It had to be said, Tang Jianxi truly understood Yun Chuji. She had said that if she really went for it and kissed her, the woman would definitely get so embarrassed she’d hide herself away.
And sure enough, she got so embarrassed she hid herself away.
Conveniently, she now had a temporary mark and didn’t need daily comforting, so she hopped on a spaceship and fled to C-District on the Imperial Capital Star. She claimed she had a holiday research project to complete, but judging by her evasive expression, it was clearly more than just a project. Tang Jianxi found it rather amusing but didn’t have the heart to expose her. She waved her off, telling her she would come to C-District to pick her up in seven days.
Yun Chuji’s expression stiffened, her face turning an unnatural shade of red. She nodded, her back as straight as a board.
With the matter of Glory more or less resolved, and the objective even achieved ahead of schedule, Tang Jianxi had no reason to remain on Cang Star. After all, the video and Johnsen’s testimony had exposed nearly every alpha who had participated in the auction. In the upper echelons of Cang Star society, Tang Jianxi was now utterly despised. No one dared to say anything while the scandal was still fresh, but once the storm passed, all that filth would surely come crawling toward her.
The only awkward thing was that she had yet to acquire the shipment of blue cherry steel, which was her public reason for coming to Cang Star. The contract had been signed with a long-time business partner, but after Tang Jianxi’s livestream, both he and his daughter were taken away by the military.
Now, his younger brother, also an alpha, had temporarily taken over. To solidify his position and because he genuinely disliked Tang Jianxi, he was determined to refuse delivery, even if it meant breaching the contract.
This was a normal business tactic. The man would rather lose money than swallow his pride. Tang Jianxi had no choice but to find a new supplier.
Tang Jianxi informed Tang Jianshen of the situation, but he showed little reaction, simply telling her to handle it as she saw fit.
Ever since their sharp, confrontational argument, it was as if the siblings had used up a lifetime’s worth of quarrels. The biting sarcasm that used to lace their conversations was gone. They seemed much more mature, but also a little more distant.
Tang Jianxi rubbed her temples. The problem wasn’t difficult to solve. The Tang family’s name was a golden ticket. As long as the price was high enough… If lower-class omegas could be bought with cheap inhibitors, then upper-class alphas, all products of the same social system, were simply more expensive. They were hardly any nobler.
The problem, however, was that Qi Sheng was desperately trying to contact her.
Thanks to Johnsen’s actions, J.K. Mining had hit rock bottom. He was almost immediately expelled from the G-District Mining Union, and all his previous tax benefits were revoked. The official reason given was Johnsen’s immoral trafficking of omegas, but in reality, it was no different from the cold shoulder the Tang Group was receiving.
J.K.’s market value plummeted instantly, but it still held several mines and two smelters. There would be some transportation issues, but those would eventually be resolved once the scandal blew over.
As one of G-District’s most prominent noble omegas, Qi Sheng certainly had no shortage of solutions. His urgency in contacting her—he had sent messages totaling nearly five thousand words—was probably mainly about Johnsen. He was even using J.K. as a bargaining chip.
Tang Jianxi thought for a moment and decided to go. Business was business; there was no need for her to be difficult on purpose.
More importantly, Qi Sheng had indeed been a great help to her, though he undoubtedly wished he hadn’t been.
Half a month wasn’t long enough to cause any obvious changes in a person, especially since Qi Sheng had been living quite comfortably during that time. He had even put on a little weight until two days ago.
But now, he looked as if he had completely lost control of his sanity.
When Tang Jianxi entered the private room, she saw Qi Sheng’s eyes darting about neurotically, filling the air with an uncomfortable anxiety.
Upon seeing Tang Jianxi, a flash of hatred crossed his eyes before he forced a smile. “Miss Tang, you’re here.”
