Accidentally Provoked My Archenemy [ABO] - Chapter 26

Sang Yu’s whistle was so sudden it caught everyone off guard. Not only Cheng Yunan, but even his entire class turned toward the source of the sound in confusion.

But it served its purpose: the scolded group finally snapped out of their daze and slowly trickled off toward the cafeteria in small clusters.

Cheng Yunan, however, remained frozen in place, still staring at Sang Yu’s retreating figure. As he stood there, unmoving, two passing students glanced at him with veiled malice. After walking a few steps, they muttered curses under their breath.

“Tch, what’s his deal? Second-to-last in the rankings—does he really think his leg strength can match all of us?”

“Right? Just a useless B-rank. He really deserved praise from Instructor Li?”

“…Tch.”

They kept grumbling as they walked away, not noticing that the person they were mocking had shifted his gaze to them, silently watching, his expression icy.

—

By the time Sang Yu met up with Gu Amo, he was already halfway through his meal. He looked up in surprise when she arrived.

“Sang-jie, you’re actually here to eat?”

“Tch.” Sang Yu gave him a sidelong glance and sat down across from him. “You think I came to the cafeteria to pick a fight?”

She picked up her chopsticks and slowly started eating. The food was already somewhat cold.

Gu Amo gave a sheepish “Oh,” then suddenly slammed the table in righteous indignation, nearly tipping his tray.

“Sang-jie, don’t tell me that guy didn’t invite you?!”

“You got a screw loose?” Sang Yu was still chewing and glared at him, clearly annoyed by his outburst.

Gu Amo quickly sat back down, lowering his voice and shielding his mouth with one hand as he glanced around. “Wait, seriously? He didn’t invite you?”

“No,” Sang Yu said coldly. “Eat.”

“Oh…”

After finishing their meal and walking down a quiet path, Gu Amo couldn’t help but bring it up again.

“Sang-jie, that dual-S guy seriously didn’t invite you? Should we go rough him up a bit?”

Sang Yu didn’t even bother to correct him anymore. She simply ignored him and asked, “Surname Xu?”

“Yeah! Word is, his name’s Xu Songyao. He sent invites to all the top students in Imperial Class One. A bunch of them accepted too. That’s why they weren’t in the cafeteria at lunch.”

“I thought you got invited too. I was already preparing to finish my lunch quick and find another team, but then you actually showed up—and didn’t even get invited.”

“Could it be that Xu guy’s looking down on you, Sang-jie? Want me to teach him a lesson?”

“…No need.” Sang Yu sighed. Why was everyone so obsessed with fighting lately?

“Forget it.”

Sang Yu was certainly proud and competitive—but only when it came to specific people or things. If someone didn’t provoke her directly, she wouldn’t bother with them.

Besides, in the original story, Xu Songyao had basically no connection to her character. There was no reason to care.

The training might be important, sure, but it hadn’t made much of an impression on her. She’d fought insectoids before—there was no need to relive the experience. Her focus should be on refining her core skills instead.

While Sang Yu remained composed, Gu Amo’s expression was stormy—his face pale with disbelief. He just couldn’t understand why Sang Yu was being so calm.

Of course, she knew what he was thinking. She chuckled. “Alright, alright. You’re more worked up than I am. It’s just a damn invitation.”

She was about to say more when, suddenly, someone came barreling around the corner.

“Whoa—!”

The person was running so fast they didn’t slow down at the turn and crashed straight toward Sang Yu.

Just as they were about to collide, Sang Yu kicked out, sending the person flying in an arc before landing squarely in the bushes.

“Holy sh1t— cough cough—”

“Seriously, dear sister, when did you get so violent?!”

The person rolled several times to soften the fall, then stood up with grass in her hair, spitting out twigs while dusting herself off dramatically.

Sang Yu felt a headache coming on.

This person was Luo Shuyu, an S-ranked alpha and sole heir of the Luo family. Despite her elegant, scholarly name, she was boisterous and completely unrestrained.

