Chapter 50: Concern

Chapter 50: Concern

Star System 21.

"Master Pei Ying, we've just detected purchase records for Master Pei Ju in the distant Never-Setting Sun Star Domain."

Pei Ying, who had been racking his brains trying to figure out Pei Ju and Xu Shaoen's disappearance into warped space, received the report from the group's vice president. The man was ecstatic, clearly shocked by the find.

Pei Ying quickly snatched up the report. Because of his younger brother's disappearance, the Imperial Capital Star was in a frenzy. The royal family, the Xu family, the Pei family, and the Shen family were all desperately searching, but combing through one star system after another, they hadn't picked up any signal from the two's communication terminals.

This meant either they'd crashed in some far-flung star domain, or been torn to shreds by the warped space's turbulence.

Though no one wanted to accept the second possibility, reality was cold and unforgiving. Fewer and fewer search teams were being sent out from the Imperial Capital Star—a clear sign the whole thing was losing steam.

Now, with this lead, Pei Ying was over the moon.

He'd already been on military leave for over a month. If he didn't return to duty soon, he'd probably get written up.

But family came first right now. He quickly tugged his clothes into place: "Let's go. Contact the starship supply team heading to the Never-Setting Sun Star Domain. I'm heading this mission myself!"

**

The Never-Setting Sun Star Domain was what they now called the junk star system. The name alone hinted at its former glory.

And Sama Prime sat right at the heart of it.

Once he had the ticket, Pei Ju snapped a photo and sent it to Xiaojin, telling him to register it on his terminal ASAP. Xiaojin, who had grabbed onto this lifeline, jumped for joy.

Yes! Finally going home!

Chen Junjin, who'd figured he'd be stuck in the junk system for years, immediately sent his two older brothers a crying emoji sticker pack, then threw his stuff together and hightailed it to the upper district.

With that taken care of, Pei Ju could focus on their little "date."

It'd been a few days since Pei Ju's match. Xu Shaoen had been overwhelmed by Pei Ju's advances at first, but these days he could only pine for him through a screen. The second he saw him, his thoughts would wander to some not-so-innocent places.

Plus, Pei Ju had gotten hurt in the final match, so Xu Shaoen was a mix of worried and hungry for him. So he just set their date in his own room.

The banquet had just wrapped up. Most Alphas and Omegas would mingle, take a walk in the garden, admire the view—then maybe move on to the next step. But Xu Shaoen blew past all that, slapped a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, and shoved Pei Ju onto the big bed.

Pei Ju wasn't used to this yet. His eyes roamed over Xu Shaoen, a little dazed, but he was loving it.

So this was "absence makes the heart grow fonder"?

"Enen, you're so eager, I'm blushing here." Pei Ju propped himself up on one arm, sprawled on the bed, waiting for Xu Shaoen to "take pity" on him. His shirt was already rumpled, but it only made his broad chest pop more. His black pants were straining in a way that was frankly indecent.

"What're you thinking?!" Xu Shaoen swatted him. Pei Ju yelped, but his eyes only got needier.

Xu Shaoen's lashes fluttered, and his face went red from the teasing, but he still tried to play it off: "I'm just checking your wound."

"Ohhh, just checking the wound, huh?" Pei Ju licked his lips, looking a little disappointed. "I thought little kitty was getting impatient."

Xu Shaoen gave him a side-eye, and Pei Ju's heart skipped. But Xu Shaoen was already peeling his shirt up, so Pei Ju had to hold back the urge to keep teasing his baby, quietly sucking in a breath to downplay the injury.

But the second Xu Shaoen saw the blood seeping through the gauze, his shy look vanished into something serious. He brushed the edge of the bandage, and his eyes visibly welled up.

His lips quivered: "Does it hurt?"

Pei Ju had been joking around like nothing was wrong, so Xu Shaoen figured it wasn't that bad. But now, seeing it up close—gauze still soaked through even with meds, and an A-grade Alpha's healing not doing squat after all this time—it was clear Pei Ju wasn't as fine as he acted.

