Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was the evening of Lan Yexing's third day in this otherworld, and his first at this aristocratic academy. He crouched behind the campus's massive sculpture fountain, peeking his head out to observe the scrawny, blue-eyed white kitten across from him.

The cool, fluorescent dial on his wrist flickered, emitting a low, mechanical electronic sound: "Target Qiao You will continue to pass by here on his way to the library in the evenings today and for the next week, 'coincidentally' encountering three kind Omegas who feed the white cat milk and dried fish."

"According to the data, Qiao You is a kind, enthusiastic, and sincere person, likely to take an interest in similarly kind people. Host, please prevent these three capture attempts from occurring."

Students bustled along the path by the fountain. The white cat was huddled tightly under the roadside flower bed, its ears flattened back like an airplane's wings, its body tense. A blue-eyed, curly gray-haired, exquisitely handsome boy knelt in front of it, first setting down two dishes, then placing milk and dried fish into them.

His figure was slender and his voice sweet: "Don't be shy, come eat, little cat."

Under the glow of the setting sun, this scene appeared even more idyllic and peaceful, attracting many tall students passing by, who looked at the Omega with admiring and appreciative eyes.

Lan Yexing watched the white cat, still tightly curled into a ball, then the boy feeding the cat as if no one else was there. He blinked and asked, "Is that the Omega you mentioned?"

He looked no different from the young human males he had known before.

The system was about to answer, but Lan Yexing had already risen and walked towards the flow of people. He quickly stopped under the drooping branches of the giant oak, leaned over, and patted the Omega's shoulder.

The Omega's body stiffened, and he turned around. When he met Lan Yexing's extremely handsome, harmless, and innocent smiling face, he let out an "Eh?" with a look of pure confusion: "You, you are..."

As he spoke, he looked at the bustling crowd, seemingly anxious to find or recognize someone.

Lan Yexing didn't answer the question. He simply squatted down beside the Omega with an easy familiarity, blocking the Omega's view.

As he got closer, he smelled a sweet black tea fragrance on the Omega, unlike perfume. This scent seemed to emanate directly from his skin.

Lan Yexing: Is this what they call... an Omega?

He didn't pay much mind to this detail, and naturally started a new topic: "You're so kind, classmate, feeding stray cats."

The Omega's face flushed with a touch of guilt. He awkwardly averted his gaze, stammering "I, I" for what felt like a long time without saying anything else.

Lan Yexing didn't call him out. He glanced at the white cat and said, "But it probably can't hear you."

The naive Omega was indeed easily led, tilting his head and asking sweetly, "Eh? Why?"

Lan Yexing: "Blue-eyed white cats are very likely to have genetic defects, and typically have hearing impairments. Furthermore," he pointed to the milk carton and dried fish snack bag in the boy's hand, his expression very gentle and harmless, "cats are lactose intolerant; drinking milk will cause gastrointestinal upset and make them lose even more weight. Also, these dried fish for human consumption are too salty and contain too many additives, which will strain the cat's kidneys. It's generally not recommended for cats."

Omega: "Ah, I'm sorry, my family forbids owning cats. I, I didn't know that—"

Lan Yexing suggested, with apparent thoughtfulness: "Why not buy some cat food and canned food and come back tomorrow to feed it?"

The Omega thought it made perfect sense. After all, the person he was waiting for would be passing by here on the way to Library 1 for the next week.

So he politely thanked Lan Yexing, then left with an innocent and joyful expression. As he stood up, Lan Yexing inadvertently saw the gleaming golden griffin emblem on his chest, with a red crescent moon held in the griffin's mouth.

Lan Yexing resignedly went to collect the dishes the Omega had left behind.

Having successfully resolved the first capture attempt since arriving in this world, he breathed a sigh of relief after tidying up and looked at the pitiful white cat, which had almost curled into a ball.

The system then chimed in: "It is recommended that the host take it away."

