Seeing Li Xiao walk away without a second word, Song Jin caught up to him and pulled him back. “Let’s test a few more times.”

Li Xiao, feeling waves of nausea, looked at him languidly. “Fine. I’ll give you a rotten tomato, we’ll both smell it, and whoever vomits first loses.”

Song Jin: “… Is it that disgusting?”

Li Xiao: “Do you want me to vomit on you?”

Song Jin dodged in disgust: “…”

Thinking back to the sight of Li Xiao lying unconscious after being hit by the sonic boom grenade, Song Jin’s gaze toward him softened with a hint of pity. If his ears were blown deaf and his nose is now malfunctioning, it’s a waste of a good beauty.

Signaling the Beta school doctor to pause, Song Jin took Li Xiao to the office next door to rest.

“There’s water over there. Pour it yourself,” Song Jin said casually.

Li Xiao sat by the window and opened it for ventilation. “I want the coffee you brew. If it’s not hand-ground, I don’t want it.”

Song Jin: “Do your own business.”

Li Xiao got up to leave, but was blocked by Song Jin before he could take a single step.

“Coffee, right?” Song Jin gave a cold smile. “Fine. Your husband will brew it for you.”

Li Xiao sat back down unhurriedly. “No sugar.”

Song Jin rolled up his sleeves and headed to the pantry. As he moved, the lines from his forearm to his wrist and fingertips were smooth and full of tension—he had a very beautiful pair of hands.

Li Xiao couldn’t help but take a few extra looks, then quietly turned to face the window once he snapped out of it. Once the scent of rotten tomatoes disappeared, his discomfort vanished immediately.

“What’s the deal with those four types of pheromones?”

“Four types?” Song Jin asked, grinding the coffee beans and looking up. “Aren’t they all the smell of rotten tomatoes? How do you know there are four?”

Li Xiao: “Different tomatoes have different smells when they rot. What did you smell?”

Song Jin: “Fruit wine—but like fruit wine that hasn’t fermented properly. It’s not much different from an ordinary person’s scent.”

The fact that Li Xiao smelled something different from everyone else, regardless of the cause, pointed to one thing: the pheromones of Qi Ge and his group had powerful camouflage capabilities. Most people couldn’t distinguish them and wouldn’t realize the danger until it was too late—the Student Council Vice President was a living example.

Song Jin brought over two cups of coffee, handed one to Li Xiao, and leaned against the windowsill. “I remember you saying that you can understand a person’s physical condition from their pheromones. What problems did you smell from those four?”

Li Xiao picked up the coffee cup. “Testing me?”

Song Jin: “Politely consulting.”

Li Xiao: “What about the labor fee?”

Song Jin tilted his chin. “Isn’t it already in your hand?”

Li Xiao took a sip and nearly made a face due to the bitterness. Is this something a human is meant to drink?

Song Jin urged, “Hurry up. Do you believe I’ll have someone move the equipment in here?”

Thinking of his reverse-exploding credit rating, Li Xiao felt it was necessary to recoup some losses. “Pheromone deterioration means a major change in the internal body environment. It’s hard to say if it’s good or bad specifically, but if it smells that rotten, I’m afraid they’ll even have trouble finding a partner.”

Song Jin: “…” Is your focus broken?

Li Xiao asked, “Who do those four pheromones belong to?”

“They’re all Danshi exchange students. Like you, they can all see invisible surveillance equipment.” Song Jin looked him straight in the eyes, pretending to joke. “You Danshi people aren’t secretly researching some heaven-defying human experiments, are you?”

Li Xiao fell into thought, his fingertip unconsciously rubbing the rim of the cup. The little lion’s remark seemed to help him grasp something critical, but the known clues were too sparse to piece together the full picture.

“You must have already tested my pheromones.” Seeing Song Jin didn’t deny it, Li Xiao continued, “What were the results?”

Since the conversation had reached this point, Song Jin opened his terminal to pull up a series of blood test reports, using the opportunity to probe Li Xiao’s reaction. Among the problematic blood samples, the one that caught Li Xiao’s attention first was Hu Jiang’s.

“It matches my pheromone curve?”

“It’s not that it matches yours; it’s that both of you match the pheromone curve of the Bique tribe.” Song Jin’s tone was chilly. “As far as I know, the vast majority of the Bique tribe lives in the Nanming Sector. Did your family immigrate to the Tianjiang Sector?”

“Yeah,” Li Xiao responded perfunctorily, his mind on other things. It wasn’t entirely surprising that Hu Jiang and his group could make it to the final level of the Cube if they were Bique tribe members, but that final remark about “protecting yourself” was out of line for people they had just met. Since they were all of the Bique tribe, did Hu Jiang know his father? That would explain why he was so surprised when he heard his name.

