Chapter 50 The Counselor’s Forty-Ninth Day (6k nutrient solution) For…

Chapter 50: Counselor’s 49th Day on the Job (6k Nutrient Solutions) For...

"Apologies, I did indeed overlook human subjective initiative. I am now correcting the plan."

"—The order address you received is indeed the target address, but the client who placed the order is a suspicious and cautious guest who intentionally chose the wrong address and will contact you to change it after you arrive."

"Alright, I have no further questions."

Mou Lin sat in the wildly careening AI-driven hovercar, feeling as if his brains were being scrambled, his mind filled with thoughts of "having such a high-speed operating AI enter the Federation[1]."

He struggled to breathe, trying desperately to keep his soul from leaping out of his mouth: "It's just that I can't remember. Can you explain it simply one more time?"

"..."

"Very well, I overestimated your capabilities. But it doesn’t matter, because we are friends. So even if I pay out of my own pocket to plan for you, pay to place the order, pay to accept the order, pay to cancel it, pay to create communication disruptions, and you still don’t understand my plan at all, I won’t complain even a single word."

"I’ll just give you the simplified version: First, when I open the window, be ready to catch the clothes and change into them immediately; second, during any extra time after changing, familiarize yourself with the cleaning company’s service platform functions; third, when I open the door, you jump to the other vehicle; fourth, when we reach Lu Jianshen’s door, you badger him relentlessly until he opens it for a full minute, until I call you."

"Is that clear enough?"

Wasn’t that just a full-on complaint?

Mou Lin silently grumbled to himself, not daring to voice his complaints aloud for fear the AI controlling the steering wheel and accelerator might hear.

"By the way, why does the door need to be open to deliver the software?" he casually picked a topic. "Can’t we just connect to the public Wi-Fi near the building?"

"To maintain network security, the Federation’s networks have special protections and designs. In residential public spaces, such as homes, hotels, and guesthouses, each room has its own exclusive signal. Indoor signals are closed off when the door is shut, making it impossible for us to access from the outside."

"Jackdaw is responsible for this part. Perhaps it could provide a more detailed and vivid explanation, but since you probably can’t read its messy chicken scratch, I won’t call it over."

"We will reduce speed in 30 seconds. In one minute, the window will be rolled down for clothing delivery. Please be prepared."

Mou Lin was hit in the face by the wind, fumbling to catch a large bundle thrown into the car.

"It was disinfected just before reaching you. It has fewer bugs than my code, so please use it with confidence."

Mou Lin shook open the packaging to find a full set of bright orange protective gear, complete with goggles and a mask, so thoroughly sealed it seemed like it had walked straight out of a Resident Evil game. He deeply doubted whether this cleaning company could actually get any business.

...

Dusk quietly fell, and the newly falling snow floated in the air like it was descending from the "Eternal Garland," the night wind pushing up a shimmering layer of diamond dust.

Many people laughed and sang, enjoying the night before the holiday.

Yet all of this had nothing to do with Lu Jianshen. The occasional scattered laughter drifting in through the window cracks only made him more irritable.

Whether day or night, he kept all the curtains tightly drawn, blocking out any outside light.

He hated seeing bustling crowds, hated seeing groups of friends going out together, hated seeing intimate lovers whispering, cheek to cheek, hated seeing the "Eternal Garland" growing brighter day by day.

Staying indoors all day with doors and windows tightly shut in an expensive guesthouse with the best viewing angles seemed like a very strange thing to do.

But Lu Jianshen no longer had the energy to care about others’ opinions. He had endured to the extreme, suffered to the extreme!

He neurotically gnawed at the upper part of his left arm, leaving layer upon layer of overlapping tooth marks.

Nothing.

No response!

Why won’t you answer me? Why have you abandoned me too? Didn’t we promise to get married?

...I’ve been too lenient with you, but it doesn’t matter.

The alpha’s sharp canine teeth left a bloody mark on his skin, new wounds overlapping old scabs, pitted and grotesque, appearing strange and disgusting.

Another terminal, not worn on his wrist, lit up, showing a message from "Mr. D."

The alpha wasn’t in a hurry to check the message. He turned his head, looking toward the large round bed that took up two-thirds of the room, the side of the bed pressed tightly against the floor-to-ceiling curtains. He knew that if he pulled open those heavy fabrics, he would see a huge floor-to-ceiling window, and outside would be the bright, shimmering "Eternal Garland."

That brilliant silver frost was remade from shattered satellites, and his... omega would, under the witness of this silent but eternal radiance, be similarly shattered by him, remade by him, filled with pure and secret soft cavities, carrying his child.

I will propose to him.

The alpha, with a hurried and strange nasal tone, gnawed at his own skin as if he were biting the omega’s nape.

I will propose to him when I completely break him, so that every time the wedding ring rubs against his skin, every time the "Eternal Garland" rises, his thighs will involuntarily clench and tremble.

I will.

From deep in the alpha’s throat came a beast-like, contented sigh.

He dragged back the terminal he had tossed aside, the cold white light lit up his features.

"Mr. D: Still want to continue the transaction?"

"Lu: Of course!"

