Chapter 54 Online Romance with a Bad Beta: Don't Take It Away
With a jolt, the spaceship started up, and the portholes on both sides dropped down, revealing a dazzling starry sky, like ethereal silver ribbons floating in the night sky, a masterpiece of nature.
Xi Congshuang was drawn to this extraordinary sight and looked over.
"Cousin, why are you sitting alone? The booths next door are crowded, why don't you go over there?"
Suddenly, another person appeared beside her, talking intimately. Xi Congshuang subtly avoided her approach.
She doesn't like people touching her inappropriately when they're talking to her; one person who always likes to touch her is enough for her.
The man missed his target and didn't seem to care. He looked up at the alpha walking towards him and said, "Song He, really, why didn't you get a few people to take good care of my cousin? What kind of nonsense is it to leave my cousin here all alone?"
“Oh dear, I’ve neglected President Xi,” the alpha called Song He replied.
Song He was a notorious playboy on Hongcha Star. She had dyed her hair red and her appearance lived up to her reputation for being a womanizer. She was covered in a lot of jingling things, and her hands were no less impressive, with stacks of uniquely designed silver rings.
The alpha next to him joked, "Later you'll have to punish yourself with three drinks and apologize to my cousin!"
Without hesitation, Song He replied, "Of course!"
"Then I'll be waiting!" The enthusiastic and cheerful alpha turned to Xi Congshuang and asked, "Cousin, what would you like to drink? I'll go get it for you."
“Not for now.” Xi Congshuang thought for a while before matching the people around her with the people in her contacts.
My cousin, Xi Yanjun, was born in the same year as me, only a few months apart. She is a B-grade alpha, and her pheromones smell like mint.
Speaking of which, Tan Yicheng is an A-level alpha, but I don't know what her pheromones smell like, as there's no record of it in the system's data.
Xi Yanjun: "Cousin, don't be so polite with Song He. I'll get you the one you drink most often."
As she spoke, she got up on her own, walked to the bar, and said a few words to the bartender.
The other person's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but when they saw Xi Congshuang sitting in the booth, they regained their composure and smiled as they took out a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet.
Song He also walked to the other side of the lively booth and said, "President Xi is here to support us today, why are you all crowding here? Come over."
A subtle silence fell over the booths, with the group of AABB members stammering and looking at each other without saying a word.
Song He asked curiously, "What's with your expressions?"
An alpha raised his glass, covered his lips, and said, "Don't you think Xi Congshuang is acting a little strange?"
The question was strange. Song He only glanced at the person briefly and didn't think there was anything wrong with her as usual. However, she found it strange that she was quiet and didn't talk much, so she asked, "What's strange about her?"
"..."
The AABBs fell silent for a moment; they were all somewhat illiterate and couldn't think of a suitable way to describe her.
I don't know how to say it...
It felt like Xi Congshuang had changed a lot since I last saw her. She had become more unapproachable and aloof, and her gaze towards people was indifferent.
Actually, they had wanted to go and play with Xi Congshuang ever since she entered the room. The person in the lead was glanced at by her casually, and like a princess meeting the emperor, she tucked her tail between her legs and sat back down.
There are significant differences between not all playboys. Although they all love to play, these alpha or beta playboys have their economic lifeline in the hands of their parents, or they are crown princes or princesses who have not yet ascended the throne.
The latter are rare, and those elites are not willing to hang out with them.
Xi Congshuang was different. She ascended the throne early and held great power at a young age. The only threat, her uncle "Old Prince" Beta, was loyal to her and had no desire to compete with her. She naturally became a top figure in the circle of playboys.
Who wouldn't envy Xi Congshuang? No one can stop her from causing trouble no matter what she does; it's so carefree.
Most importantly, she is generous and spends money like water, without caring at all.
"Pour some for my cousin. She likes it chilled, so add a couple more ice cubes." Xi Yanjun's voice came again, and another person appeared on the single sofa next to her.
The bartender responded and leaned over to pour the wine. The rich aroma of the wine wafted out, and he poured just enough to fill the bottom of the glass.
Even if Xi Congshuang didn't know the brands of fine wines in the world, she knew that this bottle was very valuable.