As Li Xiao was deep in thought, someone gripped his chin and forced his head around. Song Jin’s magnified face appeared. Song Jin leaned over, resting on the back of the chair, forcing Li Xiao to look him in the eyes. “You haven’t told me yet how it felt when Qi Ge attacked you at the exam site.”

Smelling the sweet, bitter scent of coffee, Li Xiao looked into those amber eyes and asked calmly, “Does this count as a torture interrogation?”

“There’s no telling how many people have begged me on their knees to use torture on them.” Song Jin touched Li Xiao’s jawline and chuckled. “Don’t be ungrateful for the blessings you have.”

Li Xiao remained unmoved and pulled his hand away. “Don’t imitate adults when you’re a child. Sit down.”

Song Jin: “…”

Li Xiao: “The moment I smelled the pheromones, I felt like a marionette. My sense of self vanished; I could only obey the other person’s orders.”

Song Jin: “Sounds like an Alpha’s pheromone control over an Omega.”

Alphas were natural dominators. In an AO relationship, it was often difficult for an Omega to resist an Alpha, especially during the heat cycle when driven by pheromones.

Li Xiao shook his head. “It’s different. Attraction between AOs varies greatly based on their compatibility. Even when dominated, an Omega’s sense of self doesn’t disappear; they might resist or cater based on personal preference. But Qi Ge’s pheromone control had nothing to do with personal preference.”

Song Jin: “The difference between an aphrodisiac and a hypnotic?”

Li Xiao: “…Something like that.”

Song Jin: “But you don’t lose consciousness?”

Li Xiao: “Not necessarily.”

Song Jin: “What do you mean ‘not necessarily’?”

Li Xiao: “The time the Vice President was attacked—didn’t he fail to remember? I think Qi Ge used pheromones to plant a mental suggestion, whereas my case was a direct action command.”

The more we talk, the more you sound like a Super Omega. But Super Os needed 100% pheromone compatibility to completely control an Alpha. How could Qi Ge attack indiscriminately? No, that’s not right.

Song Jin straightened up. “You regained self-consciousness before you jumped. That means his mental control has a short duration, or perhaps a range limitation?”

Li Xiao: “My situation is special. I can’t answer that.”

Song Jin followed up: “Don’t tell me you can use mental control, too?”

Li Xiao: “If I could control people, would I still be unable to see him by now?”

Song Jin: “…”

“Asked enough? Now it’s my turn.” Li Xiao stood up slowly. “Did your grab for blood samples in N2533 relate to this? Do you suspect Qi Ge’s group has a special constitution linked to the Bique tribe? Are you wary of their mental control, or is Saint-Ya also planning some heaven-defying human experiments?”

Li Xiao usually deliberately reined in his presence, and his feigned easygoing personality made it easy for others to get close. But now, standing so close, Song Jin felt the suffocating pressure of his aura—getting a firsthand experience of what it was like to be invaded by an equally powerful Alpha.

Song Jin met Li Xiao’s gaze. “Everything you asked is classified. I can’t answer.”

Li Xiao didn’t expect a straight answer anyway. He nodded. “Please continue to share subsequent intel with me.”

Seeing him about to leave, Song Jin called him back. “Are you not worried at all? What if they capture you to perform experiments?”

Li Xiao: “You’ve already dragged me in to do experiments.”

Song Jin huffed and walked out side-by-side with him. “Your nose is a waste just sitting there; why not lend it to me?”

With his twisted logic, Li Xiao couldn’t help but look sideways. “Then your body is a waste just sitting there; why not lend it to me?”

Song Jin: “What would you use it for?”

Li Xiao: “Little kids shouldn’t know so much.”

Song Jin: “…”

Song Jin: “What happened to your intermittently charming, pure-hearted persona?”

Li Xiao said with a straight face: “I also have sudden-onset scumbag syndrome and persistent schizophrenia.”

Song Jin: “You have too many illnesses.”

Li Xiao: “Anyway, if the body is a waste sitting there, it wouldn’t be cost-effective if I didn’t get sick more often.”

Song Jin: “…………”

Is his mental state really okay? Did he sniff too many rotten tomatoes and go crazy?

While they exchanged banter, they were both heavy-hearted. They knew better than anyone what mental control represented. Song Jin thought of the Super Omegas controlled on Snow Star and his parents who had to stay there long-term because of it.

Li Xiao saw only the full room of medical equipment and his brother’s bloodless face on the hospital bed as he charged into the King’s bedchamber in his previous life, risking his life. He hadn’t had a chance to ask anything or say anything before his brother was gone.

