Chapter 6

Chapter 6

006

A Tripartite Interrogation

Chu Li thought to himself, he didn't know what 'rut' meant before, but now he did.

As for what kind of mark it was... Chu Li truthfully answered, "I don't know."

"You! Looking at your expression, do you still think this is something to be proud of?!"

Chu Deyue roared again. Chu Li had completely lost his patience and asked, "What exactly do you want? If it's the final mark, are you going to take me to the hospital to remove it?"

Chu Deyue was instantly speechless. Removing the mark would cost a fortune, and they weren't about to spend that kind of money. All their talk was just to make Chu Li admit that he was wrong, to realize that it was shameful and promiscuous for an Omega to be marked by a stranger.

This way, they could put Chu Li down even further.

In reality, Chu Li's status at home was already low enough, but for some reason, he was pushing back against them with every word today.

At the mention of the mark cleansing, the family fell silent. Zhu Wei, unable to save face, tugged at Chu Deyue, who returned to his previous seat.

Clearing her throat, Zhu Wei said, "Little Li, we don't blame you at all. It's just that... this matter isn't ideal. We have more than one Omega in our family. Heyang has just undergone an Alpha-Beta match with someone else. If others were to find out that another Omega from our family has been... ahem, behaving recklessly and was marked by an unknown Alpha, they'd surely think poorly of our family's morals."

"I understand that you didn't mean to get marked, but the fact remains. There's no way to explain it to others. Our suggestion is... um, you should stay at home for now and avoid going out as much as possible. The longer we can keep this under wraps, the better. Ideally, until Heyang's match results are out. At that time, we won't interfere with where you choose to go."

Despite the intricate delivery, Chu Li grasped the meaning.

Chu Heyang was participating in some sort of pheromone matching, and they found it disgraceful that Chu Li had been marked while engaging in promiscuous activities. They wanted him to stay hidden at home temporarily to avoid affecting Chu Heyang's match. Once the matching process was over, he could leave wherever he pleased, as the family would likely no longer want him.

Chu Li agreed promptly, "Alright, I won't leave the house these few days. Not even my room door. You can bring my meals to my room."

His sudden compliance after his earlier defiance caught Zhu Wei off guard.

Seizing the moment of their astonishment, Chu Li asked, "Is that all? Can I return to my room now?"

Still dazed, Zhu Wei replied, "Yes... you may."

Without hesitation, Chu Li turned and walked away.

He had no idea how the original owner managed to survive in this family, but judging from the current situation, the original owner held feelings for them. However, they didn't treat him as family at all.

The saddest thing in the world was when you regarded someone as kin, trusted them, cared about them, only to have them not care about you in the slightest, belittling and hurting you at will.

No wonder the original owner couldn't endure it and chose to escape.

The original owner had given Chu Li his body, practically his life. He had no right to judge the original owner's choices. But since he was here now, he wouldn't let these people who didn't care about him hurt him.

The reason he agreed to Zhu Wei's request was that he had just arrived and didn't understand the situation yet. He needed a temporary place to stay while he gathered information.

Once he understood everything, he would leave without needing Zhu Wei or the others to ask him to.

Back in his room, the kitten that had forcefully squeezed in earlier was still crouched by the bed. Upon seeing him, it tilted its head and licked its paws contentedly.

Seeing this scene, the previously resolute Chu Li couldn't help feeling a sourness in his heart. He wasn't sure if he was feeling sorry for the original owner or if it was the body he now inhabited that was grieving. Regardless, he felt uneasy, weighed down by emotions.

Chu Li approached the tabby cat and embraced it, nestling it in his arms. He whispered, "If my family were like you, how wonderful that would be."

"Miao?" The kitten tilted its head and meowed, the pitch rising at the end, expressing its confusion.

Afraid that Zhu Wei and the others might hear, Chu Li quickly covered the kitten's mouth, saying, "Don't meow, or they'll kick you out."

He didn't think that the Zhu family would tolerate him keeping a cat.

"Meow." The kitten seemed to understand and let out a quieter meow.

Chu Li couldn't help but laugh.

He rubbed the kitten's head and said, "I can let you stay here until dark, but after that, you have to leave. Take a nap; I need to read something."

He placed the kitten on the bed and walked towards the bookshelf himself.

The original owner was a very gentle and meticulous person. Everything on the bookshelf was neatly categorized. Chu Li found several diaries, which recorded the original owner's life from the time he learned how to write.

It took Chu Li an entire day to finish reading all of them.

Only then did he realize that the original owner had grown up in an orphanage. At the age of eight, due to genetic testing results indicating a high probability of him becoming an Alpha, he was adopted by the Chu family.

At that time, Chu Heyang was already four years old, and during his medical examination, it was clearly visible through an X-ray that he had a reproductive cavity, revealing him to be an Omega. Knowing this, Zhu Wei wanted to adopt an Alpha, hoping that when they grew up, the Alpha older brother could protect his younger Omega brother.

