Chapter 26: Conflict
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: PlumSauce
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelid twitched violently. He had absolutely no idea what he had done that day or why so many students genuinely believed he had been so amazing.
“It’s such a shame. I had something to do that day and couldn’t go to the mixer. I didn’t get to see His Highness Elvis’s little pet’s heroic performance.”
Yun Yingzhi couldn’t imagine it at all. He was just a little white rabbit; even if he was stronger than ordinary people, there was no way he could’ve had any kind of “heroic performance.”
Another student said, “You guys don’t know this, but ever since that Cute Little Battle Rabbit appeared at the Yaoming Battle Arena, the sales of pet rabbits across all major platforms on the Star Network have been skyrocketing. Yesterday, they hit another record high!”
“Yeah, I heard someone even recorded His Highness’s little bunny’s most heroic moments.”
Yun Yingzhi barely managed to stay standing. He didn’t know what had happened that day, but one thing was certain—it definitely hadn’t been something good. Right. Anything that had to do with His Highness Elvis never turned out to be good.
No. He couldn’t think about it anymore. The little rabbit that day hadn’t been him. It hadn’t! He absolutely couldn’t admit it, nor could he let anyone suspect it.
Yun Yingzhi forced himself to stay composed, though inside he felt like coughing up blood. To keep his expression steady and avoid losing control because of a mental breakdown, he decided he needed to think positively. Something good… was there anything good recently? He actually felt kind of impressive—after all, he had single-handedly boosted the entire platform’s rabbit sales. That was practically celebrity-level influence, wasn’t it?
So, what on earth had he done while in his second form that day? How had he managed to create such a powerful effect? Finally, while Yun Yingzhi was still lost in confusion, several students started describing what had actually happened.
They said the cute little white bunny had been incredibly fierce. With his tiny claws and little feet gripping his opponent, he somehow—no one knew how—had slammed the guy to the ground in a completely unreasonable way.
Once wasn’t enough. He had done it multiple times! Such a fierce little white rabbit. Such a strong little white rabbit. Such an adorable little white rabbit.
Under the emotional turmoil, the students finally dispersed and went back to their dorms. When Yun Yingzhi returned to his, all three of his roommates were already there. They chatted for a bit before Yun Yingzhi grabbed his pajamas and went into the bathroom.
After washing up, he came out wearing his pajamas. All three roommates turned their gazes toward him at once. Yun Yingzhi hung his uniform in the closet. Then suddenly, something felt off—the dorm was strangely quiet. Only then did he realize that all three of them were staring directly at him.
His eyelid twitched again. He looked at them in confusion, and maybe it was his imagination, but their expressions looked downright terrifying. He instinctively took a step back, eyeing them cautiously as he asked tentatively, “What’s wrong with you guys?” What he really wanted to ask was—how could he have possibly messed up again in just a few minutes?
Ji Xiaobo frowned and asked, “Yingzhi, your neck.”
Yun Yingzhi’s pupils shrank violently. He finally understood—hickeys! Unlike the academy uniform, his pajamas were loose, exposing a large part of his neck, which made it impossible to hide the marks left from that wild night he couldn’t even remember. Yun Yingzhi’s face instantly turned scarlet, and he awkwardly avoided Ji Xiaobo’s gaze.
Yu Feiwen furrowed his brows. “Do you have someone you’re seeing?”
Jing Haomiao added, “That person seems… kind of wild?”
Yun Yingzhi’s face, already red enough to bleed, flushed even deeper at that. He slapped both cheeks with his hands and said, “Don’t talk nonsense. I don’t have anyone I’m seeing. I—”
Before he could finish, Ji Xiaobo interrupted, “If it’s not someone you’re dating, then was it a one-night stand?”
Yun Yingzhi opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to speak. Not someone he was seeing… then was it a one-night stand? He didn’t think so. But if it wasn’t a one-night stand, then what was it?
The three roommates exchanged looks and realized the truth probably wasn’t what they had imagined. They crowded closer, pressing him for answers. “Yingzhi, what exactly happened yesterday?”
A chill ran down Yun Yingzhi’s scalp. They had been roommates for over a year and always got along well. After a moment’s hesitation, Yun Yingzhi decided to explain as simply as possible. “…Well, I drank too much last night, and then I don’t remember anything. When I woke up…” He took a deep breath, face full of mixed emotions. “It was like this.”