During the second attack by Qi Ge in the hallway of the exam room, Qi Ge had followed him the whole way. That meant that under normal circumstances, mental control could only be achieved within a range of high pheromone concentration. If the target went out of range, they might wake up. If this was just temporary control, his brother wouldn’t be in danger before the Meng family completely took control of the Tianjiang Sector. Even if they manipulated his brother into signing official documents, his brother would wake up and immediately expose them. A transition of power couldn’t be completed in a day or two, unless the person with the mental control ability stayed by his brother’s side long-term.

At this thought, Li Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t impossible.

His brother was thirty-three; he was long past the age of marriage. Hadn’t they thought of sending an Omega into the palace?

In the dorm, Da Bei sat in the living room looking at technical posts on the military academy forum. Seeing Li Xiao return, he hurriedly poured a cup of hot tea for him. “Brother, are you tired? Do you want to rest early?”

Li Xiao took the cup. “Have you heard your cousin chat about any domestic gossip lately?”

Da Bei gave a dry laugh. “What aspect do you want to hear about?”

Li Xiao, not sure what he was thinking, looked a bit dejected. “I know my brother doesn’t like me coming back. No one wanted me to come back; they’re afraid I’ll threaten his position.”

Da Bei was startled and hurriedly said, “No, that’s not it! Don’t overthink it.”

Li Xiao looked at him suspiciously. “So I’m very curious: why doesn’t my brother get married? If he had a few more children, wouldn’t I stop being a threat to him?”

Da Bei didn’t expect the angle of his questioning to be so tricky; he couldn’t come up with a response for a moment. “…That’s actually very reasonable.”

Li Xiao: “Has no one urged him to get married early all these years?”

Da Bei scratched his hair, looking troubled. “Actually, there are quite a few people who try to get close to His Majesty at every gala, but maybe His Majesty just hasn’t taken a fancy to any of them?”

Li Xiao asked sincerely: “He doesn’t have some hidden illness, does he?”

Da Bei: “…”

That night, Da Bei returned to his room and, after hesitating for a moment, reported Li Xiao’s movements to the palace in full detail. His mission was to report faithfully, without any alteration or concealment. After sending it, Da Bei covered his face. “…” Will His Majesty be furious to death? I really can’t imagine it.

[The Second Highness asked why His Majesty doesn’t get married and whether he has a hidden illness.]

The special assistant’s pupils quaked. He carefully snuck a glance at Li Ji’s complexion. “Your Majesty, the Second Highness might have just asked casually; please don’t take it to heart.”

Li Ji stood in front of the screen with a sour face, staring at the line of text for a long time. “Reply back: My ‘functionality’ is more than powerful enough; he doesn’t need to worry about it!”

Assistant: “…Yes.”

Li Ji snorted coldly: “Is getting married such a big deal? I’ll break them up in a couple of days; they aren’t worth a damn!”

Assistant: “…”

Seeing Li Ji storm out of the office in a huff, the assistant suddenly remembered something and hurriedly followed him. “The news about Qiu Yuefeng accepting bribes has been trending online for the past two days; it’s caused quite a stir.”

Just two days after suppressing the case materials, Qiu Yuefeng had hit the trending lists on all major platforms. The story became more and more bizarre as it spread; the bribe amount had more than doubled, and all sorts of so-called “mistresses” and “lovers” had come out to write essays pointing directly at Qiu Yuefeng’s life of extravagance and lechery. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was operating behind the scenes.

Li Ji didn’t look back. “I don’t know.”

The assistant shut his mouth. This is clearly a sign of ‘do not intervene’.

The next morning at 6:00 AM, Li Xiao got up on time for morning exercises in the training room. The bribery case involving Qiu Yuefeng continued to ferment on the Danshi internet. Li Xiao had been reading the news for two days, yet there was still no record of the case being accepted on the local court’s public page. Public opinion alone couldn’t pull down a congressman; the Meng family must have already made sufficient preparations. If this was the current result, either the Yi family had intercepted the whistleblower materials, or his brother had made a move. No matter who had acted, it was good news for him.

Half an hour later, Da Bei walked in and began warming up on an empty patch of ground nearby.

“Brother, I asked my cousin about your question from last night.”

Li Xiao: “What did he say?”

Da Bei straightened his back and replied in a booming broadcasting voice: “Cousin said His Majesty’s ‘functionality’ is extremely powerful—there’s absolutely no need to worry about that!”

Li Xiao: “…” Is that really how the word ‘powerful’ is used?

Li Xiao stopped, bit off the strap of his boxing glove, and picked up a towel to wipe his sweat. “Then why hasn’t he gotten married all this time? Could it be that he likes Alphas just like me? In that case, is Old Liu his secret lover?”

