Time flew by. While waiting for the coming-of-age ceremony, there was a large blank period in the plot. Lin You simply ate and slept, bonded with Admiral Hoyle, and went online to play matchmaking matches every day.

He improved rapidly and never missed a single shot again. His marksmanship was astonishingly accurate, and in just a few days, he reached a high rank. The name "Pomelo Lord" also quietly spread, becoming the subject of discussion for many people in the forums. Many inquired openly and secretly, asking which legion this new expert belonged to.

System 55's non-existent hair was about to fall out entirely.

Lin You was having fun playing games, but once his identity was exposed, there would be no need to go through the upcoming plot lines, and his entire character persona would completely collapse—imagine a spoiled and willful Male Zerg thriving like a fish in water in the military's simulation system, having the time of his life, and ruthlessly landing headshots with every shot. What kind of bullshit character setting was that?

Because of this, System 55 slapped three layers of encryption onto Lin You's identity, strictly guarding it. With the blessing of top-tier technology at a high-dimensional level, let alone these foot soldiers, even if Admiral Hoyle came to investigate, he wouldn't be able to find any clues.

But after playing so many times, Lin You never matched with Lenon again.

The Major General of the Third Legion was busy with military affairs and rarely appeared in matchmaking, but his prestige was extremely high. When Lin You occasionally chatted with his teammates and mentioned Lenon, everyone showed admiration, but after the admiration, there were endless sighs of regret.

They shook their heads and sighed, "Major General Lenon, it's truly a pity."

"Being accused of harming a Male Zerg is such a huge crime. If His Third Highness doesn't relent and marry him before the trial day, it will end with his Spiritual Sea being destroyed and him being exiled."

At that time, Lin You was waiting for the matchmaking results. A teammate nudged him, "Do you think His Third Highness will relent?"

Lin You replied vaguely, "Maybe."

No one paid attention to his answer. Sighs rose one after another, and someone lamented, "Even if he marries His Third Highness, it might not be a good ending."

"Even if he gets immunity, the Liam Family won't let it go. The Major General is destined to be stripped of his military power and trapped in His Third Highness's back rooms. If he's lucky, he might receive His Third Highness's pity and spend the rest of his life serving his husband and raising children."

Someone else interjected, "And what if he's unlucky?"

"Heh, if he's unlucky, he'll be tied up in the basement and toyed with daily. If His Third Highness is happy, he might reward him with some Pheromone. If not, he'll just leave him hanging. It'll end in either death or madness."

Even with a pardon, after the trial day, Lenon would no longer be considered a natural person in the legal sense. He would still be guilty. As a plaything in the hands of His Third Highness, he would be worse off than the lowest slave. The Zerg had seen this kind of thing happen far too many times.

Lin You said nothing.

The Lenon in the novel experienced the second outcome.

It was just that he was much more resilient than anyone imagined. He would rather endure agonizing pain and inject inferior potions to completely leave the Main Star and die on an expeditionary battlefield.

Someone else let out a long sigh, "To be honest, when Major General Lenon chose to pursue His Third Highness, I found it very strange. Based on what I know about him, he would rather die with pride than willingly grovel and submit to someone else."

This remark immediately won the agreement of everyone present.

"That's exactly right."

"I also thought the Major General would just kill himself back then."

"..."

Voices of agreement echoed one after another.

Lin You's brow twitched slightly.

The novel was a revenge-on-society story. It entirely focused on describing the protagonist's miserable encounters, how he fell from being a favored son of heaven into the mud, and how all his proud bones were broken. However, it completely ignored the background and didn't explain the protagonist's motives.

Lin You propped his chin up and pondered. 'System 55, it is a bit strange.'

With Lenon's perceptiveness in the novel, as well as His Third Highness's early attitude towards him, it wouldn't have been hard for Lenon to guess what he would face after marriage. Since he wasn't afraid of pain or death, why didn't he just head to the battlefield right from the start and bury his bones in a foreign land, rather than suffer torment and humiliation for nothing?

Now that he was here, assuming the original plot didn't undergo major changes, would Lenon... also die?

Lin You's heart skipped a beat.

He lowered his eyes and said, "Mark it. I'll go back and read through the original text again."

System 55: "Annotation number 158 has been added for you."

All the annotations had been added over the past two days. Lin You had almost flipped through the original text until it fell apart.

The coming-of-age ceremony was a key plot point in the novel. It featured massive chunks of dialogue, as well as descriptions of tone and expression. Lin You's acting skills were so terrible that he could only categorize and take notes, pondering them one by one. By the time he grasped all the key points, it was almost time for the banquet to begin.

This day was the last rest day of the year. The capital had brilliant sunshine. Cargo ships brought cartloads of champagne roses and lilies from the agricultural galaxies, giving the royal courtyard a brand new decoration.

Guests entered one after another, and Admiral Hoyle entertained them one by one.

Lin You changed into a pure white tailcoat and sat at the main table of the banquet. Beside him were the First Prince and Second Prince of the Empire. Both were background characters in the novel. Among them, the First Prince had an old grudge with Lenon's Colette Family, but otherwise, there was nothing worth noting.