Tang Jianxi nodded and sat down. Qi Sheng had chosen a teahouse for their meeting. Such places were quite rare; they had actually died out in the late Federation era. Their reappearance in the Empire was thanks to her father, who, with his love for ancient culture, had playfully opened a few in S-District. The trend had caught on, and many places began to imitate them, though Tang Ji had likely given it a push from behind the scenes. After all, Mr. Chu had been delighted for quite some time upon discovering so many fellow tea enthusiasts in the world.
Qi Sheng’s choice of venue was a clear attempt to curry favor.
The fragrance of tea wafted through the air as dark green leaves rose and fell in the boiling water. They sat in two large wooden chairs while a nearby AI recreated the ancient tea ceremony according to its programming. Everything seemed incongruous, including the very fact that they could sit face-to-face.
As if the livestream had never happened, Qi Sheng chatted about trivial matters—his pet was pregnant again, the Tang Group had so many types of inhibitors, he wondered if an oral version could be made.
He didn’t mention that person, nor did he mention the explosion.
But Tang Jianxi didn’t have that kind of patience. She couldn’t quite figure out what role Qi Sheng played—
Victim?
Perpetrator?
Unsung hero?
He was all of them, and yet more than that. He cared for none of it. The only thing he cared about was the alpha who had been taken away by the military. But for some reason, he was afraid to get to the point.
“Johnsen will never come back to you,” Tang Jianxi said calmly, setting down her teacup.
Perhaps that was what he was afraid of hearing.
Qi Sheng’s expression froze, the neurotic look returning to his face. He quickly lowered his head and said through gritted teeth, “You have a way. You must have a way. Your grandmother is Marshal Chu. You can bring him back, can’t you?”
“You can give him… back to me.”
“He won’t be back,” Tang Jianxi repeated. “Even after he serves his sentence, he won’t be back. He’s already used his cooperation with the military to apply for a divorce from you.”
And that had been one of Johnsen’s conditions for agreeing to the livestream.
Qi Sheng’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t breathe. After several gasps, like a gambler about to lose his entire fortune, he began to bargain frantically. “I can give you J.K.!”
“I’m sorry. I already promised Johnsen I would make sure you could never find him.”
This statement clearly wounded Qi Sheng more than anything before. He murmured, “Why? I only did the same thing he did. Why would he do this to me? He knows I can’t live without him…”
Tang Jianxi looked at him with pity. It was truly remarkable that someone like Johnsen could be the object of such deep affection. But it seemed there was no business to be done. Fortunately, she hadn’t held out much hope in the first place.
Just as she was about to stand and leave, Qi Sheng bit his lower lip, raised his head, and stared at her with reddened eyes. “You’re a member of Spartacus,” he threatened. “That’s an underground omega rights organization the Empire has been strictly trying to eliminate. If I expose Spartacus and tell them you have a drug that specifically targets alphas, your fate probably won’t be much better than Glory’s, will it?”
His words made Tang Jianxi raise an eyebrow. She sat back down. “If I recall correctly, you joined Spartacus too?”
Qi Sheng’s lips trembled, and he said hoarsely, “So what! I just want John!”
Heaven knew how devastated he had been when he returned two days ago to find the basement empty. He had gone to such lengths to lock that man by his side, only for him to disappear in just half a month. He would rather have continued living peacefully with Johnsen, enduring the disgusting scent of other omegas, than this. At least then, he wouldn’t have left him.
If only that bastard Marco hadn’t kept tempting him, telling him how powerful Spartacus’s drug was, that if he used it, there would never be another omega by Johnsen’s side.
Indeed, it was very effective. Now, even he, an omega, was gone.
And he couldn’t even get revenge on Marco. The power of the Davis family was beyond his reach, as was the Tang family. Qi Sheng had thought of a thousand ways to retaliate, only to realize that in the end, all he could do was beg for mercy.
Or threaten mutual destruction.
