Chapter 5: Novelty
“Are you sure you want an Alpha suppression collar? Not an Omega suppression collar???” The clerk asked with surprise.
Shen Qingzhu smiled helplessly: “I’m sure.”
“What are you going to do with it?!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the clerk thought she’d asked stupid question. Of course someone was buying it to use it.
“Oh, my apologies, I’m just too surprised.”
Seeing the teenager wasn’t offended by her outburst, the clerk explained: “It’s just that I’ve worked here for years, and this is the first time I’ve met someone buying an Alpha suppression collar.”
The clerk turned on her optical terminal and scrolled through the inventory list: “Please wait a moment, I’ll have to check if we have them in stock.”
Two minutes later. “Found it!” She called over a robot to dig out the item from the very bottom of the storage.
While waiting, the clerk frequently glanced at the teenager who stood quietly waiting at the counter.
She finally couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked: “Pardon me, are you an Alpha?”
Shen Qingzhu smiled, but didn’t confirm or deny.
The clerk scratched her cheek awkwardly: “I don’t mean anything bad… I’m just curious why an Alpha would voluntarily use a suppression collar.”
Shen Qingzhu wasn’t offended by her question. Because he had also never seen an Alpha willingly wear a pheromone suppression collar either.
He recalled a hot topic on the Starnet in his past life:
[Just curious: why do most Omegas wear suppression collars in public, but no one has seen an Alpha wear one?]
[Top comment #1: What an insult to A! Suppression collars, even a dog would wear that!!!]
[Top comment #2: Omega wears it to protect themselves. A real Alpha doesn’t need a dog collar!]
[Top comment #3: An Omega who goes out without one is either married or not modest. As for us Alphas, obviously we don’t wear them because we have perfect self-control 😎]
[Top comment #N: I’m A! My pheromones smell like cedar and everyone who’s smelled them says they smell amazing. They beg me not to wear a suppression collar 😏]
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When Shen Qingzhu saw this thread that his friend had sent him, he wanted to vomit because of the overwhelming stink of Alpha ego in the thousands of replies.
Bunch of idiots.
Shen Qingzhu believed that for both Omega and Alpha, if conditions allowed, it was best to wear a suppression collar in public.
A suppression collar had many functions. It protected the fragile and sensitive glands, helped keep one’s pheromones at a stable, controlled level, and also protected other people who may be affected by one’s pheromones.
But as seen from the forum post, most of the Alphas in the Lymann empire considered going out with a pheromone suppressing ring was humiliating. They claimed wearing one meant they had no self-control, and blocked them from showing off using their pheromones.
However, according to annual year-end statistics, news reports of Alphas suddenly entering rut in public and causing disturbances far outnumbered similar incidents with Omegas.
Sociological surveys also showed that almost all Omegas had, at some point, been harassed by pheromones of a strange Alpha in a public place.
The percentage of Betas who experienced suppression-pressure from an Alpha’s pheromones in public was also over 90%.
Reality was the complete opposite of Alphas’ self-indulgent fantasy.
As a former 3S Omega, Shen Qingzhu encountered Alphas far more frequently than the average Omega.
He had countless experiences of being hit on by an Alpha “accidentally” leaking their pheromones.
Luckily his high genetic level meant he wouldn’t be affected by their pheromones, but every experience was like being eyed by a swarm of flies or like having a pack of horny dogs pee on your pants.
If I were an Alpha, I’d definitely keep my pheromones perfectly in check at all times. I’d never be like an animal in heat, disgusting everyone around me! Is what Shen Qingzhu swore countless times in his heart.
Now that he was an Alpha, it was time for him to keep his promise.
No Alpha in the Empire would voluntarily wear a suppression collar? Then he would be the first.
He wasn’t afraid of other people’s judgement.
He only did what he truly wanted to do.
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When the robot finally came back holding an Alpha suppression collar, the clerk looked at Shen Qingzhu with some embarrassment. The collar was actually a model from 20 years ago. She said: “Sir, I’m really sorry, but this is the only one we have in stock…”
Feeling guilty for making him wait so long, she added: “How about you give me your address, I can check if other pharmacies around have one and then deliver it to you later.”
Shen Qingzhu was quiet. Why did he go to the pharmacy in person? Because he couldn’t afford the delivery fee. T__T
Thinking of the 98 star coins left in his account, Shen Qingzhu politely refused her suggestion. He looked over the product info on the box.
Although the model was old, it wasn’t expired and it did contain a small amount of medicine that controlled Alpha pheromones. It’s effect was mild, but better than nothing.
Shen Qingzhu decided to buy it and asked for the price.
The clerk smiled professionally: “Market price is 200 star coins.”
Shen Qingzhu’s smile faltered a little. He cleared his throat and asked tentatively: “Could it be a little cheaper?”
From the moment Shen Qingzhu walked in, the clerk guessed in her heart that Shen Qingzhu was poor from the clothes he wore. He also only picked the cheapest products. But seeing that he had been polite and patient throughout, no one could imagine her surprise learning that Shen Qingzhu was actually an Alpha.
In all of her life, she had never met such a mild-mannered and well-behaved Alpha!
And he was buying an Alpha suppression collar voluntarily!
Perhaps because of the novelty, the sight of Shen Qingzhu being embarrassed and reserved actually made her feel a trace of pity for him.
She, a Beta, feeling for an Alpha! How crazy!
The clerk decided: “Alright then, I’ll give you a discount!”
