Yun Chuji didn’t know how to kiss. She vaguely remembered kissing Tang Jianxi many times during those two nights, but the memories were too hazy to distill into any practical experience.
All she remembered was the humid, feverish turmoil.
After that, it was always Tang Jianxi guiding her, step by step. That couldn’t be considered rich experience; in fact, to be precise, there had only been one deep, dizzying kiss.
But it was experience nonetheless. Experience carves pathways in the mind, teaching people how to press forward when they don’t know how.
Yun Chuji gently touched Tang Jianxi’s lips, then licked them. She had a fondness for the tubercle of Tang Jianxi’s upper lip, a preference she couldn’t indulge when Tang Jianxi was the one kissing her. Now, Yun Chuji followed her heart’s desire, carefully tracing the beautiful shape until Tang Jianxi grew impatient with her, acting like a little puppy that wouldn’t let go of its favorite toy, and tentatively extended the tip of her tongue.
Yun Chuji accepted the probe, deepening it, intensifying it, magnifying it. Though the memories of those two nights hadn’t been committed to her conscious mind, they had become a kind of hidden physical instinct, and it was kicking in now.
The alpha supported the omega’s weakening body, sitting back on the sofa. Their lips parted slightly, and fresh air rushed into the space that had been consumed by the heat of passion. The alpha gripped the omega’s waist, pressing her firmly onto her lap, and continued to kiss her.
Tang Jianxi’s left hand clutched the fabric on Yun Chuji’s shoulder, while her right rested on Yun Chuji’s waist, her movements changing with the intensity of Yun Chuji’s actions.
It was only when Tang Jianxi sensed that kissing was no longer enough for Yun Chuji—or for herself—that the wariness common to the more vulnerable party brought her back to her senses. She gently pushed at the alpha before her.
Yun Chuji paused for a moment, then continued kissing her way down, her hands having long since strayed from their proper place on Tang Jianxi’s back.
Tang Jianxi could only lean back, letting out a breath and suppressing a moan. “Xiao Ji…” she said, her voice broken. “Not now… I could get pregnant.”
Pregnant?
It was as if a bucket of ice had been dumped into Yun Chuji’s pheromone-addled brain.
What was she—what was she doing?
Yun Chuji saw the disarray before her. Before a new impulse could capture her, she bit down hard on the tip of her tongue. The taste of blood filled her mouth as she, with trembling hands, straightened Tang Jianxi’s clothes.
Honestly, she had scared herself a little.
Once she was decent again, Tang Jianxi leaned weakly against Yun Chuji’s chest. She still hadn’t fully recovered, the desire to be close to this alpha constantly battering the fragile string of reason in her mind.
But the risk was too great.
“I’ve checked our compatibility rate,” Tang Jianxi said, rather vexed. “It’s 95%. That means every time we have a deep marking, there’s a 95% chance of pregnancy.”
It was sheer luck that nothing had happened last time, which was probably related to the fact that Yun Chuji’s body was undergoing its secondary differentiation then.
But there was no guarantee this time. Besides, with the Empire in such turmoil, it wasn’t a good time to be pregnant.
Still, having to stop for this reason was incredibly frustrating.
She wasn’t Yun Chuji, raised on traditional admonitions for women. The Empire had never been shy about AO relationships; in fact, it actively encouraged them to boost the birth rate. Nearly every omega her age had a stable alpha partner and a sex life. The only exception was Xie Xiaoxiao, whose true love was scientific research. But that didn’t mean Xie Xiaoxiao endured her heats with inhibitors like Tang Jianxi used to. A minority of alphas also preferred not to be in committed relationships, and they would arrange with like-minded omegas to satisfy each other’s physiological needs without permanent marking. Xie Xiaoxiao was one such omega.
Due to her aversion to the inherent flaws of alphas, Tang Jianxi had always kept her distance. But now she had overcome that subconscious aversion and avoidance—at least with Yun Chuji. The ideals buried deep in her past life and education were naturally beginning to flourish.
So annoying, not being able to do it, Tang Jianxi thought sullenly.
But this interruption had clearly saved Yun Chuji. Her rebellious streak wasn’t strong enough to support taking someone to bed—or being taken to bed—so soon after they’d confirmed their feelings. This was no longer a matter of impropriety; Yun Chuji firmly believed that such an act, lacking ceremony, also lacked respect. It was as if that was all they were after, when in reality, what they wanted was so much more.
Yun Chuji blinked away the sweat trickling down from her temple. She returned her hands to where they had started and adjusted Tang Jianxi’s position on her lap to make her more comfortable. She mentally recited The Great Learning several times, and combined with the sharp pain on her tongue, she finally managed to suppress the eager fire within her.
She felt that in that state, she wasn’t herself. It wasn’t just that she wasn’t reserved; she was practically shameless.
But the shameless Yun Chuji was far happier than the reserved Yun Chuji. And Jianxi had accepted this shameless version of her so generously, even with a hint of delight. This filled Yun Chuji’s heart with a lasting warmth, soothing every part of her that the fire had ravaged, making it bloom like spring.
Mmm, this is what I want. The “so much more.”
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, neon lights flickered. This was the inner ring of C-District, where people’s passions ran high and didn’t subside even at night. Countless faces, smiling or sorrowful, passed under the countless lights. And under the chandelier in this room, Yun Chuji was planting kiss after kiss on Tang Jianxi’s forehead and cheeks, murmuring between them, “Let’s not get pregnant. This is good enough.”
“Being pregnant would be very hard.”
She stopped kissing and asked innocently, “I’m a woman. Can I get pregnant?”
Tang Jianxi was both exasperated and amused. She poked Yun Chuji’s forehead. “Female alphas still have a uterus, but they lack the ability to produce the various hormones needed to carry a baby to term.”
