Sikong Sui stared at those lines of cold numbers, remaining silent for a long time.
If she couldn’t complete the mission, she couldn’t return? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Earlier in the room, when she had taken the Alpha perfume and done whatever she wanted to those Omegas, it must have been her acting on the inertia of the original plot while not fully conscious.
And she had almost been swallowed by that inertia.
Sikong Sui opened her eyes, looked at the dim light on the ceiling, and slowly clenched her fist.
In the original story, Sikong Nian loved his younger sister dearly and gave her countless chances.
But Sikong Sui didn’t listen. Step by step, she walked toward that ending.
[Original plot loading complete. Continue reading?]
Sikong Sui: “Continue reading.”
[The Sikong family, the top military warlords holding the highest military power in The Federation, has a single line of succession. Each generation must produce a top-tier SSS-level Alpha.
Sikong Sui and Sikong Nian are the only two confirmed heirs of this generation. Her older brother, Sikong Nian, has already differentiated into a weak Omega, while she, Sikong Sui, is destined to become the next iron-fisted warlord.
According to The Federation’s tradition, the four great noble families each sent their heirs to the Sikong family’s military academy for joint training. Nominally, it was for education, but in reality, it was to pledge loyalty to the future supreme ruler and become her supporters.
The Fu family sent the most special person: Fu Yuan, the eldest, an Alpha who had already retired from the battlefield. He was assigned to Sikong Sui’s side as her personal mentor.]
“Enough.” Sikong Sui sat up and rubbed her temples. “That’s enough.”
She already knew the direction of the original story.
How that villainous female supporting character had gradually brought about her own downfall.
After differentiating into an Omega, her mindset collapsed. Jealous that her brother was an Alpha, she tried every means to break him and Fu Yuan apart.
Spreading rumors one day, setting traps the next, and badmouthing her brother in front of Fu Yuan the day after.
Her methods were so clumsy they were appalling, yet the Sikong Sui in the original story still thought she was incredibly clever.
And the three brothers who grew up with Sikong Nian—Gu Shiyan, Pei Sichen, and Xie Ren—naturally stood by her brother’s side.
Four people, plus Fu Yuan, five top-tier Alphas—in the end, not a single one of them didn’t despise her.
Sikong Sui took a deep breath.
“System, I have a question.”
[Speak.]
Sikong Sui: …
This System really was stingy with words.
“If I don’t max out the Affection Quest targets’ favorability, I can’t return. What about my brother’s favorability? Are there any requirements for that?”
[None. Sikong Nian is not an Affection Quest target. His favorability does not affect mission success or failure.]
“Then if I have a good relationship with my brother, will it help with raising the favorability of those four people?”
[Theoretically, yes. Sikong Nian has been close friends with Gu Shiyan, Pei Sichen, and Xie Ren since childhood, and he is the official pairing with Fu Yuan in the original story. Gaining Sikong Nian’s recognition and support will help improve the other targets’ perception of the Host.]
Sikong Sui curled the corner of her mouth.
“That’s it.”
The biggest mistake Sikong Sui made in the original story wasn’t differentiating into an Omega—it was treating her brother as an enemy.
In this life, the first thing she would do was pull her brother back to her side.
That night, Sikong Sui went to Sikong Nian’s residence to find him.
It was called a residence, but it was actually a standalone villa.
The best location in the military academy, the largest area, the most luxurious configuration.
The treatment of the four great noble heirs is indeed different.
Sikong Sui stood at the entrance of the villa, looking at the four surnames carved side by side on the doorplate—Gu, Pei, Xie, and Sikong.
Her brother was listed last.
Not because of lower status, but because he was an Omega, he had voluntarily yielded the primary position.
Fu Yuan was a teacher, so he didn’t live with them.
However, with four top-tier Alphas living together, just the mutual suppression of their pheromones was enough to handle.
So they had agreed that when one was showering, the others would consciously avoid the area to prevent pheromones from spiraling out of control.
Today… it seemed no one was around?
Sikong Sui knocked on the door.
No one answered.
