Chapter: 49 Gu Xiujue
There was a disgusting StarNet rule: once an Omega was forcibly logged off by the system, their name would be added to a blacklist that barred them from logging in again.
Only an appeal filed by the Omega themself, together with their parents, could lift the blacklist and restore access.
Li Dong was speechless with frustration. As soon as he crawled out of the link pod, he messaged the male lead who was still on StarNet: “Xiujue, I am sorry, I was forcibly logged off by the system. I probably cannot get on StarNet for the next few days.”
Which meant they would not be able to meet online again before the coming-of-age ceremony.
Kneeling on the wet bathroom floor, Gu Xiujue replied, “Alright. About the surgery, have you truly decided?” He was drenched, letting the cold water bleed the heat from his body. He hoped it would help.
“Yes.” Li Dong did not want to say more about it. Even without the male lead, he would do it. “My family is here to see me. We will talk later.”
That had to be the Chu parents, who had received the system notice and come to check.
Sure enough, when Li Dong opened the door, he saw disapproval on Mother Chu’s face. “Huanyan, you have been playing too much. StarNet has banned you for one month.”
The punishment was harsh on purpose. It was meant to protect Omegas, who were weak and vulnerable and easily hurt.
“Alright.” Li Dong let out a breath of relief. He was glad his fooling around on StarNet had not blown up publicly. “I will not go online again.” Although, honestly, it would be exposed sooner or later.
“Your coming-of-age is in three days. I know you are nervous,” Mother Chu said. “Then let me take you out tomorrow for a walk.” She stroked her younger son’s hair as she spoke.
“Okay.” Li Dong did not expect true freedom of movement. He knew he would surely be kept inside the car.
Families with Omegas would buy special vehicles designed to withstand an Alpha’s violence, which could protect an Omega who suddenly went into heat while out on the road.
Li Dong was too naive. His glorious exploits on StarNet still reached Father Chu.
How could they not? Word of mouth was everywhere, online and off. Everyone was talking about the fierce Omega who had won a blue medal in the shooting range.
Some people even paid StarNet for the video, downloading it to their personal terminals so they could rewatch it.
When Li Dong received a royalty payment from StarNet, he was dumbfounded.
All afternoon, Father Chu sat at work, listening with complicated feelings as people discussed his youngest son.
Fierce, wild, different but none of these words seemed like compliments to him.
His youngest’s rebellious phase had come too suddenly. After work, he discussed it with his wife, and they decided to hold a family meeting.
“I am very sorry,” Li Dong said. Apologetic, he sat across from the Chu couple and spoke frankly. “I do not want to marry an Alpha. Please do not force me.” Knowing the natives would find it hard to accept such an independent Omega, he steeled himself and lied. “I am allergic to Alphas. Whenever an Alpha is near me, I feel physically unwell.”
Remembering that Father Chu was an Alpha, he calmly added, “Of course, I am not allergic to my own family.”
“Enough,” Father Chu said. “I know you like Major General Gu, but he said he only sees you as a friend.”
Only then did Li Dong learn that Father Chu had gone to see Gu Xiujue. Suddenly, he understood Gu Xiujue’s hesitation. It was just like modern parents who guarded their daughters against a poor son-in-law.
Only Gu Xiujue was not poor. He was infertile, which sounded even worse.
“My point is Alphas, not Major General Gu,” Li Dong said. “Do not be so severe. Is being happy not the point of life? Do you really want to see me living worse than death every day?” Life married to an Alpha would be worse than death.
Father and Mother Chu were speechless. They could not help worrying, though. Why would an excellent Omega choose a Beta for marriage?
No one in the entire interstellar world would understand.
“If you force me, I may do something irrational,” Li Dong said, lowering his eyes. “Like running away from home, or hurting myself…” He paused. “I am sorry.”
“The only question I have,” Father Chu said, “is whether he can be good to you.” From what he sensed, Major General Gu was not a mild-tempered Beta, and he would not be like an Alpha who was naturally doting toward an Omega.
“That is a question for him,” Li Dong said. “Let him say it to you himself.” He opened his personal terminal and initiated a video call to Gu Xiujue.
R Star, District One. In the kitchen of a detached courtyard home in an upscale compound.
The black panther pricked up its ears at the clatter from within. It immediately rose and stood guard at the kitchen door.
A cold-faced major general, kitchen backdrop behind him, leaned on the counter. “Mr. Chu? Mrs. Chu? Good evening.”
“Hello, Major General Gu,” said the Chu couple. The background surprised them a little. “We are sorry to disturb you so late. Have you not eaten dinner yet?”
A Beta major general who could cook? Favorability mysteriously increased by 1.