There was only one cat straying around the sculpture fountain. Taking away the object of the scheme meant solving the remaining two capture attempts at once.

Lan Yexing had already thought of this. He got up and walked towards the starving white cat, and before it could bristle and run away, he swiftly and accurately scooped it up and put it into the canvas bag he carried with him.

Turning his back to the crowd, he took out his phone to search for nearby pet hospitals. Suddenly, he stopped short, then turned around to look at the crowd:

The ornate streetlights on campus had already lit up, and students in expensive uniforms, radiating youthful energy, were still coming and going. No one noticed him—after all, the system said that this world had six genders, and he, as a transmigrator, was classified as a male beta who was completely unremarkable.

But just now...

System: "What's wrong?"

Lan Yexing shrugged: "Nothing, it must have been an illusion."

Somehow, he felt a very strong, noticeable gaze linger on him for a moment.

But this was his first day at this aristocratic academy. He had spent the entire day going through the enrollment process and busy interfering with this capture attempt according to the system's instructions. He hadn't had a chance to meet any classmates, including the target individual, so it was impossible for anyone to pay special attention to him.

Lan Yexing didn't dwell on it. He stretched, then, carrying the canvas bag, walked towards the campus exit.

This aristocratic academy was a private boys' school, and students were strictly forbidden from working part-time or leaving campus during non-holiday periods. If they needed to go out for off-campus internships or practical training, they had to apply for a permission pass from the relevant college leadership.

When Lan Yexing first learned this information, he had inwardly complained about the strong sense of incongruity and strangeness of such a school: for example, it's a university, yet they still separate students by gender? What's the point of having a boys' school when there are six genders?

And for another example, although it has an aristocratic title, it's still a university. Boarding is one thing, but they forbid students from leaving? Students at a university, a crucial stage for developing a mature personality and social relationships, would be stunted if they were confined like this for four years!

He had checked; other universities in this world were not like this. Only this university was special.

However, its geographical location was excellent. The district it was in was separated from the Royal Palace by a river. Although its establishment time was relatively short and many majors had not yet developed, its facilities, software, and faculty were exceptionally strong. Various prominent families that had established cooperative relationships with the school offered very generous scholarships and benefits. Therefore, even though the school's peculiar system caused much controversy, a great many excellent students from common backgrounds gathered here.

Lan Yexing never overlooked these incongruities, but he didn't obsess over them either.

Arriving near the school gate, he looked up at the ornate iron fence.

System: "Although there are no surveillance cameras nearby, climbing over the wall to leave school is against the rules."

Lan Yexing said nonchalantly, "I always follow the rules." As he spoke, he nimbly scaled the fence and vaulted over: "But for me, there are many things that come before rules."

Successfully left school.

...

The school was located in Xingdu District, the city's central district. The streets outside the school were lined with ancient oak trees over a hundred years old. The buildings opposite were in the same Baroque style as those on campus. Due to the school's closed nature, there were few pedestrians, and the entire street had a quaint, quiet, and solemn atmosphere.

Lan Yexing stood by the road and hailed a taxi, taking the cat to the nearest pet hospital.

After giving the cat a basic physical examination and deworming, he bought some cat food, canned food, and daily necessities for cats. Then he took another taxi to a detached villa a few streets away from the school.

When he first transmigrated to this otherworld, he woke up in this villa. After learning about the situation from the system, the system told him that this villa now belonged to him and he could use it freely.

The villa was in a good location, warmly and comfortably decorated, enough for him to live in very comfortably alone. During non-holiday periods, he would live and study at the school. With this villa, he would have a place to return to during holidays.

Entering the villa, the lights came on. Lan Yexing placed the cat carrier he bought from the hospital on the soft carpet in the living room. The cat was huddled inside, looking like a scrawny furball. Its dark pupils were wide with tension as it stared at Lan Yexing, showing no intention of coming out.

