TL: Hua
So, those two downstairs were the fake young master, Ji Yan, and his fiancé, Shen Que.
In a sense, Ji Yan’s appearance truly lived up to his status as the protagonist.
This fake young master, who in the original plot had three men revolving around him, possessed an exquisite and beautiful face. His black, pearl-like eyes were clear and harmless, and when he spoke, one could catch a glimpse of two sharp canine teeth. It was the kind of look that many Alphas would find themselves reminiscing about for a long while after meeting him on the street.
If it were the original “Ji Xuan,” seeing Shen Que so close to Ji Yan would likely have caused him to grieve secretly for a long time.
But now, Ji Xuan’s face showed not a hint of a ripple.
Failing to see the expected expression, Shaikh’s interest immediately plummeted.
Perhaps he’s just putting on a brave face, Shaikh thought. He instinctively licked his back teeth, refusing to believe Ji Xuan could remain patient. A second later, he prepared to speak again to provoke him further.
Unexpectedly, Ji Xuan suddenly raised his hand and hooked Shaikh’s vest. With a light tug of his fingers, he jerked the man toward him.
Shaikh stumbled, his knees forced to bend under the force, his elbow braced against the back of the sofa. Now, the situation was reversed; the posture of half-kneeling and being forced to bend over compelled him to look up at Ji Xuan.
It was a position of forced submission.
Shaikh knitted his brows in dissatisfaction.
“What will I do…? Are you reminding me that I should be jealous over a piece of promiscuous, cheap trash, or are you hinting that you want to be his substitute?”
Shaikh froze.
Ji Xuan tilted his head, a strand of long black hair falling by his ear. His gaze was as cold as mountain snow, yet contained a hint of casual flippancy: “What a pity. This stray dog fighting for scraps look is just as cheap as his.”
With that, he let go and stood up to leave without expression.
–
The afternoon sun draped the terraced garden in a layer of warm light. Not far away, several birds flapped their wings and landed in a decorative planter, only to be startled away instantly by the voices.
A guest dove into the swimming pool, sending a splash of water onto Ji Yan, who sat by the edge. The latter squinted and giggled, scooping up handfuls of water to splash back.
“What happened to Ji Yan and Chief Shen is really unfortunate. If that one from the garbage planet hadn’t interfered, they’d probably be engaged by now.”
“The compatibility rate between Shen Que and Ji Yan is as high as 98%, and both are 3S-grade. Both families were looking forward to their union. No one expected the one who ended up with the marriage contract to be a low-grade Omega who lived on a garbage planet for twenty years.”
“The pheromone fluctuations of a 3S Alpha are beyond what ordinary people can handle, especially during the rut. A low-grade Omega has no way to provide relief. How could the Shen family agree?”
“Why wouldn’t they? Ji Xuan showed up at their door aggressively with the tokens from both families, demanding Shen Que marry him. Besides, it was later confirmed that when the two mothers made the childhood betrothal, it was indeed for Ji Xuan, not Ji Yan.”
“Turning a pearl into a fish eye… Ji Xuan is far inferior to Ji Yan. After all, he’s from a garbage planet, vulgar and stupid. Mars Military Academy is about to have its year-end assessment; I heard the Alphas from the Combat Department are planning to jointly petition to revoke his qualification.”
The crowd by the pool chatted idly, entirely unaware of one of the subjects approaching.
It wasn’t until one Alpha turned to grab a drink from the nearby bar that he saw Ji Xuan, who was observing the mechanical arm decorating the cake.
“You…”
The youth before him had hair as black as ink, draped over his thin shoulders. Hearing the voice, he turned his head and scanned the man with a detached gaze. Under the halo of the sunlight, his skin appeared breathtakingly white.
He didn’t recall seeing such an Omega at today’s banquet.
“Were you invited by Ji Yan too?” the Alpha asked.
“What do you think?”
Ji Xuan leisurely picked up a fork, scraped off a bit of cream, and tentatively touched it with the tip of his tongue. The dense, milky flavor laced with a citrus scent immediately spread across his taste buds.
The people of this world certainly knew how to enjoy themselves.
“You… What is your name?” The Alpha’s hand, resting on the bar, moved toward Ji Xuan as if by accident. His gaze swept unabashedly over Ji Xuan’s face before landing on the entirely exposed back of his neck. “Why didn’t I see you in the hall just now?”
Ji Xuan shifted slightly to the side, avoiding the man’s arm, and asked back, “You don’t recognize me?”
His voice was clear, and he deliberately trailed off at the end of his words, hooking into one’s heart like a barb.
The Alpha went silent as if deep in thought, searching his memory, but a second later he said in a slick tone, “I definitely should recognize you. Now that you mention it, I remember. We must have met in a dream. Otherwise, why would you feel so familiar, as if we had a world-shaking romance in a past life…”
Before he could finish, however, he was interrupted by another voice: “Ji Xuan, why are you here?”
The Alpha was stunned, looking up in a daze at Shen Que, who was walking toward them. He blinked again and looked back at the expressionless Ji Xuan in front of him.
“…You are Ji Xuan?”
“Fish eye.”
“…What?”
“I am the fisheye.”
Ignoring the Alpha who stood frozen at the bar, not knowing what to say, Ji Xuan slowly finished the last piece of cake on his plate and gradually met Shen Que’s gaze.
“Why aren’t you staying upstairs? What did you come down for?” Shen Que asked again.
Ji Xuan said casually, “What does it have to do with you?”
The remaining taste of cream in his mouth was a bit cloyingly sweet. After speaking, Ji Xuan took a few sips of the soda the mechanical arm had just mixed.
Then he turned and walked toward Ji Yan.