"Mr. D: Good boy. I’ve always adhered to the OOD (One-Off Deal) principle, but your wish is truly interesting. I’m willing to make an exception for you."

"Lu: I’m honored! But may I ask why you find it interesting?"

"Mr. D: It’s interesting because... I want to see certain people utterly defeated. They are far too troublesome."

"Lu: It’s my honor to amuse you."

"Mr. D: Enough with the pleasantries, boy. When do you plan to complete the next transaction?"

Lu Jianshen’s movements halted. He typed "As soon as possible," then deleted it.

Of course, he wanted to complete the transaction immediately, but his mother had once told him that the more eager you are to close a deal, the less you should let the other party know, or else your desire will become your weakness.

In his memory, his mother was leaning against the dressing table, applying peach-colored blush to her cheeks. She was a female beta, who had struck luck by giving birth to him, an alpha, with the head of the Lu family. Due to her gender, her features weren’t as soft and delicate as a female omega’s, so she always used pink makeup to make herself appear youthful and harmless.

"Tsk, time to change the eye color," she lifted her eyelid, checking the deep black peeking through the transparent, soft amber, "Next time, try purple."

The female beta let go, then slightly narrowed her eyes, selecting a highlighter with scattered glitter: "Hey."

She always called Lu Jianshen like this, as if calling an unwanted dog.

It didn’t matter. Lu Jianshen had long known that his mother didn’t like him because she was jealous that he was more favored by his father than she was—after all, he was his father’s only alpha son, and his preciousness was entirely different from that of a beta woman kept outside.

The female beta let out a derisive laugh at the lit terminal, turning her head. Her lips shone as if glossed with honey: "Consider this my final piece of advice to you. If you want something, don’t be too eager. The more eager you are, the easier it is for others to manipulate you."

She picked up the similarly pink suitcase handle and walked out.

In Lu Jianshen’s memory, he could faintly hear her speaking into the terminal: "...I had no choice. I really don’t understand why someone would eagerly rush into being a concubine, a subordinate, and a surrogate, all without pay..."

The female beta lifted her high-heeled leg and slammed the door shut behind her, never looking back.

This was the last image she left in Lu Jianshen's memory. After that, his father flew into a rage, took him back home—an opulent manor, completely unlike that cramped, hundred-square-meter three-bedroom.

He once asked where his mother had gone and was slapped so hard by his father that his head spun. Listening to his father vent with harsh words, Lu Jianshen felt the resentment in his heart being released as well.

Through his swollen, bloodshot eyelids, he watched the mocking laughter of the primary wife's alpha daughter surrounding his father. He began to hate the mother who, it was said, had fled to another star system with her lover, hate these high-and-mighty legitimate descendants, hate all his half-siblings vying for favor.

He put on an obsequious smile, the last words his birth mother said before leaving echoing in his mind:

"The more obsequious you are, the easier it is for others to manipulate you."

This became his motto, something he remembered always, even to this day.

Lu Jianshen’s canine teeth dug deep into his own flesh, his cheek twitching involuntarily as he forcibly suppressed the pain and excitement.

Slowly, letter by letter, he typed his reply—

"Lu: Thank you for your kindness, I am available at any time yyyy"

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong, ding-dong!"

The sudden doorbell ringing completely shattered his already taut nerves. Lu Jianshen accidentally sent the incomplete message.

His face twisted deeply in rage.

"Who...? Didn’t I say no one is allowed to disturb me unless I request it?"

Lu Jianshen unclenched his arm, slowly stood up, and casually dragged the solid wood armchair provided by the rental along the floor toward the door, the screeching sound of it echoing sharply.

"Ding dong ding dong! Ding ding ding ding dong!"

The person outside seemed completely ignoring his threat, just pressing the doorbell incessantly, each ring more urgent than the last.

"Bang!"

Lu Jianshen pounded his fist against the door in frustration, producing a terrifying, dull thud.

The doorbell stopped.

Lu Jianshen turned, meaning to return and reply to Mr. Xiaodu’s message.

But the moment he turned away, the doorbell rang again, urgent and relentless.

"Ding ding ding ding dong! Ding ding ding ding, ding ding dong!"

The alpha’s temples veins bulged, his teeth grinding instinctively, fists clenched tight. Yet, his eyes grew unusually calm.

With his right hand, he quietly hefted the heavy wooden chair, his left hand reaching for the door handle.

Who could be outside? Most likely either a weak cleaner or a foolish delivery person who got the wrong door. These service jobs were only done by powerless, incompetent betas. Clearly, a beta wouldn’t survive a hit from a young and robust alpha’s chair.

In the Federation, minor altercations caused by harassing others were inconsequential—especially when the target was an alpha, as it could easily trigger a pseudo-estrus.

He was usually quite tolerant, but... right now, only seeing blood would calm him down.

Who told them not to watch where they’re going? Heehee.

The corners of his lips stretched into a grin as he leaned close to the peephole to confirm the outsider’s position—

"What the hell?!"

Lu Jianshen let out a shriek, and stumbled backward.

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Author's Note: After scolding Lu Jianshen, you’re not allowed to scold me, okay [dove emoji]

I’ll post an extra chapter next week to make it up. For now, everyone, please bear with it (comforting).