As a pure humanities scholar, Yun Chuji was, naturally, clueless. “Which means?”
“You giving birth would be no different from using a machine, and probably worse. At least with a machine, there’s no risk to your life.”
“Then why not use machines?” The risks of childbirth in ancient times, coupled with the memory of Helen’s tragic experience, had given Yun Chuji a fear-based aversion to having children. “That way, at least the trafficking of omegas wouldn’t happen,” she said, confused.
“Because machines can only produce physically weak betas. So the Empire stipulates that only betas are eligible to apply for ectogenesis.”
Yun Chuji sighed with regret. She glanced cautiously at Tang Jianxi’s stomach and sighed again.
Seeing her expression, Tang Jianxi couldn’t help but laugh. She teased her deliberately, “What, you really want to continue?”
Yun Chuji shook her head, a hint of worry in her voice. “I just think the probability of pregnancy is too high. Jianxi has so many important things to do every day. If you were always pregnant, it would be too much trouble, and it’s not good for your body.”
At this, Yun Chuji once again began to consider the possibility of making herself a eunuch.
If she got rid of that thing, then she shouldn’t be able to perform a deep marking, right?
She detested it anyway. If it would benefit Jianxi, she wouldn’t mind being a eunuch cursed by her ancestors. Besides, after being baptized by the ideas of this new era, Yun Chuji felt that talk of gods and ghosts might not be true. Perhaps there was nothing in the afterlife.
The only problem was, would a mark on the nape of the neck alone be enough to satisfy Jianxi?
Yun Chuji stole a glance at the blush that still hadn’t faded from Tang Jianxi’s face and thought of the faint dampness she could feel on her lap. The answer was probably no.
Thanks to the original owner’s almost pathological yet lust-filled obsession with omegas, Yun Chuji, despite her many gaps in AO general knowledge, was not entirely ignorant in this particular area.
Especially after some practical experience, she understood things even more clearly. Yun Chuji was now fully aware of what kind of fire she had just started.
Tang Jianxi had no idea what dangerous thoughts were brewing in the other woman’s mind. Her spirits quickly lifted again. “We can buy contraceptive pills once we get back to S-District.”
Contraceptive pills?
Yun Chuji had gleaned a little about the Empire’s obsession with birth rates from the practically useless pheromone alarm on her first day. How could the Empire possibly allow the sale of something like contraceptive pills? Besides, she had lived here for several months and had never even heard of them.
“Isn’t that illegal?” she asked sharply.
Tang Jianxi gave a mysterious smile. “Absolutely not.”
As the confusion on Yun Chuji’s face deepened, Tang Jianxi calmly revealed the answer. “The simplest contraceptive is a bite guard. As long as there’s no neck marking, the birth rate drops by half.”
Bite guards were invented and widely used during the Activation War. Yun Chuji had studied their history. Now, she briefly imagined herself wearing one, and her face instantly flushed red. Tang Jianxi continued her outrageous speech, “When we get back to S-District, how about we get a custom one made for our Xiao Ji?”
Yun Chuji was so flustered she sealed Tang Jianxi’s lips with her own. After a few pitiful kisses, she pleaded, “I don’t want to wear that kind of thing. It’s so weird.”
“And… we don’t have to… do it, either.”
Tang Jianxi did not disappoint Yun Chuji’s assessment of her. She shifted her hips, effortlessly tearing through Yun Chuji’s facade of asceticism. Her fairy-like face now looked like a siren’s. “But I want to.”
Yun Chuji couldn’t handle this at all. She immediately put Tang Jianxi down on the sofa in a panic. Following her experience from last time, she gave Tang Jianxi a quick mark before fleeing, then rushed into the room for a cold shower, just like before.
Tang Jianxi lounged on the sofa, looking more and more like a well-fed siren. Her crimson lips slowly curved into a satisfied smile.
Not bad, she thought. The little antique is making progress every time.
Then she opened her photon brain and sent a message to Xie Xiaoxiao: 【Give me half of the contraceptive pills you’ve been saving for yourself.】
Xie Xiaoxiao: 【???】
Tang Jianxi: 【Ah, that’s right. I have a wife now.】
Xie Xiaoxiao: 【??? Are you serious?】
Tang Jianxi: 【Of course I’m serious. We’ve already agreed to get married.】
Xie Xiaoxiao: 【!!!】
Tang Jianxi: 【But our compatibility rate is too high. Can you prepare all sorts of contraceptive methods for me?】
Xie Xiaoxiao: 【Tang Jianxi, I’m the chief researcher at Tang Group, not your personal physician.】
Tang Jianxi: 【The funding application for that project of yours will be approved tomorrow.】
Xie Xiaoxiao: 【Mission accepted.】
Tang Jianxi closed her photon brain, only to look up and see a figure shrouded in a cold mist. Her face was pale, and she was wrapped in two layers of bathrobes. Tang Jianxi raised an eyebrow as the person silently bent down and picked her up.
Tang Jianxi was pondering the possibility that she might have pushed her little antique too far and caused her to snap, but the woman simply placed her on the bed in the bedroom and went straight to the bathroom.
A moment later, Yun Chuji came out.
In the dim light, Tang Jianxi could see her habitually pressing her lips together. Then, in the calmest voice she could manage, she said, “Jianxi, the bath is ready for you.”
“Okay, I’m leaving. Good night.”
She said good night, but she rushed out before Tang Jianxi could even reply.
Did she suddenly remember to do that in the middle of her cold shower?
Tang Jianxi found it a little funny, but her expression was exceptionally soft.
We have to get back to S-District soon.
Get married soon.
Soon, be together forever.
Get instant access to all chapters now.
