Accidentally Provoked My Archenemy [ABO] - Chapter 8

Sang Yu stood outside the room, mentally tossing out all the plans she’d carefully crafted over the past few days. After calming herself, she pushed open the door with a neutral expression.

But the moment Cheng Yunan fully came into view, her eyes took on a look of just-right surprise, and she let out a light chuckle.

“Oh? You’re awake?”

Her tone held a trace of mockery.

In truth, her thoughts had been simple—something along the lines of: you’re fine, I’m fine, we’re all fine.

Marriage? That was still too intimate for now. But even without marriage, they could still be compatriots, classmates, colleagues, superiors and subordinates, maybe even future in-laws.

So, what if he’d become an omega? With some effort, he might even differentiate back.

Coexist peacefully. Help each other. Benefit together. Wasn’t that ideal?

Unfortunately, it seemed Cheng Yunan didn’t share her vision. He was clearly blinded by hatred. When she overheard his words just now, she could practically imagine the bloody scenes playing out in his mind.

And with that, she imagined her own grim, doomed future.

There was no joy left in her heart. Thinking back to her earlier intentions, she felt her teeth itch with resentment.

She’d been running around for him these past few days, eating poorly, sleeping even worse, worrying constantly—and she even began wondering how to convince him to marry her. Even if she couldn’t win forgiveness, at least she didn’t deserve to wake up one day and find him plotting her death.

Sang Yu couldn’t understand it.

And if she couldn’t understand it—then so be it. But before she ran, she figured she might as well poke at Cheng Yunan a bit, give him something to be annoyed about.

Unlike her calm and calculated demeanor, Cheng Yunan was clearly flustered.

The moment she entered, he scrambled to close his AI terminal and looked up at her with tightly pursed lips.

Their eyes met.

Neither spoke. Dust particles drifted silently through the space between them.

After a long moment, Sang Yu decided to make the first move.

Her smile remained lazy, her tone light. She casually set the medicine and water down on the bar counter by the door and leaned against the wall behind her.

Her gaze swept over him—from his clenched hands gripping the bedsheet to the rest of his figure beneath the blanket and the oversized shirt that used to belong to her—like she was seeing straight through the fabric, piercing into him.

The aggression in her eyes was blatant.

Cheng Yunan averted his gaze uncomfortably, his heart hanging in his throat.

“I don’t know how you got into my house,” she began, voice airy, “but since you came all this way…”

She let the sentence hang, watching Cheng Yunan tense under her gaze.

“…I don’t see why I should turn you away.”

With a half-smile, she shook her head and clicked her tongue softly, sighing dramatically.

“Like a lamb walking into a tiger’s den.”

Then, she lifted her head again, eyes sparkling like a child with a new toy.

“Cheng Yunan, little young master—do you really have no one left on Central Star?”

“To get back at me, you’re even willing to throw yourself in like this? What, you think I wouldn’t dare date an AA couple? Or that I wouldn’t lay a hand on you?”

Cheng Yunan frowned deeply, his lips pressed tight.

Sang Yu still wasn’t finished. She didn’t give him a chance to respond. Suddenly smacking her forehead, she feigned an epiphany.

“Ah, I get it now. Little young master Cheng must have a crush on me.”

The moment the words fell, Cheng Yunan’s eyes snapped up to her. His grip on the bedsheet tightened visibly, knuckles turning white, veins bulging.

Sang Yu noticed—and inwardly delighted.

Crushing on someone who’d bullied you for years? You’d have to have a decade-long brain clot to do something that stupid.

Yep, Sang Yu thought, I’m really something.

And she breathed a small sigh of relief. If he was reacting to her provocations, that meant he still had fire left. Good. She had been worried that after his secondary gender change, he might have become too soft,

unable to deliver the response she needed.

Now it seemed she had overthought it.

“…But I am someone with broad tastes,” she continued, nonchalant. “Not picky about flavor.”

“Looks like little master Cheng has pretty good taste.”

Cheng Yunan’s face was beginning to pale, and Sang Yu’s mood finally lifted. She grinned, said no more, and walked over to open the medicine packet. Holding the water in one hand, she approached the bed.

“Time for your meds.”

She stood at his bedside, holding out her palm with the pill and tipping her chin toward the water—signaling him to take both.

Cheng Yunan, seemingly out of it, only gave her a dazed look before taking the pill—but not the water.

He tried to swallow it dry.

And promptly choked.

“You…” Sang Yu was speechless.

These past few days, while his consciousness had been murky, he’d been clinging to her constantly and couldn’t even eat without help. She had been feeding him nutrient solutions the whole time.

His throat hadn’t touched solid food in days. This pill was large even for someone in full health. She’d always crushed it up and mixed it with water before.

Today, seeing him awake, she’d thought he could handle it himself.

But no—he shoved it straight into his mouth and didn’t even sip the water.

Absolutely infuriating.