After meeting Sang Yu as a child and thanks to the good relationship between the Luo and Sang families (plus Sang Yu’s mother’s affection for her), Luo Shuyu successfully wormed her way into Sang Yu’s life as a “sworn sister.” She was constantly in and out of the Sang household like it was her own.

She’d always clung to Sang Yu, even tormenting her hair constantly. Eventually, Sang Yu had managed to “persuade” her to transfer to a nearby star system to get some peace.

She never expected their reunion to happen like this.

Sang Yu inhaled deeply and warned herself to stay calm. She turned on her heel to leave with Gu Amo in tow.

But Luo Shuyu wasn’t having it.

“Come on, we haven’t seen each other in a year, and you’re not even going to say hi? If Auntie finds out, she’s going to nag you to death!”

Sang Yu didn’t break stride or even glance her way.

She’d only walked a few steps before she heard Luo Shuyu’s voice drop—and the wind suddenly shift around her.

!

Sang Yu dodged instinctively, shoving Gu Amo out of harm’s way just in time to avoid a surprise wind blade. She recoiled, alarmed.

“You’re ambushing me?!”

Luo Shuyu giggled. “Aww, no~ I saw a little butterfly and thought I’d help you catch it. How could you accuse your dear sister of such things?”

Sang Yu: …Seriously, what kind of nonsense is this?

She had no idea when Luo Shuyu returned to Central Star—and didn’t care to ask. She just regretted not checking her horoscope this morning.

Luo Shuyu, with her petite frame and sultry voice, looked nothing like a high-ranked alpha—but she was, and a tricky one at that.

Sang Yu, despite being only A-rank, was never afraid of sparring with her—and usually wouldn’t lose. The problem was Luo Shuyu’s underhanded tricks. She always picked fights when Sang Yu’s mother was present, leaving Sang Yu unable to go all out. Every match ended in frustration.

Utterly exhausting.

Looking at her now, Sang Yu hesitated for two seconds—then suddenly smiled, intrigued.

“You really want to fight me?”

For one, her mother wasn’t here. She could finally cut loose. Luo Shuyu was doomed.

Two, she was now an “unknown enigma” with hidden triple-S potential. Luo Shuyu was doomed.

Three, Luo Shuyu had been pestering her for over a decade. All that repressed resentment surged within Sang Yu. Not taking revenge would be a disgrace. Luo Shuyu was definitely doomed.

“…Nope,” Luo Shuyu backed off quickly.

After years of teasing Sang Yu, she’d been punished plenty of times. She recognized that gleam in Sang Yu’s eyes—dangerous and ready to explode. Things never ended well when that look appeared.

Waving her hands in surrender, Luo Shuyu backed off and asked seriously, “Xiao Sang, have you chosen your team yet?”

“No.”

Sang Yu yawned. After two seconds of thought, she realized she hadn’t—besides Gu Amo and his usual gang.

Gu Amo perked up and rattled off a list of names—his and his loyal little brothers.

“No good,” Luo Shuyu frowned, mentally tallying up the numbers. “You don’t have enough people. Not enough strength either.”

Though teams were required to have 10–20 members, most students aimed to max out their numbers for greater strength. She hadn’t expected Sang Yu to stop at a few acquaintances.

“None of your business. Move. I need a nap.”

Sang Yu dismissed Luo Shuyu’s concerns without a second thought. To her, this training was just a formality. She wasn’t aiming for the prize. Just wanted to expose Gu Amo and his group to some real insectoids and gain some field experience.

Anything else was a hassle.

Knowing Sang Yu’s personality, Luo Shuyu could only sigh. Seeing her so nonchalant and determined, she dropped the subject and left after tossing out a few warnings.

Sang Yu rubbed her temple.

Luo Shuyu came and went like a whirlwind. Aside from commenting on her team, tossing out a few jokes, and making a dramatic entrance, she said nothing else—and strode away grandly.

Straight toward the cafeteria.

Sang Yu didn’t find out about the cafeteria brawl at lunch until later that afternoon.

That afternoon, outside the administrative building of the Imperial Military Academy.

Sang Yu exited the building, followed by someone who had just gotten demerit points—she looked completely exasperated.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. First day back and you’re already causing trouble?”

She held her tongue as long as she could, but when she turned to see Luo Shuyu’s swollen, bruised face—on the verge of becoming a pig’s head—her patience snapped. She shot her a glare filled with both disappointment and frustration and let out a rare curse.

Luo Shuyu, still rubbing the bandage on her forehead, looked away guiltily and stayed silent.

Sang Yu: “…Damn it.”

Forget it.

“Luo Shuyu, every school has a rule against fighting. I don’t know if you’ve genuinely forgotten or you’re pretending not to know, and honestly, I don’t care.”

“But remember this—it’s not the punishment that matters. I don’t care what you do on your own time, but stop dragging me into your messes. Don’t keep using my name to cover for yourself.”

She hadn’t even wanted to bring it up, but the second she did, all her past memories of the chaos Luo Shuyu caused began flooding back.

Luo Shuyu liked to play around. She was naturally athletic, and medical assessments had once predicted a high chance of her becoming a top-tier Alpha. Her parents from the prestigious Luo family, confident in her potential, grew lax and stopped keeping her in check.

As a result, she skipped classes constantly—more than Sang Yu—and fought even more.

Eventually, the school caught on, and the issue got big enough to alert her family. She was briefly reined in and even sent to live with her grandfather, Old Master Luo, for a while. During that time, she actually behaved herself.

But then Sang Yu’s nightmare began.

As the old saying goes: “A dog can’t stop eating sh1t.” In Sang Yu’s opinion, it perfectly described Luo Shuyu.

Skipping class? She didn’t even do it openly—she faked being sick and asked for leave.

Fighting? She stopped boasting things like, “You trash!” or “Yeah, I hit you! Come find me at the Luo estate if you’ve got the guts.” Instead, she changed tactics:

“My name is Sang Yu, sole heir to the Sang family! I won’t hide or change my name! If you’ve got the balls, come to the Sang family estate with a forty-meter saber and try me!!”

So naturally, Sang Yu ended up taking the fall for her.

It wasn’t so bad before. Her parents, especially her mother, doted on her endlessly and protected all the younger generation, never scolding them harshly.

And at school, since the Sang family was a well-known aristocratic household on Central Star, no one pushed too hard. After a scolding, things would usually blow over.

But now they were in the Imperial Military Academy, and Sang Yu’s patience was wearing thin.

A surge of irritation welled up in her chest that wouldn’t go away. She couldn’t understand why Luo Shuyu, who had been a second-year advanced student, had suddenly become a first-year trainee—and was still stirring up trouble.

With her voice frosty, she warned, “If you don’t knock it off, I’ll have Auntie come pick you up herself.”

“Got it?”

They had just seen each other at lunch—almost got into a fight—and by afternoon, she was already being summoned to the administrative office to collect her. Absolutely ridiculous.

“Aiya!” Luo Shuyu gave up all pretenses and clung to Sang Yu’s arm, pleading, “Good sister, I swear it won’t happen again!”

“Today was just an accident!”

“Please, please don’t let my mom find out, or she’ll break my legs for sure!”

Sang Yu calmly pulled her hand away, giving no reply. She didn’t believe a word of it.

Luo Shuyu had said the same thing many times before, and not once had she kept her promise. If she had, Sang Yu wouldn’t have worked so hard to get her shipped off to another planet last year.

Seeing Sang Yu’s cold, unreadable expression, Luo Shuyu quickly changed tactics to distance herself.

“Look, good sister, I didn’t want to fight. They tried to steal my seat! I had no choice—”

Sang Yu stopped and turned to look at her. “You want to fight? Fine. I won’t stop you.”

“But can you actually win?”

Luo Shuyu: “…”

“…I didn’t know there were five of them. I thought there was only one…” Her voice grew smaller and smaller, fading into silence.

“Enough,” Sang Yu waved her off. “I’m leaving. Have fun on your own.”

She really didn’t want to see Luo Shuyu again anytime soon.

As she made her way back to class, Sang Yu suddenly had a troubling thought. While the original novel hadn’t described the original “Sang Yu” in great detail, Luo Shuyu had existed in the background.

Was it possible that part of the original Sang Yu’s terrible reputation had actually come from her?

The more Sang Yu thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

And now this girl was going to be in the same school for several more years. Just the thought of it gave Sang Yu a headache.

She hadn’t walked far when her terminal suddenly buzzed.

Sang Yu answered the call, only to find—unsurprisingly—Luo Shuyu’s face on the screen again.

“What now?”

“Xiao Sang, dear sister, best sister!” Luo Shuyu cupped her face in both hands, trying her best to look sweet. “I want to team up with you for the simulation training!”

Sang Yu’s face remained expressionless. “…Scram.”

She was already being merciful by not exposing all the trouble Luo Shuyu had caused in the past. Teaming up? Not a chance.

Not giving Luo Shuyu a chance to speak again, Sang Yu was about to hang up when Luo suddenly shifted to a more serious tone.

“Xiao Sang, Gu Amo and the others are way too weak. I heard there’s a double-S ranked participant this time—you won’t stand a chance. Let me help you! Trust me, I’ll lead you all to victory!”

Sang Yu: “…”

She couldn’t take it anymore. Luo Shuyu, with her swollen pig-like face, was just too much.

She ended the call without hesitation, then stopped walking and rubbed her temple.

It was already the second period of the afternoon. She’d been walking while on the call and hadn’t realized she was already near the lecture hall for the shared curriculum classes.

Since she was close to her classroom anyway, Sang Yu slowed down and leaned against the wall near the back door of one of the rooms, trying to calm her frustration from dealing with Luo Shuyu.

“…Before the Age of Trust, there were intermittent wars that lasted 1,544 years. Peace was only achieved after that. Among the key threats were the Insectoids…”

Now that her terminal was off, the sounds around her became clearer. She could hear a teacher lecturing inside the room.

“History of Interstellar Civilization”?

Which class was still learning that?

Although all first-year students shared a basic curriculum at the Imperial Military Academy, not every class had the same subjects. Some courses were rotated due to limited instructors, with certain classes taking them earlier than others.

Sang Yu was sure this course wasn’t on her schedule.

She shook her head and muttered to herself for a moment. Then she looked up—and spotted the class name above the door: Class 37, Imperial Year One.

“Class 37?”

Sang Yu mouthed the words a few times, then suddenly remembered—that was Cheng Yunan’s class.

Curiosity sparked, she took a few steps forward and leaned casually against the doorframe. The teacher noticed her but didn’t say anything, continuing with the lecture.

Since no one stopped her, Sang Yu stood her ground, openly scanning the classroom.

Sure enough, she spotted a familiar figure sitting by the window.

Tch.

What a little bookworm.

Sang Yu had sharp eyes. Even from this distance, she could clearly see Cheng Yunan’s jet-black hair, wild yet clean brows, long, thick lashes, the soft curve of his nose, and his nicely shaped lips tinged with a healthy red.

For some reason, she suddenly thought of that tiny beauty mark at the corner of his eye.

Dangling near his lashes, it had a strange allure to it.

Her gaze lowered. He was still holding a pen, writing attentively. His posture was perfect—back straight like a bamboo rod. He looked ridiculously focused.

Suddenly, all of Sang Yu’s bad mood vanished. She watched him with interest, eyes glued to his neat, rhythmic movements.

And then, a wicked thought crossed her mind.

Those pale, slender, well-defined hands of his—they seemed much better suited to clutching… bed sheets.