IMAO Chapter 15

The time difference between Red Star and the Federation’s home planet was two hours. At a high school on Red Star, numerous teenagers were running laps on the track.

The PE class had just begun, but Qiu Jingming had already walked directly to a shaded spot under a tree to rest.

The PE teacher raised an eyebrow at this, scrutinizing the beautiful boy for a moment before shaking his head. There were quite a few Omegas in this class besides Qiu Jingming, but the others were still running. Only Qiu Jingming had gone straight to the shade to rest after hearing the order to run.

However, the teacher couldn’t be bothered to deal with this delicate Omega. If he said anything, the Alphas and Betas who admired Qiu Jingming would glare at him disapprovingly. Resigned, the teacher turned back to supervise the other students’ running and keep time.

Having found a moment to rest, Qiu Jingming pulled out his communicator, intending to browse the net out of boredom. As he unlocked the screen, he noticed an unread message from Jiang Yuan.

Qiu Jingming eyed the message oddly. Since when did that blockhead Jiang Yuan take the initiative to message him?

Strange.

After a moment’s hesitation, Qiu Jingming opened the message.

Jiang Yuan: I sent you a birthday gift. It should arrive at your home this afternoon. Remember to pick it up when you get back. By the way, a classmate of mine saw your photo and wants your contact info. He’s in the Mecha Engineering Department and seems pretty decent. Should I give it to him?

Reading Jiang Yuan’s message, Qiu Jingming lowered his head, his expression instantly darkening.

He was an Omega who would experience heats after coming of age. It was one thing for others to introduce potential boyfriends to him, but what right did Jiang Yuan have? Introducing a classmate? Hadn’t he explicitly said last time that he already liked someone? How dare Jiang Yuan still try to set him up! Did he think he couldn’t find an excellent Alpha on his own?

If he wanted, he could have countless Alphas with just a crook of his finger!

Qiu Jingming’s face turned green with anger. Did Jiang Yuan think he was like him? Having to shamelessly cling to Rui-gege to get his attention? If Rui-gege wasn’t his childhood friend, he might not even give Jiang Yuan a second glance!

Introducing a classmate to him? That sounded nice, but who knew what the guy looked like? Instead of setting him up with someone, why didn’t Jiang Yuan just hand over Rui-gege to him? He refused to believe Jiang Yuan couldn’t see that he liked Song Yirui!

Thinking of Song Yirui, Qiu Jingming’s heart ached. Despite his recent efforts, whether kissing Song Yirui or doing anything else, Song Yirui still frequently mentioned Jiang Yuan.

His pursuit of Song Yirui wasn’t just to hurt Jiang Yuan; he genuinely liked Song Yirui.

When he first arrived at the Jiang household, he was always alone. Jiang Yuan was initially resistant and rarely spoke to him. It was always Song Yirui who included him, taking him along to play. This helped him gradually acclimate to the unfamiliar environment and emerge from the shadow of his father’s death.

However… at least Song Yirui hadn’t completely rejected him. Each time Qiu Jingming kissed him, Song Yirui would speak to him seriously afterward. But if Qiu Jingming pretended to cry, Song Yirui wouldn’t scold him and would even hold him gently.

Two days ago, when he visited Song Yirui at Red Star University, Song Yirui agreed to share a bed with him at the hotel after his pleading. He could sense Song Yirui’s softening attitude. With Jiang Yuan absent from Red Star, he had plenty of opportunities.

But that night, he was rejected…

Recalling the events of that evening, Qiu Jingming’s expression grew cold.

He couldn’t understand what made Jiang Yuan better than him. How could being with a Beta be preferable to an Omega like himself? Wasn’t an Alpha-Omega pairing the most suitable?

Qiu Jingming bit his lower lip hard with his pearly teeth, drawing blood. The metallic taste filled his mouth before he finally released his lip, suppressing the humiliation of that night’s rejection deep in his heart. With trembling hands, he replied to Jiang Yuan: Gege, I already have someone I like. Please don’t try to set me up in the future.

