Su Xu lay in bed, frowning as he recalled what Zhong Yi had said earlier.
What did he mean by “The next time you see him, you’ll have to call him husband”?
Although Su Xu had snapped back on the spot and angrily hung up the call, the more he thought about it, the less he felt Zhong Yi would say something like that for no reason.
Could it be…
He glanced at the time, then got up and opened the door.
Going downstairs, he poured himself a glass of water and downed it in one breath before heading to knock on the door of Su Dianlin and Zhu Pan’s room. A moment later, Zhu Pan opened it.
“Xuxu? What’s wrong?” she asked softly.
Su Xu came straight to the point. “My marriage partner, it really is Zhong Heng, right? There isn’t… anyone else?”
“…Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
Zhu Pan looked back toward the room, as if afraid to wake Su Dianlin who had already gone to bed. She quietly pulled the door mostly shut, stepping into the hallway to speak in a low voice.
“Actually,” she began, “while you were in class today, Zhong Heng’s father came by. We talked for a while. He admitted openly that Zhong Heng likes you very much. Their family has always doted on the younger generation…”
She paused for a beat before continuing, “Don’t worry. No matter what happens later, we won’t change it anymore. So yes, it’s confirmed. It’s Zhong Heng.”
Su Xu lowered his gaze.
“At the time,” Zhu Pan added, “his father was very sincere and since you and Zhong Heng are the same age, your father and I decided to settle the matter.”
She adjusted the silk shawl draped over her nightgown.
“…I see,” Su Xu replied quietly.
“All right, it’s late. Go get some sleep,” she said gently.
Su Xu nodded and returned to his room.
Lying in bed again, he exhaled softly.
Honestly, he was being ridiculous.
That kid Zhong Yi was clearly just running his mouth and yet he had taken it seriously enough to come ask for confirmation. Completely unnecessary.
Su Xu only had one afternoon class that day. He slept in until almost eleven, lazing in bed with no sense of urgency.
When he finally got up, the house was empty.
He made himself a bowl of egg noodles, humming as he ate, and afterward decided to bake a few small cakes.
Su Xu had always loved sweets, and baking was one of his favorite pastimes. Since there was still plenty of time before class, he made a few extra. When he was done, he packed three of them neatly into a box and set off for school.
One was for Zhong Heng, one for the department’s beauty, and the last for Qiu Jiang and Jing Chang to share.
Perfect.
When Su Xu arrived at Zhong Heng’s classroom, the other hadn’t shown up yet. He sat down to wait, but after ten minutes, the class was about to start. Worried about being late himself, Su Xu handed the little box to a classmate who looked somewhat familiar.
“Hi, could I trouble you to pass this to Zhong Heng for me? I’ve got a class coming up and can’t wait.”
The student blinked, then nodded quickly. “Of course.”
“Thanks.” Su Xu smiled politely before leaving.
He hurried across campus and slipped into his own classroom just as the teacher walked in. Spotting Qiu Jiang, he went straight to sit beside him.
“How are you feeling?” Qiu Jiang whispered.
“Hm?”
Qiu Jiang gestured subtly at his neck.
Understanding dawned. “It wasn’t differentiation,” Su Xu said quietly. “I checked the report. It’ll still take some time. Jing Chang probably smelled wrong that day.”
“No way, Su Xu smells really nice,” Jing Chang immediately argued from the next seat.
“Keep your voice down, the teacher’s looking over here,” Qiu Jiang hissed. As class monitor, he couldn’t exactly be caught gossiping mid-lecture. “Anyway, if it’s not differentiation, that’s good. Let’s just listen.”
Su Xu laid his head down on his desk, utterly unbothered.
Qiu Jiang sighed.
When the bell rang and the teacher left, Jing Chang immediately stood up.
“I still don’t buy it,” he muttered, striding over to Su Xu and leaning close before anyone could stop him. He buried his nose near Su Xu’s neck and took a deep sniff.
Su Xu: “…”
Qiu Jiang: “…”
Qiu Jiang looked utterly speechless. “Jing Chang, you’re acting seriously weird.”
Su Xu tilted his head, lazily pushing the other’s face away. “If you weren’t an Omega, I’d have punched you already.”
Jing Chang coughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “That’s strange. There’s no scent now.”
Su Xu couldn’t smell it himself, and the report said his differentiation and first heat wouldn’t occur for another three months. So that scent definitely hadn’t been his pheromones.
“All right, enough. You probably just smelled something else and mistook it for me,” Su Xu said, taking out the little cakes. “Here, eat these. They’ve been sitting a bit, so the texture might be softer, but it should still be fine. This one’s for you two and Qiu Jiang, could you help me bring the other to the department beauty? Thanks.”
“No problem!” Qiu Jiang grinned. “I’ll make sure it gets there.”
