My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar] - Chapter 13

On the other side of the hall, Gu Jin, entirely oblivious to the gossip, stood in the center of the crowd. She endured the endless stream of pleasantries with a smile that was less than sincere, her silver-gray eyes scanning her surroundings with cool detachment.

“Sister Gu Jin, meeting again so soon!” Amidst the cacophony, a familiar voice caught her attention. She turned to find Tao Ran.

It made sense; as the daughter of the Empire’s richest man, her presence at such an event was to be expected.

The corners of Gu Jin’s mouth twitched upward. She glanced briefly around Tao Ran, a flicker of disappointment vanishing from her eyes so quickly no one noticed. “You’re here. Is… He Yu not with you?”

“Sister He Yu?” Tao Ran stood on her tiptoes to scan the room. “I caught a glimpse of her over there a moment ago, but she vanished before I could say hello. We didn’t come together.”

Gu Jin nodded and fell silent. Tao Ran, holding a glass of juice, gave her a knowing smile. “You know, I’ve always thought you and Sister He Yu actually get along quite well. Both of you are constantly asking me where the other one is.”

Gu Jin’s lips curled into a cold, mirthless smile. That’s only because we both want to pinpoint the other’s location as early as possible so we can plan our escape routes.

“Well, enjoy yourself. The snacks over there are sweet; you should like them. I’m going to head over that way.” Knowing Tao Ran was already married, Gu Jin didn’t want to look like she was lingering on old feelings and kept the interaction brief.

“Uh,” Tao Ran’s expression became complicated. “Sister Gu Jin… Sister He Yu is the one who likes sweet snacks. I actually hate overly sweet things.”

Gu Jin’s footsteps froze. “Oh, is that so? Maybe your tastes changed as you grew up. Enjoy, talk later.”

Under Tao Ran’s bewildered gaze, Gu Jin took a sharp turn and walked away. She bluntly rejected everyone who tried to strike up a conversation until she finally found a quiet corner to sit down and catch her breath.

She had just picked up a small cake and was about to take a bite when a commotion erupted outside. Pricking up her ears, she heard people shouting about the arrival of the “Imperial Beauties.”

Hearing such a tacky title, Gu Jin curled her lip. What era are we in? Still ranking ‘beauties’? With the Vizer Empire’s massive population, a definitive beauty ranking was impossible. It was either a marketing gimmick or a joke.

Thinking this, Gu Jin didn’t budge and happily continued eating her cake.

As her hand reached for a third piece, Gu Ting’s face appeared on her optical computer. “Where are you?! All the guests are here, and the guest of honor has vanished! Do you know everyone is waiting for you? Get out here, now!”

Someone called out to Gu Ting in the background. He gave Gu Jin a warning glare before hastily closing the connection.

Reluctantly putting down the cake, Gu Jin headed back out. In the massive banquet hall, all the guests were seated. The moment she stepped inside, a spotlight engulfed her, and a glowing path appeared at her feet.

She raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t shy or awkward in the least; she looked as though she was born for the spotlight. With composed steps, she walked toward the center of the room.

Gu Ting and Xiao Ze were waiting for her. Once the three were in position, Gu Ting donned a polished, official smile and began to speak. His voice, enhanced by a special broadcast system, reached every ear in the room.

“I am delighted that you could all join us for Gu Jin’s welcome banquet. As you know, Young Marshal Gu Jin has defended our borders for ten years. Her military achievements are legendary, and her combat prowess is the strongest in the Empire.”

Faced with this unabashed praise, Gu Jin stood idly by, looking like she had nothing to do with any of it, nearly suppressing a yawn.

“Therefore, by unanimous vote, it has been decided: Gu Jin is reassigned to the Capital Star and promoted to Grand Marshal of the Borders, with unified command over all border forces. Let us congratulate Grand Marshal Gu!”

Applause thundered through the hall. Gu Jin was utterly stunned. The whole world knew about my promotion except me?

Actually, she remembered Gu Ting mentioning that the official announcement would be at the banquet, and he had even handed her a commission letter—which she had promptly tossed aside to gather dust without reading.

Fine. Whatever. The announcement was made; it wasn’t a big deal.

The neat rows of tables and chairs vanished, replaced by a wide-open floor as the hall automatically reconfigured. Glass crystals hung from every angle, reflecting warm lights in a display of decadent luxury.

Just as Gu Jin thought she could finally beat a retreat and return to her cake, Gu Ting grabbed her as she tried to slip away. “Where are you going? The real business hasn’t even started. Follow me; I have people to introduce to you.”

Ignoring her silent protests, Gu Ting pulled her away. They were immediately met by a round, stout man accompanied by two slender, gentle-looking Omegas who appeared dainty and sweet.

