MFDSSR 08

Chapter 08

It was clear that their technical proficiency in psychomechanics lagged far behind the Huaxia Alliance. The Human Resources Department of the Parliament was both delighted and terrified; they feared that if he became the least bit dissatisfied, he would run right back to the Alliance. They scrambled to arrange a position and set up blind dates, desperate to find any way to tether him to the Capital Planet.

The position they arranged for him was Dean of the School of Psychomechanics at Capital University. Truth be told, even though Ming Shiyu had repeatedly reassured them that he had no objections and simply wanted to settle down and start a family, the council members themselves felt guilty.

Back in the Alliance, Ming Shiyu was the young president of the Imperial Psychomechanics University, only lacking the seniority for the full, permanent title. While Capital University had strong overall strength, its School of Psychomechanics was, frankly, being completely crushed by the competition on the other side.

Since the perks of the career path held no attraction for him, the Human Resources Department decided to go all-in on their matchmaking efforts. Even Capital University was eager to throw resources at him, terrified of losing this founding-level master—to the extent that whenever rumors of Mason’s infidelity broke out later on, the department members would curse, realizing that in the end, it was their own people sabotaging their own efforts.

That’s right—the “best” blind date candidate carefully selected for him was none other than young Master Owen of the Stu family.

Among all the single elites on the entire Capital Planet, no one had better credentials than Owen. In terms of family background, they were wealthier than a nation; thanks to the family’s “golden finger” of top-tier luck, they had turned mineral wealth—a non-renewable resource—into a seemingly inexhaustible one. The planet hadn’t even been half-mined yet, and the new one they had just purchased had struck oil on the first shovel.

In terms of appearance, he possessed a unique, exquisite red-headed look combined with a noble air—perfectly matching Ming Shiyu’s aesthetic preference for a youthful, boyish quality. As for his personality… well, there wasn’t much to say there, but back then, Owen still retained the “clarity and stupidity” of a college student, without the “mad dog” temper he developed later, where he would snap at anyone he saw.

Most importantly, Owen was set to graduate from Capital University’s top-tier program in six months. They could cultivate their relationship on campus, and by the time Owen graduated, their relationship would naturally come to fruition, avoiding even the slightest risk to their reputations.

After Ming Shiyu was informed of Owen’s details, he didn’t tell anyone, but deep down, he was expectant.

Owen’s appearance was almost tailored to his tastes. He had intended to marry someone who was compatible in every aspect, and he hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly, especially since the liaison officer told him that Owen was also looking forward to the meeting. Originally, this was supposed to be a blind date where both parties were satisfied and cooperative.

Until their first meeting.

Owen’s change of heart had actually been foreshadowed. Before the Human Resources Department and the Imperial University arranged for them to meet, Lu Fang, who was lurking on the school forum, reported back that Owen had suddenly lashed out during a school debate. The topic he proposed was that in the new phase of the Empire’s development, psychomechanics had no development value and was the profession with the least future prospects.

Owen was the debate lead for the affirmative, even going so far as to suggest that practitioners of psychomechanics should switch careers as soon as possible. “In the face of the torrent of history, even industry titans cannot save themselves; since they cannot avoid being submerged, they shouldn’t mislead the next generation,” was his exact wording.

Even someone as thick-skinned as Lu Fang could hear the young master’s disdain, and he even thought that Ming Shiyu would be foolish enough to pester him.

For a time, rumors flew around the school. Since Owen had a huge following as a popular student, the situation for the soon-to-be new dean was, predictably, entirely one-sided against him.

“The Empire’s Tulip? That’s just the aesthetic of the old men in the family; as long as there is profit to be made, they’ll say any flattering words.”

At the Imperial University’s freshman welcome party, Owen arrived fashionably late. The moment he sat down, he chatted and laughed with those around him, saying exactly that.

Because the councilors and school leaders were completely unaware of Owen’s change in attitude, they had arranged for Ming Shiyu’s seat to be right next to Owen’s to play matchmaker—and Ming Shiyu never arrived late.

This year’s welcome party had been elevated to a much higher level because it served the dual purpose of welcoming Dean Ming Shiyu and playing matchmaker for the two. The seating for students and faculty was deliberately arranged together.

Owen sat down lazily, resting his long legs on the back of the chair in front of him. When his gaze swept to the side and he caught sight of Ming Shiyu, he froze.

Is there someone like this in our school? Is he a freshman? Otherwise, why haven’t I ever seen him? Seeing that the beautiful underclassman was looking at him, Owen sheepishly put his legs down and apologized to the student in front of him with a gentle smile: “Sorry, classmate, my legs are too long and I didn’t notice the chair in front of me.”

At this time, Owen rebelliously dyed his hair black, mainly because his natural red hair was too conspicuous and made it easy for professors to call on him, which was bad for skipping class. Yet, he wore a red jacket and, after lazily retracting his legs and curling his thin lips to laugh with his friends, he was a young man who could easily capture people’s attention.

