AI software engineering is currently the hottest major in the Federation.

The role of artificial intelligence in infrastructure has become widely recognized, and people are hoping for more human-like AI to participate in the daily lives of interstellar society.

Gu Yin applied for this major with the hope that one day, AI chips could be used in interstellar rescue operations, and even on future battlefields, reducing soldier casualties.

When Xiao Zong heard about his idea, he teased him, saying he had the same demeanor as Miss Fang. So, Gu Yin casually asked what kind of person Fang Runjin was.

Xiao Zong thought for a moment and said, “I don’t have a deep impression from when I was a kid, but my mother used to be a very gentle person.”

Fang Runjin had dark brown hair, slightly curled at the ends, and during the time when she was a wealthy housewife, Xiao Zong remembered her wearing her long hair down.

The Fang family had Caucasian blood, so the whole family had fair skin and sharp features, but Fang Runjin stood out even more. At the age of eighteen or nineteen, she was so stunningly beautiful that she caught the eye of the renowned Federation tech wizard.

“She was a traditional omega, trained from a young age for that role. She knew exactly what her place was within the family. Since it was going to be an arranged marriage anyway, she figured she might as well marry the best candidate, stay home, and raise children without a care in the world.”

Fang Runjin didn’t hesitate to agree to Xiao Sinian’s proposal. Xiao Sinian was an excellent partner—charming, romantic, refined, and in control of everything, but without true affection. He arranged everything meticulously, and just as Fang Runjin had envisioned, there was nothing for her to worry about. Until one day, when her husband unexpectedly passed away, and things started spiraling out of control.

At that time, Xiao Zong was only four years old and had been traumatized by the car accident, leaving his memories fragmented and jumbled.

“My mother only went into business for me and Xiao Jingchuan.”

Leng Haiyun wasn’t the only illegitimate child with a powerful background. If Fang Runjin hadn’t pulled herself together, her children would quickly lose their advantage in the Xiao family’s power struggles. For Xiao Yan, all of these grandchildren were equal in bloodline.

Fang Runjin knew very well that in a wealthy family, affection was fleeting. In essence, the same methods used to manage a company were applied to the family: if one couldn’t make it, they’d just replace them. It was only a matter of time.

Her parents had already passed away, and now the Fang family was run by her brother. Fang Runjin had her doubts about how reliable he would be.

Xiao Jingchuan and Xiao Zong were still young, especially Xiao Zong, who didn’t understand what was happening. The family hall had already been set up for the funeral, but he was still innocently asking, “Has Dad been discharged from the hospital yet?”

Mrs. Fang secretly cried many nights, but in the end, her maternal instincts prevailed, and she stood up for her children. She was Xiao Sinian’s only legal wife, so why should she let anyone else take what rightfully belonged to her kids?

The Old Master was heartbroken after losing his son, and he felt some guilt toward his daughter-in-law. Fang Runjin seized this opportunity to enter the business world and start her own company.

She had been married to Xiao Sinian for many years, and many things she learned were personally taught by him. For the grieving Xiao Old Master, this was a source of silent comfort. Later, after Luo Yun passed away, Xiao Yan had very few close relatives left, and he fully embraced his daughter-in-law as part of the Xiao family.

These things were something Gu Yin would eventually need to know. Even though Xiao Zong thought that if Gu Yin didn’t like the atmosphere of Xian Yun Manor, he could just visit less in the future, it was still better for him to explain than for Gu Yin to search online himself.

After all, the name “Xiao Family” alone had kept many sensationalist media outlets alive on StarNet for years.

Gu Yin’s gland bite mark had mostly healed, with the new skin growing in soft and pink. His favorite position was being held by Xiao Zong, with one hand gently squeezing that soft spot at the back of his neck. It made Gu Yin squint in comfort, relaxing him from the stress of studying.

When an omega’s sensitive gland was stimulated, it would release pheromones. Recently, Gu Yin’s body carried Xiao Zong’s exclusive mark—a scent of honey locust wrapped in spruce wood.

Xiao Zong bit his partner’s earlobe with satisfaction, leaving it slightly red, before releasing it and concluding, “After all these years, I can handle my own affairs. You don’t need to worry about my mother.”

Gu Yin nodded, half understanding.

**

“Hey, are you applying for software engineering too?”

