Yin Xishu had mentioned last Sunday that he would give Pei Ningyu a surprise.
Thinking of this, Pei Ningyu felt that keeping Yin Xishu around wasn’t entirely useless.
As soon as Pei Ningyu entered the west annex of the base, he heard bursts of raucous laughter from the alphas.
Their mocking and jeering voices were completely unguarded, showing no restraint despite being within the base.
A jumble of distant voices reached Pei Ningyu’s ears.
“Jing Feng, you two can’t even keep an undifferentiated commoner under control? What’s wrong with you…”
“Damn, how is he this strong? Relax, you’re just a sideshow no need to work so hard.”
“Don’t make us use a tranquilizer on you. The only ones we have here are for animals.”
“If Pei Ningyu shows up and you’re still thrashing around, you’re dead.”
At the mention of “Pei Ningyu,” the commotion inside gradually quieted, though it was unclear whether Yin Xishu and the others had resorted to extreme measures.
The doorknob turned lightly as Pei Ningyu pushed the door open.
About six or seven people all newly differentiated or nearing differentiation alphas stood slouched in their base-issued uniforms, some leaning against the wall. The air was thick with a mix of pheromones. The moment Pei Ningyu entered, their gazes snapped toward him in unison.
Two alphas were still forcing someone to kneel on the ground, his arms wrenched behind his back. Despite his struggles, he remained pinned to the floor, his hair disheveled and his resistance futile under their grip.
Seeing Pei Ningyu arrive, Yin Xishu eagerly stepped forward. He circled behind Pei Ningyu, one hand closing the door while the other rested familiarly on his shoulder.
“Weren’t you always curious about what the surprise would be?”
Yin Xishu gestured toward the kneeling figure his gift to Pei Ningyu. Like a hyena, his eyes gleamed as he waited for the lion to take his fill of the prey before rewarding him with the scraps.
“Feeling happier now?”
Utterly rotten.
Bullying others to please Pei Ningyu none of them saw anything wrong with it. Instead, they watched eagerly for his approval, hoping to gain greater favor.
The base operated on a strict hierarchy.
Yin Xishu and his group were different from commoners, but compared to Pei Ningyu and Gu Shize, they were still a step below.
That one step meant they had to entertain the young master to secure a brighter future.
One of them shoved the kneeling figure. “Hey, hey kneel properly.”
“Where are you looking? At him.”
The person forced to kneel had his hair yanked back, tilting his head up to reveal a clear, unobstructed face like a dish laid out for a diner’s judgment.
Pei Ningyu was certain he’d never seen this face before, yet it felt vaguely familiar.
“Why would I be happy that you’re bullying him?”
Pei Ningyu stared expressionlessly at the kneeling figure for a moment, feeling somewhat disappointed.
He’d expected something more novel.
Now he regretted brushing off Gu Shize and the others just to see this so-called “surprise.”
He had always known they resented his neglect.
He just couldn’t be bothered to care.
Pei Ningyu: “Taking an omega to the reformatory, Yin Xishu. Are you planning to retire right after graduation?”
The empire had strict protections for omegas. Harming one could result in hefty fines and even long-term imprisonment.
Upon hearing Pei Ningyu’s words, the group burst into laughter: “An omega?!”
“Ningyu, how could someone like him possibly be a precious omega…”
“Ningyu” the alphas called out affectionately, completely unfazed by Pei Ningyu’s cold expression. They remained reverent and polite, a stark contrast to their attitude toward commoners.
Yin Xishu said, “He’s that Pei Baisheng.”
Yin Xishu smirked, pinching Pei Baisheng’s cheek as he grinned at him. “The big star of the base lately, right?”
Pei Baisheng.
This was the second time Pei Ningyu had heard the name today. He immediately recalled what Gu Shize and the others had mentioned before.
Pei Baisheng was the child of that beta.
The child of the “ambitious” and dangerous beta in Gu Shize’s words.
Too bad that beta was long dead otherwise, Pei Ningyu might have been slightly interested.
Now he knew why the face looked familiar. This person bore some resemblance to Pei Xu.
Pei Ningyu lost interest. Crossing his arms, he met Yin Xishu’s sly, fox-like gaze with cold indifference, making no effort to hide his superiority among the alphas. He glanced at Yin Xishu dismissively. “So?”
Yin Xishu arched a brow, lips curling into a faint smirk as he looked sidelong at Pei Ningyu, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“Twenty years ago, a lowly beta took advantage of the master’s pity and wormed his way in, spawning this cursed bastard. Surely you’d be curious, Ningyu.”
He was certain Pei Xu would never let Pei Ningyu learn about the family’s dirty laundry, so he “kindly” explained who Pei Baisheng was.
