I Marked My Arch-Nemesis Omega - Chapter 40

After speaking, Song Qing continued walking forward.

Sheng Yu narrowed her eyes, following behind Song Qing. She took off the glasses and examined them—just an ordinary pair, nothing special at all. She handed them back.

“Wondering what’s on my glasses?” Song Qing asked.

“Didn’t plan to, but since I had them in hand, might as well check,” Sheng Yu replied. “After all, they’re the student council president’s glasses. Figured they’d be interesting.”

Song Qing adjusted her glasses. “But they’re just normal glasses. What did you expect?”

“Thought they might have a function to see who’s hiding a light-brain at a glance.”

Song Qing pushed up her glasses but didn’t respond this time. Still, Sheng Yu understood—this person was about to call her childish again.

After Sheng Yu’s identity information was updated, no one questioned it. She bought a new set of size-170 school uniforms. Though the pants were still a bit long now, they’d probably fit soon—and she might need to replace them again later.

Since most people hadn’t compared heights with Sheng Yu, they didn’t realize just how fast she was growing. Occasionally, someone would be startled when they saw her, but they wouldn’t pay much attention—except for the people around her.

“I didn’t sleep well last night. Had a nightmare where you grew to three meters tall, picked me up, and beat me,” Fu Lian said, dark circles under his eyes.

“That exaggerated? I don’t feel like I’m growing that fast,” Sheng Yu leaned against the wall.

“Not fast?!” Fu Lian snapped, sighing. “I can’t even see the top of your head anymore. How can a Beta grow this much after differentiation? This sucks.”

Sheng Yu: “…”

“You know, I don’t need to be three meters tall to pick you up and beat you,” Sheng Yu said.

Fu Lian shut his mouth.

Bai Ying was also distressed. “What do I do? I’ve only grown one centimeter since differentiation. Why have you shot up so much? You’re taller than me now.”

Sheng Yu replied, “Probably because part of my height was suppressed before differentiation. I mean, I was only 1.6 meters before.”

Bai Ying: “…”

“Can that really happen?” Bai Ying didn’t understand but felt there was some logic to it.

“Mm,” Sheng Yu nodded seriously. “I think so.”

Fu Lian propped his chin on his hand, giving Bai Ying a deadpan look. “You actually believe her nonsense?”

Bai Ying: “…”

With a mournful expression at Sheng Yu, Bai Ying walked away.

“Tsk, look at you, making Bai Ying even more upset.”

“Nice deflection,” Fu Lian sighed gloomily.

On Friday evening, Song Qing followed Sheng Yu to her new home. “You’ve already moved? That was fast.”

“Yeah. My old clothes don’t fit anymore, and I bought a lot of new ones. The old place couldn’t hold them all,” Sheng Yu explained. “Plus, this place has more rooms. I don’t have to sleep on the sofa anymore—neither of us would be comfortable with our current heights.”

As she spoke, Sheng Yu couldn’t help but grin.

She was now about the same height as Song Qing. Watching Sheng Yu eagerly gesture between their heights, Song Qing sighed in resignation.

“Still childish,” Song Qing said.

The kitten adapted very quickly to its new home. This time, Sheng Yu had also prepared a wall-mounted cat tree for it, but compared to the cat tree, the kitten preferred darting around the house.

“Going to your place tomorrow morning?” Sheng Yu asked.

“Mm,” Song Qing replied.

“How many people are usually at your house?” Sheng Yu asked curiously.

“It’s the family estate. Normally, I don’t even know how many people are there. I just hope no one’s around when we go back,” Song Qing said. Though she could explain, running into that crowd was always a hassle.

She watched as Sheng Yu started a movie, hoping her taste had improved this time. The last one had been downright unbearable.

This time, Sheng Yu picked a classic thriller with decent reviews online. Truthfully, she still wanted to watch those bizarre, offbeat films, but Song Qing clearly didn’t like them.

“How did you and my cousin meet?” Song Qing asked.

Sheng Yu glanced at her. “You never asked before. I thought you weren’t interested.”

