“Dad… Dad?”

Rong Shi opened the protective shield and held Ji Ruo’s hand.

The unconscious man subconsciously squeezed back.

Perhaps hearing Rong Shi’s call, Ji Ruo’s consciousness returned. He struggled for a long time before finally opening his heavy eyelids.

The light stung his eyes like needles. His vision was blurry, and he could vaguely make out a few figures.

Ji Ruo took a moment to adjust, and his vision gradually cleared.

“Dad.” Seeing his awakened father again after so many years, Rong Shi’s voice was tight.

Ji Ruo stared at Rong Shi’s face for a long time before hesitantly speaking, “Xiao… Xiao Shi? Cough, cough, cough—”

His voice was weak and hoarse, his throat dry. It was an effort to say even a few words.

“Here, have some warm water.” Qin Lin held a cup of water and handed it to Rong Shi. “Don’t drink too fast.”

Rong Shi helped Ji Ruo sit up. He took the cup, checked that the temperature was okay, and then held it to his lips.

Ji Ruo took several sips from Rong Shi’s hand, and his throat, which felt like it was burning, finally felt some relief.

He pushed Rong Shi’s hand away and turned, his eyes flashing as he eagerly tried to confirm something.

“Are you my Xiao Shi?”

The person in his arms was frail and thin, the tips of his fingers on the back of his hand cool. Seeing his father’s complex expression, Rong Shi’s heart ached.

“I am.”

“So few words. It really is Xiao Shi.” Ji Ruo was dazed, relaxing against Rong Shi and murmuring to himself, “You’ve grown so big.”

Rong Shi: “…”

Song Yu watched from the side. It was clearly a reunion between father and son after many years, but he had to bite his lip hard to keep from laughing.

He really is his biological father, confirming his son’s identity based on his lack of words.

After sleeping for so many years, Ji Ruo’s reactions were still sluggish. He belatedly touched his flat stomach, startled.

“Where’s the younger brother?!”

Seeing his panicked expression, his face, which had just regained some color, turned pale again, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Rong Shi quickly explained, “Younger brother was born. He’s in kindergarten now.”

Ji Ruo sighed in relief, finally remembering that he had gone into hibernation after giving birth.

He asked again, “Your father, he—?”

Rong Shi: “Father is fine. They are all waiting for you to come home.”

All the important people were fine. Ji Ruo was completely relieved and finally looked at the other people.

His gaze swept over them and fell on Ji Ming. He stiffened. “Father?”

The moment he saw Ji Ruo wake up, an intense sense of guilt overwhelmed Ji Ming.

He had never hated his own irresponsibility so much.

If he had cared for his two children just a little more, would they have had a better life than they did now?

Hearing Ji Ruo call him, Ji Ming’s heart tightened.

“A-Ruo—”

Feeling his father’s body tense and his eyes become wary, Rong Shi frowned. Just as he was about to speak, 01’s voice sounded in his mind.

[01/00: A group of people detected approaching outside the sanatorium!]

Rong Shi turned his head and met Song Yu’s gaze.

Song Yu: “Looks like they followed us here.”

They had taken a long detour the last time they came. They thought that with Lin Quan captured, those people would have given up, but they were still being targeted.

There were hundreds of patients in this sanatorium. A battle here would inevitably involve the innocent.

Rong Shi took a coat from the cabinet, draped it over Ji Ruo, and lifted him into his arms.

“We’re leaving through the side door.”

There was no time for Ji Ming to be sentimental. He quickly packed his medical kit and followed Rong Shi out.

Rong Shi moved quickly through the corridors, as familiar with them as if it were his own home.

Ji Ruo saw his serious expression and hurried steps and sensed something was unusual.

“Xiao Shi, are they here for me?”

“No, they’re here for me.” Rong Shi’s voice was gentle. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

How could he not worry? Ji Ruo wanted to ask, but he knew his son too well.

If he didn’t want to say, no one could force him.

“You should trust him.” Song Yu walked up to Rong Shi’s side and smiled at Ji Ruo. “If he says it’s fine, then it will definitely be fine.”

