Chapter 49: Banquet

Chapter 49: The Banquet

The banquet was held at the Aman Hotel, the most luxurious venue in the upper city of Sama Prime.

The Aman Hotel boasted over two hundred luxury guest rooms, and the premier grand banquet hall on the top floor seamlessly merged with the skyline, offering a full panoramic view of the sunset and the city lights below—the ultimate reward after the grueling battles.

The eight gladiators who had won the championship were transported by chartered aircraft to the top floor of the Aman Hotel, where a private entrance was opened for them—this was a privilege reserved for champion gladiators: from today onward, they officially earned the right to enter the upper city.

If they seized the opportunity wisely and won the favor of a powerful figure at the banquet, they could leave the blood-soaked arena behind and land a respectable job or an official post.

As the gladiators entered, they keenly picked up the scent of omega pheromones in the air, and they couldn't help but straighten their backs.

This was the highlight they'd been anticipating all night: as per tradition, the White Tower's Omegas would also be attending this banquet, and who knows—maybe some lucky guy would catch an Omega's eye and win her heart.

As the environment had grown increasingly hostile, Omega births on Sama Prime were extremely rare.

They were a precious rarity, never permitted to marry commoners freely, and the Omegas raised in the White Tower were like hothouse flowers—the moment they faced wind and rain, they'd wither away.

Pei Ju didn't ogle the Omegas like those impatient Alphas, but his nose keenly picked up a faint, familiar trace of pheromones.

The back of his neck began to burn faintly, every cell in his body crying out for that Omega.

He scanned the room with his gaze and quickly zeroed in on Xu Shaoen, who was by the dessert table with a small cake.

He was eating a pastry, a bit of cream smeared at the corner of his mouth, chatting with the other Omegas, looking relaxed and cheerful.

The instant Pei Ju's gaze locked onto him, Xu Shaoen seemed to feel it, casually setting his plate down as the two locked eyes.

Xu Shaoen hurried over to him.

"What are you doing here?"

"How's your injury?"

They both spoke at once.

The medical team had given Pei Ju's injury a quick bandage; he just needed to change the dressing on time, and with an A-class Alpha's healing ability, it would mend quickly.

"I'm fine, but didn't I tell you to stay home and wait for me?" Pei Ju used his thumb to wipe the cream from the corner of his lips, said in a softer voice.

"I just couldn't wait to see you—aren't you glad to see me?"

Xu Shaoen blinked, looking confused as to why Pei Ju had looked happy at first, then frowned as if something was bothering him.

Xu Shaoen looked around warily. Was there danger here?

Pei Ju knew he was acting a bit strange, so he rubbed his forehead and gave a wry smile.

He definitely couldn't tell Xu Shaoen that the planet's governor was in his rut, and that his precious Omega was exactly the prey the man subconsciously coveted.

Even if he had to explain, he'd need a private place to do it—right now, there were probably dozens of ears straining to overhear their private talk.

"Happy." Pei Ju patted his head.

Honestly, the moment he saw him, the joy was indescribable.

"Then why the frown?"

Xu Shaoen was worried, and without thinking, he lifted the hem of his shirt and reached for Pei Ju's stomach: "Is the wound starting to hurt?"

Pei Ju grabbed his hand, a flush creeping up his face.

His little kitten was this bold in public—he could hardly handle it.

Seeing Xu Shaoen's unguarded display of affection, the Omegas invited from the White Tower were taken aback, letting out soft gasps of disbelief.

Xu Shaoen realized his gesture was a bit inappropriate, but Pei Ju was his, after all—his Alpha was injured, so what was so shocking about showing a little concern?

If the banquet weren't about to start, he'd have shoved him into a room and given him a thorough top-to-bottom examination!

The thought that Pei Ju had been hurt just to win them tickets back made Xu Shaoen's eyes well up.

He carefully took Pei Ju's bandaged hand, gave it a gentle squeeze, and said in a soft, sticky voice: "Let's eat first. I'll check on you later."

The Alphas around Pei Ju all wore envious expressions.

They hadn't had time to watch other regions' broadcasts, so they had no idea Pei Ju and Xu Shaoen were already a couple—they assumed this was just a White Tower Omega boldly making her interest known!

"Pei Ju, you're really blessed with good fortune!"

