ALSACW – Chapter 78

Tang Jianxi’s plan was perfect, but in reality, going to S-District and getting married were two conflicting matters.

Tang Jianxi took Yun Chuji sightseeing all over C-District, and for three days, they lived the sweet life of a couple in the throes of new love. Aside from Yun Chuji’s constant fear of crossing a line, it could be described as a wonderful time.

But as these wonderful days came to an end, the two had to part ways.

Unfortunately, the reason for their separation was too legitimate for Tang Jianxi to do anything about it, no matter how frustrated or reluctant she was—marriage was something you had to inform your parents about.

Furthermore, it was currently the Empire’s Founding Celebration. Normally, this was a time for family members to celebrate together. The Tang family had already dropped several hints, both subtle and direct. Tang Ji had nearly pointed at Tang Jianxi’s nose and accused her of forgetting her mother now that she had a wife.

On the Yun family’s side, after Yun Chuji had admitted to her relationship with the young lady of the Tang family, and with the constant attention from the star-net and their younger daughter, Qin Wan and Yun Cheng had already figured out most of the story. They just hadn’t had much of a chance to discuss it. The events Yun Chuji had been involved in recently were simply too frequent and too shocking. One impact after another had relegated the status of Yun Chuji and Tang Jianxi’s relationship to a secondary issue in the Yun family’s discussions.

First, Yun Chuji’s secondary differentiation into an S-rank alpha had dealt a heavy blow to the Yun couple. They clearly remembered that their daughter’s genetic report had predicted an A-rank.

Fine, they could say there was a problem with the genetic report. The couple discussed it and convinced themselves of this, focusing only on their concern for her health when they brought it up with Yun Chuji.

But Yun Chuji’s transformation from a fanatical alpha supremacist to a normal alpha could be explained away as the child growing up. However, her transformation from a fanatical alpha supremacist to the founder of A-Virtue was enough to make Yun Cheng consider taking his daughter for a psychiatric evaluation.

Yun Chuji’s explanation for this was also vague; she only said she had seen some things she had previously ignored and had now figured them out.

This wasn’t enough to dispel the Yun parents’ doubts. They still tried to gauge their daughter’s mental state through indirect questioning.

Until the bomb buried at the Empire’s feet finally exploded.

The entire Empire was shaken to its core.

The Yun couple keenly sensed that since the initial news had come from Tang Jianxi, Yun Chuji, who was said to have been inseparable from Tang Jianxi on Cang Star, must have known the inside story long ago.

Perhaps this was what Xiao Ji meant by the things she had previously ignored?

If that was the case, they could somewhat understand. After all, their younger daughter had started ranting about how alphas were no good after watching that live broadcast, regardless of whether her alpha father was listening. Recently, she had even been thinking of joining that Spartacus organization, visibly becoming a devout and fanatical omega supremacist.

Qin Wan and Yun Cheng didn’t know how their conservative genes had produced two such extreme daughters. They could only console themselves by blaming the Empire for creating a situation that forced people to become extreme. Even as parents of two children, they had seen all sorts of absurd things over the years, big and small. Faced with the mess Glory had created, they too were angry enough to curse.

How had the upper-class alphas become so arrogant? What was the difference between this and the Federation?

The Federation despised everyone at the bottom, and the Empire despised all lower-class omegas?

Because of this, they didn’t interfere too much with Yun Chuwan, only reminding her to advocate and work for omegas as much as possible without letting it affect her grades.

And now, a year later, their alpha daughter, who had undergone a 180-degree mental transformation, had finally returned home.

Her changes didn’t seem to be limited to her mentality. Compared to when she was in S-District, Yun Chuji was clearly much calmer. The neurotic anxiety that had surrounded her since childhood had diminished significantly, leaving only a faint trace, visible in the occasional glance.

Her style of dress had become more conservative, as if she had escaped the fashion spell that ensnared most young people. Hearing that she had been busy with her project recently, the Yun couple were now certain that this alpha daughter, who had always been a source of worry, was finally back on the right track.

Qin Wan helped her put her luggage in her room. Yun Chuji followed behind, feeling both familiar and strange in this place.

Accepting the original owner’s identity and family hadn’t been a well-thought-out decision. It was merely the desperate act of a person drifting hopelessly in a lonely sea, grasping for any rope to survive.

But she had never regretted it.

This was indeed a good family. Her parents were gentle and reasonable, and her sister was cute and lively. Inflicting tragedy upon such a family would be an unforgivable act. But precisely because this family was so good, she couldn’t find the old familial affection she had hoped for. Behind every unfamiliar expression of care, guidance, and instruction, the panic that arose from an love she couldn’t comprehend reminded her: she was an outsider.

Tang Jianxi’s love for her was traceable; its entire genesis and development revolved around the Yun Chuji who had come from the Great Liang Dynasty.

But the Yun family’s love was for the original owner, the one Qin Wan had carried for ten months and raised for years. Yun Chuji accepted an allowance that matched the original owner’s spending habits, received food that suited the original owner’s tastes, and accepted advice that fit the original owner’s personality. All of this was good, but it was too good, and it had the opposite effect, reminding Yun Chuji—

She was a despicable imposter.

In Yun Chuji’s original plan, she wanted very little—just to remember her own lost family through the Yun parents. But after trying, she discovered that physical appearance was an extremely hollow concept. Within two nearly identical bodies resided different souls, and that was what truly mattered. By now, she could clearly distinguish between the parents of the ABO era and her own biological parents.