Ji Ruo looked up at the sound of his voice. His gaze lingered on Song Yu’s face for a moment, then he nodded and ultimately said nothing.

The exit was just ahead. Rong Shi had 01 bring the hovercar over.

[00: 20 heat signatures detected near the side door.]

Following its prompt, the corresponding number of red dots appeared on the virtual map in the corner of Song Yu’s vision.

He lowered his hand, and the ring in his hand transformed into a small, exquisite handgun.

“I’ll cover you.”

Rong Shi: “Mhm.”

Song Yu looked behind him. “You two, stay close to him. Get in the car immediately once we’re outside.”

Qin Lin and Ji Ming had no combat skills and were useless at a time like this, so they could only obediently follow the arrangements.

He scanned the terminal, and the heavy metal door opened.

01 slid through the crack in the door and transformed into a curved shield, blocking the front.

Rong Shi immediately followed.

Almost simultaneously, gunfire rang out.

[01: Oww, oww, oww, my back hurts!!!]

Song Yu raised his gun and pulled the trigger on the nearest assassin, a headshot.

It was only a short ten meters from the door to the car. After the assassins’ first attack failed, they began to use heavy weapons.

On the map, the red dots rapidly converged on their position. Song Yu took them down one by one with his gun, but there were too many of them.

If this continued, these people would blow up the sanatorium.

Just as he was considering whether to have 01 switch forms to increase its attack power, he suddenly smelled a faint, refreshing floral scent that was both elusive and invigorating.

In an instant, the assassins who had popped up all around them suddenly fell to their knees, crying out in pain one after another.

They clutched their chests, convulsing on the ground, and within three seconds, they stopped moving.

[01: What the fuck! All the assassins are dead!]

[00: Deady dead.]

Song Yu was startled. He suddenly thought of something and turned sharply to look at Ji Ruo.

The pheromones just now had come from an omega, and Ji Ruo was the only omega among them!

Rong Shi was so shocked he stopped in his tracks.

What just happened? Did Dad just kill all the assassins with his pheromones?!

So strong—

“Don’t be afraid.” Ji Ruo coughed a few times. His gaze fell on the assassins not far away, his eyes cold. “Dad won’t let them hurt you.”

Rong Shi was stunned, unable to recover.

“Dad, your pheromones—”

His father’s pheromones were like a soothing melody. Every time he smelled them, he felt at ease in body and mind. He never knew these pheromones could have such strong offensive power.

Ji Ruo shifted his gaze from the assassins’ bodies to Ji Ming.

Seeing his shocked expression as well, Ji Ruo’s voice was faint, his face devoid of any expression.

“This is the monster you personally created. Are you surprised, Father?”

Not only could he use his pheromones to counter alphas, but he could also easily take a person’s life.

This was the super-omega that Lin Quan had been pursuing all along.

After his initial shock, Ji Ming was once again plunged into deep self-blame and regret.

“I’m sorry, I—”

“You don’t need to apologize to me.” The warmth returned to Ji Ruo’s eyes, and he reverted to his usual gentle demeanor. “It has never had an effect on me. Not in the past, and not in the future.”

With that, he looked up at Rong Shi and smiled. “You have to keep what just happened a secret from your father.”

Rong Shi: “…”

Did he just accidentally see his dad’s true other side?

Father, you’re on your own.

---

This massive rebellion was suppressed in just one week. The citizens of the various planets, who were initially in a panic, eventually treated the war as an entertainment program.

On major platforms, netizens were in heated discussions.

“All thunder and no rain. Is that it?!”

“Hahaha, isn’t it better to clock in at work every day and earn a salary? Why rebel? It’s so tiring. Now they have to clock in at prison.”

“It was mainly the royal family’s swift reaction that allowed them to suppress it so quickly. If we had relied on the military command, it would have been hard to say.”

“The military command needs to be reorganized! All sorts of monsters have been allowed to hold power, and they almost destroyed the empire.”

“The military command must establish a new system! This can’t go on!”

“Speaking of which, who was it that rebelled this time? I was too busy watching the military academy’s Chairman and shipping the prince’s CP QuQ”

“When will the beautiful Song officially reveal his identity? I’m so excited!”

