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Yue Chu sat in the corner and tore open a packet of sugar and unapologetically poured it into his coffee after trying a sip. How the hell did they make their coffee?! It was so bitter that he never wanted to step foot in there again.
He was sitting in a very convenient hiding spot. He could see Wei Xieyang and Du Guzhou, but they couldn’t see him.
Yue Chu leaned back against the soft gray sofa and pinched the little bear’s ears. Honestly, it was quite hard to be green tea. Not only did he have to steal someone else’s man,[1] but he also had to constantly spy on their every move in order to find a gap in their defense!
If it weren’t for the system bribing him with a large pancake, Yue Chu would’ve already given up. He had a very casual personality and an equally casual view of romance. If you like each other, continue dating. If you don’t like each other, break up. Why should there be so many complicated twists and turns?
Thinking up to here, he licked his lips, making his rosy lips glisten. His red lips and rosy cheeks[2] made him look like a beautiful youth who had walked out of an ancient poem. Yue Chu gently tapped his face with his slender fingers as he reminisced back to the time when he was with the general.[3] Strong muscles, a strong waist, long legs, a bite with no bark,[4] tsk[5] how reassuring.
Du Guzhou left in a hurry after receiving a call before Yue Chu had enough time to finish being sentimental. Yue Chu immediately sat up and focused his gaze on Wei Xieyang, who was sitting alone in front of a table full of delicacies.
An opportunity has arrived!
Yue Chu stood up with a smile on his face and settled his bill. He really had to thank Du Guzhou for this opportunity. For him to apologize with that kind of attitude,[6] Du Guzhou’s level of emotional intelligence matched his name very well.
“You’re Highness?”
Wei Xieyang raised his head upon hearing the familiar voice and saw Yue Chu’s surprised face. He raised an eyebrow, appearing so coincidentally? Did he[7] want to have a chance encounter with Du Guzhou?
Thinking of this, Wei Xieyang raised the corner of his lips in a sarcastic grin. He wasn’t sure if it was directed at Yue Chu or himself. Either way, it was too late and Du Guzhou had already left.
This had actually been the first date he’d gone on with Du Guzhou. A romantic coffee shop, beautiful delicacies, and chatting with your lover while you ate, it had satisfied all his romantic fantasies. But the fantasy hadn’t lasted long. In a matter of minutes, he had returned back to his state of loneliness.
Wei Xieyang didn’t expose Yue Chu’s thoughts:[8] “Yes?”
Yue Chu wasn’t polite and sat down in Du Guzhou’s seat, facing Wei Xieyang.
Yue Chu: “I was drinking coffee and happened to see you, so I thought I’d come by and say hello. Is Your Highness here by yourself? If so, can I sit with Your Highness? It’s actually quite lonely to drink coffee by myself.”
The hand holding his coffee paused in midair. Wei Xieyang suddenly felt his mood plummet, and he lost his appetite. He put the coffee down on the table and prepared to call the waiter for his bill.
Naturally, Yue Chu would not let him go so easily. He smiled, tapped open his terminal and turned the screen towards Wei Xieyang.
“It’ll be my treat. I actually wanted to ask you a few questions. I’m going to sign up for the Interstellar Mecha Competition, but I don’t really know how to deal with stuff like this. Your Highness is so amazing, please help me.”
Wei Xieyang’s delicate yet handsome face was filled with surprise. The mecha competition? Yue Chu? Yue Chu, who looked like a gust of wind could knock him down?
“Your Highness?”
Wei Xieyang’s eyes skimmed over the registration form which Yue Chu had already filled. Only then did he find out that the seemingly inconspicuous Yue Chu turned out to be a double SS rank:
Physical Strength: SS[9]
Mental Strength: SS
True, if it weren’t for Yue Chu’s extraordinary talent, he[10] would’ve never been admitted to the Command Department of the Imperial Academy even if he[11] had gone through the back door. It was Wei Xieyang who had underestimated him.
For the first time in two years, Wei Xieyang took a good look at Yue Chu. Both of them were omegas, and both of them had extraordinary talent. In a sense, they were actually quite similar. And, neither of them could escape their ultimate fate.