The performances on the grand stage were massive in scale, and the party had invited currently trending celebrities, but the friends around Owen were still obsessively chatting about “The Empire’s Tulip.”

He responded nonchalantly, hesitating over whether to talk to the beautiful underclassman.

The young master had been catered to his whole life; he had never tried to rack his brains to come up with a topic to chat up a stranger. But Ming Shiyu’s entire aura was too cold and indifferent, showing no interest in him. He decided to put his pride aside for a moment, fearing that if he didn’t take the initiative, he would miss his chance.

Owen turned slightly, about to speak, when a friend pulled him back: “I’m telling you, are you really not willing to go on that blind date with the professor? With your ‘Dragon-born’ status, my uncle who is stationed in the Huaxia Alliance says that person is more than good enough for you. Don’t regret it later.”

Owen’s face darkened instantly. He snuck a glance to the left at Ming Shiyu; the beautiful underclassman was clearly listening, curiously tilting his ear to eavesdrop on their side.

Having finally met his ideal type only to have his friend reveal his blind date arrangement, Owen had already cursed his friend eight hundred times in his heart. But when he realized his romantic situation had attracted the other’s attention, his ears turned slightly red.

He noticed me. He’s interested in me. Owen began to drift on cloud nine, unable to help but raise his voice to refute his friend: “I told my dad yesterday to reject it. Who believes what a politician says? Someone around my age? They are the best at painting over the cracks. That Ming Shiyu is already a professor; he must be at least 50 years older than me. I… I like people younger than me.”

He glanced at the underclassman to his left again. Very good, his attention is still on me.

Owen, feeling encouraged, continued to show off his “knowledge”: “How long has the Empire’s psychomechanics research been stagnant? The applications of psychic power are single-minded; it only allows people to avoid getting lost in interstellar jumps. It’s just the difference between having it and not having it; there’s no need to develop a psychic grading system. Currently, only Ming Shiyu’s psychic power is ranked as X-level, but what’s the use of a high rank?”

“I heard he’s a ‘marriage enthusiast’.”

“His Majesty said at our family dinner this year that the Empire will no longer waste resources on the field of psychomechanics. Even if Ming Shiyu is the best in the industry, just based on the new Emperor’s golden words, I can persuade the old men in the family. I only marry the person I like; I don’t care what status the other person has.”

Hearing this, Ming Shiyu knew there was no need to get further involved, even though he didn’t intend to clarify that he was actually younger than this young master of the Stu family.

Because of his psychic development, he had been precocious, and the Human Resources Department wouldn’t have arranged a blind date for him that was too young. Now it seemed that even the age bracket of a graduating university student was too immature.

However, Ming Shiyu hadn’t expected that Owen would turn his back on him because of such a boring reason as “disciplinary discrimination.” Since they were incompatible in every way, he would leave it at that. His face held a trace of disappointment that even he himself hadn’t noticed, the flickering stage lights casting shadows on his exquisite face.

He draped the cashmere coat that had been hanging over his arm around his shoulders, uncrossed his lower legs from his knees, and stood up quietly, revealing slender ankles. His movements were subtle, but the moment the beauty moved, he drew the attention of everyone around him. Owen, in particular, was keeping his eyes on him the whole time.

As Ming Shiyu passed by him, Owen grabbed his wrist, only to let go as if he had been burned. He asked nervously, “Classmate, where are you going? No, I mean, aren’t you going to watch the performance?”

Ming Shiyu looked at him with surprise and said lightly: “Yes, I have other matters to attend to.”

Before he could continue, Ming Shiyu left with brisk, decisive steps, leaving the frustrated young Owen behind.

As he walked out the main entrance of the auditorium, he opened his comms and sent a message: “Cancel the meeting with Mr. Owen next Monday. For future introductions, choose someone more mature.”

When Ming Shiyu made that request back then, he never imagined that one day, even the wild and reckless Owen would grow into who he was today. One had to admit, he really was a bit foolish back then.

Watching Ming Shiyu think of something, eyes filled with laughter, the corners of his mouth unable to stay down, Owen realized that a simple scholar who isn’t calculating will always be like this—unable to hide his expressions.

The “steadiness” he had worked so hard to cultivate broke down instantly. In front of Ming Shiyu, he seemed to turn back into that carefree young master of the Stu family again. He whispered in annoyance, “Hey, are you thinking about how embarrassing I was back then? I said stop laughing.”

If he hadn’t been holding a child in his arms, he would have wanted to grab Ming Shiyu’s shoulders and shake him hard.

Ming Shiyu was silent for a long moment before saying: “I understand what you mean. Actually, you said one thing correctly back then: I am indeed a well-known ‘marriage enthusiast’.”

He watched, amused, as Owen covered his face with a teeth-gritting expression, clearly unable to bear looking at him.

Only after Ming Shiyu had seen enough of that expression did he say: “I am considering my next marriage.”

Back then, he hadn’t realized that the series of foolish things Owen did after he refused the meeting were actually signs that he liked him. But judging by his behavior today, he would have to be a fool himself not to see it now.