Chapter 8: Crown Prince
When the video call connected, a refined, mature man with black hair and golden eyes appeared as a projection.
This was Ji Mingxue’s Omega’s father, the cherished jewel of the most noble family in the Empire, Ji Wushuang.
Ji Wushuang greeted Ji Mingxue with a gentle smile: “Mingxue, good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon, Father.” Ji Mingxue sat up straight and replied warmly.
“The doctor said your pheromones have mostly stabilized, how are you feeling?”
Ji Mingxue nodded: “I feel fine.”
When Ji Mingxue differentiated into a rare 3S-level Omega a year ago, his pheromones often surged unstably from time to time, making his heat cycles very chaotic. In order to take care of his health, Ji Mingxue had to defer his enrollment to Imperial University by a year until the doctor determined that his unstable pheromones were no longer an issue.
But Ji Wushuang was still worried: “Isn’t attending online classes good enough? Must you insist on going in person?”
Ji Mingxue’s expression turned serious and his voice became calm and resolute: “Father, mecha requires practice and real-life experience, I need to face opponents in person to improve my skills.”
Ji Wushuang fell silent. After a long pause, he asked helplessly: “Do you still resent me for not letting you go to First Military Academy?”
Ji Mingxue hesitated imperceptibly: “No.”
Ji Wushuang didn’t believe him. Ever since Mingxue was young, he had loved mechas and his dream was to go to the First Military Academy. So for someone so proud and positive that he would differentiate into an Alpha, when his secondary differentiation resulted in Omega, Mingxue suffered an immense blow.
Ji Wushuang explained himself again: “First Military Academy is filled with Alphas and Betas, it’s far too dangerous for you.”
Ji Mingxue was not convinced: “They can’t beat me.”
Ji Wushuang laughed a little in exasperation: “Can you guarantee you can beat them during your heat cycle?”
Ji Mingxue thought to himself, I can. But he didn’t say it out loud. There was no point when his father would never believe him, and his father cared about him too much.
Ji Wushuang said earnestly: “Listen to me, Mingxue, when it comes down to it, it’s always the Omega who suffers.”
Ji Wushuang was clearly speaking from experience: “Alright, alright,” he lightened the mood, “Imperial University’s mecha department is excellent too. Just like First Military Academy, it’s also located on Unistar.”
“When you get there, you’ll have plenty of chances to visit First Military if you want to. And besides-”
Ji Wushuang gave him a meaningful look: “If you consider a political career, Imperial University is more suitable than First Military.”
Ji Mingxue’s expression eased slightly.
Ji Wushuang continued to praise Imperial University: “Mingxue, Imperial is full of the Empire’s brightest talents, you’ll make plenty of friends there. And if you bring back a prince consort, that would be even better.”
Ji Wushuang’s voice obviously got more excited at the end.
But Ji Mingxue didn’t share the sentiment at all. He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes: “You should stop dreaming about a consort.”
For most of Ji Mingxue’s life, he had never imagined himself to be the one bitten and marked, and even though he differentiated into an Omega, he couldn’t envision himself in that position. Mingxue said coolly: “I can consider bringing home a crown princess though.”
Ji Wushuang: …
He asked his son hesitantly: “Do you like Omegas?”
Ji Mingxue was speechless. He changed the topic: “Father, do you have anything else?”
Why did everyone have to bring up romance all the time? What was wrong with staying single?
Ji Wushuang wisely stopped pushing: “Actually, there is something else. Mingxue, do you remember Shen Qingzhu?”
Ji Mingxue had to dig through his memory for a second: “The child of your friend? The one you’ve been looking for?”
Ji Wushuang nodded: “If he’s still alive, he would be eighteen now, just the right age for university. Please keep an eye out for me on Unistar, if you happen to see a child like him.”
He sent a photo to Ji Mingxue.
Ji Mingxue looked at the photo. It was a candid shot that was zoomed into a small figure with pale skin, black hair, and striking green eyes.
Ji Mingxue rubbed his temples: “Is there no clearer picture?”
Although he could try to use AI to enhance the image, there was no guarantee the altered image would be accurate, and might only make the search harder.
Ji Wushuang sighed: “Back then, Shen Xian and his husband protected the boy so well, this was the only photo I could find. I only came across it by chance.”
Mingxue was confused: “Why do you think he’ll show up on Unistar?”
