Chapter 43: Gu Xiujue
Being in a sealed space with a powerful Alpha made Li Dong uncomfortable all over. He could not tell whether it was an instinctive psychological response or an Omega’s physiological one.
“Huanhuan,” Huo Leishao glanced at his fiancé. “Are you still angry about Major General Gu?” He added, “I can assure you, he absolutely didn’t mean to violate you.” Because Gu Xiujue liked him, any move he made toward Chu Huanyan had only been out of jealousy.
Li Dong kept up a haughty front and looked like he had no interest in talking to Huo Leishao.
All the Omegas in the Empire were the same: faced with an Alpha they had not bonded with, they showed an instinctive resistance.
“Alright,” Huo Leishao said. “I won’t bother you. I only hope that, in court, you’ll be fair to a warrior who once shed blood on the battlefield.”
Li Dong was quietly taken aback. He had not expected anything so human to come out of Huo Leishao’s mouth.
In fact, he had been thinking along the way: aside from being scum in matters of love, Huo Leishao was flawless in other respects.
Right now, though, Huo Leishao was anxious. He cherished the bond he had with Gu Xiujue, a man-to-man connection unrelated to desire, a simple mutual admiration.
Yet when he turned to look again at the Omega beside him, the balance in his heart wavered.
From the first glance, Huo Leishao had liked Chu Huanyan, this proud, beautiful, feline boy. Whether it was those rose-petal red lips or eyes bright as moon and stars, everything made the Alpha in him unable to resist.
It had nothing to do with feelings, only a raw physiological attraction.
Perhaps only when Chu Huanyan grew old and lost his looks would he be able to refuse that temptation.
At ten o’clock sharp, the Empire’s Supreme Court came to order.
Li Dong and Huo Leishao arrived early. One was a nationally celebrated Alpha major general; the other, a noble Omega famous on the StarNet for his beauty and pride.
Walking in side by side through the courthouse entrance, they drew the attention of nearly eighty percent of those present.
“It’s Huo Leishao and Chu Huanyan…”
A group of Huo Leishao’s fans cried out his name. “Major General Huo Leishao! We admire you! You’re a hero!”
“Thank you. I’m happy to see you all,” Huo Leishao said with a smile, lifting his hand to wave at his fans.
Classic Alpha behavior. They were used to spreading their hormones everywhere, the more people they had swooning over them, the better.
Li Dong stayed perfectly calm. He had to monitor his emotions at all times so as not to be affected by all that Alpha pheromone.
But emotional calm did not mean all was well.
When he entered the crowd, he still felt his skin grow a touch warm, and a restless stir rose from deep within. That probably meant his heat was approaching. Wonderful.
“Is that the fiancé of Major General Huo Leishao?” A few Alphas let their eyes roam over Li Dong. “Tsk, so poised and noble, an Omega that makes you want to hold him.”
An Alpha beside them muttered, “Watch your mouth. He’s an Omega from a noble family.”
Interstellar law was in fact very strict, and did not allow Alphas to show any disrespect toward Omegas.
The dominance hormones Alphas were born with also gave them a natural instinct to protect Omegas.
These mid- to lower-tier Alphas who had a hard time finding Omegas were only running their mouths. If they really bumped into an Omega, they would likely start stammering.
Once inside the court, Li Dong felt a little better.
As a witness and the plaintiff, he sat in a special section where no one was allowed within three meters.
There was another reason: most court personnel were Betas, excellent workers who shouldered the daily operations of society.
Betas rarely went into rut, and they did not emit those tantalizing scents.
They could date freely before marriage without worrying about accidental pregnancy, they even saved money on condoms.
If one could freely choose one’s gender in this world, Li Dong would, without hesitation, choose Beta.
They had the easiest lives in an ABO world, not fighting all day like Alphas, and not busy with pregnancy and childbirth like Omegas.
But there was no helping it. Since he was already an Omega, aside from being depressed, Li Dong would still settle down and try to experience each role’s life fully.
At 9:50, the police escorted the defendant in, causing a small stir at the door.
“The defendant is here.” People inside the court turned their heads.
Li Dong looked over curiously and saw the male lead of this book’s world: a tall, black-haired man with striking, cold beauty.
The author had spent generous amounts of prose and adjectives to describe how outstanding Gu Xiujue’s looks were and how mysterious his aura was.