Qiu Jingming lowered his head, a cold smile curling his lips. Once his heat arrived, he didn’t believe Song Yirui would be able to resist any longer.

Truthfully, he was already eager to see Jiang Yuan’s expression when he learned that he and Song Yirui had marked each other!

After finishing the 3000-meter run, Lin Xuan instinctively searched for Qiu Jingming, who haunted his thoughts, on the vast sports field. Just as he was about to bring the water he’d bought to Qiu Jingming, he caught a glimpse of Qiu Jingming’s expression…

Was it… somewhat venomous?

Lin Xuan unconsciously rubbed his eyes. How could that be possible? Qiu Jingming was such a kind and gentle little Omega; he wouldn’t even step on an ant.

After rubbing his eyes, Lin Xuan saw Qiu Jingming talking to a classmate. The male student was holding out a bottle of water to Qiu Jingming, smiling at him. Qiu Jingming’s face was slightly flushed, looking shy as they spoke quietly.

Lin Xuan nodded to himself. He knew it – how could the angel in his heart ever show such a malicious expression? It must have been the scorching sun addling his brain.

Jiang Yuan, having just finished lunch and resting, received Qiu Jingming’s reply. Seeing Qiu Jingming’s refusal, he wasn’t surprised. In the original owner’s memories, his adopted brother Qiu Jingming was a crybaby, but not out of weakness. Every time he cried, it was purposeful. So in the original owner’s memory, Qiu Jingming wasn’t just a crybaby, but also a little schemer.

However, although the original owner knew this, he never exposed it and remained patient with his adopted brother. Originally, the original owner had planned to make a mecha model for Song Yirui and mentioned it to his family during dinner. But since he was preparing for exams at the time, he didn’t make it immediately. By the time he finished his exams, Qiu Jingming had already begged the task from him, acting as if he’d completely forgotten the original owner’s intention to give Song Yirui a mecha model.

In the end, the original owner agreed.

Jiang Yuan knew the reason. It was because on the day Jiang Tianze brought Qiu Jingming home, he had a private conversation with the original owner, telling him to treat this adopted brother well. Qiu Jingming’s father had died saving Jiang Tianze, so he hoped the original owner would treat Qiu Jingming like a real brother.

Because of this relationship, the original owner had always been very tolerant of Qiu Jingming since childhood.

However, if you asked Jiang Yuan, this was completely unnecessary.

Qiu Jingming’s father had been Jiang Tianze’s deputy officer at the time. As a subordinate, protecting one’s superior and dying in battle was a soldier’s duty. There was no question of who owed whom. Jiang Tianze’s main intention in bringing it up was to ensure the original owner wouldn’t resent Qiu Jingming’s sudden appearance in their home or bully this pitiful child.

Because of his father’s words, from the first day Qiu Jingming arrived, the original owner was very tolerant of this crybaby.

After Jiang Tianze spoke to the original owner, he left his study to find Qiu Jingming.

At that time, Qiu Jingming was hiding in a wardrobe, crying. When the 8-year-old original owner opened the wardrobe, he saw another little boy crying and throwing things at him, even hitting him hard enough to leave a gash on his head. The original owner was stunned, thinking he had scared his new brother into crying. Already not talkative, after this incident, he became even more hesitant to initiate conversation with his new brother.

He cared about this brother in his heart but feared scaring him again. So when other children came to play, he would ask Song Yirui, his closest friend, to invite Qiu Jingming to join them. The first time, Song Yirui failed. The second time, he failed again. The third time, Song Yirui naturally didn’t want to go, but he couldn’t resist the original owner’s plea.

Gradually, Qiu Jingming integrated into their group, though he only liked to follow Song Yirui around, becoming like Song Yirui’s little shadow. And since Song Yirui was the original owner’s shadow, the three of them often ended up together.

Fortunately, although Qiu Jingming was a bit scheming, he remained relatively well-behaved and never did anything too outrageous. Jiang Yuan searched through the memories, thought for a moment, and replied to Qiu Jingming’s message: Alright, I won’t force you. Remember to collect the gift I sent you. You’ll definitely like it ^_^

He’ll definitely like it?

