Chapter 67 (Complete)
Shigure opened the calendar on his tablet and made a mark with his virtual brush.
Rain's birthday is January 21st, which just passed. Alex's birthday is... September 30th. I'll ask about other people's birthdays when I get back, except for Susu. Susu just had her birthday last month. Although we didn't meet, Shi Yu sent her a long blessing.
As for other people, Shi Yu thought...even if he couldn't see them, it would be nice to send them a blessing like Su Su did.
After Rain's birthday party, Shi Yu started to care about this matter. No matter what, they have helped him a lot and are important friends, so Shi Yu also wants to do something for them.
Shi Yu sat on the bed and thought for a while, then organized his words and sent inquiring messages to his friends.
Ed was the first to reply, a short "End of August."
Before Shi Yu could ask for details, the boy's information popped up again: "I've seen the information, but I forgot the details. Your birthday is in early July... What day of July?"
July 1st.
This is Shigure's birthday.
Six months ago, a week after she turned seventeen, her parents, who were always busy away from home, came back from abroad to accompany her on a trip. Shi Yu finally got to see them once...but now it seemed like it was the last time.
Shi Yu's fingers curled up slightly and she was silent for a moment. She shook her head and put aside those fragile sorrows.
Reopening the darkened interface, she typed a normal reply to Ed: "It's still early for my birthday..."
[About five months left.]
[Five months later, Shigure will enter the matching period.]
In the study, Lei Yin lowered his eyes to look at the documents on the table, and listened calmly to the voice coming from the terminal.
[Officer Rain,] After exchanging pleasantries, they finally got down to business. Rona's tone was more polite and modest than usual. [When you adopted Shigure, we explained these procedures to you. Shigure is about to reach adulthood. If she were still in the nursing home, we would have asked her if she had any such intentions...]
Omegas enter the matching period after adulthood. They will step out of the greenhouse and face the choice of a spouse.
About six months before reaching adulthood, the care center will begin psychological counseling for Omegas to help them adjust to the frequent dating and interactions with Alphas during the matching period. If an Omega is mentally resilient and willing to go on a date, the care center will select a young, well-mannered Alpha with a clean background and arrange a small date with them.
This is also an encouragement policy of the federal government.
Because Omegas are becoming increasingly rare and precious, nearly 60% of Alphas in the Federation are unable to get the opportunity to match with an Omega every year, and even fewer are able to form a family. Most Alphas who successfully match with Omegas and enter into marriage either have a strong background, or have a high military rank and have made military achievements.
——It has become a social consensus that only extremely outstanding Alphas can mate with Omegas.
In order to inspire young blood and replenish the vitality of the federal army, after receiving a positive response from the Omega, the nursing home will select dating candidates from the military academy students who are currently studying and have outstanding academic performance. These students appear to be less aggressive than Alphas who have been on warships and battlefields. They are not only young and easy to control, but also more likely to be inspired to unleash their potential and fighting spirit.
After all, this is not a true match. There are no requirements for family background and military merit. It is equivalent to getting the opportunity to have direct contact with Omegas as long as you perform well in school. Although there are very strict requirements and constraints, and there will be special people monitoring the whole process, there are still countless military academy students applying every year.
However, perhaps because most Omegas are sensitive and shy, very few are willing to make contact with Alphas in advance and take the initiative to adapt to the matching period.
This policy is not mandatory for Omega, so for them, this process is optional.
Lei Yin was silent for a moment, and said without comment: "I understand."
Rona acted impartially and nodded, saying, "Then I'll wait for your..." reply.
"But Shigure is not suitable."
The officer interrupted the protection organization member coldly. He pressed his hand on the documents on the table and sat up straight. "Her situation is special. Both her personality and physical condition are very fragile. I don't think she is suitable for contact with Alpha right now."
"Officer Rein, I am also asking according to the procedure." Rona was a little helpless. After thinking about it, he began to persuade in a clear and organized manner.
"I know about Shi Yu's experience, but at her age, there are some things she has to consider in advance. Perhaps precisely because she's different from other children, she needs to do more preparation before she reaches adulthood. If she's willing to try, it wouldn't be a bad thing. It would help her adapt to the upcoming matching period."
"You and Shi Yu are guardians, and you are the closest people to her," Rona emphasized, solemnly reminding her, "but you can't take care of her forever, so please be sure to consider her future."