Because of embarrassment, his cheeks, ears, and neck—all the skin that was exposed—were flushed bright red. His long lashes trembled slightly, making him look small, helpless, and pitiful. There was no doubt about it—he was clearly inexperienced in this kind of thing.
Having known him for over a year, the three immediately guessed what that meant. That had probably been Yun Yingzhi’s first time. All three of their expressions darkened instantly.
Yu Feiwen, both hands clenched into fists, demanded, “Yingzhi, tell me—who was that person?”
Their eyes were full of fury. They were convinced that whoever had taken advantage of a drunk Yun Yingzhi was despicable.
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelid twitched again. Seeing their angry faces, he didn’t dare tell the truth. “I don’t know. I really don’t remember anything from last night,” he said, then added quickly, “When I woke up this morning, I was the only one there.”
That only made them angrier! To them, that person had clearly taken advantage of him, then ran away while Yun Yingzhi was asleep—probably afraid of retaliation. Even if Yun Yingzhi wasn’t particularly favored, he was still a child of General Yun’s household.
They kept pressing him for more details. The more they asked, the more his back went cold. If this went on, they’d definitely drag the truth out of him. So Yun Yingzhi immediately changed the subject. Turning to Yu Feiwen, he asked, “Feiwen, how’s that source weapon I had my contact make for you? It should be pretty good, right?”
Yu Feiwen: “…” In a flash, the anger in Yu Feiwen’s eyes turned into pure confusion.
Yun Yingzhi nudged him, looking genuinely expectant. “Feiwen, well? How is it?”
Yu Feiwen: “…” Seeing Yun Yingzhi’s hopeful face—and remembering what he’d gone through last night—Yu Feiwen couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth. He had actually meant to send the weapon to the association for evaluation but had forgotten. In addition, he also hadn’t even used it yet.
Wait, where had he put it again? He’d thrown away the packaging, and the weapon… was it still in the pocket of the clothes he wore yesterday? Those clothes had already been tossed into the laundry basket, waiting to be sent off for cleaning in a few days.
Not daring to speak the truth, Yu Feiwen quickly said, “Didn’t we have the mixer yesterday? I slept all morning today, so I haven’t had a chance to test it yet.”
Yun Yingzhi nodded and went back to sit on his bed. “No rush.”
Ji Xiaobo and Jing Haomiao looked at Yun Yingzhi, then at Yu Feiwen.
As if suddenly remembering something, Yun Yingzhi turned to Jing Haomiao. “Haomiao, Xiaobo said there’s no rush. Do you want to tell me what kind of source weapon you need? I can pass it along to the craftsman I know.”
Jing Haomiao immediately said, “I’m the same as Xiaobo, no rush. I need to think about it first.”
“No rush?” Yun Yingzhi repeated.
Jing Haomiao said sincerely, “Yeah, no rush. The one I’m using now works fine. I’ll figure out what I really need and then tell you.” He then added, “Let your craftsman work on someone else’s weapon first.”
Yun Yingzhi nodded. “Okay.”
In his mind, he thought that Wei Yuanqing’s source weapon was a bit difficult to make, so he could put that off for now. What really needed his focus was the one he wanted to give his brother. Just thinking about being able to help his brother filled Yun Yingzhi’s heart with anticipation.
Yun Yingzhi imagined the look of joy on Yun Yinghui’s face when he received the gift. He couldn’t wait any longer. Lying in bed, he opened his personal terminal, pulled up the design schematics, and found the half-finished spatial-restriction type source weapon he’d been working on. He began refining the details.
The more detailed the schematics, the higher the success rate would be during manufacturing. He drifted off to sleep without realizing it, and before he knew it, the next morning had arrived. Yun Yingzhi got up with his three roommates and trudged off to morning training. After training, the four of them headed together to the cafeteria.
Ji Xiaobo said, “You guys go ahead and get in line. Grab my meal too—I’m going to the restroom.”
Ji Xiaobo left while Yun Yingzhi and the other two lined up for food.
After leaving the restroom, Ji Xiaobo headed back to find Yun Yingzhi and the others. By coincidence, he happened to spot Huai Boshe and Yun Yingyao on the way back. Huai Boshe used to look for Yun Yingzhi all the time, but lately he hadn’t been doing that.
