Yun Chuji tried to calm herself down. For a soul to transmigrate once could be attributed to a whim of the gods or a glitch in the laws of physics. For it to happen again, and to a brother and sister no less, was a million times more unlikely than an ancestor rising from the dead.
But the very reason she could dismiss it as a delusion could also be the excuse to convince herself she had found the truth—
If she could exist here, then why not her elder brother?
“May I see a picture of Young Master Yun Xuan?” Yun Chuji’s voice was slightly hoarse. The joy and hope of finding someone from her own world completely captivated her—her origins could finally be confirmed, and she would have a true relative.
The silence from the back seat, followed by the sudden question, caught Qin Wan’s attention. She turned around, her smile as gentle as ever. “Xiao Ji, why the sudden interest in Yun Xuan? I remember you loved to bully him when you were little.”
Hearing this, Yun Chuwan also recalled the past and chimed in, “That’s right. During the festival celebrations when we were kids, you always loved to bully the pre-differentiated omegas among our relatives until they cried. I never thought you’d grow up to be so gentle.”
Yun Cheng gave a firm, serious nod that no one noticed.
Yun Chuji lowered her gaze, pinching her thumb with her index finger, and said softly, “Jianxi has changed me a lot.”
Yun Chuwan’s eyes lit up, clearly intrigued by the gossip-worthy details of this transformation. But a glance at her parents in the front seat quickly extinguished her enthusiasm. As a sensible and considerate daughter, she knew this wasn’t the right time or place to chat about the younger generation’s love lives, so she regretfully suppressed her curiosity.
Compared to Yun Chuji, Yun Chuwan, as a pre-differentiated omega, had a much better relationship with Yun Xuan. With a few taps on her device, she found Yun Xuan’s StarNet ID in her contact list and sent it to Yun Chuji.
Only after sending it did she realize something was off. “Didn’t you two see each other during last year’s festival? I remember Yun Xuan toasted you.”
Yun Chuji pressed her lips together, paused for a moment, then said, “After my secondary differentiation, many of my past memories have become a bit hazy. I don’t remember some of the less important people and events very clearly.”
“The name Yun Xuan is the same as an old acquaintance of mine.”
“Oh,” Yun Chuwan replied, then dismissed the matter. She adored the current Yun Chuji so much that she never entertained the thought that this might not be her sister, which was only natural.
The sunlight and the neon glow from the buildings filtered through the hover car’s windows, casting a hazy, dreamlike halo on everyone’s faces. In the front seat, her parents were discussing something in low voices. When their eyes met, they didn’t awkwardly look away like her parents from her previous life. They knew each other as well as they knew themselves. A cold, bitter feeling once again welled up in Yun Chuji’s heart, as unsettling as swallowing a shrimp that wasn’t quite dead.
The weight of another person’s destiny pressed heavily on her shoulders, bringing with it the continuous pain she had anticipated. But looking at this happy, harmonious family, Yun Chuji skillfully broke free from her suffering and gently praised her younger sister. The girl blushed with shy happiness, and they were just like any other pair of close sisters in the world.
Yun Chuji opened Yun Xuan’s StarNet social media profile. The avatar was a handsome young man with gentle features, a refined face, and a light smile on his thin lips.
He looked almost identical to her elder brother, except her brother was more masculine, with thicker eyebrows and a sharper gaze.
The posts and photos on his social media were even less like her brother. This man enjoyed cooking and makeup and had romantic fantasies about his future alpha. He liked alphas with blond hair and blue eyes, because they resembled the gods of mythology.
This person was not her elder brother.
But the social media profile hadn’t been updated in four months. The last post read: 【I’ve found my soulmate!】
The accompanying image was a magnificent portrait of a deity. The god had brilliant golden hair and stood naked amidst a crowd of men driven mad by his presence, a playful yet pitying smile on his face. This was a god from another civilization, one Yun Chuji knew nothing about. But through the god’s smile, combined with what Yun Chuwan had said about his royal connection, she thought she could guess who Yun Xuan’s mysterious lover was.
