“Sir, it’s currently 3:10 PM in district X of Luo Star. You have a communication appointment in twenty minutes,” said the round-headed AI Butler, Xiao A, as it wheeled over, the soft mechanical whirring stopping in front of the table.

Chu Bai put down his chopsticks, reached out to pat the AI’s old-fashioned big head, teasing it like a child, “Xiao A, guess who the communication is with.”

“Your fiancée!” Xiao A’s screen eyes curved into a smile, “You have twenty minutes to get ready.”

Chu Bai’s slender fingers paused, then he tapped the AI’s head, chuckling lightly, “Who said I need to get ready?”

Xiao A’s “eyes” widened and blinked, “Oh, sorry sir, no need to dress up for the first meeting with your fiancée.”

The little AI was earnestly learning.

Chu Bai stared at it, “Stop being sarcastic.”

“Xiao A isn’t being sarcastic,” Xiao A replied.

Chu Bai’s patience with the AI was instantly exhausted. As he got up after finishing his meal, he casually said, “Hmm, it’s my human heart misjudging the AI’s intentions.”

Xiao A froze for a moment, then recited mechanically, “There is currently an insurmountable gap between AI and humans, but…”

“Stop.” Chu Bai looked at the artificial idiot, “Say one more word and I’ll send you back to the transfer station.”

He was used to the old-fashioned AI Butler. Although it wasn’t very smart, it wouldn’t calculate and interfere with its owner, so he had to endure its occasional stupidity.

Under the threat, Xiao A’s program was uncharacteristically clever for once. It shut up and cleared the table, “watching” as its master headed straight to the second-floor wardrobe, deleting the words it had learned a minute ago.

Inside the wardrobe.

Chu Bai put on a dark suit jacket, looking more formal, his whole demeanor upright, dignified, and appropriate.

He lowered his eyelids slightly as he adjusted his cuffs, a habitual gentle curve on his lips. Once his clothes were neat, he raised his eyes slightly, meeting the gaze of the person in the mirror.

Chu Bai looked at himself.

Still missing something.

He took a pair of goggles from the wall, the square silver frame resting on his nose bridge, the glass covering the faintly roguish look in his light eyes, turning his scholarly rogue vibe into one of abstinence.

Completely transforming into a proper person.

Chu Bai stared at the person in the mirror, pondering for a moment before flattening his lips, finally achieving the “harmless” standard in his mind.

He vaguely remembered the book mentioning Nian Keyi’s preference for this harmless type.

First meeting, leave a good impression for love after marriage.

Communication time was approaching.

Just as Chu Bai raised his wrist, the communication started flashing.

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t “Nian Keyi,” but “Tang Hansong,” Nian Keyi’s Omega father.

The voice communication connected.

“Apologies, there was an unexpected incident in the Star Battle Department’s practice, Keyi is busy now and can’t make the call,” a cold voice came through.

Nian Keyi had been on Guo Li Star for practice classes in the first half of the year, and today was the first time they had scheduled a holographic communication.

Chu Bai paused for a moment, listening to the faint sounds of busyness on the other side, and asked thoughtfully, “Chief Tang, are you sure Nian Keyi agrees to our engagement?”

He actually wanted to ask, are you sure Nian Keyi even knows about our engagement?

Having his busy high-ranking official father relay the explanation was absurd.

At twenty, it seems like the age most resistant to arranged marriages.

The other side seemed surprised by his question, wasting two seconds in silence before replying, “Of course.”

Before hanging up, Tang Hansong said, “Keyi will return to Luo Star in three days. His situation is special, please pick him up at I Xing Port.”

Chu Bai gladly agreed.

After hanging up, he left the mirror and casually sat on the low sofa by the window, not as relaxed as usual, still holding himself together. He thought for a moment and pulled out the virtual image he had received earlier, Nian Keyi’s image appearing before him.

The Omega military uniform was neat, tall and long-legged, with shoulders and neck relaxed, eyes sharp as cold blades but bright in color, features slightly refined, bold and rebellious.

He memorized it well, to avoid not recognizing him later.

Nian Keyi is an Omega, a second-year student in the Star Battle Department at Luoyang Union University, currently on practice classes on Guo Li Star.

The practice classes in the Star Battle Department naturally involve combat, and the tasks on Guo Li Star are relatively safe. This batch of students had just participated in a star pirate pursuit operation, returning to base afterward.

As night fell, countless flight paths crisscrossed, warships gathered like a sea, mechanical sounds roaring.

“Captain, Team 27, five out, five reported.”

“Team 2, two out, two reported.”

“…”

“A1, one out, one reported.” The last Alpha reported and didn’t leave immediately, but waited until the crowd dispersed, removing his hat to reveal blonde hair, stepping forward to ask familiarly, “Still not done?”