In this world, there were no rules forbidding childless families from adopting. Thus, the original host was brought to the Chu family with the hope that he would genuinely protect his younger brother. Zhu Wei and Chu Deyue treated him kindly and from the very beginning instilled in him the notion that "had they not adopted you, you wouldn't know where you'd end up, so you should be eternally grateful." They also drilled into his head that "Omegas are fragile, your brother needs protection," and "as an older brother, it's your duty to unconditionally care for your younger sibling."

At eight years old, the original host didn't know right from wrong. Whatever ideas his parents taught him, he accepted as gospel. Whatever they said, he listened.

He genuinely tried his best to protect his brother, always giving him the best food and toys first. Even without the strength boost of an Alpha before his own maturity, he instinctively stood in front, shielding his brother. On outings, he wouldn't even let his brother carry heavy objects.

Living in this family until he turned sixteen, on his sixteenth birthday, the original host underwent his maturity phase.

To everyone's shock, he matured into an Omega. The Alpha who had been protecting his brother was now an Omega competing for resources with him. The Chu family found this unacceptable, and their attitude toward him shifted abruptly. They criticized him harshly, as if becoming an Omega was an unforgivable sin.

From a young age, the protagonist had sincerely regarded this family as his own, trusting and relying on them. It was unbearable for him to accept that they suddenly turned cold towards him. He spent endless nights pondering if he was somehow at fault.

The more he pondered, the deeper his agony.

Until recently, he had visited the nearby Omega Academy with his younger brother, where he encountered a person named Shu Chenghang.

Shu Chenghang is an Alpha, born into wealth and influence, and someone Chu Heyang has feelings for. Yet, it so happens that Shu Chenghang has set his sights on the original protagonist, persistently pursuing him despite repeated rejections.

This further intensified the original owner's family conflicts.

During a school-organized pheromone screening, it was discovered that Shu Chengxing and Chu Heyang had a compatibility rate of ninety-nine percent.

In this world, the threshold for marriage between Alphas and Omegas was fifty percent. Anything above that indicated a compatible match suitable for marriage, while anything below might lead to various complications.

The highest recorded compatibility among an Alpha-Omega couple was the current Emperor and Empress of the Empire. They were a male Alpha-female Omega pair with a staggering ninety-five percent compatibility.

Their record-breaking match, combined with their loving relationship, set the gold standard for affection within the Alpha-Omega community.

Highly compatible Alpha-Omega pairs were more likely to produce exceptional offspring.

Shu Chengxing and Chu Heyang's compatibility turned out to be ninety-nine percent.

Just one point shy of a perfect match.

In recorded history, there had never been a pair of Alpha and Omega with full compatibility.

Such an extraordinary compatibility naturally drew the attention of the Shu family, who promptly contacted Zhu Wei, requesting another pheromone test. If the high compatibility was confirmed, they would arrange an engagement for the two children.

As a result, the original owner, who had been pursued by Shu Chengxing, became an even greater obstacle and thorn in Chu Heyang's side.

After reading all the diaries, Chu Li's heart felt even heavier, as if weighed down by a massive stone, causing a stifling sensation.

He had been leaning against the desk for too long, his body now stiff. He stretched his arms and, with mixed emotions, set the diary down.

The cat, curled up on the bed, sensed his movement. Its pricked-up ears perked up quickly, and upon confirming the noise, it immediately leaped into Chu Li's embrace.

Chu Li had never seen such an affectionate kitten before. It was fortunate that the cat was there to accompany him; otherwise, being alone in this small room, reading such content, would have been utterly overwhelming.

Running his fingers through the kitten's soft, smooth fur, Chu Li sighed, "How wicked must a family be to do something like this? To manipulate a child who trusted them from birth, telling him that becoming an Omega is utterly shameful, making him feel as though he owes the world just for living."

A family's influence on a child is immense, and parents hold an even higher position. A simple word from them can impose unimaginable pressure on their child.

The original owner genuinely regarded this place as his home. With his parents treating him in such a manner, he didn't even have the chance to resist before being crushed by their verbal blows.

Again and again in his diary, he mentioned that he shouldn't have become an Omega. In his darkest moments, he even questioned his right to live.

His diaries were detailed, revealing that Chu Li could see he had consistently rejected Shu Chenghang not because of dislike, but because he believed himself unworthy. He likened himself to a rat scurrying through gutters, while Shu Chenghang was an ordinary person. For him to like someone like Chu Li was considered 'abnormal.'

The more Chu Li thought about it, the more he wanted to rush outside and punch each person there.

Yet, reflecting on his current situation, with not a single coin to his name, he realized that if he left this house, he'd be begging on the streets the very next day. This thought made him hold back.

Author's Note:

For those who want the cat to sit by the window, you should know that cats don't just sit there; they meow incessantly, sometimes every dozen minutes or so.

Now, the big cat doesn't meow much anymore. She only comes to find me before going out at night, informing me that she's leaving. The little kitten visits both during the day and night. At night, instead of sleeping, it dashes around wildly on my bed, QWQ. Eventually, I have no choice but to chase it out due to its incessant annoyance.