Ji Wushuang smiled nostalgically: “Because he’s Shen Xian and Ethel’s child. If he’s alive, he’s destined to be extraordinary. Unistar is where many of the Empire’s extraordinary paths begin, if that boy refuses to live an ordinary life, I’m certain he will go there.”
Ji Mingxue did not voice the harsher possibility. Hearing Ji Wushuang, who rarely held others in such high regard, made Ji Mingxue curious about this Shen Qingzhu.
“I’ll keep an eye out,” he promised.
⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅
When the call ended, Ji Mingxue leaned back lazily on the sofa. His AI companion, Mingfeng, suddenly commented: “Your Highness, you never even applied to First Military Academy. Why make everyone believe you wanted to go there?”
Ji Mingxue’s lips curved: “If I said from the start I wanted to go to Imperial, then everyone would’ve insisted I take online classes. Everyone’s attitude toward me changed just because I differentiated into an Omega. Some even doubt that an Omega can be the Crown Prince, but I’ll make them see…”
His golden eyes glinted ruthlessly: “Even as an Omega, I can trample them beneath my feet. Whoever wants the position, they can try and take it from me.”
⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅
Planet C-07, in the space elevator reception hall.
The Beta boy, Yu Yushun, came back from the medical center. He jogged lightly, with a smile on his face, and Shen Qingzhu knew the other’s injuries must’ve healed well.
“Mr. Qing!” Yu Yushun was very happy to see Shen Qingzhu waiting for him. He sat down next to Shen Qingzhu, and then suddenly remembered something and looked around nervously.
The title “Mr. Qing” sounded a little strange to Shen Qingzhu, but it wasn’t a problem. He guessed: “Are you looking for that Alpha?”
Shen Qinghzu said concisely: “He suddenly went into a susceptibility episode earlier, and a robot took him to the hospital.”
Yu Yushun froze and then panicked: “What should I do? Should I go to the hospital to find him?”
Shen Qingzhu suggested: “Why not contact your family first and see what they say?”
“Oh, yes!” Yu Yushun immediately made the call, switching his terminal to private mode. He chatted for a while and then hung up, sighing in relief: “My mom said she’ll go visit him in the hospital. She told me to not delay and board the starship on time.”
Shen Qingzhu nodded and thought with appreciation, what a good mother. Yu Yushun’s mother cared about her son first and intended to face any backlash herself.
He typed a quick message on his terminal, urging Zhujian to collect evidence against Muffin faster.
Shen Qingzhu and Yu Yushun weren’t on the same flight. Shen Qingzhu’s flight was at 27:30 in the evening, while Yu Yushun’s was at 20:00.
As Yu Yushun’s boarding time approached, he told Shen Qingzhu nervously: “This is my first time on a space elevator.”
He was so nervous his legs shook.
Most people taking the space elevator would suffer from some discomfort, which was why the reception hall offered a free simulation cabin for passengers to acclimate to the space elevator.
Seeing Yu Yushun’s anxiety, Shen Qingzhu stood up and suggested going to the simulation cabin: “I’ll go with you.”
Even though it would also be his first time on the space elevator, Shen Qingzhu was more curious than afraid.
Yu Yushun was touched again, and his eyes were practically sparkling when he looked at Shen Qingzhu as they went to change into protective suits. These suits reduced the strain of rapid ascent on the body, but the quality of the suits differed based on the price.
Yu Yushun’s family was clearly pretty well off, seeing his suit was quite good.
On the other hand, Shen Qingzhu could only afford the cheapest one-time use one.
After they came out of the simulator five minutes later, Shen Qingzhu stepped out gracefully while a pale-face Yu Yushun stumbled out and immediately vomited in a handy bin.
Shen Qingzhu thoughtfully handed the Beta water from a vending machine. It was indeed different being a 3S Alpha. Even though he had a flimsy suit, he hadn’t really felt any discomfort.
If Yu Yushun was struggling with just the simulator, the space elevator itself would clearly be much worse. Moreover he was a Beta. For Omegas who had weaker physiques on average, the experience would be terrible.
Now was orientation season, so there would be plenty of Omegas traveling. Shen Qingzhu pondered about drafting a guide for Omega travelers.
In his last life, he was actually an experienced Omega lifestyle blogger, so Shen Qingzhu considered this matter seriously.