Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Ugh, why are there so many people today?" A commoner beta sitting in the front row of the auditorium scanned the growing crowd and complained.

"What's going on? Why are all those nobles here too? Is there some big announcement this time?" someone next to him chimed in.

"Shh."

"Crush is here," someone reminded.

The beta immediately caught on and subconsciously checked his attire.

But the chatter simply couldn't stop.

"What's going on? Why is Crush sitting with F3?"

"Go check the forum, it's blowing up already."

"Someone's digging into their relationship."

"Send me the post link, quick."

"..."

"Wait, who is this guy now?!"

"—Who is he??"

"Crush had someone else braid his hair today."

"Who is that person?!" "No idea who he is, why is he sitting next to Crush too?!" "He's handing Crush pomegranate juice..." "Ahhh Crush took it."

"How could this happen..."

A good number of people had shown up at the auditorium, and the crowd grew as Meng Shijiu walked in.

Most of those coming in later seemed to have an agenda, sneaking a glance towards a specific direction as soon as they entered, only to quickly look away upon meeting Yue Xuanli's icy gaze.

Meng Shijiu also hadn't expected Yue Xuanli to follow him to the auditorium.

Meng Shijiu: "You don't have to accompany me."

Yue Xuanli casually made up an excuse: "Lost the key to the training ground."

The reason was so flimsy that, for the first time, Meng Shijiu didn't want to deal with him.

Shen Huaixu's beta assistant was named Wen Yunye. He followed Shen Huaixu around all year. Since Shen Huaixu rarely came to school, hardly anyone at the school recognized him.

He, however, acted very naturally under the surrounding, somewhat unfriendly gazes, unapologetically taking the empty seat next to Meng Shijiu.

He remained very quiet.

The pomegranate juice was once again thrust in front of Meng Shijiu.

Meng Shijiu took it, his gaze sweeping over the auditorium stage. Shen Huaixu was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Brother Shen?" he asked the beta beside him.

Wen Yunye: "He's busy."

Meng Shijiu: "Aren't you going?"

Wen Yunye: "He told me to stay at school to handle some matters."

Five seconds passed.

Meng Shijiu: "Where did you guys get Principal Shen's comic books?"

Wen Yunye stared at him.

Meng Shijiu: "It was you, wasn't it."

Meng Shijiu: "20."

Wen Yunye sneered.

Meng Shijiu: "40."

Wen Yunye was very dissatisfied with his market-disrupting price: "500."

Meng Shijiu: "Deal."

Meng Shijiu took out his terminal to transfer the money.

Wen Yunye: "How many do you want, what genre?"

Meng Shijiu: "Do you have any heartwarming ones? The kind that makes you feel the world is beautiful and there's genuine kindness in humanity."

As he finished speaking, his terminal popped up a friend request page.

The nickname on the other side—"aaa for matters in Q City, contact Xiao Wen"—requested to add him as a friend.

Meng Shijiu: "Why is it a friend request page?"

Meng Shijiu's intuition radar started beeping: "Are you going to sell my account info?"

Wen Yunye nodded, admitting without hesitation. Meng Shijiu saw a hint of seriousness in his expressionless face: "I'd probably make a killing on the forum. You can just reject all the friend requests later."

Meng Shijiu complained to See: "Does Shen Huaixu not pay him a salary?"

See: "Maybe the forum pays too much."

Meng Shijiu: "You're so greedy."

Meng Shijiu casually shook the half-finished pomegranate juice in his hand: "Who paid for my pomegranate juice?"

Wen Yunye: "Brother Shen's... card."

Meng Shijiu deftly pulled back his terminal.

"Then deduct the comic book money from his card too."

Wen Yunye stared at him again, repeating Meng Shijiu's earlier assessment of him: "You're so greedy."

Meng Shijiu: "You can tell Brother Shen you sold them to me for a thousand each. Keep the extra."

Wen Yunye's perpetually expressionless face lit up: "You're such a good person."