“It is a little late today,” Gu Xiujue said. “So, at this hour, may I ask what this is about?” On the video, he looked around, but he did not find the person he wanted to see.
“I am ashamed to say,” Father Chu began, remembering how he had already gone to see Gu Xiujue, “I have a presumptuous question. Major General Gu, would you marry an Omega?”
“Mr. Chu, this question doesn’t make sense. It needs many prerequisites,” Gu Xiujue said. The prerequisite was that he liked this Omega, this Omega also liked him, and both their parents agreed, but that was impossible.
No Omega’s parents would agree to marry their child to a Beta, unless they were out of their minds.
“Let me make it simple,” Li Dong cut in. Listening on the side was driving him crazy. Two grown men could manage to talk in circles like this, what a pair of talents. “Xiujue, promise that you will treat me well after marriage, and you can marry me.”
Gu Xiujue stared. “What…”
“I said, if you treat me well, you can marry me,” Li Dong repeated. He understood the male lead’s shock, but that was no reason to freeze. “Well?”
Gu Xiujue did not move. His feline eyes did not show any carnivore ferocity now, only dazed hesitation.
“Hello?” Li Dong said. “Forget it then.”
“No,” Gu Xiujue said at once. He clenched his fist in secret, then nodded. “I promise.” And then, “I swear it upon my honor and my life.”
There might have been more, but his mind had gone blank.
Meeting the Omega’s parents so suddenly, talking about marriage so suddenly, becoming a candidate for the Omega’s bondmate so suddenly, it was all too sudden.
“That is a very good answer,” Li Dong said. “We should trust the oath of an Imperial major general. He has no reason not to be good to me.”
He said that partly because he believed in his own eye for people.
More importantly, he had read the original book. He knew every male-lead-shou in the reading list. Once they fell for someone, their so-called “cheap nature” meant they would go to the bitter end.
Although, not entirely. Li Dong thought, if it was that deep, why was it so easy to pry them away from the scummy gong?
Either the male-lead-shou had never loved the scummy gong as much as written, or he was not that devoted of a person to begin with.
“Let me think about it some more,” Father Chu said.
“If Huanyan truly rejects marrying an Alpha, then choosing a Beta is not unthinkable,” Mother Chu said, fingers moving as she made mental calculations and squeezed her husband’s hand. “Even if they want a child, there is always IVF.”
“Mom…” Li Dong said. “Those long-term things can be talked about later.” The moment he heard the words in vitro, his body trembled. He could not accept the image of himself with a big belly.
“You know that if you marry him, the two of you can never truly bond,” Father Chu said. “You will have to rely on surgery to ease the pain of heats.” When he had learned years ago that his wife had borne him an Omega, he had kept up with everything related to Omegas. He knew a lot.
The narrative drew Father Chu as strict and stubborn, a man of strong responsibility, clearly a loving father.
“I know,” Li Dong said. “So we can make a hospital appointment now and go for the procedure with Major General Gu.” He glanced at the screen and saw that Gu Xiujue had drifted off into space, eyes unfocused. “If there are no objections, we will do the surgery after the coming-of-age.”
“Xiujue?” he prompted.
“…Alright,” Gu Xiujue said, coming back to himself, then schooling his face to its usual coldness. “I have no objection.”
In reality, his inner barrage read like this: !!! We set it just like that? For real? Do the Omega’s parents agree? I cannot believe it. I do not believe it is real. I do not, I do not.
Only one thin little line floated by: I hope it is real, please.
“Forgive me, I cannot agree right now,” Father Chu said. He looked at the striking young major general on screen and spoke with regret. “If you truly want to marry Huanyan, then show your sincerity. Let everyone know that it is you who wants to marry him, not that Huanyan proposed to marry you.”
The Chu family could not lose face. An Omega must be pursued by the spouse.
“Of course,” Gu Xiujue said softly, lowering his eyes. “Sincerity is the only thing I can offer. I am very clear on that.”
By convention, it was absurd for a physically disabled Beta major general to marry an Omega.
Unless an Omega had water in his brain and insisted on marrying that Beta.
Li “water-in-the-brain” Dong received tender, pitying looks. People felt sorry for his future.
“Then we will leave it there,” Li Dong said. “I am a little tired today. We can discuss the details tomorrow.” He closed the video call and prepared to slip away.
“Huanyan,” Father Chu said, “what exactly happened on StarNet today? You barged into the shooting range. Is that any place for you to go?”
“You should know the shooting range does not ban Omegas,” Li Dong said. “That was the first point. Second, my teammates and I won a blue medal. That is my honor.” He looked back at the Chu couple, hoping the veteran in Father Chu would feel something.
