I am defiled.
Yun Chuji stared at the ceiling, thinking mournfully.
This time was different. It wasn’t just hazy, fragmented clips; she remembered everything with perfect clarity. As a result, her perception of her own strange new gender was exceptionally thorough.
By any measure, I am defiled.
But her current situation didn’t allow for wallowing in sorrow. After Tang Jianxi fell asleep from exhaustion, Yun Chuji followed the instructions for caring for an omega in heat that she recalled from a manual, feeding her some nutritional supplements. Fortunately, this high-rise suite was fully stocked. Otherwise, Yun Chuji truly wouldn’t have known what to do. She had a basic grasp of the situation now and understood how dangerous an omega’s heat could be. If she caused the other woman any lasting side effects, Yun Chuji feared she would never be able to forgive herself for the rest of her life.
But, wasn’t the greatest side effect already…
Yun Chuji’s gaze fell upon the glaring bite mark on the back of the sleeping beauty’s neck.
She sighed.
To think she had become the very kind of lecher she once feared most.
And the most shameless kind, at that.
After all, in this world, once a permanent mark was made, the marked omega was typically forced to marry the one who marked them. This was precisely the original Yun Chuji’s scheme. But how was this any different from that profligate son, Xie Jun, back in Qingling County, who forcibly took an already betrothed woman’s body just to seize her, then had her carried back to his estate in a small sedan chair to be his concubine!
Filled with guilt, Yun Chuji cleaned Tang Jianxi’s body. But seeing the wounds on her, she decided against putting the cloth that resembled clothing on her. Recalling what the medicine looked like from her memories, Yun Chuji carefully tended to the injuries. The more she treated them, the more she felt like a monster.
Sleep was impossible. She kept watch by the bed, her mind racing.
And there was the possibility of pregnancy.
Yun Chuji pressed her lips together tightly. No matter what, she was the one who had done wrong. If she hadn’t lost control, if she hadn’t been so lost in her own emotions that she failed to properly absorb the memories and didn’t even know what an inhibitor was—then none of this would have happened.
Yun Chuji resolved that when this Miss Tang awoke, she would submit to any command, whether it be death by a thousand cuts or a life of servitude.
With this determination, Yun Chuji guessed that this place, called a “presidential suite,” was likely Miss Tang’s home. Although calling one’s home a “hotel room” was a bit strange, in this world, there were far fewer things that were strange than things Yun Chuji could understand. Since the woman was not yet awake, she couldn’t be killed or punished, so Yun Chuji decided to begin her servitude. Relying on the skills of a virtuous wife she had been learning since the age of ten, Yun Chuji cleaned the presidential suite from top to bottom until it was spotless. So much so that when Tang Jianxi woke up, the first thing she saw was the back of someone quietly wiping the windowpanes. If she wasn’t mistaken, the rag was her own torn-up clothes.
Tang Jianxi closed her eyes, then opened them again. Right, this wasn’t a dream.
So, was this Yun Chuji person really suffering from some kind of mental illness? Cleaning a hotel room?
The sound of Tang Jianxi getting up startled Yun Chuji, who had been keeping a close watch on her surroundings. She neatly set the rag aside, her fair and beautiful face showing a trace of guilt. “Did I wake you?”
Then, she remembered something more important. During this time, she had absorbed nearly all the memories concerning the cause and effect of this incident. She hurried over to the coffee table, picked up Tang Jianxi’s bag, and asked, “Are the inhibitors in here?”
Tang Jianxi did feel much better this time she woke up. From what she could vaguely recall, this alpha with a suspected mental illness hadn’t been quite as beastly this time. She hadn’t just single-mindedly sought her own release but had also looked after her, though the way she did so inexplicably reminded Tang Jianxi of the far-too-archaic temperament of a well-bred lady from a noble family.