Meng Shijiu nodded with an "of course" expression.

See: ...

The auditorium seemed to have been opened on short notice, with no special setup. Crimson curtains hung on either side of the stage, and the school emblem of an iris gleamed with a golden light.

St. Mary’s rarely held school-wide assemblies like this. First, they could never get everyone together, so there was no point. Second, nobody would pay attention anyway.

A faculty member he didn't recognize was on stage, going on about the new semester. Meng Shijiu had never heard a speech so dull, so tedious, so mind-numbingly boring, that he kept glancing at Wen Yunye.

Wen Yunye was probably the only one in the whole auditorium actually listening.

—But he wasn't even a student!

Meng Shijiu used the downtime to reply to his pile of unanswered messages.

He first opened the chat window with Ye Lingxi and began his daily routine.

—Namely, the daily three-question plan for his mission to keep Ye Lingxi from going dark.

Step Zero: Ignore the messages Ye Lingxi sent and unsent, over and over.

Then begin the three-step check-in.

Step One: Ask if they've been getting into any art lately.

[Photosynthesizing]: "?"

—Have you been living earnestly lately?

No idea if they were even in the auditorium, but the replies came fast.

Ye Lingxi: "[Image] [Image]"

Meng Shijiu didn't even have to click to enlarge; the writing was clear enough.

The first image showed several books piled up, alongside some e-notes and scribbles.

On top was a screen showing a book titled "A-Hua's Baking Diary," bookmarked at Chapter Four.

Under that was a book that seemed old, "Basic Braiding Tutorial."

The second image was of a sycamore leaf. The emerald green leaf, hit by the light just right, gave off a glow like someone's eyes. Ye Lingxi sent these often.

Meng Shijiu fell silent.

Meng Shijiu: "No worries, it's a fine hobby." Just seems a bit... targeted.

Meng Shijiu sent a thumbs-up emoji in the chat.

Messages from Ye Lingxi started flooding in.

[Ye Lingxi]: "[Two pics of little cakes] [A fancy-looking drink]"

[Ye Lingxi]: "They probably didn't turn out great, nobody'll touch them. Wanna try some?"

[Ye Lingxi]: "My braids aren't as good as whoever did yours today either"

[Ye Lingxi]: "No big deal, I'll just keep practicing"

Meng Shijiu: "..."

Meng Shijiu: "Doesn't he seem weirder and weirder lately?"

Since when does Ye Lingxi care what people think?

Even though he's always on his best behavior around me, was it necessary to go this far?

See: "Yeah"

See sneered: "Such a tea act."

Meng Shijiu: "Better than being all dark and twisty."

Step Two: Ask if the other party believes in truth, kindness, beauty, and positive energy.

[Photosynthesizing]: "??"

—Has anyone been bullying you recently?

Ye Lingxi: "No"

Withdrawn.

This was the first time Ye Lingxi had withdrawn a message on this question.

Meng Shijiu was briefly puzzled: ?

Meng Shijiu casually asked See: "Check the correction progress."

The See in his mind remained silent for a long time.

Meng Shijiu suddenly said: "Do you know you've been acting very strange all day today?"

See continued to feel guilty. After a moment, red subtitles began to float in Meng Shijiu's mind.

"Current Correction Progress: 39%

Current Points: 15

Worldline Deviation Degree: 40%

Please correct the worldline as soon as possible..."

There was indeed a problem.

Meng Shijiu: "15 points? Where are my points?"

Meng Shijiu hadn't actively checked his points before, but there was always an announcement when they increased. It couldn't possibly be only 15.

See didn't make a sound, only repeating: "orz orz..."

Ye Lingxi happened to send a message.

[Photosynthesizing]: "Is someone bullying you?"

[Ye Lingxi]: "Yeah, someone keeps inexplicably sending me question marks."

Meng Shijiu: Alright, classmate, you're being a bit much.

