The atmosphere at the breakfast table was somewhat delicate.
Sikong Sui’s dormitory dining room was spacious, with a long table that could easily seat twelve people.
But at the moment, only three people were gathered at one end.
Sikong Sui sat between her brother and Xie Ren, with all her favorite dishes laid out before her.
It looked lavish, but she had little appetite.
Because Sikong Nian was bustling around beside her.
“Don’t move.” Sikong Nian’s voice was soft, gentle to the extreme.
He held a slender syringe in his hand.
Sikong Sui sat obediently, tilting her head to expose the back of her neck to him.
Sikong Nian’s fingertips touched the nape of her neck—his touch was cool, carrying a slight chill.
His movements were very gentle, so light that she could barely feel the moment the needle pierced her skin.
Sikong Sui only felt a faint coolness on the back of her neck, like a mosquito bite.
“Done.” Sikong Nian withdrew the needle and gently pressed a cotton ball against the injection site.
Sikong Sui blinked. “That’s it?”
“What else?” Sikong Nian glanced at her and placed the syringe into a small silver case.
He then took out a small bottle from his bag.
Unscrewing the cap, a faint scent drifted out.
It was the scent of cedar and cold iron—Sikong Nian’s pheromones.
“Perfume?” Sikong Sui looked curiously at the small bottle.
“Suppressant and my pheromone modulation fluid.”
Sikong Nian explained, giving a light spray on the inside of her wrist and another on the gland at the back of her neck.
“This contains a high concentration of suppressant to suppress your Omega pheromones. At the same time, it’s blended with my diluted pheromones, which will make others think you’ve differentiated into an Alpha.”
“This is the best cover for your identity.”
Sikong Sui raised her wrist and sniffed. The scent was crisp and restrained, like a forest on a winter morning, clean without a trace of impurity.
“It smells…” she thought for a moment, “a lot like you.”
Sikong Nian’s movements paused briefly, and something soft flickered in his eyes.
He lowered his gaze, tightened the cap, and placed the small bottle into Sikong Sui’s school uniform pocket.
“Spray it once every morning before leaving, once at noon, and once again when you return in the evening. Got it?”
Sikong Sui nodded.
Sikong Nian sat down, picked up his now-cooled coffee, took a sip, and frowned slightly. “Also, last night, I accidentally leaked my top-tier Alpha pheromones.”
Sikong Sui’s movements paused.
Xie Ren also set down his coffee cup, looking over from above the rim.
Sikong Nian’s expression was calm, but his fingers tightened slightly around the coffee cup. “I’ll tell the public that it was your pheromones.”
The dining room fell silent for a few seconds.
Xie Ren leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, his brow slightly furrowed. “Can it be kept a secret?”
Sikong Nian looked at him.
The gazes of the two top-tier Alphas collided above the dining table.
“As long as you don’t say anything, and I don’t say anything, it can.”
Xie Ren didn’t answer immediately.
He lowered his eyes, his slender fingers tapping lightly on the table twice, as if weighing something.
Then he looked up at Sikong Sui.
Sikong Sui was looking at him.
She sat in the morning light, golden sunlight streaming in from behind her.
It made her eyes shine brightly, as if holding an entire galaxy.
Xie Ren’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. “I won’t say anything.”
“At the very least, I need to safely get through these three months of training.” Sikong Nian’s tone carried certainty.
Sikong Sui took the small bottle, turning it over in her hand.
“Three months…” she softly repeated, as if weighing the significance of those words.
The three-month training period was the first phase of her entry into the Imperial Capital’s Noble Academy.
And within these three months, she had to complete her mission.
Sikong Sui silently took stock of the current situation in her mind.
Xie Ren’s affection level had already reached 60.
But Xie Ren was only one of four affection lines.
Two other names surfaced in Sikong Sui’s mind, instantly making the toast in her mouth taste bland.
Pei Sichen.
A heart as cold as a glacier.
In the original novel, his attitude toward Sikong Sui could be summarized in four words: complete indifference.
Forget affection levels—he couldn’t even remember her face.
Sikong Sui sighed inwardly, mentally labeling Pei Sichen: ice block.
Affection Quest difficulty: hell level.
Then there was the third one, Gu Shiyan.
When Sikong Sui thought of this name, the piece of toast on her fork fell back onto the plate.
Gu Shiyan, universally acknowledged in the original novel as the top-tier green tea with the most schemes.
This person was a smiling tiger.
The worst part was, in the original novel, Gu Shiyan’s attitude toward Sikong Sui had always been ambiguous.
One part sincerity, nine parts exploitation.
But whether that one part sincerity was real or not, even she couldn’t be sure.
Sikong Sui took a deep breath, mentally reviewing these three names.
Then she decisively turned the page.
Better not think about it now—the road will appear when you reach the mountain.
For now, there was one relatively easier person to handle.
Fu Yuan.
Sikong Sui’s gaze secretly drifted across the table, where Sikong Nian was expressionlessly eating his boiled egg.
