Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Xie Hantang silently scrolled through the forum thread, which had already escalated to thousands of replies, finding it increasingly familiar. "Are there many people in this world without scent glands?"

[Checked. Not many. Currently, there's only one publicly known and named online... oh, plus you, that makes two.]

Xie Hantang glanced through the lengthy forum thread again. "Are there many people who know how to blend perfumes?"

[...There's no specific data to support that. Perfume blending isn't popular in the interstellar world. If you're asking about people who know mecha, then there are definitely many*.]

Xie Hantang clicked on the avatar of the user on the 5th floor, who had been stubbornly arguing from start to finish with inexplicable debating power, and finally saw their forum registration information.

Unlike him, a newcomer, this user had been active on the forum for five years, an old-timer with veteran status. Their earliest posts could even be traced back to the forum's inception.

"Username: O-Cutest

Gender: Confidential

Self-introduction: Been on 99 blind dates, finally met my dream Alpha. Currently pursuing, not available, thanks. Please don’t disturb me～

Pet Peeves: Hate Alpha supremacy, don’t ask me about mecha—I don’t get it, not joining the Resistance, not anti-Alpha—

Hobbies: Cooking, baking, perfume appreciation, makeup…"

Xie Hantang carefully noted down all this information. He never expected that what he’d been searching for far and wide would come to him without any effort! Weren’t these the very pet peeves and hobbies of that Omega he’d been dreaming about!?

Yes, Xie Hantang had already vaguely guessed who this person was. In fact, he had just caught a glimpse of them strolling around the cabin before returning inside.

Xie Hantang treasured this information like a priceless find, even forgetting his original purpose for joining the forum. His mind was now completely filled with—

What a great opportunity to learn more about Xu Xu!

After all, some preferences and dislikes Jiang Shixu wouldn’t show openly, but this forum was mostly genuine. Setting aside some performative personalities, this was the only chance he had found to get closer to the other’s inner thoughts.

Xie Hantang directly checked the user’s post history. For some reason, they had no intention of hiding anything. However, after seeing a long list of Omega friends, Xie Hantang could more or less guess something.

The earliest post was from five years ago, when the user first joined the forum, with a thread titled:

"Why can we already determine ABO types even before differentiation?"

[Haha, you can basically guess based on preferences. Also, it’s actually tested and accurate, unless there’s secondary differentiation. It’s not impossible for an Omega to differentiate into an Alpha or vice versa, but the probability is too low.]

……

There were many lengthy threads after that, likely because the forum was still new, and it was clear that Omegas were the majority.

"Is this forum mostly Omegas?"

He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but the more he looked, the more he felt he had clicked on the wrong forum.

[...Ah, that’s how it is. Alphas are mostly concentrated in the mecha forum next door. Few Alphas browse the pheromone forum, though recently there seem to be more. The forum’s audience has grown.]

Xie Hantang understood. He continued reading the posts. Sometimes, he could even relate to the posts Jiang Shixu made, such as his curiosity about why he was a Female Soldier while others were of different genders.

After exiting that thread and looking again, Xie Hantang realized that Jiang Shixu wasn’t much of a poster. After lurking for three years, they only started posting frequently last year.

"How did you meet your dream Alpha on a blind date?"

"Is it because my Omega ranking isn’t high enough? Why do they always pick and choose with me."

"...Recent blind dates have been kinda gross. Their looks make me uncomfortable."

"What happens if an Omega stays single?"

"That new custom android store opened recently. Sisters, I’ll try it out first and make a thread if it works well～"

The posts seemed to suddenly stop, with countless people waiting for updates underneath. Just when Xie Hantang thought there were almost no more posts, he discovered that in the past few days, countless new threads had exploded:

"Sorry～ Haven’t been online for a while. So many of you waiting for me, no need to add me. I’m not joining the Resistance, not into mecha, and not planning to earn military merits in the army... though I still support you all (fighting emoji)"

"Suddenly back because I met someone interesting."

"Androids... well, how should I put it? They’re okay to look at, but better to find an Alpha."

"He’s handsome, tall with long legs, age... not too old? His profile age is similar to mine, older or younger? Why ask though (shy emoji)"

"A sweet Alpha who can make little cakes"

"Who says he’s not fierce? He pinned that blind date of mine to the ground in a flash, so cool! But he seems a bit scheming. The last time I saw someone this scheming was my bestie’s bestie."

"Who says I’m infatuated? This is called the probation period, got it? Being love-struck is a no-no. So far, pretty satisfied though."

"Tricked him into coming home. Let’s ignore the little detail of bailing midway."

"You want me to livestream? Sure, but it’s my first relationship, might crash and burn. Searched for strategies, but... not sure why, feels like they don’t apply to him. (Reaching out tentative feelers emoji)"

"What superstition about avatars... his avatar is really weird, I don’t get it. Looks like the big diamond in my family’s high-end underground vault. Hmm... just gives off a really expensive vibe."

"Who says a soft Alpha who can cook doesn’t know mecha! He’s super awesome in Star Sea!"

