After ending the video call, Xia Ze hugged a plush toy and rolled around on his bed, completely unable to sleep. It wasn’t until dawn approached that he finally drifted into a light slumber.
He dreamt of his past life, a rare occurrence.
In that life, he had been with his family at the Yunnan Botanical Garden. His father, a botanist, knew every plant there and would tell him countless stories about them. His mother was a renowned miniature landscape artist who could transform withered plants into decorative pieces that retained their greenery without needing water or fertilizer. People flocked to purchase her creations, she was truly remarkable.
Growing up in such an environment, Xia Ze naturally developed a deep interest in plants. By a young age, he could cultivate beautiful flowers. But everything ended when a car accident claimed his life at twenty. In his final moments, he heard his parents’ heart-wrenching sobs.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a futuristic interstellar era a thousand years later, where humans had evolved into Alpha, Beta, and Omega dynamics. The Earth he once knew had long vanished, becoming nothing more than a distant historical footnote.
In this world, Xia Ze had been orphaned from birth and raised by his grandfather. Humanity had long mastered interstellar travel and planet colonization. Apart from the central planets, others were classified into six tiers (A-F) based on living conditions and development levels. Xia Ze and his grandfather lived on an F-tier planet commonly known as a “trash planet.”
The environment was harsh, the population a motley crew, and it was a neglected fringe of the interstellar empire with abysmal living standards. Fortunately, Xia Ze had a knack for gardening, which gave him some semblance of stability on this greenery-starved world.
Aside from the two years the trash planet fell under space pirate control, life had been relatively stable especially after the Qi family’s military reclaimed it, improving their circumstances. Young Xia Ze even started an online shop, livestreaming to sell his better plants to off-world buyers. This provided extra income without drawing unwanted attention from locals.
Despite the astronomical medical costs for his grandfather’s illness, Xia Ze’s efforts kept them afloat until last year, when his grandfather passed away. Since then, he had run a small flower shop, living as inconspicuously as possible.
To him, this life wasn’t bad. Keeping his Omega status hidden and living quietly seemed like a decent way to spend his days.
In his dream, young Xia Ze tended diligently to his little greenhouse, nurturing vibrant blooms. Then, out of nowhere, a stern-faced man appeared, looking down at the crouching Xia Ze with a frown. “You’re a Beta?” the man asked. “Want to get married?”
!!!
Why was he even in the dream?!
Xia Ze jolted awake.
Ugh! Couldn’t even sleep in peace!
With a sigh, he noticed dawn had barely broken and tried to go back to sleep but now, sleep eluded him completely.
Worry gnawed at him.
Why had he agreed?
Were those Earth plant seeds really that important?
Xia Ze burrowed deeper under the covers. Well… yes. They were.
In this advanced interstellar age, greenery was scarce especially Earth-origin plants, which were priceless. Even if he could afford them, no reliable courier would deliver to a trash planet. And if this could help General Qi… that would be ideal.
Last night, General Qi once again explained in detail why they needed to get married and why he had to pretend to be pregnant.
It was all so he could go to the battlefield to avenge his father.
If they sought help from someone on the main planet, the secret of their fake marriage might leak. An Omega wouldn’t be safe either, as pheromones between Alphas and Omegas could interfere, making them unsuitable for such an arrangement.
As an unfamiliar Beta from a remote planet, Xia Ze was the best choice. After all, he wouldn’t be affected by a top-tier Alpha’s pheromone suppression, nor would there be any unexpected complications.
And those from the main planet wouldn’t be able to find any flaws in Xia Ze.
In short, after a long explanation, it all boiled down to one thing, Xia Ze was the best option.
Apart from this, Xia Ze had never forgotten the incident at the temporary relief station years ago.
Later, he even cultivated several rare green plants and, imitating his mother’s techniques, created miniature green landscapes. He spent extra money to send these to Qi Jing.
However, when he mailed them, the local private courier warned him they couldn’t guarantee delivery after all, Qi Jing had already taken over his father’s position as a general by then, and gifts poured in for him daily.
Xia Ze never had the courage to ask General Qi if he had received them. Besides, no matter how precious these gifts were, they could never repay the debt of saving his life.
Worried, Xia Ze tossed and turned in bed a few more times until an email notification made him sit up abruptly.
A message from the Interstellar Marriage Registry:
[Your marriage application with Qi Jing has been approved. Please confirm immediately.]
Huh???
The application was submitted last night, and by nine in the morning, it was already approved?
At nine in the morning, the marriage registry had just opened for the day!
His status had also been changed from Beta to Omega.
General Qi worked fast.
Checking the date, today was May 7th. The reservation was successful, pending confirmation from both parties.
And the wedding date? Two months later, on July 7th.
In this era, there was no distinction between lunar and solar calendars, but by Earth’s reckoning, July 7th happened to be Qixi Festival, the Chinese Valentine’s Day.
Xia Ze’s face flushed slightly. Closing his eyes, he clicked Confirm without hesitation.
The words “Reservation Successfully Confirmed by Both Parties” flashed across the screen, accompanied by a shower of pink hearts. His personal information updated instantly though it didn’t yet show him as married, it was practically a done deal.
He now had a fiancé.
Wait, General Qi had already confirmed first?
