Only after the Marshal had left was Shi Xin finally able to let out a breath of relief. Having taken the suppressor shot provided by the school doctor, she had at last managed to control the leakage of her pheromones. For now, as long as no one inspected her personal file, everyone would still assume she was just an ordinary Beta.
The next morning, as Shi Xin arrived at school, she could hear a clamorous uproar coming from the classroom long before she even stepped inside.
Reaching the doorway, she sure enough spotted her classmates gathered in groups of three to five, noisily chattering about who-knows-what. Even around her desk mate, Joyce, two or three people had crowded in.
Maintaining her usual cool facade, Shi Xin nevertheless swallowed her saliva in secret. She walked into the classroom step by step, carefully gauging her classmates’ reactions. She was terrified that if her Omega pheromones leaked and were caught by someone, she would instantly be elevated to the class’s national-treasure-level figure overnight—and might even get nominated as the class or department beauty. But Shi Xin made it very clear to herself that she didn’t care for such empty titles at all; please just let her continue living her quiet, ordinary life.
Fortunately, the efficacy of the Empire’s suppressors was thoroughly reliable. After Shi Xin walked over and took her seat, her classmates showed no unusual reaction whatsoever. Only Joyce, grabbing the hand of the newly seated Shi Xin, trembled with excitement down to her voice: “Case closed! Shi Xin, we’ve finally cracked the case!”
Shi Xin’s forehead twitched slightly. Reaching out with her other hand, she used her thumb and index finger to pinch the soft skin on the back of Joyce’s hand, lifting her hand up and tossing it aside amid her yelp of pain. A faint, quiet smile brimmed in her ink-black eyes. “Say what you have to say properly, don’t go putting your hands on me.”
Joyce cradled her slightly reddened hand, dramatically sniffing her nose as if playing the fragile maiden.
Then, remembering the bombshell news she had just learned, that fragile facade instantly evaporated into thin air. Clasping her hands together, she continued in high excitement, “Do you know?! The author of The Galaxy’s Top Alpha and I was unmasked! It turns out it’s a student from our very own school!”
Shi Xin’s back instantly went as stiff as a stone slab. Even the smile at the bottom of her eyes grew strained, the corner of her mouth twitching imperceptibly. “Oh? Who is it?”
Her reason was still intact. She reasoned that it couldn’t possibly be herself—otherwise, Joyce wouldn’t be acting like this, nor did Joyce possess the acting talent to pull it off. They definitely hadn’t discovered that she was the author.
Sure enough, Joyce announced, “It’s Gary! Gary, the department heartthrob from the class next door!”
Shi Xin had a slight impression of this Gary person, because he was one of the only two Omegas in their Journalism Department—though, of course, no one knew that the Journalism Department now had a third Omega. Word was that Gary came from a humble background and made it into the Empire Capital’s First High School entirely through his own hard work. In high school, his delicate appearance and beauty made him immensely popular; when he differentiated into an Omega during high school, he instantly became the school heartthrob—the dream sweetheart for most Alphas and Betas across the entire school. After entering college, he continued to capture countless hearts with his cheerful personality, outstanding grades, and rare, fragile beauty.
“Gary is truly an angel descended to earth. He’s so handsome, he’s an Omega, and most importantly, he has great grades and talent—he’s just too amazing!” Joyce held her hands to her heart, a suspicious drop of drool practically leaking from the corner of her mouth. “If I could marry him in my lifetime, I could truly die with no regrets!”
Shi Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yet even with her composed face, she could barely conceal the tidal wave of snark raging inside her mind. “Didn’t you guys band together to bash that author before? Why the sudden change of heart?”
Joyce glared at Shi Xin, wearing an expression that practically screamed ‘How can you be so heartless? Careful or you’ll never find a partner!’ “That’s Gary! Not only is he pretty with good grades, he’s an Omega! The supreme rule of the Empire: An Omega can do no wrong!”
Shi Xin palmed her forehead, her lips twitching. “Your principles are remarkably cheap.”
Joyce hummed softly with a huff. “I won’t waste my breath on a frigid person like you. You wouldn’t understand.” Saying so, she pulled out her terminal, opened StarNet with a swooning look on her face, pulled up her bookmarked novel, and began showering it with tips. “I want to tip Gary! I’m going to make him feel the warmth of classmate love from the Empire’s First Institute!”
