Yun Chuji watered the flowerpot, leaning in to peer at the dark soil, but saw not a hint of green.
She checked the temperature and moved the pot to a warmer spot. Then she crouched down and said to it, “Can you please sprout a little faster? Jianxi’s flower has already sprouted. You’re supposed to grow up together.”
Taking advantage of the fact that the seed couldn’t talk back, Yun Chuji lectured it at length.
Time spent educating a small seed always flew by. Yun Chuji’s heart skipped a beat. She glanced down at her terminal and cursed herself, “Oh no, I’m going to be late.”
She hurriedly put on her coat. Today was the last day of the alpha training camp. Although Yun Chuji had learned precious little there, one had to see things through to the end and hold out hope. Perhaps Gu Qing would actually teach her something this time.
Yun Chuji walked out of her home, instinctively heading for the maglev station. After a few steps, she remembered the pressing time, pursed her lips, and went to the garage to drive the car Tang Jianxi had given her.
She no longer felt aggrieved by it, so the sight of it didn’t stir up old feelings. In fact, the thought that she was driving the same model as Tang Jianxi brought a secret sense of satisfaction—how strange.
Yun Chuji drove the incredibly dazzling car to the training center, hurried upstairs, and stopped dead at the entrance.
The scene inside was, to put it mildly, astonishing.
Looking at the room full of alphas dressed from head to toe in white, Yun Chuji seriously began to suspect she had stumbled into a funeral.
She hesitated at the doorway. Just then, Feng Ling—the only person in the room not wearing white, though he too had uncharacteristically opted for a long-sleeved shirt and long pants—waved at her and pointed to the seat beside him.
Thank goodness, at least there was one normal person.
Yun Chuji walked into the classroom with tentative steps, enduring a baptism of complex gazes from every alpha in the room.
How to describe it—
The looks contained jealousy, indignation, envy, and admiration. They were so incredibly complex that as Yun Chuji walked, she felt an impulse to flee.
After she sat down, the gazes clung to her like shadows. Unable to bear it, she leaned over and asked in a low voice, “Brother Feng, is dressing like this an imperial etiquette requirement for the last class?”
Feng Ling gave her a look that was hard to put into words and whispered back, “Didn’t I tell you a couple of days ago? You’ve become a huge sensation on the StarNet, especially since you’re so mysterious. The omegas of the Empire are going crazy, clamoring everywhere to find you, and planning to…”
“…pursue you.”
Yun Chuji: “????!!!!”
Although her mother had told her wonderful stories of a single desirable lady being sought after by a hundred families, such a high honor was usually reserved for young ladies of excellent family and character. Yet she had only shown her face and her S-rank alpha status on the StarNet and had somehow attracted such a following. Yun Chuji found these people to be incredibly shallow and reckless.
Feng Ling ignored Yun Chuji’s infuriatingly humble-bragging confusion and continued, “It’s always been alphas chasing after omegas. When have alphas ever gotten this kind of treatment? So a lot of jealous alphas started flaming you on the StarNet, calling you O-like and saying you weren’t a real alpha.”
Of course, such stubborn remarks were indiscriminately crushed by the comeback, “If an S-rank alpha isn’t a real alpha, then what kind of trash are you?”
“Because of how those alphas were shut down, you got even more popular on the StarNet. Now, many omegas aren’t just after your body; they’re just annoyed with these arrogant, loudmouthed alphas. They’ve openly declared that from now on, their standard for choosing a partner will be based on you. A few alphas were very quick on the uptake, changed their style, and they’re no longer single.”
“So… do you get it now?” Feng Ling, dressed in a blue sweatshirt and long jeans, silently admired this extraordinary alpha who had single-handedly ignited an AO war on the StarNet.
It was a known fact that the alphas attending this training camp were older singles with a desperate need to find a partner. They were tormented by their ruts every month. Forget changing their style—if you told them they could find a partner by running ten kilometers naked, they would eagerly strip off their clothes.
And so, today’s training camp had unfortunately been transformed into a funeral scene.