Shaking her head to free herself from the chaotic memories, Tang Jianxi was about to get up and take the bag—she also needed to contact Xie Xiaoxiao. This mistake had gone on for too long; it had to stop now. However, the slightest movement made Tang Jianxi aware of her nakedness under the covers. She couldn’t help but raise her head and shoot a dangerous look at Yun Chuji. As expected, that person was wrapped up tightly, having even found some straps from somewhere to meticulously tie up the loose parts of her bathrobe.
How outrageous.
“Where are my clothes?”
Her formal clothes had, of course, perished two days ago, but there should be no shortage of bathrobes here. This alpha’s intentions were simply despicable.
The tiny flicker of goodwill Tang Jianxi had just felt instantly blackened into disgust.
“Ah.” Yun Chuji wore an exceptionally docile expression, which surprisingly didn’t look out of place on her alpha face. She placed the bag by Tang Jianxi’s hand. “Miss Tang, you have wounds on your body, and I’ve applied medicine, so it’s not convenient for you to wear clothes. Please just let me know if you need anything.”
The explanation was passable. Tang Jianxi took an inhibitor from her bag and gave herself two injections of her usual dose. Five minutes later, the heat that had been stirring restlessly within her finally subsided. By now, Yun Chuji had returned to the window to continue her cleaning, her movements still small and gentle, looking practiced yet not entirely so.
Tang Jianxi averted her gaze and opened her comm. As expected, it was flooded with all sorts of messages. She had been missing for two days and two nights. If not for her history of irregular heats, the police would probably be standing at her door by now. Aside from Xie Xiaoxiao and her assistant, most of the messages were work-related. And even Xie Xiaoxiao and her assistant, who knew the situation, could never have predicted she would be tricked by an alpha like this.
She selectively replied to the important messages, instructing her assistant to come over at once and specifically emphasizing that she should bring several bodyguards.
Then she gave Xie Xiaoxiao a brief summary of the situation before turning off her comm amidst a barrage of messages and video call requests from her friend. Xie Xiaoxiao was always so dramatic. Now was not the time for explanations. Tang Jianxi raised her eyes to the person by the window and thought, Now is the time to settle the score.
Tang Jianxi swung her legs out of bed, unconcerned by her lack of clothing. As a pioneering omega who had insisted on not being marked by an alpha for six years after maturing, she scoffed at the so-called O-Virtues that had become popular in recent decades. She casually grabbed a bathrobe and put it on. The fabric, not soft enough, brushed against her unhealed wounds, and Tang Jianxi couldn’t help but hiss softly before quickly clamping her mouth shut and tying the belt with an unchanged expression.
Tang Jianxi sat down on the sofa, feeling another subtle pang of pain.
“Beast,” she cursed silently.
After pouring herself a glass of water, Tang Jianxi spoke to the person who was still working diligently. “Stop acting crazy. Come here. We need to talk.”
Yun Chuji stopped what she was doing. Although she didn’t know why Tang Jianxi said she was acting crazy, she knew that a victim’s emotions were always unstable. The virtuous woman who had been abducted by Xie Jun was said to have gone mad in less than a month. At that thought, she immediately walked over, trembling with apprehension. She only relaxed after seeing that Tang Jianxi’s expression, apart from anger, showed no other abnormalities.
This matter, to be honest, was entirely the original Yun Chuji’s fault. Originally, she and this Miss Tang had an agreement: she would provide a temporary mark for a fee and play the part of her lover when required. Although Yun Chuji didn’t understand the price levels of this world, she could guess from the original’s joyful emotions in her memories that it was a considerable sum of money. The original’s family was not poor; at least, there were no memories of worrying about money. In that case, the payment must have been quite generous.
