Because it was truly late, Yun Chuji was still wondering on the way back how she would explain herself tomorrow. She would tell Tang Jianxi the truth, of course, but what to say to Auntie Chen and the others would depend on Tang Jianxi’s opinion.
But Tang Jianxi had no opinion.
Because she wasn’t home yet either.
As the ever-busy Director of R&D at Tang Group headquarters and the CEO of three of its subsidiaries, it was common for Tang Jianxi to work late into the night. Recently, however, she hadn’t needed to. Her R&D department had just launched a new type of omega inhibitor. This inhibitor had an additional function: it could be administered before an omega’s heat to prevent it from occurring.
It was effective for three days, which meant omegas would have more than enough time to prepare for their heat.
Tang Jianxi had named this product “Freedom Spring.”
In Tang Jianxi’s view—and perhaps this sounded a bit arrogant, but she genuinely believed it—this was the first step in her efforts. Every step she took from now on would allow omegas to escape, bit by bit, from the physiological oppression of the AO dynamic.
Of course, it wasn’t just Tang Jianxi who had high hopes for it; the entire Tang Group saw Freedom Spring as a future flagship product. The entire R&D department had received hefty bonuses, and aside from a few highly-paid staff who stayed behind, everyone else had gone on vacation.
Their work was done, and done brilliantly. Now, it was time for the production, marketing, and sales departments to work overtime.
Preparations to stock Freedom Spring on Tang Group’s shelves were in full swing, but word of it had already leaked, attracting an unexpected visitor.
An unexpected visitor with ill intentions.
Tang Jianxi sat with her back straight on the starlight beast-hide sofa in her office. Across from her was an imposing woman, a female alpha.
Her eyebrows were jet-black, a single, slender line stretching to her temples, giving the impression of an unsheathed sword. Below them were a pair of lake-blue eyes—not a clear, translucent lake, but one that was gloomy and dark at dusk, one that passersby wouldn’t dare approach for fear a monster might leap out. Further down were a straight nose and extremely thin red lips. She wore the typical attire of the royal family, so extravagant it seemed she was ready to attend a ceremony at any moment. A pair of tight trousers hugged her powerful legs perfectly, allowing one to glimpse the fluid lines of her thigh muscles when she moved. It was said that these very legs had once kicked an omega to death.
Her name was Lucia Hall, the Third Princess of the Empire. With the matter of the crown prince still undecided, she was one of the most popular contenders.
Though, it seemed the “one of” could now be removed.
“Your Highness, you didn’t travel all the way from A-District to S-District just to have a cup of tea with me, did you?”
Lucia’s long fingers caressed the intricate patterns on the silver teacup, a frivolous smile playing on her lips. “Of course not. Isn’t a beauty worth the trip?”
Hearing this, Tang Jianxi lowered her gaze, hiding the instinctive disgust in her eyes.
“You must be joking. Who in the Empire doesn’t know that you’ve recently acquired a new favorite? It seems you’ve even driven away several old flames for his sake.”
Lucia spread her hands as if feigning a headache. “You see? My reputation has been ruined by people like you. You can’t take those tabloid rumors seriously.”
Tang Jianxi offered a polite laugh, then blew on the steam rising from her teacup. “In that case,” she said softly, “is the rumor that you’ve come to stop our new product from being released also not to be taken seriously?”
“Of course…” Lucia took a sip of tea before continuing, “it can be taken seriously.”
“Miss Tang, I am here to inform you that Tang Group’s new product has not passed the Empire’s inspection.”
“Mm, you haven’t conducted enough trials, and your data is still too limited. To sell something like this on the market to the Empire’s precious omegas would be simply dreadful.”
“Oh, and that name of yours. Freedom. It’s too offensive. That is one of the spirits of the Empire. How can you place it on the tiny label of a commercial product?”