Lin You maintained the noble bearing he had learned at the last minute, reservedly greeting the guests one by one. From a distance, he saw Lenon. The silver-haired Major General was in a military dress uniform, the crisp fabric outlining the shape of his waist. He smiled slightly at Lin You, bowed in greeting, and mouthed, "Happy coming-of-age, Your Highness."

Lenon's eyes were very beautiful. When he looked at you attentively, it was as if you were the only person in the entire world worthy of his gaze. His peach blossom eyes were full of deep affection. Lin You lowered his eyes uncomfortably. When he looked up again, Lenon had already taken a seat at a side table.

On such an occasion, he was not yet qualified to sit at the same table as the Imperial Princes.

Once everyone had arrived, Lin You tensed up and recited a couple of customary remarks. His expression was wooden, as if he were dreaming of being back at a university speech presentation. After finally finishing his lines, he sat down on his own.

At a royal banquet, apart from dining, socializing and networking were more important. Nobles gathered in the garden in twos and threes, conversing and joking with each other.

Lenon took a sip of red wine, sitting alone in a corner.

Naturally, no nobles came to chat with him.

His current status was sensitive. After the trial day, regardless of the Third Prince's attitude, Major General Iris would be stripped of his military power and fall into the dust. He would either be executed and exiled, or kept in the back rooms. Furthermore, his family would also belong to the Third Prince. In the eyes of the other nobles, Lenon was no different from a dead man.

And there was no need to socialize with a dead man.

Lenon was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet. His gaze fell on Lin You from afar.

The distinguished Third Prince was incredibly well-behaved beside Admiral Hoyle. He was surrounded by a group of high-ranking military and political officials. These people were all Admiral Hoyle's old friends and the mainstays of the various legions.

Lenon had no expression on his face. After watching faintly for a while, he caught sight of a limping Male Zerg striding over from the corner of his eye. He paused slightly and sighed inwardly, 'He still found his way here.'

When taking his seat, he had deliberately chosen an isolated corner.

The newcomer limped over, followed by five or six tall and sturdy young Female Zergs. He kicked over the table and chairs in front of Lenon and feigned surprise, "Lenon? You actually dared to come?"

It was exactly White Liam.

Lenon hadn't wanted to come, but since he was currently pursuing Lin You, and Lin You had asked him to, he had to come.

He stood up, placed his wine glass aside, and bowed in greeting. "Your Excellency."

White Liam still had one hand wrapped in bandages, looking as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. He scrutinized Lenon critically, looking him up and down before sneering, "Long time no see, Major General Iris is truly as beautiful as always. No wonder you dared to latch onto His Third Highness right after injuring me."

Lenon sighed, "Whether Your Excellency believes it or not, that matter had nothing to do with me."

White Liam only sneered, "It's not up to you to say whether it did or not."

As things stood, there was no second suspect. Whether Lenon was the one who did it or not, the Liam Family had to get an explanation.

White looked at Lenon. Major General Iris was very good-looking, and he genuinely liked him. If Lenon hadn't resolutely broken off their engagement and gone to Lin You, White would have already trapped him in the back rooms under the guise of being his fiancé, torturing and venting on him to satiate the hatred in his heart.

The beauty that was right in his hands had flown away just like that. White gritted his teeth in increasing hatred. His explicit gaze swept over Lenon's entire body, seemingly considering where to sink his teeth in first.

However, as his gaze swept past the collar, he saw the faint red marks exposed there. White paused, and then his anger suddenly surged. He violently kicked the table aside. "Well done, Lenon. Back then, after we got engaged, I invited you to my bed, but you played the paragon of chastity, looking utterly unwilling, saying you had to save it for after marriage. I thought the Female Zergs of your Colette Family were so well-bred and possessed such lofty morals. Yet, I hear that you couldn't wait to climb into His Third Highness's bed after only being with him for two days?"

Rejecting White, then taking the initiative to pursue Lin You, was equivalent to pressing White's face into the ground and trampling on it.

"..."

The Colette Family had always enjoyed a good reputation in the capital, not only because of their wealth but also because of their strict upbringing. Lenon had always strictly observed etiquette and maintained his dignity, except for the one time he seduced Lin You.

Only that one time, he had no other choice.

Lenon did not utter a single word.

There was a reason for what he did, and he could not deny it.

White Liam sneered, "How truly despicable. While your fiancé lay unconscious, you turned around and climbed into the Third Prince's bed. Tomorrow I should notify all the newspapers in the capital to put it on their front pages and record it well: just what kind of filthy thing our Lenon Colette—the only son of the Colette Family and Major General Iris of the Third Legion—really is."

His family and his colleagues in the army were Lenon's fatal weaknesses. White Liam stared at him, but Lenon's expression remained unchanged. His gaze fell emptily into the distance, as if his soul had separated from his body. White didn't see the reaction he wanted, so he narrowed his eyes. "Not speaking? What, do you disagree?"

"No." Lenon lowered his eyes and actually began to smile. "Your reprimand is justified."

