Chapter 182: I, Pink

Everyone present was perceptive. Just by looking at Zoe Pierce’s condition, they knew it hadn’t gone all the way.

But the implication was blunt.

Chase Shaw and Zoe Pierce had spent the night together in the same bed.

It was obvious what could happen when two people shared a bed.

Perhaps they’d done everything but take that final step.

Erin Xavier even glanced at the gland on the back of Zoe’s neck. He didn’t know to what extent her gland had metabolized everything by now.

’Are his pheromones still in her system?’

Zoe put down her water glass and asked, "What are you all doing here?"

’Such a big group showing up this early... Something must be up.’

’Can’t we just come see her?’ Erin Xavier grumbled to himself.

"The credits are in," Miles Sherman said, pulling out a stamped form. It showed Zoe’s credits for the semester.

Zoe had been away from the academy for so long, she’d almost forgotten about the very thing that used to be her biggest concern.

She took the form Miles handed her and was dumbfounded.

The extra credits awarded were far greater than what she’d earned from regular exams.

She felt a momentary daze.

"What’s wrong?" Chase Shaw asked.

Even he had thought Zoe would be happy to see it.

Zoe looked at the form. "It just feels like time flies."

’And so do people’s perspectives.’

Her initial mindset was completely different from how she felt now.

At first, all she wanted was to earn some credits. Now, she’d somehow found herself becoming an honorary alumna.

The biggest chunk of those extra credits came from the "Honorary Alumna" title.

"So, if I’m counting correctly, are these enough credits to graduate?" Zoe asked.

Nathan Lockwood answered her, "Just based on credits, you have more than enough."

"And there are extra rewards," he said, pointing to the second page.

Zoe turned the page. Sure enough, there were plenty of material rewards listed.

As The Federation’s top military academy, it received countless donations from distinguished alumni, from both individuals and corporations.

Even for Zoe now, this was a huge sum of money.

It was more than the Star Coins she had donated to Planet F187.

Yet now, she’d earned it all back in an instant.

"This is a little overwhelming." Zoe put the paper down on the table, perching on the edge and tilting her head back.

’Once you understood the politics behind it, you knew this was all a gesture of goodwill.’

The exhibition match.

The event, talked about for nearly half a year, was drawing closer every day.

"If you win, you probably won’t be able to attend your classes afterward," Nathan Lockwood said.

Zoe was different from them. She never relied on the advantages of her gender.

She relied on her physical conditioning, her indomitable spirit, and her relentless, day-in, day-out training.

’She was perfect propaganda material.’

Nathan Lockwood alone could think of seven or eight different PR angles. Director Quinn wouldn’t stand a chance of stopping the media frenzy.

The shawl on Zoe’s shoulders slipped down as she moved, revealing her delicate, pale collarbones. She didn’t notice, her fingers just unconsciously traced patterns on the smooth tabletop. "And if I lose?"

The flash of her pale skin was dazzling. Chase Shaw suddenly stepped forward and pulled the shawl back into place.

Zoe looked at Chase Shaw, baffled.

"You won’t lose," Chase Shaw said. "You think everyone’s like you?"

Zoe couldn’t help but laugh.

’It’s only natural to have doubts about something that hasn’t happened yet.’

Erin Xavier chimed in. "Exactly. How could you possibly lose?"

They all sounded so certain, as if it were already a foregone conclusion.

"You can’t escape even if you lose," only Nathan Lockwood replied.

Even in the one-in-a-million chance that Zoe lost, her title as the "Strongest Omega" wouldn’t change.

She’d be forced to attend all sorts of events until the hype died down.

’Alright, fine. Nothing but the cold, hard truth from those thin lips of his.’

Zoe shrugged. Lowering her gaze, her fingers rubbed back and forth over the words "Honorary Alumna." They were just printed in a standard font, weightless on the page, but their actual meaning felt heavy.

She remembered looking up the names of past honorary alumni herself.

Every single one of them was a big shot.

’But it was useless thinking about that now.’

Zoe’s attention was finally drawn to the fact that Chase Shaw was still in his tank top. He was making himself right at home.

Folding the officially stamped paper, she reached out and tapped his arm with it. "Go get changed."

’His being dressed like that was a constant reminder of what happened last night.’

Chase Shaw gently caught her wrist, completely ignoring the others’ looks. "No more touching?"

Zoe froze.

Sure enough, the other three men’s gazes turned meaningful.

"No more touching. Get dressed," Zoe said, pulling away. Her wrist slipped from his grasp.

Chase, for his part, simply pulled a loose black T-shirt from his Space Button. He slipped it on easily, instantly concealing his eye-catching muscles.

"Where did she touch you?" Nathan Lockwood asked with a smile. "What part of you is worth her undivided attention?"

He was looking at Chase Shaw.

Chase Shaw looked up, a smirk playing on his lips. "Guess."

Nathan Lockwood stood up and strolled over to Zoe’s side. "Chest or abs?"

Zoe feigned indifference. "What..."

"Of the parts he had showing, weren’t those the only two worth a look?" Nathan Lockwood shot a sidelong glance at Chase Shaw. "It’s not like he’s the only one."

It wasn’t just Chase Shaw who was built like that; they all were.

The only difference was their skin tone.

He raised an eyebrow as if a thought had struck him, then suddenly leaned down and whispered in Zoe’s ear.

Zoe didn’t understand the few words he said at first. But once the sentence registered in her mind, her composure shattered instantly.

"I’m... going to go get changed."

She fled upstairs in embarrassment.

Nathan Lockwood chuckled softly.

’She gets flustered so easily. Even her ears are red.’

Chase Shaw narrowed his eyes. Nathan had spoken too quickly and too quietly, and since no one had thought to use their spiritual power, no one heard what he’d said.

"What did you say?" This time, it was Chase Shaw asking.

Nathan Lockwood just smiled at him. "Guess."

He threw Chase’s own words right back at him.

Chase Shaw sneered but didn’t press the issue with Nathan Lockwood. Unlike Zoe, who hadn’t brought her Space Button, he just found an empty room on the first floor, changed his pants, and came back out.

Neither Nathan Lockwood nor Chase Shaw noticed, but Miles Sherman and Erin Xavier did.

The way those two interacted with Zoe was natural and intimate, completely lacking the distance they used to have.

It was the kind of intimacy that comes after "falling in love."

A dynamic that someone without that experience couldn’t possibly grasp.

「Upstairs, in her room.」

Zoe grabbed a random change of clothes, then went into the bathroom to tie up her hair. The girl in the mirror still had flushed cheeks. She cursed under her breath.

’She’d never even seen Nathan Lockwood with his shirt off.’

’But... Nathan is so fair-skinned...’

’It would be perfectly normal for them to be pink, right?’

Realizing what she was thinking, Zoe felt like she was going insane. It was all Nathan Lockwood’s fault for whispering that in her ear.

’Who cares what color a man’s nipples are? This is insane.’