When Tang Jianxi arrived at the hotel Yun Chuji had booked, she found her chatting with Lucia.
One had to admit, although the Empress had driven Lucia from the Imperial Capital Star overnight, she had once been the heir apparent in reserve. She still had some power at her disposal.
Just as Lucia was fuming over Emile’s stupid face, her intelligence personnel informed her that Yun Chuji and Tang Jianxi had come to Golden Phoenix Star. This was during the celebration, a time when nearly everyone in the Empire wanted to be on the Imperial Capital Star to watch the royal family wave to them amidst a sky full of bauhinia flowers. In such an atmosphere, even Emile’s annoying long face had won the hearts of many foolish omegas.
That kind of treatment used to be reserved for her!
Lucia shook the image of Emile from her mind, not wanting the idiot to ruin her important business.
She carefully considered Tang Jianxi’s purpose in coming to Golden Phoenix Star.
What could she possibly be here to do?
She had just caused a huge stir on the Imperial Capital Star, trampling the Lin family’s reputation into the dust. Could it be that she still wasn’t satisfied?
Lucia hadn’t forgotten that she still bore the unfortunate title of Glory’s leader. This quiet woman, Tang Jianxi, was far more radical than Clarence, who sang of justice like a beautiful song. Lucia couldn’t help but suspect she was here for her, yet she also felt Tang Jianxi couldn’t be that foolish.
After all, her punishment had been approved by Chu Meng. Tang Jianxi wouldn’t go so far as to overthrow her own backer for the sake of some irrelevant omegas. Besides, if she dared to touch her, the royal family would not be swallowing their anger as they were now.
Fortunately, she still had an inside source.
Tang Jianxi probably never dreamed that the person sharing her bed was the very type of alpha she despised most. A smile touched Lucia’s lips as she thought about it. Omegas were just that kind of creature; no matter how heartless they claimed to be, they still needed an alpha.
Every omega Lucia had ever met was no exception. She sighed softly and crushed the wine glass in her hand.
So, for something destined to be an appendage, what was wrong with it becoming a commodity?
To ensure this inside source fulfilled her proper value—and didn’t end up like that bastard Johansen, who was discovered by his omega and turned traitor at the slightest hint of torture—Lucia went to some trouble. Honestly, it was only when these omegas hated someone that they became even remotely worthy of notice. She had erased all traces of Yun Chuji from Glory’s records. She even cleaned up the mess from the omegas Yun Chuji had greedily purchased, attributing them to one of her loyal subordinates.
Now, she was the only person in the world who knew Yun Chuji’s true identity. This meant that as long as Yun Chuji hadn’t grown bold enough to betray her after seeing her downfall, she should still be her leader.
And if she had turned traitor, that was fine too.
She had heard, after all, that the omegas of Spartacus were experts at torturing alphas.
Using a virtual account, Lucia sent a message to Yun Chuji’s private StarNet number.
【The cage belongs to my lover】
Yun Chuji replied quickly: 【Glory belongs to my scepter】
【Is Tang Jianxi with you?】
【No, she went to the resettlement area to visit those omegas.】
【Hah, what a hypocrite.】
【Yes, what a hypocrite!】
Yun Chuji did her best to imitate the original owner’s devotion to the Third Princess. After all, she still didn’t know what was going on with Yun Xuan, nor was she aware of what other tricks Lucia might have up her sleeve regarding Glory. According to Tang Jianxi, the number of people they had caught so far was only a third of the total scale of the trafficking operation.
Lucia: 【?】
Yun Chuji: 【I am flattering you.】
Lucia: 【…】
Lucia: 【There’s no need.】
Yun Chuji: 【Ah, alright.】
Lucia: 【…】
Lucia: 【Why is Tang Jianxi on Golden Phoenix Star?】
Yun Chuji: 【She wants me to do a live stream.】
Lucia: 【Has the Tang family gone bankrupt?】
Yun Chuji: 【No, she wants me to talk about A-Virtue on the StarNet.】
Lucia: 【What is that?】
Yun Chuji: 【It’s a course that teaches alphas how to be good homemakers.】
Lucia looked up the meaning of “good homemakers.” A moment later—
Lucia: 【Have you betrayed me?】
Yun Chuji: 【No, I’m trying to win Tang Jianxi’s trust. She likes alphas who can help her.】
Lucia: 【…Report Tang Jianxi’s movements to me at all times.】
Yun Chuji: 【Are you planning to?】
Lucia: 【I’m just guarding against that mad dog, Tang Jianxi.】
Yun Chuji: 【Oh, okay.】
Yun Chuji: 【By the way, when I went home this time, my family told me that my cousin, Yun Xuan, is your lover. It seems Your Highness and I are truly bound by fate.】
Lucia frowned, thinking to herself that for an S-rank, this alpha was terrible at reading the room. She quickly typed back: 【If you don’t know how to flatter, then don’t. Just remember to keep a close watch on Tang Jianxi, and don’t let her find out that I’m contacting you.】
Just then, Tang Jianxi returned. Yun Chuji showed her the light screen. The last message on it was Lucia’s instruction for Yun Chuji to be wary of Tang Jianxi.
Tang Jianxi found the scene quite amusing.
She wondered which would make Lucia angrier: the day she discovered her prized S-rank prospect was a double agent, or the day she found out Glory had been dismantled by her.