As the bell signaling the end of the professional course exam rang, Gu Yin was packing his bag after submitting his paper when someone beside him asked.

Gu Yin glanced over; it seemed to be the boy who had been sitting behind him. He replied with a light “Mm,” putting on his coat, though his mind was still focused on the last question about AI ethics.

Today, Gu Yin wasn’t dressed as formally as he did for work. He was wearing a simple blue-gray down jacket.

His usual formal suits, which incorporated temperature-regulating technology, cost five figures for just one set. Tailors wove high-tech materials into ordinary fabric and made custom designs. The downside, aside from the cost, was that the suits couldn’t be washed—neither hand-washed nor dry-cleaned—so after a few wears, they had to be thrown away.

Most of the population on the main planet still wore regular clothes to stay warm, and clothing had become one of the main markers of social class.

At the Xiao household, even their bathrobes were made of special materials, something Gu Yin hadn’t even dared to imagine before visiting.

The fluffy hood made his face look small, and his deer-like eyes seemed even more lively. He wore black pants and short black boots, his legs long and straight, almost too perfect to be real. He had a youthful student-like vibe, and when he pressed his lips together without speaking, he looked both cold and obedient.

“Your name’s Gu Yin, right?” The boy smiled at him. “I saw your name on the exam paper just now.”

Since after the start of the term, spring exam students would have classes together with those preparing for the fall recruitment, the spring unified exam would also include some first-year professional knowledge.

Gu Yin, after all, had been juggling work and study, and his review time was limited. Some key points he hadn’t focused on ended up on the test, so now that he was out of the exam hall, he felt a bit dazed.

In contrast, Xiao Zong, the math genius, had a clear way of explaining the problems. He even ran data analysis and modeled past exam patterns, accurately predicting 80% of the questions.

Thinking of Xiao Zong brought a faint smile to Gu Yin’s face.

It seemed like he had neglected him a bit lately. Tonight, he would need to make it up to him.

When an omega smiled, it was very comforting, making people want to get closer. However, the pheromones he emitted were intense—clearly a sign he had been marked.

But at seventeen or eighteen, newly differentiated alphas were at their most defiant. They hadn’t yet learned to control the restlessness that came with their pheromones, and such blatant signs of dominance would only provoke rebellion.

The boy had noticed Gu Yin earlier in the morning. The omega had arrived by himself.

Hmph, what kind of alpha doesn’t even bother to send their own omega? The boy scoffed to himself.

Temporary marking between lovers was normal. Omegas knew how to protect themselves and wouldn’t easily agree to a full bond mark.

Whoever won their affection, it was theirs.

With this thought in mind, the boy kept following Gu Yin, trying to strike up a conversation.

In reality, Xiao Zong had refrained from renewing his mark recently because he felt bad about how much pain Gu Yin had been in that night. Plus, the woody pheromones weren’t overwhelming—if Xiao Zong’s pheromones had been more aggressive, the boy wouldn’t have dared to follow.

**

This was the first time in Xiao Zong’s life that he had come out to pick up his partner. In the morning, when Gu Yin had left, Xiao Zong had still been half-asleep, dreaming.

Dr. Lu had said that healing from injuries and illness took time, and there would be a low point before full recovery. So, even if a patient didn’t look seriously ill, the doctors wouldn’t wait until things got worse to start treatment.

Xiao Zong had been working from home for over a month. At first, he had frequent headaches and feared he had internal bleeding. But after a long period of observation, his condition had slowly improved.

Ever since confirming his relationship with Gu Yin, Xiao Zong’s mood had brightened considerably. Although there weren’t any obvious changes on the surface, the relaxation had alleviated the symptoms of his pheromone imbalance.

The only thing bothering him was that Gu Yin had gotten deeper into his obsession with health remedies. He’d become addicted to making soups, constantly thinking of new ways to “nourish” Xiao Zong, to the point where Xiao Zong felt like his blood was boiling.

There’s a saying: when you’re well-fed and warm, you start thinking about other things.

Gu Yin had even learned how to give head massages, claiming he had picked it up from Dr. Lu. Xiao Zong was known to be a night owl, and whenever he wanted to stay up with Gu Yin, Gu Yin would coax him to bed, give him a massage until he fell asleep, and then sneak off to study for a few more hours.

With money, time, and a person he loved, Xiao Zong’s life was like an extended honeymoon.

