My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar] - Chapter 29

He Yu stared at her reflection in the mirror, feeling a deep sense of frustration. She leaned against the headboard, her mind drifting into a daze.

While her thoughts were wandering, a message arrived on her optical computer. It was from her mother.

“Your grandfather has informed us of a banquet tonight. Please get ready and do not be late.”

Lacking any desire to move, He Yu looked at the message with resistance. “Is there a specific reason?”

“I heard that some younger generation members from the branch families are visiting the Capital Star. Your grandfather likely wants you young people to get to know each other.”

He Yu acknowledged the message with little interest. She rested her head lazily in her hand. The He family had many branches; ever since she could remember, groups of younger relatives would come to the Capital Star every few years to study. Her grandfather had always been particularly attentive to this, but she had not expected him to host a formal family banquet this year.

Even though He Yu was indifferent, and He Yi was exhausted from his own schedule, both siblings were eventually dressed up by their parents like ceremonial mascots. By evening, they were dutifully taken to Prime Minister He’s residence.

The residence featured a solemn, majestic architectural style and spanned a vast area. It was difficult to imagine that only a three-hundred-year-old man and a four-hundred-year-old butler lived there.

He Yu and He Yi rarely visited their grandfather. Firstly, the atmosphere was far too oppressive. Secondly, it was the Prime Minister’s place of work, making it unsuitable for children to play. Over time, their visits had become few and far between.

The family of four entered with the butler. Though the old man was aged, his pace remained steady. After a brief chat with He Yu’s father along the way, they reached the Prime Minister’s room. Once permission was granted, the door opened automatically, and the four entered together.

He Yu had expected to find her grandfather working alone, but to her surprise, another person was in the room. He appeared to be in his twenties, with a composed manner, sitting across from the elder man and speaking eloquently about a deployment map on the table.

Their arrival interrupted the young man’s speech. He Yu’s parents greeted the elder He first, and the young man immediately stood up to greet them in return. “Greetings, Dean He and Madam He. My name is He Xing. I was recently transferred to the Capital Star Mecha Research Center. I hope to learn much from you in the future.”

“Young and promising, very good.” He Yu’s father, seemingly oblivious to any hidden meaning, patted He Xing on the shoulder and offered a sincere compliment.

The elder He stood up as well. “He Yu, He Yi, come here. You are all of the same generation. Get to know each other; you will be spending more time together in the future.”

At this, He Yu and He Yi could no longer hide behind their parents. They stepped forward, greeted their grandfather, and offered a polite nod to He Xing.

“I have long heard that the two siblings of the Capital He family are the foremost young talents of the Capital Star, possessing extraordinary ability and genius. Seeing you today, I can see the rumors are true.” He Xing focused his gaze primarily on He Yu, making no effort to hide his admiration.

He Yu, who was currently on the verge of irritation, looked at He Xing expressionlessly. “You flatter me.”

Seeing his sister’s attitude, He Yi followed suit. “Mere hearsay.”

Smack. He Yu’s father slapped the back of He Yi’s head. “Stop misuse of idioms.”

“Very well, there are other guests waiting. Let us move to the parlor.” Seeing that He Yu and He Yi had no interest in befriending He Xing, the elder He kept a neutral expression, but he sighed inwardly. His grandchildren were excellent in every way, but two traits were a headache: their lack of worldliness and their haughty pride. They looked down on everyone and disdained making social connections.

Since this could not be changed overnight, the elder He simply changed the subject and led the group toward the drawing room.

The elder He walked in front, followed by the parents, with He Yi and He Yu trailing behind. He Xing followed them, positioning himself next to He Yu.

“Teacher He, I have actually admired you for a long time, especially your publication, Mechas and History. I have read it many times. It is so well-written that I have practically memorized it.” He Xing spoke to He Yu as they walked, trying his best to steer the conversation toward topics she liked.

Unfortunately, He Yu was in no mood for conversation. She did not even look at him, her tone cold. “A boring piece of work with no real value.”

“Sister,” He Yi interjected, stifling a laugh as he looked at He Xing. “Was that not just a set of annotated notes you compiled to teach someone middle school lessons? How is it without value?”

He Yu gave He Yi a frigid look. She did not wish to revisit that disastrous period of her youth. Because Gu Jin’s grades had hit an all-time low, Old Marshal Gu had frantically hired tutors for her. However, Gu Jin had managed to drive away eight tutors in just three days.

Out of desperation, the Old Marshal eventually chose from among Gu Jin’s peers. He Yu, who was in the same class and ranked first in the school, was pressed into service. She was tied to Gu Jin every day, drowning in a sea of knowledge.

Eventually, after exhausting every method—threats, force, gentle persuasion, and even summarizing chapters into short essays—He Yu finally raised Gu Jin’s score from a 250 to a 300.

The day the results were released, He Yu fled the Gu household as if being chased by hounds. She never agreed to tutor Gu Jin again—not for a single session. Mechas and History was the result of her trying to force Gu Jin to take an interest in history by combining it with mecha development.

Ultimately, it had been useless. Later, while on the planet Sasha, He Yu had accidentally rediscovered those old annotations. She expanded and organized them, then published them on a whim. She had not expected the positive response, and she did not particularly care about it.

Others might not have known the back story, but He Yi did, which was why he was laughing so hard at He Xing for picking that specific topic.

He Yu ignored her laughing brother and the confused, frustrated He Xing. She sped up her pace, leaving them both behind.

As He Xing tried to catch up with He Yu, He Yi pulled him back. “Hey, brother, you do not actually like my sister, do you?”

