Sour? What sour?
Xia Ze was still wondering about that “sour” comment as he lay in his room.
The food today had been delicious.
The desserts were great, the drinks were nice.
Even the beer wasn’t too intoxicating, though that was probably because he hadn’t drunk much.
Xia Ze and Qi Jing naturally slept in separate rooms, though their rooms were adjacent, with balconies right next to each other.
The night sea breeze carried the sound of waves, making it hard for Xia Ze to fall asleep. He decided to step out onto the balcony for some air.
The sky was filled with dazzling stars.
It really did resemble ancient Earth.
But the real ancient Earth had more than just island scenery.
Lost in thought, Xia Ze glanced toward General Qi’s room.
To his surprise, Qi Jing was already standing on the neighboring balcony, watching him. A cigarette dangled between his fingers, its glowing ember confirming that this was indeed General Qi.
Qi Jing stubbed out the cigarette.
He rarely smoked, but ever since that afternoon, something had felt off.
This sensation…
It was as if his rut had come early.
Qi Jing knew exactly when it had started back on the beach, when he thought about the person who needed to carry petals for him and caught the scent of flowers on Xia Ze.
That was why he had hurried back, claiming he needed rest, only to find himself unable to sleep.
The restless agitation of his rut left him irritable.
That was why he had picked up a cigarette after so long only to be caught red-handed by Xia Ze.
With the extinguished cigarette still in hand, Qi Jing slowly walked over, leaning against the balcony railing as he studied Xia Ze.
Under the cover of darkness, his gaze was unrestrained, as if trying to see right through the young man.
Xia Ze instinctively wanted to retreat, but his feet hesitated. “Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?” he asked instead.
Qi Jing didn’t answer, his hands gripping the railing.
The silence made Xia Ze step back, but before he could leave, Qi Jing vaulted over the gap between their balconies.
The one-meter distance was nothing to him, a single effortless leap that left Xia Ze stunned.
Standing beside Xia Ze now, Qi Jing forcibly ignored the heat pulsing through his glands. “Let me continue teaching you how to use the dagger. Want to learn?”
He didn’t.
At least, not right now.
Even the most oblivious person could tell something was off about Qi Jing at this moment.
Yet Qi Jing seemed to anticipate his escape, trapping Xia Ze against his chest before pulling them both down onto the balcony’s lounge chair.
The position was unbearably intimate. Qi Jing produced a dagger from somewhere, turning slightly to guide Xia Ze’s hands over the blade.
His long, well-defined fingers traced the edge of the dagger inch by inch, making Xia Ze’s heart race.
“W-what’s wrong with you? Something’s not right,” Xia Ze stammered.
Qi Jing paused at his voice, gripping Xia Ze’s fingers as he murmured, “Have you learned yet, Ze Ze?”
How could he possibly learn like this?!
Xia Ze forced himself to focus, but the heat radiating from Qi Jing’s body was impossible to ignore.
They were practically pressed together, half-reclining on the chair.
General Qi was definitely not himself right now.
As Xia Ze tried to follow the dagger lesson, his mind raced to figure out what was happening. Maybe he should message Uncle Qi for advice?
The thought had barely formed when Qi Jing seized his chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. “You’re distracted.”
“Not being obedient.”
“Be good for me, okay?”
Xia Ze jolted in realization.
Rut!
Last time, General Qi had experienced a pseudo-rut and it had been just like this!
Was this the real thing now?!
Aaaaah, he’d only ever read about this in textbooks!
This was his first time actually facing the biological realities of this world’s secondary genders!
Xia Ze’s silence only made Qi Jing, in the midst of his rut, more impatient. After staring for a while, he gently nipped at Xia Ze’s chin. “Look at me.”
“Looking, looking.”
Xia Ze, who had been studying hard, suddenly recalled a key point from his lessons: Alphas in rut tend to be more vulnerable and need extra reassurance.
Would he… cry?
Xia Ze didn’t dare voice the question, but his gaze flickered toward Qi Jing.
Noticing this, Qi Jing felt slightly better and sheathed his dagger. “Keep watching,” he said.
Xia Ze almost laughed. General Qi’s rut was unexpectedly amusing.