Sure enough, Xi Yanjun said, "It's rare for my cousin to come over, so we have to treat you to the best of everything. Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
Xi Congshuang hadn't spoken yet.
"Don't bother asking her. Just bring out what she used to like. She's not eating now, so just leave it out and she'll have an appetite." Song He chimed in, herding AABB from the other booth over like a duck.
“That makes sense.” Xi Yanjun looked up and saw a menu. The bartender bowed, listened, and then walked away.
Xi Congshuang watched coldly from the sidelines, sitting alone on the sofa. The rest of the people squeezed together, but no one sat down next to her, afraid of upsetting this sugar daddy.
These people all knew Xi Congshuang's hobbies and had even tried to seduce her, but Xi Congshuang had a bad habit of being very clean and looked down on these playboys.
The two sides continued to coexist peacefully.
The booth was packed with young AABB members playing together, fiddling with the dice on the table and under the drawers.
Many things have changed in this era, but the way we have fun remains the same: drinking and gambling go hand in hand.
An alpha spoke up: "Song He, I just heard you say you would punish yourself with three drinks. There's wine right here, so you have to apologize to President Xi in front of him."
“I heard you too, come on.”
"Come, come, let me pour you some wine. Don't give Song He the chance to raise fish."
"It's so embarrassing for someone who owns a bar to raise fish!"
Inside the booth, everyone urged Song He to drink. Unable to refuse, Song He readily downed three glasses. The liquor was strong, and her face instantly turned quite red.
"That's great! That's great!"
Everyone cheered. Xi Yanjun, who cheered the loudest, was also given three glasses, which she drank. The glass of wine with ice cubes clattered and slammed onto the table.
"how!"
"As expected of you, the King of Red Tea Star Wine, you never raise fish."
"This wine is delicious and strong, I'll have another one."
"You know your stuff. There are only two bottles of this wine left in stock. Have someone bring them up."
Before anyone knew it, several more bottles of wine appeared on the table. Each person seemed to know their stuff, only choosing the expensive ones, instantly livening up the atmosphere.
Xi Congshuang shook the wine glass in her hand, didn't drink it, and put it back.
Most omegas dislike places with lots of alphas and betas because the pheromones are chaotic and noisy. They prefer to go to places that are only accessible to omegas and female betas for peace and quiet and safety.
Now Xi Congshuang also finds it noisy, and with a wicked thought, she rarely has the patience to watch them play.
After a few drinks, everyone was slightly tipsy and had long forgotten about whether to observe from afar or to play around intimately. They started urging Xi Congshuang to have a few drinks as well.
He was displeased to see that she hadn't touched her wine glass at all and accused her, "You're only focused on watching Song He and not letting her raise fish. President Xi, how come you're secretly raising fish?"
Xi Congshuang said indifferently, "This is not good, I don't like to drink it."
"..."
When the surroundings fell silent, people began to wonder whether it was the wine that was bad, or the person who was bad.
In the past, Xi Congshuang was not talkative, but she had a very discerning temper. It was always good to flatter her and go along with her.
Tonight was strange; I couldn't help but feel like I was facing an elder in my family when I was with her. I couldn't help but wonder what she meant, as if she were suddenly a generation above me. I felt inexplicably intimidated.
Seeing that Xi Congshuang was unhappy, Xi Yanjun quickly stood up and said, "You can have fun, but don't bother my cousin. It's just wine, I'll drink it for her."
Following her words, the crowd descended the steps and the atmosphere became lively again.
"Alright, Xi Yanjun, stop protecting her. You used to refuse to call her 'sister' for months because of her, but now you call her 'sister' all the time."
"Just hahahahaha."
Xi Yanjun glanced at the alpha who had embarrassed her, her expression changed slightly, and she replied smoothly, "That was because I was ignorant when I was a child. Now that I'm grown up, how could I be ignorant?"
"That's true. It's said that alphas automatically mature after they pass the differentiation period at age twenty. Xi Yanjun is just three years behind other alphas."
This alpha always speaks with hidden meanings. Even the usually good-natured Xi Yanjun almost couldn't hold back, her face darkening as she put down her wine glass: "Wu Wenshan, you..."