“You… go on up,” Father Chu said. Meeting his youngest’s bright and resolute eyes, he suddenly looked away. “If only Huanyan were an Alpha…” His greatest regret in life was not having an Alpha child to inherit the Gu family’s military standing.
Three years ago, Father Chu had fought the Zerg in the Zanla Grand Canyon and returned wounded to serve in a desk post within the Empire.
Big Brother Chu was a Beta. His abilities were limited, and he was unremarkable in the army.
An Omega in the family had won a blue medal in an intermediate team battle on StarNet. Was Father Chu not proud?
He was very proud.
“Don’t be like that,” Mother Chu murmured. “He is doing very well as he is.” A gentle female Beta, she leaned against her husband’s shoulder.
Upstairs, Li Dong opened his personal terminal as it would not stop chiming with new messages.
All of them were from Gu Xiujue, and there was more than one.
“Even though I know you are very tired tonight and this may disturb your rest… if you see my messages, you do not need to answer,” wrote Gu Xiujue. “Tonight was too sudden. Right now everything feels unreal to me. I hope you will understand.”
The third message read, “If you have decided, I will do my best.”
More than ten minutes later, after Li Dong finished his shower, a fourth message came. “Are you really not going to reply?”
“I was showering,” Li Dong answered. He typed a very long reply to feed the male lead a calming pill. “First, this is not sudden. I think I gave you enough time to adjust, starting from the courthouse.”
Gu Xiujue stared at that line in his own home, mouth slightly open like a fish in need of water.
“Second, what do you mean by ‘real’?” Li Dong wrote. “Should I come over now and f*** you so it feels real?” Then, “Major General Gu, let me be blunt. I am marrying you because I want to top you, not to be topped by you.” Finally, “You can accept that, right?” After all, he was someone who came from just a touch.
The bare words on the screen turned Gu Xiujue scarlet. He sprang up from the sofa and chose not to touch any furniture.
The shock was severe. Why would an Omega think like this?
Crazy. In the whole interstellar world, you would not find another Omega who wanted to be on top of a Beta.
He had only ever seen that aggressive mindset in Alphas, and he himself disliked it.
“So long without a reply, is that a refusal?” Li Dong frowned, thinking back. He suddenly realized the original novel had no explicit scenes.
With a setting this unhinged, the author had written no spice. She just desperately wrote about how the shou male lead sacrificed for the scummy gong, then how tragic it was, and finally how everyone turned against him.
“It is unrealistic to have me say yes in one breath… I have never thought about it, but I am not rejecting it either,” came from Gu Xiujue.
“Then this,” Li Dong, under the name Chu Huanyan, wrote. “I am going out with the elders tomorrow. Come meet me.”
The original book’s side character name annoyed Li Dong for no clear reason.
In the last two worlds, he had told his partners his real name.
In this world, he felt he had not reached that point with Gu Xiujue. He did not want to say it yet.
“Good night. We can talk details when we meet tomorrow,” he sent as the last message.
“Alright. Good night,” replied Gu Xiujue. He deleted a long string of words he had typed and chose to stop at the right moment.
It was destined to be a sleepless night.
The next morning, a privately owned vehicle of special construction drove along the road. Li Dong sat with Mother Chu on his left.
Big Brother Chu sat on the right. He had taken the day off to serve as his brother’s bodyguard. “Do not worry, Huanyan. Even if you suddenly go into heat on the road, I will not let any Alpha bully you,” he said cheerfully.
Li Dong was at a loss for words. Could this man not talk? If he could not, then shut up.
Every Omega knew that the interval between a false heat and a true first heat was about twenty days, up to one month.
If there was any uncertainty at all, you could give Mother Chu ten times the courage and she still would not dare take her youngest out casually.
“I set a lunch with Major General Gu,” Li Dong said. “We can all get acquainted. Ask him anything you want.” Consider it a premarital inspection.
“How much do you know about Major General Gu?” Mother Chu asked. She remembered that their contact had been limited, and that it had begun with Huo Leishao.
It was incredible. Two people who had both been engaged to Huo Leishao were now planning to be together?
What would Major General Huo think?
“Honestly, not that much,” Li Dong said. “We can get to know each other slowly. There is plenty of time.”
Worry rose in Mother Chu and Big Brother Chu. Their family’s Omega seemed to be treating marriage like a game.
“All of R Star knows your coming-of-age is imminent,” Mother Chu said. “Your father has already sent invitations to the promising young talents of R Star. Do not worry, the number is not huge. He carefully screened them. He believes those Alphas suit you.”