Yun Chuji slowly exhaled. If her elder brother had arrived in this world three months ago, just like her, where would he be now? With the Third Princess?
Recalling the information Tang Jianxi had given her, Yun Chuji’s heart trembled. If her brother had fallen into the hands of someone like that, with his pride, who knew how much he would suffer.
Besides, this world was so different from their previous one. To force her ever-dashing brother to submit to another… it was truly…
“Father, how much longer until we arrive?” Yun Chuji asked, a hint of urgency in her voice. Nothing was certain yet; only by seeing him in person would she know if it was her brother.
Yun Cheng glanced down and tapped the autopilot system’s control panel. “Forty minutes,” he replied.
Yun Chuji clenched her fists. Her tense aura was so palpable that even Yun Chuwan noticed something was wrong. She blinked in confusion, seeing Yun Chuji’s profile taut like a piece of cloth stretched to its limit.
It seemed her sister had a lot of secrets now.
Forty minutes passed in a flash. The hover car entered a manor. Compared to the Tang family’s fresh and elegant style, this manor screamed opulence from every corner. Three AI servants stood ready on every path. There was no trace of nature; the earth was hidden beneath dark, hard metal walkways, and the flowers and plants lining the paths were crafted from various expensive metals, their surfaces gleaming brilliantly in the twilight.
Directly ahead was a pure white house that reminded Yun Chuji of the imperial factories she had seen in pictures.
It looked more like a massive machine than a house.
The building defied all architectural norms. Each floor jutted out with a huge platform, like a monster sticking out its tongue.
Figures moved about on the platforms as AI robots delivered drinks and delicacies. People could move up and down the platforms at will; every section of the floor could split into a personal flight device, safely transporting guests wherever they wished to go.
The Yun family was awestruck by the display. As they stepped out of the hover car, Yun Chuwan looked left and right. Their family lived better than ninety percent of the empire’s population, but the scene before them was a life only those at the very pinnacle of the imperial pyramid could enjoy.
She let out a long “wow” and began to feel a premature sense of pity for her face-saving grandfather.
The manor’s owners stood at the entrance, impeccably dressed, greeting their guests. A circle of relatives chattered around them, the joy of their newfound status as elites perfectly reflected in every exaggerated accessory they wore.
Yun Chuji carefully examined the most important AO couple. They were two women. One of the female alphas resembled her father, but not enough to be mistaken for him.
She looked past them, searching the crowd of younger faces for the one she hoped to see.
But he wasn’t there.
By now, they had reached the entrance. The female alpha—or rather, Yun Chuji’s fifth aunt—greeted them with polite enthusiasm. “You’re finally here! It’s been so long. Look at Chuwan, she’s almost ready to differentiate.”
With the self-congratulatory air of a victor, the fifth aunt smiled and said, “Why isn’t Fourth Uncle here yet? He’s not still upset about not going to Star Grand this year, is he? Oh, I just thought, with our own manor, there’s so much space, everyone can have a better time. If Fourth Uncle is unhappy about anything, you must help me talk to him. We’re all part of the Yun family, after all.”
Even the worldly-unwise Yun Chuwan cringed at those words.
However, the old master’s efforts to cultivate high-level intellectuals had finally paid off. Yun Cheng’s stern face remained unchanged as he replied matter-of-factly, “Your assumption is meaningless, cousin. My father is not here. Blindly speculating about his emotions will only waste our own. Furthermore, inferring my father’s anger based solely on his arrival time is not strong evidence. There is no clear causal relationship.”
Seemingly realizing his response was a bit off, Yun Cheng tried to amend it. “…Of course, I will convey your concern to my father.”
A silence fell. It wasn’t a line one could easily respond to, and his attempt to salvage the conversation had been utterly useless.
After all, in terms of actual time spent together, though they all shared the surname Yun, the people here were practically strangers. They couldn’t even think of a common topic to change the subject to.