Argumentative and combative nature is typical of alphas; how many gentle, kind, and frugal alphas are there in the world?
Wu Wenshan: "Why did you call me? Did I say anything to you? What are you implying?"
The group instantly split into two factions: one supporting Wu Wenshan, and the other trying to break up the fight.
No wonder no one spoke up for Xi Yanjun. Stealing someone else's omega and then daring to swagger in front of the rightful owner... it really doesn't look good.
"That omega is just greedy. There are plenty of good omegas out there, why fixate on just one?"
"Besides, Xi Yanjun has already broken up with him, so calm down."
Previously, Xi Congshuang would have seriously enjoyed this drama, but now she suddenly became a little concerned about what Wu Wenshan meant by "three years".
Unable to persuade them otherwise, Song He almost forgot about the biggest client and stepped in to smooth things over: "This wine is cheap, it's normal that it doesn't meet President Xi's standards. I still have a bottle of Jade..."
Seeing that the group of AABBs were about to make peace, Xi Congshuang punished herself by drinking three cups and shaking hands to make peace. She then stood up and said, "No need. I'm taking care of my health lately. It's almost time for me to go to bed. I'll head back now."
Song He was taken aback, thinking she had misheard: "They're leaving already? We haven't even started playing yet..."
The farce ended too quickly. If these people were to argue a bit more, Xi Congshuang would be happy to listen. As for anything else, she had no interest in getting involved.
She left without warning. Song He wanted to stop her, but Xi Congshuang frowned and gave him a cool glance.
"..."
Song He felt a chill in her heart and subconsciously withdrew her hand.
At that moment, she understood why those AABBs said Xi Congshuang was strange; she was indeed a bit odd.
It has become...more unpredictable.
Xi Yanjun was pulled aside and whispered a few words in her ear. She didn't have time to pay attention to her fake friend and real love rival, and hurriedly came over to speak: "Cousin, why are you leaving so quickly? Did something happen at home?"
Xi Congshuang was too lazy to make up an excuse, so she just hummed in agreement and looked down at the AI: "The aircraft I ordered has arrived. I'm leaving now."
In this world, there are public facilities and privately purchased aircraft. Xi Congshuang has one, but she doesn't know how to fly it.
However, the public facilities in this world are very complete, and Xi Congshuang felt that it was convenient not to open them. She could use the spaceship's onboard aircraft to leave at any time if she wanted to disembark.
Just now, Xi Yanjun thought she was upset because she was being ignored. This time, she was really flustered and hurriedly said, "Wait a minute, sister, tell me what you didn't enjoy tonight, and I'll change it."
Xi Congshuang: "I had a great time."
Especially during the scene where the two A's were arguing, she only regretted that they didn't fight like in the TV series. After all, in reality, how could a playboy disregard his reputation and personally take action?
Xi Yanjun was even more confused: "Then why...?"
Xi Congshuang said in a serious tone, "Because I'm taking care of my health, it's time for me to go to sleep."
Sometimes, you can take a chance with what Red Apple says. Life is only once, so cherish it for now.
"..."
Everyone picked at their ears before realizing they hadn't misheard.
Health preservation? It's quite rare to hear Xi Congshuang, who takes nutritional fluids like food, utter this word.
Xi Congshuang didn't want to say anything more and walked away.
Xi Yanjun instinctively called out, "If you leave, who's going to pay the bill?"
This is not only Xi Yanjun's question, but also everyone's question. In the past, everyone relied on Xi Congshuang, their big benefactor, and could eat and drink as they pleased. Now that their big benefactor has run away, who will pay them?
Song He felt a pang of heartache at the sight of the bottles and jars on the table. She had originally planned to play a game out of boredom, but now she had to call Xi Congshuang over to pay for it. Wouldn't she just be swallowing this loss in silence?
After being given a wink by Xi Yanjun, he quickly said, "Then it'll be the same as before, put it on President Xi's tab..."
Xi Congshuang interrupted, "Did I say I was treating everyone?"
"..."
This is a very bad situation!