[Photosynthesizing]: "Angry.JPG"

[SunnySide]: "Logging off.jpg"

[Ye Lingxi]: "Headpat for the kitty.jpg"

[Ye Lingxi]: "On my knees.jpg"

Step Three: Ask if the other person needs some counseling.

[SunnySide]: "!!!"

— Been unhappy about anything lately?

Meng Shijiu: ￣へ￣

An Omega sitting in the auditorium raised his eyes. Positioned slightly behind and to the side of Meng Shijiu, Ye Lingxi couldn't help but let his lips quirk into a smile. This expression didn't seem out of place on his somewhat menacing face.

Probably because that menacing air was something he had acquired later in life.

He followed the direction and looked over. From his angle, he could clearly see half of Meng Shijiu's face, a small section of meticulously braided silver hair, and...

The silver-haired Alpha, who was leaning against Yue Xuanli's shoulder with a straw in his mouth.

It was a jealousy-inducing sight.

Even though he knew they were brothers,

he still couldn't help but feel jealous.

Meng Shijiu treated him like a chore.

At first, he felt Meng Shijiu was dangerous, always drawn in yet always wanting to stay away. He didn't want to recall those disjointed memories from the past.

But later, he found himself wanting to prolong even these task-like interactions; just a little longer... a little longer would be good.

Ye Lingxi: "Lately, there's been a post on the forum that's really annoying."

This tone was just as familiar as the answers to the previous two questions...

Meng Shijiu: ???

[SunnySide]: "Don't try that old trick on me, Classmate Ye"

[SunnySide]: "Classmate Ye, your true colors are about to be exposed; you're not even pretending anymore?"

Ye Lingxi: "Why pretend? Aren't we engaged?"

Meng Shijiu: "What's wrong with him?"

Meng Shijiu concluded decisively: "His account's been hacked."

See immediately ran a system check, concluding that the host's assessment had a 99.9% probability of being correct.

See promptly cheered: "The host is so smart!"

Before Meng Shijiu could start replying, a message from Yue Xuanli suddenly popped up on his terminal.

[Yue Xuanli]: "Shi Jiu"

Just his name was sent.

Meng Shijiu looked up, feeling slightly baffled as he glanced at the Alpha sitting stiffly upright beside him:

"You're sitting right next to me, why are you messaging me?"

Yue Xuanli: "I thought you'd forgotten."

Meng Shijiu paused: "Forgotten what?"

"That I'm sitting right next to you," Yue Xuanli replied.

He had a pair of deep, dark green eyes, much darker than Meng Shijiu's. When he spoke, his emotions were hidden in their depth, making them very hard to discern.

If Meng Shijiu's expression was hard to read, it was perhaps because this lazy, indifferent Alpha simply didn't show much emotion. If Yue Xuanli's was hard to read, it was because he hid them deeply.

Meng Shijiu understood: "Clingy."

Yue Xuanli lowered his gaze and didn't speak.

His line of sight swept over Meng Shijiu's open terminal screen.

His dear brother immediately frowned.

"Who is Ye Lingxi? What's this about a fiancé?"

As if memories flooded back, Yue Xuanli recalled some past events and snorted—

"Those were just childhood jokes," Yue Xuanli said coldly. "Is he even worthy?"

Meng Shijiu: "..."

Meng Shijiu suddenly reached out and placed his hand on Yue Xuanli's knee.

Just as Meng Shijiu was averse to physical contact with others, Yue Xuanli also had a natural wariness towards such sudden contact. But he only stiffened slightly for a moment before continuing to gaze intently at Meng Shijiu.

Though Yue Xuanli had knelt all night, an Alpha's physique was astonishing, and he was always in the training room besides.

That slight soreness had long since faded from the Alpha's body.

But Meng Shijiu, as if coaxing a child, rubbed it gently and paused.

Then he used his mental energy to say, *Calm down, calm down.*

And rubbed again.

Yue Xuanli's heart softened. He took the silver-haired Alpha's hand, placed it in his palm, and threaded his fingers through. He firmly clasped Meng Shijiu's hand and rested it on his own leg.