So, on the day of the unified exam, when Xiao Zong arrived at the school to pick up Gu Yin, he was greeted by the sight of a tall boy walking beside him.

Xiao Zong: …

Someone was actually eyeing his omega?!

“So, which school are you applying to?” the boy continued. “I’m thinking of applying to Nancheng University. Its software engineering program is the best in the Federation.”

As Gu Yin walked toward the school gate, he remembered he should let Xiao Zong know he had finished. As soon as he turned on his phone, he received a call from Xiao Zong.

The caller ID displayed two large characters: “Boss.”

“Are you already working?” The boy asked curiously, “I thought you were about my age.”

Looking at someone else’s phone screen was rude.

Without showing any expression, Gu Yin calmly changed Xiao Zong’s contact name from “Boss” to “Husband” right in front of him.

The boy: -0-???

It only took a second or two, and then Gu Yin, under the boy’s stunned gaze, quickly answered the call. “Hello?”

Xiao Zong had said the police didn’t need to get involved—he could protect his own omega—but during the wait for the exam to end, Xiao Zong had smoked several cigarettes. It wasn’t until he saw Gu Yin at the school gate that he finally felt at ease.

As soon as Gu Yin heard his voice, his eyes lit up. Without even saying goodbye to the boy, he dashed toward the matte black off-road vehicle parked by the roadside.

The car had a rugged, tough look, which didn’t quite match Xiao Zong’s elegant image. In fact, it resembled a military armored vehicle, or to put it another way, a four-wheeled tank.

Because of Xiao Zong’s dangerous actions that night and the super-strong alloy’s durability, Gu Yin had secretly given it a name: “Battleship.”

“What are you doing here?”

Gu Yin opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat, feeling excited. But he soon noticed that Xiao Zong’s face was slightly off, his light pink lips turned down like a pouty commander’s.

“Made a new friend so quickly.” Xiao Zong tried to make his voice sound indifferent, but in the end, he still added, “And an alpha, too.”

“?” Gu Yin slowly formed a question mark in his mind. “Wasn’t he a beta?”

Xiao Zong: …

He had to admit, Gu Yin was quite good at soothing people. Xiao Zong’s expression softened, and he silently grumbled to himself: So what if he’s after you? The guy couldn’t even tell your gender.

Gu Yin, with a curious expression, asked, “Are you jealous?”

Xiao Zong remained silent, thinking to himself that his little secretary should just stay home and be kept under lock and key.

“Don’t be mad,” Gu Yin murmured, his voice soft and playful. “How about when we get home, I let my husband lock me up?”

Xiao Zong: ???

Gu Yin continued, “In a dark little room… with my hands tied behind my back… not allowed to move…”

As he said this, his expression remained innocently serious.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zong’s handsome face uncontrollably flushed with a hint of pink.

He was supposed to be a proper CEO, but his secretary was anything but proper.

It didn’t make sense. The more Xiao Zong thought about it, the more confused he became. What kind of things did this guy read?!

Although Xiao Zong was a proper CEO, he was aware of some of the “special games” played in the circles of rich kids. Especially since Fang Chi was involved in the entertainment industry, he’d often share bizarre stories, which Xiao Zong usually tuned out.

But just because he didn’t listen didn’t mean he hadn’t remembered!

Xiao Zong’s mind started to wander wildly, and he had to force himself to clear those inappropriate thoughts. He asked in a serious tone, “Do you have another exam tomorrow?”

“Mm.”

“I’ll pick you up these next few days,” Xiao Zong said. “Wei Mian told me Wu Yong can return to work. After your exams, I’ll assign some people to assist you.”

Gu Yin obediently nodded, “Okay.”

Xiao Zong had reorganized the security department and selected a batch of highly loyal bodyguards, including Wu Yong, to accompany Gu Yin. Officially, Secretary Gu was in charge of overseeing the security department for Henghua Group, responsible for the CEO’s schedule and safety. In private, Wu Yong had been given the top priority of ensuring Gu Yin’s personal safety during this period.

Fresh out of the hospital, Wu Yong was immediately served a spoonful of dog food (public display of affection). Seeing Wei Mian’s hesitant expression, Wu Yong straightforwardly asked, “Assistant Wei, did you gain some weight over the New Year?”

Wei Mian thought to himself, “I didn’t just gain weight—I’ve become shinier too.”