"I suggest you ask her opinion. I await your reply."
Lei Yin's blue eyes were calm. After a brief silence, he said, "I will find a chance to ask later."
Then they ended the call.
…
After Ed told Shi Yu the exact date of his birthday, Shi Yu curiously asked about his age. It turned out that Ed was only one year older than her...
Ed, who is so good at math and mecha driving, and has a somewhat aloof but reliable and mature personality... is only 18 years old, a little more...!
Shi Yu thought about it for a moment, and was instantly hit, feeling a little frustrated.
Because she was too busy these days and hadn't talked to Ed much, she simply took advantage of this moment to call Ed. As soon as Ed answered the phone, she turned on the hologram.
"Ed, it's me!" Shi Yu just called his name happily, but when Ed looked at her with a slightly tired look, Shi Yu's voice suddenly stopped.
The boy had a pair of beautiful, clear eyes, and his slender, distinct eyelashes covered the corners of his eyes like falling snow. However, perhaps due to lack of sleep, his vision seemed to be unable to focus. When he squinted slightly to look at her, the indigo color under his eyes was clearly visible.
"Ed," Shigure asked with a complicated tone, "Did you stay up late doing experiments again?"
"I guess so."
Ed couldn't adapt to the holographic light from Shi Yu's side. He closed his eyes as if to relieve himself and blocked the light with his hands. After a while, he put them down again.
When Shi Yu was at the nursing home, Ed hadn't stayed up so late... well, maybe that was because she went to bed early and didn't notice. But after Shi Yu left, every time I called him, I could see Ed working on experiments. Isn't his dedication too high?!
Shi Yu had to persuade him.
"You still have to make sure you get enough rest, Ed," she sighed worriedly, muttering softly, "I'll have to let Susu talk to you later. Even though she's the only student in the class right now, you still have to stay energetic and go to class. You can't stay up so late."
"Susu is no longer in the nursing home," said Ed.
"Yeah, when I'm not around, let Susu take good care of you..." Shi Yu's voice suddenly stopped. She blinked, as if she didn't hear what Ed had just said. "What?"
Ed lowered his eyes slightly and looked at her, his emerald eyes calmly and clearly reflecting the girl's confused face.
"Susu is no longer in the nursing home," the boy paused, his eyes narrowing as he repeated clearly. As if to help her hear more clearly, his voice, already softened by fatigue, slowed even further. "She had her birthday last month, and the gene pool matched her with a suitable Alpha."
"Then what……?"
Shi Yu didn't realize how this was related to Susu leaving the nursing home.
"She's moved in with her spouse," Ed said. "If nothing unexpected happens, they'll register their marriage after the two-month trial period."
Getting married? So soon?? Su Su just had her birthday, how long has it been...
Shi Yu was stunned on the spot for a moment, and didn't come back to his senses for a long time.
"But," Shi Yu opened his eyes wide and asked in confusion, "She didn't tell me..."
It took her a long time to squeeze out a sentence from her dry throat. The girl looked at Ed in panic, a little bewildered. If Ed knew how to lie, she would almost think it was a prank.
“…”
Ed took a deep breath tiredly, lowered his eyes, raised his hand to rub his swollen temples. The boy's shoulders and neck were slender and thin, and the experimental outer garment was draped over his body, and the bone lines of his shoulders were faintly visible.
Shi Yu noticed that he was much thinner than before.
Under the girl's uneasy and tender gaze, Ed called her hoarsely and coldly: "Shigure."
"Uh-huh……"
"You know," Ed said.
"Susu doesn't want you to worry about her."
——As Omegas, each of them will enter the matching period after they reach adulthood, that is, after their 18th birthday.
From Ed's mouth, and with the help of the Internet, Shi Yu intuitively, clearly, and vaguely understood this incident that shocked her heart.
Shi Yu hadn't been in the nursing home for long, so she didn't know much about these rules, which were almost common sense. Rein wouldn't explain them to her specifically. As an Alpha, he naturally assumed that Shi Yu had received education in the nursing home and had a basic grasp of these things.
While sending a message to Susu, Shi Yu suppressed the fear that was slowly overflowing from her heart and checked the calendar with a faint trembling hand. It was now February 25th. She thought, July 1st, in five months, she would also experience this kind of thing -
Match with a stranger, someone you don’t know… an Alpha, go on a blind date, and then get married.