"My reprimand is justified?" The maliciousness in White Liam's eyes grew stronger. He swept the wine glasses off the table. The glass fell to the ground, shattering completely with a loud crash. He reached out and grabbed Lenon's tie, forcing him to tilt his neck up, and raised his arm as if to slap him. "Do you really think I wouldn't dare touch you just because you followed His Third Highness? Then you can guess, if I really help His Third Highness discipline you, how would he react?"

"..."

Lenon thought indifferently, 'Perhaps there wouldn't be any reaction.'

Male Zergs were absurd. It was not uncommon for them to exchange female concubines with each other, and exchanging Female Consorts wasn't unheard of either. Sometimes, if they played too hard and caused injuries or bruises, it only took a few apologies. And although His Third Highness had spoken to him softly and gently for two days, after their night of passion, he was too stingy to even make a promise of marriage. Lenon figured that in Lin You's eyes, he was probably just a pretty plaything that happened to catch his fancy.

The Liam Family held immense power, and White was their only Male Zerg. There were many benefits to winning him over. As for the "pretty plaything" that had already been acquired, who had no way out but to offer up his family, it wasn't anything precious. If he was disciplined, then he was disciplined.

But as he thought this, a slight sense of bitterness rose in Lenon's chest. He slightly curled his fingers, then unnaturally let them go. A certain uncontrollable sorrow spread through his body along with his blood, transforming into a difficult, harsh pain.

...It was a bit, uncomfortable.

This feeling was somewhat unfamiliar, like when his Pheromone had not been satisfied before. Lenon blanked for a moment and forcefully suppressed the strange sensation. He smiled bitterly in his heart. 'It was just two days of kind treatment, yet it actually gave rise to expectations I shouldn't have.'

In front of him, White had already raised his arm high, getting into the posture to slap him.

A strong gust of wind brushed past his cheek, the palm close at hand.

Lenon sighed and closed his eyes.

He could not avoid this censure.

Morally, he was the prime suspect for Liam's injury. Since the victim had come looking for him, there was no reason to hide. Legally and according to etiquette, he was a Female Zerg, and Liam was a Male Zerg. If a Male Zerg wanted to make trouble, a Female Zerg had no way to fight back.

Lenon thought apathetically—he only hoped the force of the slap would be lighter. He didn't have much time, and he still had to keep this face to curry favor with Lin You. If blood flew everywhere and ruined His Third Highness's appetite, causing more complications for the marriage, that would be very bad.

The next second, something flew over horizontally and smacked right onto White's hand, knocking it forcefully aside. Caught off guard, White stumbled two steps and looked up in uncertain shock.

At the same time, Lenon paused and looked up.

Lin You was standing on the second floor at some point. His features were noble and dignified, and he wore a complicated formal suit. His hair was meticulously combed. He held a piece of pastry in his hand, tossing it up and down as he watched the commotion in the courtyard with great interest.

The System poked him: "Host, your aim isn't bad."

Throwing a pastry from the second floor and hitting the back of the hand dead center.

Lin You clicked his tongue. "Nonsense. I didn't throw all those grenades in the holographic system for nothing."

He strolled down from the upper floor with elegant steps and an extremely perfect posture. Standing next to the staggering White, he made the only Male Zerg of the Liam Family look like an ill-mannered brute who knew nothing of etiquette.

Lenon paused, then quickly raised a smile. He bowed in greeting. "Good afternoon, Your Third Highness."

Lin You ignored him and only looked at White. "Why are you here?"

White smiled. "Oh, I saw that Major General Lenon really didn't understand etiquette, so I wanted to discipline him on your behalf."

System 55 reminded, "Host, your line."

It thoughtfully displayed the content on the screen. The line was: "Discipline? Fine, then you discipline him."

In the original text, the Third Prince disliked Lenon, especially disliking the fact that Lenon had injured a Male Zerg. He was happy to let White take action to discipline him. Later, finding it a bit interesting, he even joined in, turning a perfectly good banquet into a restricted-level event. And early the next morning, the news of Major General Iris serving two Male Zergs as a female concubine occupied the headlines of all major sections. There was no lack of specific details, which at a glance were clearly leaked by White on purpose. Passersby talked about it with great relish, chatting away happily.

Overnight, the Colette Family was utterly disgraced, and Major General Iris was reduced to a laughingstock.

"Discipline? Sure." Lin You stood between the two with his arms crossed. "Then discipline him."

His tone was full of nonchalance, as if he were just discussing someone of no importance.

Behind him, Lenon's pupils shrank, and his body abruptly tensed. A moment later, he relaxed as if giving up on himself. His lips twitched slightly, and he tasted a bit of blood on the tip of his tongue.

He stared at Lin You's handsome profile, the bitterness in his heart growing ever heavier.

—To give him such a gentle night of passion, yet be able to so naturally utter words enough to cast him into hell.

But the next second, Lin You kicked the leg of the table. The table crashed to the ground, and White was flipped onto the floor along with it. The Third Prince looked down at him from above, his face full of hostility.

"Discipline? I'd like to see how you plan to discipline him!"