“Major General He, Teacher He is one of the most outstanding Omegas in the Weize Empire. It is not strange for me to admire her, is it?” He Xing saw nothing wrong with his admiration. Even though they shared a distant common ancestor, so many generations had passed that there was no direct blood relation to consider.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” He Yi patted He Xing’s shoulder with a look of pity. “Poor soul, give up. My sister already likes someone. That person is someone you could never hope to match in your lifetime. Do not waste your effort.”

“Who?” This time, it was He Xing who grabbed He Yi.

But was He Yi the type to follow orders so easily? Of course not. He simply gave He Xing another sympathetic look and hurried after He Yu.

The rest of the evening consisted of routine pleasantries and greetings led by the elder He and the parents. As soon as she entered the room and made an appearance, He Yu found a place to hide and pass the time, waiting to go home.

However, her peace lasted only a moment before she saw the old butler lead another person in. Since they were far away, He Yu straightened her back slightly to see. Once she recognized the person, she was puzzled.

This was a family banquet organized by the elder He. Why was Wen Zhixin here?

The He family belonged to the Cabinet, while the Wen family were staunch Royalists. They followed the Imperial family’s orders with absolute loyalty and kept a clear boundary between themselves and the Cabinet. Why was Wen Zhixin here today?

Before He Yu could figure it out, her grandfather’s gaze landed squarely on her. “He Yu, your friend has arrived.”

Setting down her glass, He Yu rose to exchange a few words with Wen Zhixin. Then, at the elder He’s invitation, everyone sat down for dinner.

To He Yu’s further surprise, her grandfather invited Wen Zhixin to sit at the main table, right next to her.

While the others were busy with small talk, He Yu lowered her voice and asked Wen Zhixin, “What are you doing here?”

“I just returned to the Capital Star as well. My father asked me to pay a visit to Elder He, but I did not expect there to be so many people.” Wen Zhixin was clearly a bit dazed himself. Elder He was usually busy with Cabinet affairs during the day, so visits had to be made in the late afternoon. He had entered to find a full house.

Under the deliberate flattery of the guests, the meal passed pleasantly. Once the other guests had mostly departed, Elder He asked He Yu’s family and Wen Zhixin to stay and follow him to the study.

Once everyone was seated, Elder He looked at Wen Zhixin and He Yu. “Previously, the head of the Wen family—Wen Zhixin’s father—sent me a letter. His intention was clear: he hopes our two families can strengthen our bond and discuss a potential marriage between Zhixin and He Yu. I want to hear your opinions.”

The elder He was blunt, leaving the rest of the group stunned. What?

Wen Zhixin and He Yu looked at each other, both completely blindsided. Who could have predicted this?

“Father, why are you bringing this up so suddenly?” He Yu’s father was clearly not ready for this. It was not that Wen Zhixin was a bad choice, but having just learned today that his daughter liked someone else, he could not agree, no matter how good Wen Zhixin was.

The elder He looked at his son with displeasure. “Alphas should marry when they are of age, and so should Omegas. He Yu has been an adult for several years now. Her peers have already married and established themselves. It is time to consider this. If you parents will not consider it, must I, her grandfather, not worry about it?”

He Yu’s father still disagreed with his father’s methods. “Then you should have asked the child’s opinion first. What is the meaning of this sudden move?”

“Silence. Sit down.” Having held a high position for many years, the elder He was used to having the final word. He showed no mercy to the son who contradicted him in public. He Yu’s father did not dare to openly defy him further and could only sit back down.

Elder He turned his gaze toward the flustered Wen Zhixin and the cold-faced He Yu, waiting for their answers.

He Yu turned to look at Wen Zhixin, her eyes slightly threatening. “Senior, was this your idea?”

Under the combined pressure of the elder He and He Yu, Wen Zhixin gave an awkward smile. “This…”

Meeting He Yu’s narrowing eyes, Wen Zhixin paused. “This was, of course, my father’s idea. I had no prior knowledge of it.”

Nodding with satisfaction, He Yu looked at her grandfather. “Grandfather, I have no intention of considering this at the moment, and Senior Wen has no such intention either. Please do not trouble yourself. If there is nothing else, your granddaughter will take her leave.”

This was a clear rejection. Ignoring her grandfather’s gaze, He Yu stood up to leave.

“Stay right there. Do not think I did not see the threatening look you just gave Zhixin. He Yu, I know you want to continue your work, but you must understand that an Omega’s ultimate destiny is marriage and children. You are ambitious and dissatisfied, but you cannot change your identity.”

Her grandfather’s words cut to the quick. He Yu instinctively clenched her fists, her expression turning as dark as still water.

He Yi had always been somewhat afraid of his old-fashioned grandfather. Now, seeing his sister dare to stand up to him, he felt admiration but also worry. Seeing the situation reach a stalemate, he quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

“Grandfather, do not be angry. Sister did not say she would never marry. Besides, it is not right to match make so abruptly. It is very awkward for both Brother Wen and my sister, is it not?”

He Yi looked at Wen Zhixin, who nodded in agreement. Seeing the situation, Wen Zhixin stood up to excuse himself. “This was a lapse in judgment by my father. Matters like this should be discussed carefully over time. I shall take my leave and visit again another day.”

Realizing this was about to escalate into a family conflict, Wen Zhixin knew he should not stay. He left before anyone could ask him to.

After Wen Zhixin departed, the atmosphere in the study became even more stifling. He Yu’s parents were caught in the middle, feeling utterly conflicted.

The elder He gave He Yi a look that promised discipline later, then turned to He Yu. “Your brother says I am making a forced match. He Yu, I will now listen to what you have to say.”

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