Chapter 36: General Dai

General Dai was seventy-two years old, strong, hale and hearty. His bones were healthier than those of most young people, and his voice was as loud as a bell when he said, “Grandson! You still want to call your grandpa? Tell me what you want since you don’t really miss me!”

Pei Yutu laughed, and lowered his voice, “No way. I miss you every day.”

“Go away. Tell me what it is.”

“Here’s the thing. I have a comrade, and he’s in trouble.”

After he heard the beginning, General Dai said, “I’m an old retired man. I don’t care about these things, go to your great uncle.”

“No, Grandpa, it’s urgent! He’ll suffer if it’s too late. You’re the best person to call!”

General Dai wondered, “What kind of comradeship is this good?” His grandson never wanted to talk about him to his comrades. He would rather climb up from the grassroots step by step, and refused to use the family connections. This was the first time he had ever asked him for something.

Pei Yutu, “He is the top man at the AMTC.”

“The one called Ping Mo?” General Dai immediately said.

“How do you know?!” Pei Yutu said in surprise. He actually opened his mouth and said Ping Mo’s name! He had never mentioned it to his grandfather.

There was a pause on the other end of the line before General Dai said vaguely, “Of course I’m concerned about your affairs. What kind of trouble did he get into?”

Pei Yutu told him the story. General Dai didn’t hasten to agree, but asked, “Boy, you’re also twenty-five. Have you got a mate?”

Pei Yutu, “Not yet.”

General Dai, “I think the military is good, sharp, competent, and you can understand each other. However, if there is a suitable one, you better chase harder.”

“Grandpa, what are you trying to say?”

He knew that the old man had something in mind since he mentioned this so suddenly, but what did he mean?

General Dai said, “I mean, if you are looking for someone, you’re now in the Alliance Military Technology University so you can find a good seed! Those rich second-generations are strong, but they aren’t diligent in learning! The same as your father!”

After all these years, his grandpa still couldn’t accept his rich father.

Pei Yutu argued in defense of his father. “You’re sexist! My dad is so good to my mom, he’s such a filial husband!”

“Hmn! If your beta dad is so great, go to him for help!”

“…”

No matter how powerful you were when you were young, when you get older you can’t avoid the attributes of acting like a big baby. Pei Yutu immediately sold out his own father, denounced the capitalist behavior of wealthy businessmen, and had to swear that he would find a beautiful omega when he was looking for a date, before old General Dai happily gave his word.

On the other hand, after Ping Mo washed up, he found that his cat ears had retreated and now only his tail was left.

As the old expert said, Therians in sexual maturity had omega hormones instability. After rubbing against alpha pheromones overnight, although he didn’t turn back into a cat, only his cat ears faded. He just had to wait for the tail to disappear before he could go out.

Breakfast was steaming hot fried eggs, bacon and milk. The style was simple but nutritious. Pei Yutu was happy, but Ping Mo was very dissatisfied and didn’t eat much.

“It’s like you’re eating cat food.”

Instructor Ping waved the tip of his tail in disbelief. “You’re the one who eats too much.”

His long tail had nowhere to go, and was sticking out from the back of the skeleton chair. His snow-white fur was silky and smooth, while only the tip was dyed ink-black. It was wiggling and shaking, while at the same he sat upright and tried to pose as a high-caliber instructor. It formed a stark contrast.

Pei Yutu couldn’t help feeling like teasing. “Ping Mo, help me pick a teasing stick after dinner.”

As a result, Instructor Ping’s long, happy tail gave a lurch, and his eyes finally moved away from the dinner plate. He blinked. “What do you want to buy?”

Pei Yutu, “I have a cat. The little thing is very cute, and especially likes to pounce on the teaser stick, but it’s also stupid. No matter how many times he pounces, he finds it fun.”

Ping Mo, “Heh.”

Pei Yutu, “I heard that a laser pointer can also tease a cat. As long as it’s turned on, the cat will chase the light spot and pounce. Do you think kittens will like this? Hahah. I need to go back, buy it and try.”

Ping Mo, “…”

Pei Yutu, “By the way, Old Lu said he had bought a rabbit ears hat for the cat, and when the little thing comes back, he will put it on him. Now pet stores have everything. They also sell cat bikinis. Can you believe that?” 

Instructor Ping squeezed his chopstick hand a little harder, “No need for it. No one puts a bikini on a cat.”

Pei Yutu held back his laughter and said, “They put it on for fun. If the pet is not used for fun, what’s the point of having it? By the way, my cat’s balls feel great. They’re cute, bouncy and silky smooth! Please pinch them together sometime.”

“Click!”

The chopstick in Instructor Ping’s hand was crushed.

He was so pissed off, Ping Mo’s long tail actually obediently retracted shortly after breakfast. His behind was finally back to being naked and ready to leave for his statement. That day, Pei Yutu had taken advantage of Ping Mo’s drowsiness to hastily buy two sets of clothes, one set of home pajamas, and the other was today’s set.