"It doesn't hurt." Though he heard the answer, Xu Shaoen still didn't quite believe it.

Pei Ju pressed his head down, felt the wet spot on his shoulder, and sighed inwardly.

He hadn't wanted to show him. He knew it'd break his heart.

That devil's flower mantis had caught him off guard, and its scythes could slice through a mech—how was an Alpha's body supposed to block that?

If he hadn't thrown up a mental barrier at the last second, he'd have been cut in half.

"Really. Kissing you makes it hurt less." Pei Ju pressed a soft kiss to Xu Shaoen's ear.

"I'm not a painkiller..." Xu Shaoen muttered, but before he even wiped his tears, he found Pei Ju's lips and kissed him softly.

Pei Ju kissed him back, soft and earnest.

How was he not his medicine?

Now that he was here, the wound really didn't hurt as much.

His lips were sweet and soft, like strawberry Jell-O.

One bite, and his heart felt like it was coated in malt sugar.

Even the tears still wet on his cheek tasted sweet. Being cared for, being wanted—it felt like chugging a whole ice-cold soda in summer, his heart fizzing with sweetness.

Pei Ju couldn't help pulling Xu Shaoen tighter. As he nipped at his lips, his breathing got heavier.

He pulled back from his lips, trailing down to his chin and neck.

Xu Shaoen had been tilting his head back like a good boy, but when he felt a nose nudge his collar open, he snapped out of it.

He pushed at Pei Ju, but the guy was like a giant border collie—impossible to shove off.

Xu Shaoen pushed harder, and finally that dark head lifted from his neck, looking dazed.

"Hm?"

Just a questioning hum, like he had no idea why he'd been stopped.

Xu Shaoen's heart started racing again. Pei Ju looked way too tempting with that lazy, hungry look, and he wasn't exactly immune to it, but...

"Not today. Your back's hurt. You can't move."

His voice was barely a whisper, like a mosquito's whine.

Pei Ju didn't see the problem.

He looped his arms around Xu Shaoen's slim waist and gave it a meaningful squeeze.

His palm was scorching hot, and Xu Shaoen felt himself melt under his hand like seaweed in a current.

"My waist's out of commission, but baby's waist is still plenty flexible." Pei Ju said, his voice a little rough.

Xu Shaoen's whole back went rigid.

He'd never even thought of that before.

Before, Pei Ju had always done all the heavy lifting, and he just had to lie back and enjoy. Now, hit with that question, his brain short-circuited.

A scene instantly flashed in his mind.

Pei Ju lounged lazily against the leather upholstered headboard, his expression teasing as he watched him, critiquing his positioning and depth.

Whenever he had free time, he made so many demands.

Xu Shaoen shook his head, chasing those X-rated images out of his head.

He stammered out a reply: "R-really? Uh, maybe we should just forget it, I can't..."

Every time they tried a new position, Xu Shaoen always said he couldn't.

But the pheromones filling the room already made it clear how much he was looking forward to it.

Pei Ju let out a soft laugh and didn't press the issue.

It wasn't even late enough to sleep yet, so why rush?

But now he did find himself missing Xu Shaoen's heat cycles—back then he was much more honest, much more proactive, clinging to him like an adorable koala.

There was a knock at the door.

Xu Shaoen quickly climbed off Pei Ju. Thankfully, they hadn't gotten to do anything yet, so they were still fully dressed.

But he was also a bit puzzled—who would come bothering them at this hour?

When he opened the door, there stood a somewhat familiar Omega.

When they'd first arrived at the Aman Hotel, he'd been the one to receive them. He'd thoughtfully arranged a large suite for them. There were only two rooms on the floor, and right outside the door was a big common lounge, almost like a small banquet hall.

Xu Shaoen smiled at the Omega. "It's so late—what brings you to see me?"

"Oh, it's about the icebreaker games we set up for the banquet, to help Omegas and Alphas get to know each other better. We didn't see you at the venue earlier, so I came to let you know in case you hadn't heard."