Li Dong had not been impressed when he first read it. He believed a man’s charm should not depend on his face. That was shallow.
Today, he had to admit, humans were shallow creatures.
Gu Xiujue wore handcuffs. As he was led to the defendant’s stand, he felt a strange gaze lingering on him.
He lifted his eyes and looked back, only to meet a beautiful yet repulsive face Chu Huanyan’s.
That disgusting Omega even lifted a smile, like someone about to get his way and flaunt it.
Gu Xiujue accepted it calmly, shifting his gaze with a cool indifference that looked like numb resignation.
He was brought to the defendant’s seat, and still no one removed his cuffs.
Under interstellar law, any Alpha or Beta whom an Omega took to court had to be detained beforehand and wear handcuffs during trial, in case they grew emotional and harmed a fragile Omega.
With both plaintiff and defendant present, the judge declared the session open.
The plaintiff’s attorney spoke first, and then the judge asked the “violated” Omega whether it was true. In such cases, an Omega could be the plaintiff and also qualify as a witness. Biased, to say the least.
As the lawyer listed Gu Xiujue’s alleged crimes, the gallery murmured. They all thought this Beta had lost his moral bottom line. His military career was finished.
“Plaintiff Mr. Chu Huanyan, do you confirm that the defendant Gu Xiujue made an assault on you?” The judge’s tone toward the delicate Omega victim was gentle as spring rain.
“I deny it,” Li Dong said. He rose from the plaintiff’s bench and looked straight across at the defendant facing him from afar. “Your Honor, I would like to confess my own wrongdoing.”
“This…” The judge faltered, and so did the jury, the lawyers, and the spectators. All were stunned.
They suspected the Omega was too nervous to know what he was saying.
Sitting in the gallery, Huo Leishao frowned. He had no idea what this Omega intended to do.
As for the defendant, Gu Xiujue, his eyes flickered slightly, but he did not have a good feeling.
“I would like to offer a solemn apology here to the defendant, Major General Gu Xiujue.” Li Dong drew a deep breath. He bowed first to the audience, then to Gu Xiujue across from him, and finally to the judge, jury, and attorneys. “I’m sorry for only now telling the truth. Major General Gu Xiujue did not violate me. The truth is, we had a disagreement and a brief quarrel.”
There was a soft stir in the courtroom, but it stayed quiet overall.
Everyone’s eyes focused on Li Dong, waiting for what he would say next.
“I am ashamed,” Li Dong went on. “I lost my head in anger and felt I could not swallow that insult, so in a moment of impulse, I fabricated the charge against Major General Gu Xiujue.” His voice was clear; head lowered in remorse, he continued, “Since yesterday morning I calmed down and realized I was wrong. I must take the initiative to admit my fault and return Major General Gu Xiujue his innocence.” He bowed once more to Gu Xiujue. “Major General Gu Xiujue, I am sorry.”
The Omega opposite him remained in a bow. Gu Xiujue found it hard to believe. Five days ago the Chu Huanyan he had met had been nothing but arrogant and rude.
The gallery grew restless, many of them moved by Li Dong’s sincere repentance.
It was positively inspirational, everyone thought.
“What a kind Omega.” Voices began speaking up for Li Dong. “Major General Gu Xiujue, please forgive him. He’s only an Omega.”
Still bent, Li Dong said again, “I am very sorry. Please accept my apology, Major General Gu Xiujue. From now on, I think I will be more cautious with my words and actions.” And on the side, he told himself to tuck his tail and keep a low profile, to be a quiet Omega in this ABO world.
Gu Xiujue came back to himself, suppressing his surprise. “I accept the apology,” he said in a low voice.
Hearing that, Li Dong let out a breath. He lifted his head and showed the smile everyone wanted to see. “That’s wonderful. Thank you for your lenience.”
He then politely thanked the spectators, the judge, the jury, and the hardworking lawyers.
A solemn courtroom became, in an instant, a touching scene because the plaintiff Omega had taken the initiative to admit fault.
“In that case,” the judge said, smiling with relief, “I declare the defendant Gu Xiujue not guilty and released on the spot.” He added, “Come, remove Major General Gu Xiujue’s handcuffs.”
The entire gallery rose to applaud. Such theatrics left everyone flushed with emotion.