Ji Xiaobo glanced at Huai Boshe, then at Yun Yingyao, and the realization hit him—no wonder Huai Boshe hadn’t been looking for Yun Yingzhi recently. It was because he liked Yun Yingyao. He’d been busy chasing her. The more Ji Xiaobo thought about it, the weirder it felt. He’d always sensed that Huai Boshe had a strong possessiveness toward Yun Yingzhi. It had seemed like he liked him, but…
No, he couldn’t have been wrong. Eyes don’t lie. Feelings of affection can’t be hidden. In Ji Xiaobo’s view, Huai Boshe definitely liked Yun Yingzhi. So then… Why was he pursuing Yun Yingyao? Could someone be in love with two people at once?
Ji Xiaobo shook his head, deciding not to waste brainpower on that mess. Huai Boshe’s love life wasn’t important. What mattered was how Yun Yingzhi felt. Just as that thought crossed his mind, he heard Huai Boshe’s voice.
Huai Boshe said, “Yingzhi contacted me the night before last.”
Yun Yingyao grimaced. “Didn’t Yingzhi block you?”
“Yeah. But that night, he somehow reached me—seemed drunk.” Huai Boshe paused, then added, “I was with you at the time, so I hung up on him. You know I don’t like anyone interrupting our time together. Not even your brother.” He let out a soft sigh. “I figured maybe he needed something and planned to call him back later. But then he blocked me again.”
“Yingzhi didn’t come home yesterday,” Yun Yingyao said quietly.
“Really?” Huai Boshe’s gaze swept the area, and in an instant, he spotted Yun Yingzhi sitting with Yu Feiwen and Jing Haomiao. “…Guess it wasn’t anything important then.”
Ji Xiaobo’s heartbeat spiked. His chest rose and fell sharply as rage boiled up inside him. From that short exchange between Huai Boshe and Yun Yingyao, Ji Xiaobo could practically piece together what had happened the night of the mixer.
He guessed that when Yun Yingzhi had gotten drunk, his instinct had been to reach out to the person he trusted most—Huai Boshe. And what had Huai Boshe done? Even though he was the childhood friend that had grown up with Yun Yingzhi, he had ignored that call for help just to stay with Yun Yingyao? Yun Yingzhi was so gentle and fragile. How desperate must he have felt at that moment?
Just the thought made Ji Xiaobo’s chest ache with suffocating anger and pity for his friend. His eyes went red. He tried to hold it back—but failed. He lunged forward and struck out at Huai Boshe from behind. To be fair, Huai Boshe’s reflexes were sharp.
The instant he sensed Ji Xiaobo closing in, he shoved Yun Yingyao aside and dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the first attack. In just a split second, the entire cafeteria descended into chaos. Having missed his first strike, Ji Xiaobo launched a second assault toward Huai Boshe.
Huai Boshe frowned, completely confused about why Ji Xiaobo was attacking him. Still, he didn’t hate fighting—and he especially didn’t like Ji Xiaobo. Actually, he didn’t like any of Yun Yingzhi’s roommates. In truth, even more than Ji Xiaobo and the others realized, Huai Boshe despised them. Finding an opening, Huai Boshe counterattacked—without holding back.
Meanwhile, Yun Yingzhi and his two roommates had no idea what was happening between Huai Boshe and Ji Xiaobo. They’d gotten their meals and, out of politeness, were waiting for Ji Xiaobo to return before eating. Suddenly, the sound of fighting erupted nearby.
It wasn’t their business, so they ignored it. At a military academy, tempers ran hot. It wasn’t unusual for students to lose control and fight in prohibited areas. It wasn’t something worth paying attention to. Usually, the discipline squad would show up within ten minutes to stop it. Both the instigator and the one provoked would be punished.
Though, typically, the instigator’s punishment was heavier. The one being attacked rarely got into serious trouble. Since the matter did not concern them, Yun Yingzhi and the others kept chatting idly. Then…
They overheard someone in the crowd say, “Whoa, I heard it’s the second-year top student who’s fighting! Let’s go take a look!”
Yun Yingzhi thought, Second-year top student? Huai Boshe? Ha. What a jinx. Not just Yun Yingzhi—Yu Feiwen and Jing Haomiao both felt equally disgusted.
The next moment, a student in the crowd shouted, “Looks like it was the other guy who attacked Huai Boshe first!”