"Oh, I see." Xu Shaoen felt a little embarrassed. He'd thought the banquet was followed by free time, not that they'd have to go back to the venue.

"But I'm an Omega who already has a partner." Xu Shaoen shifted to the side, revealing Pei Ju behind him.

The Omega groaned inwardly.

That was exactly the problem—the fact that he had a partner made this really awkward.

He certainly couldn't say, "It doesn't matter that you have a partner, why not look around and see if there's someone better?"

That would be encouraging cheating, blatantly trying to steal Pei Ju's man! If that Alpha heard him, he might get beaten up even if he was an Omega.

So he just squeezed out a smile: "Having a partner doesn't matter—it's fun to join in! There's also a raffle after the event, who knows, you might win a big prize!"

Xu Shaoen wasn't particularly interested in prizes, but since he had nothing better to do, going out for a stroll might help curb that Alpha's rather unreasonable urges during his special time.

Xu Shaoen gave his hand a little shake, and Pei Ju took out the room card, squeezing his hand back: "Let's go."

He was curious to see what kind of stunt this Governor was going to pull now.

Pei Ju led Xu Shaoen back to the venue, where indeed many games testing how well couples sync up had been set up, and the vibe was pretty good.

Some games, like number huddling, involved light physical contact and could show whether an Alpha was dominant or quick on his feet; there was also an area dedicated to Omegas showing off their cooking skills—some Omegas in aprons were baking cranberry scones while Alphas helped, giving off a very domestic vibe.

As soon as Pei Ju and Xu Shaoen walked in, a lot of people took notice.

Some were disappointed because the Omega who had given Pei Ju a sachet saw he hadn't even opened it and felt hurt; others spotted Xu Shaoen, were stunned by how gorgeous he was, but before they could make a move, someone else had already swooped in.

Within a few minutes, both of them had vanished, and quite a few people in the venue were disappointed.

When they came back, the atmosphere perked up again. Many Alphas and Omegas invited Xu Shaoen to join their games, but worried about Pei Ju's injury, he turned down most of them. After playing just two quick games, he joined the Omegas making scones with obvious interest.

"You two are from the capital star?" Ling Su, as the mastermind behind the event, naturally wouldn't deign to play those little games.

He held a glass of champagne, surrounded by Alphas eager to talk to him and Omegas trying to suck up to him, but his expression remained cold and indifferent. He'd answer when he felt like it, and stay silent when he didn't. Wherever he appeared, he was the natural center of attention—he'd long gotten used to it.

But Pei Ju and Xu Shaoen were like two exceptions—they were elusive, drifting like two clouds, vanishing when you least expected it to go do their own thing, as if his carefully planned event had been for someone else entirely, without earning a second glance from them.

Ling Su couldn't quite put his feelings into words. Though Pei Ju was clearly a lower rank than him, his pheromone pressure and mental field seemed like nothing new to the other man—no sign of being suppressed or overwhelmed.

It was as if, despite being an A-rank Alpha, they were equals.

Pei Ju turned, a little surprised that Ling Su had come over to talk to him. He picked up a glass of champagne and clinked it against Ling Su's.

"You guessed right." Pei Ju took a polite sip.

"We do come from the capital star. We hit a warp in space and accidentally fell into a black hole, which is how we ended up in this star system."

That actually happened fairly often.

But usually, people would contact the government or seek military assistance first, and after their identities were verified, they'd usually get some help.

Choosing to enter the arena and win their own passage—that was a rare choice.

Ling Su naturally asked about this, and Pei Ju's answer was quite formal: "We didn't want to keep bothering the government."

In truth, Pei Ju was silently complaining—if it weren't for too many officials like this one in the government, they wouldn't have had to resort to such measures.

After what happened with Han Zian last time, Xu Shaoen now had psychological scars. Ask a planetary governor for help? No way—what if they ran into another creep? Then going home would be even more out of reach.