Susu said she didn't want him to worry about her, and the more Shi Yu thought about it, the more she felt like she was saying goodbye. She was so scared she almost cried. The memories of studying math with Susu, doing homework, and watching mecha competitions flashed back to her mind. She was cheerful, gentle, caring, and so smart. How could her future be so easily decided?
Shi Yu could no longer remember the things that made her happy.
The hazy gauze in front of her eyes finally fell off, and the world seemed to finally reveal the tip of the iceberg to her.
...matching and marriage.
Shi Yu's mind was blank, her thoughts were stagnant, her breathing became more and more difficult, and only these two words were circling in her mind.
"Su, Susu..."
Su Su finally saw her message and called. Shi Yu hurriedly answered the call in a panic, her tone almost filled with tears.
"Ah, Shi Yu! I haven't spoken to you in a long time!" A familiar voice came from the tablet. Su Su smiled, then asked in confusion, "Hey, do you have a cold? Your voice is so muffled."
Shi Yu shook her head blankly, then she remembered that Su Su couldn't see and they didn't have the video on, so she added softly, "No..."
"That's good. It's easy to catch a cold this season. Please take care of yourself."
Susu's tone was light and cheerful, which seemed different from what Shi Yu had imagined. She hesitated for a moment before asking her, "Susu, I heard that you..."
"I saw the message you sent," Su Su sighed, smiling somewhat helplessly, "Ed told you, right?"
Shigure silently admitted.
"I actually wanted to tell you later..." Su Su said embarrassedly, "I didn't mean to hide it from you on purpose. I'm sorry Shi Yu, because you were in such a bad state when you came back last time, I was a little worried, so I didn't plan to tell you about it for the time being."
"I did successfully match with Miss Elena and started living together. She's a very good Alpha. Although it was sudden, we do get along very well and happily. I have a good impression of Miss Elena."
"Shigure, I plan to get engaged to Miss Elena next month."
After Su Su happily announced it, she thought for a moment and then asked Shi Yu excitedly, "By the way, do you want to see Miss Elena's photos? She's at work now, but I took a lot of photos of her. She's really beautiful, a rare beauty!"
“…”
"Let me look for it first."
"Ah, I found it! Let's switch to a holographic call, Shigure?"
“…”
"Huh?" Susu paused when she noticed Shiyu remained silent, then called out to her questioningly, "...Shiyu?"
Shi Yu was stunned.
Miss Elena...? Susu is getting engaged to her, eh?
A mess of keywords mixed together, Shi Yu held his head, dazed and caught in a storm of thoughts.
…
During dinner, Shi Yu was obviously a little absent-minded.
Lei Yin cast his gaze at her several times, his blue eyes deep, slowly thinking about how to speak to her. They were each thinking about what happened today, and in the end, no one spoke.
Just now, when he was in hologram with his friend, no matter how hard Shi Yu observed, Susu's expression was full of happiness and satisfaction. Whenever she mentioned "Miss Elena", the happiness in her words was clearly visible.
Although Shi Yu couldn't believe it at first, the facts before her were so clear.
Su Su was not hurt or forced. She and her lover were very much in love. Even though Su Su was still too young, everything developed naturally and logically.
But Shi Yu felt a tightness in her chest, as if she couldn't explain the feeling of blockage. She could have just let go and stopped worrying about Su Su... However -
Every Omega will enter the matching period when they reach adulthood, and they will be matched with suitable lovers through the gene pool... Thinking carefully, the people in the nursing home are all Omegas of the same age or younger.
The more Shi Yu thought about it, the more confused she became. It was as if a needle was sticking in her brain and stirring it around. The biting coldness that was so painful made her shiver, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her from head to toe.
The next moment, Shi Yu came back to his senses while panting, and his brain suddenly became clearer than ever before.
...Then, what about Ed?
She suddenly thought of her conversation with Ed today. He was obviously one year older than her and an adult, but why was he still staying in the nursing home?
Shi Yu's doubts were not malicious, she was just a little scared and couldn't help but want to find more ways to escape.
She felt confused about the future and couldn't suppress her panic.
Before going to bed at night, Shi Yu held his tablet and searched a lot about the Omega matching period.
But the topic of Omega is too sensitive on the Internet, and Shi Yu could only find limited information. She searched over and over again, but in the end she only got a few short pieces of information.