The captain surrounded by the crowd was a tall, long-legged boy, his body frame carrying a youthful elegance, the lower half of his face under the cap brim showing youthful lines, clearly an Omega.

“Three more teams,” Nian Keyi said, sliding his finger to check the time. His commanding presence was prominent when he had a stern face, cold and reliable, making everyone afraid to mess around in front of the captain.

Everyone except Chang Ran, who grew up with him. He leaned over to glance at the captain’s screen and said, “Team 23’s warship was behind me, the last batch is coming back now.”

Nian Keyi could see the positioning of all subordinate warships, naturally knowing this, and turned to his childhood friend, “Let me see your light brain.”

Chang Ran had mentioned his light brain had some issues a few days ago, and he reached out, “It’s fine, just a bit of network lag, I’ll fix it when we get back…”

“Beep.” Touch connection.

The content on the light screen was instantly copied.

Nian Keyi withdrew his hand, turned off his light brain, and couldn’t help but laugh, a small fang revealing the mischievous nature of the boy.

“One look and I can tell you’re slacking, truly unbeatable Chang Ran!”

Nian Tuan praised, slipping away before the stunned person could react. This place was close to his resting pod, and once the door closed, the caught-off-guard Chang Ran had no time to regret.

Chang Ran: “…Damn, Nian dog.”

Conscience fed to the dogs, he should have just gone back to sleep instead of worrying.

Nian Keyi shamelessly dumped the captain’s task on his brother, returning to his resting pod to leisurely activate the shower function. Hmm, he had an appointment in an hour.

Hot water washed over, soaking the white inhibitor patch on his slender neck, disrupting the thoughts in his dark eyes.

Nowadays, people generally believe pheromones are the external manifestation of mental power, with AO possessing stronger mental power, typically with the former leaning towards aggression and the latter towards healing, but not absolutely.

For example, Nian Keyi, his pheromones leaned more towards aggression, allowing him to enroll in the Star Battle Department.

But to truly enter the battlefield, the prerequisite is being permanently marked, as an unmarked Omega in heat would cause chaos.

The scent of jasmine reached his nose, Nian Keyi crushed a bath ball, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes, water droplets sliding down his delicate face.

So he needed a partner.

An Alpha’s image flashed through his mind, the best-looking Alpha he had ever seen.

He took after his two fathers, lacking rebellious extra love and hate in emotions, accepting the method of finding a partner through pheromone compatibility early on, and the other party seemed like a good person.

He liked good-looking good people.

Habits are hard to change, Nian Keyi showered quickly at the base, and after dawdling for a few more minutes, he turned off the shower, smelling the increasingly strong jasmine scent.

Nian Keyi frowned slightly.

The long-trained vigilance made him quickly put on his jacket and rush out, an Omega had entered heat.

After leaving the pod, Nian Keyi found the source of the pheromones right at the return reporting area, the Omega in heat standing with several Alphas, no one making a move, but the tense defensive stance painted a tense atmosphere.

He was the closest, and there weren’t more AOs gathering around yet.

Nian Keyi quickly ran over, pulling the nearest Chang Ran hard, “What are you standing there for!”

Chang Ran bit his back teeth, embarrassed, but fortunately not losing his mind, his voice hoarse, “Lin Le might be, a tolerant type.”

Tolerant type, a rare pheromone classification, with compatibility over 90% with most Alphas, the last unmarked tolerant type in heat caused an Alpha brawl in an entire large mall.

Nian Keyi’s pupils suddenly contracted.

…

Three days later, Chu Bai arrived at I Xing Port right on time.

This was a small star port affiliated with Luo Lian, with not much traffic, the biggest commotion being the arrival of the Star Battle Department’s starships.

Chu Bai waited in the temperature-controlled star port lounge, waiting until the long line of students passed by the glass wall.

He knew Nian Keyi’s situation was special and wasn’t in a hurry. After a long time, he finally looked up from his light brain, just as the security gate silently opened.

The boy at the door had half-lidded eyes, narrow and long, unconsciously parting his lips for short breaths as he walked, looking softer than in the photo.

As the door opened, a breeze blew, gently ruffling the slightly curled hair at the back of his head, the black inhibitor collar around his neck remaining unmoved.

Nian Keyi’s pheromone concentration had been close to the heat cycle standard for seven days, and the tolerant type incident two days ago, they discovered early, and the AOs present had undergone resistance training, fortunately avoiding a big mess.

But he was stimulated by a bunch of chaotic Alpha pheromones and had to use an inhibitor collar that night, his body entering an extremely sensitive state.

Feeling unwell, he slowly walked into the lounge, casually glancing around, meeting a pair of light eyes.

The familiar yet unfamiliar Alpha stood up, nodded slightly, and introduced himself, “Chu Bai. I’m here to pick you up.”