“Chairman, Your Highness, don’t be clueless! Get married on the spot, or I’ll kneel!”

The war ended, and the military command’s reputation hit an all-time low. Qian Li and Qin Chi, one handling external affairs and the other internal, drastically reorganized the military command’s structure, purging the remnants of Lin Quan’s influence.

Rong Guang shuttled between the palace and the military command, so busy he barely touched the ground.

He was involved in the entire incident, knew the most details, and had the most say.

At the military academy, Rong Shi and Song Yu walked out of the teaching building side by side.

“Father and Father-in-law are currently sorting through the criminal evidence of Lin Quan’s group. It will be submitted to the military tribunal within half a month,” Rong Shi said in a low voice. “The military command will lose half its people.”

Song Yu: “I mentioned to my king-father that we should promote outstanding talents from the garrisons of various planets, expand military education in the coming years, and abolish the pairing mechanism. Only then can we truly inject new blood into the military command.”

Rong Shi: “The old system is indeed no longer suitable for the current state of the nation.”

On the way, military academy students constantly greeted them.

“Chairman! Your Highness!”

“Good day, Captain!”

Song Yu chuckled. “You are now the freshman Chairman with the fastest promotion in the history of the military academy.”

Rong Shi had performed outstandingly in the war. His military merits, when calculated, had already reached the rank of colonel. But given that he had been enrolled for less than a year, he could only be promoted to captain for the time being.

Rong Shi teased, “Are you jealous?”

Song Yu snorted coldly. “I’ve put in so much effort, and I haven’t even been promoted to corporal.”

Rong Shi: “His Majesty offered you a promotion, but you didn’t want it.”

“I’m tired of that position. We’ll talk about it in a few years.” Speaking of this, Song Yu leaned in with a light laugh. “I heard Qian Li intends to recommend your father for the Marshal Reserve. Are you settling down in Shengde District?”

Rong Shi nodded. “Dad and Mianmian still need treatment. In the long run, living in Shengde District will be more convenient for Professor Ji to look after them. But we’ll still be staying on Xuefu Star for the next few years.”

As they were talking, Chen Chen and Liu Hong ran over.

“Chairman, you have to see the forums!” Chen Chen’s tone was urgent. “A fight has broken out.”

Rong Shi, not knowing what had happened, casually swiped open his terminal to check.

The number of posts on the forum today had hit a new historical high. At the very top was the “True Love” thread, which had an astronomical number of floors.

Song Yu leaned on Rong Shi’s shoulder and watched with him.

The cause was that the two of them had been too much in the spotlight recently, and their casual fanbase had exploded. Many non-military academy students had found their way to the academy forums.

Some CP fans who came looking for sweet moments dug up the comments from the anti-fans in the “True Love” thread and were instantly furious, especially with the two major anti-fans. Comments like “If they don’t divorce, I’ll change my surname to Rong” and “Song Yu is a piece of shit” were being fiercely dissed.

After a few days of fermentation, the situation was now out of control—

“I’ll bet a month’s living expenses that the Chairman and His Highness will definitely not get a divorce!”

“If the Chairman and His Highness get divorced, I’ll be single for ten years!”

“They will definitely get a divorce. The beautiful Song is the sole heir to the throne. How can he marry an alpha?”

“I’m betting on an amicable separation. The kind where they’re still good friends after the divorce. Although I also hope they don’t get a divorce, but—sigh.”

“Needless to say, their six-month marriage cooling-off period only has 3 hours left. If they get divorced, I’ll live stream myself eating a ton of shit!”

“This is the first time I’ve shipped such a beautiful CP. I don’t want them to get divorced, wuwuwuwu—”

Rong Shi switched to another hot thread. The amount of money being wagered was already so high he couldn’t count the digits at a glance.

“So the time is up,” Song Yu chuckled lightly. “I had forgotten about this.”

Rong Shi nodded with a straight face. In his heart, little kitten Song was already his wife. He had forgotten they were currently only pre-married.

Song Yu wrapped his arms around Rong Shi’s waist and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s time to make it official.”