Jing Chang’s attention was instantly captured by the dessert. He plopped down across from them, eyes sparkling. “Whoa, I got one too? You made these yourself?”
Su Xu nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
The cakes were about the size of two palms, beautifully made, decorated with fresh petals and ruby-like strawberries glistening on top. The moment the lid opened, a sweet aroma filled the air.
“Damn, that’s amazing!” Qiu Jiang said around a mouthful, giving Su Xu a thumbs-up. “So good… hey, Jing Chang, slow down! Leave me some!”
The two happily devoured their share.
Then Jing Chang, ever careless, said between bites, “By the way, your little brother’s pretty unlucky, heard he differentiated as an inferior omega. That’s rare these days, right?”
Qiu Jiang’s expression darkened, he reached out to smack him. “Watch your mouth.”
Su Xu, who had been packing up his things, froze mid-movement.
He lifted his eyes. “How did you know?”
Realizing too late that he’d said something wrong, Jing Chang’s face stiffened but since the topic was already out, he could only fumble for an answer.
“Uh… you know how it is. There are a lot of Omegas in this school, and the hierarchy’s always there. Word spread fast, someone posted about your brother taking a leave of absence after differentiating as an inferior omega. It got onto the campus network. I don’t know who started it, but… yeah. Sorry.”
Su Xu frowned and opened the campus forum in his terminal.
Sure enough, his brother Su Rui’s name was right on the front page.
“Haha, this is Su Xu’s brother? The great Su Xu’s a top-tier Omega?! and his brother turns out to be an inferior omega!? Guess Su Xu got all the good genes.”
“Come on, did you see Su Rui? He doesn’t look like a top-tier anything.”
“For real.”
“Compared to his brother, he’s basically invisible. I had to check who he even was.”
“Painful truth.”
“Honestly, poor kid. Most people’s differentiations wouldn’t get this kind of attention.”
“That’s what happens when your brother’s a campus legend. Not his fault but he’s the comparison everyone makes.”
Post after post, all variations of the same cruel theme.
A few tried to defend Su Rui but their comments were quickly buried.
Su Xu’s eyes turned cold.
Beside him, Qiu Jiang murmured, “Don’t be mad, Su Xu. They’re just bored idiots talking nonsense. Tell your brother to stay off the site for a few days, it’ll blow over soon.”
Jing Chang nodded eagerly. “Yeah, people used to post about you too, remember? Usually it’s on the front page for two days max before it disappears.”
“…Shut up,” Qiu Jiang muttered.
Su Xu stood. “I’m heading out.”
“Okay,” Qiu Jiang said quietly. “Be careful.”
Outside, Su Xu checked the time. Su Rui should still be in class.
He found an empty classroom, sat down, and opened his hidden secondary account. Lines of code flickered rapidly across the screen.
Soon, chaos spread through the campus chat.
“Huh? Why can’t I log into the campus site?”
“Same here! Did it crash again?”
“Seriously, with all the tuition they collect, you’d think they could afford new servers.”
“Wait, it’s back online… ”
“Hold up. Were some posts just deleted?”
“My account’s banned! What the hell?”
The entire university chat exploded with confusion.
Su Xu flexed his slightly stiff fingers and leaned back, waiting. Once he confirmed no one was mentioning Su Rui anymore, he nodded to himself.
He had deleted the threads and permanently banned the loudest offenders but he left the original poster untouched.
That one had masked their IP. He needed them to slip up.
For now, they were quiet. Probably still in class.
Then, his terminal chimed.
Admiral Chu: You didn’t need to get your hands dirty. I already had the poster’s account shut down.
Su Xu: ?
Admiral Chu: Dinner tonight?
Su Xu stared at the message for a few seconds.
Dinner?
He hesitated, then typed,
Su Xu: Sorry, I’m spending the evening with my brother.
After a pause, his fingers moved again.
Su Xu: Would you be free tomorrow at noon instead?
Admiral Chu: Yes, and don’t be so formal, just call me by name.
Su Xu: All right. How about eleven thirty tomorrow?
Chu Xi Zhou: Sounds good. I’ll book the place.
Su Xu: Not near campus.
Su Xu reminded him and understood, came the prompt reply.
When they finished, Su Xu went to find Su Rui.
At his brother’s classroom, he poked his head in, only to find the teacher at the lectern instead. The man blinked in surprise, “Su Xu? What are you doing here? Su Rui just completed his withdrawal paperwork. Your parents picked him up a little while ago.”
“…Oh. They didn’t tell me. Thank you, teacher.”
He turned around and left. His parents seems to be in hurry to cover it up.
Back home, he asked his mother about Su Rui, “Where’s Su Rui?”