Li Dong left the plaintiff’s bench and walked up to Gu Xiujue under everyone’s gaze. “I’m truly sorry,” he said again, bowing with sincere remorse on his face.
“Then let it end here,” Gu Xiujue replied. He felt no ripple inside. After all, none of this had been his fault.
As an anomalous Beta, there was no way Gu Xiujue would fawn over an Omega unconditionally like those Alphas whose brains were ruled by hormones.
After accepting Li Dong’s apology, he said, “Farewell,” and left the courtroom, cool and aloof.
No one from the Gu family had come.
When Gu Xiujue was released on the spot, there wasn’t a single family member there to cheer for him.
Huo Leishao watched him go. He wanted to step up and comfort his old lover, yet he could not bear to leave the clever, kind Omega at his side.
After a struggle, he walked straight to Li Dong. “That was great, Huanhuan. I knew you were a kind person.” He probably thought Li Dong had said all that only to whitewash Gu Xiujue, how noble.
“Major General Huo Leishao,” Li Dong said, “yesterday morning I figured out a lot of things…”
Huo Leishao nodded. “That’s good. It means you’re growing, baby.” He loved Omegas who were clever and quick on the uptake. Simply perfect.
“I’ve figured we’re not suitable,” Li Dong said. “So I’m officially breaking off our engagement.” He opened his personal terminal and sent out the prepared apology and confession post, the withdrawal notice to the Hansen family, and the public statement terminating his engagement with Huo Leishao, everything, all at once.
“??” Huo Leishao stared. Break off the engagement?
The Omega influencer Chu Huanyan fired off three announcements in a row, and StarNet exploded.
Reports of the courtroom scene were compiled by journalists and platforms immediately, and the next morning the Citizen Daily ran it in print.
The Empire packaged the whole matter as positive energy; the repentant Chu Huanyan became the darling of public praise.
He was now the poster child of the ideal Omega: kind and adorable.
Comments flooded the Net:
“Did Chu Huanyan really call off his engagement to Major General Huo Leishao?”
“Oh? A brave, distinctive Omega. I respect that.”
“Even Major General Huo Leishao got passed on? I really wonder what kind of Alpha he likes.”
“It won’t be us Betas anyway, sigh.” For a Beta to marry an Omega was wishful thinking. Money and status alone could not fix that.
Omegas were born to admire the strong. They would rather marry an Alpha with less money and status than choose a Beta with slightly more.
If Gu Xiujue had not lost his reproductive capability due to war injuries, then in the public eye he would have been the most eligible and powerful Beta in the Empire.
In reality, he lived alone away from the Gu family’s power center.
The past few days were saturated with news about Chu Huanyan, Gu Xiujue, and Huo Leishao. As one of the involved parties, Gu Xiujue’s name kept popping up.
Everyone pitied this abandoned Beta and debated what sort of partner would suit him.
The consensus was just one thing: if Major General Gu Xiujue could find a Beta of decent background, that would already be worth celebrating.
As for an Alpha or an Omega?
Pure fantasy.
“These people’s mouths are really something,” Li Dong said, lying in bed and opening the social news feed, which was full of the words Chu Huanyan, Gu Xiujue, Huo Leishao, and breaking off the engagement.
The gender bias in this world was severe, and Li Dong felt it keenly.
Betas outnumbered Alphas and Omegas by a large margin, so they were “cheap.”
Li Dong closed the news, found the contact for that “cheap” major general, and sent him a greeting.
“Good evening, Major General Gu. I hope the recent news coverage hasn’t affected your mood.” From Chu Huanyan.
The message pinged on the wrist terminal of its owner, who was asleep on the couch, arm dangling to the floor.
A black panther in the corner slowly opened its eyes, amber pupils narrowing into slits. Discovering the noise was only a text, its pupils rounded again.
It rose and padded over to Gu Xiujue’s hand, then flopped down with a soft thump.
Gu Xiujue opened his eyes, glanced through the text, and, ignoring it, closed them again.
“Rrr.” The panther voiced a low sound: a pretty Omega, a pretty Omega.
“Scram,” Gu Xiujue said.
The self-respecting panther cut a glance at its perpetually single master, then rose and left with elegance.
A reply arrived: “It’s fine. I don’t mind.” From Gu Xiujue.
