Chapter 130: Mistaken for an Omega

Shen Yu almost thought he had misheard her. His dark eyes froze for a moment before locking onto the woman observing him.

Curling his lips into a sneer, he said contemptuously, “Omega?”

“Like you?”

It was a phrase designed to provoke, dripping with blatant gender discrimination.

Shen Yu had heard those exact words countless times from arrogant Alphas back when he had differentiated as an Omega.

Now, he used them verbatim against Wen Qiushui.

Shen Yu keenly sensed that something was wrong. The issue had to be with the blood sample taken from him not long ago.

Wen Qiushui must have discovered something from it—hence her question.

The worst-case scenario was that he had lost this gamble. If Wen Qiushui realized he had injected the Omega conversion serum, then the cover of “Lance”—an Alpha of notable status infiltrating the Federation—would be at risk.

Would an Alpha in his position really be unaware of the conversion serum experiments? If he knew, why would he be foolish enough to inject it?

Especially given the identity he was portraying as Lance.

It seemed like a dead end. For a brief moment, a cold glint flickered beneath the sneer in his black eyes. But—it wasn’t over yet.

Shen Yu attempted to provoke her while considering how to protect his cover as Lance.

Their operation was about to begin. Without Lance’s identity, rescuing those Alphas would be nearly impossible.

Yet, Wen Qiushui remained eerily calm, not reacting as expected.

“There’s no one else here,” she said mildly. “And they wouldn’t care about our conversation even if they were.”

“You don’t have to worry about being overheard.”

Shen Yu remained unmoved, frowning at her. “What are you playing at? If you have nothing better to do, go develop more formulas. That way, Garna won’t come bothering you.”

“There’s no need to deliberately bring up Garna,” Wen Qiushui replied, uncharacteristically composed and completely unprovoked. “Experimental data doesn’t lie.”

“You have Omega genes in your body. Their activity is quite high, though they’re currently being suppressed by your Alpha genes.”

Shen Yu’s brow twitched, a sudden alarm creeping in. Her description matched the exact reaction of someone who had injected the conversion serum.

His expression turned cold. His fingers tensed at his sides, ready to seize Wen Qiushui the moment she exposed the truth.

For a brief moment, her gaze turned complicated. Her lips parted slightly as if to say—

“So, you…”

Shen Yu raised his hand, his motion swift and ruthless, prepared to grab her by the throat.

But at that exact moment, Wen Qiushui’s next words fell softly:

“You’re an Omega who has been marked.”

His hand stopped mid-air.

A flicker of confusion crossed his dark eyes. How had she reached that conclusion?

The halted motion of his hand was too obvious, drawing Wen Qiushui’s attention. She glanced at it in puzzlement.

Shen Yu’s expression was complex. For the first time, he was grateful for his disguise—it hid his real emotions.

As Wen Qiushui processed the situation, countless thoughts raced through her mind.

Shen Yu slowly lowered his hand, shielding his eyes with it. His voice was hoarse.

“Shut up.”

His posture radiated the frustration of someone whose deepest secrets had been exposed, unwilling to acknowledge them.

His fingers curled slightly, suppressing the awkwardness of being momentarily thrown off balance. His voice remained rough as he asked,

“How did you analyze it?”

She mistook him for an Omega.

If he didn’t know how she reached that conclusion, how was he supposed to play along?

In a matter of minutes, he had to choose between taking her hostage and escaping or continuing to act as an Omega.

He hesitated—then chose the latter.

He realized this was a rare opportunity to get close to Wen Qiushui.

She was indifferent by nature, uninterested in interpersonal relationships, and never engaged in conversations among the researchers.

Her world revolved around experiments, research, and checking lab equipment.

She was fully immersed in her work, as if nothing outside of it existed. Shen Yu had yet to find a way in.

But now, he had been given a chance.

Wen Qiushui, unaware of his thoughts, retrieved a stack of documents wedged under her arm.

“I noticed something unusual in your blood sample.”

“Your Alpha and Omega genes coexist.”

She paused briefly before continuing, “At first, I assumed you had injected the conversion serum. That’s the only way for both genes to be present at the same time.”

“So, I extracted a small amount of pheromones from your blood sample and detected another Alpha’s pheromones.”

Her gaze darkened. “You’ve been marked.”

“Which led me to conclude… that you’re an Omega.”

As an Omega researcher who had never experienced being marked herself—and who spent all her time in the lab without any exposure to AA relationships—her perception was utterly naive.

In her eyes, it was simple: Shen Yu must be an Omega.

Shen Yu fell silent for a moment, unexpectedly finding an advantage in being marked.

Wen Qiushui, however, mistook his silence for confirmation.

So it was true.

A complicated emotion flickered across her face. “Lance, it’s dangerous for an Omega to be here.”

“You shouldn’t be in this lab. I’ll find a way to get you out.”

“No need.”

The person before her had shed his usual arrogance and disdain.

Without his disguise, his expression was calm, his dark eyes cold and damp, radiating an unsettling intensity.

An unfamiliar sense of crisis crawled up Wen Qiushui’s spine.

Her grip on the documents tightened, leaving deep indentations from her fingertips.

She knew the man before her was an “Omega,” but beneath that exterior, he exuded an overwhelming pressure.

“I’m not leaving.”

She frowned, still trying to reason with him. “You—”

“You’re an Omega too.”

She froze.

Unexpectedly, she didn’t see mockery or ridicule in those dark eyes—only a simple statement of fact.

Someone had once told Shen Yu something similar.

He still remembered how it felt back then—like boiling water suddenly calming to a still surface.

For the first time in a long while, the word “Alpha” didn’t stir any turbulence in him.

“This is a dangerous place. Why don’t you leave? It’s not a good place to be.”

Wen Qiushui was silent for a moment.

“I can’t leave anymore.”

She didn’t elaborate.

“Since I can’t convince you, do whatever you want.”

“I won’t expose you, and I have no interest in uncovering your secrets. But as an Omega, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard in certain experimental tests—your body won’t be able to handle it.”

She added, “Also, put the burn ointment back when you’re done using it.”

With that, the black-haired Omega in a white lab coat stuffed her hands into her pockets, holding her documents as she walked out of sight.

Shen Yu watched as she fed those documents into a shredder, turning them into fragments.

Lowering his gaze, his fingers brushed against the burn ointment hidden in his pocket.

It was an inappropriate moment, but Shen Yu couldn’t help but wonder—why had she helped him?

“Hmm… maybe she saw someone like herself?”

Ji Laili glanced at Lauri before leaning in close to Shen Yu, whispering, “I think you two are pretty similar.”

Seeing Shen Yu’s puzzled expression, Ji Laili elaborated,

“You both hate people, have faced gender discrimination, and are emotionally distant. And now, in her eyes, you’re an Omega.”

“Maybe she’s afraid you’ll become another version of her.”

Shen Yu pressed his lips together, displeased.

“The conversion serum she created has harmed so many people. I’m not like her.”