Seeing Jiang Yuan’s reply, Qiu Jingming suddenly felt curious about the gift Jiang Yuan had sent.

Qiu Jingming: Thank you, Gege.

Jiang Yuan: You’re welcome.

After replying to Qiu Jingming, Jiang Yuan sent a message to Ji Yang’s classmate, Ma Lin.

Seeing Jiang Yuan’s message, Ma Lin shrugged indifferently and even made a joke. “Jiang Yuan, looks like we can’t become relatives after all. What a pity.”

Seeing Ma Lin’s reply, Jiang Yuan wasn’t surprised. After all, appearance was just one factor in mutual attraction, and feelings needed time to develop. Without deep emotions, there was naturally no reason to feel heartbroken or upset.

After exchanging a few more casual words with Ma Lin, Jiang Yuan finally set down his device.

The rest of the day passed without incident.

On Red Star, at 4 PM.

A strikingly beautiful youth with delicate, feminine features quickly boarded a hover car.

“Straight home,” the youth called out to the driver as he sat in the back seat.

The middle-aged driver, clearly a Beta with no trace of Alpha scent, nodded and set off. Within minutes, the car stopped in front of the Jiang family’s main gate.

The school wasn’t far from the Jiang residence, less than a kilometer away. Normally, such a short distance could easily be walked, without needing a driver. But because Qiu Jingming claimed he was afraid of being around Alphas on the way, Jiang Tianze bought a car and hired a full-time driver to transport Qiu Jingming, considering it a small expense.

Jiang Yuan, however, didn’t enjoy such treatment. Since he attended a different school from Qiu Jingming after starting middle school, he relied on public transportation to get home.

Fang Shi, who was at home resting today, greeted Qiu Jingming upon his return. “Jingming, a package came for you. I’ve put it on the table.”

“Thank you, Mom. It must be the gift from my brother,” Qiu Jingming smiled, his gaze falling on the white box on the table in front of Fang Shi. This was Jiang Yuan’s gift to him. What could it be?

Qiu Jingming pressed his palm against the box. The tightly sealed container immediately made two clicking sounds and unlocked, revealing its contents.

Suppressants!

Qiu Jingming was certainly familiar with these. Jiang Yuan’s mother, Fang Shi, was an Omega who carried suppressants with her almost constantly due to her work. Qiu Jingming recognized them instantly!

What was Jiang Yuan thinking?!

Qiu Jingming clenched his fists, his nails nearly digging into his palms.

This gift – who the hell would like this?!

Qiu Jingming lowered his head, his earlier anticipation now replaced with furious anger.

Suppressants? He actually sent him suppressants? Was he afraid something might happen between him and Song Yirui during his heat? Hah! To send such a thing as a birthday gift.

Qiu Jingming gritted his teeth in rage, a fire burning within him, threatening to consume all his reason.

“Xiao Yuan actually bought this for you. Six boxes of suppressants is just enough for a year,” Fang Shi said with a gentle smile, recognizing Jiang Yuan’s gift. “This will be very practical for you.”

“Jingming, take these to your room. There’s an instruction manual inside. If you’re unsure about anything, you can ask me.”

Fang Shi’s voice brought Qiu Jingming back to reality. He raised his head, forcing a smile. “Okay, thank you, Mom.”

Qiu Jingming rushed upstairs to his room, set down the box, and stood before the mirror. His face contorted into an unprecedented expression of viciousness and resentment. In his eyes, Jiang Yuan’s gift was nothing but a blatant humiliation.

He had been planning how to seduce Song Yirui during his heat, yet Jiang Yuan sent him this gift. It felt like a reminder that Song Yirui was his ‘brother’s’ fiancé. Even though he was thick-skinned, his face now burned with shame.

Qiu Jingming’s clenched fists made cracking sounds from the force.

Jiang Yuan, just you wait!

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