Xi Yanjun's expression turned ugly. This group was ostensibly Song He's, but she was also involved. Her name was on the contract to rent the spaceship. She had gone to great lengths to get Xi Congshuang here, so how could she let her leave so easily?
Xi Yanjun pleaded in a low voice, "Cousin, please don't do this. I've already made a promise to everyone. Please give me some face."
Xi Congshuang: "You're using me as a favor, why should I give you face?"
"..." Xi Yanjun had no way to refute and chased after him.
If Xi Congshuang were the kind of person who would agree to anything just by pestering her, then she wouldn't be Xi Congshuang. She didn't even listen to what Xi Yanjun said before boarding the aircraft.
Xi Yanjun: "No... Sister!"
They really left?!
On the first day of business, she immediately incurred a huge loss. Given Xi Congshuang's status, who would dare to force her?
After much thought, she decided that she and Song Hexian could share the cost, and the remaining money could be split among the other people. However, she was someone who spent all her money each month, so she was just waiting for Xi Congshuang to help her cover the bills.
She didn't know much about the pharmaceutical industry, and she only held a sinecure with a salary, so she didn't have much money.
After much thought, she realized she had no choice but to rely on her parents. Her first call was to her mother, but her mother was busy getting a beauty treatment and told her to contact her father instead.
Thinking that getting scolded wouldn't kill her, Xi Yanjun called her father, feeling uneasy.
In other people's eyes, her father worked hard for the company and was a kind-hearted man. She knew her father's temper well and always hoped that she would live up to his expectations. She had scolded herself more than once for being hopeless.
At this time, he should still be at the company, hopefully not in a cross-planetary video conference.
"What do you want?" The communication was quickly connected, and the AI's voice came from the other end.
Xi Yanjun breathed a sigh of relief, but then became nervous again. She stammered out the truth, then shut up and waited to be scolded.
"How did you offend her?" Mr. Xi asked in a deep voice. "In a few days, it will be the anniversary of my elder brother and sister-in-law's death. It's normal for Xiaoshuang to be in a bad mood."
Xi Yanjun murmured repeatedly, comforting herself that she would get the money once she got through this difficult time, and her father seemed to be in a good mood.
"wrong."
After a few seconds of silence, Xi's father suddenly said, "Tell me everything she did, said, and heard and saw on the spaceship."
*
On the aircraft, Xi Congshuang browsed the smart brain and used the time to finish reading Tan Yicheng's medical records.
As expected, Dr. Wei was the right choice. Even the most difficult cases could be solved by her. The amount of money required was not a concern for her; as long as Tan Yicheng's gland could be saved, it was all worth it.
She sent a message to Gloria, informing her that she would be going to the company the next day.
[Gloria]: Mr. Xi, are you here to pick up the new drug?
Xi Congshuang: "..." She didn't have that hobby; she genuinely liked being a beta.
They are not affected by any pheromones, nor are they troubled by mental energy, and can do many things without distraction.
Feeling it was necessary to clarify, Xi Congshuang spoke up to change her assistant's mind: "No need, I'm not going to get medicine, and I won't get medicine in the future. Have the lab shut down my line. I remember tomorrow is the weekly meeting, and I have to attend."
Interstellar law does not strictly prohibit pheromone masquerading agents, but this product is considered a borderline product and is classified as an ambient fragrance.
Injectable camouflage agents are strictly prohibited products because their high concentrations can pose safety hazards.
The disguise agent itself is harmless, but if it is used in the wrong place, it will be harmful. Xi Congshuang is still a beta without glands and cannot store pheromones, just like a human diffuser.
She can't retain even a single trace of pheromones.
It took Xi Congshuang quite a while to receive a reply.
[Gloria]: Okay.
As she approached her address, the smart device on Xi Congshuang's wrist vibrated, and a message popped up.
Xi Congshuang glanced at the contents, changed the destination, and the aircraft turned and headed towards the hospital.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, it was well past Xi Congshuang's bedtime.
The hospital was quieter than during the day, and the smell of disinfectant was stronger. Xi Congshuang frowned slightly, and the nurse beside her dutifully led the way.