Li Dong had thought the aloof male lead wouldn’t reply. The answer came fairly quickly.
“How have you been? I’ve already ended my engagement with Major General Huo Leishao,” Li Dong wrote, probing for the male lead’s inner thoughts. “Did you know?”
Gu Xiujue really didn’t. His eyes widened a fraction, then returned to normal. “Oh.”
Just “oh”?
Li Dong’s mouth twitched. He had rushed to bother the male lead so soon because he was afraid the scumbag Huo Leishao would seduce him in this gap.
When all was said and done, the male lead was simply lonely. That was why he clung to love so hard, earning merit only to hand the credit away, then licking his wounds alone.
Li “Busybody” Dong was firmly on the path to tripping scummy gongs, without a shred of hesitation.
“I want to tell you how it felt to be engaged to Major General Huo Leishao, please don’t mind it,” Li Dong said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Major General Huo Leishao isn’t the kind of man you can entrust your life to, is he?”
Operation Smear the Scumbag officially began.
“I’ve got three reasons. First, he still pines for you while flirting with me. That’s two-timing. Do you know what two-timing means? It’s hugging the left and the right, insulting people’s feelings. It’s immoral. He’s trash.
“Second, he threw you away because you can’t have children. That’s not love. You know that, right? He doesn’t love you.
“Third, you’re excellent. A man like Huo Leishao, whose conduct and morals are low to the point of crumbling, doesn’t deserve you. He doesn’t deserve me either, so I broke off the engagement, like tossing aside a pair of shoes that don’t fit. That simple.”
“Are you finished?” Gu Xiujue asked.
“Of course not,” Li Dong said. “I’m a chatterbox.” To prove it, he went from current affairs to literature to technology, circled the block, and returned to relationships. “By the way, what’s your ideal type?”
Gu Xiujue exited the chat and searched: What time do Omegas go to sleep?
Result A: Omegas value a set routine and usually sleep between nine and ten at night. If they fall asleep later than that, they’ll be drowsy the next day.
He glanced at the time. Zone 1 of Planet R, 11:30 p.m.
“You should go to sleep,” came a message from Gu Xiujue.
“??” Li Dong blinked. Huh?
Then he realized he had most likely been blocked again as the messages would not send.
Very good. This straightforward, blunt male lead was going to be a handful.
Unable to flirt with his target, Li Dong ultimately chose to sleep.
The next morning at eight, Mother Chu woke her recently sleep-loving son.
“Huanhuan.” She tossed him a class schedule. “This is your plan for today. I expect you to take every lesson seriously. No more slacking off, got it?”
Li Dong took the schedule and sighed. What a sin.
The dumb schedule went like this: 9:00 - 9:40 a.m., flower arrangement; 10:00 - 10:40 a.m., tea arts; 3:00 - 3:40 p.m., cooking; 4:00 - 4:40 p.m., handicrafts.
Great. Let the herd of grass-mud horses gallop first.
Unwillingly, the fake Omega headed to flower arrangement class.
Based on Chu Huanyan’s memories, Li Dong knew he was about to see a group of delicate Omegas, and then “play” with them.
Twenty minutes later.
He arrived at the classroom and found the situation even worse than he had imagined.
A cute female Omega chirped, “Huanyan, you’re here?”
A crowd of cute Omegas, male and female, rushed over. “Huanyan~~” They surrounded him with bright smiles, peppering him with questions.
Breaking off the engagement… the court… the major general… Those keywords chattered on and on. Li Dong felt his brain was at risk of crashing at any moment.
Yet he was gentle and patient. As long as he put his mind to it, he could coax all these little cuties into comfort.
This kept up until the teacher arrived. Time for class to begin.
Their flower arrangement classroom deserved a grand introduction: pastel yellow walls full of girlish charm; a warm, country-style gingham ceiling painted with little flowers and sunflowers.
The Omegas around him averaged a bit over 1.70 meters, 1.75 at most. Li Dong, at 1.80, had legs for days.
Do you think the other Omegas envied his long legs?
Tsk. Naïve.
They spent half the period arranging what they considered their best work, snapping photos for family and friends or for the person they liked, hoping for likes and praise.
“…” Sigh.