“Didn’t dare to. Afraid you’d think I had ulterior motives,” Song Qing said flatly.

Sheng Yu chuckled. “Well, in that case, I really can’t tell you. So you’ll just have to keep guessing.”

Song Qing didn’t press further.

“Speaking of Song Li… I almost forgot about Yin Sheng.” Though Song Li would update her on progress, Sheng Yu usually skimmed past the messages, only transferring money when asked.

Song Qing looked at Sheng Yu. “Right. Once we’re at the estate, try to avoid people. After what happened with the Yin family last time, the Song family doesn’t have the best impression of you.”

Sheng Yu: “…”

“Ugh, having to sneak around just to visit a classmate’s house,” Sheng Yu lamented. “I’m clearly a good person.”

“Because you’re not just any ordinary classmate,” Song Qing said.

“I think I’m pretty ordinary…” Sheng Yu muttered under her breath.

The movie was billed as a thriller but lacked any truly frightening scenes, relying more on psychological tension. However, neither Sheng Yu nor Song Qing were paying much attention, so neither felt the intended suspense.

The cat, on the other hand, was startled by every little thing.

Sheng Yu had no idea what the cat even thought it was seeing.

The result? That night, the kitten barged into Sheng Yu’s room and refused to leave.

Hands on her hips, Sheng Yu stood at the door. “Go sleep with Song Qing.”

“Meow!” The cat had already climbed onto Sheng Yu’s bed and settled by the pillow.

“Disgusting. So much fur.”

The cat rolled around on the pillow a couple more times.

At around four or five in the morning, Sheng Yu was abruptly awakened by the cat plopping down on her face, its tail swishing back and forth across her forehead. Suppressing her irritation, she picked the cat up, checked the time, and unceremoniously placed it outside the door.

The cat scratched at the door a few times but soon gave up, realizing Sheng Yu wouldn’t open it again. It then went to find 827, but after the last time 827 had let the cat in, Sheng Yu had given strict orders not to open the door for it without permission.

At nine o’clock, after washing up, Sheng Yu opened her door to find Song Qing playing with the cat.

The moment Sheng Yu stepped out, both Song Qing and the cat turned to look at her with identical expressions.

Sheng Yu: “???”

“How could you lock the cat out? It was so scared,” Song Qing chided.

“It was dancing on my face,” Sheng Yu retorted. “Slapped me twice first thing in the morning.”

“Why pick on an innocent little kitten? You were the one who let her watch the movie yesterday,” Song Qing disagreed disapprovingly. “When I opened the door this morning, I saw her shivering on my doorstep.”

Sheng Yu: …

“Clearly, she’s just acting.”

The cat meowed twice nearby.

Sheng Yu rubbed her temples and glanced at the table—no breakfast today.

Great. She was the one who got hit, and now she was also the one missing breakfast.

“That cat couldn’t possibly understand such a complex movie,” Sheng Yu argued. “And you used to think she couldn’t even comprehend human speech.”

Song Qing fell silent, though her accusatory gaze remained.

“827, where’s my breakfast?”

“Since Miss Song usually prepares it when she’s here, I didn’t make any this time.”

Sheng Yu: …

“Tch, whatever.” Sheng Yu grabbed a couple of cookies and gulped down a glass of milk. “Let’s go.”

Song Qing suddenly felt a pang of guilt as she watched Sheng Yu. “I brought you some bread. It’s in the coffee table drawer.”

“Hmph, not eating it. Did you only give it to me because the cat can’t have bread?”

Song Qing: …

Sheng Yu picked up the cat and carried her back to her own room. “Let’s go.”

“But she’s still young…” Song Qing trailed behind, her heart melting at the cat’s pitiful expression.

“Discipline starts early. If you spoil her now, she’ll walk all over you later—no, scratch that, she’s already doing it,” Sheng Yu insisted. “President Song, if you like that kind of look, I can do it too.”

She shut the door, turned to Song Qing, and gradually softened her eyes, making them watery and pleading.

But while the kitten’s gaze made one’s heart melt, Sheng Yu’s expression only made people want to tease her more.