But as soon as the dagger was put away, Qi Jing’s fingers began tracing Xia Ze’s chin, as if searching for the mark from his earlier bite. There was nothing there just a light graze of teeth but Qi Jing seemed dissatisfied, clearly intending to bite again.
Xia Ze quickly tried to pull back, only to be held tighter.
This wasn’t good.
An Alpha in rut wouldn’t stop at just this.
Xia Ze could still think clearly, but he could already feel the overwhelming Alpha pheromones radiating from General Qi.
It was the same old problem.
If he were a Beta, it wouldn’t matter, he wouldn’t feel a thing.
But he was an Omega. If this continued, his own pheromones would start leaking. And if Omega pheromones mixed with an Alpha’s especially one in rut.
Xia Ze’s mind screamed one word: Danger!!!
No. He needed suppressants.
Or petals. Xia Ze had come out of his room in pajamas after washing up, and the box of petals was still on his bedside table. But how could he get them now?
Xia Ze could feel the heat radiating from Qi Jing’s body. The usually icy pheromones now burned with an unbearable intensity.
“W-wait, the petals, I need to get the petals,” Xia Ze stammered, pushing weakly against Qi Jing’s unyielding grip.
Mentioning the petals only made things worse. Qi Jing’s eyes darkened, and his pheromones surged, wrapping around Xia Ze like a storm, making it hard to breathe.
When Xia Ze exhaled, his breath came out ragged, laced with restless heat. A soft moan escaped him.
Heat.
His heat was coming.
An Omega’s heat wasn’t something they could control. External triggers especially Alpha pheromones could accelerate it.
Xia Ze’s mouth went dry. For the first time, he truly felt what it meant to be an Omega. His scent gland burned fiercely.
If Qi Jing hadn’t been in rut, he would’ve noticed immediately.
Desperate to stay lucid, Xia Ze bit down on his tongue only for a finger to slip into his mouth.
The sharp pressure cleared Qi Jing’s mind for a moment. “Don’t,” he ordered, voice rough. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
As a general, Qi Jing recognized the telltale tension in Xia Ze’s jaw. His long fingers brushed past soft lips, pressing against teeth and tongue to stop the boy from harming himself.
Then, with practiced ease, Qi Jing pulled a syringe from his pocket and injected it into Xia Ze’s scent gland.
Suppressants.
He had prepared them after realizing his rut had come early. He’d meant to take it after finishing his cigarette, but then he’d run into a sleepless Xia Ze.
And things had spiraled from there.
If not for Xia Ze’s attempt to bite his tongue, Qi Jing might have lost himself completely.
No. Not now.
Qi Jing took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut to regain control. He didn’t notice the boy beside him struggling just as hard to steady his breathing.
Qi Jing’s grip loosened slightly, and Xia Ze practically rolled back into the room, swiftly closing the balcony window and even activating the security measures, no one could enter now without breaking down the door violently.
Stumbling inside, Xia Ze fumbled for the petals.
Only when the petals touched his scent gland did he finally exhale in relief.
Ahhh, thank goodness!
That was close!
His heat almost got exposed.
This was his first time experiencing a heat cycle, and he never imagined it could make him lose control like that.
No wonder some Omegas became lost in that kind of frenzy.
Xia Ze even thought General Qi’s fingers pressing inside had sent shivers of pleasure through him.
He had wanted more, deeper.
Exhausted, Xia Ze collapsed onto the bed, unsure whether he had passed out or simply fallen asleep.
Outside on the balcony, Qi Jing sat up straight. The suppressants had calmed him, but nothing sobered him up more than the kid completely shutting him out.
His expression darkened as he stared at the door. The rut he had just suppressed seemed ready to surge back.
Did his touch disgust him that much?
Qi Jing stood up. The sound of the night sea turned ominous as he remained motionless for a long time.
The so-called anti-break-in security wouldn’t hold against even a light twist of his hand but he wouldn’t force his way in.
His rut and rationality warred within him one side desperate to tear down the door and stop the kid from hiding, the other darker, wanting nothing more than for the person inside to willingly surrender to his touch, to be explored inside and out.
“It won’t be long.”
Qi Jing lit another cigarette. In the haze of smoke, he looked less like a general and more like a bandit, meticulously calculating how to claim his prey.