But that was one thing, and jealousy was another. This Yun Chuji person already had an omega that made everyone drool, yet she was still shamelessly attracting attention outside. At this moment, the alphas staring daggers of jealousy at Yun Chuji had only one thought: That rich lady is way too good-tempered. Why doesn’t she just beat her up a few times?
After hearing Feng Ling’s lengthy explanation, Yun Chuji was utterly dumbfounded. She could follow his train of thought at the beginning, but by the end, she felt a complete sense of incomprehension.
It wasn’t just the culture shock of her residual feudal ideas being confronted by a world where the pursued openly chose their pursuers. The main issue was that the AO relationships in this current courtship drama and the ones she had seen on the original owner’s terminal seemed to exist in two different worlds.
The free omegas, the omegas fighting for freedom, and the omegas sold in cages—what was the true distance between them?
And what kind of malicious intent would dare to whitewash the situation so brazenly?
Yun Chuji now finally understood Tang Jianxi’s fear. Compared to the environment she lived in, Tang Jianxi knew far too much of the darkness, which was why she was so constantly on guard.
Feng Ling was waiting for Yun Chuji’s reaction, but she just sat there, lost in a daze. He waited and waited, and finally couldn’t take it anymore. He waved a large hand in front of her face. “Heartthrob, don’t you have any thoughts?”
Yun Chuji looked up and let out a soft laugh. She imagined the lively omegas on the StarNet animatedly picking and choosing alphas. Her usually gentle expression seemed to gain a sharper edge. “I think it’s great that they’re like this.”
“Full of life.”
That’s it?
With your character, I didn’t expect you to be smug, but you should at least show some loyalty to your rich lady!
But this is all you have to say?
Feng Ling slumped back against his seat, feeling like he could never figure Yun Chuji out. She was like a soul who had transmigrated from another dimension; even her conditioned reflexes were different from theirs.
Ah, maybe that’s just what makes a heartthrob, Feng Ling told himself.
While they were talking, Gu Qing had walked up to the podium. Seeing the room full of white, she was clearly shocked as well. Then, her eyes darted around, and she remarked with a hint of amusement, “You alphas… you really won’t lift a finger unless there’s something in it for you. I pleaded with you for so long before, and you all just grudgingly swapped your tank tops for short sleeves—and backless ones at that. Now that one Yun Chuji has appeared, you’re all quick to put on jackets.”
After her daily mockery of alphas, Gu Qing changed her tone. “Originally, for the last class, I was going to teach you how to maintain a relationship with an omega. But now I feel that no matter how well I, a beta, explain it, you won’t believe me.”
“So, why don’t we let our new heartthrob alpha share her experience with you?”
After speaking, Gu Qing looked at Yun Chuji, and then everyone else did too.
Yun Chuji was bewildered. The heat of their gazes made her dizzy. She had never encountered a situation like this before. Her limbs felt stiff, as if her body wasn’t her own.
It wasn’t until the stares grew more challenging that Yun Chuji realized she had to give a clear response. She hurriedly waved her hands, shrinking back into her seat so tightly she wished she could disappear from this place. She didn’t think she was qualified to teach anyone anything; she herself still knew nothing.
“I don’t have any experience to share.”
Gu Qing smiled encouragingly. “Miss Yun, you have to believe in yourself. Besides, the experience you share with these alphas will help omegas find better partners. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
Yun Chuji’s head spun even more. She felt as if she was being bewitched, but she had no proof.
The other alphas began to jeer. Of course, their words were not particularly warm or kind; the core message was simply that they wanted to see what she was really made of.
To Yun Chuji, it felt like being a child on a swing, pushed higher and higher by the maids. Her face flushed, and she stammered, wanting to refuse but unable to find an opening to speak.
She thought she might as well just run away.
Besides, she wasn’t trying to date an omega; this class was useless to her.
She looked toward the classroom exit, planning her escape route, but then she saw a familiar figure at the door.
It was—Jianxi!
Why was she here? To see me?!
Yun Chuji’s eyes met hers, and as if by telepathy, she immediately knew—yes, Jianxi is here to see me!
