Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 14 | Not Dating, Thanks | Novela.app

Great, just great. What a horror story. At that moment, Lei Ting had been completely stunned, but he didn't doubt the words. The academy had no reason to lie to him about this. The reality of it made him feel a certain grief because, through the subsequent explanation, he learned that such profound mental interference could only be achieved through long-term, close-range contact. Its greatest effect was the distortion of his five senses. The academy had already begun planning his treatment and was screening potential suspects from his past. But how many people had truly been close to him for a long time? This question weighed heavier than his osmium cube. Yet, he knew it had to be resolved. Who knew? Perhaps this was one of the reasons he was destined to become a Great Villain in the future. Lei Ting stared blankly at the ceiling before gradually sinking into sleep. …… Early the next morning, he woke up again. At some point, the cubes that had been floating in mid-air had settled onto the floor. He hadn't been startled awake by the expected loud thud, likely because "falling asleep" was a process, just as a slow descent was a process. In fact, the vast majority of espers in the world could not—or rather, found it impossible to—maintain supernatural output while asleep. However, the Head of Logistics insisted that as a Double S, he was different from others and had adamantly added this to his daily training regimen. To be honest, whether that guy even remembered his real name was highly debatable. It seemed his only value to the man was being a "Double S"... As Lei Ting dragged his aching body out of bed, he once again levitated the elemental calcium and let the other two metals flow into his clothes through his trouser legs and sleeves. He marveled at the fact that he had been so exhausted yesterday he’d forgotten to brush his teeth. After rushing through his morning wash, he picked up a recyclable soft plastic tube that had dropped from the nutrient supplement dispenser in his cabin. To his surprise, it didn't contain the usual free nutrient fluid, but an unknown white nutrient paste with a faint, refreshing fragrance. This was likely arranged by the Logistics Department. Lei Ting finished every last bit of the paste, tossed the packaging into the recycling point, and then stepped out the door, dressed impeccably and looking as normal as could be. The lounge area was once again filled with a large crowd... no, this time, there was one more person. That green-eyed Omega was there too. When they saw Lei Ting emerge, the Betas he was familiar with suppressed their laughter and shot him meaningful looks. In an instant, he understood everything. Lei Ting: "..." *Hilarious. There's zero chance of a relationship happening; no matter how much effort you put in, it's useless!* He had woken up a bit late today, and it was almost time for the doors to open. Lei Ting glared at the group waiting to see him make a fool of himself. His footsteps toward the lounge faltered, and he turned directly toward the stairwell, not even bothering with the elevator. When those bastards finally caught up to his slowed pace, laughing all the way, he sneered and struck first. "Yo? Why aren't you walking with that person?" The group erupted in laughter, and they began to banter back and forth until they reached their respective turns, leaving him to walk alone toward the end of the path. Day after day, this process repeated. Every morning, Lei Ting would disappear for a while after a full schedule of classes, and in the afternoon, he would find time between scattered lessons to disappear again. Gradually, everyone in the academy realized he was being specially groomed. More and more people tried to approach him, but he avoided them all. No one knew that every time he returned to his dormitory, he was either dragging a body full of exhaustion or covered in injuries. Even when others rested on weekends, he only had half a day to relax. Of course, his power was also growing at a rapid pace. He could now clearly feel the restrictive force of the collar on his abilities. His height and physique were also increasing under the regime of ample nutrition and exercise; he had already crossed the 1.8-meter mark and was continuing to climb. This disciplined and grueling life continued for over a month before a change occurred. "An extra day off?" Lei Ting paused, though he didn't forget to continue weaving the metal cubes around him into a designated pattern. "Yes. The Principal says if a string is pulled too tight, it'll snap. Personally, I think a ponytail might snap, but rebar won't—though I'm afraid she'll beat me up if I say that." As the Head of Logistics spoke, a stopwatch display showing time down to five decimal places hovered over his head, making him look somewhat like a sci-fi era PE teacher. "So, from now on, every four weeks, you'll have a weekend where you only need to come in on Saturday morning. Like this week—by the way, you haven't had time to work as a campus laborer, so you must be short on points, right? Want us to allocate some to you?" he asked. "No need," Lei Ting rejected the offer without a second thought. "Coursework provides points." "What can those measly points buy?" The Head of Logistics sneered. "You could save for four years and probably still wouldn't be able to afford a single block of the alloy in your hand." "Still, no need. I don't like being in debt." Even though the man was right, Lei Ting still refused. "If you think it's necessary, then give me a mission. Combat or sparring is fine. If all else fails, I can clear the woods or wash windows." The Head of Logistics bickered with him for a few rounds. Finally, after Lei Ting successfully completed