Luo Wenchuan stared at Chi Yu for a moment before suddenly retorting, “Are you really his fiancé?”
Chi Yu felt a pang of guilt under Luo Wenchuan’s cold, narrowed gaze but still insisted stubbornly, “Of course I am! What kind of question is that?”
“Then why,” Luo Wenchuan glanced at Su Zinan, his voice as icy as ever, “were you with another Omega when he went into heat?”
The mocking tone in his words struck Chi Yu and Su Zinan like a sharp sting.
Luo Wenchuan rarely spoke in such long sentences. Chi Yu was momentarily stunned before flushing with anger. “I just didn’t know! Su Zinan suddenly felt unwell, so I accompanied him!”
Su Zinan also frowned. “Exactly. How were we supposed to know his heat came early? Luo Wenchuan, stop being so sarcastic. Chi Yu and I are just friends. If I’d known Xingze was in heat, as a fellow Omega, of course I would’ve helped him.”
“Is that so?”
Luo Wenchuan looked at them both, his expression unreadable.
Chi Yu, however, felt mocked and glared at him. “Obviously.”
Luo Wenchuan kept his gaze fixed on Chi Yu, skepticism evident.
The look irritated Chi Yu, who continued defensively, “Yun Xingze and I have been engaged since childhood. He likes me, enrolled in Stellar Naval Academy for me, studied mech combat for me. I admit I haven’t been attentive lately, but I’ll make it up to him.”
But Luo Wenchuan seemed utterly uninterested. Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving behind a tall, indifferent figure.
Even after he left, Chi Yu remained tense, his eyes wary.
“Yu-ge, maybe Luo Wenchuan really did just run into Xingze by chance,” Su Zinan said softly. “There’s no need to be so angry, is there?”
“Who wouldn’t be angry seeing their fiancé in another Alpha’s arms?” Chi Yu suppressed his jealousy.
Su Zinan hesitated. “But… haven’t you two already—”
“That was just Xingze throwing a tantrum,” Chi Yu cut him off. “You go back first. I need to talk to him.”
With that, Chi Yu opened the ward door, stepped inside, and locked it behind him.
Su Zinan clenched his fists, his eyes dark as he stared at the closed door.
He had never imagined a day when Chi Yu would ignore him and choose Yun Xingze without hesitation.
Hadn’t he always stood at heights Yun Xingze could never reach?
Hadn’t Chi Yu once told him, “You’re a hundred times better than Yun Xingze”?
Hadn’t everyone acknowledged him as the most outstanding Omega?
So why…?
Why did Yun Xingze have to take everything that should have been his?
Su Zinan closed his eyes briefly before reopening them, masking his envy and resentment. He turned to leave, already plotting something in his mind.
When Yun Xingze woke up, he found himself inside a medical pod.
Sitting up, he looked around in confusion—it was the school infirmary.
“You’re awake?” A familiar voice came from beside him.
Xingze turned quickly, only to frown the moment he saw who it was. “Who let you in?”
“Xingze, do you really have to treat me like this?” Chi Yu pressed his lips together, his handsome face tinged with frustration. “Besides, shouldn’t I be the one asking questions right now?”
Yun Xingze wanted to press the service bell to have the doctor kick Chi Yu out, but the moment he reached out, his hand was seized by Chi Yu.
Chi Yu’s grip was strong, squeezing Yun Xingze’s wrist painfully.
He lowered his head, his pale, handsome face coming dangerously close. His sharp features carried an air of aggression, and his narrow eyes burned with accusation as he stared at Yun Xingze.
The image of Yun Xingze being carried into the hospital by Luo Wenchuan flashed through his mind, stirring a surge of jealousy. “What exactly happened between you and Luo Wenchuan?” he demanded.
“None of your business,” Yun Xingze snapped, shaking off his grip. “Get away from me.”
“Your heat came early, why didn’t you tell me?” Chi Yu’s temper flared at Yun Xingze’s coldness. “If you had, I would’ve helped you. Whether it was a temporary mark or suppressants, I would’ve taken care of it.”
Yun Xingze froze.
The original owner’s memories told him that every time his heat approached; he had always turned to Chi Yu for help. Yet Chi Yu had kept him at arm’s length, forcing him to take triple doses of suppressants in advance to prevent any accidents.
To Chi Yu, marking a weak Omega was a disgrace.