“Pei Baisheng is practically your older brother.” The moment Yin Xishu finished speaking, the boys burst into snickers, chattering excitedly, astonished that Pei Ningyu had no idea about this.
An older brother?
Since when did he have an older brother?
Yin Xishu immediately realized the mistake in those words. He shot a glare at the one who misspoke before quickly smoothing things over with a smile. “Technically, that beta wasn’t qualified to be Admiral Pei’s beta, but he had the audacity to seduce him, got pregnant, and successfully married into your family. And well, the bastard born from that is Pei Baisheng.”
“This story has been circulating in all our families for ages. I can’t believe you didn’t know, Ningyu. Your brother really is something keeping the news locked down so tight.”
Another chimed in, “But your father never planned to acknowledge Pei Baisheng, which was to be expected. After all, your parents have a 98% compatibility rate that’s high even for an Alpha-Omega pair. There’s no way a child from a beta would break them apart.”
Pei Ningyu had spent far less time with these alphas than with Gu Shize and the others. It seemed they didn’t quite understand him yet. Without hesitation, they began loudly discussing Pei Baisheng’s origins, completely oblivious to the cold disdain on Pei Ningyu’s face.
Pei Ningyu said nothing, merely sweeping his gaze across the faces of the alphas.
These similar yet discordant voices surged toward Pei Ningyu, yet amidst the chaotic clamor, he detected something unusual.
The way these people smirked and winked when mentioning Pei Baisheng was entirely different from how Gu Shize and others spoke of him. From their idle gossip, Pei Ningyu sensed a mocking tone, as if they were enjoying some joke something that instantly put him in a foul mood.
Pei Ningyu had a naturally vicious temperament. He took pleasure in “oppressing” others, treating them as objects of ridicule.
But now, the lapdogs he kept were actually discussing his family’s disgrace.
A beta from his father’s generation had tried to usurp his mother’s position, even producing filthy offspring and this shameful affair was being recounted to him as if it were some joke!
How laughable.
One of the alphas, oblivious to the change in Pei Ningyu’s expression, pressed his foot down harder on Pei Baisheng’s pinned shoulder, malice unrestrained as he sneered:
“Ningyu actually thought you were an omega? How could someone tainted by that beta’s filthy blood ever differentiate into something as precious as an omega?”
“General Pei would never sir ”
Pei Baisheng’s shoulder ached under the pressure. Veins bulged in his neck as he struggled against the alphas’ grip, his neatly combed hair now disheveled from rubbing against the concrete floor utterly humiliating.
He had endured in silence until now. But seeing the displeasure in Pei Ningyu’s eyes, he knew he could leave here safely today.
His gray eyes simmered with restraint before lowering deeply.
Suppressing his disgust, he forced himself to show deference to Pei Ningyu for the sake of escape: “Second Young Master, should a kept dog dare judge its master?”
The title “Second Young Master” made Pei Ningyu turn his head. Normally, his gaze wouldn’t linger on Pei Baisheng for even a second as if the sight might dirty his eyes but these words held his attention. Pei Baisheng’s tactfulness was… unexpectedly satisfying.
Those beside Pei Baisheng panicked, fearing his words might provoke Pei Ningyu, and scrambled to cover his mouth.
A faint smile played on Pei Ningyu’s lips as he waved them off, though a flash of dark, vicious beauty flickered across his face as he slowly enunciated:
“Well…
said.”
Disdainfully sweeping his raven-black eyes over the alphas, he looked down at Pei Baisheng but addressed the others:
“Why is it that a beta’s bastard has better perception than you so-called genetically superior alphas?”
Hiss
The jeering stopped dead.
Insulted thus, the crowd’s expressions darkened. Most lowered their eyes submissively, masking their hatred for Pei Ningyu’s arrogant, contemptuous demeanor.
“I thought you understood we weren’t friends,” Pei Ningyu murmured. “Otherwise, how dare you mention what even Gu Shize wouldn’t bring up in my presence?”
“Well, Yin Xishu?”
“Yes.”
Yin Xishu lowered his head with an ingratiating smile, ever so respectful before Pei Ningyu, he always played the role of the most obedient, hoping to glean even the slightest scrap of benefit from between Pei Ningyu’s fingers, just enough to fill his belly for a day. This was the survival tactic of a hyena.
But the others were different, still brimming with youthful arrogance.
Pei Ningyu’s words kept pricking at the nerves of these alphas, a constant reminder that his origins were worlds apart from theirs.
Everyone kept their heads bowed, their faces unable to conceal flickers of unease as they silently chewed on their resentment.
“Shut your mouths,” Pei Ningyu sneered at the silenced crowd, his mockery dripping with malice. “Yes, just like that.”
