13.

“What’s wrong?” The omega, feeling confused, touched his face.

Mr. A gave a slight smile, one that was rare for him, without any mockery or coldness. He said, “No wonder the person I sent didn’t pick you up…”

“What do you mean?” The omega froze for a moment. “Are you saying I’m different from before?”

Mr. A sneered. “At most, you’ve just gone from being a filthy pig to a clean one. Don’t overthink it.”

“…Oh.”

“Anyway,” Mr. A led him away from the prying eyes of the crowd, guiding him into a quiet room. “How did you get up here?”

“Uh?” The omega snapped back to reality. “I asked the manager what the requirements were to get to the top floor. He said only those with a black gold card can go up, but it’s limited and only for a select few. However, if I top up to a diamond card all at once, they can open a special membership channel just for me.”

Mr. A: “…”

He had always been curious about how much money the omega’s parents had left him. When he had set out to manipulate this omega, who had been hiding and avoiding everyone for so many years, he deliberately raised the originally planned amount by several times—an astonishing sum, one that none of the heirs of the families he knew could casually part with. In his original plan, if the omega couldn’t bring himself to change, at least the debt would force him into action. Yet, to his surprise, just one-third of the money in his account was enough to pay off the unreasonable sum stated in the contract. What was even more baffling was that the omega didn’t seem to care about the money at all.

He only knew he had a lot of money, but had no clear concept of what it could actually do.

Mr. A abandoned the topic and shifted the conversation. “Actually, you didn’t need to cut back so drastically at the beginning. With the way you’re doing it now, you’re likely to experience dizziness and nausea as side effects. The original plan was for three months; you could have taken a more gradual approach.”

The omega nodded. “No wonder I’ve been feeling lightheaded these past few days… Okay, I’ll ease off a bit.”

Mr. A looked at him, a thought suddenly rising in his mind.

“Here’s an idea,” Mr. A said. “You know, every autumn, there’s a gala held in the city center? It’s boring, but all the upper crust of society attends…”

“?” The omega set his water cup down, unsure why Mr. A was bringing this up.

“Your ex-husband will be there, won’t he?” Mr. A smiled, watching him with an amused, relaxed gaze. “The one who married you for money, only to abandon you right after your parents passed away. I looked up his recent situation—he’s really been rising fast, hasn’t he?”

The omega’s face turned pale as he looked at Mr. A.

“In three months,” Mr. A said, tapping his holo-brain and sending over a schedule. “If you can achieve the first major transformation, I’ll take you to the gala. After all, you can’t just buy an invitation to one of those events, can you?”

The omega’s throat went dry, and he swallowed hard before asking, “…And then? What do I need to do?”

Mr. A smiled. “You don’t need to do anything. If you can reach the goals I’ve set for you, then I’ll allow you—I’ll let you freely and unrestrainedly use your wealth to humiliate him.”

The omega’s shoulders trembled.

“You’ve been working so hard for what? Isn’t it for this moment?” Mr. A lowered his gaze, his eyes sweeping over his long, perfect hands. “Defeat him, use him as a stepping stone, and climb higher on top of him… that’s what you should do.”

“Think about it carefully.”

On the way back, the omega’s mind continually replayed Mr. A’s words.

There was a small flame flickering in his chest, something he hadn’t noticed before. For so long, he had deliberately avoided hearing anything about his ex-husband. He had proposed keeping a young alpha as a distraction, wanting to shift his focus. But Mr. A’s words—or rather, his subtle persuasion—had opened up a new possibility.

To his surprise, he found that the more he thought about it, the more motivated he felt.

Over the next few weeks, omega’s routine revolved between the gym and his yoga mat at home. Two bookshelves stood by his bedside and in the living room, filled with books he could easily grab and read. His bedroom and bathroom were also filled with various bottles and jars. After overcoming the difficult phase of cutting out sweets and greasy foods, his freezer was often stocked with a box of cherries or a bag of apples.

He cleared out his wardrobe, tossing away the old clothes that were poorly tailored and had outdated colors. He started following fashion bloggers with good reputations on StarNet, taking their advice on outfits, and was pleasantly surprised at how much fresher he looked. He even visited a few online communities for the wealthy, hoping to observe their social lives. However, when he realized they weren’t as wealthy as himself, he decided to stop.

“Good job, keep it up!” The beta coach cheered, her voice full of encouragement. “You’re doing great, keep going!”

The coach had a towel draped around his neck, and sweat dripped from his clearly defined jawline, splashing onto the floor below.

“At this rate, getting down to 60 kilograms is no dream!” the coach said with determination. “You’ll walk with confidence and energy, no slacking!”

During the break, omega took a sip of water, wiping the sweat from his brow while checking the time on his neural link. Just then, a short message came through, causing him to freeze for a moment.

It was a message from the young alpha.

Since that day he left, there had been no contact between them. Now, receiving a message again, omega couldn’t help but think that the alpha must be reaching out for his mother’s medical expenses, finally lowering his head to this aging, unattractive omega.

Omega’s emotions were conflicted.

There was a time when he had desperately longed for the affection of the young alpha, willing to lower his head, bend his back, and grovel, hoping for a little warmth in return. Yet, over the past month, his life had undergone a drastic change. Looking back now, the relationship they had—one that resembled neither a transaction nor a love affair—felt utterly twisted and absurd, almost laughable.

Since it had come to this… it was time to make things clear.

He sent a location and replied to the young alpha’s message: “Come here. I’m at this place.”

When the young alpha arrived at the upscale gym, omega’s transformation shocked him.

He had changed—no longer the meek, timid figure he remembered. Sweat was dripping down his face, but it no longer carried the greasy, unpleasant look it used to. On the contrary, omega’s skin had become fairer, the acne scars on his forehead had faded significantly, and the healthy diet and regular exercise had given his cheeks a light flush. His once round, stocky frame had slimmed down considerably…

Though he still couldn’t be called beautiful or particularly eye-catching, the contrast between him now and before was striking. It was as if his body had been completely remade.

Omega walked up to him and transferred a sum of money into his light brain.

“This should be enough to cover your mother’s medical expenses and see you through college,” omega said, looking up at the young alpha, who was frozen in shock. “That’s it… our contract is over. From now on, you don’t have to come looking for me anymore.”

“Wait!” As omega turned to leave, the alpha, driven by some impulse, reached out and, for the first time, grabbed his hand.

“?” Omega turned his head back in confusion.

The alpha’s gaze no longer carried the intense disgust and rejection it once had, but instead was filled with an emotion omega couldn’t quite decipher—surprise… and something that seemed like… warmth?

“All of this… is for me?” The alpha asked in disbelief, his voice tinged with a sense of wonder. “So, all this time, you were preparing this, planning to surprise me?”

Omega blinked in confusion. “…Huh?”