He had even once said, “I’d rather mark an Alpha than waste my bite on a useless Omega.”
Though Chi Yu never explicitly named the “useless” one, everyone knew he meant Yun Xingze.
But now, Chi Yu acted as though those words had never left his lips, shamelessly questioning why Yun Xingze hadn’t sought his help.
Yun Xingze’s brows furrowed. “I’d rather inject suppressants for the rest of my life than be marked by a worthless Alpha,” he said coldly.
Chi Yu stiffened.
His eyes widened as if he had just heard the most absurd statement in the world.
A worthless Alpha?!
“Yun Xingze, do you even hear yourself?!” Chi Yu roared in fury. “Without me, you wouldn’t even be in this school you’d be stuck in some Omega academy learning how to cook and do laundry! Have you no gratitude.”
Yun Xingze cut him off sharply. “Before the last qualifiers, the school already threatened to expel me. I stayed on my own merit, what does that have to do with you?”
Chi Yu faltered, guilt creeping in as he recalled his own demand to have Yun Xingze expelled. His anger dimmed slightly.
Lowering his voice, he said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Xingze. I acted rashly last time. I know you’re still upset. But for the sake of our past, can’t we just—”
“Chi Yu, I already broke off our engagement. Why do you keep haunting me like a ghost?” Yun Xingze asked impatiently.
Chi Yu took a deep breath, forcing down his temper. “Xingze,” he said slowly, “our pheromone compatibility is 89%. Do you have any idea how rare that is? Do you really want to throw that away?”
Few couples ever achieved such a high match rate, it was the very reason they had been engaged in the first place.
Chi Yu was confident Yun Xingze couldn’t leave him. Higher compatibility meant a happier, more harmonious married life.
And Yun Xingze would never find an Alpha whose pheromones matched his better than 89%.
He took a step closer. “Xingze, stop being stubborn. From now on, I’ll take good care of you. Just stay away from other Alphas—”
Yun Xingze couldn’t take it anymore and snapped, “Idiot, the best way you can care for me is by staying the hell away.”
Seeing Yun Xingze’s unyielding attitude, Chi Yu grew furious and sneered, “Yun Xingze, you’ll regret what you said today!”
Through gritted teeth, Yun Xingze retorted, “Whoever regrets it is a grandson.”
Chi Yu turned away angrily and slammed the door shut behind him.
Yet the moment he stepped outside, regret instantly flooded his heart.
He had wanted to mend their relationship, only to make things worse again.
Taking a deep breath, Chi Yu closed his eyes and leaned against the cold metal door, his chest tight with emotion.
His wrist communicator displayed a message from Su Zinan:
[Su Zinan: I’m guessing Xingze is throwing another tantrum? Haha, don’t feel bad. You should’ve taken better care of him.] Chi Yu frowned. Hadn’t he been trying to show concern these past few days? But did Yun Xingze ever give him the chance?
How was this his fault?
Another message arrived: [Yu, you should cherish Xingze while you can. If you don’t, you’ll regret it when he finds someone else.] Chi Yu turned off the device, irritation boiling inside him.
Hadn’t he been cherishing him? He’d even come to apologize first!
After Chi Yu left, Yun Xingze sniffed his clothes.
There was no trace of rose-scented pheromones, only a faint lingering mint aroma that felt strangely familiar.
Yun Xingze knew this was Luo Wenchuan’s scent definitely not Alpha pheromones, probably just cologne or laundry detergent.
Had Luo Wenchuan released his Alpha pheromones then, the natural attraction between Alpha and Omega would have made their encounter far more than just collapsing into his arms.
Any normal Alpha would have lost control upon encountering an Omega in unexpected heat.
Fortunately, Luo Wenchuan was an Omega-phobic Alpha who likely felt nothing toward his pheromones hence his calm assistance.
Yun Xingze counted himself lucky to have met Luo Wenchuan.
He resolved to thank him properly if given the chance.
Just then, knocking sounded at the door.
Lu Ranxu, Oliar, and Zhuo Feiyue entered.
“Xingze! Are you okay?!” Lu Ranxu rushed to his bedside. “God, we heard your heat came early? What happened?!”
Yun Xingze frowned. “How did you know?”
“Chi Yu told us,” Oliar answered. “That guy said you were in a bad mood during heat and asked us to check on you.”