Li Dong felt numb. Bah, only numb, not heartless. He went with the flow, took a few photos, and sent them to Mother Chu, Father Chu, and Big Brother Chu. “Today’s results.” He had nothing else to say.
Mother Chu: “Huanhuan, baby, amazing~”
Father Chu chimed in: “Baby’s amazing~”
Big Brother Chu followed: “Huanyan is awesome~”
Father Chu was an Alpha; his wife and elder son were Betas. They were all around 1.9 meters tall.
As the shortest, Li Dong did not feel the least bit out of place getting his head patted.
He ignored that string of messages. Suddenly he remembered Gu Xiujue, who had blocked him last night.
He pulled up the contact and tried sending a picture. F*ck, it actually went through.
At the military headquarters, on the training ground, Gu Xiujue was drilling a group of new recruits who were sweating buckets.
Today’s module was close-quarters combat, and the entire training ground was thick with Alpha pheromones.
Most of this intake were Alphas, and their close-quarters training had been assigned under Gu Xiujue.
Someone was already unhappy. Why should a bunch of Alphas be trained by a Beta?
“I’ll give you one chance,” Gu Xiujue said. “Pick five of you to come out and take turns fighting me.” He shrugged off his uniform jacket. The long, well-built frame under a white shirt showed the outline of solid muscle.
Tossing his jacket and cap to his adjutant, Gu Xiujue rolled up his sleeves, revealing forearms the color of light wheat. His voice was low. “Who’s first?”
“I guess I am,” an Alpha said boldly, raising his hand.
Five seconds later, the recruit flew out crookedly and let out a wail like a stuck pig.
After him, no second or third Alpha dared challenge the instructor’s authority.
The adjutant broke into a sweat for the rookies. He felt he should find time to quietly tell these poor Alpha kids that their major general had the nickname of “The Reaper” on the battlefield.
“Angelo, you take over here,” Gu Xiujue said. After exhausting his patience to give the rookies a lesson, he took his jacket and cap, drenched in sweat, and headed for the locker room.
He stood under the shower, turned on the water, ran a hand through his hair, then lifted his wrist to open the message he had received.
“…” The water roared down. Gu Xiujue stared at a basket of flowers arranged in a crooked mess and did not know how to react.
A few seconds later, he resigned himself, exited the chat, and searched: How do you praise an Omega’s flower arrangement?
Result A: Baby, you were amazing~~ (Top-voted compliment Omegas love in Star-Year 2882, P.S. reigning champion for 200 years. Take it and use it, no need to thank me!)
Major General Gu lightly bumped his head against the wall, then replied: “Not bad.”
“Major General Gu, didn’t you block me?” Li Dong typed. Last night messages clearly would not send, but this morning, on a whim, it f*cking went out… it went out… out…
What an ugly arrangement. Shameful.
“I’m very busy,” Gu Xiujue replied. “If you’re bored, go find someone else to talk to.”
“What are you busy with? Are you busy every day?” Li Dong asked. With the war over, these decorated major generals were supposed to be relatively free outside of checking in at headquarters, according to big brother Chu.
“Training new recruits,” Gu Xiujue said.
“Right, the new recruit screening just finished this year.” The chatty expert continued, “How’s the quality? Any rookie of the year?”
“No,” Gu Xiujue said. Then: “Lame.” He had wasted valuable time standing under the shower pointlessly chatting with an unfamiliar Omega. Finally, patience finally gone, he said, “I’m going to shower. Goodbye.”
“Okay, go shower.” Li Dong added, “It’s autumn now, remember to use hot water so you don’t catch a cold.” And finally: “When you’re free, can I chat with you again?”
“You really are a chatterbox,” Gu Xiujue said. He ruthlessly applied a big block again, then absent-mindedly, in a daze, finished taking a cold shower.
Hot water?
What is that? No idea.
[Mini Theater ② — The Birth of the King of Show-offs]
Gu Xiujue: #Help! An over-talkative Omega keeps sticking to me. What do I do? Urgent, waiting online.#
1st-floor Alpha: I f***ing hate guys like you, showing off for no reason!
2nd-floor Alpha: Yeah, hate people like this +1.
Original poster replies: Showing off my family dying, what a headache. I’m a Beta (infertile), not confident at all.
4th-floor Alpha: This show-off gets a hundred points from me.
5th-floor Alpha: Same, a hundred points.
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