It was almost the second year of his partnership with Yan Xueshan.

Arthur began to discreetly drive away everyone who approached Yan Xueshan, both men and women. According to his observations, there were more male pursuers, especially male alphas.

This was relatively easy to solve. All he needed to do was stand by Yan Xueshan’s side and emit a strong alpha pheromone scent, naturally scaring away more than 80% of the pursuers.

First, he wanted them to feel inferior.

Want to pursue Yan Xueshan?

First, compare yourself to Arthur and see if you measure up. No one was as good-looking as him, and those who were better looking couldn’t operate mechas like he did. Those who could operate mechas as well as him… well, they were few and far between.

Also, in all public and even not public occasions, he took care of Yan Xueshan with the utmost consideration, more thoughtful and gentle than any boyfriend.

As time went on, rumors of them dating slowly became more widespread.

Yan Xueshan was someone who was oblivious to the world, so he had no idea, and no one dared to approach him to ask.

Arthur simply allowed the rumors to flourish and found pleasure in it. Hearing about it from others made him feel elated, as if he was indeed dating Yan Xueshan, soothing the frustration of his repeated pursuits that yielded no results.

He diligently and persistently chatted with Yan Xueshan one hour before they went to bed, no matter what he talked about. In the beginning, Yan Xueshan listened and fell asleep, then occasionally responded, and later on, Yan Xueshan would even comment on their conversations.

Once, when he was too tired and wanted to sleep as soon as he got back, Yan Xueshan waited for a while and asked, “Are you sleeping without chatting with me today?”

That instantly rejuvenated Arthur!

This whole process took him nearly three years.

Arthur had also inquired from others and roughly learned that despite having many admirers, Yan Xueshan seemed to have never been in a relationship before. He was like a highland flower that no one could pluck, and getting close to him was difficult. At least, during their time in the military, no one had succeeded. As for before he joined the service, Arthur didn’t know, but that didn’t matter now.

One advantage of Yan Xueshan not being able to smell his pheromones was, as mentioned earlier, that it made it easier to drive away rivals. The downside, however, was that no matter how much he expressed his love through pheromones, Yan Xueshan couldn’t sense it.

Yan Xueshan was such a pure person.

He didn’t seem to be interested in anything outside of work. He didn’t love spending money, he would sternly refuse when his supervisor asked him to do something outside of work, and when he worked during his breaks, he would demand overtime pay.

He was so keen on saving money that he seemed a bit stingy, but every month he sent a sum of money to an orphanage.

Arthur had asked him about it, and Yan Xueshan had bluntly told him that it was the orphanage where he used to live.

During battles, Yan Xueshan’s emotions remained almost stable. If there was an occasional fluctuation, it was usually because he wanted to finish work quickly and get off duty, which made Arthur have to grit his teeth to keep up with him.

Almost no one knew that Yan Xueshan wasn’t just an excellent sniper. His close combat skills were also extremely powerful, although he didn’t often train them and might not use them in many situations.

Yan Xueshan once said, “Do you know what kind of person is most likely to survive on the battlefield?

“It’s not someone particularly outstanding in a specific field but someone who knows a little bit about everything. That’s what I believe.”

Arthur thought to himself: ‘A little bit? Is that what you call it?’

In any case, the longer Arthur spent time with Yan Xueshan, the more fascinated he became with him.

His methods could drive away those less impressive competitors, but it was a bit difficult to deal with the more outstanding ones. For example, that guy, Lan Zephyr. His eyes would light up whenever he saw Yan Xueshan.

They had bumped into each other once at a mecha seminar, and since then, Lan Zephyr started acting overly familiar with Yan Xueshan. Privately, he said to Arthur, “Haha, I know there’s nothing going on between you two. Yan Xueshan doesn’t like you at all. Why are you staring at me like that? Want to hit me? You can’t!

“What’s the matter? You’re not married, so why can’t others pursue him? Don’t act like a little dog guarding his bone, kid.”

Indeed, among the group of elite soldiers, Arthur was the youngest. For a long time, he wondered if Yan Xueshan didn’t consider him as a potential partner because he was too young. He tried to intercept Lan Zephyr’s advances, but he managed to strike up a conversation with Yan Xueshan.

Yan Xueshan’s refusal was straightforward. “If you want to be my partner, just say it. I don’t have time for idle talk; I need to train. Sorry, forgive my impoliteness, but it’s impossible for me to be your partner. Arthur is my partner, and I’ll continue to partner with him. Besides, you work well with your sister, don’t you? I don’t think you should switch partners.

“Thank you for your approval. Goodbye.”

Arthur happily savored the moment for several days, walking on air. He said to Yan Xueshan, “Master, do you only want to be my partner? You don’t want anyone else?”

“Yes,” Yan Xueshan nodded. “As long as you’re alive, why would I need to switch partners? If you die, then I’ll find someone else.”

Arthur: “…”

After Yan Xueshan finished speaking, he realized that what he said didn’t sound quite right, so he added, “Ah, I didn’t mean to curse you. Of course, I hope you live well. After all, changing partners halfway is really troublesome.”