“Major General Gu suits me,” Li Dong said. A powerful man who did not mind being taken and did not mind being topped, you could not find a better candidate on R Star.
“Alright,” Mother Chu said. “I am only speaking out of feeling.” She was about to have an Omega son who would marry a Beta. She was truly worried.
District One of R Star was the imperial, financial, and military center all in one.
Its scale and splendor were unlike anything Li Dong had ever seen.
If you asked whether he regretted coming to this insane ABO world, the truth was that after witnessing so much astonishing technology and so many species settings, regret made little sense.
So the answer was no. More importantly, regret would be useless.
“Let us go,” Li Dong said. “To Mayinghua Restaurant. He is waiting for us.”
This high-end restaurant named after a plant hung suspended in midair. Its shape resembled a mayinghua bloom.
At the empty Table Seventeen, Gu Xiujue walked over carrying a gray-blue uniform jacket draped over his arm.
He sat, took off his cap, and lifted a hand to smooth his slightly messy black hair.
“Sir, will you be dining alone?” the server asked, approaching with her tablet. She hesitated, ready to introduce the day’s specials.
“No, four,” said Gu Xiujue.
“Of course.” The server sneaked a look and was dazzled, then quickly composed herself. “I will return shortly to take your order.”
Gu Xiujue kept an eye on his terminal. At last a message arrived.
“Xiujue, we are almost there,” from Chu Huanyan.
“Alright, I am waiting. Table Seventeen,” from Gu Xiujue.
The famed Mayinghua aerial restaurant was indeed very grand. Li Dong entered, frowning.
They needed to discuss private matters, yet the other man had booked a table in the main hall. Was he out of his mind?
“Huanyan,” Mother Chu said. “Do you not know that invisible soundproofing exists?” In other words, although there were no visible dividers between tables, they were in fact soundproofed.
You could not blame a man raised on Earth. His first reaction was simply to feel there was a problem.
“Xiujue.” Li Dong walked steadily to the table. “Sorry, we are a little late.” He set his fingers lightly on the man’s shoulder.
Gu Xiujue’s body gave a small tremor at the sound, then he stood and faced his prospective elders. “Hello.”
“Hello, Major General Gu,” Mother Chu said, gesturing to the seats. “Please sit. Let us talk.”
“Alright,” said Gu Xiujue.
“Then you all talk. I will check the lunch menu with my brother,” Li Dong said, with no interest in joining Mother Chu and Gu Xiujue’s conversation.
He and Big Brother Chu chatted about dishes, drinks, and military topics.
“What do you think, Major General Gu?” Mother Chu asked as she cut her food with knife and fork, waiting for his reply.
“Hmm?” He drew his gaze back from the side and answered softly, “Please repeat the question.”
“It is nothing important. Let us focus on eating,” Mother Chu said with a smile. “I feel today’s food is quite good.”
“I think so too,” Li Dong chimed in. He looked at the man beside him and smiled meaningfully.
“Yes, it is good,” Gu Xiujue said. His long lashes lowered as he ate with perfect composure, lifting neatly cut, glossy pieces of meat to his parted lips.
After lunch, Mother Chu and Li Dong stood by the curb. “I am very satisfied with Xiujue. He is outstanding, even if he is a Beta,” she said, patting Li Dong’s shoulder. “Have him bring you home early tonight.”
“Alright,” Li Dong said.
“We are going home first. Bye, baby.” Mother Chu waved.
“Be careful on the road. Bye,” Li Dong said.
It was such a harmonious family, such a warm scene.
The male lead stood to the side, silently watching, and felt deeply out of place.
The Gu clan was a noble house, a great family whose members had spread across R Star for centuries.
From an early age, Gu Xiujue had known he was the odd one out. He was a foreign black panther, rejected by the other little Gu family animals.
So no matter how many people on R Star bore the surname Gu, they were not his family.
“Your mood just dipped,” Li Dong said, stepping in front of him. “Should I translate that as you being unhappy with today’s meeting?” He asked, although he knew the answer. “Go on, I will respect your decision.”
“No,” said Gu Xiujue. Putting away the memories of childhood, he quietly stepped back two paces. “Where do you want to go next? I will arrange it.”
A man in his late twenties who could be this restrained in matters of intimacy, Li Dong was impressed.
“Why are you backing up? Am I going to eat you?” Li Dong said. “Let us go to your place. Lunch made me sleepy.”
“Alright,” Gu Xiujue said.
With his jacket and cap over his arm, he took out the keys and led Li Dong to the car.
“Let me carry your jacket,” Li Dong said, lifting it and taking a sniff. “Do Betas have a hormone scent similar to Alphas?”