In the toe-curlingly awkward atmosphere, Qin Wan patted Yun Cheng’s hand and, smiling, offered the female alpha an out. “Thank you for your hospitality, cousin. This year’s celebration will surely be a memorable one.”
The tone gradually returned to normal, and insincere pleasantries once again became the main currency of conversation. The group chatted about everything from Yun Cheng’s work to Yun Chuwan’s studies, from her desired university to Qin Wan’s beauty routine, yet not a single word was directed at Yun Chuji, who stood off to the side.
Yun Chuji didn’t mind. Strictly speaking, she was a stranger to these people. Being spared the social obligations was a blessing for her.
But she had a question she needed to ask.
“Excuse me, where is Yun Xuan?”
The surroundings fell silent again.
It wasn’t a difficult question to answer.
But the person asking it made it difficult to answer.
Facing the evasive gazes of her relatives, and thinking of the true master of this manor, Yun Chuji understood everything.
As Tang Jianxi’s publicly acknowledged partner, her stance was naturally opposed to the alpha aristocracy, and even more so to the Third Princess. If not for the pressure of festival tradition and the desire to show off their status, Yun Xuan’s mother would never have wanted Yun Chuji to set foot here. She was too much trouble. If she angered the Third Princess or went around shouting that Yun Xuan was an alpha’s kept pet, just like those omegas currently being hotly debated across the empire, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Yun Chuji understood their concerns and realized the cold shoulder she’d just received was a warning. However, this question was far too important. She repeated it: “Excuse me, where is Young Master Yun Xuan?”
Another silence.
Finally, Yun Xuan’s omega mother spoke softly, “Xiao Xuan is with his lover. They’re in the honeymoon phase right now and can’t bear to be apart for a moment.”
A ripple of good-natured laughter went through the crowd.
Yun Chuji had her answer. She nodded, slightly disappointed, and decided not to say anything more. She understood these people didn’t want to hear her speak.
The female omega’s gentle voice continued in her ear: “Yes, they’re getting along so well. Xiao Xuan says he’s very happy.”
Yun Chuji turned to look at the impeccably dressed people gathered under the brilliant lights. Their faces were blurry, like a painting ruined by dampness.
Regardless of whether that Yun Xuan was her elder brother or not, Yun Chuji felt an inexplicable sense of ugliness and cruelty in the scene before her.
More omegas had died at the Third Princess’s hands than she had fingers.
As new guests arrived, the Yun family’s time for pleasantries came to an end.
They were shown to three adjacent rooms arranged for them. To ensure the family gathering went smoothly, Yun Chuji excused herself from the evening banquet, claiming she wasn’t feeling well. She stayed in her room and continued her work.
An AI brought her delicious food, but Yun Chuji still couldn’t taste anything. After eating, she glanced at her comm. Tang Jianxi had finally replied, her message echoing what Tang Ji had said.
Yun Chuji felt relieved, but not completely. She put down her pen and stared up at the intricately patterned ceiling, feeling a sense of unease. The complex design seemed to form a labyrinth. Her brother might be at the exit, or he might not be. And right now, there was no one around she could confide in.
At the same time, she worried for Tang Jianxi. If she, an alpha, received such a cold reception from relatives, what terrible malice would Tang Jianxi, an omega, have to endure?
These thoughts tangled into a knot in Yun Chuji’s mind. She had sent a message to Yun Xuan’s StarNet account, but there was still no reply. She didn’t know the true nature of his relationship with the princess, but this state of isolation from the outside world sparked some ominous speculations in her heart.
Just then, the doorbell chimed.
Yun Chuji opened the door. It was Qin Wan. From the look in her eyes, Yun Chuji could tell she wanted to talk.
She let Qin Wan in. Mother and daughter sat facing each other across the coffee table. After a long silence, Qin Wan said, “Xiao Ji, you’re a terrible actress.”
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