At that time he was worried about Instructor Ping waking up unattended, so he didn’t dare delay. He just gave the size, and then let the clerk arbitrarily choose from the luxury brand. Young Master Pei was generous, and gave people the impression that he was flush with money. Therefore, the clerk wasn’t polite since the new season had just arrived in the store.

The problem lay in the ‘age’ selected for the clothes. When the clerk asked, “how old is your boyfriend?” Teaching Assistant Pei thought about how Therian’s age might not be the same as ordinary people’s aging algorithm, and answered, “Just reached puberty.”

Ping Mo took a long time to come out of the walk-in-closet. He seemed very uncomfortable with this new style of dressing. He was so awkward that he didn’t know where to put his hands and feet.

Pei Yutu, on the other hand, was so happy that he blurted out, “It looks good! You can wear this from now on.”

A loose pink polka dot short-sleeved shirt that was obviously designer was worn with a black jacket and black pants, while the shoes were a popular sneaker for young people.

Ping Mo’s usual style was the training uniforms from the Alliance Military and the standard issue shirt. He would only very occasionally wear a set of other clothes, and never dressed with a youthful atmosphere.

He originally looked like a teenager of 18 or 19 years old. When dressed like this, the pink shirt set off his already fair skin and gave it an even more ivory-like texture. He was young and fresh, not at all like a teacher, but like a high school girl.

No, not a school girl. There was no such thing as a good-looking school girl, Pei Yutu silently corrected in his mind.

However, Instructor Ping was made even more uncomfortable by his overly enthusiastic gaze. “These pants are too tight, and the clothes have no pockets. Where should I put my military dagger and gun?”

“Let’s make a deal. Please go to the police station without a weapon, okay?” You already killed thirteen people, and are considered a dangerous person. They will suspect you more if you have weapons!

Ping Mo was still uncomfortable. “This is too youthful, and can’t possibly be right for someone of my age.”

“You don’t look young, you are young.” Pei Yutu probed further. “What about the pendant? It goes with the black jacket.”

Ping Mo took a moment to understand what Pei Yutu was talking about, and said with disgust, “That thing is like a dog chain. What’s the point of wearing it? Do you have a cap?”

Teaching Assistant Pei couldn’t understand what kind of mentality Ping Mo had that he felt it necessary to cover up such a beautiful face, until he went out the door and witnessed Ping Mo’s 99% second glance rate. From omega boys to middle-aged women, they couldn’t help but look at him more. At first Pei Yutu was still quite proud of it, and felt it gave him a lot of face. That was until a bold omega boy stopped them, and took out his cell phone, ready to ask for contact information. Teaching Assistant Pei just exploded.

Was this an attempt to poach in front of him?

“Excuse me, we have business to attend to.” Pei Yutu, big and tall, stepped in front of Ping Mo. He’d developed a fierce aura from his years in the military. Even without being really angry, his  sentence was so cold that it scared the boy and he forgot what he intended to say.

However he was still very persistent, as he bit his lips and tried again in a whisper, “It won’t take you long.”

Pei Yutu glared at him. “Do you not understand human speech?”

This time the boy didn’t dare ask again. He didn’t know whether he was annoyed or scared, but the corners of his eyes were flooded with a few tears. He turned his head and ran a long way, before he hatefully cursed him, “What quality!”

Ping Mo, however, wasn’t interested in all this and looked away. He muttered, “Why is he here too?”

Pei Yutu said sourly, “Ping Mo, you don’t need to use that Strong Alpha Forest spray whenever you go out, and spray it so thickly. You are too vain. Look! It attracts people like butterflies. We can’t do anything else.”

Ping Mo wondered, “Wasn’t that one looking for you?”

“What?” Pei Yutu recalled carefully that the omega had indeed come straight to him! He felt a little better and thought he had to build up a good image. “It seems so. Actually I’ve been very popular since I was in school, and I’m very popular because I’m an alpha, fierce, and I was on the basketball team.”

“Oh.” Unfortunately, Instructor Ping only returned a monosyllablic reply, while his eyes were still looking into the distance. Pei Yutu guessed blindly. Could this be jealousy? So he tried to ask, “What did you think of that little boy just now?”

Ping Mo, “I didn’t notice.”

Pei Yutu bristled. “I think he’s okay. Why don’t I go back and add him as a friend?”

“Sure.”

“So I’m really going?”

“Go, go.” Ping Mo finally got impatient. “Don’t keep asking me.”

Pei Yutu, “…” Was this jealousy or just trying to annoy him? Still, he didn’t dare continue to ask. He felt that if he annoyed him again, Instructor Ping would turn around and beat him up.

The person’s attention didn’t seem to be on himself. He followed Ping Mo’s line of sight, and found a familiar figure, “Hu Lei?” 

What is he doing here?