Arthur: “…”

That still didn’t sound right, so Yan Xueshan patched it up again. “You’re so capable; you probably won’t die easily.”

Arthur took a deep breath and smiled slightly. “It’s okay, Master. I know you mean no harm.”

However, on the battlefield, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t die. Nobody knew if they would end up dead tomorrow. No one understood better than soldiers just how fragile life could be.

So, in their second year as partners, Arthur began thinking all day about how to make Yan Xueshan fall in love with him. He believed that if he was sincere enough, it would eventually touch Yan Xueshan’s heart. If one year wasn’t enough, he would try two years, and if two years weren’t enough, he would try three years. He was sure he would eventually win Yan Xueshan’s heart.

But no matter how long he waited, nothing changed.

Everyone else could see it, but Yan Xueshan himself seemed as oblivious as a piece of wood.

Arthur wondered if it was because they were always in the military, so Yan Xueshan could only treat him as a colleague?

In that case, he would arrange a holiday and invite Yan Xueshan to go somewhere outside of the base.

That didn’t take much effort.

Yan Xueshan readily agreed and said, “Since I enlisted, this is the first time I’m going out for fun.”

Arthur secretly thought that he must give Yan Xueshan a pleasant experience.

However, not long after they arrived, a kid stole Arthur’s wallet. Arthur caught the kid on the spot, and he was infuriated, unsure of how to handle the situation. If he acted too harshly, it might give Yan Xueshan a bad impression of him, thinking he was unkind and lacked empathy.

Yan Xueshan asked the young thief, “What’s your name?”

The kid looked sour but didn’t speak. However, being approached by Yan Xueshan’s beautiful and gentle demeanor, he couldn’t help blushing.

Yan Xueshan said, “You look very young. You should be receiving social welfare at an orphanage. Did you run away from there by yourself? Arthur, we need to take him back.”

At that moment, the child snarled and angrily said, “No, I won’t let you take me back! I didn’t steal anything, why are you arresting me?”

After saying that, he bit Arthur’s hand hard.

He probably hoped to bite Arthur painfully and make him let go, but he underestimated a soldier’s endurance. Arthur was bleeding from the bite, but he didn’t let go.

God knows that if Yan Xueshan hadn’t been there at the time, Arthur would have probably let go immediately. It was mainly because of Yan Xueshan’s presence that he wanted to appear more manly, not even furrowing his brows. He asked, “Had enough biting? Little lunatic, you can let go now. You owe me money for a rabies vaccine.”

The young boy blushed. “I don’t have rabies.”

That’s how they got acquainted.

Arthur learned that the little boy’s name was Eugene, and he was searching for his parents. At the age of eleven, he had traveled to several planets already. He was clever and managed to travel with unfamiliar adults to avoid paying for tickets. For food, he either went to soup kitchens, stole money, or scavenged for scraps. He had lived fearlessly like that until now.

Because of malnutrition, he had straw-like blonde hair, a very pale shade of blonde, and he looked quite handsome. Perhaps because blonde hair was rare, or because he was clever and witty, he was the king of the children in that area.

Arthur overheard him saying when he brought him to the slums, “Quick, come out, everyone come out! Today, we’ve hooked two suckers who feel sorry for us and want to treat us to a meal!”

Like ants streaming out of an anthill, a group of children emerged.

Arthur, who considered himself one of those suckers, ended up becoming friends with them. Somehow, it evolved into a tradition for him to visit them during every vacation.

Yan Xueshan would join as well.

When Yan Xueshan wasn’t around, everyone would be cheerful and lively, hanging on Arthur like he was a tree.

However, once they saw Yan Xueshan, the kids would become quiet and well-behaved, hoping for a glance from Yan Xueshan and a comforting pat on the head.

One day, Eugene suddenly asked Arthur, “Do you like Mr. Yan?”

Arthur put on a stern face. “That’s an adult matter. Don’t talk nonsense, kid.”

Eugene, like a little adult, sneered. “An adult without courage doesn’t deserve respect!”

Arthur retorted, “How am I lacking courage?”

Eugene nonchalantly said, “You’re afraid to admit your feelings, that’s why you lack courage. You should kiss him and tell him how much you like him.”

Just imagining it made Arthur blush. Honestly, the courage needed for that was more than facing an entire Imperial mecha squad alone in battle.

Every time he visited Eugene, he would ask if Arthur succeeded in his pursuit. Arthur would brush it off, but would still think about it when he got home.

He even attempted some more daring approaches.

Once, Arthur asked Yan Xueshan if he wanted to watch a certain type of movie together.

Yan Xueshan said he wasn’t interested.

Arthur said, “Well, we have free time, and there’s nothing else to do. Why not watch this movie and broaden our horizons? We’re both men; it’s normal for male friends to watch such movies together.”

Yan Xueshan agreed in a daze. “Okay, but there’s only 53 minutes left before my bedtime.”

 

Edited by: Antiope1

Support translation: