Future Love Contract (GL) - Chapter 19

Three days passed quickly. Zhao Xinyun decided to use part of her annual leave and dragged Gresya along to explore the entire Second Base.

Their moods had completely flipped compared to a few days ago—Zhao Xinyun was enjoying herself wildly without a care in the world, while Gresya now seemed weighed down by heavy thoughts. There weren’t many places to visit in the Second Base.

Zhao Xinyun found it a bit strange that Jiang Yongxi hadn’t shown up at all during this time, but the thought quickly passed. What mattered most now was staying with Gresya.

“It’s just that the results haven’t come out yet, there’s no need to be so down! Where did all that confidence you gave me go?” she said loudly.

Gresya only glanced at her and still said nothing. Zhao Xinyun thought about her own mental state not long ago—also a mess—and figured that apart from trying her best to cheer her up, there was nothing more she could do.

What she didn’t expect was that Gresya’s concern came from a different source.

Fortunately, three days later, the results were released. Nothing unexpected happened—Gresya was successfully selected.

Of course, she was chosen for her own outstanding qualities, without the advantage of a special brainwave frequency.

There was still some time before the official training began. The committee responsible for the exploration program had plenty to organize, so the selected candidates were given a few days to prepare.

Zhao Xinyun herself didn’t have much to prepare for—maybe just tidying up her place a bit. Since the rental was under Gresya’s name, she naturally handled the cancellation.

Many people were throwing big farewell events among family and friends—more like an excuse for a party—but the only person Zhao Xinyun was really close to on Venus was Gresya.

Since they were heading into training together, even that step could be skipped. However, she did plan to take a short trip back to Mars to say goodbye to her parents and brother.

Luo Peichen was still busy during this period. There were all kinds of things going on with the First Base selection and more, so they only kept in touch occasionally by phone.

Gresya didn’t bring Zhao Xinyun home with her, because she had to report to the training center early due to special circumstances. They couldn’t go back together.

But Zhao Xinyun couldn’t help feeling a bit puzzled: Gresya had claimed the reason for pretending to be a couple was to avoid worrying her family.

Yet, when discussing that, she hadn’t shown much intention of actually bringing Zhao Xinyun to meet them.

Times were far more open than in the 21st century. Meeting the parents no longer implied a move toward marriage or followed strict procedures.

Some met the parents the day before the wedding, while others just had a casual lunch early in the relationship.

So although this time it was due to objective reasons, Gresya likely hadn’t been truthful back then. Of course, Zhao Xinyun had suspected that from the start. The excuse Gresya came up with wasn’t exactly watertight.

In any case, the two said a short goodbye and prepared to go their separate ways.

“Aren’t you going to at least fake a few tears?” Gresya joked before boarding her ship.

“Why?” Zhao Xinyun asked, knowingly playing along.

“We’re breaking up! How can there not be a few drops of tears to set the mood?”

“It’s not like we’ll never see each other again!” Zhao Xinyun scoffed. “You’ll be coming to the training center in a few days, and we’ll meet again.

Even real couples don’t have to be so dramatic! If you really want a parting mood, try putting in some eyedrops yourself.”

Gresya laughed heartily. “Just kidding. Take care of yourself… and be careful.”

Zhao Xinyun resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Take care? Be careful? What was there to be cautious about?

She was only going to the training center, not flying to another planet yet. When that time came, it probably wouldn’t be Gresya saying such words to her, would it? After all, they’d both been selected.

They’d likely be working together, which meant looking out for each other. Unless… did Gresya think her unique brainwaves meant she was at risk of being dissected or something?

Gresya went back home to Mars, while Zhao Xinyun boarded the ship alone, heading to the training center.

Technically, their paths should’ve aligned, as the training center was also located on Mars. Venus didn’t have enough developed land for such a facility, unlike Mars, which was already well-established.

But by regulation, Zhao Xinyun had to travel on an official Star Federation ship with pre-assigned seating—one seat per person.

The passengers mainly consisted of department staff and some pre-selected trainees.

The ship didn’t follow regular commercial routes but flew directly to the training center. So she and Gresya had to part ways and travel separately to Mars.

The trip from Venus to Mars wasn’t exactly short. Zhao Xinyun thought she might get bored during the journey, but the people on board were all friendly—and many had outgoing personalities.

They quickly became a lively group. Especially the pre-selected candidates—they all shared a deep desire to explore alien worlds, and naturally had endless things to talk about.

Outside, such conversations would’ve required a level of secrecy.

But here, everyone had the same goal. Keeping secrets didn’t mean much. For instance, Zhao Xinyun could openly talk about how her unique brainwaves got her selected—something that couldn’t exactly be copied or stolen.

So she spoke freely, and others had similar mindsets. What surprised her was that people like her—with special brainwaves—were actually quite rare. Others had been selected for their own unique traits.

During the trip, Zhao Xinyun got to know the girl sitting next to her—Hu Yushi. Zhao Xinyun thought she was even more lively than Gresya.

Before takeoff, Hu Yushi was already chattering nonstop to her neighbor, like she’d been holding back a flood of words for ages, likely from not being able to talk freely elsewhere.

Hu Yushi explained at length how she got selected. But Zhao Xinyun wasn’t in that field, so she only understood that Hu Yushi, like her, had some kind of special ability.

Though she didn’t grasp all the technical talk, she listened attentively and kept nodding, which encouraged Hu Yushi even more.

The ship launched on time with a deep roar—though it was nearly silent inside.

Zhao Xinyun looked over at Hu Yushi. If not for the fact that no one could move during acceleration, she would’ve stood up, stretched, and yawned by now.

Even so, she was still staring intently at the safety latch on her seat, like she was trying to burn a hole in it with her eyes.

As soon as acceleration ended, Hu Yushi raised her hand for water. She fumbled and spilled it everywhere—almost getting Zhao Xinyun wet. Flustered, she wiped her clothes and apologized repeatedly.

Zhao Xinyun didn’t mind and even got up to help clean the mess. She found the girl rather amusing and figured if she ever did go on a real alien expedition, her clumsy nature might be a problem.

So, with the ice broken, the two started to really get to know each other.

The ship’s co-pilot came over the intercom, announcing that they were approaching their destination. Suddenly, Zhao Xinyun felt the journey had gone by too fast—she hadn’t even mentally prepared herself for the upcoming training, and yet it was already here?

A few staff members guided them off the main ship onto a small aircraft. Because building a launch site was difficult and the shock from launch/landing was intense, the ship had landed some distance from the training center.

Zhao Xinyun and several dozen others took the short flight—just a few minutes—arriving in what felt like the blink of an eye.

She stepped off the plane, lined up among the others.

On the ship, she had imagined what this moment would look like—expecting towering, majestic buildings. But what greeted her was a spread of plain white low-rise buildings.

Although they covered a large area, they didn’t offer any visual grandeur.

“This is Training Center Building No. 1. During your stay here, you’ll mainly study theory,” the staff explained, noticing the group’s puzzled expressions.

The scene reminded Zhao Xinyun of a 21st-century tourist group, crowded around a tour guide. Except here, no megaphone was needed—comms were directly linked from the guide’s helmet to each trainee’s earpiece.

“There are more training facilities in Building No. 2 not far from here. The buildings are a bit taller there, but not by much,” Hu Yushi added quietly to Zhao Xinyun.

“How do you know that?” Zhao Xinyun asked, surprised.

“I heard it.”

“…And how come I didn’t?”

“Because you’re not as well-informed.”

More likely, she hadn’t paid attention, Zhao Xinyun thought. Just then, the staff motioned for them to line up and enter one of the buildings.

And so, she officially began her training on Mars, preparing for the alien expedition that awaited just ahead.