Yun Chuji, however, was a little troubled. “How can I discreetly get the Third Princess to agree to let Yun Xuan and me meet?”
Upon entering, Tang Jianxi seemed to lose all her bones, leaning against Yun Chuji. She took her wrist and began to play with it, her long, slender fingers stroking it here and there as if caressing a piece of jade. “Just ask her directly,” she said. “The social etiquette of alphas is to be straightforward.”
“But what if she thinks I have ulterior motives…”
“My dear, don’t you have ulterior motives?” Tang Jianxi chuckled softly, her finger tracing the palm of her lover’s hand. “But you do need to see him, and the sooner the better. In that case, it’s better to be direct. Even if a problem arises, we’ll just solve it. Trust me, for an omega, there’s nothing worse than being by the Third Princess’s side.”
Yun Chuji hesitated for a few seconds, then quickly sent the message: 【May I see Yun Xuan?】
Lucia: 【Why?】
Yun Chuji thought for a moment, then replied: 【I want to see how you treat omegas.】
Lucia: 【Ha, right. Spending all your time with that Tang Jianxi has probably made you go soft.】
Lucia: 【I’ll arrange it for you.】
Yun Chuji: 【Thank you.】
Yun Chuji turned off her light screen and let out a breath. She turned her head to ask Tang Jianxi, “Are Helen and the others okay?”
Remembering the strange atmosphere she had witnessed between the two, Tang Jianxi pouted slightly and mumbled, “Not really.”
Her hand slid from Yun Chuji’s palm back to her wrist, then slowly up the curve of her arm to her shoulder, before her fingers found and pinched her ear. “Winona is acting a little strange. She looks like she’s in a lot of pain.”
Yun Chuji tilted her head to make it easier for Tang Jianxi to rub her ear, agreeing, “It’s obvious. I don’t know what’s wrong between them, especially since they’ve finally gotten together.”
“Perhaps it’s because they’re together that it’s painful,” Tang Jianxi sighed. The ear in her hand was already turning red, but she continued to rub it, seemingly unaware, as she analyzed the situation. “What is lost is lost forever, but what is gained brings the fear of losing it again. People are all like that.”
Hearing this, Yun Chuji’s expression turned disapproving. When it came to the omega she had picked up, she had a certain intuitive understanding. “I don’t know about others, but Winona isn’t like that. If Winona is in pain, it must be because she wants to make Helen happy.”
“But she can’t give her that kind of happiness.”
The light was a dim yellow, the alpha before her was serious, and her thoroughly reddened ear was also serious.
Tang Jianxi pursed her lips into a smile, then leaned up and kissed that ear.
“Mm, I think you have a point.”
“So, what kind of happiness is it?”
Yun Chuji raised a hand to cover her ear, then quickly lowered it. Faced with Tang Jianxi’s question, she mused, “Probably a life free of worries.”
That was what Helen had sacrificed for her, and what she would continue to sacrifice for the rest of her life.
Tang Jianxi’s expression flickered. Then she collapsed completely onto Yun Chuji, who caught her just in time. The two of them pressed their soft bodies close together on the plush sofa.
The warm, sweet fragrance of the omega drifted to Yun Chuji’s nose. It was a familiar scent, Tang Jianxi’s favorite perfume, said to be extracted from a type of wood called huachi on Qinglan Star.
From a distance, it carried a coolness like the sea. But up close, especially close enough for skin to touch skin, it reminded one of their favorite candy from childhood.
Mmm, freshly made malt candy.
Yun Chuji quietly took a sniff.
Nestled in her arms, Miss Tang’s voice was muffled, as if she had remembered something sad. She rested her face against Yun Chuji’s chest, close to the softness and the beat of life, and her whole being seemed to relax. “They’ll end up together, won’t they?”
Yun Chuji couldn’t resist stroking the beautiful line of Tang Jianxi’s spine, her voice gentle. “I don’t know.”
“Tsk, then recite a poem for me.”
The person petting the cat smiled, then said, “Alright.”
Meanwhile, Lucia scrutinized the black-haired, black-eyed omega before her. He stubbornly maintained his disdainful demeanor. Sometimes, Lucia wondered if his scorn was just a ploy to get her attention. After all, for a plaything, he had remained by her side for an unusually long time.
But what did it matter?
She enjoyed it, anyway.
And for a plaything, that was all that was required to be adequate.
“You have a sister named Yun Chuji?” Lucia maintained the royal habit of elocution, using several complex words for a simple sentence.
At that, the omega, who had been existing like a hot, dead thing, suddenly seemed to be injected with life by a demon. He stared straight at Lucia and said, trembling, “You have news of her?”
“Oh, you care about her?” Lucia was unruffled. She sat in a large chair, her straight, powerful legs resting lazily on the floor.
Yun Xuan replied, “She is my sister.”
Lucia made an exaggerated gesture, her lake-blue eyes narrowing dangerously. “My dear, this is the first time you’ve said so much to me.”
“If you let me see her, I will say even more.”
Lucia was silent for a moment, a faint smile on her face. She stood up and walked toward Yun Xuan step by step, sighing. “Alright, I promise you.”
“But I still prefer you when you don’t talk much.”
She slowly leaned close to Yun Xuan’s ear and whispered suggestively, “It makes me want to fuck you more.”
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