Shen Que didn’t know what he was planning to do and instinctively went to stop him: “Ah Yan’s friends are all here today; don’t make things difficult for him.”
Unexpectedly, before he could even touch Ji Xuan’s hand, he was slapped across the wrist.
With a sharp smack, his nerves twinged, and Shen Que’s expression turned quite ugly.
“Move.”
Ji Xuan pushed Shen Que aside.
This little interlude finally caught the attention of Ji Yan, who had been laughing and playing in the pool. Just as he looked up, he saw Ji Xuan’s long legs come to a stop at the edge of the pool.
“Second Brother?”
Suddenly, every eye was fixed on him.
“What did Ji Yan just call him?”
“That person is Ji Xuan? I thought they said he was…”
The Omega standing by the pool was completely different from what they had imagined. He was neither vulgar nor crude like a fish eye. Perhaps due to the scarcity of food on the garbage planet, his frame was overly thin, but this only served to highlight the sharp, clean lines of his face, like a traditional ink wash painting. Combined with his cold demeanor, he possessed a unique, striking grace.
Shen Que, who had followed behind, assumed Ji Xuan was looking to make things difficult for Ji Yan again. He said coldly, “Whatever it is, wait until the banquet is over…”
Ji Yan had a childlike nature, innocent and simple. Having grown up close to the eldest brother, Ji Jingche, he felt no resentment toward this Ji Xuan, who had appeared out of nowhere to reclaim the status of the Ji family’s son. In fact, he was exceptionally enthusiastic, even if the other party didn’t care for him.
Ji Xuan glanced at him, once again sidestepping Shen Que’s attempt to block his path.
“Take me back.”
“Huh?” Ji Yan blinked in confusion, water droplets falling from his long lashes.
“The banquet is boring. Boring people, boring things—” Ji Xuan looked down at Ji Yan in the pool and said indifferently, “Take me back, Ji Yan.”
—
Despite Shen Que’s protests, a bewildered Ji Yan climbed out of the pool and personally piloted a hovercar to take Ji Xuan back to Mars Military Academy.
Throughout the journey, Ji Xuan didn’t strike up a conversation like usual. He didn’t ask about the preferences of Shen Que or his friends, nor did he ramble on about his life on the garbage planet or at the academy.
Ji Yan found it very strange.
When the hovercar came to a steady halt at the Omega living quarters, Ji Yan finally asked, “Big Brother is coming back tonight. Are you sure you won’t stay at home for one night, Second Brother?”
“I don’t want to.”
He then tapped on the hovercar door, signaling Ji Yan to open it.
“Second Brother.”
Ji Xuan paused. “…Yes?”
“Are you… angry because you saw Shen Que and me together?” Ji Yan asked softly. “Ever since Brother Que found out you were his fiancé, he and I have been nothing more than friends… We might be a bit close when we hang out because of old habits, but I only see him as another older brother now. Please don’t misunderstand.”
“I didn’t,” Ji Xuan said with a half-smile. “If you like him, keep him; if you don’t, throw him away. It’s up to you.”
Ji Yan tried to explain further: “That’s not what I meant…”
“It’s fine. That’s what I meant.”
With that, Ji Xuan entered the dormitory building without looking back.
—
Using the mirror in the dormitory lobby, Ji Xuan finally got a clear look at his current face.
This new body was indeed created in his original appearance; even the tattoo on his right wrist was preserved.
However, the physical condition was based on the former “Ji Xuan.” The demon lord, who had lived in luxury in the Demon Palace for so many years, was seeing himself this gaunt and haggard for the first time. Even back when he was a medicine human for the old demon venerable, he had never been this sallow and thin.
Ji Xuan rubbed the tattoo on his wrist, withdrew his gaze, and followed the system’s prompts into the elevator to reach his floor.
Normally, everyone in this world would differentiate into an Alpha, Beta, or Omega during puberty. Because the original “Ji Xuan” had lived on the garbage planet for so long with poor nutrition, his differentiation came much later than normal. He had only differentiated into an Omega last month.
And quite unfortunately, he got the lowest grade possible.
Inferior Omegas have faint pheromones that fail to attract Alphas, yet they are more susceptible to being overwhelmed by Alpha pheromones and are more likely to be induced into heat by them.
Earlier, when Shaikh Roanne and that other Alpha had pressed close, the slightly strange scent he smelled was likely their pheromones.
Of course, to him, the pheromones of other Omegas weren’t any better.
As soon as Ji Xuan pushed open the dormitory door, he was met with a cloying, sugary rose scent that made him instinctively cover his nose in discomfort.
Inside the double dorm, several boxes and wardrobes were piled together, marking a clear boundary between the two sides. One side was a cramped, simple bunk; except for a few books, there were very few items on the desk. The other side was meticulously arranged: the latest holographic terminal and heavy hardcover books sat neatly on the desk, oil paintings and expensive ornaments hung on the walls, and through the half-open door of the walk-in closet, several finely tailored custom suits were visible.
In the only area that could be considered common space, Ji Xuan’s lone pair of combat boots had been crowded into a corner by a colorful array of leather shoes and sneakers. An air-purifying machine had been pointedly placed in the middle, as if dealing with a deadly germ.
And nearby on the balcony floor, a bundle of bedding was tossed messily. Judging by the material and craftsmanship, it was his. Someone had poured water on it; dark water stains spread irregularly, even soaking the surrounding floor tiles.
Before Ji Xuan’s hand could touch the quilt, the bathroom door suddenly swung open.
His roommate, Lance Vaughn, looked at him haughtily and sneered, “Didn’t you say you were going to Ji Yan’s banquet? Back so soon? Don’t tell me you got kicked out again.”
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