——Every Omega who reaches adulthood needs to be matched in the gene pool. Big data will arrange blind dates based on the personality, living habits, and pheromone compatibility of both AOs. If both parties feel suitable, they can sign a contract and enter a trial marriage period.
The trial marriage period lasts for two months. Although AO will live together, both of them will wear monitoring rings and no intimate contact that crosses the line is allowed.
The purpose of the trial marriage period is to test whether they can adapt to each other's pace of life and whether they have developed a lifelong affection for each other. When the test is over, both Alpha and Omega have a chance to make the final choice.
Shi Yu read carefully word by word until the end of the popular science article, where she saw the conclusion attached by the author.
[Once they enter the trial marriage period, it's generally safe to assume that this Alpha and Omega pair will become true partners. The A/O pairs matched by the gene pool are inherently compatible, and after two months of being together, they'll become inseparable from each other...]
Shi Yu clutched the quilt tightly. She stared at the line of words until her eyes began to sore, but she still did not look away.
Are there really partners in the world who are compatible with each other in every aspect?
...And how can people become unable to leave each other?
Shigure couldn't understand.
She tried searching for the keyword "Omega refuses to mate after reaching adulthood."
To no avail.
As the night gradually deepened, sleepiness kept coming up. Shi Yu slapped his face and tried to wake himself up.
After unremitting efforts, Shi Yu finally found a ray of hope at one o'clock in the morning.
She came across this line in a paper exploring how Omegas get along: "Omegas of noble birth, with the consent and approval of their families, have the freedom to not immediately enter a matching period upon reaching adulthood..."
This was probably the reason why Ed was still in the nursing home and had not entered the matching period, Shi Yu suddenly realized.
But the next second, Shi Yu was stunned. She still remembered what Ed had said about his own experience. Although he was definitely a noble, he...
I have left the family.
Shi Yu was so anxious that her head was about to smoke, but she decided to bury this doubt deep in her heart without hesitation. She knew that Ed had been deeply hurt by his family, and Shi Yu was unwilling to touch her friend's scars again.
Think again, is there anything else——
Shi Yu returned to the page and suddenly his hands shook. He clicked on a forum through the entry of trial marriage period. At the top of the forum was a post from an officer, who shared his sweet and warm daily life with his Omega lover during the trial marriage period.
Shi Yu flipped through the comments. Most of them were blessings. Some people, probably Alphas, politely asked where the officer was currently serving and which service station he applied for the blind date. There was no slander or extreme language. The Alphas, who Shi Yu had the impression of being irritable, cold, and impatient, expressed their expectations of a lifelong companionship with an Omega lover in simple and sincere terms under this post.
All the posts in the entire forum are of this style, as if as long as you live with the matched lover, you will definitely be happy.
Whether posting or replying, everyone is having fun, and there is a kind of illusory, disguised harmony.
Perhaps because of staying up late and the excessive burden of random thoughts, Shi Yu's overly tense nerves began to ache, and she instantly felt dizzy and nauseous.
The girl let out a soft whimper, then covered her mouth tightly, her gasping breaths sounding like a dying kitten crying for help.
Rain, sir...
Shi Yu swallowed the itch in her throat. In the empty room, she seemed to have found a piece of driftwood in the ocean of shattered memories. Her eyes lit up faintly, and then the girl weakly used her pink lips to stroke out the officer's full name.
Mr. Ryan Davis...
Suppressing the urge to vomit, Shi Yu held on to his last hope and searched the last name [Davis].
The dim light from the tablet vaguely illuminated the girl's dazed white face. She blinked and after a moment, she came back to her senses from the search page.
The girl hugged the tablet tightly in her arms and slowly curled herself up into a ball. Her shoulders and back, which had become sore from unconsciously tensing, finally relaxed a little.
…
Shi Yu had a very bad dream.
Although Shi Yu had forgotten most of the dream when she woke up, the suffocating, cold feeling of weightlessness in the dream still gripped her throat. Even during the period leading up to the New Year when she often had nightmares, none of them had caused her such panic as this one.
Because she was in a bad mood, she was in a daze for almost the whole day.
When Lei Yin came back from get off work, Shi Yu was still in a trance and had completely forgotten about asking the household robot to prepare meals in advance.
Although Lei Yin would not blame her, Shi Yu felt particularly ashamed today for this little carelessness that was usually nothing.
"Mr. Rain..."