Da Bei was already sweating buckets before he even started exercising.

“…Old Liu is in his fifties, I think.”

Li Xiao: “Is he? He looks quite youthful.”

Da Bei: “…………” Are you serious?!

In the Danshi Royal Palace, Li Ji had just finished his day’s work when his assistant received another report from Da Bei.

[The Second Highness asked if His Majesty likes Alphas. He also asked if you are His Majesty’s secret lover.]

The air in the government hall froze. Old Liu, the assistant, nearly wept. “Your… Your Majesty…”

Li Ji gave him a look of disgust. “Get lost! Don’t loiter in front of me in the future.”

The assistant responded aggrievedly: “…Yes.”

The bell for the end of class rang. Li Xiao packed his books and walked out of the classroom, encountering Qin Le at the entrance of the classroom across the hall.

“How is that case going?” Li Xiao asked.

Qin Le: “It’s still being organized. There’s hope.”

Li Xiao nodded. “If there’s anything I can help with, don’t hesitate to say so.”

Qin Le took an extra look at him. Earlier, when they met Jiang Mu, Li Xiao’s attitude had been clearly about avoiding trouble—what had changed? Was it really because he had received a gift?

Just as they were talking, an arm stretched from behind and draped over Li Xiao’s shoulder. He turned to see it was Song Jin again.

Li Xiao: “I have an appointment for lunch.”

“Cancel it.” Song Jin led Li Xiao forward with long strides. “Big brother is taking you to eat something good.”

Li Xiao: “…” Here we go again.

In the garage, Song Jin pushed him into the passenger seat, buckled his seatbelt for him, walked around the front of the car to the driver’s seat, and took off with a heavy foot on the gas.

Li Xiao was a bit helpless: “This is called kidnapping.”

Song Jin looked straight ahead: “Voluntary doesn’t count.”

Li Xiao, who had been “voluntarily” taken: “…”

The car pulled up at Restaurant No. 32 in the DF area. Listening to his subordinates’ reports through a monitor, Song Jin took Li Xiao to a window seat on the second floor. Sitting in front of and behind them were four third-year exchange students.

Collecting blood from every exchange student without drawing attention wasn’t easy, but with Li Xiao there, it was very convenient; a quick smell was enough to determine if there were any problems.

Li Xiao differentiated everyone’s scent amidst the aroma of various dishes, shooting an emotionless glance at Song Jin, who was seriously ordering dessert. Feeling Li Xiao’s gaze, Song Jin signaled with his eyes: [Found a problem?]

Li Xiao nodded: [I want salty dessert.]

Song Jin followed up with his eyes: [Which one is the problem?]

Li Xiao: [It can’t not be there; you look.]

Song Jin frowned, confused: [Which one is it, exactly?]

Li Xiao pointed at the screen: [That one.]

Song Jin looked down and saw an onion-flavored cookie ice cream.

“…” What kind of mess is this?

After confirming that the four exchange students were fine, they pretended they were just there for a meal.

“Li Xiao, what a coincidence.”

A gentle baritone voice sounded in his ear. Song Jin and Li Xiao looked over simultaneously to see an Omega in a Danshi military uniform approaching. The person had slightly curly dark gray hair, slightly dark skin, and wore flashy ear wires; the dangling chains connected to a metal collar on his neck, which was encrusted with gems.

The surrounding students acted like radar, instantly locking onto them, stealing glances and pricking up their ears to listen. A beautiful Omega is hitting on Li Xiao!

Li Xiao’s gaze swept over the emblem on the Omega’s collar; he was a sophomore.

“And you are?”

“I’m Wei Ming, an exchange student like you.” The Omega smiled as he walked to the table. “You performed brilliantly in the last field test. I’ve wanted to meet you for a while, but with schoolwork so busy, I never found the opportunity.”

Being this close, Li Xiao vaguely smelled a strange odor on the Omega. He shifted further into the booth and signaled for the Omega to sit. “Have you eaten, Senior? Would you like to eat something?”

The smile on Wei Ming’s lips deepened as he sat down beside Li Xiao, his gaze darting toward Song Jin. “I hope I’m not intruding, but your partner wouldn’t mind, would he?”

Song Jin grinned: “Not at all. We love playing with Omegas together… a slip of the tongue—I mean, we love playing together with Omegas.”

Li Xiao: “…” You better hope that was a slip of the tongue.

Surrounding students: “…?” What does ‘playing together’ mean?

