My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar] - Chapter 3

Just after returning to the Capital Planet, He Yu submitted a request to visit her parents. The request was denied.
The reason given was that her parents were now involved in a national military investigation, and immediate family members were not permitted visitation rights.

He Yu had no clear understanding of what had happened. All she knew was that due to a failure in the new model of mecha, the Rota Star defense had suffered devastating losses. Gu Jin was critically injured and on the brink of death. Her own parents were now facing accusations of serious misconduct, possibly even treason.

For the first time in many years, He Yu felt utterly lost. There was a hollow, helpless ache in her chest that she could not shake.

When she returned to her home on the Capital Planet, the house was eerily empty. Everything was automated by smart systems, with no human presence at all.
Of course it was. Her parents had always lived at the Academy, and she had rarely come home herself. This place was barely more than an unused property.

She sat alone in the living room, glancing at the fully armed soldier stationed just a few steps away. He had followed her from the moment she arrived and never left her side. All her personal equipment had been confiscated or placed under surveillance. Every action now required approval.
It was more suffocating than prison.

While He Yu was drowning in anxiety and restriction, Gu Jin was living like royalty in the palace.
She had shamelessly claimed the Emperor’s personal medicinal bath and ordered a lavish feast of rare delicacies, which made Gu Ting so angry his eyes nearly caught fire.

“Gu Jin, now that you’re awake, can you get lost already? Do you think this is a time-traveling hotel?”

He kicked the bathroom door and shouted in frustration.
All his earlier worry and concern now felt completely wasted. He should have known that this shameless troublemaker was never going to die so easily.

Having changed into more casual clothes, Gu Jin frowned slightly at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin still had a faint green tint.

She had no idea how much artificial dye the pharmacist had added to the nutrient fluid, but after soaking in it for three months, it had seeped into her skin. Even after soaking in hot water for three hours, she still couldn’t wash it off.
Her pure silver hair, now glowing faintly green, made her look absurdly festive. She looked like a walking holiday decoration.

Once out of the bath, Gu Jin sat down and started devouring the food.
After all, she hadn’t eaten in three months. Even though modern technology made food unnecessary for survival, the human body still remembered the craving.

Under Gu Ting’s burning glare, Gu Jin finished her meal, stole the newest model of his personal vehicle, and left the palace feeling fully satisfied.
She made her way through the winding roads toward her house.

Standing in front of her familiar front door, Gu Jin hesitated slightly.
Her mother had died many years ago during a military operation, caught in the crossfire of her father’s command.
Now it was just her and her iron-blooded Marshal father.
Well, and the occasional new lover of his, who showed up from time to time.

She squatted on the edge of the floating vehicle, thinking.
She had just returned to the Capital, was already kicked out of the palace by her cousin, and really had nowhere else to go.
Might as well go home.

Just as she stowed the vehicle, the door swung open unexpectedly.
Before she could even react, her body instinctively dove into a nearby plant bed to hide.

Too smoothly executed. Gu Jin sighed and rubbed her forehead. These damn habits.

“I know my request might be excessive,” said a voice from inside the house, “but I have no other choice. I hope you’ll consider it seriously. Please protect them, find the truth, and root out the real traitors.”

Gu Jin paused. She peered through the leaves. Her father was speaking with Prime Minister He.
Those words had come from He Yu’s grandfather.

Truth? Traitors? Protect who?

Her expression sharpened. She held her breath and stayed hidden, waiting to hear more.

“Old He has served the nation his entire life. His son and daughter-in-law are national assets. I trust your family.
If we can uncover the truth behind this, that would be the best way to honor those soldiers who gave their lives,” said her father.

After that, the two men exchanged a few more formal words. Gu Jin’s father personally walked Prime Minister He to the courtyard gate, watching as his aircraft vanished into the sky.

Arms folded, Gu Jin stood up. She startled her father so badly he nearly jumped backward.

“I heard from Gu Ting that you woke up. I didn’t expect you to come home this quickly. You didn’t want to enjoy yourself out there a little longer?”

“Yes, I came back too early. Sorry for interrupting your moment with your sweetheart. Don’t worry, I’ll leave right away.”
Gu Jin’s expression was lazy and indifferent. She glanced at her father, summoned her travel ring, and turned to leave.

Her father didn’t stop her. He clapped his hands and strolled over.

“I arranged a new residence for you on the Capital Planet. Since we can’t stand the sight of each other, it’s better if we keep our distance.”

He tossed her a key, which she caught easily.

“It’s in the Talina District. I forget the exact address, but it’s marked on the key. Try not to come back too often. If you run low on money, transfer from the family account. I stocked the garage with several models of transport vehicles. If you don’t like them, sell them for pocket money.”

“Thanks, Dad. You’re over a hundred now, take care of yourself.”

Gu Jin clapped her father on the shoulder, quite pleased with how cooperative he was.
After that last jab, she hummed a tune and activated her cousin’s newest transport vehicle. As the sleek machine floated into the air, she waved a hand toward her father, who was clearly fuming behind her, and sped off without looking back.

In truth, a hundred years old wasn’t that old anymore. With life expectancy over five hundred, most people were just settling down at that age.
If her father shaved his beard, styled his hair, and wore something youthful, he would easily pass for someone in his twenties.
But Gu Jin couldn’t resist teasing him.