After dinner, the two opened the imperial marriage system and clicked on the option to convert to a formal marriage on the familiar interface.

[Submitting to the backend for review—Review passed—The test has been sent to the bound terminal. The marriage status change procedure can be completed after finishing the test.]

Hearing the familiar female AI voice, both of them simultaneously remembered the nightmare of cramming for the test when they got engaged and silently prayed that history would not repeat itself.

Seeing Song Yu’s serious expression, Rong Shi patted his hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not the same person I was back then.”

The terminal vibrated. Rong Shi casually swiped it open and launched the civil affairs center’s marriage test software.

The floating camera was forcibly turned on, and the first question appeared on the screen.

Just like the engagement test, no hints from others were allowed, nor was looking up information. Once the system detected it, the test would be terminated early.

The camera was right in his face. Rong Shi was outwardly calm, but his heart was pounding.

No one knows little Song cat better than him. There would definitely be no problem.

[Question: You are walking on the street with your partner, and your partner suddenly wants to drink milk tea from a shop three streets away. You will? A. It’s only three streets. You sit here, I’ll go buy it for you. B. It’s too far. Let’s just find a place nearby. C. What milk tea? Look at your little belly.]

This question is too easy! Song Yu’s eyes lit up. Before he could get happy, he heard Rong Shi say confidently, “C.”

Song Yu: “…”

[Incorrect answer.]

[Question: Your partner accidentally tears your sock while doing the laundry. You will? A. Hand the sock to a robot and comfort your partner, saying, “You used so much force. Did you hurt your hand?” B. Snatch the sock and say, “What are you doing washing socks? Leave it to me.” C. Throw all the socks at him and say, “From now on, all the socks are your responsibility.”]

Little Song Cat has never washed his socks.

With no factual basis, Rong Shi could only rely on his imagination.

Little Song Cat wearing an apron, clumsily washing his socks—

No matter how he imagined it, the scene was adorable.

Song Yu rested his chin on his hand, watching Rong Shi. Seeing him suddenly smile, he thought to himself, he’s got this one.

Rong Shi: “C.”

Song Yu: “…………”

[Incorrect answer.]

[Question: Your partner gets into a dispute with someone and they are fighting inextricably. You will? A. Become very angry and join in to help your partner beat the person up. B. Your partner is so cute when they fight. Of course, you stand aside and admire. C. Try to mediate first. If that doesn’t work, call the police.]

After hearing the question, Song Yu was numb.

To be able to fight inextricably with Little Song Cat? That person definitely isn’t just some random passerby.

Having already answered two questions incorrectly, Rong Shi thought seriously for a moment, wavered between A and B for a second, and finally answered, “B.”

[Incorrect answer.]

[Three consecutive incorrect answers. The test has been terminated early. Your understanding of your partner relationship is 0. The marriage status change application has been rejected.]

Rong Shi: “…”

Hearing the cracking sound of knuckles by his ear, Rong Shi turned his head to meet Song Yu’s sharp glare.

Rong Shi: “I answered very seriously.”

Song Yu was fuming. “If you hadn’t been serious, you might have gotten them all right.”

Rong Shi: “?”

After failing the test, there was a half-hour cooldown.

Rong Shi couldn’t be relied on. It was Song Yu’s turn to answer.

Song Yu sneered, “Watch how I answer, you stupid rabbit.”

The gentle female AI voice sounded.

[Question: What does your partner like to eat during his susceptible period?]

Song Yu: “…”

Rong Shi: “…”

Thinking back, Rong Shi had only had one susceptible period since they got together. At that time, he had eaten only dry rations. If he had to say what he liked, it would probably be—him?

Song Yu was satisfied with this answer, a smile appearing on his beautiful face.

“Little Cat.”

Rong Shi: “…” If only he would give a normal answer—

[Incorrect answer.]

[Question: What does your partner like to drink during his susceptible period?]

Song Yu: “…”

Rong Shi: “…”

Since the last question was wrong, his line of thinking was probably incorrect.

Rong Shi only liked a few types of drinks, either tea or coffee.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Song Yu swallowed them back.