Seeing Tang Jianxi, Yun Chuji’s dizzy mind finally calmed, and her sinking courage began to slowly rise.
Ah, how magical. It’s like Jianxi has fairy magic! She must be a fairy!
Yun Chuji’s heart leaped with joy, and her desire to leave grew even stronger: she was done with class; she wanted to go to Tang Jianxi.
But just then, Tang Jianxi looked down and sent a message to her terminal. It was a single, simple line: 【You should speak. I want to listen.】
Yun Chuji scrunched up her face and replied: 【But I don’t know how.】
After sending it, Yun Chuji looked at Tang Jianxi. By now, many people had noticed her. Miss Tang’s beauty was devastatingly effective; the noisy classroom fell almost instantly silent. A room full of white-clad alphas turned in unison toward Tang Jianxi like mutated sunflowers, but unfortunately, the sun’s rays remained fixed on that damned lucky A.
This made Yun Chuji want to leave even more.
But Tang Jianxi replied: 【But I want to listen.】
Yun Chuji’s gaze froze. Her ears turned a suspicious shade of red. She stole a glance at Tang Jianxi, who was indeed smiling at her.
At that moment, Gu Qing saw the great sponsor Tang arrive and assumed she was there to back Yun Chuji up. She was about to retract her suggestion to avoid offending her sponsor’s little treasure when she saw the tall, slender alpha take a deep breath and, with none of her previous reluctance, walk swiftly onto the stage.
Gu Qing clicked her tongue inwardly.
Alphas… even a heartthrob likes to show off in front of their omega.
Once on stage, however, Yun Chuji didn’t know what to say. She stood there like a block of wood, watching Tang Jianxi walk in from the doorway and sit right in the front row. Her eyes were filled with laughter, as if she was looking forward to Yun Chuji’s performance.
Yun Chuji looked at Tang Jianxi, then at the room full of white, and for some reason, she was reminded of the black-robed auctioneer in the video.
A flash of inspiration struck her.
She knew what she had to say.
Yun Chuji pursed her lips and said in a deep voice, “The foremost virtue of an alpha is chastity and obedience.”
“Chastity lies in not having a wandering heart, in keeping oneself pure.”
“Obedience lies in submitting to one’s partner, in treating them as an equal.”
…
Facing a room full of powerful alphas, Yun Chuji fused the admonitions of her mother, her governess, and that thin volume of Admonitions for Women into a truly shocking speech.
She knew just how shocking her words were. Looking at these alphas, they were staring at her as if she were an idiot.
But why was it so shocking?
This was, after all, her former life.
Confucius said a gentleman must be benevolent.
In Yun Chuji’s own simple understanding, the definition of benevolence shouldn’t be the weak kneeling in submission to the strong—that was no different from a world without benevolence. Rather, benevolence should be the strong accepting rules to protect the weak. Only then could there be a peaceful world.
As Yun Chuji spoke, the murmuring in the classroom grew louder, like an army on the march, thundering with anger and weapons. Before she could finish, someone shot to his feet and snapped, “Are you insane?!”
Yun Chuji’s ears twitched, but she ignored him and finished her last sentence: “Therefore, an alpha who puts their omega first is a true alpha.”
Then, she turned to the alpha whose face was flushed with rage.
“I am not insane,” Yun Chuji replied earnestly. “You said you wanted my experience, and now I’ve given it to you.”
“This is what I have always learned and believed.”
“Besides, I have an omega, and you don’t. That proves it works.”
“And my omega is the best omega in the world, so that proves it’s especially useful.”
“Whether you learn it or not is your business. In any case, I’ve taught you.”
Ignoring the alphas’ uproar, Yun Chuji walked toward Tang Jianxi. Now, she felt that she was truly capable of teaching these alphas something.
At the same time, she also felt that being an alpha was no longer such a terrible thing after all.
Check out the new translations I’m updating:
- Playing the “Saint” in the Wasteland
- Without Rhyme or Reason
- Rivals in the Limelight
- Scripted Hearts
All four have 20 chapters out already, with a new chapter added every day. You can also find my other translations on The Fragrance of Lilies reading list.
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