The silver-haired Alpha's body temperature was too low, like jade immersed in water. Yue Xuanli gripped it tighter, yet still felt as if he couldn't hold on.

That afternoon after returning from St. Mary's, Meng Shijiu had, for the first time, tactfully rejected his concern.

Yue Xuanli rarely expressed concern for others.

He was a lone wolf hidden among the pack. He didn't know that once concern was rejected, he would lose the courage to ask a second time, becoming overly cautious.

The style of Yue Xuanli's mental energy was like himself: a silent, sharp wind. Yet when it transmitted from Meng Shijiu's palm, it was as gentle as ants crawling on the skin.

Under Yue Xuanli's gaze, the hand he held in his own jerked violently from the sudden, tingling surge of psychic energy, his pale wrist shaking as it instinctively tried to pull back, only to be pressed down firmly by the gripping hand, holding it immobile.

The ice-cold hand quickly warmed up.

Meng Shijiu turned his head, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by a sudden uproar around him.

Meng Shijiu looked up, following the direction of everyone's gaze, and saw the Alpha who had suddenly appeared.

The commotion faded like a receding wave, and the auditorium fell into an eerie silence.

The speaker on stage had changed; a cold, stern figure now stood there, having appeared unnoticed.

Gray hair, black eyes, crisply tailored clothes wrapped around a broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted frame—even the arc of the silver chain hanging from his cuff exuded an air of unattainable refinement.

He stood in the spotlight, his eyelashes casting cold shadows on his cheekbones, his eyes snake-like.

He didn't look like a student, but rather like a young patriarch inspecting his territory.

And indeed, he was the head of the Jue family.

Jue Ning rarely came to St. Mary's. As the newly appointed head of the family, he had many matters to attend to, but after Shen Huaixu learned of his purpose for coming, that smiling old fox immediately organized an impromptu speech in the auditorium.

His gaze swept indifferently toward the one responsible for all this.

"The notice for next week's all-school training camp has been sent to your terminals. It will last for one month, and all students must participate unless under special circumstances. It will be included in the final assessment," the gray-haired Alpha's voice was flat and monotone, yet it sent chills down the students' spines. Jue Ning paused, then added coldly, though it fell flat, "I expect everyone to cooperate."

Jue Ning's eyes met those of the silver-haired Alpha below the stage.

He gave a faint smile.

Before his final words ended, Jue Ning mouthed to Meng Shijiu: See you at the training camp.

Meng Shijiu: ...

Meng Shijiu: Shen Huaixu, is this the genius idea you came up with?

Meng Shijiu: "I dare say Shen Huaixu's original words were definitely not like that."

See agreed: "He rephrased it more effectively."

Meng Shijiu: "..."

Beside them, having witnessed Meng Shijiu replying to messages, interacting with Yue Xuanli, and exchanging glances with Jue Ning, Wen Yunye, who had taken everything in, quietly remarked, "You're really busy."

Meng Shijiu: "...Does twisting the knife give you pleasure?"

Wen Yunye remained silent.

After a while, he spoke again, his voice so soft it seemed like he was talking to himself, but Meng Shijiu still heard it clearly:

"So don't get too emotionally involved."

"It leads to imbalance."

"If no one can have you, then everyone still has a chance." That way, everyone would be cautious, restrained, maintaining a superficial calm.

Meng Shijiu's gaze fell on Wen Yunye.

At that moment, Wen Yunye seemed more like a pre-programmed AI than See did.

"It seems you share the same view as Brother Shen."

Wen Yunye: "What?"

But Meng Shijiu shook his head: "Have you seen that exam paper of mine?"

Wen Yunye: "I'm not interested."

The Beta's gaze shifted from the stage.

Meng Shijiu: "Then you might want to take a look. I suspect you'll be seeing my exam papers a lot from now on."

"..." Wen Yunye was taken aback: "How clever."

Had he already guessed the real reason he was staying at the academy?