“Your Majesty.” The man removed his hat and bowed to Gu Ting, then replaced it and smiled at Gu Jin. “So, this is the famous Marshal Gu. A long-overdue honor.”

“These are my twin daughters. They admire the Marshal greatly and were hoping to make your acquaintance.”

Before Gu Jin could even think of a refusal, the stout man was already walking away with Gu Ting, chatting animatedly. Gu Ting didn’t forget to shoot Gu Jin a meaningful wink over his shoulder.

Gu Jin: “…”

Looking at the two nearly identical little Omegas, Gu Jin felt a headache coming on. What is this supposed to be?

“Ah! Young Marshal Gu!” Before she could even greet the twins, an excited shout rang out. A figure appeared beside her, wearing a pink, frilly palace gown. The puffiness of the skirt made her look vibrant and cute.

Gu Jin’s expression faltered for a second. “And you are?”

The atmosphere turned awkward, but the girl seemed oblivious. She looked up at Gu Jin with a wide grin. “Young Marshal, we met just recently! Did you forget so quickly? At Culture Street!”

Culture Street? Gu Jin remembered. Looking at the girl again, she realized it was the same girl in the green dress from that day. The dress had changed colors, so she had almost missed it.

Even having recognized her, Gu Jin had zero interest. She coldly looked away. She had no affection for someone who could baselessly slander and insult He Yu.

“Marshal, do you know her?” one of the twins asked, looking displeased at the intruder.

“Of course we—”

“I don’t know her. You three have fun, see you around.” Cutting off the girl’s impending lie, Gu Jin raised a palm, a clear gesture of refusal and walked past the three of them.

On the other side of the hall, He Yu watched her parents chatting and laughing with their colleagues. She boredly turned a flower stem in her hand; she’d rather be home reading about mech evolution history than wasting time here.

Just as she was considering leaving early, she looked up and saw Gu Jin, who seemed to have her own halo effect. In a crowd, she always stood out; she was impossible to ignore.

He Yu frowned, intending to look away, but then changed her mind. Gu Jin didn’t know she was looking, so why not look openly?

She saw three little Omegas surrounding Gu Jin. They seemed to be chatting until Gu Jin waved them off and walked away. Within a few steps, she was stopped by a very cute little boy. The boy was blushing; Gu Jin smiled, said something, and even reached out to ruffle his curly hair!

“Beast!” He Yu narrowed her eyes and hissed under her breath. That boy looked like he had only just differentiated into an Omega, and she was actually making a move on him!

Snap! He Yu looked down at her hand. The flower stem had been snapped in two. The flower head hung pitifully to the side.

She placed the broken flower back into the vase and tossed the remaining stem into a nearby smart trash bin. When she looked up again, a figure was blocking her view.

Startled, He Yu looked up. She found Gu Jin’s annoying face directly above hers. Gu Jin was leaning one hand on the table, looking down at her from a commanding height.

Caught in the act of “peeking,” He Yu felt a flash of guilt. She averted her eyes and tried to push her chair away. “Is there something you want?”

“What were you looking at me for?” Gu Jin’s face was expressionless, as if she were asking a perfectly ordinary question.

But He Yu, with a guilty conscience, didn’t have the mental fortitude to stay calm. She instantly bristled. “Who was looking at you? Stop being so full of yourself!”

Seeing He Yu stubbornly refusing to admit it, Gu Jin reached out, hooked her arm around He Yu’s shoulder, and tilted her chin toward the other direction. The little boy whose head Gu Jin had just ruffled was smiling at them with innocent joy.

Moment earlier: Just after Gu Jin escaped the three girls, she was stopped by the boy.

“Young Marshal Gu, there’s a beautiful sister over there who has been watching you the whole time. Based on my observation, none of the Omegas here are as pretty as her. Won’t you consider her?”

Gu Jin had stolen a glance in that direction and successfully spotted He Yu watching her. She smiled to herself, patted the little Omega on the head, and while He Yu was distracted with her flower-arranging and trash-tossing, she quietly appeared in front of her. Then came Gu Jin’s “serious” question.

Seeing that He Yu realized she had been caught, Gu Jin leaned against the table. She turned He Yu’s chin back toward herself and leaned down, looking her in the eye with an uncontainable smirk.

“If you have a crush on me, just say so. I’m so outstanding, it’s only natural for you to like me. Given that we’ve known each other for so many years, I’ll allow it.”

Startled by the sudden proximity and the bold action, He Yu’s entire body tensed up. She was too stunned to react, leaving her at the mercy of Gu Jin’s teasing.

As Gu Jin finished her sentence, He Yu finally snapped back to reality. Her fair, delicate face flushed a deep, burning red all the way to her ears whether from embarrassment or rage, it was hard to tell. She glared at Gu Jin with those clear, dark eyes and hissed through her teeth:

“Gu Jin, let. Go. Of. Me!”

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