Wei Xieyang: “It’s okay, no need to ask.[12] Although for the sake of fairness, there is no rule specifically prohibiting omegas from entering the mecha competition, in its nearly 300 years of history, no omega has ever participated.”
Yue Chu was taken aback: “Why not?”
Why not? Wei Xieyang sneered. Because it didn’t matter how physically or mentally strong an omega was, all that mattered was that they could give birth. This was valued over all their other abilities, and no one was allowed to harm them. Although the mecha competition didn’t allow fatal injuries, it was impossible to prevent occasional accidents from occurring. This might lead to an omega being harmed, which would affect their reproductiveness.
The reason why the mecha competition didn’t need to explicitly state that omegas were not allowed to join was that as long as an omega tried to sign up, their friends and family would group together to dissuade them, this could lead to only one result.
Wei Xieyang had once naively had the same dreams as Yue Chu did, but he remembered Du Guzhou’s words as clear as day: “Xieyang, you’re an omega, stop being so stubborn. You’re the person I’ll spend the rest of my life with, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. You’re not fit to join the mecha contest, just give up.”
The words of his friends and brothers had not shaken his will, but Du Guzhou’s words had broken him.
Yue Chu didn’t understand. The mecha competition was an individual competition, not a group effort. Why would you need the consent of your friends and family in order to participate?
Yue Chu: “I’m not murdering anyone, nor am I committing arson. Why should anyone intervene with what I do?”
Wei Xieyang felt helpless at Yue Chu’s naivety. It seemed as if every omega was destined to go down the path of hope to disappointment, from longing to numbness. He didn’t want to douse cold water on Yue Chu, but some things were not as simple as they seemed.
It was true that there was no murder or arson in the competitions. But sometimes, people were even worse than murder or arson. They would first try to reason with you, but upon finding that you’re dead set on your goal, they would resort to crying and making a big scene, and finally even threatening to hang themselves if you didn’t cooperate. How could anyone turn a blind eye to the heartbreak of their family? So in the end, the only person you could give up on was yourself.
Wei Xieyang: “I know you don’t believe me. You should talk to your family members and see how they take it.”
Yue Chu pondered for a while before calling his father, the top alpha of the Yue Family, the Grand Duke of the Empire.
“Father, I would like to participate in the mecha competition.”
Yue Chu’s father was a very handsome man, and it could be seen that Yue Chu had inherited his good genes. He seemed to be surprised upon hearing Yue Chu’s words and gave him a once over before frowning and giving a refusal.
Upon hearing this, Wei Xieyang fell into a state of calm as well as a state of immense loneliness. Sure enough, no omega could escape their fate.
However, Yue Chu would not obediently bow down to his fate.
Yue Chu: “Father, I approached Du Guzhou as you ordered, but he isn’t interested in me. He doesn’t like weak omegas, he likes strong and independent ones like His Highness. I need to place at the top of the mecha competition in order to change his opinion of me so that I can steal him from His Highness.”
“Du Guzhou is one of the top alphas of the empire. He’ll have a limitless future with his extraordinary abilities. Even the royal family wants to pull him over to their side. The Yue family will definitely benefit if I snatch him from His Highness. I’ll feel bad if I don’t at least try. After all, I don’t know when the next person who can match the level of the Yue family will appear.”
“I know what you’re worried about, but those accidents barely happen anyways, it’s worth the gamble.”
Yue Chu gently smiled, his beautiful eyes filled with ambition. He was a top-tier omega, with an affluent background, and good looks, he was the most lethal marriage weapon of the Yue family. Even a SSS alpha was less valuable than him. He was a weapon of the Yue family, and it was only natural for him to be put into good use.
Yue Chu: “Father, I’ve already defeated Zhou Ran, child of the first-class earl, and won the trust of His Highness. I’ve also made a public confession to Du Guzhou. The road has been paved, all it needs is a word from you.”
Wei Xieyang watched on in shock as Yue Chu turned black to white.[13] No, Yue Chu was telling the truth, but why did it sound a bit off? Wei Xieyang looked at Yue Chu with a complicated expression. If Yue Chu had done this behind his back, he[14] would’ve definitely hated him[15] and stayed away from his[16] schemes. But seeing Yue Chu saying those words so blatantly in front of him didn’t make him feel disgusted, instead, he felt the urge to applaud.
It was a done deal.