Under the silver-rimmed goggles, his picturesque brows and eyes showed shallow emotions, his voice deep, clear, and gentle, friendly yet restrained, three days of psychological suggestion making him seem very harmless.

Nian Keyi stared at him, pursing his lips, “Oh.”

A beat late, “Nian Keyi.”

Damn, he’s too good-looking.

So good-looking it’s almost unkind.

“Where are my dads?” Nian Keyi asked.

“They’re quite busy lately.”

Chu Bai replied, also observing the other.

Perhaps due to his physical condition, the boy’s cheeks were tinged with a layer of pink, his reactions sluggish, not like the troublesome figure his fathers described. His gaze stopped at the boy’s empty hands, and he asked calmly, “Do you need to go back to the main campus to get anything?”

Nian Keyi shook his head, “No need.”

He lifted his eyelids to glance at the Alpha, his fingers having a motion to touch his gland but suppressing it.

The virtual image he received earlier wasn’t exaggerated at all, and the real person’s impact was stronger, his gland going soft for a moment.

The Alpha was taller than him, his body wrapped in a dark suit, his stride revealing absurdly long legs. His features were upright, especially the pair of clear and indifferent eyes behind the glasses, the pupils light and bright, a single glance enough to stir a heart.

But the Alpha himself had a rigid and honest gaze, this contrast crazily hitting Nian Keyi’s kink.

Chu Bai lowered his eyes, discerning his expression, not missing his momentary satisfaction to daze, thinking coldly that it was stable, love after marriage wouldn’t be too hard.

On the surface, his deep voice remained indifferent, “I’ll take you back to district A.”

The other nodded haphazardly, a stray lock of hair moving slightly.

As they left, the door connecting the lounge to the flight area opened again.

“Keyi, wait a moment.” The newcomer was a serious-looking female Alpha, a major.

“Major Bai.” Nian Keyi showed her great respect.

His slender waist straightened considerably.

Chu Bai thought, standing half a step behind Nian Keyi, making way for the conversation.

But Major Bai focused her attention on the stranger, pausing, eyes showing confusion.

“He’s my,” Nian Keyi paused, “my Alpha.”

Major Bai’s gaze swept over the boy’s neck, understanding, and after greeting, she concisely said to Nian Keyi, “There’s a mining development task on Luo Star, about two months, the time is after that, rest well and prepare early.”

Nian Keyi said, “…Yes.”

“Take care of yourself.” Major Bai seemed to have come just to remind him, and after saying this, she left again.

“Where’s the car parked?” Nian Keyi turned to Chu Bai, uncomfortably twisting his neck.

“F2.” Chu Bai led the way, not asking about the cryptic exchange between the two, as if he hadn’t noticed.

In the car, after setting the destination in the vehicle, Chu Bai sat back in the rear seat, his trousers creasing slightly, his long legs fully displayed.

He turned to look at the boy beside him, “Is your body already uncomfortable?”

Nian Keyi followed his gaze to his neck, the collar material smooth and cool, he said, “…A bit.”

The inhibitor collar… it’s the last line of defense during a heat cycle, and taking it off would mark the peak of the heat.

Wearing it is akin to entering the heat cycle.

No matter how fierce and imposing the young captain usually was, he was still an Omega, an Omega who hadn’t experienced intimacy with an Alpha.

Talking about physiological matters with someone, with his future Alpha, these two thoughts made his heart tremble unnaturally.

His seated position shifted slightly towards the car door.

The first meeting, and what’s in front of them is the heat cycle.

Chu Bai was briefly silent for two seconds, the thought he had been mulling over since seeing the collar still without an answer.

He couldn’t grasp the scale of interaction during an Omega’s heat cycle, not due to lack of experience, but because… he was a complete blank as a halfway newcomer.

Too much, and he feared the person would run away.

Too little, and how could they love after marriage?

And maintaining the harmless persona, he thought long and hard, eventually discarding the AO aspect, purely in the capacity of two engaged individuals, he tentatively asked, “The new house in district A is ready, shall we go there?”

Returning to district A without going back to the Nian family, going to the new house, or rather the marital home, what else could it be for?

Nian Keyi listened to the other’s steady, unruffled tone, licked his lips, and calmly said, “Okay.”

Nervousness had a comparison, and Chu Bai instantly regained composure, feeling light enough to chuckle softly, “I’ll make a call to Chief Tang.”

“Huh?” Nian Keyi reached out to cover his wrist, enveloping the light brain, his clear eyes urgently turning red, “You’re going to tell them??”

Who tells their dads about an Omega’s heat cycle?

Chu Bai originally intended to report receiving Nian Keyi, but realizing the boy misunderstood, he suppressed the low laugh about to escape, deliberately straightening his tone, “Yes, I need to tell.”

After all, by federal law, a prospective partner is one level below parents.

Taking someone else’s kid home, you have to inform them first.