Seeing Pei Ju and Ling Su chatting away, and Pei Ju sneaking several sips of alcohol without him noticing, Xu Shaoen marched over, pouting: "You're hurt—you can't drink!"

The champagne glass in his hand was snatched away and replaced with a scone: "Here, eat this!"

Xu Shaoen had always come across as elegant and calm—where had Ling Su ever seen him so lively and full of life?

He couldn't help letting his gaze linger on him for a moment, his grip on the champagne glass tightening.

Only after watching Pei Ju take a bite of the scone did Xu Shaoen turn his attention to Ling Su.

He clinked Pei Ju's champagne glass against Ling Su's, apologizing: "Your Excellency, please forgive him—he was injured just two days ago and can't touch alcohol or anything containing it. I'll drink this one for him, as my apology to you."

Xu Shaoen downed the golden liquid in one gulp. His thin eyelids fluttered, and a visible pink flush spread across his skin, so beautiful it was hard to look away.

Ling Su watched Xu Shaoen's retreating figure, staring at the bubbles in his champagne glass, and said with an unreadable expression: "Mr. Pei is truly lucky."

"Yeah." Pei Ju took another bite of the scone.

The texture was crisp, with the subtle sweet-and-sour taste of cranberries, and most importantly, it was made by Xu Shaoen's own hands—and the first one had been given to him.

"I really am lucky to have earned his favor."

"So how did you two...?" Ling Su asked curiously.

Pei Ju looked up. His Excellency's questions were a bit too many—so many that they felt intrusive and irritating.

But then again, they were from the same academy and had crossed paths frequently over the past two years—surely that counted as growing up together?

Pei Ju nodded. "Of course."

"Then how did you end up in warp space?"

There were only so many fixed black holes in the universe, and all interstellar jump routes were carefully marked to avoid them. If they'd still managed to fall into one, their luck had to be rock-bottom.

"It was all to celebrate Shaoen's eighteenth birthday. I booked a few starships and invited Alphas and Omegas from both academies to join the celebration and watch the meteor shower. And then, who'd have thought..." Pei Ju knew the trick of telling half-truths without ever lying outright. He polished their experience a bit while subtly hinting at his own wealth, so Ling Su would get the picture.

"You're from the Pei family?" Ling Su got it in a second.

Sama Prime had the tightest connections to the outside world. Although the Ling family was deeply rooted in the Neverland Star Sector, they always had to have a backup plan.

If this star sector's resources ever ran dry, they would need to consider relocating.

So their resource network extended across every major star system in the Empire, and the Pei family, which firmly controlled the Empire's Seventh Sector, was naturally someone they wanted to court.

Ling Su's face darkened.

"You're from a cadet branch of the Pei family?" he couldn't help asking another question.

"The main branch." Pei Ju smiled slightly. "But I do have an older brother—far more capable than I am. My father intends for him to inherit the Seventh Sector's enterprises. So once the family estate gets split up, I suppose I could be considered a cadet branch as well."

So he was the current patriarch's second son—born legitimate, no less.

Ling Su felt the wine go bitter in his mouth.

He was also a second son. His older brother had long since boarded a starship and left this star sector to expand the Ling family's ventures beyond.

He'd been left behind—his status was respected, sure, but in truth, he was the family's runner-up pick.

This place was backward, isolated, and even the Omegas were so stiff and boring.

He was dying to get out—aching to swap places with his brother, to let him be the planet's governor while he went out to carve his own path. But he couldn't. He had to obey the family's arrangements and prioritize the greater good.

His mental sea started churning again.

The greater good, the greater good—always demanding he sacrifice for it. But who would satisfy his own desires?

No one. Absolutely no one.

So he could only suppress himself, choosing from the second-best, the third-best, the fourth-best—while that optimal option remained forever closed to him.

"Excuse me." Ling Su set his glass down heavily and rubbed his head.

"I think I need to return to my room and rest for a while."

"Please, go ahead." Pei Ju watched the direction Ling Su's figure disappeared.

That governor's state... didn't look too good.