Her aircraft swerved through the Capital Planet’s special transit lanes like a drunk driver. She had already switched to autopilot and was lounging in the back seat, skimming the last three months of news through her neural interface.

When she saw the latest headline reporting that He Yu had been summoned back and placed under strict monitoring, the corner of her mouth curled upward.

“So now it’s your turn, huh?”

After reviewing all relevant information, she shut down her system.
Her thoughts returned to what she had overheard between her father and Prime Minister He.
With a few flicks on the control panel, she altered her flight route from the Talina District to the He family residence.

Using the royal transit lanes meant no traffic and no red lights.
Within moments, her vehicle glided to a stop in front of the He household.

She jumped out and looked up at the building.
Although she and He Yu had grown up together, she hadn’t visited often.
The few times she did were usually because she had been dragged over to apologize after making He Yu cry.

Thinking of those childhood memories, her expression darkened.
She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes but ultimately decided not to leave.

“State your identity,” a voice ordered.
Two photon rifles immediately locked onto her.
Even though her instincts screamed at her to retaliate, Gu Jin managed to hold herself back.

She pulled up her identification on her neural device.
The two soldiers quickly lowered their weapons and snapped into a perfect salute.

“Good day, Marshal Gu.”

Gu Jin nodded and put away her credentials.
“Can I go in now?”

“Please proceed.”

The commotion at the door woke He Yu, who had been resting upstairs.
With her movement and communication restricted, there was little else to do.

She opened the door and saw Gu Jin standing below.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Gu Jin looked up. Seeing He Yu’s familiar frown, a strange feeling surfaced in her heart.
Ten years had passed, and yet this person still looked exactly the same.
Still so annoyingly punchable.

Unlike Gu Jin, who was made up entirely of light and pale tones, He Yu stood in striking contrast. Her skin was pale to the point of glowing, while her eyes, eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair were all pure black. The contrast was sharp and dramatic.

Despite her cold and distant appearance, one feature stood out. Her lips were well-shaped, not too thin or too full, and colored a shade deeper than soft pink. That subtle difference added a unique charm to her otherwise black-and-white face. It made her beauty unforgettable in a quiet, alluring way.

Gu Jin was caught off guard by her own thoughts. Her heart skipped slightly. The playful and teasing look she had in her eyes suddenly sharpened and froze in place.

When her eyes met He Yu’s, Gu Jin blinked a few times, raised a hand to her lips and gave a fake cough to cover her reaction. She forced herself to relax, snapped her fingers, and summoned a home-use hover disc. It responded to her neural signal and slowly lifted her up until she was level with He Yu.

“You survived?” He Yu finally spoke, staring at Gu Jin who looked very much alive and full of energy. She had expected this. Someone like Gu Jin, the Empire’s professional menace, could never die that easily.

The words He Yu had planned to say all vanished. She looked at Gu Jin, unimpressed.

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Upset you didn’t get the chance to be a tragic widow?”

He Yu narrowed her eyes. After all these years, she had somehow become even more annoying.

She could not be bothered to waste energy responding. He Yu turned and headed toward her bedroom. Talking to Gu Jin always felt like trying to argue with static.

“Don’t be so quick to run off. I’m not in the mood right now.”

Gu Jin reached out and pulled He Yu by the arm. Her words, delivered with zero awareness, were so inappropriate that He Yu nearly turned around and kicked her down the stairs.

Thirty seconds later, Gu Jin was holding onto He Yu’s ankle, slightly breathless and staring in disbelief. That kick had come fast. Her hands still trembled from blocking the full force of it.

So violent. No warning. Just action.

Of course, Gu Jin never once considered how absurd her own words had been.

“Let go.” He Yu’s voice was tense. As an Omega, her physical strength was naturally lower than an Alpha’s, especially one like Gu Jin whose body had been trained to extreme limits. In close-range combat, He Yu had never managed to win.

Gu Jin let go without hesitation and shrugged, watching He Yu step back and lower her leg. Her gaze flicked to He Yu’s thigh and she casually raised her brow.

“Pretty sure you had a wardrobe slip just now. Lucky for you, I was the only one who saw it.”

“Gu Jin.”

“Get out.”

There was a loud crash.

This time, Gu Jin was not quick enough to dodge. He Yu’s next kick sent her flying off the second floor. The hover disc that tried to catch her failed to stabilize, and she dropped straight to the first floor like a stone.

Another crash shook the house.

Upstairs, the door slammed shut with force.

Two guards who had been stationed outside came running in. They had heard the noise and arrived just in time to see their commanding officer standing in the middle of the room, lightly brushing dust off her shoulder. Next to her lay the shattered remains of a hover disc.

“Marshal Gu, are you alright? What happened?”
The guards were completely confused. They had only stepped away briefly.
How did things escalate this quickly?
What could their commanding officer possibly have done to trigger such a reaction?

Gu Jin waved a hand casually, signaling them to relax. She glanced up toward the second floor, frowning slightly.

Only now did she remember that she had come here with something important to say.

She had not even gotten through the first sentence.

If she went back up there now, would she even survive?