Forcefully Doting On You - v2c4

 

Chapter 36

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Claire's gaze was pretty frightening, causing Mu Cai to subconsciously shrink back.

He recalled the setting of the original world and considered the gap between alphas and omegas in terms of physical fitness and combat prowess.

Mu Cai thought to himself that even for Mu Feng, an omega who had passed the mecha combat test with a high score, his strength in the original story was still considerably weaker than Claire's. Whenever they fought in close quarters, he would be helplessly beaten.

For someone like him, wouldn't facing Claire be no different than dealing with a tiny chick?

Mu Cai didn't know why, but after Claire had gone out to see off some people, his expression upon returning had suddenly become terrifying.

Could it be that someone had told Claire about how he deliberately made things difficult for Mu Feng at the academy entrance, and now he was coming to settle the score?

Although this seemed to align with the original plot, Mu Cai still couldn't bear to face Claire's hawk-like gaze. He cautiously called out, "Brother Claire, you're back."

The young man crouched down in front of a suitcase, lifting his head to look up at him. His face was small, and his eyes were large. The contrast was even more pronounced while he was looking up at himself.

It seemed that the other party sensed his anger, and the fuzzy head shrank back a bit, his eyes wide open, looking pitifully at him.

Claire's rage was extinguished by this one call of "brother."

Although the youngest son of the Ruan family standing nearby was still annoying to look at, Claire had calmed down because of this.

After all, an omega like Mu Cai was just that. Even if he liked him, it was impossible for them to have a strong bond. Without deeper markings in their marriage, they could not provide each other with a profound sense of security, making it easier for their marriage to become problematic.

Aunt Shi Xue Zhen's marriage was a perfect example.

Although her husband, Mu Hong'an, was a contributing factor due to his lack of ability and arrogance, there was also the tragedy of their marriage. As a beta, he couldn't handle Aunt Shi Xue Zhen's heat cycle satisfactorily, causing his self-esteem to be hurt and making him seek comfort through infidelity.

Thus, a soft, dependent omega like Mu Cai would need a strong and powerful alpha to protect and care for him.

Claire's expression softened as he thought about this. Although Mu Cai hadn't said it explicitly, he had unconsciously shown fear just now. So, it would be better not to scare this timid, peach-like omega.

Ignoring the furious expression of Ruan Jia beside him, Claire looked at Mu Cai and said, "I live just below your apartment. If you encounter any problems in the academy, you can come to me anytime."

So close?

Mu Cai was a bit confused. He scoured his memory of the original story but couldn't find the location of Claire's previous dormitory, so he had to give up searching.

He wasn't sure whether the closeness was a coincidence or not.

As for his offer to assist, Mu Cai figured that Claire was likely doing this out of respect for Shi Xue Zhen. Regardless, since he had helped him, Mu Cai ought to thank him.

Having thought this through, Mu Cai smiled at Claire: "Thank you, brother Claire."

Inwardly, Claire was quite pleased.

Keeping his face expressionless, he casually extended an invitation: "It's almost mealtime now. Since today is your first day at the Academy, let me invite you to dinner at the restaurant."

Mu Cai didn't expect him to make such an offer.

However, in keeping with his character, he wouldn't refuse. Besides, after spending half the day tidying up, Mu Cai was starting to feel hungry too.

He was a directionally-challenged individual, and Ruan Jia's sense of direction was also pretty terrible. It was their first time at the Imperial Mecha Academy, and the campus covered a vast area. Even if they repeatedly asked for directions to find the restaurant, they could still miss mealtime.

However, things would be different with Claire leading the way.

Though he was lost, he knew how to follow people!

Just as Mu Cai was preparing to happily accept the offer, Ruan Jia spoke.

Suppressing his rage, Ruan Jia frowned and said, "We don't need the student council president's assistance. We have a kitchen in our dormitory, and I can cook for Cai."

Ruan Jia's words were impolite, and his tone was bad. He assumed that as a proud Alpha, Claire would walk away in anger and stop bothering them.

But he underestimated Claire's shamelessness.

Far from being deterred, the Alpha looked at Mu Cai and said, "It's good to cook for yourself as well. I'll show you the grocery store in the academy. I also know how to cook, and I can prepare something for Mu Cai."

Finishing his statement, Claire slightly bowed and gestured towards the door, inviting them to leave with him.

Claire conducted himself like a perfect gentleman; his manners impeccable, leaving no scope for criticism. His dark green military uniform highlighted his broad shoulders, slim waist, and straight long legs. Claire's pair of green eyes were like a deep, calm pond, silently staring at Mu Cai, as if waiting for his response.

Mu Cai was somewhat surprised, yet he could only say, "Alright".

It seems that Aunt Evelyn really cares about him. She must have warned Claire quite long ago, since he even wants to cook for him.

However, Mu Cai was rather curious about what Claire's cooking would be like. The main protagonist in the original text tended to move back and forth between the academy and the military department. His hands were usually used to operate a mecha, serving the glory of the empire.

Ruan Jia wanted to refuse Claire, to promptly ask him to leave and not disturb his cooking for Cai. But Mu Cai had already agreed, and seeing the look of curiosity and anticipation on Cai's face, Ruan Jia was speechless.