Song Qing: …

“Let’s go.” Song Qing turned away. “It’s getting late. Any later, and we’ll be having lunch instead.”

“Ah, I overestimated myself. How could I ever compare to a kitten?” Sheng Yu sighed.

The Song family resided on another planet, requiring a half-hour interstellar flight. In a way, the entire planet belonged to the Songs—after all, they were an old aristocratic family. Some of the more powerful old families even controlled multiple planets. Before the rise of the new aristocracy, the influence of these old families had been far more formidable.

If Sheng Yu’s mother found out she was going to the Song household, she’d probably jump out of her skin. Come to think of it, Sheng Yu had told her mother she was a Beta the other day, and there’d been no response. She had no idea what her mother was up to.

Sheng Yu checked her optical brain again—still no reply.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Sheng Yu shook her head.

“We’re almost there.” Song Qing looked out the window. She hadn’t been back in a long time, usually staying at her residence in City A. “Hopefully, no one’s at the old house today.”

“We can’t be that unlucky.”

Song Qing fell silent for two seconds. Whenever someone said that, misfortune usually followed.

As they disembarked, Sheng Yu noticed Song Qing had grown noticeably tense.

“How many people in your family know about your situation?” Sheng Yu asked.

“Just my mother.”

Sheng Yu paused. “Your mother… is impressive.”

“Yes.” Song Qing nodded. “But we’re not particularly close. I actually have five other siblings.”

Sheng Yu: ???

“Never heard anyone mention that before.”

“Well, because we went to different schools and weren’t close, with no contact for years, sometimes I feel like an only child too,” Song Qing said as she hailed a spacecraft with Sheng Yu.

“Are you going to visit her today?”

Song Qing fell silent. “We’ll see.”

The Song family’s ancestral home soon came into view. After verifying her identity, Song Qing led Sheng Yu inside.

The estate was vast and eerily empty. Scanning the courtyard, not a single person was in sight—only robots trimming the plants. It was fortunate it was daytime; at night, the place would likely feel downright eerie.

The Song family’s library occupied an entire six-story building, each floor packed with books. The moment they stepped inside, the distinct scent of old paper filled the air.

“How are we supposed to find anything here?” Sheng Yu was stunned.

“There are robots to help us,” Song Qing said, pulling out her light-brain. “After you mentioned wanting to look into Xunye the other day, I remotely ordered the robots to compile relevant materials. If you don’t feel like walking, there are small hovercrafts—they’re not hard to control.”

“But doesn’t that mean your family knows we’re looking into Xunye?” Sheng Yu wasn’t afraid of walking, but the hovercrafts did pique her interest.

“I told the robots to gather the top ten classified files and some other materials related to pheromones,” Song Qing explained. “As for the reason, I just said I was bored. Usually, no one questions me.”

“Got it.”

Song Qing added, “I’ll send you the book list the robots compiled. It’s already categorized.”

“Thanks.”

However, when they saw the list, both of them were dumbfounded—it referenced over a thousand books, though the locations were meticulously detailed.

“This many?” Sheng Yu couldn’t help but hiss in surprise.

“Only two are actually about Xunye,” Song Qing clarified.

“That’s a relief,” Sheng Yu sighed.

They split up to find the books, reconvening at a large table on the first floor. Song Qing had also instructed the robots to bring a few other books and pile them nearby.

“My book only has one page mentioning Xunye,” Song Qing said, sliding the book toward Sheng Yu. “It says there was a planet called Xunye, which had a rare, now-extinct mineral. The mineral was beautiful but unstable and prone to explosions. Xunye is the scent of that mineral exploding.”

“But there’s no other record of Xunye Star. I suspect the planet’s been abandoned—after all, abandoned planets don’t keep their names.”

“I know, but even if it’s abandoned, there should be some record, right?” Sheng Yu quickly skimmed Song Qing’s book before handing over her own find.

“Mine also only has one page. It says Xunye is the name of a rare tree with a unique fragrance that repels animals and insects to protect itself.”

“But this tree doesn’t exist in the Empire. After a battle thousands of years ago, the defeated nation sent spices made from Xunye wood as a peace offering. It seems this tree has also vanished by now.”