“50 star coins! How about it?”
Shen Qingzhu blinked. This was indeed a great deal, however, the washed sticker price on the box clearly read 2000 starcoins. He was short on money, but he didn’t want to get her in trouble. “Will the store owner be okay with that price?”
The clerk was a little touched. She said confidently: “Don’t worry, this pharmacy is owned by my family. I can make the call myself.”
Before Shen Qingzhu could relax, she suddenly leaned forward with twinkling eyes: “But… I do have one small request.”
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Twenty minutes later, Shen Qingzhu felt as if he had aged many years. He left the store with the clerk personally seeing him off. She even waved, saying she hoped to see him again soon.
Shen Qingzhu didn’t have the heart to tell her he would be leaving this planet tonight.
After the pharmacy was out of sight, he finally let out a long breath.
Zhujian: “Master, your heart rate and body temperature are slightly elevated~”
Shen Qingzhu: “If you went through what I did, then your heart rate and temperature would spike too!”
Zhujian: “But Master, I have no heartbeat or body temperature hehe.”
Shen Qingzhu: “...Be quiet for a moment please.”
Zhujian: “Okay.”
Shen Qingzhu touched the suppression collar around his neck with a complicated expression.
The clerk’s request was just to let her take a few photos of him with the suppression collar on.
“I’ve never seen an Alpha wearing a suppression collar in my life!” She said.
Remembering her enthusiasm, Shen Qingzhu’s ears felt a little hot.
Was this what they called bowing to five pecks of rice?” t/n "not bowing down for the sake of five pecks of rice" is a chinese idiom that meaning refusing to compromise one's integrity or principles for a small gain or out of necessity
Shen Qingzhu fell into deep philosophical thought.
A minute later, he concluded that “Qing” was the one who got photographed. What did it have to do with Shen Qingzhu?
Shen Qingzhu returned to his calm, steady demeanor and strolled back to the orphanage to pack his luggage.
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Shen Qingzhu had only a few belongings. Two outfits and a single tube of nutrient solution. He didn’t even have a bag.
He had to fold a shirt into a carryable bag to hold the rest of his belongings.
“How did ‘I’ end up this poor?” Shen Qingzhu sighed as he looked at his things.
Since “Shen Qingzhu” could get admitted to Imperial University, then his IQ must be very high. Even a casual part-time job would’ve improved his conditions.
Something didn’t add up.
“Zhujian, where did all of my money go?”
Zhujian: “Your money is kept in the bank accounts of your other two optical terminals.”
Shen Qingzhu: !
He really did have more money!
“Where are my other two terminals?”
Zhujian: “You have one behind the mirror, and one under the bed.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Shen Qinghzu’s lips curved upward, and his mood obviously brightened.
Zhujian’s childlike voice said innocently: “You didn’t ask me.”
Shen Qingzhu was speechless. For the sake of the money he was about to get, he decided to forgive this little idiot.
He reached under the bed and pulled out a palm-sized gray cube. And he retrieved a similar cube from behind the bathroom mirror.
To most people, these plain, gray cubes looked like cheap toys or decorations. Their exteriors were seamless, so one couldn’t tell anything was hidden inside.
But Shen Qingzhu instantly recognized them as small safes with trigger locks.
He held the gray cube in his hand, waiting for the box and his skin to have contact for three minutes, and then a holographic screen popped out.
【Summer Solstice】
The screen flashed three times and then vanished, replaced by an 8-digit password prompt that had to be handwritten with a five-second time limit.
If the password was wrong or wasn’t given in five-seconds, then these safes were set to self-destruct, destroying the contents inside instantly.
Shen Qingzhu reevaluated the ability of this world’s “Shen Qingzhu.” It seemed “he” was even more cautious than he expected.
Shen Qingzhu swiftly wrote his birthday in less than three seconds:【10480622】
The screen flashed three times, and was then replaced by a message.【radiant and magnificent】
Three seconds later, these words embedded themselves on one side of the screen, creating six empty spaces before the words and two spaces after. He had 30 seconds to fill them in.
Seeing those words on the screen, a surge of emotion welled in his chest, and his eyes stung. Shen Qingzhu took a breath and wrote with steady fingertips, filling in the gaps across the screen.
【Behold the valley of Qi, where the green bamboo grows.
There is the elegant gentleman, with his bright ear ornaments, and his cap adorned like stars.
Serene and dignified, radiant and magnificent.
That elegant gentleman, I can never forget.】
It was a poem from ancient Earth titled Qi'ao. t/n a poem from the Book of Songs, https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%8D%AB%E9%A3%8E%C2%B7%E6%B7%87%E5%A5%A5/6998563
And this poem was the origin of Shen Qinghzu’s name.
Shen Qingzhu’s Omega father, Shen Xian, was a descendant of the Huaxia people from ancient Earth, and had always respected the civilization of ancient China.
Shen Qingzhu was born on the first days of a hot summer in Emeraldsea City, where one could see miles upon miles of green bamboo, like emerald waves of life and vigor.
Qi’ao was a poem praising a refined and noble gentleman, the words so beautiful that they lingered sweetly on one’s lips. It was a poem filled with light and grace.
Shen Xian hoped his child’s life could be as bright as the one envisioned in the poem, growing like upright bamboo.
The gray box opened without a sound.
Inside lay a singular pendant with a deep verdant gemstone.
It was the personal optical terminal Shen Qingzhu used in his childhood.
And it was proof that “Shen Qingzhu” still existed.