Serves him right, Yun Yingzhi thought coldly. If Huai Boshe wasn’t such a jerk, why would anyone attack him? Yu Feiwen and Jing Haomiao brightened a little, silently hoping whoever it was would give Huai Boshe a proper beating. Hopefully it was a strong upperclassman. But they knew that was unlikely. From what they overheard, the student fighting Huai Boshe seemed completely unknown—probably not someone very powerful.
Then someone asked, “Who’s the other guy?”
“Uh… I think his name’s Ji Xiaobo?” came an uncertain reply.
All three of them seized with shock. Three of them exchanged glances and almost simultaneously stood up, rushing toward the direction where the fight had broken out in the cafeteria. For most people, forcing their way through a crowd was extremely difficult. But for Yun Yingzhi, it wasn’t. Partly because he was Ji Xiaobo’s roommate, and partly because of his good looks.
Students from Fansa Academy had always been unusually tolerant of their school’s famed school flower, known for his eye-catching appearance and gentle demeanor. When Yun Yingzhi and his friends burst into the circle of students watching the fight, they immediately saw that Huai Boshe had the clear upper hand. He swung his fist and landed a solid punch on Ji Xiaobo.
Yun Yingzhi’s gaze shifted to Ji Xiaobo. The boy’s face was covered in bruises, his uniform was disheveled, and several spots clearly showed where he’d been hit. A surge of anger rose in Yun Yingzhi’s chest. He shouted, “Huai Boshe, stop!” Even as he spoke, he activated his source weapon. Instantly, twelve massive cannon barrels appeared above the cafeteria, all aimed squarely at Huai Boshe.
Huai Boshe, still in battle mode, had a look of ferocity on his face—as if he meant to vent all his pent-up frustration on Ji Xiaobo. But when he heard Yun Yingzhi’s words, his movements froze. He looked over at him, but he asked, “Yingzhi, why should I stop?”
At that moment, one of the students noticed the twelve cannons and gasped. “Wait a sec—isn’t that the same source weapon skill used by Cute Little Battle Rabbit?”
More and more people turned their eyes upward. When Yun Yingzhi heard those four words—“Cute Little Battle Rabbit”—the video from the battle replay flashed through his mind: a tiny white bunny spinning circles on one little paw. His face flushed red, and he instantly put away his source weapon, glaring at Huai Boshe with fury in his eyes.
The surrounding students looked at Yun Yingzhi with growing suspicion. Thanks to his sharp hearing, Yun Yingzhi occasionally caught fragments of their whispers.
“No way, right? Our school flower is actually Cute Little Battle Rabbit from the Yaoming Battle Arena?”
“If Cute Little Battle Rabbit were just cute, I’d believe it. But our school flower has always been so delicate!”
Some students insisted there were too many coincidences; others claimed they trusted their own judgment. After all, they’d known Yun Yingzhi for years—how could someone so fragile possibly be that ferocious little white rabbit?
Under the weight of their skeptical gazes, Yun Yingzhi walked up to Ji Xiaobo, helped him to his feet, and fixed his burning eyes on Huai Boshe. “You’re the top student of the second-year class, and this is how you treat your weaker classmates?”
Huai Boshe met his eyes. “Why don’t you ask him why he attacked me first, even though he’s weaker?”
Many students in the cafeteria had witnessed the entire fight, and several spoke up—confirming that Huai Boshe was telling the truth. In this conflict, he was the one who’d been provoked.
Yun Yingzhi was being a bit of a hypocrite. If he and Huai Boshe were still in a relationship, he might’ve tried to smooth things over. But right now, he despised Huai Boshe. “Why don’t you reflect on yourself? If you hadn’t done something wrong, why would Xiaobo attack you?” His words were blatantly biased.
Huai Boshe, “…”
The other students at the scene, “…”
Everyone’s expression turned oddly strained. They all felt Yun Yingzhi’s words were… rather infuriating.
Huai Boshe’s eyelid twitched. His already sour mood darkened further. In fact, ever since Yun Yingzhi had blocked him, he’d been in a constant state of irritation—uneasy, though he didn’t even understand why.
“Yingzhi, that’s some serious victim-blaming,” Huai Boshe said flatly.