Even while delivering such a formal, official decision, Lucia did not uncross her right leg from her left, appearing as relaxed as if she were having afternoon tea in her own garden. But her words caused Tang Jianxi, who was already sitting straight, to straighten her back even more, like a tall, erect flagpole.
“Then, Your Highness, may I ask what the Empire’s inspection standards are?” Tang Jianxi’s expression remained unchanged, but her anger was slowly rising. “This product fully complies with all of the Empire’s approval standards. For Your Highness to suddenly tell me today that it doesn’t comply, I would like to ask, when exactly did the Empire’s product standards change?”
Lucia shook her head regretfully, pulling up a document on her optical computer. “Just yesterday, in fact.”
“Look at this, what a hassle. I have to run from company to company because of it.”
She said this, but the amused expression on her face made it clear that she was actually enjoying herself.
Tang Jianxi read the document from top to bottom and found a loophole. She took a deep breath and looked up at the arrogant alpha. “But I see no regulation in this document that prohibits the use of words related to the imperial spirit in product names.”
“Ah!” Lucia slapped her forehead and smiled. “How reckless of me. Why did I tell you in advance? Don’t tell anyone else, but that’s a new regulation coming out tomorrow.”
Yesterday, tomorrow. Did this group of alphas treat everything like a child’s game?
Tang Jianxi’s face fell completely.
Seeing this, Lucia smiled and placed her untouched teacup back on the table. As she thought, she could never bring herself to like these omegas with their claws out, no matter how beautiful they were.
She preferred the ones whose claws had been chopped off.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Tang. I have a banquet to attend later, so I won’t stay any longer.” The noble alpha stood up, her signature Hall family golden hair shimmering with light.
What a bastard with a beautiful face.
Tang Jianxi gritted her teeth, unable to muster a smile. Not that this person had gone to all this trouble to make her smile, anyway.
As Lucia neared the door, Tang Jianxi remained seated, with no intention of seeing her out. A shadow of gloom flickered in the alpha’s eyes. The wooden door reflected Tang Jianxi’s silhouette, and Lucia secretly traced its outline with her hand, her imagination running wild. The things this Second Miss Tang was doing behind the scenes would one day make it impossible for her to sit so calmly.
Soon, the warm and friendly public smile returned to Lucia’s face. Before leaving, she turned and said in a clear voice, “I had a pleasant time with you today. I look forward to our next meeting, Miss Tang.”
“Miss Hall, I did as well.”
Tang Jianxi remained seated, her expression serene.
The door was closed.
Not too lightly, not too heavily.
It seemed the Third Princess’s cruelty was reserved only for her lovers, Tang Jianxi thought with a measure of regret.
If she had caused a scene, Tang Jianxi would have had a reason to go to her mother.
But as it stood, this was all just normal political maneuvering, stuck in limbo.
Tang Jianxi tossed the teacup Lucia had held into the trash can at her side, her eyes gazing deeply as the priceless work of art mixed with office waste. This strong contender for the throne had always moved among the powerful circles with a facade of alpha supremacism. Unlike her equally adventurous predecessors, Lucia didn’t constantly clamor to lock omegas away. On the contrary, she was extremely clever, using the method of boiling a frog in warm water to slowly chip away at omega rights. And as she did so, she offered substitutes that were impossible to refuse.
Like the funding for the Omega Association last time.
And this time, hadn’t her subordinate, Stephen, opened an inhibitor company?
The product quality was extremely poor, its effects highly unstable.
But it was cheap, half the price of even the most inexpensive inhibitor produced by Tang Group.
Thus, a large number of lower-class omegas would choose to save the money, or be forced to.
There was no public outrage, not even a ripple.
Lucia and her faction were gradually shrinking the enclosure, day by day, until no omega could escape.
Tang Jianxi thought again of the inhibitor she had named Freedom Spring, and a self-deprecating smile touched her lips.
Whose freedom?
An inhibitor this expensive—what freedom could it possibly offer?
What flagship product? It was nothing more than a flagship product for the nobility.
