CH 8

At that moment, Yan Xueshan recalled the fear he had in the Tactical Analysis Exercise class during military academy, a fear deeply embedded in his soul.

He could feel that there was some kind of conspiracy,  but he really couldn’t say what it was. He just had no talent in this aspect. The teacher of the Tactical Analysis Class at the time was very worried that after he served, he would be martyred in less than a year.

After all, in war, an individual’s combat power was insignificant compared to a large army.

Why didn’t Yan Xueshan seek promotion all these years?

First, because he was sick in the head (physiologically) and had no desire for promotion.

Two, because he couldn’t understand the curves and twists of the official path in the workplace. He couldn’t deal with interpersonal relations and deceitful personalities.

Fortunately, although Yan Xueshan often couldn’t figure it out, he had a keen intuition and that intuition would tell him if there was danger ahead.

This was also his way on the battlefield. He fought instinctively and didn’t use his head for deeper analyses. . He was often envied by his peers for his luck, turning every danger into a success, but he himself felt it wasn’t by virtue of luck, but his combat skills and intuition.

Now it was time for him to use that intuition.

Faced with Arthur’s insincere smile, intuition was telling him –

There was a trap!

Arthur was very different from him; not only did he have high combat power but also high tactical talent.

To receive a full score at the military academy required 100 points.

His military school graduation results were:

100 points in War History.

99 points for Introduction to Strategy.

100 points for the Tactical Analysis Exercise.

82 for Shooting Practical Skills.

88 points for Machine Engineering Exercises.

He chose an additional major subject of Melee Mecha Operation, and graduated with a score of 100.

Yan Xueshan’s perception of Arthur was also strange.

Sometimes he felt that Arthur was very sincere and clean, like sunshine. Just like a mountain stream you could see through with a glance. His behavior was also very straightforward, not very Yin and Yang or complicated.

Yet there were sometimes that Arthur seemed to him like a person he couldn’t see through, as if he was hiding something from him.

Due to his own personality, he didn’t probe into Arthur’s personal privacy. Otherwise they wouldn’t have been partners for six years, and he still didn’t know that his partner, who had been sleeping in the same room as him, would turn out to be the President’s son.

He inexplicably thought of what happened the night before the final battle.

It really was very wrong.

Yan Xueshan vaguely felt that he was being tricked?

Arthur saw that his Master was obviously alert, and couldn’t help feeling nervous as even his throat began to dry up.

He showed his presentation attitude. He knew that he looked like he was born solid and trustworthy. Especially when he spoke with a stern face, he was able to convince people.

“Do you think I’m not good enough?” Arthur asked. 

“First of all, we have lived together for six years, so we can completely skip the bonding period in terms of lifestyles. We never had any friction because of conflicts in this area. Right?”

Yan Xueshan finally looked at him directly.

Arthur added, “My savings are currently around 138 million and I also have a house in the Imperial Capital, and a small private airship. If you marry me, all of this will also belong to you.”

Yan Xueshan lifted his head.

Arthur felt some hope, so he continued.

“In terms of work, I am an army Admiral. It’s a very stable job and it has promotion prospects. There is a fixed annual salary of three million star coins, but because food and accommodation are provided by the army there is basically no additional expenses. Which means that all this money could be given to you.”

“When I retire at the age of sixty, I can also receive a retirement salary of one million star coins per month. In terms of financial strength, I think it’s hard for those people recommended to you by the matchmaking company to reach my level. Don’t you think so?”

“Although there is the risk of death in my job, if I die in the line of duty, you can still receive a one-time pension of fifty million star coins, and as my spouse you would be my first beneficiary.”

“Don’t you think it’s a very good deal? No matter what, you can retire with peace of mind.”

Yan Xueshan listened and leaned back, finally nodding his head.

He felt a little uncomfortable. Arthur didn’t blink much and his eyes were glued to his face, like he was trying to find out what Yan Xueshan could find wrong with him.

Yan Xueshan’s intuition was telling him something wasn’t right. Something was wrong.

This was an extremely unfair deal.

It was too abnormal.

Why in the world would anyone make such a money-losing deal?

When he was a child, his adoptive father had taught him that the most expensive things in the world are free things.

He took it for granted.

Could it be that Arthur was now competing with someone for the promotion to Marshal and desperately needed him to stand beside him as a war hero?

Indeed, having a suitable spouse would have a beneficial effect on the election vote.

Arthur still continued talking. “Also…”

There were more benefits? Yan Xueshan looked at him as Arthur said, “Moreover, I’m not bad looking, don’t you think? Compared to others I should be considered quite a handsome man.”

It was a bit shameful to boast about your own handsomeness.

Yan Xueshan looked at his appearance like he was looking at a kitten or puppy, and made a fair evaluation. “Yes, you are very handsome, and among the men I’ve seen so far, you are one of the most handsome.”