One Alpha familiar with the usual routine had never experienced such enthusiastic treatment either; he'd always thought Omegas were reserved and delicate, yet he'd chased after one for ages without success, while Pei Ju had someone throwing herself at him the moment he showed up—truly enviable!

Pei Ju smiled, not wanting to engage much with them, and the Alpha, getting the cold shoulder, naturally dropped the topic.

Their gazes kept drifting toward the Omegas at another table, clearly eager.

Pei Ju also found it odd—wasn't this a celebration banquet? Why hadn't the organizers come to present the awards? It was almost as if they were deliberately leaving ample time for them to mingle with the Omegas.

Meanwhile, another Alpha with a scarred face, though equally tempted by the Omegas, was noticeably more restrained.

His gaze kept following an Omega seated at the very end of the table, clearly already smitten.

"Brother, I really envy you—that Omega is so forward with you, unlike mine..."

He took a bitter swig of his drink, watching his crush shyly avert her eyes, his heart sinking with disappointment.

He let out a self-deprecating laugh: "Can someone like me, who isn't as handsome as you, ever find true love?"

"Of course you can." Pei Ju patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Love in this world had many solutions; there was no fixed answer to copy.

"As long as you meet, there's a chance." The fact that he stood here today meant he'd already earned the opportunity to meet the Omega he admired. No matter where the relationship went from here, love always began with contact.

The Alpha clenched the flower in his hand, regaining some spirit.

A massive screen began playing highlights of the Alphas' spectacular battle scenes. Every Alpha who looked unremarkable in his seat displayed a unique flair on the battlefield—some strategizing masterfully, others moving with razor-sharp precision—eliciting gasps and cheers from the White Tower Omegas from time to time.

Xu Shaoen watched Pei Ju without blinking. He heard that the loudest cheers came when Pei Ju appeared on screen, and he felt a swell of pride.

Until he overheard the Omegas whispering among themselves.

"So, who are you giving your sachet to later?"

"I'm giving mine to Pei Ju—I like him so much. I hope he picks me tonight."

"I want to give him a sachet too—he's so handsome!"

The Omegas' excited chatter left Xu Shaoen bewildered: "Wait, what sachet? What banquet? Doesn't everyone just leave after the award ceremony?"

"Oh, you didn't know? This is a matchmaking party."

The Omega who started the topic looked even more surprised: "After the championship match, there's a mixer for eligible Omegas and Alphas from the White Tower. If you've got your eye on an Alpha, you can give him a sachet. If that Alpha likes you too, he'll hand you his flower... and then you can look forward to a date tonight!"

"Sachet? Date?" Xu Shaoen's face fell. What the heck was this?

It was only then that he noticed there was also a sachet in front of him, its scent somewhat similar to his own pheromones.

So that's why they collected pheromone samples before the meeting today.

"But since you're not an Omega from our White Tower, you don't have to participate. Just kick back and have fun!"

They also knew Xu Shaoen was a guest favored by the Governor, maybe even his personal pick. No matter who he gave his sachet to, it wouldn't matter.

They stole a glance at the white hyacinth beside Xu Shaoen, then quickly looked away. It seemed His Excellency the Governor had already picked out the Omega he liked.

Pei Ju, on the other hand, clearly had no clue what was going on. Omegas kept shyly dropping their sachets behind him, and in no time, a big pile had piled up behind him.

So annoying.

Xu Shaoen bit his lip, losing his appetite. Time crawled by.

But he couldn't just drag Pei Ju away, so he silently watched Omegas casually wander over to the Alpha section, sneakily dropping their sachets into the tray behind Pei Ju. The pile kept growing higher and higher!

Argh, he was about to lose his mind!

It wasn't until everyone had almost finished eating that Ling Su, the Governor of Sama Prime, finally showed up.

The eight Alphas at the head table all stood up to show their respect for the Governor.

They held their breath as the overwhelming pressure of an S-class Alpha filled the air, making them tremble uncontrollably.

The only one who stayed calm was Pei Ju.

He'd run into at least a dozen or two S-class Alphas in his lifetime—plenty of his classmates and close friends were S-class.

So the mental pressure from this planet's sole Governor wasn't all that noticeable to him.

However, the other's mental sea, rumbling and suppressed like muffled thunder, did put Pei Ju on high alert.