She tried pushing it, and the door was unlocked.
The villa was quiet, with the scent of several pheromones interwoven in the air: the clean bitterness of cold-brewed tea, the calmness of sandalwood, and a faint, elusive sweetness tinged with blood.
Sikong Sui was about to call out when she suddenly heard the sound of water from the second floor.
Someone was showering.
She instinctively took a step back.
When a top-tier Alpha was showering, other Alphas would avoid the area.
But she hadn’t differentiated yet. Biologically speaking, she was neither an Alpha nor an Omega, so it should… be fine, right?
The sound of water stopped.
Sikong Sui turned to leave.
“Splash…”
The door on the second floor opened.
An intense wave of vodka-scented pheromones poured down like a tide, carrying with it the damp, steamy air, instantly flooding the entire first-floor hall.
Sikong Sui froze.
The scent was too strong.
It wasn’t the kind of mild, subdued pheromones but something raw, unabashed, and carrying the oppressive aura unique to a top-tier Alpha—strong liquor.
Vodka.
The strongest of spirits.
It was completely at odds with that person’s temperament.
Sikong Sui stiffly raised her head.
On the second-floor corridor, Pei Sichen stood there.
He wore only a towel, loosely draped around his waist, barely covering the essentials.
His hair was still dripping, water droplets sliding from his collarbone down his chest and further.
His skin was pale, accentuating the firm lines of his muscles.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist, with smooth and powerful muscle contours, and water still pooled in the hollow of his collarbone.
Those perpetually half-lidded eyes, as if he were never fully awake, now looked down at her from above, carrying a coldness that spoke of intrusion.
Sikong Sui’s mind went blank for a moment.
Not because she had never seen a man’s body before.
But because this person was completely different from the Pei Sichen she remembered.
What was Pei Sichen like in the books?
Lazy, indifferent, an apathetic person who cared about nothing.
“Sikong Sui?” His voice had changed too.
Sikong Sui instinctively took another step back.
“I… came to find my brother.”
Pei Sichen didn’t speak. He just stood there on the second-floor corridor, looking down at her.
The vodka pheromones permeated the air, growing thicker and thicker, like an invisible net slowly tightening.
Sikong Sui’s breathing began to feel slightly strained.
Not out of fear, but an instinctual sense of oppression.
The pheromones of a top-tier Alpha exerted pressure on anyone, even if she hadn’t differentiated yet.
“Princess Suisui, apologies, your brother isn’t here,” Pei Sichen finally spoke.
“Then I…”
“Please leave.”
Sikong Sui opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but meeting Pei Sichen’s icy gaze, she swallowed her words.
She turned to leave.
“Wait.”
Sikong Sui paused in her steps.
Pei Sichen’s voice came from behind, still carrying that faint, emotionless tone.
“Your Highness Suisui, please knock before entering next time.”
“…I did knock.”
He fell silent for a moment.
“My apologies, then knock louder next time.”
Sikong Sui didn’t look back, quickly walking out of the villa.
Behind her, Pei Sichen stood in place, watching her retreating figure with narrowed eyes.
The vodka pheromones gradually receded, the oppressive feeling in the air completely dissipating.
He lowered his gaze, lost in thought, then turned and returned to his room.
Standing outside the villa, Sikong Sui took several deep breaths before finally clearing the lingering scent of vodka from her lungs.
She glanced back at the villa, her emotions in turmoil.
In the original story, Pei Sichen was one of the most difficult among the four.
Not because he harbored any great malice toward her, but because he simply didn’t care.
Without care, there was no opening.
Nothing she did could provoke a reaction from him, which was even more terrifying than being hated.
Sikong Sui looked down at her slightly trembling fingers.
Vodka.
Strong liquor.
Completely mismatched with that indifferent, ascetic face.
“System.”
[Here.]
“Has Pei Sichen’s pheromone always been vodka?”
[Yes. Pei Sichen is a top-tier Alpha with extremely high pheromone concentration, which he suppresses daily. Pheromones are released most thoroughly during bathing, hence the rule to avoid him at that time.]