Yan Xueshan suddenly remembered the sweaty appearance of Arthur lying on his body that day. Strange.

Arthur, on the other hand, was overjoyed.

Master complimented him for being handsome!

As if waiting for the exam result, Arthur interlocked his fingers tightly. “So, what do you think of me? Aren’t I a very suitable marriage candidate?”

“Would you like to consider skipping the other people and giving priority to me as your marriage partner?”

Arthur spoke quite elegantly.

Yan Xueshan felt that his eyes were loud and shiny, as if urging him to: choose me, choose me, choose me, choose me!!!

Yan Xueshan seriously thought about the matter of Arthur as his marriage partner, and he found that, in theory, there was really nothing wrong with it.

As he thought about it, he said, “I am used to thinking of you as my comrade-in-arms.”

Arthur: “Well, I know that….”

With that one sentence, he felt defeated.

If he wanted to marry Arthur, there would be more than these problems, right?

Yan Xueshan asked, “Does your family know that you plan to marry me? Do you need to get married?”

This was a common situation.

Arthur: “Yes and no.”

Yan Xueshan thought: Sure enough, since the president gave his approval, there must be some political purpose.

There was also a question that Yan Xueshan always wanted to ask. “Did you deliberately conceal your identity as the President’s son all these years? You never told me and I never thought of it either.”

Arthur knew he would hear this question and he also knew that Yan Xueshan would be very angry about it. That was the reason he asked him to pay back the meal when he first saw him. But he didn’t plan to seriously attack him.

Arthur said, “All the children in our family who are willing to join the army have joined the army, but my sister was captured and died tragically. In order to protect us so that we would not become hostages, our family identity was concealed from the outside world. Sorry.”

Military orders. He understood.

Yan Xueshan nodded. “Normal.”

“It’s just that I didn’t expect that the President would let his own son perform death squad tasks during the decisive battle?”

Arthur smiled softly. “Everyone’s the same. I’m a child of the Galactic Federation first, then my father’s child. If it’s needed, my life isn’t more noble than anyone else’s.”

Ah so that’s how it was.

Yan Xueshan thought.

This statement was by no means hypocritical.

Yan Xueshan knew that he wasn’t good at dealing with the world. He couldn’t perceive love and liking like a normal person due to his emotional barriers, but he could understand what respect was.

Arthur respected him and others, as well as everyone else so he felt very comfortable with Arthur.

Like  he was lazily basking in the spring sun, he felt his body slowly warming up.

After Arthur had said so much, he felt that he had used up all his courage.

First encouragement, secondly decline and third exhaustion.

Now, he has reached the stage of “exhaustion”.

In fact, when he came to visit Yan Xueshan, he didn’t think that much. But when he saw [I don’t have time to entertain you. I’m busy with a wedding.]

…it was like the sky split apart for him.

For the first time, he knew what it meant to be concerned about chaos.

Unable to think calmly at all, he dazedly printed out a dozen marriage applications, full of “want to get married, want to get married, want to get married, want to get married with Yan Xueshan”, packed his suitcases and spend three days and nights on the way straight to Yan Xueshan’s farm to find him.

He was afraid that during his absence, Yan Xueshan would be hastily married.

He knew where Yan Xueshan lived.

He had to use a little trick to get that information.

He had to know, or he couldn’t sleep well at night. Only God knew that after Yan Xueshan no longer lived with him, he never was able to have a good night’s sleep.

Then after seeing Yan Xueshan, he didn’t dare show the marriage application because he couldn’t find a good time to do so.

He was relieved to know that Yan Xueshan wasn’t yet married.

Working on the farm those few days, his hands took advantage of his inattention and kept taking out the marriage form, and against any reason, insisted on filling it out. After filling it out, he didn’t like the way it looked so he compulsively rewrote it several times, so each word was written properly and neatly.

After saying this, Arthur saw Yan Xueshan slightly open his mouth to speak. “I….”

Arthur gritted his teeth and decided to act first! He immediately rejected Yan Xueshan’s refusal.

He stood up and gave a military salute to Yan Xueshan.

“Master, you are my most respected and beloved person in this world. As the most important person to me, I think there’s no need for more tests between us. You can believe that I can definitely risk my life for you in a critical moment.”

“I know that you must want to refuse me.”

“Please don’t think it’s ridiculous and seriously consider including me on your acceptable list of marriage partners.”

“You can think about it slowly, and give me an answer after I come back “

Arthur continued to say, “Then, I’ll go ahead and catch the airship flight. Since my leave is over, I need to report back to the military.”

Yan Xueshan silently watched him leave.

Arthur’s back was straight. Generally speaking, except for accidentally moving his hands and feet at the same time, he looked very handsome and calm.

Then Yan Xueshan bowed his head and looked at the marriage application form.

Uh.

He didn’t even have a chance to speak.

In fact, he had wanted to agree to it just now—

But since Arthur is gone, he should think about it some more .