"Shigure."
At the dinner table, they spoke at the same time. The scene seemed familiar, and Shi Yu was slightly stunned.
Lei Yin looked up at her and nodded, politely and restrainedly asking her to go first as usual. Shi Yu did not refuse this time. She seemed to hear the pounding of her heart. She straightened her back and let out a nervous breath.
Shi Yu thought a lot today. From the past to the future, there was no doubt that Lei Yin was a responsible adopter. During the time they were together, he was considerate and caring enough for her, and even fully respected her wishes in some small matters. This made Shi Yu see a glimmer of different hope.
Mr. Rain is a noble... and she is now adopted by him. Shi Yu is not sure whether she meets the conditions for "matching freedom", but Shi Yu wants to try to ask and then ask Rain to help her.
"Mr. Rain," Shi Yu seemed to have difficulty speaking. He bit his lip and whispered as quietly as possible, "I have something to ask of you..."
Rein waited calmly for her to make her request.
But because she stayed up late and had nightmares in the second half of the night, which exhausted her energy, Shi Yu's thoughts became a tangled mess like a ball of wool played with by a cat. She couldn't form any clear words at all. When she was about to speak, she hesitated and paused for a long time.
In fact, Shi Yu himself was also struggling.
She felt ashamed and afraid of the arrival of the matching period. She thought it was her problem that she couldn't accept those rules. The matching period was basically a stage that all Omegas had to go through. Rain had obviously taken great care of her, so she couldn't ask for anything more.
Even if he spoke up, Mr. Rain might not be able to make the decision...it might even cause him trouble.
"You speak first," Shi Yu rubbed the hem of her skirt and lowered her head to avoid the officer's gaze: "Sorry, sir, I haven't thought about it yet, I'll think about it again..."
The girl often got lost in her own thoughts over trivial matters. Lei Yin didn't think much about it and spoke normally, "Shi Yu, do you still remember that I mentioned to you before that I wanted to take you to travel to Xia Country?"
Shi Yu instantly sat up straight and looked at him. His dull eyes instantly lit up and he nodded up and down like a chicken pecking at rice.
After thinking about it, Rein decided not to tell Shi Yu about the proposal to let her adapt to the matching period in advance.
Firstly, she was emotionally sensitive and in poor physical condition. If something unexpected happened during a date, it would be difficult for her to handle it on her own. Secondly, Lei Yin really felt that once she knew that her date was a military academy student, she would most likely nod in agreement, and then carefully and expectantly ask her which student of his she was.
Just imagining the expression she would show at that time, Lei Yin felt a little uncomfortable.
The date chosen by the nursing home is not necessarily his student. As a guardian, Rain believes that he must not let her hope up and then be disappointed. So the officer calmly plans to find a reason to reject Rona.
Although the decision had been made, the officers still re-examined and took seriously certain key points in the protection organization member's words.
In the second half of the year, Shi Yu became an adult, and they no longer had the chance to spend time together. Recently, there was not much work to do. During her break, Lei Yin learned from the terminal information that her hometown seemed to be about to usher in its annual celebration in the next few days.
Rein thought that perhaps he should fulfill his promise in advance.
"I have about a week of annual leave," Lei Yin looked at the girl calmly with his blue eyes, and his tone softened slightly. "If you are free and willing to travel, we can leave next weekend."
Of course Shi Yu agreed without hesitation!
However, because his guardian suddenly proposed something unexpected, Shigure was ultimately unable to tell Rein his request.
Even on the second day after a good rest, with his unfolded suitcase and clothes scattered around the room, Shigure rehearsed in his head while packing his things, but he still couldn't figure out how to tell Rein.
After cleaning up for an hour or two, Shi Yu became more and more upset, so he simply collapsed on the bed to rest.
Reaching for the tablet, Shigure noticed the date as the screen lit up: January 25th.
Xia Country... At the end of January, her heart moved slightly, and she searched the Internet and found that the date of her trip with Mr. Rain happened to coincide with the Spring Festival of Xia Country, the mother galaxy. This is the most important festival of the year in that ancient country. Shi Yu looked through the pictures on the Internet bit by bit, the familiar festival customs, the street scenes that looked similar but were different from her memory in every place. Shi Yu was a little dazed when she saw them, and her heart was full of bitterness and nostalgia.
Shi Yu thought, I'll consider mentioning this matter to Mr. Rein after I go to Xia Country.