“They do,” said Gu Xiujue. He could not help feeling pleased that the Omega had memorized his scent. “It is simply not as intense.” It did not reach the Alpha level that could send an Omega into heat, and the weaker a Beta was, the weaker the scent.
“I can recognize yours,” Li Dong said. “I smelled it once and remembered it clearly.” He sniffed again, unaware that his face wore an expression of enjoyment.
In the ABO world, scent carried crucial signals. An Omega remembering the scent of the opposite sex was very serious, possibly a sign that they would marry no one else.
“That is because you like my scent,” said Gu Xiujue. He was not in a safe state to drive, so he was going very slowly.
“Probably,” Li Dong said. “The scent on the clothes is not very clear. I can only imagine what other parts of you would smell like…” Sitting this close, he could fully feel how sensitive people in the ABO world were to the opposite sex’s scent.
For example, Chu Huanyan might not be able to tell the difference between Sichuan pepper and pickled chili by smell, but he would absolutely be able to distinguish the scents of two different potential partners.
“You will have a chance to smell, just not while I am driving,” said Gu Xiujue. His Adam’s apple moved. He loosened his collar a little. It felt much better.
“By chance, do you mean after we get home,” Li Dong asked, “or after we register our marriage?” As far as he knew, Betas in this world were very open about premarital sex. They did not even need protection, since pregnancy odds were low.
They could switch top and bottom and play endless variations.
Plenty of Betas were seasoned veterans before marriage. People in this world, honestly, had little sense of chastity.
“Either is fine,” said Gu Xiujue. “If you are sleepy, you can nap for a bit.” The heat in his face was maddening.
He did not dare to directly tell the Omega to please be quiet.
“Let me ask you directly,” Li Dong said. “Have you slept with Huo Leishao?”
“No,” Gu Xiujue said. His voice dropped noticeably, turning rough. “Whatever you want to know, I will tell you.” Then, “But please, be quiet right now.”
Li Dong shut his mouth, surprised, and hugged the man’s jacket.
Male Omegas were called the most sensitive of the six sexes. Male Betas were known as the least sensitive, practically wooden.
Judging by the male lead’s case alone, the Beta was clearly the more sensitive one.
Li Dong’s face did not flush, and his heart did not race. He was completely fine.
At the door of Gu Xiujue’s home, Li Dong was first out of the car. He left the space to the other man. “I will wait for you at the door.”
“…” Face crumpling, Gu Xiujue leaned against the wheel and pulled a fistful of tissues, just in case.
When it was under control, he rose, body stiff, and covered the driver’s seat with tissues where he had been sitting.
As he was about to leave, he accidentally looked up and saw the jacket Li Dong had deliberately left behind. Gu Xiujue took it and put it on, his cheeks exploding with redness.
“With respect, your scent is very strong,” Li Dong said, pacing restlessly at the door. “You are making me feel hot.”
“I am very sorry,” said Gu Xiujue. “I will go shower.” His fingers fumbled the door code twice, which had never happened before.
At last he got the door open. “Please make yourself at home,” he said, striding inside and heading straight for the bathroom.
In private, he clenched his teeth and let out a loss of control no one could see.
It was not just that Gu Xiujue’s scent was strong. An Omega on the verge of heat also carried a thick scent. The two would affect each other.
It would not be as deranged as an Alpha confronting an Omega, but it would seep in gradually. At the light end, your skin would burn and it would be hard to bear. At the heavy end, your whole body would turn to tingling jelly and you would want to die.
Back home, Gu Xiujue’s quantum beast manifested instantly.
The elegant, muscular black panther walked straight to Li Dong’s feet, then flumped down and rubbed its massive black head against the Omega’s shoe.
“You are just like your main body, reserved and debauched,” Li Dong said, reaching over to stroke the panther’s head.
The panther nuzzled into his fingers and let out a few low sounds, completely different from its usual roar.
This was a panther in a special state. You could tell from the sound and the way it lay on the floor.
Soothed by Li Dong’s touch, its body grew softer, and its gaze and voice turned syrupy enough to drown a man.
Good grief. Li Dong pulled back his hand and released the white cat, letting it roll around on the floor with the male lead’s panther.
A big black and a small white furball tangled together, sticky and playful.
“Roar~~” the panther rumbled happily as it hugged the white cat. Of course, it was still eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot; it never let Li Dong drift out of its line of sight.
In the bathroom, cold water splashed.
“…” Soaked through, Gu Xiujue knelt for a while, then, relying on astonishing self-control, dressed again and walked out, cold and immaculate.
Author’s Note:
There will be another update this afternoon, it will cover Xiujue formally accepting Li Dong; also, please keep the nutrient solution coming!
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