Lan Yexing didn't mind. He quickly cleared an area in the living room for the cat, put clean warm water and cat food in a ceramic cat bowl, and prepared a litter box and a scratching post. Then, he spread the newly bought cashmere blanket on the sofa for the cat to knead and sleep in.

Finally, after checking the windows in the house, he half-squatted in front of the cat carrier again, looking at it gently and calmly.

Even though he knew it couldn't hear him, Lan Yexing spoke: "Pets are not allowed in the dorms, so I can only keep you here."

"The doctor said you're three months old. You need to take good care of yourself. I'll come back once every day."

The cat remained cautiously bristling. Lan Yexing didn't mind. He got up briskly and left the villa.

After going out, he was about to hail a taxi at the intersection to return to school when he saw someone also coming out of the neighboring villa.

It was a gentlemanly old man with silver hair, wearing a monocle and an old-fashioned tailcoat, so particular that he wore immaculate white gloves.

Under the light of the wall lamp, he was struggling to lift a heavy Corgi, seemingly to walk the dog.

Lan Yexing looked at the steps beneath his feet and understood: the gates of the villas here were all recessed arch designs, with several steps leading up to the porch. And dogs climbing too many steps could easily fracture bones or even become paralyzed, so dog owners who loved their dogs would generally pick them up when encountering steps.

The old man seemed to be having trouble today; he couldn't lift the dog no matter what.

Lan Yexing had a good impression of people who cared for pets. Without much hesitation, he went over to the old man next door: "I'll help you carry it down."

The old man was startled by the sudden appearance of the young man and smiled: "It's true that you can't fight old age. I could still lift it yesterday. Then I'll trouble you."

Lan Yexing nodded, picked up the dog, which wasn't shy at all, and carefully placed it at the bottom of the steps.

The old man looked at the uniform the young man was wearing, and his smile became even more benevolent: "You're also a student at Xingdu University, aren't you? My young master also studies there." He didn't point out that the young man was violating school rules.

Lan Yexing smiled and hummed in acknowledgment, not continuing the topic, but simply said, "What will you do when you come back from walking the dog?"

Old man: "It's fine, it's fine. I'll have someone pick me up when I come back. Thank you so much, classmate."

Lan Yexing politely said "You're welcome," then bid farewell to the old man and returned to school.

...

The school dorms had an 8 PM curfew. Lan Yexing barely made it into his department's dorm building just before the deadline.

He ascended the magnificent and tiring spiral staircase to the second floor, stopped in front of room 210, marked with an iron plaque at the end of the corridor, took out his key, and mentally prepared a polite and sincere self-introduction.

The dorms here were double rooms, so he should have a roommate.

He had actually come to the dorm once today to settle his luggage. His roommate must have been in class then, so they hadn't met.

Since they would be living together for a long time, Lan Yexing really wanted to get along well with the other person.

He paused, as if thinking of something, and asked the system in a low voice, "Do you know my roommate?" Could it be another capture target?

The system replied, "Your roommate is a commoner Omega student from your department, not interested in the target—"

Lan Yexing relaxed, deftly inserted the key into the lock, and gently turned it.

The moment he pushed open the soundproof door, a thick, cloying scent of roses mixed with choking tobacco smoke rushed towards him, almost making Lan Yexing faint on the spot. He instantly remembered the pheromone scent emitted by AO during their susceptible period, which the system had explained to him when he first woke up.

And now, amidst these choking smells, there was also a pleading voice, both rejecting and sweet: "No, don't do this... please, just give me a temporary mark, or an inhibitor..."

"Please, please don't continue. My, my roommate has already arrived today. He, he'll see when he comes back..."

Then another man's disdainful and arrogant voice rang out: "Heh, what are you, a lowly creature, playing hard to get for? Don't forget you begged me to come."

Lan Yexing, frozen at the open door: "???" What's going on?!

The system's light voice finally arrived late: "—However, the alpha who has an intimate relationship with your roommate is one of the capture targets who is determined to get Qiao You. Host, please prevent all capture events related to him in the future."

Lan Yexing: "..."