Why did Lei Yin suddenly ask to take her to travel to Xia Country? Shi Yu looked at these photos and seemed to have her own answer in her heart. The more grateful she was to Lei Yin, the more uneasy she felt about the unspoken request.
The date slowly moved forward amid Shi Yu's anxiety and anticipation. The day before departure, Ed called Shi Yu.
He had already learned that Shi Yu was going out for a trip and had already reminded her to pay attention to some safety matters. Shi Yu was very confused as to why Ed called her again at this time.
"Ed," Shigure answered the phone, his hands still folding laundry quickly, "What's wrong? What's going on?"
"You're leaving tomorrow, right?" Ed asked.
"yes."
Hearing this, Ed paused.
Shi Yu was busy and didn't turn on the video, nor did she notice the unusual tone in his silence. After a moment, Ed said, "When you come back from your trip, can you come back to the nursing home?"
"I want to see you," he said.
The boy's voice was clear and serious, and at this moment it lowered slightly. Shi Yu seemed to hear a hint of solemn request in it.
Shi Yu blinked. Usually, Ed's expression rarely fluctuated. He was used to being cold and indifferent, focusing only on himself or the affairs of a few people close to him. He rarely spoke to her so cautiously.
They were leaving tomorrow. Shi Yu calculated the date and agreed without asking too many questions: "Okay!"
"Ah, but it won't be until a week later." Shi Yu explained to him, "Because the place we're going to go out to is quite far away, Mr. Rein plans to use up all his annual leave. But I will apply to Mr. Rein in advance and will be back in a week."
"Can you wait for me, Ed?"
Ed said "hmm" softly and agreed.
This is Shi Yu's first long-distance trip since coming here.
She got up early in the morning and squinted her eyes sleepily to rest as soon as she got on the spaceship. She took a few glances at the universe and the sea of stars outside. After the initial excitement faded away, a feeling of fatigue and dizziness quickly came over her.
Because Omegas have special seats, she and Mr. Rain did not sit together. After waking up from a nap, there were still a few hours before the destination, so Shi Yu had to use the tablet to kill time.
The spaceships here are different from airplanes. You can still connect to the Internet, and the speed is surprisingly fast.
A message popped up on the tablet, and Shigure received several messages from friends.
Since she was going out to play, Shi Yu certainly couldn't answer their calls at any time like she could at home. She told her friends about her plan to travel to Xia Country. Before boarding the spaceship, she took a photo of the spaceship and sent it to them.
Loren added her contact information a few weeks ago, and they were no longer just able to talk on the phone like before. He said that the equipment seemed to have been improved, and not only could it receive pictures normally, but he also had a holographic call with Shi Yu two days ago.
[Model B1317, good hardware for a passenger spacecraft, with fresh paint, very likely a new one from the factory.]
This was Loren's response.
[Bon voyage! Xia Country is located in the northern part of Blue Star. Remember to bring some warm clothes and have fun.]
The second message came from the same account, and Shigure knew immediately it was Akatsuki, that he cared about her.
Xia Feng was very concise, sending a simple "I understand." After Shi Yu picked up the tablet for a while, she added, "Wayne also knows."
Wayne...
Just now, Xia Feng should have told Wayne about her trip.
Shi Yu was stunned for a moment, pursed his lips, and typed a reply to Xia Feng, "Thank you, Xia Feng, say hello to Wayne for me."
Ed probably stayed up late again, so he didn't reply to her.
Alex sent her a crying cat emoji in reply - this gentleman was quite fond of cute animal emojis, and Shigure had stolen quite a few from him.
[Not bad, not bad. Have fun with Rain. I'll also work hard overtime.]
He then attached a photo of an empty seat in the office, which should be Mr. Rein's seat.
So resentful——
Shi Yu couldn't help but laugh at the amusement.
When they were about to reach Blue Star, Shi Yu took out his large suitcase from beside his seat and took out a thick coat, a hat, scarf and gloves to keep warm.
This world is indeed different from what he thought, Shi Yu thought - Xia Kingdom, which has similar customs and culture, is geographically located in the north of the Blue Star map, and the overall temperature of the mother galaxy is relatively low. Therefore, the climate in Xia Kingdom is very cold in winter, and it is a genuine northern country.
But it doesn’t matter, Shi Yu can just treat it as a trip to Northeast China.