Without another word, Sang Yu pressed the glass to his lips, guiding his mouth open and helping him drink until he swallowed the pill down.

Once his coughing finally subsided and his face stopped glowing red, Sang Yu became aware of a few things:

Her hand had naturally moved to pat his back.

She had instinctively lifted the water to his mouth.

Sang Yu: …

She’d been holding him like this the past few days. She must’ve gotten used to it.

Still, she didn’t pull away. Instead, mischief sparked again. She watched his face remain flushed, his body going rigid.

“Hmm? Not used to this?” she teased.

She pulled him closer, arm tightening, then leaned in toward his ear and blew gently across his ear shell.

“What’s there to get used to?”

“During the marking, I even touched your gland. This little hug doesn’t even come close—”

Before she could finish, her arm was forcefully brushed away. Cheng Yunan shoved her back, chest heaving, face flushed deep crimson, glaring at her coldly.

“Don’t touch me!”

Sang Yu didn’t get angry. Instead, she calmly set the water glass on the bedside table and stood, crossing her arms.

“Why so sensitive? Can’t take a little fun?”

Her tone was laced with amusement, fully embracing the role of a spoiled, arrogant heir.

Cheng Yunan clenched his fists and ignored her, but she went on talking anyway, her words deliberately provocative:

“See? I wasn’t lying before. This face of yours really does suit being an omega.”

“As expected—just like I said—you’ve become an omega.”

Sang Yu knew this was a sore spot for him, so she leaned into it with all her might, aiming to get a rise out of him.

Sure enough, a moment later, Cheng Yunan dropped his gaze and asked in a low voice, barely concealing the anger beneath his calm tone:

“Do you not know that forcibly marking an alpha and changing their gender is a criminal offense under the Omega Protection Act?”

Not know?

Of course she knew.

There aren’t separate laws made specifically for alphas. The existing interstellar and civil laws treat alphas and betas equally. But Enigmas—who are rare—are another matter. Once an alpha is marked by an

Enigma, their gender shifts, becoming omega regardless of biological s3x. This kind of transformation was deemed too unique for standard legal frameworks.

That’s why it was folded into the Omega Protection Act.

Sang Yu knew this very well.

Hearing him finally bring it up, she was impressed. It hadn’t been easy getting to this point. She could see now why Cheng Yunan became the main antagonist in the original story—he was no fool.

At the very least, he had incredible restraint.

Waking up to find he had changed from an A to an O, and worse, that the one responsible was someone he hated deeply…

Sang Yu believed that any other alpha in his position would’ve lost it and attacked her the moment they saw her.

Who else would’ve endured it as long as Cheng Yunan had?

He was definitely formidable.

Still, the part where he was threatening someone over comms before she walked in… not very villain-cool. That was definitely a miss.

Judging by the situation, she was probably already on Yama’s guest list. If Cheng Yunan got a few more years to grow into his potential, she’d likely end up down there playing poker with the King of Hell.

As for the accusation? Sang Yu didn’t really want to admit anything, but she had to shrug and answer honestly:

“I’m really not afraid.”

She respected the law—especially the Omega Protection Act—but she wasn’t scared of it.

Respect came from her mother being an omega, and from the understanding that her future partner might also be one. As an alpha, strong and fit, part of her duty was to protect fragile, vulnerable omegas.

So yes—she respected it.

But fear? No. She had differentiated into an Enigma in an unclear state of consciousness and marked someone. It was a crime, yes—but not one with heavy consequences.

Never mind that she was now a 3S Enigma. Just ask her parents in the Sang family—would they ever allow their only daughter to be exiled?

Of course not.

The Sang family had the wealth and power to ensure she lived comfortably for the rest of her life.

Even if she did absolutely nothing.

And she knew Cheng Yunan understood that too.

He had to understand. After all, he was destined to become her greatest enemy—brilliant in both intellect and emotion. The perfect future villain.

Mocking him a bit in her head, Sang Yu worried she might have pushed too far. She chose not to say more.

Still, deep down, she was certain of one thing:

Cheng Yunan was definitely going to hold this against her.

Even if he never took her to the Central Court, he would make sure she suffered for it in the future. There’d probably be one more torture method added to her death row experience, just for variety.

Lovely.

Seeing that Cheng Yunan had gone quiet again, sitting with his head bowed against the soft pillow, Sang Yu let out a sigh, grabbed the glass of water, and headed for the door.

She didn’t say anything as she stepped out, but just as the door was about to close—with only a narrow gap left—she couldn’t help herself.

In a tone designed to provoke, she called back:

“Honestly, your pheromones smell pretty nice.”

Cheng Yunan, still sitting in silence, froze when he heard that. Before he could even process the emotional mess stirring in his chest, Sang Yu’s voice floated in again:

“But compared to the ones I’ve smelled before… you’re still just a tiny bit behind.”

Cheng Yunan: …