But greed knows no bounds. After learning Tang Jianxi’s identity, and at a time when she was feeling lost about her future after failing her postgraduate entrance exam (which Yun Chuji guessed was similar to the imperial examinations), she developed a wicked idea. She wanted to secure one of the most coveted omegas in S-District (which Yun Chuji guessed was the name of a prefecture) once and for all. But she stumbled just before the finish line, died unexpectedly, and allowed her, a soul from another world, to occupy her body. Thinking of this, Yun Chuji couldn’t help but touch the wound on her head. She didn’t know if it was because of her alpha constitution or her transmigration, but the wound that should have been fatal was now almost healed.
Yun Chuji extended her arms, brought her hands together at her chest with palms upright, and bowed deeply from the waist. She then pushed her hands forward, level with her chest, her body bending as one with her hips, head and torso remaining still. After straightening up, she lowered her hands and stood with them crossed. She performed a standard, formal bow and apologized crisply, “I am sorry, Miss Tang. You may do with me as you wish.”
But Yun Chuji’s elaborate gesture was likely lost on its audience. Tang Jianxi had no idea what crazy dance this person was performing now, but it didn’t affect the punishment she had already decided on for Yun Chuji.
“First, I want the permanent mark removed. You will cooperate.”
Unless a mark was being removed due to divorce or domestic violence, it generally required the alpha’s signature—a clause passed by the Empire ten years ago, supposedly to warn young AOs against making permanent marks carelessly. At the same time, removing a mark also required a certain amount of the alpha’s pheromones. Of course, it could be done without them, but the process would be much more painful.
Yun Chuji had no objection to this; in fact, she felt it was only right. She was grateful that this world offered a way to undo the damage. It was unlike her era, where once a woman’s purity was lost, she was dragged through the mud, never to be clean again.
“Second, you will leave S-District and never appear before me again for the rest of your life.”
The original Yun Chuji might have hesitated, as she still had her studies to complete, and a degree from this university was considered quite valuable. However, Yun Chuji didn’t care. In this world, she had nothing.
“Third, I’m going to have you castrated.”
Yun Chuji was about to nod when she realized what Tang Jianxi had said. She immediately jumped back a meter, her voice filled with terror. “Could we change this condition, Miss Tang? You can take one of my hands, or one of my feet, but please, do not make me a eunuch.”
A eunuch? What was that? Having been separated from ancient civilization for nearly a thousand years, Tang Jianxi simply assumed Yun Chuji was having another one of her usual fits. In the ABO era, castrating someone meant removing their gland. Yun Chuji hadn’t fully absorbed the original’s memories, having only selectively taken in parts that addressed her current confusion. She hadn’t had the mental energy to discern the different definitions between the two eras.
So, strictly speaking, the two of them were talking past each other.
“It wasn’t your hand or your foot that did the ugly deed. What would I want with them?”
If Yun Chuji hadn’t been constantly releasing her pheromones, even if Tang Jianxi had accidentally drunk the drugged substance, her S-rank omega constitution wouldn’t have allowed her to fall into heat so quickly.
Tang Jianxi’s words made sense, but becoming a eunuch truly crossed another one of Yun Chuji’s lines, besides her purity.
And it was a much bigger line.
“The descendants of the Yun family shall never associate with eunuchs for generations.” This was written into their family precepts. If she became a eunuch today, how could she face her ancestors in the afterlife?
Yun Chuji’s expression grew solemn. She made her decision and said, word by word, “I am willing to offer this life to atone for my offense against you, Miss Tang.”
Tang Jianxi raised an eyebrow. Oh? Playing for such high stakes?
So, these alphas really, truly cared about their alpha status.
“Suit yourself. If you can do it.”
“Of course, if you can’t, I can help you fulfill the condition I proposed.”
Tang Jianxi straightened up, her fairy-like, beautiful face blooming into a dazzling smile.
Yun Chuji couldn’t help but stare, stunned. Then she lowered her head heavily and said, “A word, once spoken, cannot be taken back.”
This life was a borrowed one anyway. Giving it back was no great loss.
It seemed she, Yun Chuji, was truly ill-fated, having upheld honor and righteousness in both her lives. But at least, she had not brought shame to the Yun family name.