His self-control finally reasserted itself, his expression unreadable as he bit down on the cigarette.
On the first day of their honeymoon, Xia Ze felt like he had slept decently. The balcony incident from last night felt like a dream, if not for the used petals, he might have believed it was just a fantasy.
When he woke up, General Qi was already seated at the dining table, sipping coffee. After a moment’s hesitation, Xia Ze sat across from him.
One Alpha, one Omega, it was better not to get too close.
Last night had made him truly understand the biological divide between them. One wrong move, and they’d end up in bed.
Distance. Distance was healthy.
Qi Jing noticed Xia Ze’s subtle movements, his gaze flickering, though his expression remained neutral.
“What do you want to do today? Deep-sea fishing or diving?” Qi Jing asked.
Either was fine!
Xia Ze’s eyes sparkled with excitement, but he visibly kept his distance from Qi Jing.
It became even more obvious during the dive. Qi Jing hadn’t planned on hiring an instructor, he was well-versed in these activities, even more skilled than professionals.
But when he reached out to help Xia Ze into his wetsuit, his fingers barely grazing his waist, Xia Ze immediately flinched back.
“I can do it myself!” he said quickly, swiftly pulling on the suit.
Qi Jing withdrew his hand, while the nearby lifeguard gave them a puzzled look.
Of course, the lifeguard recognized them, the wedding of the century, a general and his spouse.
The star network was buzzing about how deeply in love they were.
The lifeguard asked curiously, “Trouble in paradise?”
Then, reassuringly, he added, “Don’t worry, all newlyweds go through this. A little arguing strengthens the bond.”
Xia Ze froze.
He was just putting on his own clothes, how was that a sign of trouble?
Seeing the lifeguard’s gossipy expression, Xia Ze had no doubt that if he didn’t do something, the star network would be flooded with rumors in no time.
Xia Ze hesitated, but Qi Jing remained motionless, simply stating, “No conflict.”
???
What kind of answer was that?
If anything, it made them seem even more like they were having a conflict!
Xia Ze glanced at the zipper on his clothes and whispered, “Help me?”
Only then did the chill around Qi Jing dissipate slightly. Yet instead of touching the zipper, his hand gripped the boy’s waist, ensuring he couldn’t retreat.
Xia Ze took a deep breath. After yesterday’s incident, he could no longer look at these actions the same way.
He could even hear the sound of the zipper being pulled up, one notch at a time.
Was this even reasonable?!
The lifeguard wanted to take another look but fled at the sight of General Qi’s icy expression.
Serves him right for speaking out of turn!
Their relationship was clearly fine, why had he said such nonsense?
Once the others left, Xia Ze exhaled in relief. “That was tough. Seems like we have to act intimate in front of outsiders.”
His tone carried helplessness, but to Qi Jing’s ears, it sounded like reluctance.
Qi Jing hummed in response. “If you’re uncomfortable around outsiders, I’ll teach you how to dive.”
Xia Ze wavered.
Yesterday’s “dagger lesson” had led to, that incident.
Back then, he could still brush it off.
But if his heat cycle triggered now, it would be a real disaster.
“Don’t worry.”
Qi Jing’s words were almost gritted out, though he hid it well, Xia Ze didn’t notice.
Still, the reassurance made Xia Ze feel guilty. His reactions today had been far too obvious.
But he couldn’t afford to make contact, damn it!!!
A and O were fundamentally different!!!
For a moment, Xia Ze wilted.
He had actually acknowledged the divide between Alphas and Omegas!
Now that he thought about it, even A and B should maintain boundaries.
So his refusal was justified!
The memory of General Qi’s fingers pressing against his tongue sent a flush through his glands.
No, he had to resist.
He could do this.
To his relief, Qi Jing maintained a careful distance during the diving lesson, finally easing Xia Ze’s tension.
This level of separation was completely acceptable!
Qi Jing’s expression grew increasingly indifferent.
Having tasted sweetness, being forced back to square one naturally soured his mood.
But the way the boy had fled last night, even activating his protective barrier that attitude was even harder to tolerate.
Over the next few days, Qi Jing maintained impeccable distance, much to Xia Ze’s satisfaction.
They were the perfect travel buddies!
