in a year? Everyone knows the truth.
As they kept chatting, someone nudged Old Bai, “Hey, why aren’t you saying anything? We were just praising your daughter earlier. Yu’s performance was really impressive this time!”
“What’s there to say? You guys can praise her all you want; when I get home, I’ll scold her—reckless girl, going all out on a mission like that. She’s not even that skilled but dares to show off…”
Of course it’s great when kids achieve things, but when those achievements are bought with their lives, what parent wouldn’t be mad?
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Someone added, “I heard a rumor that your daughter is always hanging around General Wu?”
“Tsk—I heard that too! Old Bai, you’d better think carefully. Wu Yue’s mom says a lot of people are clingy, but their family’s standards are high…”
Old Bai snorted, “They say he’s not interested in marriage and just wants peace—what a poser!”
He shook his head hard, “A young talent like General Wu, way out of our league. My daughter just asks him for advice—that’s all. She’s young too, not interested in marriage, just wants peace…”
Same words, but when it’s them saying it, it sounds totally different.
Everyone laughed.
“Got it, got it! When Bai Yu becomes a general, I’ll find her a perfect match!”
“Old Bai, you really raised your kid well—so clear-headed! Wu Yue’s family though…”
Everyone clicked their tongues and shook their heads, no need to say more.
Meanwhile, Wu Yue lit his cigarette and walked quietly through the garden.
This mission had brought great results for all the young ones, so several families threw a celebration banquet. Of course Wu Yue was invited.
But these people—always full of empty words. Some of them had even received apologies from his mom, and their fake polite talk back then had left him feeling frustrated.
Now attending this banquet, it was hard not to feel annoyed.
Especially that girl from the Bai family…
To be honest, Bai Yu wasn’t bad-looking. Short hair, energetic, but not very ladylike.
No softness at all.
She often hung around him, and Wu Yue knew exactly what was on her mind.
But he couldn’t feel comfortable around her—because of his mom, he still owed their family a huge contribution point debt.
Aunt Wang probably wanted to latch on too, and had “borrowed” 5,000 points from his mom on purpose… His salary was high, sure, but not enough to keep up with that kind of debt.
He took a drag, silently planning to head to the wilderness again this year.
Without mission bonuses, when would he ever pay off that debt… and it kept piling up.
And his mom—why couldn’t she understand the burden on her son?
Just as he was deep in thought, Wu Yue suddenly spun around, alert, “Who’s there?!”
From behind the tree stepped a familiar figure—it was Bai Yu, Aunt Wang’s daughter, always hanging around under the excuse of asking for advice.
Wu Yue frowned, feeling annoyed again.
Ever since his promotion—or even before it—there had been too many women like this.
But remembering that he had just chatted with her dad, he sighed and suppressed his impatience:
“What are you following me for?”
The girl’s face turned red instantly, her fists clenched tightly, looking very nervous.
Wu Yue couldn’t help but soften a little.
She was a young, pretty girl, and still had a faint scar on her face. He wasn’t the type to judge by looks, especially since she had really fought hard…
Was he being too harsh?
Thinking this, his tone softened, “Sorry, did I scare you?”
He stepped toward her, but she jumped back like a startled deer, clenched her fists, and nervously said, “I—I have something to do, I’ll go now.”
Then she darted into the hall like a gust of wind.
Wu Yue watched her back and chuckled.
But when he thought about the messy debt between his mom and Aunt Wang, his head ached again.
Back at home after the banquet, Bai Yu rushed to her room and started furiously beating her pillow:
“Psycho!”
“Gross!”
“Creep!”
“Narcissist!”
“So greasy!”
“Bai Yu,” her mom gently knocked on the door: “Keep your voice down. You’re promoted now; you need to keep your cool.”
Bai Yu slammed her pillow down and sat on the bed, grinding her teeth:
“Keep my cool? I held it in for over an hour at that banquet. I’m very good at keeping my cool!”
She stood up, stomping around, “Sometimes I hate myself—too good at enduring! I should’ve just smashed that pig head of his!”
Her mom was used to these outbursts ever since she started hanging around Wu Yue. She spoke softly, “You want to take a shortcut and win over his people? You have to eat some bitterness.”
“And really, your endurance isn’t that great. If you had started a relationship with him, you might’ve moved faster.”
Bai Yu calmed down at that snide remark, “Mom, come on. I’m not weak—I don’t need to date him. I’d rather go fight in the wilderness for ten days straight.”
“Pfft!” Her mom lost her calm and came over to smack her with a pillow, “Is that something to brag about? Look at the scar on your face! Any closer and you’d have lost your eye!”
“You’ve only done a few missions and you’re already this reckless? What about your dad and me?”
Bai Yu touched her scar, a bit scared, but then grinned, “You should’ve seen me take down that black widow spider—so cool!”
“And it wasn’t for nothing. I got promoted, I have my own team now. The veterans around Wu Yue have noticed me too—not bad.”
“The defense force in Flower City probably likes me too…”
She grinned, “One day, I’ll be a general too!”
But thinking of that other general, she frowned, “How can someone be so self-absorbed?!”
“I told him I was there to learn. I kept sparring with him to improve… and that jerk wouldn’t fight properly! Always acting all ‘gentle’ and crap!”
“If I hadn’t trained extra hard, I’d have been in big trouble on that mission!”
“And the way he looked at me—ugh, so greasy! When I hurt him in sparring, he acted like it was cute, saying, ‘Little girl’s pretty fierce…’”
The memory made her fume, “I told him—in the ring, there are no men or women, only opponents!”
At the hospital in Flower City, someone else was saying the same thing in a daze.
The room was empty. Zhou Qian, finally awake after his blood transfusions and treatments, asked for a mirror.
When he saw himself, his face almost fell apart—except he couldn’t, because the tight scar tissue would’ve ripped.
A deep scar ran from temple to cheekbone on the left, and another from cheek to jawbone on the right.
And that was just his face. His neck, chest, arms, all covered in brutal scars.
He put down the mirror, thinking darkly—thank god for the Rose Corridor. Without it, he’d be dead by now.
And Huai Yu—no more peace for her.
Thinking of her, he groaned, “That stupid girl… sweet-talking but no sense…”
They’d barely met a few times, barely spoken…
And he’d wrecked her house too…