Had he been thinking non-stop since he took his seat? He seemed so indifferent to everything.

Wen Yunye finally turned his gaze toward him.

Was it because he wanted control over his surroundings, a lack of security? It didn't seem like it.

Wen Yunye himself was more interested in the [So Sleepy] who appeared in the holographic space, but since even Shen Huaixu didn't have access to that information, he still hadn't found out who it was.

It seemed he would have to wait until the final grades were announced.

But this training camp was an offline, public event with full video surveillance, making it much easier to find [So Sleepy].

As for why Principal Shen was so interested in Meng Shijiu... Wen Yunye didn't think an exam paper could reveal much.

If he didn't know that Shen Huaixu was definitely not someone who judged by appearances, he might have thought Shen Huaixu was desperately grasping at straws—not knowing Meng Shijiu's psychic rank or his background, relying only on the buzz Meng Shijiu had stirred up at St. Mary's.

At least in his view, Meng Shijiu's abilities were unclear. Relying solely on his looks, he had sparked an unnaturally fervent level of attention at St. Mary's—too fleeting, too empty, too easy to crash and burn.

But given Meng Shijiu's personality, if he knew his thoughts, he'd probably think he was complimenting him. Wen Yunye mused. He'd only hear him praising his looks.

After Jue Ning left the stage, relevant personnel began explaining the training camp's point system.

There had been training camps before, but participation was low, the school's investment minimal, and they were mostly attended by enthusiasts.

This time, however, the training camp included the entire academy—meaning all first, second, and third-year students had to participate.

First-year students hadn't taken combat classes yet, and jumping straight into an offline training camp, where safety measures couldn't compare to holographic simulations, didn't fit the style of a noble academy.

As soon as Jue Ning left, complaints and grumbling spread through the crowd.

The students filing out after the speech didn't disperse quickly.

Yue Xuanli asked Meng Shijiu if he wanted to eat together, but Meng Shijiu said he had something to do and needed to return to his dorm.

Then he vanished swiftly.

So fast that the many students deliberately keeping an eye on him didn't notice which door their crush had slipped out of.

Meng Shijiu stopped in a less crowded spot.

See, astonished by the host's ability to slip away: "Since you can manage without using your ability, why did you use it before?"

Meng Shijiu: "Because using my ability means I don't have to run, and once we're back in the dorm, you better give me a proper explanation about this point system ^^"

See: "orz" (facepalm)

But the truth is, no matter how fast you walk, you might still be stopped.

A tall Alpha appeared along the way, blocking Meng Shijiu's path.

His light brown hair was slightly long, and he wore a pair of silver-framed glasses. Beneath his thin, single eyelids were eyes as hazy as black mist.

He had a weary and aloof face, looking exhausted, yet his demeanor was gentle. He addressed Meng Shijiu in a businesslike tone.

"Hello, classmate Meng Shijiu."

"I'm the student council vice president, Wen Qiuyu. I need to talk to you about Zong Geman."

...Student council vice president?

The poor guy who shouldered the burden for Qian Chunyan?

Meng Shijiu turned slightly: "You should ask Zou Yun. I was just passing by."

Wen Qiuyu didn't move: "That's okay, he's here too."

Wen Qiuyu smiled: "Let's go, senior."

—Senior?

Meng Shijiu raised an eyebrow: "You're a first-year?"

Wen Qiuyu: "Just took office."

Meng Shijiu: "What about the previous vice president?"

Wen Qiuyu: "Graduated."

So he had mistaken the person. The vice president who shouldered the burden for Qian Chunyan had already stepped down.

Meng Shijiu hesitated for a moment but still followed Wen Qiuyu. The silver-haired Alpha seemed distracted, walking slowly behind, so Wen Qiuyu slowed his pace too.

Meng Shijiu looked up.

He thought Wen Qiuyu might rush him, but Wen Qiuyu walked ahead unhurriedly, not appearing particularly rushed.

Meng Shijiu suddenly thought: "How did you know I was here?"