With the intervention of a major shareholder, Tan Yicheng's hospital room was in excellent condition. She had a private room on a separate floor, and pheromone purifiers were placed throughout the room to ensure that no pheromones would affect the alphas in the room.
Judging from how much attention she's putting in, it seems like President Xi really likes that alpha in the hospital room.
It's just a pity that alphas are naturally attracted to omega pheromones, so how far the two can go is unknown.
Xi Congshuang was unaware of the speculations surrounding her, and only hoped that the sudden accident would not increase her "collapse value".
"How is she?" Xi Congshuang asked the person on her left, standing in front of the observation window.
Professor Wei's assistant replied, "She has already been injected with a pheromone-stabilizing agent, and she is expected to calm down soon. However, the high fever will not subside so quickly, and she is experiencing a brief period of pseudoestrus."
Xi Congshuang noticed Tan Yicheng's restrained expression. It's said that alphas in heat become consumed by lust, but she seemed to be suffering the most: "Is there any way to make her feel better?"
The assistant naturally noticed Xi Congshuang's solemn expression and, recalling the rumors he had heard before, thought to himself, "As expected."
But she shook her head regretfully: "No, Miss Tan's glands can't withstand any more treatments; they can only heal on their own."
The face reflected in the glass was indeed even more serious, staring intently at the person on the bed.
“If Mr. Xi would like to go in and take a look, that’s fine,” the assistant said, as if struck by a sudden inspiration.
Alphas in heat are aggressive and possessive, but Tan Yicheng is only in a false heat and won't wake up for a while, so there's no need to worry about her unleashing her aggression.
As for her pheromones that have nowhere to go... Xi Congshuang is a beta, it doesn't matter, it won't affect her.
Xi Congshuang asked in surprise, "Can I go in?"
As expected, she really wanted to go in, and her assistant smiled and said, "Yes, if it's convenient, Mr. Xi can apply a cold compress to Ms. Tan's forehead to cool it down."
Xi Congshuang went in to check on her. As soon as she entered, she had a subtle feeling.
It was as if she had stepped into a densely packed barrier. A presence, though not very noticeable, had set its sights on her, enveloping her with a distinct sense of aggression.
Soon, she walked to the bedside, where a towel to cool her down was placed.
Because of the sudden onset of false heat, the nurses and doctors taking care of her have tried to switch to beta, and it's not yet time for the nurses to come and change the ice towels for her.
Heat—that was Tan Yicheng's first reaction in her hazy state of mind. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and strands of desire clung to her. She felt no pleasure from it; instead, she felt even more pain.
The back of her neck felt like it had been scraped by a thousand knives, the pain was unbearable, and that bit of desire had long since faded away, leaving only a fraction of it.
Remembering her assistant's words, Xi Congshuang touched the towel on her forehead and felt it wasn't cool enough. She rolled up her sleeve to reveal a section of her wrist, preparing to change to a new towel.
Before this, she imitated the nanny who took care of her when she was a child, covering Tan Yicheng's body with her palm to check his temperature. She didn't know what magical effect this extra step would have, she was just imitating.
Yes, it is indeed very hot.
In her world, there's a temperature that can burn a person into an idiot.
As expected of the female lead, she could lie still steadily even with her forehead so hot that it was like frying an egg.
She couldn't help but become more curious about the differences between the various genders in the interstellar world.
In a daze, Tan Yicheng raised her hand and pressed down on the back of Xi Congshuang's hand. She thought the other party had woken up. She looked down, but the other party's eyes were still closed, and her tightly furrowed brows relaxed a little.
Her bright red lips opened and closed as if she were murmuring something, but the volume was too soft for her to hear.
Xi Congshuang: "What did you say?"
Then she remembered that Tan Yicheng was currently unconscious and couldn't hear anything she was saying, let alone answer her questions.
Xi Congshuang bent down and listened with her left ear.
A faint whisper reached his ears, and Tan Yicheng unconsciously murmured, "Don't...don't take it away..."
"Cool...comfortable..."
"..."
Xi Congshuang couldn't pull her hand away, her gaze fixed intently on the woman's flushed, restrained face.
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[It's melted][It's melted]
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