So, in reality, even that small part was very difficult to achieve.

Walking into the original owner’s room, it was clean and tidy, not cluttered with all sorts of things like her apartment. On a display cabinet to the side were rows of hovercar models, the original owner’s beloved collection. It was a fairly typical room for a young, middle-class alpha in the Empire.

Yun Chuji took her luggage and thanked Qin Wan softly. Qin Wan gave her a reproachful look and reached out to tidy her slightly messy hair.

Yun Chuji lowered her head to accommodate the gesture. Seeing her so obedient, Qin Wan couldn’t help but sigh. “You’ve really matured a lot recently.”

She didn’t answer.

Qin Wan didn’t press the topic further. The Empire’s Founding Celebration was in two days. During this time, the Emperor and the royal family would tour the entire Capital Star, following the order and locations where the first emperor signed peace treaties in each district, finally returning to A-District. The entire tour would last half a month. During this half-month, the entire Empire would be on holiday, with AI taking full responsibility for people’s daily needs. The whole Empire would be immersed in a festive atmosphere, celebrating the end of the Activation War.

However, in the current climate, the Founding Celebration would clearly take on a more delicate meaning.

The shadow of a second Activation War was slowly spreading amidst the arguments and insults on the star-net. Recently, there had been several incidents of armed conflict between alphas and omegas in the Empire, something almost unimaginable in the past. The reason, undoubtedly, was the royal family and the government’s failure to respond forcefully enough.

The government had only arrested the alphas and gangs involved, but they had consistently failed to disclose the full details of the cases. Given the noble status of the perpetrators, one couldn’t help but worry about the possibility of backroom deals.

The problem with the royal family, on the other hand, had slowly emerged from the boiling public opinion on the star-net. As a symbol of AO balance, its gender-neutral line of succession was a testament to the compromise between alphas and omegas. Yet now, the Empire had gone a hundred years without an omega emperor.

This startling fact fermented rapidly on the star-net, gradually becoming a torrent of public opinion. Omegas pressured the royal family to make a decision befitting their status. Some alphas claimed this was a natural selection based on the physiological superiority of alphas, and that the omegas’ constant demand for equality was a desecration of fairness. Some alphas remained silent, while betas continued to watch the drama unfold from the sidelines.

It seemed everyone had overlooked one problem: the Empire had never had a beta emperor.

However, the extremely high proportion of alphas and omegas in the royal family could serve as objective evidence. A royal generation often had only one or two betas, or none at all. In comparison, with alphas and omegas being more comprehensively evolved and greater in number, it seemed understandable that they would be prioritized in the line of succession.

Of course, these were major affairs of the Empire, with countless hands pushing things in the shadows. If one were to look at each individual family in the Empire, the celebration meant a time for family reunion.

The Yun family was nothing compared to the Tang family, but it was actually a rather extensive and intricate clan. Due to the Empire’s emphasis on procreation, generations of reproduction had resulted in a complex web of relatives, reminding Yun Chuji of the clans of the Great Liang Dynasty.

But compared to those clans, the Yun family’s ties were not as close. Aside from gathering once during the celebration, they rarely contacted each other. The only connection beyond blood ties was that most Yun family members were rooted in academia, with their presence in many of the Empire’s universities.

Right now, Qin Wan was about to tell Yun Chuji about the Yun family gathering in a few days.

Qin Wan’s gaze swept over her much more mature alpha daughter, focusing on the wall of models. Her voice was gentle. “You’ve been in the spotlight on the star-net a lot lately. Many people might come and ask you all sorts of things at the gathering. Just answer as you see fit. Don’t force yourself just because they’re relatives.”

“Mm,” Yun Chuji replied. Remembering part of the reason she had come home, she thought it might be a good time to tell Qin Wan. “Jianxi and I are planning to get married.”

Qin Wan’s eyes widened, and she looked over in slight shock. “But you and her?”

Dating was one thing, but marriage was another. Marriage meant the permanent mark could not be removed, that their lives would be bound together for a long, long time.

But Yun Chuji and Tang Jianxi had known each other for three months at most, and their acquaintance had begun with an unspeakable tragedy. How could they have reached the point of marriage so quickly?

Just two months ago, Yun Chuji had been discussing with them the plan to have the permanent mark removed for Tang Jianxi in a year.

Yun Chuji knew what she left unsaid but didn’t know how to explain. The journey had been too convoluted. To explain it clearly and thoroughly would inevitably require revealing the whole truth. In the end, she could only tell half of it. “I’ve changed for the better, and Jianxi and I get along very well. We both recognize each other as a sufficiently excellent partner. Besides, with the permanent mark, marriage is a good way to conclude things, and I can take care of Jianxi in a more legitimate capacity.”

That still seemed too vague, lacking any strong proof. But she couldn’t easily reveal things like Glory or her transmigration. Yun Chuji thought of the rules of this world and continued, “Also, Jianxi and I have a very high pheromone compatibility rate.”

“How high?”

“Ninety-five percent.”

Qin Wan was silent for a moment.

Then she said, “I believe you’re serious now.”

Ninety-five percent was within the range where the Empire would enforce marriage. With such a high compatibility rate, the two of them had actually spent three months cultivating and adjusting their relationship.

If that wasn’t true love, what was?

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