Her actions instantly swept through the surrounding classmates. Everyone pulled out their terminals one after another. “Right, tips! I’m going back to delete all my past negative reviews too, otherwise Gary’s going to cry when he reads them!”
Shi Xin raised an eyebrow. Opening her own terminal, she clicked into the backend of the literature site. Seeing tips that were thousands of times higher than before, she promptly shut her mouth. This isn’t bad at all. It’s just a shame that poor Gary is taking the fall for this. If there’s a chance, I’ll buy him a Milky Way lollipop as compensation.
Meanwhile, Gary—the person everyone was currently gossiping about was standing on the roof of the teaching building, enjoying the breeze. He was a male Omega with soft, golden short hair, bright blue-green eyes like gems, fair and translucent skin, and a delicate, slender frame.
“Did you really see the Marshal and Shi Xin staying together in the infirmary for quite a while?” He turned his head toward the female Beta beside him, a flicker of jealousy flashing across the depth of his eyes.
He had originally assumed that when the Marshal visited the school, they would at least meet with him, considering he was the Omega with the highest genetic compatibility with the Marshal. In his eyes, it was only a matter of time before he and the Marshal ended up together. Previously, the Marshal had been engaged in battle with the Zerg, lacking even the time to return to the Imperial Capital, so Gary was understanding of the lack of progress between them. But now that the Marshal was back, why hadn’t she come to find him? Could she possibly find a partner with a higher compatibility than him? That was simply impossible.
The Beta beside Gary was named Hill. Her eyes held an unreserved affection as she looked at Gary. “Mm. I injured my foot today, and when I went to the infirmary, I saw Marshal-sama standing in the hallway for quite a while. Once the school doctor and Principal came out of the consultation room, she went right in. I hid in the shadows and waited for a long time. Not long after the Marshal stepped out, Shi Xin from the class next door came out as well. They clearly stayed in that room together for some time.”
Gary felt his heart swell with burning jealousy. Why Shi Xin? Why does it have to be her again?!
“Hill.” Gary took a deep breath. A cold, bloodless smile curled at the corner of his lips, tingeing his soft face with a hint of murderous intent. “Do you think she’s pretty? That Shi Xin.”
Hill was taken aback for a moment, and Shi Xin’s image automatically surfaced in her mind.
Nowadays, the ancestors of all humans in the interstellar era were Ancient Earth humans, but through thousands of years of evolution and intermarriage, the vast majority had become mixed-heritage. Thus, pure Ancient Earth Oriental features like Shi Xin’s were exceptionally rare. Her silky, smooth black hair and obsidian-like eyes were voted the most beautiful hair and eyes of this class. Though her soft facial contours made her face look slightly less chiseled, it still captivated countless people; even several Alphas over in the Mecha Department had publicly declared that if they were to marry a Beta, Shi Xin would be their top choice.
Despite her feelings for Gary, Hill couldn’t deny Shi Xin’s charm. “Mm, she’s very pretty.”
Hill’s honesty, however, only fueled Gary’s jealousy further. Ever since he learned that his popularity at school was surpassed by a mere Beta, he had harbored deep hostility toward Shi Xin.
Still, Shi Xin wasn’t the most urgent priority right now. Taking a deep breath, Gary swallowed down the jealousy and discontent in his heart and said to Hill, “Continue to subtly spread the rumor that I am the author of that novel. Make sure to publicize this matter far and wide—it’s best if the Marshal finds out about it as soon as possible.”
Hill felt a trace of concern. “But the reviews for that book on StarNet aren’t very good… Aren’t you worried that if people find out you wrote it, they’ll express their dissatisfaction with you in real life?”
“I am an Omega.” Gary raised his exquisite chin proudly. “The Imperial Omega Protection Act will safeguard me. Besides, once they realize I wrote it, they’ll only appreciate my talent even more.”
Hill lowered her gaze to the smooth ground of the rooftop, her hands clenching at her sides before she finally answered, “Alright. I’ll definitely help you spread the news so that the Marshal notices you.”
Even though Hill liked Gary very much, she knew she was just a female Beta. No matter how exceptional she was, she fell far short of the Marshal. After all, the Marshal was someone superior to all Alphas, the Empire’s top female Alpha. If Gary could marry the Marshal, he would surely be happy. As long as he was happy, she would be happy too.
Just like that, by noon, the news that Gary was the author of The Empire’s Top Alpha and I had officially rocketed to the top of the Empire’s First Institute’s forum.