While Xia Ze enjoyed himself on the vacation planet, the Green Plant Testing Center on the main planet was in an uproar.
On July 10th, a user named Gabriel submitted a perfect exam along with his application.
That same day, he sent over five green plants via his personal driver.
From the 10th onward, these plants underwent rigorous testing.
Their evaluation process was well-established.
First, they assessed the plants’ vitality, whether they were plump and healthy, whether flower petals remained intact, colors vibrant, and pistils clearly defined.
Next, factors like blooming period and fragrance were measured through a standardized procedure.
Typically, plants that lasted four to five days and flowers that survived two to three days met the baseline.
Based on these criteria, they were graded into categories A, B, C, and S.
Double-S and triple-S existed only in legends.
But the three succulents and two flowers submitted by Gabriel had already survived five days in the testing chamber!
Five days!
And they showed no signs of deterioration!
The succulents were one thing, five days without wilting was plausible.
But how were the flowers still alive after five days???
This defied all logic.
The staff at the testing center were losing their minds over this.
By July 16th day six the plants and flowers remained alive.
On the seventh day, the flowers still hadn’t wilted!
Who on earth is this Gabriel big shot?!
Could it be one of those old monsters from the Natural Sciences Academy?!
Registering a new ID just to mess with them???
The Green Plant Testing Center is one of the cooperative institutions of the Natural Sciences Academy. They had already reported the case when the plants survived past the fifth day.
At a glance of the application time and plant delivery date, Colin immediately knew who was behind this.
While his four old colleagues were marveling at the situation, he remained composed.
See?
He’d told them Xia Ze was extraordinary, but they wouldn’t believe him.
However, Colin had no intention of revealing Xia Ze’s identity yet, let these old fellows stay shocked for a while longer.
October 17th, the testing period should have ended by now, yet these plants were still alive!
Still thriving!
They couldn’t provide any explanation!
There were indeed some minor deductions, one succulent had grown slightly oddly, and a flower’s pistil wasn’t perfectly formed.
But these were nothing compared to their unprecedented longevity.
Staff from the Natural Sciences Academy kept coming by to observe.
Within days, nearly everyone in the capital’s plant circles knew the testing center had discovered a prodigy.
Yet the prodigy never appeared in person, always sending servants to deliver specimens.
The plants’ and flowers’ extended vitality had left countless experts dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Xia Ze, the unwitting cause of this commotion, had just disembarked from his aircraft.
Vacation planet so much fun!
Qi Jing watched him with amusement as he carried their luggage down.
The two walked separately, no longer side by side.
Old Qi, who came to greet them at the mansion entrance, looked between them curiously. They’d left in good spirits, but something seemed different upon their return.
Entering the living room and seeing them sit on separate sofas, Old Qi finally understood.
They weren’t sticking together anymore.
Before the trip, they’d always sit close.
Now they seemed to be maintaining distance?
What could have happened during the trip to cause this change? Had something gone wrong?
Growing increasingly concerned, Old Qi privately pulled Qi Jing aside: “Young master, did you quarrel with young master Xia?”
Qi Jing’s gaze followed Xia Ze heading toward the greenhouse as he replied calmly, “He wouldn’t quarrel with me.”
Having raised Qi Jing since childhood, Old Qi immediately sensed something amiss in his tone.
The young master had never been this awkward, something must have occurred.
Qi Jing reassured Old Qi not to worry, then added, “I’ll be very busy soon. The military operation is about to commence.”
Now that the marriage was settled and a child would soon arrive,
That crucial matter had to be addressed.
At this, Old Qi’s expression turned solemn.
The final confrontation was of utmost importance, no room for error.
Remembering how the old master had died in battle, Old Qi’s eyes reddened.
After all the wounds the old master had suffered for the empire, to finally fall to space pirates this vengeance must be fulfilled.
The Qi family would never forget this blood debt.
Qi Jing looked toward the garden. His distance wasn’t intentional, it was all part of the plan.
In the greenhouse, Xia Ze carefully examined the narcissus seeds he’d placed in nutrient powder earlier. Excellent, they looked ready for sprouting.
The soil here had clearly been regularly loosened, perfect for immediate planting.
Though they’d been vacationing for a week, he didn’t feel particularly tired.