At six o'clock in the afternoon, the spacecraft landed in an ancient city on Blue Star.
This is the most popular and most recommended city in Xiaguo on the Internet. It has retro-style buildings and streets, and the local people dress in formal attire with long sleeves, which is quite similar to the Hanfu in Shiyu's memory.
It happened that it was snowing when they arrived. Although the city welcomed and saw off countless tourists from various galaxies every day, in the falling snow, the city seemed more condensed, revealing its distant and quiet classical charm.
It was already evening when we found the hotel. Shi Yu was a little tired, so we had to cancel today's itinerary and wait until tomorrow.
After packing up her things, she went out to have dinner with Mr. Rain. Shi Yu saw red blessing characters and various small window decorations on the restaurant. When she came out after finishing her meal, Shi Yu happened to see some being sold on the roadside.
"Did you know this, Mr. Rain?"
Shi Yu picked up a stack of wrapped window decorations and asked Rein beside him happily.
"I've seen it online before, but I don't know much about it," Rein said. "If you like it, buy it as a souvenir."
Shi Yu didn't want those ready-made window grilles.
She bought a lot of paper-cuts and planned to try cutting window paper-cuts according to the pictures with Mr. Rein. It is fun to do it yourself!
Their hotel was a one-story duplex loft. Shi Yu lived on the first floor and Lei Yin lived on the second floor. She went back to her room to rest for a while, then went upstairs to find Lei Yin with the paper-cutting.
The lantern was lit with a warm yellow candlelight, and a swaying wick was swaying in the cold wind and snow. Shi Yu was holding the paper-cut, wearing a coat, and stepped carefully into the snow-covered attic step by step.
As soon as he reached the second floor, Shi Yu quickly released his hands that were almost frozen into ice by the cold railing. He clamped the paper cutting in his arms, clasped his hands to his lips and exhaled slowly.
Shi Yu took off her hat and casually combed her black hair with her hands. The snowflakes in her hair were melted into water droplets by the girl's body warmth, and even the hair on her cheeks was a little wet. She didn't care, wiped it with her sleeve in distress, and walked towards Lei Yin's door.
However, as the girl was stepping on the soft snow and about to knock on the door, a cold wind carrying ice particles and broken snow suddenly blew up. Shi Yu squinted her eyes and her hair was blown into a mess.
"Mr. Rain..."
When Shi Yu walked in, he looked a little disheveled, his hair was wet and messy and hung on his neck, and his face was covered with water marks, as if he had been crying.
[Shigure, good evening.]
Unexpectedly, the first voice to respond to her was not Rain's.
The young man with light blond hair stood tall in front of the sofa with a stern expression. He was having a holographic conversation with Mr. Rona, whom she had met several times. Shi Yu didn't expect that there were outsiders here. Facing the gazes of the two of them, Shi Yu gritted her teeth and greeted the gentlemen, then covered her face embarrassedly.
"I'm sorry, it was snowing so hard outside just now, I'm..."
"Xia Country is in the north of Blue Star. The climate is cold, and snowy weather is very common." Rona smiled comfortingly, "Did you just get here today? How are you? Are you happy?"
Shigure nodded shyly.
The staff member seemed to be discussing something with Rain. She wasn't sure if her sudden entrance had disturbed them. Just as she was hesitating whether she should step aside, Rona suddenly spoke: "That's right, Shigure—"
Eh?
"Officer Rein and I have something to discuss, and I need your opinion."
Shi Yu looked at Rona in confusion, then at Rain, noticing that the atmosphere was a little stiff and tense. She said nothing and waited silently for Rona to speak.
"This July, you will be turning eighteen and entering the matching period, but before that..."
Matching period...
"If you're okay with that, we can choose from the students you know..."
The human voice gradually faded.
The light swayed, creating double images, and a suffocating feeling like a tide overwhelmed her mouth and nose.
——Matching period.
As soon as these three words came out, Shi Yu could no longer listen to anything else.
She had been feeling panic and depressed because of this incident these days, and it was only the trip that relieved her stress. She tried very hard not to think about it anymore, and didn't want to show any abnormality during the trip and be noticed by Lei Yin, but she actually never relaxed.
Shi Yu moved his lips dryly, which had turned pale for a moment: "I..."
Shi Yu couldn't say anything. The messy water marks left by the snowflakes on her face made her look like she was crying, but now she seemed to be really shedding tears. The girl looked confused and stared at Lei Yin in a daze.