She sighed inwardly again, then silently gave herself a pat on the back.
Remembering how Fu Yuan’s affection level had increased last time just because she said a few good words about her brother, she felt somewhat confident about Fu Yuan’s affection line.
“What are you smiling about?” Sikong Nian’s voice suddenly came from beside her.
Sikong Sui snapped back to reality, realizing her lips had curled up without her noticing.
She quickly adjusted her expression, but it was too late.
Sikong Nian was looking at her with a scrutinizing gaze, his brow slightly furrowed.
“Nothing,” Sikong Sui shook her head obediently. “I just think today’s toast is especially well-toasted.”
Sikong Nian glanced at the piece of toast in her hand, which she had poked full of holes, and said nothing.
Xie Ren let out a low, derisive snort beside them, though it was unclear what he found amusing.
Sikong Sui pretended not to hear, lowering her head to focus on her breakfast.
In her mind, she silently made a list, prioritizing all current matters.
First priority: conceal her Omega identity and safely get through the three-month training period.
This was the foundation of everything. Once her identity was exposed, she would become a target for contention among the major families.
At that point, forget completing her mission—she wouldn’t even be able to protect herself.
Second priority: interactions with Pei Sichen, Gu Shiyan, and Xie Ren.
Third priority: help her brother advance his affection line with Fu Yuan.
Sikong Sui finished the last sip of milk and set down her cup.
When she looked up, her gaze happened to meet Xie Ren’s.
He was looking at her, his deep eyes reflecting the morning light, quiet and profound, like a bottomless pool of water.
The two stared at each other for about half a second before Xie Ren was the first to look away, picking up his coffee cup and taking a sip with his head lowered.
Sikong Sui lowered her head, the corner of her mouth curling up briefly before quickly flattening again.
The classroom was tiered.
Sunlight poured through the glass stained-glass windows in the dome, casting diamond-shaped patches of light onto the dark wooden floor.
This was the oldest classroom in the Imperial Capital Noble Academy.
Oil portraits of past headmasters hung on the walls, and the air was filled with an aura of solemnity.
Sikong Sui sat by the window, idly flipping through the thick Introduction to Social Structures in front of her.
The classroom door was pushed open.
Sikong Sui instinctively looked up.
She saw a person.
Standing in the doorway against the light, his figure was tall and slender, with smooth shoulder lines.
He wore the Imperial Capital Noble Academy’s impeccably tailored dark blue uniform.
His hair was light chestnut, softly falling over his forehead, gilded by the sunlight with a faint halo.
His features were delicate, his thin lips slightly curved with a perfect arc.
That smile reminded one of the spring breeze in March, of newly thawed streams, of everything gentle and beautiful.
Sikong Sui’s fingers unconsciously tightened on the pages of the book.
Gu Shiyan.
His gaze swept across the classroom before landing precisely on her.
He looked at Sikong Sui, the curve of his lips widening slightly.
A faint chill ran down Sikong Sui’s spine.
Gu Shiyan began walking toward her.
The eyes of the other students in the classroom followed him, a few girls whispering among themselves with faint blushes on their cheeks.
The four young masters of the Four Great Families were all prominent figures in the academy.
Especially Gu Shiyan, who was humorous and sociable, the kind who didn’t keep people at a distance.
Wherever he went, he naturally became the center of attention.
He stopped in front of Sikong Sui.
His light amber eyes reflected her face, so gentle it seemed as if one could drown in them.
“Little Sui Sui, did you miss me?” His voice was clear and mellow, a baritone tinged with laughter, as if the words had rolled over his tongue before being softly spoken.
Sikong Sui: “…”
She turned the words over and over in her mind.
Feeling goosebumps spreading from her arms all the way to the back of her head.
Sikong Sui looked up at Gu Shiyan’s gentle, harmless smiling face, the corners of her mouth slowly curving into an equally bright smile. “Long time no see.”
“System,” she called softly in her mind, “check Gu Shiyan’s favorability.”
[System Notification: Gu Shiyan’s current favorability: -1.]
Negative one.
Sikong Sui’s smile didn’t waver, her eyes still curved.
Gu Shiyan took a step closer, naturally pulling out the chair beside her and sitting down.
He turned to face her, one hand resting casually on the desk.
His slender fingers looked especially striking in the sunlight.
The distance between them was now very close, and she could smell the faint scent of white tea and sandalwood that clung to him.
His gaze slowly swept over her face, studying her intently.
There was something almost affectionate in those light amber eyes, something that made one want to sink into them.
“Hmm.”
Gu Shiyan tilted his head slightly, the smile at the corner of his lips deepening. “It’s been a while, Your Highness. You’ve grown even more beautiful.”
Sikong Sui’s smile remained just as sweet. “You too, Shiyan Ge.”
She tilted her head slightly. “And you’ve gotten even more handsome.”
A small heads-up: There will be a chaotic mix of relationships and some villainess drama later on.