If he had to say what Rong Shi liked to drink during his susceptible period, it was surely his—

Seeing Song Yu’s sly smile, Rong Shi knew this question was going to be sacrificed too.

Song Yu: “This question is inconvenient to answer. Next.”

[Incorrect answer.]

[Question: How many days is your partner’s susceptible period cycle?]

Song Yu said confidently, “His cycle is irregular.”

Rong Shi: “…………”

[Incorrect answer.]

[Three consecutive incorrect answers. The test has been terminated early. Your understanding of your partner is 0. The marriage status change application has been rejected.]

Song Yu / Rong Shi: “…” Getting married is so fucking hard.

One round, one hour. After three rounds—

[Sorry, your pre-marriage period has expired. You and your partner have an extremely low understanding of each other and your relationship. The marriage has been automatically dissolved. We welcome you to visit again next time. Goodbye.]

Rong Shi / Song Yu: “…”

Not only did they not get married, they automatically got a divorce. What the fuck kind of marriage system is this?!

Rong Shi pulled up his personal profile. In the marital status column, it was marked “unmarried,” and the partner column was already empty.

A deathly silence fell over the living room.

On the forums, countless people who had placed bets were constantly refreshing the two’s personal profiles at this historic moment.

The moment they saw the change, the forums exploded, and all major media platforms exploded as well.

“Shit, shit, shit! This can’t be real!!!”

“The system must have crashed. I can’t accept this!!”

“Chairman, Your Highness! Do you want to reconsider? QuQ”

“I have to live stream myself eating a ton of shit. I’m panicking right now.”

“Oh my god! My ship has sunk!”

“I’ll never believe in love again, wuwuwuwu—”

In the dorm room, the two who were desperately trying to pass the test had their terminals vibrating non-stop.

Song Zheng’s hologram was projected into the living room, followed by Shen Sinian. Rong Guang, holding Mianmian, was projected on the other side.

Then came Qian Li, Qian Fan, Ji Ming, Qin Lin, Qin Luo, Chen Chen… Even Jin Dazhao showed up.

They had thought the two had had a falling out and impulsively got a divorce, but they didn’t expect that these two academic gods would be stumped by a quiz.

Qin Luo put his hands together and faced the others, suppressing a laugh. “Everyone, this matter must not be leaked out. Otherwise, their public personas will collapse, pfft hahaha—”

The others: “…”

Rong Shi / Song Yu: “…”

Taking the test under so many mocking gazes, Song Yu ran a hand through his hair in frustration and directly cut off all communications.

So what if they couldn’t get married? What was so funny?

Song Yu: “It’s not like we’re the only ones in the entire empire who can’t get married.”

Rong Shi: “But we might be the only ones who can’t get married because of a quiz.”

Song Yu: “…”

The commotion on the internet was too big, alarming the entire empire, and many conspiracy theories emerged.

The war had just ended, and stabilizing public morale was the top priority. Song Zheng told them to issue a statement quickly.

Before taking the test again, Rong Shi logged into the forums and made the first post under his ID.

[Little Cat Eats My Fish: Sorry to make everyone worry. Due to some force majeure factors, my previous marriage with Xiao Yu was accidentally cancelled. We are already working hard and striving to remarry before tomorrow.]

It was originally just an announcement, but it unexpectedly exposed his anti-fan ID. The forums and major media platforms exploded again.

As the star rose, the gentle female AI voice sounded in the dorm room—

[Congratulations, you have passed the quiz. Please perform the action in the random picture and take a photo together.]

Rong Shi and Song Yu glanced at the virtual screen and simultaneously turned their heads to kiss each other on the lips.

[Verification passed. Remarriage application approved… From this moment on, you two are officially in a marital relationship. Congratulations.]

Rong Shi pulled back slightly, his fingers tracing Song Yu’s chin. “You’ve been married twice.”

Song Yu’s beautiful peach-blossom eyes swept over his moist lips. “You’ve been married twice too.”

The morning light shone on them through the gauze curtain.

Their eyes met, and both of them smiled at the same time.

---

Author’s Note:

Song Cat: In the end, I still got married a second time.

Rong Bunny: A second marriage suits our temperament.

Song Cat: …