Zhuo Feiyue studied Yun Xingze with concern. “Did any other Alphas see you? Did anything happen?”
“I ran into Luo Wenchuan,” Yun Xingze said, stunning all three. “He gave me suppressants and brought me to the infirmary.”
“Luo Wenchuan?!” Zhuo Feiyue gaped. “You’re sure it was him?”
Yun Xingze nodded.
“And he didn’t react to your pheromones?” Lu Ranxu’s eyes widened. “Damn, that guy really is frigid! But thank god he is…”
Oliar looked grave. “Any other Alpha with slightly less self-control would have lost it.”
Zhuo Feiyue frowned, suspicion clouding his gaze.
He knew that Luo Wenchuan indeed didn’t have that kind of reaction to Omega pheromones, but… wasn’t he allergic?
“It’s good that you’re okay.” Lu Ranxu poured Yun Xingze a glass of water. “You scared me to death earlier. I came straight here after my match ended.”
Yun Xingze took the glass and asked, “Did you win?”
Lu Ranxu sighed: “Don’t even mention it, I couldn’t beat them.”
“Speaking of matches, I really didn’t expect you to defeat Caleb,” Zhuo Feiyue said to Yun Xingze. “Your modification skills and ability to operate the Twin Star mecha exceeded my expectations.”
In fact, everything that happened with Yun Xingze always managed to surprise Zhuo Feiyue.
“That’s right, that’s right,” Oliar opened his light computer. “Do you know, Xingze? You’ve gone viral on the school forum even more than during the preliminary selections last time!”
He showed Yun Xingze the forum.
Yun Xingze froze, startled by the flood of posts bearing his name.
[Discussion: Is Yun Xingze’s modification skill for real?], [Looking for Yun Xingze’s contact info, want that same ugly cat], [Can Yun Xingze design mechas? Want him to design a Storm mecha for me], [Where can I buy Yun Xingze’s pink lightsaber? Any links?], [What’s Yun Xingze’s Mech Assistance Network account?]
Eighty percent of the forum posts were about Yun Xingze, all marveling at how terrifyingly skilled his modifications were.
After all, very few people could successfully convert a lightsaber mecha into a Twin Star in just two days and perform so well in battle.
Even if it was just a B-grade mecha, it had sparked considerable envy.
Yun Xingze immediately opened his Mech Assistance Network account and saw that the message count read “99+,” meaning the number of people requesting repair and modification appointments had skyrocketed and the prices they were offering weren’t low.
Yun Xingze stared blankly at the screen.
Lu Ranxu said somewhat irritably, “I told those people on the forum that your mechanical beast is a tiger, but they insist it’s a cat. What kind of cat is that big and can ride Caleb—”
“No, it’s a cat now.” Yun Xingze couldn’t help but curl his lips into a happy smile.
The three of them were taken aback.
Oliar was puzzled: “What?”
Zhuo Feiyue had thought Yun Xingze would feel proud of having his skills recognized and become even more passionate about mecha engineering.
But instead, Yun Xingze said:
“I’m about to strike it rich. It’s a lucky cat now.”
Oliar and Zhuo Feiyue: “…”
Lu Ranxu, however, looked excited: “I saw so many people offering high prices for your modification services. You really are going to make a fortune!”
Yun Xingze: “Someone offered 10,000 just for an elbow repair. There are so many.”
Lu Ranxu: “I even saw one offering 30,000 for a mecha modification!”
Yun Xingze: “There’s a routine inspection for 3,000. Not bad.”
Lu Ranxu: “And someone wants to hire you as their personal mecha engineer—35,000 a month… Are you considering it?”
Listening to their conversation, Oliar suddenly said, “Yun Xingze, you could actually consider being a mecha engineer for upperclassmen. Many students in the repair department take on these kinds of side jobs, stable income. The only downside is having to follow your employer’s orders every day.”
Hearing this, Yun Xingze frowned slightly and fell into thought.
Lu Ranxu asked, “Do you think that’s not quite right? If you’re not used to it, you can just take scattered orders instead. ”
Zhuo Feiyue also said, “It’s fine to earn less. Your main focus right now should still be competitions and studies.”
“I was thinking, isn’t thirty-five thousand too low for this person’s offer?” Yun Xingze looked at the three of them and said seriously, “Being an exclusive mecha engineer definitely warrants a different price.”
