SCOM - Chapter 84
Chapter 84
A blue, black, and gold gift box sat in the very center of the table, its ribbon already untied. Zuo Luohuan reached out and gently opened the box, instantly revealing its contents. A neck lock, formed from a thin, round strip of dark metal entwined with black openwork lace, lay inside. It was engraved with intricate patterns, a variation of a nearly lost Federation language, the meaning of which was a blessing for peace and safety.
However, to someone who couldn't read it, they were just patterns carved onto an erotic neck lock.
Zuo Luohuan's gaze lingered on the neck lock for a long time before she turned to Ji Yuezhi and explained, "At the time, I thought you would differentiate into an Alpha, which is why I got this for you."
"I know." A hint of amusement touched the corners of Ji Yuezhi's eyes. In that moment, he somewhat resembled his father downstairs, who was known for being a 'fox'. "I gave you the bite-proof face lock on purpose."
He knew she would give him a neck lock in return, so he deliberately sent her a bite-proof face lock.
Zuo Luohuan reached out, pulled him closer, and looked up at him from her seat. "You wanted me to give you a neck lock?"
A neck lock, whether an erotic toy or not, had always carried an ambiguous, intimate air.
Ji Yuezhi didn't speak. He simply reached out and gently touched Zuo Luohuan's eyes and brows, a faint curve lifting his lips. He was like a spring flower after the ice melts—dazzling, brilliant, and utterly radiant.
Zuo Luohuan tilted her head back, letting him touch her, but suddenly changed the subject. "I've never asked, when did you start liking me?"
Ji Yuezhi's hand paused. He leaned down and kissed Zuo Luohuan, saying somewhat evasively, "That's my secret."
Zuo Luohuan laughed, then stood up to straighten his collar. "Alright, your secret."
The person who meticulously fastened every button of his military uniform at school was so hurried at home that he hadn't even fixed his collar properly.
Ji Yuezhi reached out, closed the gift box, and took the initiative to take Zuo Luohuan's hand. "We should go down."
As he turned and walked ahead of her, the smile on Zuo Luohuan's face gradually faded.
He said he did it on purpose, and she naturally understood what he meant. It wasn't a deliberate provocation; he wanted her to give him a neck lock.
But… would an Alpha want another Alpha to give them a neck lock?
A year ago, at her coming-of-age ceremony, Ji Yuezhi hadn't yet entered his differentiation period. According to Jiang Hong, every one of his test reports indicated he would differentiate into an Alpha.
Zuo Luohuan couldn't find an explanation, but her heart sank for no reason. And just now, when Ji Yuezhi had suddenly leaned in to kiss her, his proactiveness had instead carried a faint sense of evasion.
"Are you going home today?" Ji Yuezhi, unaware of what Zuo Luohuan was thinking, turned back to ask her, his voice unable to conceal his happiness.
He was clearly very happy that she had come to the Ji family's home for a meal.
"I'll go back this afternoon. I already told my mom," Zuo Luohuan replied, quickly hiding the emotion in her eyes.
Ji Yuezhi slowed his pace, waiting for Zuo Luohuan to walk beside him. He leaned in and asked softly, "Next week, shall we spend the weekend together?"
Zuo Luohuan raised an eyebrow and squeezed his hand but didn't respond.
Because Ji Xixiu was looking over from the living room.
The two walked down the stairs, and Zuo Luohuan naturally let go of Ji Yuezhi's hand, but they sat together.
"Zuo, no need to be so reserved." Yan Jinqiu greeted Zuo Luohuan. She was very warm and dressed smartly. Likely because she was a researcher, she was direct and wasted no words.
However, she had only just sat down and taken a few bites when her optical computer rang.
"It's someone from the research institute. I have to go over." Yan Jinqiu glanced at her optical computer and turned to Ji Xixiu. "You all eat first."
Although Ji Xixiu was on the Federal Military Committee and had the Seventeenth Army under him, Yan Jinqiu was the busier of the two. She was a doctor in charge of materials research, leading a team of scientists, and was often away from home.
Yan Jinqiu turned to get her bag, but Ji Xixiu had already stood up and had someone bring a food container. He personally packed the meal and handed the container to her before she left.
"Don't forget to eat. I'll have someone pick up the container tonight."
"Alright."
When Ji Xixiu turned back, he once again wore a cold expression as he faced Zuo Luohuan.
However, with Ji Yuezhi acting as a buffer, the meal wasn't too difficult. Ji Xixiu was at least willing to exchange a few words with Zuo Luohuan.
"Yuezhi, bring me the box from the second cabinet in my study," Ji Xixiu said suddenly after the meal, just as Zuo Luohuan was about to leave.
Ji Yuezhi glanced at Zuo Luohuan, then turned and went upstairs to get the item.
"It's a light gun developed by the Seventeenth Army's weapons department," Ji Xixiu said to Zuo Luohuan. "Carry it with you from now on."
Zuo Luohuan was taken aback, then said thank you to him.
Ji Xixiu, however, didn't acknowledge her thanks. Instead, he said mockingly, "Zuo Dihong is quite something. Any family with the connections to get a light gun would give one to their child. Does he think you're too strong and don't need one?"
Glancing at the silent Zuo Luohuan, Ji Xixiu added, "Ren Pingbo is resourceful and cunning. You've provoked him, so things won't be easy for you from now on. Be careful."
Just as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded on the stairs. It was Ji Yuezhi, coming down with the box.
"Father, this?" Ji Yuezhi asked, handing the box to Ji Xixiu.