Tang Jianxi could even foresee that once Lucia’s products dominated the market, all restrictions on Freedom Spring would disappear. For now, the attack on Freedom Spring was just a smokescreen she had released. Her real target was Tang Group’s products for the common people.
Just now, the two of them had been acting, both trying to provoke the other’s anger.
But neither had succeeded.
She really was a clever one. Tang Jianxi sighed and opened her optical computer, calling everyone in the R&D department back.
She didn’t want to make shoddy, counterfeit products, so for now, all she could do was her best to develop a new formula. And before that new formula was ready, Tang Jianxi clicked her tongue and walked very reluctantly toward her brother’s office.
Tang Jianshen, her brother who was three years her senior, had a mind that worked like an optical computer.
The main reason Tang Jianxi had disliked him since childhood was that every time he looked at her, it was with the expression one might give an idiot—though he looked at their parents the same way. In any case, he was just very annoying.
Looking at the “General Manager” plaque on Tang Jianshen’s office door, Tang Jianxi suppressed her jealousy and decided to focus on the matter at hand. After briefly explaining what had happened, she looked up and met that familiar gaze again.
Objectively speaking, Tang Jianshen was very handsome. Both omegas in the Tang family were top-tier in terms of looks.
But no matter how good-looking someone was, if they looked at you with eyes that contained ice, with the words “you’re an idiot” carved into that ice, all aesthetic pleasure would vanish. Her brother’s condescending face was at least half the reason Tang Jianxi had grown to be so competitive.
“Do you know what my position is?”
“…General Manager.” Alright, I get it, you’re so annoying, always flaunting that.
“Then why would you think I couldn’t see something that you could? I prepared to fight a price war with them days ago. If you had bothered to check the quotes on our official website before coming here, you might have saved yourself a trip.”
Tang Jianxi was utterly shocked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Tang Jianshen was also shocked, so shocked that the words “you’re an idiot” in his eyes seemed to become bolded.
“You’re Tang Group’s smokescreen. If you weren’t out front drawing their fire, how could Lucia have let her guard down so easily?”
Tang Jianxi pointed a finger at Tang Jianshen, then at herself.
She was so angry she laughed.
Truly her dear brother.
Then, according to his usual style—
“Are you using the original products for this price war?”
Tang Jianshen had already returned to his work. He didn’t even look up as he replied, “How could I? This price war is long-term. No matter how big Tang Group is, we can’t sustain that kind of loss.”
“We’re using second-grade products now.”
“Later, we’ll use third-grade.”
“And finally, we’ll use inferior products, about the same quality as theirs.”
He spoke with perfect logic, but Tang Jianxi couldn’t listen anymore. “Tang Jianshen, you’re an omega too.”
“Oh, so what?” Tang Jianshen’s voice was as calm as a frozen lake. “I am me, Tang Group is Tang Group, and facts are facts. Tang Jianxi, you’re always unable to distinguish between these things. That’s why you’re not as strong as me.”
“I think you should at least do something to remedy this. You know that if this price war continues, even if Tang Group wins in the end, the market will still be dominated by those low-quality inhibitors.”
Tang Jianshen finally looked up. He moved his optical computer screen to the side and said earnestly, “Tang Jianxi, you can’t save everyone.”
His words referred not only to her painstaking efforts in developing Freedom Spring, but also hinted at much more.
Tang Jianxi lifted her chin. For some reason, she thought of the alpha at home. In an era where those in power treated the freedom and dignity of others as burdens to be discarded at any time, someone was actually willing to die to atone for their sins. Even if she did it to avoid having her glands removed, compared to these people who treated indifference as wisdom, she was at least foolish in a reassuring way.
And so, Tang Jianxi said, “Someone like you, Tang Jianshen, doesn’t deserve to be in an omega-omega relationship.”
With that, she turned and stormed away.
She didn’t care what Tang Jianshen planned to do.
She was going to develop a new formula, no matter what.