He irritably ran his fingers through his hair and was about to follow them out when he felt his arm being embraced by Mu Cai.

This was the first time Cai had actively embraced him in these few days.

Ruan Jia was overjoyed.

Of course, Mu Cai knew that Ruan Jia's irritation was because of him. Ruan Jia didn't like Claire and had always stood by him, supporting him, standing up for him.

Now that Ruan Jia was willing to compromise for his sake, Mu Cai naturally wanted to soothe his good friend, "The cupcakes Ruan Jia makes are the best! Can I have some later?"

Mu Cai knew that Ruan Jia was both skilled in cooking and enjoyed it. Every time Ruan Jia created a satisfactory dish, he would always call him over to taste it. Whenever Mu Cai praised him, Ruan Jia would be delighted.

He wanted to make Ruan Jia a little happier.

Naturally, Ruan Jia would not refuse Mu Cai, and he immediately agreed, "Sure!"

________________________

The three of them strolled around the grocery store and left carrying large and small bags. After returning to the dormitory, Claire and Ruan Jia quietly entered the kitchen.

Mu Cai initially wanted to help out since it would be impolite to just wait for the food. To his surprise, upon entering the kitchen, he was immediately chased out by the strangely coordinated duo. Their reasoning was that the kitchen was too small and cramped with him inside.

Mu Cai was upset.

As an Alpha, Claire was tall with long legs, taking up considerable space both on the ground and in the air. Add Ruan Jia to the mix, and despite the distance between them, they could barely fit all three of them in the kitchen.

They must be disliking him!

Mu Cai recalled that, in the original story, his character indeed had no talent in cooking. Many times, Ruan Jia complained that he was getting in the way, and his cooking was unpalatable.

As for Claire, there was no need to even mention it — he probably shared Ruan Jia's thoughts.

With these thoughts in mind, Mu Cai dejectedly watched the busy scene in the kitchen.

Claire had already taken off his uniform, wearing only his white shirt underneath while rolling up his sleeves to prepare the ingredients.

He looked at Mu Cai, sitting on the chair outside the kitchen with a slightly wrinkled face, recalling how he had wanted to rush into the kitchen earlier. Unable to resist a smile, Claire reassured in a gentle voice, "It will be ready soon, you won't have to wait too long."

An inner voice of Mu Cai, feeling slighted about being excluded from the kitchen, asked, "?"

Ruan Jia glanced at Mu Cai and, seeing his disappointed face, hastened to grab a handful of peanut milk candies and various types of small biscuits from his luggage. He placed them on the table in front of Mu Cai, and said, "If you're hungry, eat these first. I made all of them."

He was somewhat proud as he said this, knowing that Mu Cai really enjoyed the small desserts he made.

Claire would not be outdone either. He took out two bottles of sweet milk from a shopping bag nearby, popped off the caps single-handedly, inserted straws, and also placed them in front of Mu Cai.

Mu Cai: "???"

Did they assume his frown was due to hunger?

Looking at the small biscuits and peanut milk candies on the table in front of him, both radiating an enticing aroma, along with the two cans of sweet milk, Mu Cai suddenly realized — he might genuinely be hungry.

Mu Cai picked up a small biscuit and started eating quietly.

With his mouth tightly closed and his cheeks moving from side to side, he looked like a little hamster munching its food. He still held a biscuit with a few bites taken out of it, sipping sweet milk from time to time.

At this moment, both Claire and Ruan Jia experienced a significant sense of satisfaction. They went back into the kitchen and sped up their movements.

After setting the table with a meal of pan-fried steak, sweet corn soup, sautéed broccoli, and freshly baked bread, Claire and Ruan Jia leisurely cut their meal with forks and knives, watching Mu Cai eat.

Focused on cutting his steak, Mu Cai was completely unaware that what was supposed to be a heated mealtime passed peacefully.

In the following days, Mu Cai's life was incredibly calm and orderly. He attended his classes, ate his meals, and slept. Sometimes he would go shopping with Ruan Jia, seizing opportunities to criticize Mu Feng and gain favor with Claire.

At Ruan Jia's request, Mu Cai had chosen to take a cooking class. On his first lesson, he managed to bake what appeared to be a lump resembling a cake. Under Ruan Jia's insistence, he cut it in half to let Ruan Jia try it first.

After Ruan Jia approved, Mu Cai, for the sake of the story, braced himself and delivered the other half to Claire. Expecting a dismissal, to his surprise, not only was he not sent away, but he also received a doughnut in return from Claire.

Fortunately, both of them were fine the next day. Otherwise, Mu Cai suspected he might be accused of poisoning by the academy.

This routine continued until the end of the first semester when the Galactic Empire welcomed the triennial Inter-Collegiate Mecha Combat Competition.

All first-year mecha combat and mecha repair students from the Imperial Mecha Academy were assigned internships. They were about to compete alongside their fifth-year seniors in mecha battles to prepare for the competition.

And Mu Cai had already prepared himself to face the significant plot twist.

________________________

Author's note:

Mu Cai (serious): Brother Claire's hands are usually used to operate mechas for the empire's glory!

Claire (serious): Not only that, but my hands also have many other uses.

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