"Yes." As if he hadn't said anything just moments before, Ji Xixiu presented the box to Zuo Luohuan. "I expect Zuo Dihong is about to give you a light gun. But it won't compare to this one from our Seventeenth Army. It's more portable and more powerful."
Zuo Luohuan accepted it and thanked Ji Xixiu again.
In fact, he wasn't wrong. Just yesterday, Zuo Dihong had called, saying he had found a light gun for her and told her to come home on the weekend to pick it up.
It was clear that recent events had made Zuo Dihong concerned for Zuo Luohuan's safety. At the very least, she needed a weapon.
Zuo Luohuan had plenty of guns, but they were all firearms. They were fine for shooting people, but not very effective against the Gashiro Empire's robot dogs.
Yi Tong had been waiting at home for Zuo Luohuan. The moment she returned, her mother followed her, asking, "You went to the Ji family's house? And you had a meal with Ji Xixiu and Yan Jinqiu?"
"Mom, what are you doing?" Zuo Luohuan was a little exasperated. Her mother had never meddled in her affairs before, letting her grow up wild.
Yi Tong's expression was complicated. "I just can't accept it all of a sudden. What if we become in-laws? You… why would young Ji fall for you?"
Zuo Luohuan: "?"
"You two don't seem like you're on the same path," Yi Tong continued. "I think you're too wild for young Ji."
Zuo Luohuan said nonchalantly, "It's enough that he likes me."
"I can't see it." Yi Tong pondered this carefully, then couldn't help but ask, "When did you start liking young Ji? From what I've seen, you've barely interacted with him, and whenever you do, you're at each other's throats."
Zuo Luohuan didn't answer, instead asking if her dad had sent a light gun.
"It's on the table. Why do you have another light gun in your hand?" Yi Tong asked in surprise.
"Uncle Ji gave it to me." Zuo Luohuan held a light gun in each hand, getting a feel for them. "The one Dad gave me really doesn't seem to compare to the one made by the Seventeenth Army."
"You know how famous the Seventeenth Army's weapons department is in the Federation," Yi Tong said. "Since Ji Xixiu gave it to you, keep it safe."
Zuo Luohuan was only home on Saturday. The next day, she arranged to train with Jiang Hong, which was a perfect opportunity to test the two light guns.
"Where'd you get these?" Jiang Hong asked shamelessly. "Give me one."
"One's from my dad, the other's from my future father," Zuo Luohuan shot him a look. "Do you think I'm going to give one to you?"
Fuck!
Jiang Hong immediately stopped drooling and said through his jealousy, "Fine, you're amazing."
The two spent nearly the entire day at the training grounds. During a break, Jiang Hong received some information. He scanned it quickly and instinctively looked over at Zuo Luohuan.
"What is it?" Zuo Luohuan was sitting on the ground with her knees bent, her hands propped behind her. Noticing Jiang Hong's gaze, she asked.
Jiang Hong hesitated for a moment before saying, "I found a hidden report on Ji Yuezhi."
Zuo Luohuan's relaxed posture instantly vanished. She looked at him, her expression blank. "What report?"
"When Ji Yuezhi was fifteen, he experienced pre-differentiation signs," Jiang Hong said as he sent the report to Zuo Luohuan. "This was an accidental discovery. We're still looking into the rest."
The differentiation period is not a short process; it often lasts one or two months, sometimes even longer. Differentiation is usually preceded by certain signs. Once these physical changes are noticed, it basically means the differentiation period is about to begin.
This hidden report on Ji Yuezhi showed that at fifteen, he had begun to show signs of differentiation, but these signs were clearly characteristic of an Alpha.
Zuo Luohuan stared at the report for a long time without speaking.
"Uh… maybe some kind of accident happened that year, so his differentiation was interrupted," Jiang Hong carefully explained from the side. "Then, for some unknown reason, he became an Omega."
Anyone would have psychological issues with that. To think you were differentiating into an Alpha, only to end up as an Omega.
Ji Yuezhi truly was Ji Xixiu's son; his mental fortitude was strong enough.
"He's always been in the capital. What kind of accident could have happened?" Zuo Luohuan finally spoke, her voice a bit heavy, perhaps from suppression. "He always knew he would differentiate into an Omega."
"Huh?" Jiang Hong didn't understand at first. "You're saying Ji Yuezhi knew he would differentiate into an Omega?"
Could it be that Ji Yuezhi was always an Omega and just pretended he was going to differentiate into an Alpha? Were all the genetic test reports fake?
"Did Ji Xixiu do it on purpose, to compete with your family?" Jiang Hong scratched his head, guessing cautiously.
"Ji Xixiu isn't that kind of person."
In the year Zuo Luohuan turned fifteen, she had skipped the pre-differentiation and transition phases, going straight to the final stage. But she remembered calculating back to the earliest possible day it could have started.
Zuo Luohuan stared at the date at the bottom of the report. The time Ji Yuezhi showed pre-differentiation signs was only a few months later than hers.
"I'll have them keep investigating," Jiang Hong said, completely baffled.
"No need," Zuo Luohuan refused. "Some things, I'll ask about myself."
Jiang Hong was completely in the dark now. Looking at Zuo Luohuan's expression, he had a feeling she already knew something.
But the whole thing was too strange. If all the reports were true, how could Ji Yuezhi suddenly differentiate into an Omega from a perfectly fine Alpha?
"Are you going to ask Ji Yuezhi?" Jiang Hong asked hesitantly. "You two just got together. It's better not to fight."
Watching the couple show off their affection made him a bit jealous, but Jiang Hong still hoped they would stay together.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zuo Luohuan stood up. "I'm going to ask Ji Xixiu."
His attitude towards her had always been strange.
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