Wen Qiuyu stopped, waiting for Meng Shijiu to catch up before continuing:

"Just luck. If I'd known it would be this easy to find you, I wouldn't have come empty-handed—I heard you like pomegranate juice?"

Meng Shijiu: "But your luck shouldn't be that good, right?"

Wen Qiuyu: "How so?"

Meng Shijiu: "Otherwise, why would you be working under Qian Chunyan?"

Wen Qiuyu laughed.

He said slowly,

"Senior, you're really cute."

***

Vice President's Office.

The blue-haired, blue-eyed Alpha had been waiting for a while.

When he saw Meng Shijiu walk in, Zou Yun frowned deeply: "He has nothing to do with this. Why bring him here?"

A certain Beta who had wandered into Wen Qiuyu's office was lying on the sofa, his peach blossom eyes lifting flirtatiously—

Qian Chunyan: "Oh? Nothing to do with it?"

"Not necessarily." The golden ponytail at the back of Qian Chunyan's head swayed as he stood up lazily like a large lion, stretching and squinting his pink eyes.

"May I ask," Qian Chunyan walked toward Meng Shijiu, lowering his shoulders until his face was almost in Meng Shijiu's, "why were you in that library at the time?"

Meng Shijiu decisively dodged backward, lazily hiding behind Wen Qiuyu without sparing Qian Chunyan a glance:

"Is there a problem with me looking for my fiancé for a meal? Wen, you should know about this, right? Ye Lingxi must have told you?"

*Wen Qiuyu: ...I don't know.*

*Wen Qiuyu: Do you have any idea how much more troublesome Ye Lingxi is than you?*

Qian Chunyan blinked blankly: "Huh?"

"You have a fiancé?"

Wen Qiuyu sighed and stepped in to shoo him away: "Senior Qian, could you please not interfere with my work? This is my office."

Qian Chunyan was still stunned. Wen Qiuyu endured it for a moment before finally kicking him out.

Meng Shijiu: ...wow

Having endured Qian Chunyan for so long, Wen Qiuyu finally vented a bit of his frustration, the weariness in his eyes fading slightly.

He gestured to Meng Shijiu, inviting him to take a seat anywhere.

Clasping his hands together, he stated the problem:

"Zong Geman is a Beta."

When Zou Yun brought Zong Geman to him, Wen Qiuyu initially thought the matter would be resolved quickly. Surprisingly, however, various medical tests all indicated that Zong Geman was a Beta.

Even though he had an Omega gland on the back of his neck, that was the only Omega trait.

"It doesn't count as gender concealment. With media pressure being high now, we can't arbitrarily expel him," Wen Qiuyu said.

Zou Yun was growing impatient: "There are so many ways to get him expelled. Just pick one. Isn't that what your student council is best at?"

Wen Qiuyu: "That's Qian Chunyan."

Wen Qiuyu looked at Meng Shijiu: "I hope you can help."

"Me, help?"

Meng Shijiu narrowed his eyes: "Do I really look that easy to talk to?" One after another, everyone wants his help.

Wen Qiuyu shook his head.

"It is the duty of every student at St. Maria to cooperate with the student council's investigation."

Meng Shijiu looked out the window. "I was just passing by."

Wen Qiuyu replied, "Yes."

"But Zong Geman, who is still in his hospital bed, has only called out your name."

Wen Qiuyu played a video.

A faint background noise started.

In the video, Zong Geman lay unconscious in the hospital bed, murmuring in his sleep.

The camera gradually moved closer, and the voice, though soft, was clear—

"Meng Shijiu... Meng... Meng Shijiu..."

Wen Qiuyu lowered his head. "Senior, seems your luck is even worse than mine?"

Meng Shijiu: *The hell?*

——

Back in his dorm, Meng Shijiu finally had a chance to confront See.

As he stepped into the bathroom for a shower, Meng Shijiu's eyes caught his reflection in the mirror.

He stopped.

Fragments of chaotic memories suddenly flashed through his mind.