“This tree seems more likely to be the source of Xunye. An explosion’s scent… probably wouldn’t leave any trace for people to preserve,” Sheng Yu mused, resting her chin on her hand.

“I don’t know…” Song Qing tried to recall the scent of Sheng Yu’s pheromones. “I can’t quite place which category your pheromones lean toward, but they’re definitely not the kind that’s particularly pleasant—especially the first time I smelled them. The second time was probably under special circumstances, so it was slightly better.”

Sheng Yu coughed lightly. “Seems like the scent is rather exclusive.”

“No idea.”

“It’d be nice if it smelled like spices,” Sheng Yu mused, rubbing his chin. “But after all this time…”

“The Scent Museum might have something… though I doubt they’d let us smell Xunye’s pheromones,” Song Qing said. “We could go take a look.”

“Ugh,” Sheng Yu sighed.

He flipped through a few more books, checking information about other pheromones. There were all sorts of bizarre entries, enough to leave one astounded.

“Wow, Maoyin smells like bird droppings?” Sheng Yu exclaimed in disbelief.

“Yes, but the droppings of Maoyin birds are fragrant. Those birds are quite rare—there are probably only a few left in the entire empire now.”

“Still bird droppings… tsk.”

Song Qing added, “We still haven’t figured out what Xunye’s scent is yet. Aren’t you worried it might turn out to be something like—”

“Song Qing, I suggest you stop talking,” Sheng Yu cut him off, recalling how Song Qing had previously described his pheromones as unpleasant and oddly suggestive… To be fair, stringing those words together gave him a rather ominous feeling.

Sheng Yu shuddered twice.

Song Qing smirked. “I thought you weren’t scared.”

“And I thought you didn’t smile.”

Song Qing shot him a look.

After browsing the books for a while, the two left the library together. There was no need to tidy up—robots would handle that.

As they exited the gates of the Song family estate, they ran into someone.

“Song Qing?” The man looked at him before shifting his gaze to Sheng Yu. “You brought someone back with you.”

“Uncle,” Song Qing greeted. “This is my classmate. We were just reading in the library.”

“Oh.”

“Hello, Uncle,” Sheng Yu said with a polite smile. The man was actually quite young, but since Song Qing addressed him as “uncle,” Sheng Yu followed suit.

“An Omega?” The man raised an eyebrow.

Sheng Yu clenched his fist slightly, running his tongue over his molars to suppress the urge to punch him. “Beta.”

“Tsk.” The man’s disappointment was palpable, though his interest didn’t wane.

“Uncle, please show my classmate some respect,” Song Qing said, frowning.

“I was just looking. What’s disrespectful about that? Besides, how do you know your friend minds?” The man’s gaze grew even more brazen, clearly annoyed by Song Qing’s interference.

“Actually, I do mind,” Sheng Yu said, still smiling. “Kindly rein in your gaze. I have a bit of a temper—the last person I punched was Qi Liao. Maybe you’d like to give it a try?”

The man’s face darkened. “Which family are you from?”

“None in particular. Though someone of your rank probably hasn’t heard of me.” Sheng Yu lowered his voice, sizing him up with a look of scrutiny and disdain. “Let’s go grab something to eat, President.”

“Alright.” Song Qing was also pondering—what if Sheng Yu and Song Lin got into a fight here? She would definitely side with Sheng Yu, but dealing with the aftermath would be a problem.

However, Song Lin seemed to be intimidated by Sheng Yu’s words and didn’t say anything else until the two of them left.

Sheng Yu wasn’t surprised. That kind of person was all about bullying the weak and fearing the strong. When faced with someone who might be tougher, they wouldn’t dare speak up.

“Sorry.” Song Qing felt she should have resolved the situation, but in the end, she hadn’t been of much use.

“What does this have to do with you? Why apologize? Didn’t you speak up for me?” Sheng Yu stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Besides, I’ve dealt with plenty of people like him—I’ve got plenty of experience. Next time you run into someone like that, you can come to me.”