Yue Chu’s father stayed silent for a moment before resignedly saying: “I still need to think over it for a while, I’ll give you the answer in a little while.”
Yue Chu waited for the video call to hang up before looking over at Wei Xieyang with sparkling eyes. His eyes were black and white, as clear as the water in a lake, they looked especially good when he smiled. However, if you looked a little further, you would find that the lake was very deep, and neither wind nor rain could stir up its waters, it was both soft, yet firm.
In fact, his father had already conceded; he just needed to do a few investigations and consult the elders of the family before coming to a decision. However, Yue Chu was certain that the end result would be in his favor.
One by one, Yue Chu placed delicacies on Wei Xieyang’s white plate, filling it to the brim. The beautiful pastries exuded a sweet scent, arousing ones appetite.
Yue Chu: “Your Highness, when a plate is empty, you can easily throw it away without hesitation. But if a plate is full of expensive delicacies, you’ll hesitate whether or not you should eat them first before throwing the plate away. The same principle works for people. You can either make it hard or easy to get what you want. As long as you have enough value, you can propose anything and still win.”
Never underestimate the value of an omega. Perhaps many people simply saw omegas as marriage tools, but even marriage tools can occasionally be of great value.
Yue Chu glanced at Wei Xieyang’s thoughtful expression and gave a light smile. There were three alphas in the royal family, all of whom were Wei Xieyang’s brothers. They were on equal footing when it came to their rights to inherit the throne, as well as the amount of power that they currently held. Wei Xieyang was the key to breaking that delicate balance. Added to that was Wei Xieyang’s arranged marriage with Du Guzhou, a feat that was by no means trivial.
Wei Xieyang stared at the plate in front of him for a while before picking up one of the delicacies and putting it in his mouth. The savory flavor of almonds mixed with the richness of the chocolate, creating a delightful taste. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his long eyelashes covered his round pupils. His white face was still icily indifferent, but with a new layer of aggressiveness added onto it.[17]
Wei Xieyang: “You’re really smart.”
No, he isn’t just smart, Wei Xieyang thought. From their birth, omega’s were educated to be entirely imprisoned by their identity as an omega. But Yue Chu was different. He was always full of bizarre ideas that he would skillfully bring to life.
In the past, Wei Xieyang had thought that his eyes had been opened to the world. He had felt a sense of loneliness as if he was the only person in the world who was truly awake. But now, he had returned to reality and could take a step back to re-examine himself.
Yue Chu: “Your Highness, thank you for the praise, it’s an honor.”
As he spoke, Yue Chu used his terminal to send His Highness[18] a copy of the mecha competition registration form. With a smile, he stretched out a hand and shook His Highness’s ice-cold hand.
“Your Highness, I won’t hold back~”
Wei Xieyang’s fighting spirit was ignited, and his arrogant eyes filled with fighting intent. He had never been content with the status quo, and even his father had often sighed that if he were an alpha, there would be no need for a conflict over the throne.
Wei Xieyang was very confident in his own mecha combat abilities, but he wanted to see Yue Chu’s skills.
“You’d better not cry when you lose!”
References
References <th>↑1</th> dig Du Guzhou’s corner <th>↑2</th> chinese idiom: red lips and white teeth, I’m a swiftie, *flips hair <th>↑3</th> check ch1 for who the general is <th>↑4</th> opposite of ‘bark with no bite’, he’s saying that the general is a very decisive person <th>↑5</th> not in a disapproving way, more like sucking in his breath <th>↑6</th> leaving right after <th>↑7, ↑10, ↑11, ↑15, ↑16</th> Yue Chu <th>↑8</th> he still thinks Yue Chu wanted a chance encounter with Du Guzhou <th>↑9</th> highest rank is SSS, you’re already very strong if you have an S rank. Lowest rank possible is E <th>↑12</th> he’s saying that Yue Chu didn’t need to ask him if he could ask a question, Yue Chu could’ve just asked the question directly <th>↑13</th> lying, telling the opposite of the truth <th>↑14</th> Wei Xieyang <th>↑17</th> by eating the cake, he made the decision to not throw his wants away. So he’s agreed to join the competition. <th>↑18</th> author suddenly stopped calling him Wei Xieyang</tbody></table>