Sticky, humid heat, rising steam.

His own face in the mirror, flushed an unnatural pink, appeared for only a half-second before he angrily smothered it, layer by layer, with his own pheromones.

Glazed eyes and swollen lips vanished beneath a layer of frost.

The unfamiliar fragments were mixed with a sense of familiarity, and Meng Shijiu's expression grew colder.

Emerging from the bathroom, Meng Shijiu, too impatient to wait, summoned See directly.

Meng Shijiu: "Was I awake at any point last night?"

See hesitated for a moment.

Meng Shijiu: "?"

See: "Yes."

See spoke awkwardly: "Host, your rut hit you out of nowhere last night. The inhibitor didn't even work, so you had to handle it in the bathroom. After you were done, Meng Shiyan knocked to check on you. You told him you were fine and went back to sleep."

Meng Shijiu fell silent. "Why don't I remember that?"

Meng Shijiu: "Did you record it? Send it over."

See: "..."

Meng Shijiu: "?"

See: "I... couldn't record it."

Meng Shijiu: "What do you mean, couldn't record it?"

See stammered: "The privacy protection system, uh, it's just..."

Meng Shijiu: "So what about my memory?"

See was on the verge of tears: "Host... host... this should be part of the plot setting..."

Meng Shijiu: "."

Meng Shijiu: "What plot setting?"

See shrank into a ball. "In the original plot, to move the protagonist and the F4 from physical to emotional, you, as the fiancé, black out during specific rut episodes."

See: "It's fine, not remembering might be for the best..."

"..."

Meng Shijiu: "Is that so?"

See felt a chill run down its back.

Soon, it 'realized' this wasn't just a figure of speech but an actual, tangible coldness.

A chilling, oppressive force mercilessly enveloped it from a corner, like an abyss that devoured everything. Meng Shijiu's mental energy slowly invaded its space.

Terrifyingly powerful yet exquisitely precise mental energy flooded the entire space like a tide.

It was rare for someone to envelop their entire mental space with their mental energy.

It was too dangerous; a slight misstep could lead to mental collapse.

The icy mental energy accurately located the system's position, then began to zero in on it.

It then prowled meticulously through every corner of the system.

See felt as if it were being strangled.

Chaotic alarms blared, signaling a system failure deeper than a mere magnetic field disruption.

The system seemed submerged in water, all its data laid bare.

Soon, Meng Shijiu found that segment of "memory."

His mental energy 'devoured' it.

...

The "memory" began to play.

Late at night.

The silver-haired Alpha, who had been sleeping peacefully, was awakened by a sudden outbreak of his rut. Since he had been sleeping unusually deeply, his pheromones, now unrestrained, had gradually saturated the room.

His whole body damp with heat, Meng Shijiu got up and turned off the pheromone alarm before it could sound.

The silver-haired Alpha decisively injected an inhibitor straight into his own gland.

If it weren't for the fact that his scent glands settled down the next day, Meng Shijiu might have realized this much sooner.

Until the very end.

Meng Shijiu: "Be quiet."

The silver-haired Alpha's voice was soft, yet from that moment on, snow began to fall silently in the room.

The lights were off, leaving the room in darkness. The cold snowflakes landed on his skin, setting off an unbearable heat.

He walked into the bathroom.

The sound of water running echoed, but no steam rose.

See: "Host..."

Meng Shijiu: "You're annoying."

See: "Host... you'll get sick like this."

See: "Host..."

See: "Host."

……

……

The forty points displayed in the point total were suddenly cut by more than half.

A hand reached over and switched the showerhead to the other side.

A man who appeared out of nowhere slipped an arm around the silver-haired Alpha's waist, gently brushing away the water from Meng Shijiu's face.

Meng Shijiu opened his eyes: "...See?"

"Mm." Came the familiar mechanical reply.

"...No."

Meng Shijiu raised his hand to press against the man's chest, his voice hoarse. "Go away."

But it was already a bit too late.