The two watched as Hu Lei entered the Star City Police Headquarters. Ping Mo rubbed his temples and said, “There were students among the kidnapped. There was even collusion with the human traffickers. The Military Ministry was bound to send someone to communicate and coordinate. So they sent Hu Lei.”

This guy and Instructor Ping had a disagreement.

Hu Lei was a male beta and not tall, while his education was quite high. He was more than thirty years old, but that person was an extreme chicken who loved to play with his official authority. It was typical of a chicken to run when they saw an arrow. However, his business acumen was really good, and in front of leadership, he was very popular. He had recently become the teaching team leader in charge of the instructors.

When this new official took office, the head teacher wanted to catch a few trouble makers like a new broom sweeps clean, and the results were Ping Mo. 1

Ping Mo had never admitted defeat in the field of ‘playing hard to get’, and he hadn’t given face to the head of the team. After a small fuss, Hu Lei completely gave in and never dared to make things difficult for Ping Mo.

However, once the will of this kind of villain had been formed, it was likely they would come back to find trouble. Ping Mo wondered why they had run into him at this juncture. It was really giving him a headache.

Pei Yutu was very broad-minded. “Hu Lei is at most an errand boy. What are you afraid of? Let’s go our way.”

Instructor Ping wasn’t willing to admit to the word, fear, and said with a grunt, “Who am I afraid of? Let’s go!”

As soon as he entered the reception room, he met up with Hu Lei. While Ping Mo had been at Pei Yutu’s home for the past two days, Hu Lei had been at the school where he heard all the gossip, and knew that Instructor Ping had been temporarily suspended for his actions.

In the opinion of the head teacher, he was a GI who didn’t know the ropes but was able to transfer to the AMTC as an instructor. That’s a high honor! Teachers in the system, with all the benefits, how rare! However now, this irascible soldier gangster screwed up, and can be said to have a ruined future.

The head teacher then drew on his superiority and stood. He pushed his glasses up and smiled breezily. “Instructor Ping, yo. You’re in such good spirits today! Oops, I forgot that you are suspended and not an instructor for the time being. But don’t feel too much pressure. As a young person, who hasn’t encountered any hardships?”

Ping Mo grunted indifferently and didn’t say anything. However, according to Pei Yutu’s understanding of him, that one had already started to get upset.

Hu Lei was oblivious to this, still thinking he was light-hearted, even though he was smiling in a strange way. “I’m here to deliver some information. Are you here to make a statement? I’m still a few years older than you, and I have to say, how can you be so impulsive? Yes, you are good, you soldiers, but why! This is now a rule of law society, where you do have to pay the price. Pei Yutu, don’t you stare at me. I also have to criticize you. You are way too unreasonable. Hey, hey, hey. This is a police station, so you two should pay attention to your attitude, especially in the city headquarters! In case you encounter big leaders, you guys want to be like this?”

However, the head teacher fell short, and really encountered a ‘“big leader.”

The young policewoman who had just received them was leading the way. Four or five older policemen who appeared to be small leaders were flanking a police officer as they approached them.

Hu Lei recognized the officer at once, and whispered, “Isn’t that Chief Zheng? He’s a handful!”

The head teacher had made several trips to the city headquarters in the past two days, and had been received by small police officers. However, he still has a bit of the arrogance of a scholar, when he thought about how he was the head teacher of a higher education institution. There was nothing wrong with being received by the big leader, and therefore he was excited to walk forward as he smiled and made a gesture to shake hands.

However, the young policewoman was more resourceful and took a step in front of Hu Lei to drag him away, “Head teacher, you’ve worked hard today. We have nothing else to do here, so you can go back.”

“?” Hu Lei, “But–”

Then, the head teacher saw Chief Zheng walk to Ping Mo without ever looking at him.

Ping Mo was also a little confused, and even more nervous when he learned that he was going to see the big leader who was a handful.

He wasn’t afraid to meet the chief. In fact, according to military rank, this Chief Zheng and his own rank weren’t that far apart, but according to general procedures, for a case with such a high level of seriousness, the Interpol team should appear. Who has a meeting with the Chief? They were making such a big show, it wasn’t to settle old scores with new ones, was it?

Could it be that there was something else wrong in regards to Ghost Ear?

Hu Lei had obviously also thought of the possibility that ‘perhaps the case of Instructor Ping was too serious to be bad luck’, and a gloomy look gradually appeared on his face.

It was Pei Yutu, who was walking with Ping, who was the most calm and nodded in satisfaction when he saw Chief Zheng.

The next second, the chief, who had arrived with great fanfare, pulled up an affable smile under Hu Lei’s puzzled gaze and clutched Ping Mo’s hand. “You’re Instructor Ping? The big hero who saved so many hostages?”

Hu Lei, “????”

Chief Zheng, “You aren’t quite the same as the image I imagined. You are really a talented man. Definitely a hero out of the youth!”

Translator Notes:

新官上任三把火 = as new broom sweeps clean = a new official who applies strict measures to show diligence. He wants to catch a few misbehaving teachers to show off.