An unstable mental sea was a sign that his heat cycle was approaching.

Pei Ju knew Ling Su had high standards and had never found an Omega spouse to his liking, so he'd been suppressing his rut with meds. Over time, this had even led to severe side effects.

Pei Ju had experienced it firsthand—during a rut, the brain gets dominated by pheromones, leading you to do things you'd never consider in normal times.

And the next day, even if the specific memories were hazy, the pleasurable sensations would be amplified many times over.

In short, the harder the suppression, the worse the backlash. His own recent obsession with cuddling his kitty day and night might've been partly influenced by this.

But if this male lead also set his sights on his little kitty, that would be bad news.

On high alert, Pei Ju, like the other Alphas, kept a close eye on Ling Su's every move.

Pei Ju's obvious wariness seemed to please Ling Su.

He figured Pei Ju's on-edge demeanor only proved he wasn't all that confident in his relationship with that Omega either.

After all, he was the only S-class Alpha on the whole planet.

Ling Su chuckled inwardly, his gaze sweeping over Xu Shaoen without anyone noticing, landing on the white hyacinth next to him.

That one carried his pheromone scent—he wondered if Xu Shaoen liked it.

But at that moment, the Omega had his back to him, so he couldn't see the other's expression.

Ling Su withdrew his gaze: "Everyone, relax. I'm just here to host the award ceremony."

He personally handed out the hefty prize money and ship tickets, shaking hands and taking photos with the gladiators.

Pei Ju stood next to him, his 1.93-meter frame even slightly towering over Ling Su. Ling Su frowned and took a step back from him.

After getting the prize money, Pei Ju quickly found the two people he'd negotiated with earlier and swapped ship tickets, not keeping a single coin of the prize money—it was split evenly between the two of them.

The deal was swift and smooth, leaving no chance for other Alphas to interfere.

Once the award ceremony ended and the banquet's free time began, Pei Ju immediately took the ship tickets and made his way to the Omega section.

He nimbly dodged the Omegas who tried to bump into him, strolling casually over to Xu Shaoen's table.

The other was still eating, but with a sour look, stabbing at the meat on his plate with his fork, poking hole after hole into it.

Pei Ju found it rather endearing. He leaned down and asked softly by Xu Shaoen's ear, "What's wrong? Food not to your liking?"

The spoiled little kitty huffed, petulantly snapping off a white hyacinth beside him and stuffing it into Pei Ju's arms: "I'm just jealous of a certain Alpha, so popular he can't even count all the sachets he's gotten."

Pei Ju was caught between laughter and tears: "When did I ever receive sachets?"

Xu Shaoen pouted, gesturing for Pei Ju to look at the tray behind his chair. Sachets were piled up like a mountain: "Each sachet contains a room card key. Tonight, most of the White Tower's Omegas have their doors wide open for you."

Pei Ju froze: What a vicious scheme to sow discord!

He had thought that tray was just filled with complimentary sachets—one appearing here, one appearing there.

He had even been wondering why the hotel was so upscale, with such a wide variety of air fresheners.

If he had known, would he have so much as glanced at another Omega?

No wait, he hadn't glanced at them anyway.

Ling Su must be trying to frame him!

Pei Ju firmly pinned this big black pot on Ling Su's head, because no one had actually told him about this rule.

Pei Ju raised his hand solemnly: "I swear, I haven't opened a single sachet!"

Then, with lightning speed, he grabbed the sachet from Xu Shaoen's table, pressed it to his chest, and took the other's hand affectionately, saying, "I promise, there's only this one in my heart."

Xu Shaoen hadn't really been angry anyway. Hearing Pei Ju coax him, that tiny bit of displeasure melted away.

"Then what about your flower?" Xu Shaoen raised an eyebrow.

"What flower?" Pei Ju turned around and finally noticed the delicate rose beside his tray.

"They said if you've met an Omega you like, you should give me your flower to place in this sachet..."

Xu Shaoen's cheeks flushed red as he quietly hooked his finger around Pei Ju's, a hint of anticipation in his voice: "And then we can go on a date tonight!"

==========Author's Note:==========

Little Xu: Discover the rules, question the rules, enjoy the rules!

20 small red envelopes randomly dropped!