Yun Yingzhi knew he was in the wrong, but he switched tactics and continued scolding him. “Huai Boshe, as the top student of the second-year class, you’re a leader. No matter what the reason is—even if you were just defending yourself—you’re still wrong. You have to understand, there’s a power gap between you and Xiaobo. If a weaker student lashes out because of something bad you did, and tomorrow a little kid hits you for the same reason, are you going to hit back just as hard?” He tried to take the moral high ground.
In the crowd, a student commented in a lowered voice, “Logically, what our school flower said doesn’t make much sense… but the way he said it so seriously kind of makes it sound reasonable.”
“Weren’t Yun Yingzhi and Huai Boshe super close before? You’d always see them walking together. What’s going on now? Yun Yinzhi is calling him by his full name. Did they have a falling-out?”
“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen them together these past few days.”
Huai Boshe’s face darkened. Seeing Yun Yingzhi blindly defend Ji Xiaobo only made his foul mood worse. Especially when he saw Yun Yingzhi take out a handkerchief and gently wipe the blood from Ji Xiaobo’s face. For a moment, he thought maybe he should’ve just stood there and let Ji Xiaobo hit him. But the thought was ridiculous—there was no way he’d embarrass himself like that in front of everyone. If anything, he should’ve hit back harder and warned Ji Xiaobo and his friends to stay away from Yun Yingzhi.
Huai Boshe didn’t even realize how cold and venomous his gaze had become as he looked at Ji Xiaobo—until a student’s comment snapped him out of it. He quickly masked his expression and asked, “So, Ji Xiaobo, do you want to explain why you attacked me?”
Ji Xiaobo had been furious already, and seeing Yun Yingzhi defend him without knowing the situation made him even angrier—and made his heart ache for what Yun Yingzhi had gone through that night. His eyes turned red as he shouted, “Huai Boshe, don’t you know what you did?”
Yun Yingzhi glared at Huai Boshe too, thinking, What a scumbag. It wasn’t enough that he hurt me—he’s bullying my classmate now too? Outrageous!
Most of the cafeteria had no idea what Huai Boshe could’ve possibly done to make Ji Xiaobo so furious.
Huai Boshe narrowed his eyes. He truly didn’t know what he had done. “I don’t believe I’ve done anything to wrong you,” he said evenly.
Ji Xiaobo nearly exploded. “The night before last!”
Yun Yingzhi was thunderstruck. His eyelid twitched hard. Just hearing the timeline made him feel uneasy—like this was heading somewhere bad. A beat too slow, he shifted his gaze from Huai Boshe to Ji Xiaobo, thinking frantically that he had to stop him before he said too much.
Yu Feiwen and Jing Haomiao both looked at Ji Xiaobo, thinking. The night before last—that was the night of the mixer, the night Yun Yingzhi had suffered the biggest humiliation of his life. Had something else happened then too?
As they puzzled over this, Ji Xiaobo burst out, “The night before last, Yingzhi contacted you—but because you didn’t want to be disturbed while you were together with his sister, you hung up on him! I’m asking you, since he suddenly called you, why didn’t you at least ask him if something important had happened?”
Yun Yingzhi’s mind went completely blank. Before he could even figure out how to stop Ji Xiaobo, the boy had already blurted everything out. The onlookers grew even more confused.
Huai Boshe grimaced. Yun Yingzhi had called him that night. From Ji Xiaobo’s reaction, something serious must’ve happened. But what? The not-knowing gnawed at him. Especially when he remembered what Yun Yingyao had told him—that Yun Yingzhi hadn’t gone home that night.
Yun Yingzhi’s lips parted slightly. “Xiaobo, don’t…”
He’d meant to say, Don’t bring that up. It’s over. But before he could finish, Yu Feiwen and Jing Haomiao suddenly realized exactly what had happened that night. The string named “reason” in their minds snapped. Just imagining how helpless Yun Yingzhi must’ve been back then—
They, like Ji Xiaobo before them, instantly lunged at Huai Boshe. Huai Boshe reacted immediately, dodging their attacks on instinct.
Yun Yingzhi frowned and shouted, “Stop fighting!” But even as he said it, he activated his esper ability again. Twelve massive cannons reappeared, all aimed straight at Huai Boshe. He couldn’t help thinking bitterly that he should’ve upgraded his source weapon. Twelve cannons weren’t enough—thirty-six would’ve been perfect. Even twenty-four would’ve been nice.
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