“In his room,” Zhu Pan said offhandedly, eyes still fixed on her terminal.
Su Xu paused, then opened the fridge, taking out the cream puffs and one extra slice of cake he’d made earlier.
He went upstairs and knocked on Su Rui’s door, but no answer came.
He stood there quietly for a moment.
“Su Rui,” he said softly, “I made some desserts for you at lunch. If you’re hungry or just not feeling great, they’re downstairs.”
The next morning, the desserts were still untouched.
When he came downstairs, he asked, “Mom, could you call Su Rui for breakfast?”
Without looking up, Zhu Pan said, “Let him be. He and your dad argued last night. He just needs time to cool off.”
Su Xu’s jaw tightened. “…Got it.”
By ten thirty, he was dressed and ready.
Taking a hovercar, he arrived at the restaurant where he and Chu Xi Zhou had arranged to meet.
Unfortunately, as soon as he stepped inside, his eyes caught on a familiar figure, Zhong Heng, surrounded by his usual pack of idle friends. They were laughing loudly about something.
Su Xu’s brows knit instantly. He turned to leave but before he could, a low, steady voice came from behind him.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
Su Xu turned around.
Chu Xi Zhou stood a few steps away.
Even for a casual meal, he was dressed impeccably, his shirt buttoned all the way to the collar, his bearing crisp and upright. Years of military training had left its mark: the solid lines of muscle beneath the fabric, the disciplined posture that seemed to draw every gaze in the room.
He was a full head taller than Su Xu, strikingly well-proportioned, long-legged and effortlessly commanding. Wherever he stood, people noticed.
And standing beside him, Su Xu was even harder to ignore.
“Let’s go,” Su Xu murmured under his breath. “Now.”
Chu Xi Zhou blinked.
There was no time to explain in the middle of the restaurant. Su Xu brushed past him and headed out.
Following his line of sight earlier, Chu Xi Zhou had already seen the group at that table and recognized Zhong Heng. He glanced their way once, eyes cool, before turning to follow Su Xu out.
They found another restaurant, quieter and better decorated.
“I don’t want to sit by the window,” Su Xu told the server immediately upon entering.
Chu Xi Zhou raised a brow. “Afraid Zhong Heng will see you?”
Su Xu didn’t bother denying it. “Yes. My parents arranged a marriage between us, and he made it clear he doesn’t like me associating with other Alphas.”
“But you still came out,” Chu Xi Zhou said lightly. “With me.”
They took a booth deep inside the restaurant.
Su Xu opened the menu. “I did. And… Thank you for yesterday. For banning those accounts. I saw the thread too late, the poster used a mask, so I couldn’t trace them.”
“It was nothing,” Chu Xi Zhou replied, glancing aside. Then, with a faint smirk, he added, “Still, the way we’re doing this, it feels almost like we’re having an affair.”
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A mysterious coffee offering may increase translator happiness by 37%. Probably.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · The Inner WorldChapter 2 · Pheromone Testing CentreChapter 3 · Low Grade OmegaChapter 4 · Faking to be Top tier OmegaChapter 5 · Zhong YiChapter 6 · The culprit behind the videoChapter 7 · Lecture ticket of powerful military OfficerChapter 8 · Zhong Heng acting like a thugChapter 9 · General ChuChapter 10 · Do you really like that good for nothing, Alpha?Chapter 11 · Chen TingyiChapter 12 · Class AssessmentChapter 13 · Call me HusbandChapter 14 · Almost Like AffairChapter 15 · Lantern BloomChapter 16 · Mild Pheromone overflowChapter 17 · Hi, WifeChapter 18 · Or you can kiss me. I’m not pickyChapter 19 · It’s not too late for you to call off the engagementChapter 20 · My BoyfriendChapter 21 · Kidnapped?Chapter 22 · Sister in LawChapter 23 · So you didn’t differentiateChapter 24 · PrinceChapter 25 · That Alpha… is none other than His MajestyChapter 26 · My mom said you’re too oldChapter 27 · Do you still have me in your heart?Chapter 28 · You Can call me Brother in law or sister in lawChapter 29 · I fell in love with you at first sight.Chapter 30 · What kind of friend? Alpha, Beta, or OmegaChapter 31 · Your current boyfriend is hereChapter 32 · I can protect youChapter 33 · Mental suppressionChapter 34 · It doesn’t matterChapter 35 · Watched another horror movie?Chapter 36 · Did you hear thatChapter 37 · You’d know what it tastes like once you try itChapter 38 · He is my boyfriend, his name is Zhong YiChapter 39 · This is what I