"What? Infatuated? Not happening—ahhhh why is my family back?"

"Met. The. Parents."

"Got taken away by Dad. Should I follow, follow, follow..."

"An excellent Omega knows how to run away from home."

"First rebellion."

"Something happened, but we reunited smoothly. When he’s around, I don’t think I’ve cooked even once (cat sighing emoji)"

"Heat cycle arrived."

"...What? Intimate stuff? Think too much. A rebellious Omega can only love their inhibitor (dog head emoji)"

"Not sure if he’s weird or I’m weird. Last time, he half-kneeled to give me a muzzle, then locked it in the safe right after. (Hmph)"

"He seems kinda pitiful. He only has me."

"Boo hoo."

"Making him a big cake tomorrow."

"Woke up late. He made the meal anyway. I’ll owe him for now."

"Went shopping, checked in."

"The doctor said he doesn’t know common sense."

"...Should I tell him that room really isn't soundproof at all~ dodododo^w^ I heard everything"

"He's probably about to get promoted to Major General. Should I bring some good food to bribe the big boss? Not sure if it’d hurt his pride though."

"We moved spots, and he gave me another gift—such a beautiful butterfly. Does that mean he’s a little interested too?"

"It kinda feels like a honeymoon"

……

There weren’t many posts after that, and what made Xie Hantang especially happy was—

More than half of them were related to him, which confirmed his earlier suspicion: Xu Xu really did have feelings for him, and he was still in the "probation period."

If he hadn’t stumbled upon this forum, he wouldn’t even have known what a "probation period" was.

But…

Remembering one particular detail in the messages, Xie Hantang grabbed Xiao Xiao, who was trying to sneak away. "What’s this about a bite guard? Why is that considered 'unusual'?"

[…]

Xiao Xiao, who only realized the misunderstanding after looking up a ton of information, didn’t dare say a word. It had tried so hard to prevent this, but still got caught red-handed!

Seeing Xiao Xiao play dead, Xie Hantang immediately understood. He frowned. "Are there any other issues?"

Xiao Xiao jolted and quickly checked the data logs. When it saw the part about fertility modifications, it hesitated for a moment—

It frantically asked the Mainframe, "Do Alphas have fertility capabilities?"

The Mainframe seemed to be calculating something and finally pulled out a small piece of data to explain. "Latest research suggests that Alphas do possess a certain degree of fertility. They…"

Xiao Xiao didn’t bother listening to the long explanation that followed. It proudly patted its chest and reported to Xie Hantang, "No issues here!"

By the time the Mainframe finished recapping everything and began summarizing the report:

"In conclusion, the possibility of Alphas bearing children remains a theoretically feasible hypothesis. In reality, due to physical limitations with Alphas…"

"Anyway, this report is obsolete. Its reference value is pending review."

The Mainframe finally found a moment to chat with Xiao Xiao, only to find it had disappeared again.

It glanced at the report and carefully tucked it back into a corner of the database.

…Well, smart AI systems don’t rely on reproduction anyway.

Probably… not a big deal?

-

Xie Hantang actually had many more questions, but before he could ask, he felt a tingling sensation across his body, almost intimate…

Perhaps the stimulation was too intense—he suddenly vanished from the rooftop, his entire consciousness returning to his spiritual entity—

Or rather, the fusion of all his forms.

-

Ten minutes earlier, after finishing dinner, Jiang Shixu left his research-absorbed friend and wandered around the rows of cabins, but he couldn’t spot that tall figure anywhere.

Helpless, he returned to his room. Since it was still early, Jiang Shixu couldn’t sleep and soon focused his attention on A Tang perched on his fingertip.

He cautiously touched A Tang, and when there was no reaction, he grew bolder.

He examined the hindwings, then the full pattern of the butterfly wings, and the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed—

Wait—this pattern, this design… wasn’t this Xie Hantang’s profile picture?!

Jiang Shixu jolted upright, what little sleepiness he had completely gone. He immediately pulled out his tablet and opened Blue Star Flower’s homepage.

Enlarged the profile picture.

The mystery that had puzzled him for so long suddenly became clear, like clouds parting to reveal the sun.

Jiang Shixu looked again.

The username was "Flower," the profile picture was a butterfly.

It dawned on him. He quickly took notes, thinking more and more… Xie Hantang was hiding things well.

From that angle, who could tell it was a pattern on butterfly wings?!

In a corner Jiang Shixu didn’t notice, the butterfly named "A Tang" cautiously fluttered its insect wings. When the boy’s gaze shifted, it pretended to be completely still—

Putting on a perfect game of "red light, green light."

By the time the boy was fully focused on his tablet again, Xie Hantang—now back in his main form—gently fluttered his insect wings, trying to soothe that feeling of longing, that urgent desire to be touched again.

"See?! I caught you!"

Just as Xie Hantang was about to flutter his wings once more, the boy suddenly turned around, grinning as he poked him—

"Stop pretending. We’re indoors—there’s no wind."