Tang Jianxi took a weary sip of her warm tea, her voice equally weary. She had thought that an omega who could imprison his lover without batting an eye, who could see through Johnsen’s hypocrisy and use it to his advantage, would have some awareness of what Spartacus was truly about.
Apparently not. Perhaps it had been too short a time.
Ah, right. It had taken her a long time to see it clearly herself.
“In the current climate, do you think Spartacus still needs to hide underground?”
For the first time in centuries, omegas were examining their rights with such clear-eyed resolve. The star-net was in an uproar, with hundreds of comments scrolling by every second, all detailing how the Empire had violated its founding principles.
The Empire was in the wrong, and so were the alphas. They wanted to use force, but the Omega Legion was sitting right there, watching their every move. For a moment, a mood of intellectual liberation swept through the Empire. People discussed how alphas had exploited the flaw of omega heats to gradually erode their social status, and they diligently searched for a solution.
And in all of this, Spartacus was, of course, fanning the flames.
Tang Jianxi stood up, cutting Qi Sheng off before he could speak again. “Mr. Qi, in all our conversation today, you haven’t once mentioned the three omegas you killed in the explosion. So I don’t believe you’re truly repentant, nor do you genuinely want to do business with me. We have nothing more to discuss.”
With that, Tang Jianxi turned and walked away. Qi Sheng was stunned. Only after she had walked some distance did he shout after her, “If it’s because of that, I can compensate them!”
“Don’t you want the blue cherry steel anymore?”
“Please, just give Johnsen back to me!”
An AI bodyguard blocked Qi Sheng’s path. He watched her retreating figure, hatred boiling within him.
Hypocrite!
She’d rather pity those insect-like lower-class omegas than a comrade standing right in front of her!
Tang Jianxi couldn’t hear Qi Sheng’s thoughts. Even if she could, she would have just smiled and thought it was just like him. She immediately went to meet the next mining merchant. This company hadn’t been affected by the scandal, and the negotiations went reasonably well, but their asking price was exorbitant.
After another three days on Cang Star, Tang Jianxi finally settled the matter.
She figured Yun Chuji should have arrived in C-District by now. If she left today, she should be able to get there before the seven days were up.
It was amusing, really. The three of them had come to Cang Star on her ship, yet she was the last to leave. Winona had taken Helen and the others onto a military transport shortly after the livestream. The six omegas Yun Chuji had bought had never really seen her; when taken in by the military as witnesses, they only gave the names of some low-level thugs and transport personnel.
A few alphas at the auction did identify Yun Chuji, but Chu Meng suppressed the matter. They were still unsure if the Third Princess would cause trouble, so it was better to keep Yun Chuji’s identity as a spy under wraps. Besides, unlike Johnsen, who had the protection of a prison, Tang Jianxi worried she wouldn’t be able to shield her from the collective hatred of the alpha elite.
As she was mulling over these loose ends and arranging for her ship, an internal message from Spartacus once again disturbed her peace of mind.
【Spartacus has decided to operate as a public organization to fight for the legitimate rights and interests of omegas going forward. – The Leader】
Tang Jianxi gave a wry smile. As expected, the Sixth Prince hadn’t passed up this opportunity to gain political capital.
Her feelings about the organization she had once revered were now very complex. There was no doubt that its size and the quality of its members were sufficient to bear the responsibilities it claimed it could. But the thought that it had helped Qi Sheng kill three omegas and turned a blind eye to so many others being sold made it impossible for Tang Jianxi to ever regain her former reverence.
She swiped the message away.
So be it. She had never been the type to rally people; she was suited for getting things done. Now that her work was finished, she would let them do the rallying.
Omegas needed a powerful organization.
As for her, Tang Jianxi continued to arrange for her ship. What she should be doing now was what she had been doing before: developing a few good inhibitors for omegas.
The time for heroes was over. Now was the time for politicians.
And at that moment, another unsung hero was following her navigation, searching for the iceberg she should have gone to see long ago.
Get instant access to all chapters now.