That was quick.
Xia Ze rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up.
Two months until the fake wedding, pretending to be pregnant, then sending General Qi off to war.
Once the war was won, they’d divorce automatically.
Calculating the timeline, it wouldn’t take long, right?
The Imperial Army was well-prepared, and the space pirates were already on their last legs. Six months, a year at most and he’d be divorced, free to return to his little flower shop!
After mentally preparing himself, Xia Ze took a deep breath. By the time he washed up and started his day, everything seemed unchanged.
Morning sunlight streamed into the greenhouse, a transparent little structure that had cost Xia Ze most of his savings. Many of the beautiful flowers inside were the result of his careful cultivation.
The lush greenery of various plants was enough to lift anyone’s spirits.
In this era, owning such a greenhouse was undoubtedly a significant fortune.
That was why Xia Ze’s flower shop was rarely open to the public. Only the most common potted plants were displayed in the front store, while the rare and valuable specimens were kept in the back.
Today, like most days, the shop was quiet. After all, greenery was far too expensive for most.
Not to mention the garbage planet, even residents of the main planet or A-grade planets couldn’t afford high-quality greenery.
The customers at Xia Ze’s little shop were mostly regulars, so the quiet atmosphere was normal.
When Xia Ze went to clean the shop, he made sure to check himself in the mirror and put on the expensive mask he had bought from the black market.
The product of advanced technology was truly miraculous just a thin layer could alter a person’s facial features and shape.
His originally strikingly beautiful face became noticeably blurred, his features turning ordinary, completely different from the pretty boy he had been before.
Unless someone possessed extraordinary mental power, no one could tell he was wearing a mask.
From Xia Ze’s experience, even the strongest Alpha on this garbage planet wouldn’t be able to spot the disguise.
He had worn this mask for many years now, keeping it on at all times except when at home or in moments of extreme panic.
Most of the neighbors assumed the little florist was just a plain, reclusive Beta, so they rarely bothered him.
Whenever the shop opened, passersby couldn’t help but feel envious greenery, what a wonderful thing.
The best greenery could even heal an Alpha’s mental power, accelerating its recovery completely free of side effects.
Mid-tier plants could alleviate mental stress and cleanse the surrounding magnetic pollution.
Even the most ordinary greenery could help people sleep peacefully through the night.
The three small potted plants Xia Ze had displayed were naturally the most basic kind, no larger than the size of a palm.
Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what level his cultivated plants could reach this remote place had no facilities to test greenery.
But he had a feeling, he could sense something different about plants?
Xia Ze didn’t dwell on it too much, focusing instead on tidying up the shop as a neighbor stopped by to greet him.
“Little Xia Ze, the plants you grow are getting better and better.”
The three small plants on the counter were only palm-sized, but they brought a sense of calm to anyone who looked at them.
“That’s right, Xia Ze. Maybe you should send these to a high-grade planet for testing you might get a good price for them.”
“But shipping would be difficult. By the time they arrive, they might not be as fresh.”
The neighbors chatted among themselves, mostly just wanting to linger near the greenery.
With magnetic pollution so severe and the garbage planet’s environment so harsh, who wouldn’t want to be close to plants?
Xia Ze understood their intentions but didn’t shoo them away, smiling as he replied, “I’ll give it a try later.”
He had considered sending his plants for testing before, but the distance made it impractical they’d likely spoil in transit.
But now that General Qi had promised to take him to the main planet, maybe he could get them tested then?
The neighbors immediately praised the idea.
However, two faces among them looked particularly greedy, a pair of brothers who lived next door to Xia Ze, separated only by a wall.
Exchanging glances, they repeated their earlier proposal: “Why don’t you give the plants to us? We’ll sell them for you, we’ll get you a high price!”
“Yeah! We can split the profits!”
Xia Ze glanced at them but didn’t respond. He already sold his better plants online, he didn’t need their help.
And these two were no good petty thieves who had long coveted his greenery.
Before Xia Ze could reply, another neighbor scoffed, “Sell them together? More like take advantage of Xia Ze.”
“Who knows if you two might just run off with the goods? Such precious items, and you expect us to return them?”
The two brothers got an earful, which only soured their mood further. Back at home, the thuggish older brother growled, “What idiots! Holding onto such valuable stuff yet can’t even sell it for a decent price!”
“Exactly! Morons!”
With that, they returned to their bedroom.
Had Xia Ze been there, he would have noticed their room was right next to the small greenhouse.
Being neighbors, the rogue brothers had accidentally discovered some time ago that the air in this room seemed unusually fresh. Staying here for long periods made them recover stamina faster and sleep more soundly.
The two had even fought over this room before eventually deciding to share it.
From then on, they realized the Beta next door was growing plants far more valuable than they’d imagined.
Assuming Xia Ze was clueless about the plants’ true worth, they repeatedly tried to scam him but were rebuffed each time.
If they could just get their hands on some of those premium plants to sell, they’d strike it rich!
No more rotting away on this garbage planet!
Maybe they could even move up to an E-class planet!
Greed flickered across their faces again they had to get their hands on that Beta’s plants.
After all, he was scrawny, powerless, and easy to bully.
This was a garbage planet, if someone died, no one would even bother investigating properly.