Steam began to rise, and snow drifted through the bathroom.

The snowflakes fell unhurriedly, coming down harder and harder.

"...Hurry up," he whispered.

See's hands were cold, and Meng Shijiu pressed against his chest, his voice even colder.

"Host... host... master..." The emotionless mechanical voice seemed even more immersed in the steamy, dreamlike state than Meng Shijiu.

The sound of running water continued.

See lifted him and set him on the bathroom counter, sinking to his knees before him.

The striking Alpha leaned back against the mirror, reflecting his pale, nearly colorless eyes. His slender neck showed a vulnerable curve, his Adam's apple like a snow-capped peak, beaded with water that refused to drip.

See looked up.

In the rising steam, that fair skin flushed with arousal was like a spring blossom. His damp, red lips parted slightly, and strands of silver hair stuck to his slender neck, trailing downward.

His lashes were a sticky, tangled mess, and glistening tears welled and slid from his lashes, blending into the steam.

Tears pattered onto the smooth counter, freezing into ice as they fell.

The corners of his eyes were flushed red. His gaze, pupils slightly upturned, went completely unfocused after See swallowed with effort, and a faint, nearly soundless moan caught in his throat.

Under such ministrations, he trembled secretly, like a flower in the rain.

Tears pattered, one after another.

"..."

The mechanical voice asked: "What?"

"Itchy..."

See asked: "Where?"

Meng Shijiu turned his head away, unable to answer.

An unbearable itch burned in his glands. During these days of his rut, he hadn't tended to them properly. He'd barely released any pheromones, and now, still being forcefully suppressed by him, they'd become even more swollen and inflamed.

He pressed the nape of his neck against the icy mirror, so desperate he almost wanted to grind against it.

But he held himself still and didn't move. Only his tears flowed uncontrollably.

Then, as his disheveled silver hair was brushed aside, See's cool tongue pressed against the swollen gland, beginning to suck slowly.

Meng Shijiu's hand shot out, slapping him even as he trembled and wept.

Trembling violently and crying hard.

A knock came at the door.

Meng Shiyan's voice called from outside.

"Shi Jiu?"

……

The memory ended there.

Meng Shijiu lay on the bed, numb.

See: "Host."

Meng Shijiu: ...

See: "Host, aren't you angry?"

Meng Shijiu: "…………"

Meng Shijiu turned over: "I hate ruts."

Hearing how calm his voice sounded, See breathed a sigh of relief, completely unaware of what he had just done.

Meng Shijiu: "Check the points balance."

See: "Got it."

Seeing how calm Meng Shijiu was, See felt completely at ease: "Host, can I... use the points?"

Meng Shijiu: ...

The "Physical Exchange" button in the "Points Mall" was still lit up.

Meng Shijiu replied calmly, "What do you want to exchange them for?"

See said excitedly, "I want to turn into a human."

Meng Shijiu stayed quiet.

Meng Shijiu paused for a couple of seconds.

Meng Shijiu: "You can exchange for a cat, you know."

See didn't respond.

Meng Shijiu: "Do you want to be a cat?"

See: "I want to be human."

Meng Shijiu: "This black one looks good."

Meng Shijiu was referring to the black cat in the second row, second column of the system mall.

It had a pair of very beautiful silver eyes and sleek, pure black fur.

Meng Shijiu: "Being human has a time limit. Being a cat is a permanent form."

Meng Shijiu: "Once you've saved up enough points later, you can still become human."

Meng Shijiu: "Be a cat."

See was still hesitant.

See: "Do you like cats, host?"

Meng Shijiu: "I do."

See clicked on the exchange: "Alright then."

A moment later.

A small black cat appeared in front of Meng Shijiu.

The kitten curled up on the quilt, its silver eyes looking at him expectantly.

His mind, freed from the system, seemed to clear up instantly.

Meng Shijiu flopped onto the bed and kicked the silly-looking cat off with one foot.

See, who landed perfectly thanks to a cat's reflexes: Meow?