just received from your father todayChapter 40 · Who did you return the photos of me and Su Rui to?Chapter 41 · As a result, Rui Rui ran away with meChapter 42 · Constitutes accomplice behaviorChapter 43 · You can’t stay in the second bedroomChapter 44 · No one will think you are inferior anymore.Chapter 45 · I am inferior, what’s it to you?Chapter 46 · Let’s wait until the debt collectors come knockingChapter 47 · Focus on your studiesChapter 48 · Am I that valuable?Chapter 49 · From now on, call me MasterChapter 50 · I have always been tolerant of beautiful MenChapter 51 · Don’t be so recklessChapter 52 · He’ll only get more excitedChapter 53 · Call him sister in lawChapter 54 · You haven’t even fulfilled your obligations yetChapter 55 · What? Grandma Su Xu is sick?Chapter 56 · That wasn’t what he meant at all!Chapter 57 · I could actually share him with youChapter 58 · Why was someone added at the last minute?Chapter 59 · You can’t record videos here.Chapter 60 · I like it tooChapter 61 · Distinguish between two similar pheromones.Chapter 62 · Why do you think I blocked you?Chapter 63 · Why hasn’t Su Xu replied yet?Chapter 64 · His Majesty never comes back to eatChapter 65 · Hide your things wellChapter 66 · Connection?Chapter 67 · Maybe I can even inhale it for some comfortChapter 68 · So you don’t run awayChapter 69 · Will you be with His Majesty?Chapter 70 · Take itChapter 71 · Who is this person?!Chapter 72 · Who did you just call worthless?Chapter 73 · Weren’t we talking about Mr. Su and His Majesty?Chapter 74 · Aren’t you very capable?Chapter 75 · As expected of Wu ChuChapter 76 · Help him sleep?Chapter 77 · Su Xu’s Alpha was His MajestyChapter 78 · You really are something, playing favorites like thatChapter 79 · World of a novelChapter 80 · I simply… know them inside outChapter 81 · Wait for meChapter 82 · But I think you’ve become a lot cuter latelyChapter 83 · The feeling of me kissing you?Chapter 84 · Our Xuxu… is finally becoming an adultChapter 85 · Rare stolen moments for an affair like this.Chapter 86 · What kind of death-level love triangle battlefield was this!?Chapter 87 · It was practically torture!Chapter 88 · What sinful karmaChapter 89 · You weren’t worried I’d get angry?Chapter 90 · I’m going to mark youChapter 91 · Who did you go with?Chapter 92 · Chu Xian….. You really aren’t humanChapter 93 · Did this man actually know how to kiss?Chapter 94 · After all, he’s still the current boyfriendChapter 95 · Did they mark you again?Chapter 96 · It’s not my bloodChapter 97 · Did you seduce another alpha??Chapter 98 · After that, don’t use that kind of thing anymoreChapter 99 · Even at this point, Su Xu is still lying to him!Chapter 100 · What’s wrong with you?Chapter 101 · Don’t tell anyoneChapter 102 · I Think my hear startedChapter 104 · A wedding?Chapter 104 · You’re Wu JiChapter 105 · Exceptionally Beautiful OmegaChapter 106 · If you’re with him, aren’t you afraid of being cheated on?Chapter 107 · “Am I the same person as him?”Chapter 108 · What important matter could Chu Xian possibly have to do?Chapter 109 · Did the boss actually steal someone else’s partner?Chapter 110 · Wu Chu is preparing for his weddingChapter 111 · I know better than you what’s so great about Su XuChapter 112 · Chu Xian had gotten a bit tannedChapter 113 · Su Xu, your boyfriend is here!Chapter 114 · I’ve completely lost face!Chapter 115 · Don’t you think your sister-in-law is interesting too?Chapter 116 · I will definitely tell Wu Chu the truth.Chapter 117 · Didn’t you already meet your boyfriend today?Chapter 117 · Why do I need to take a day off on Saturday?Chapter 119 · This is a TrapChapter 120 · This is the future queen chosen by their monarch!Chapter 121 · Could it be that Su Xu went directly to the scene?Chapter 122 · Slipped the ring on Su Xu’s ring fingerChapter 123 · You have no experienceChapter 124 · I haven’t even mentioned your lover in Galaxy A yetChapter 125 · He suddenly had a strong urge to kiss Qi YanChapter 126 · May I ask what you encountered?Chapter 127 · It’s not Jiang Cang, it’s Jiang CangxingChapter 128 · Where does the money come from for a single line of code?Chapter 129 · This is unbelievable!Chapter 130 · Su Xu slammed the box shut.Chapter 131 · This is so weird!Chapter 132 · This person and Teacher Sang are mutual followers!Chapter 133 · I can finally keep my promise and come see youChapter 134 · Extra 1: He’s mango FlavouredChapter 135 · Extra 2: Boyfriend meets ParentsChapter 136 · Extra 3: The Game (1)Chapter 137 · Extra 4: The Game (2)