today's training puzzle, the man looked frustrated and actually issued him a task to clear the landscaped woods. After Lei Ting happily accepted the task and left, a researcher nearby who had been recording the supernatural monitoring data sighed. "I really don't get why this kid is so stubborn... Oh, they call it 'refusing a handout,' but it doesn't do him any good, does it?" As the researcher grumbled, the Head of Logistics smiled. "Doesn't like being in debt? That's good. Only those who dislike debt are the ones who actually pay it back." His mood seemed to turn cheerful again as he hummed a tune and skipped into his exclusive passage. "Moreover, he doesn't like owing others, yet he's always letting others owe him, and he doesn't even take those debts to heart... That's even better! Remember to send me the records! Anyone who forgets eats mustard tonight!" Lei Ting heard none of this, as he was not yet capable of sensing what people were saying through the vibrations of metal fifty meters away. He simply carried a neatly kept broom and arrived at his target location. In truth, he didn't actually plan to use this broom—which was typically only used by students serving punishment—to do the work. Wouldn't using metal be much better? He could even practice his fine control while he was at it! Unfortunately, due to confidentiality issues, it was best if he only used elemental "calcium" in public, and the piece of calcium previously gifted to him by his instructor wasn't very large... Lei Ting stood by the lawn with one hand in his pocket, leaning on the broom. With a thought, the hardworking piece of calcium beside him flew out with a *shing!* It split into sixty-four tiny beads in mid-air, then pressed itself into soft, thin sheets. Working in pairs, they began to pinch and pick up the fallen leaves beneath the trees. He hadn't been "sweeping" like this for long before someone nearby noticed him. Within minutes, someone approached. "Brother Lei, I..." "..." Lei Ting turned to glance at the person, confirming he didn't recognize them. "Not dating, thanks." "..." The person was completely thrown off by this sentence and left in a daze. A short while later, someone else came to his side. "Brother Lei..." Lei Ting looked out of the corner of his eye, certain he didn't know this one either. "Not dating, thanks." "Then I..." "I don't accept gifts either, thanks." "..." The person left, feeling dejected. After that, a few more scattered individuals came by. There was even an Information Department student who asked if he wanted to buy off-ship video resources, which shocked him. He promptly summoned a squad of drones to haul away this friend who was doing business on the ship without a shopfront or paying taxes. Fewer and fewer people came to find him. But just as he was finishing up the grove and summoning a drone to shovel the trash, someone else approached from his rear-left, walking straight toward him. "Not dating, thanks," he said reflexively. "...What?" The other person was stunned and asked back instinctively. Hearing that voice, Lei Ting froze. He turned his head and saw that it was actually the one-man-army manager from Distant Light Fine Materials, Enan Vallen. At this moment, the elegant, tall, and handsome man was looking at him with a look of utter confusion. To be honest, that expression looked a bit silly on its own, but with his mature, if not perfectly upright, posture, he was enough to catch almost anyone's eye. Looking at him, an untimely thought suddenly popped into Lei Ting's head: *I must have been stupid that day.* Because no normal person would think that this guy—who looked so handsome it made people want to take two steps back, despite his air of exhaustion and gloom—could be some kind of spy talent... What kind of spy or secret agent was this conspicuous?! This wasn't a 007 movie! Now, this center-of-attention Manager Vallen seemed to have something in his mouth, but his pronunciation was clear enough as he asked, "Not dating?" "...Oh! Ah, well..." Lei Ting became embarrassed. "...Sorry, I thought..." "Thought I was one of those people looking for some early investment?" Vallen's expression was perfectly polite. "Do I look like that kind of person to you?" *Yes,* Lei Ting thought. He really didn't look like that kind of person. After all, although he always looked like a lazy slacker in the shop, he was still a business manager who became serious when talking about work... "I don't have that kind of money," Vallen said. ... ...Tch. Lei Ting's eye twitched. But even though the man said that, he didn't follow that line of thought—because no matter how sincere the guy appeared, his mental strength, rated at "SS" quality, was repeatedly reminding him: there was a subtle hint of... Incoordination in the man's words. Yes, incoordination. It was an extremely minute sensation. Lei Ting couldn't figure it out and felt it might just be an illusion. But soon, he decided not to think about what he couldn't understand. Anyway, the fact that "Pacific" hadn't reacted proved the man wasn't a dangerous figure. "Hello, Manager Vallen. You are here for..." He trailed off, and the other man naturally understood he was asking. He didn't say much, only: "Just took a stroll around the academy." "...Hm?" Lei Ting was surprised. "Then what about your shop? What if someone comes to buy something?" "That's my boss's shop, not mine. Even if it makes money, it's not mine." The man pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to him, earnestly teaching him some "life hacks" about not putting true feelings into working for capitalists. "As for buying things... I've always thought my boss was sick in the head. How many students in this place need those raw materials? My most recent deal was a month ago, and even then, I sold it to the school!"