Wei Ming’s smile stiffened slightly, but he quickly returned to his natural look, sizing up Song Jin. “Little Jin, you’re even prettier than an Omega. No wonder Xiao Xiao likes you; unlike me, exposed to the wind and sun all year round, my skin has turned all rough.”

Calling an Alpha prettier than an Omega was hardly a compliment, especially in a military academy. Song Jin ate his ice cream, gave him a casual look: “It’s indeed rougher than the linen curtains in my hometown. But rough has its own texture; we aren’t picky, right, baby?”

Li Xiao: “…………” You brat, what are you saying?

Surrounding students: “…?!!” Song Jin, you are very not right.

“Little Jin sure knows how to joke, ha ha…” Wei Ming laughed out loud, pointing at the ice cream in Song Jin’s hand. “Is your dessert a new item? I’ve come here many times and never seen it; it looks delicious.”

Song Jin: “It is delicious. If you want some, order it yourself.”

“I can’t finish a whole portion,” Wei Ming said, looking at the one beside Li Xiao. “This one Xiao Xiao has looks pretty good, too. Why don’t we split—”

Li Xiao: “I don’t have enough to eat with one serving.”

Wei Ming: “…”

Song Jin: “Does Senior have class in the first period this afternoon?”

Wei Ming smiled: “The first period is ‘Ideological and Moral Cultivation’. What about you two?”

“You can skip those classes anytime.” Song Jin unlocked his terminal, switched to public mode, and skillfully navigated to a hotel reservation page. “Lunch time is limited, let’s find somewhere close. Baby, what style do you want?”

Li Xiao: “A heart-shaped bed with Morandi pink—your favorite.”

Song Jin: “…” Better be my favorite.

Seeing them booking a hotel, Wei Ming’s smile gradually stiffened. “May I ask… are you two going out this afternoon?”

Song Jin looked innocent: “Didn’t we just agree to go play together? The three of us.”

Surrounding students held their breath: “…?!!!” The three of them are going to a hotel to play?!!

Wei Ming was stunned: “I… did I agree?”

“It’s okay, it’s not too late to agree now.” Li Xiao said understandingly. “Hurry and eat; we won’t have time to play later.”

Song Jin: “Eat more, otherwise you won’t be able to handle it.”

Wei Ming: “…………” Is this a last meal?! Who can eat this?!

Watching the two eat so happily, Wei Ming weighed his options repeatedly. If news reached Danshi that he had gone to a hotel with two Alphas, his reputation would be ruined. Moreover, he didn’t have the confidence to control two people at the same time.

Wei Ming gritted his teeth and put down his chopsticks. “Oh my, I just remembered my roommate asked me to bring something back. Sorry, let’s meet again next time?”

Li Xiao: “What is it? We can have someone send it over.”

“It’s something very important!” Wei Ming stood up and ran.

Surrounding students: “…?!!!” Whoa! You scared the Omega away—you two are really something!

Once the person was out of sight, Song Jin wiped his mouth and signaled for Li Xiao to leave. “The blind massage at that hotel is really good. Are you Danshi people afraid of massages? Why did the Senior run so fast?”

Surrounding students: “…??” After all that, it was just blind massage?

Facing the enthusiastic gazes of the students, Li Xiao said with some disappointment: “You can tell he comes from high status just by looking at his accessories. In our country, nobles don’t go out to play with commoners like me. Forget it, don’t force him.”

Song Jin: “Don’t be sad. We won’t be friends with people who look down on you.”

Li Xiao: “Yeah.”

Upon hearing this, the students thought: Oh, so that Omega wasn’t hitting on him—he was here to show off his superiority?! The Danshi people really have bizarre thought processes.

“Li Xiao, we won’t look down on you!”

“You were right to marry into Saint-Ya! Don’t go back!”

The students in the restaurant encouraged him one after another.

Li Xiao kept a wooden face: “Thank you.”

The events in the restaurant spread through large and small alumni groups at an unimaginable speed. By the time afternoon classes began, everyone knew there was a sophomore exchange student named Wei Ming who had used his lunch break to humiliate Li Xiao. When Wei Ming went to class that afternoon, the looks he got from the entire class were very subtle.

Wei Ming: “??” What’s going on?!

After eating, they returned to the garage. Li Xiao got into the passenger seat and saw Song Jin hunched over the steering wheel, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Li Xiao pulled on his seatbelt: “Still have the face to laugh? My innocence of decades was almost ruined by you.”

Song Jin messaged his subordinates, telling them to send someone to follow Wei Ming, then looked at Li Xiao: “Why are you keeping your innocence? Wanting to find an honest person for a second marriage? I don’t have an opinion on it, but you can go to the divorce training class yourself.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Compared to going to a training class, innocence really isn’t that important.