Sikong Sui fell silent for a moment. “Was I too cowardly just now?”
[Yes.]
Sikong Sui: “…”
It wasn’t that she was cowardly—even though she hadn’t differentiated yet, Alphas naturally exerted a sense of oppression over Omegas.
“System, where is my brother now?”
[Sikong Nian is currently in Fu Yuan’s office. Fu Yuan is conducting his first pheromone test after differentiation.]
Sikong Sui paused in her steps. It seemed her brother couldn’t wait any longer and had already begun to act.
Surely there wouldn’t be any dramatic, intense love scenes, right?
Sikong Sui, with a dramatic gesture: No matter what, she had to go and see!
Fu Yuan’s office.
The office door was slightly ajar.
As Sikong Sui approached the doorway, she unconsciously lightened her steps.
Instead of pushing the door open directly, she stood to the side, peering through the narrow gap into the room.
There were only two people inside.
Fu Yuan sat behind the desk, his military uniform impeccably pressed, buttons fastened to the very top, even the collar meticulously arranged.
In front of him was a pheromone detector, with Sikong Nian seated across from him.
Today, Sikong Nian wore a light-colored shirt, the collar slightly open.
A detection patch was attached to the gland on the back of his neck, connected by thin wires to the machine.
“Your Highness, relax. I’ve installed a blocker in this room.”
Fu Yuan’s voice was deep and steady, betraying no emotion. “The first test after differentiation may show some fluctuations in data. There’s no need to be nervous.”
Sikong Nian obediently nodded, lowering his gaze.
His fingers curled slightly, resting on his knees, appearing somewhat tense.
An Omega’s instinctive reaction in front of an Alpha, flawlessly performed.
“Let’s begin.” Fu Yuan pressed the machine’s start button.
Sikong Nian closed his eyes.
Then, he began releasing his pheromones, and the atmosphere in the room instantly shifted.
Sikong Sui stood outside the door, separated only by the slightly ajar entrance, yet he could already feel the Omega pheromones flooding out like a tidal wave.
Light, gentle, carrying a faint floral fragrance—like the first spring rain falling on freshly turned soil, moist, tender, making one unconsciously want to draw closer.
This was the pheromones Sikong Nian had fabricated.
The original novel had mentioned: In order to masquerade as an Omega, Sikong Nian had been taking a special suppressant since childhood, which could completely suppress his Alpha pheromones while simulating a gentle Omega scent.
This disguise was incredibly convincing; even the most precise detection instruments couldn’t detect any flaws.
Only Sikong Sui knew that beneath that gentle Omega pheromone lay the sharp edge of a top-tier Alpha.
Fu Yuan still didn’t know.
He sat there, looking at the data on the detection device, his expression still calm.
But Sikong Sui noticed the hand he had placed on the table, its knuckles slightly tightening.
Sikong Sui: This is going to be interesting!
“The data is normal,” Fu Yuan said, his voice still steady but slightly hoarser than before. “Test again.”
Sikong Nian opened his eyes and glanced at him.
Those eyes were clear and pure, carrying the softness and dependence unique to an Omega.
He let out a soft “mm” and closed his eyes again.
The pheromones were released once more.
This time, they were even stronger than before.
Fu Yuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
He lowered his head, pretending to record the data, but the tip of his pen hovered over the paper without writing a single word.
Sikong Sui clearly saw the veins on the back of his hand slightly bulging.
Sikong Sui gave a thumbs-up. Impressive.
Indeed, the most skilled hunters often capture their prey with the simplest methods.
Hmm, it seemed she’d have to find time to learn a thing or two from her brother…
The third test.
Sikong Nian didn’t close his eyes. He simply stared straight at Fu Yuan, the corners of his eyes slightly reddened, his lips gently pursed.
Like an innocent, defenseless little animal, exposing the most vulnerable part of his neck to an Alpha.
The pheromones surged out like a tidal wave.
Not an intentional release, but a loss of control.
An Omega unconsciously releasing a large amount of pheromones in front of an Alpha due to nervousness—this in itself was a silent invitation.