He took the only chair in the room and, with effortless arrogance, planted his boot-clad foot on Yin Xishu’s shoulder. The metallic sheen of the boot gleamed sharply under the light, polished to a sinister black.
Leaning forward, he humiliated Yin Xishu with a smirk. “Only if you’re smart enough can someone like you with such a pitiful background be friends with someone like me, don’t you think?”
Pei Ningyu didn’t even spare a glance at Pei Baisheng, who was still being pinned down, his disgust undisguised. “Get him out of my sight.”
Pei Ningyu’s expression remained cold. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed?”
Yin Xishu looked up, responding quickly. “Noticed what?”
Even after such humiliation, Yin Xishu still wore a smile.
Pei Ningyu curled his lip. “The stench of a beta.”
Pei Ningyu added, “Disgusting.”
Pei Baisheng lifted his gaze to Pei Ningyu, watching as the man hurled sharp, venomous insults at him. His lips pressed into a thin, bloodless line.
Compared to Yin Xishu, Pei Baisheng loathed Pei Ningyu even more that high-and-mighty demeanor, the way he could summon a pack of opportunistic hyenas with just the faintest whiff of benefit, enabling them to wreak havoc without consequence.
Pei Ningyu continued venting his fury. “I truly don’t understand why the council doesn’t classify the lack of pheromones as a disability.”
“Betas should be sent to special facilities from birth to learn how to properly serve their alpha and omega superiors.”
“Filth.”
The vitriol pouring from Pei Ningyu’s lips was as chilling as it was shocking such ugliness beneath that striking beauty.
To Pei Ningyu, someone like Pei Baisheng wasn’t even worth a glance.
Let alone being used as entertainment.
As Pei Ningyu’s words faded, the two men restraining Pei Baisheng immediately released him.
Pei Baisheng climbed up from the ground, his eyes dark. His legs wobbled from being pinned down for so long, but more than the earlier humiliation from Yin Xishu and the others, it was Pei Ningyu’s words that cut deepest.
Yet he knew all too well every time Pei Ningyu stirred trouble, the Pei family swiftly smoothed it over. And when things escalated, the ones who suffered were always the “lowlifes” like them.
Pei Baisheng clenched his fists, struggling to suppress his rage.
“What are you waiting for? Get moving!”
Seeing Pei Baisheng hesitate, the alphas half-pushed, half-dragged him out of the detention center. They weren’t about to risk provoking Pei Ningyu’s temper any further.
Impatient with Pei Baisheng’s slow pace, they shoved him harder, practically hauling him out.
As they were leaving, Pei Baisheng heard Pei Ningyu remark in his characteristic flat, emotionless tone, laced with sarcasm: “Weren’t we promised something interesting?”
Pei Ningyu seemed angry about what had just happened.
“Fifteen minutes from the club to here,” Pei Ningyu paused, letting out a chilling laugh, “Yin Xishu, if there’s nothing, I will be very displeased.”
Pei Baisheng quickly glanced back.
Pei Ningyu continued, “Yin Xishu, are you the ‘interesting thing’ yourself?”
Pei Ningyu pressed down hard on Yin Xishu’s shoulder with his glossy boot, the leather creasing under the force.
Yin Xishu truly lived up to being a dog. From start to finish, he showed not a hint of defiance.
As he spoke, Pei Ningyu kept his eyes lowered, his indifference blatant and unapologetic, even smiling faintly.
So, in Pei Ningyu’s eyes, noble alphas and commoners were equally worthless trash to be trampled on.
Yet, none of these alphas, who had rarely faced reprimands at home dared to speak up for Yin Xishu. It was clear that Pei Ningyu’s unpredictable temper was nothing unusual.
After all, Pei Ningyu’s elder brother currently served as a general in the empire, a core figure in the military and deeply trusted by the crown prince. They stood to gain too much from Pei Ningyu, and he certainly had the right to be arrogant.
Yin Xishu felt the hard sole digging into his shoulder. He exaggeratedly groaned, “Ouch!”though the pressure was nothing compared to what Pei Baisheng had endured earlier making it seem as though Pei Ningyu had exerted some tremendous force.
Then, Pei Baisheng heard Yin Xishu’s voice, unnervingly deferential, a stark contrast to his earlier ferocity.
“Of course, Ningyu, I apologize for bringing up General Pei. If this helps convey my remorse, I’m more than willing.”
“But. I have a better game in mind, one I’m sure you’ll find fascinating.”
At Pei Ningyu’s silent prompting, Yin Xishu continued, smiling as he murmured, “Xu Sidu has presented as a beta.”
Pei Baisheng’s retreating figure froze.
He knew exactly what this meant.
For a moment, his lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw tightening. Despite his efforts to suppress it, his expression betrayed unmistakable disgust toward Pei Ningyu.
