In the hospital room.
The red numbers on an unknown instrument flickered, casting reflections on the white sheets and Xu Sidu’s pallid face. He was awake, and a person stood before him, reporting recent events.
Upon seeing Pei Ningyu enter, the man bowed his head in deference. After receiving Pei Ningyu’s command to “get out,” he hesitated, glancing at Xu Sidu. Seeing no reaction from Xu Sidu, he left and closed the door behind them.
Xu Sidu: “I thought you wouldn’t dare show your face in front of me.”
He was someone who usually executed intricate etiquette flawlessly, yet in Pei Ningyu’s presence, he couldn’t help but frown slightly, his expression hardening.
Dare?
Why wouldn’t he dare?
Would a hunter holding a gun fear the futile struggles of his prey before death?
Pei Ningyu leaned against the doorframe, standing crookedly as he looked at him. “I came to see my beta. And to teach him to be more docile and obedient toward his master.”
Xu Sidu had pondered for a long time but couldn’t recall any prior interactions with Pei Ningyu in the base. The mockery he endured from Pei Ningyu after his differentiation seemed more like the idle amusement of a spoiled young master.
Ranked first on the points leaderboard for four consecutive years no one in the base was unfamiliar with Pei Ningyu.
Even Xu Sidu, who had tirelessly accumulated points day and night to climb the rankings, had only managed to reach fourth place.
He had long heard of Pei Ningyu’s reputation in the base. The man possessed remarkable military talent half the people admired his abilities, aspiring to surpass him one day, including many noble-born youths. The other half regarded him as a force of nature, his arrogant and domineering personality making some keep their distance, afraid of provoking him.
Admittedly, whether they approved of Pei Ningyu’s deplorable behavior or not, most still walked in his shadow, looking up to him.
Xu Sidu had once been no exception.
Now, he found it laughable. What was there to admire about such scum, even if he was a military prodigy?
It was unbelievable. Yesterday, while Xu Sidu was unconscious, Pei Ningyu’s words had been reported to him verbatim yet the man still dared to appear before him.
Xu Sidu: “Pei Ningyu, get this straight I’m no longer a beta you can manipulate, much less your beta.”
He deliberately emphasized the word “your.”
Faced with someone like Pei Ningyu, whose mere words could ignite fury, Xu Sidu’s response was restrained and calm, though his expression gradually darkened.
Had it been anyone else, they might have already trembled in panic, calling for help from outside.
But Pei Ningyu hadn’t come here to witness Xu Sidu’s composure. He wanted to see fear on Xu Sidu’s face, the torment of his former beta identity, and above all, the dread of him.
He wanted to leave a scar on Xu Sidu’s psyche.
Unfortunately, none of that was present.
Xu Sidu simply stared back at him with cold gray eyes, as if he were a repulsive maggot. That attitude was truly infuriating.
Xu Sidu regarded Pei Ningyu as nothing more than a bully who relied on his status, and had no desire to exchange even a single word with him. While Xu currently lacked the means to deal with Pei Ningyu, the tables had turned now that he’d undergone his second gender differentiation into an alpha Pei Ningyu wouldn’t dare lay a finger on him either.
Xu Sidu: “I’ll be returning to the base soon. There’s no need for you to come to the hospital just because you’re so eager to see me.”
His tone was casual, as if none of their past grievances existed.
Someone like Xu Sidu, who had been steeped in political maneuvering since childhood, was well-versed in maintaining a facade of harmony.
Unless it was a life-or-death conflict, Xu wouldn’t act until he had the upper hand until then, he would even feign amicability.
He had assumed Pei Ningyu would be the same.
But the next second, Pei Ningyu spoke with utter seriousness: “The stench of a beta clings to you no matter how hard you try to hide it. Are you sure you should be returning to the base instead of being tossed into a brothel?”
Hearing such words from Pei Ningyu’s mouth, Xu Sidu slowly lifted his gaze, his eyes sweeping over Pei Ningyu with displeasure.
Pei Ningyu’s words clashed starkly with his appearance. He had never been one to “use his face properly” his dark brows and eyes were sharp, his malice unrestrained. With such a striking, beautiful face, it was hard to imagine he could spew such vulgarity.
Xu Sidu had assumed that children from their kind of background would have been raised like him taught to assess the bigger picture, to bide their time. Who would pick a fight before they even had the power to crush their opponent?
He knew Pei Ningyu was arrogant, but he hadn’t expected him to be this spoiled, this insufferable.
At this point, Xu Sidu’s patience wore thin. His usually indifferent face twisted into open disgust an expression rarely seen on a noble young master like him.
Seeing the shift in Xu Sidu’s expression, Pei Ningyu found it amusing for the first time. A prim and proper young lord like him was finally showing some spirit.
The oppressive aura of an alpha radiated from Xu Sidu as he repeated coldly, “Pei Ningyu, I’m not some beta you can toy with anymore. Get out.”
Pei Ningyu wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He scoffed, speaking leisurely, “If I were you, I’d get my physiological functions checked. Wouldn’t want to find out too late that a half-baked alpha like you can’t even mark an omega.”
Xu Sidu arched a brow, his exquisitely refined features sharpening with disdain as he mimicked Pei Ningyu’s tone.
“You could always try differentiating into an omeg or stay a beta.”
His voice dropped, laced with dark promise.
“I’ll be sure to show you just how capable I am.”
Pei Ningyu: “…”
The provocation wiped the smirk off Pei Ningyu’s face. His trademark polite smile vanished instantly, replaced by a frown. For the first time, he regarded Xu Sidu with wariness.
This was the first time he’d ever heard Xu Sidu a traditionally well-mannered noble utter something so crude. That kind of language was usually Pei Ningyu’s specialty.
But when someone else turned those words against him, Pei Ningyu found himself inexplicably furious.
Did this lowly beta really think he could rise above his station just because of some illegal suppressants? How dare Xu Sidu speak to him like this?
Had Xu Sido already forgotten how he was played for a fool, even desperately running to Pei Xu to complain?
Alphas were God’s favored children, while Xu Sido was merely a counterfeit. Once a beta, that filthy stain could never be washed away.
Pei Ningyu’s wary expression hadn’t completely faded when the scene from that day resurfaced in his mind.
That day, he had “sought advice” from Yin Xishu, inquiring about “play methods” after marrying Xu Sido home. The two had even discussed the idea of sending Xu Sido to serve as a camp prostitute once Pei Ningyu lost interest in him.
He didn’t mind others enjoying his castoffs betas were no exception.
But later, Yin Xishu went back on his word that worthless coward.
Simply because Xu Sido underwent secondary differentiation, Yin Xishu became like a frightened ostrich burying its head in the sand, refusing to come out.
Yet how could Pei Ningyu allow Yin Xishu to withdraw unscathed?
Once the game began, only he had the right to call it off.
He forced Yin Xishu to produce some “special tools” to teach Xu Sido a lesson. Allowing a lowly beta to rise above its station was the gravest mistake it was best to make Xu Sido suffer properly.
Now, hidden in his clothes was an unlabeled vial of ominous dark-red liquid.
Omega pheromone extract.
For alphas in the midst of differentiation or newly differentiated, even a trace of omega pheromone extract could easily throw them into rut, causing pheromonal chaos.
What he wanted was no longer mere humiliation for Xu Sido.