"Shigure?"
“…”
"I've told you twice," Fir Fir seemed to approach her, but paused a meter away. The officer's voice was cold and stern, without any fluctuations. "She is not suitable for contact with Alphas, and she has absolutely no intention of doing so."
"Officer Rain, please wait a moment, Shigure, Shigure...?"
They were discussing their matching period. Mr. Rain, whom she considered her only hope, was communicating with them and might be persuaded first...
Shigure's shoulders trembled, his face pale and confused.
As soon as she heard the word "matching period", the anxiety in her heart was aroused. She hardly listened to what Rona said. Her mind was full of the information she searched on the web that night, the cold and mandatory regulations, the disguised harmony in the forum, and some messy and terrifying things.
"I, I don't want to..." she said.
"Sorry, Shigure. I was abrupt."
Seeing the girl trembling with panic, Rona quickened his pace and explained with a hint of urgency, "Since you don't want to, no one can force you. Don't worry, Shi Yu, we won't mention this matter again..."
Rona's words stopped abruptly.
The call was disconnected.
The room fell silent. Lei Yin's face was stern, his lips were tight as he pressed the call button on the terminal, then looked up at her.
"Shigure."
He walked towards the girl, half-crouched at a distance, and clenched his neatly gloved hands on his knees with a little force. This tall and stern officer was accustomed to looking her in the eye, which was perhaps a sign of weakness.
"Don't cry," the light-blond young man tried to comfort her in a low and awkward voice. "If you don't want to go, just refuse. There's no need to be so scared."
He had made a wrong judgment before. Although Shi Yu had a good impression of some of his students, she still had a shadow from the previous training. The officer believed that this might be the reason why she lost control of her emotions.
"I—" Shi Yu's vision blurred. He took a deep breath and squeezed out a voice, "Mr. Rain, I have something..."
Should I tell him…? Shigure thought, should I tell Mr. Rain right now?
Her heart was filled with fear and anxiety.
The words suddenly paused, Shi Yu's eyelashes trembled slightly, she looked hazily at Lei Yin who was not far in front of her, her eyes trembling, as if containing the wet and sticky mist in the rain.
"Mr. Rain."
The confused and fragile voice fell silent. Just as Rein was about to ask, Shi Yu called him softly, "...Mr."
Under Rain's gaze, Shi Yu's hands, which were tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, slowly loosened. She raised her arms a little, but turned her eyes away, no longer willing to look at him.
"Agreed."
——This is the command to release the monitoring loop.
She had just come in from the wind and snow outside, and she had been crying because of her emotional ups and downs, so she wanted to get a little warmth from the officer.
Or maybe he was looking for an attitude and answer that would reassure her and that she could rely on in the future.
Lei Yin knew clearly what Shi Yu was doing and what attitude he should show. The distance between them could not cross the bottom line again and again. As a guardian, he should immediately refuse or scold her to remind her and to alert himself. However, this would undoubtedly make Shi Yu cry.
The room was silent for a long time. The waiting made Shi Yu feel uneasy. Her face turned paler and she pursed her lips, her body swaying.
Her expression caught the young man's eye.
Lei Yin closed his blue eyes slightly and stood up silently. She was frightened today, and he allowed himself to give her a brief comfort.
He leaned over, and the breath of fir embraced her.
The girl stiffened in the Alpha's arms, then she sighed softly, almost in relief, and wrapped her arms around his broad and strong shoulders and arms, burying her moist and warm face in his neck.
The author has something to say:
My sister's condition is getting worse and worse.
How should I put it? It was only in recent chapters that my sister really began to adapt to this world. It was okay before when she lived in the greenhouse-like place like the nursing home (but in fact, the nursing home was also terrible. The Omegas were basically domesticated, but the atmosphere was very good and my sister was not aware of it). It was then that my sister gradually realized that she would never be able to adapt to this world, but she had to force herself to survive here.
The pressure will only accumulate more and more. Even if it seems that she has recovered briefly, she is just following the self-protection mechanism and suppressing those things in her heart. Her spirit is now very tense.
So the girl needs to go through a process of destruction before she can rebuild herself.
The trial marriage episode is almost here, and it will probably be the home game of Sturga (Noah, Yulai, Phil, and Xiu)!
Ed will also return!
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