My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar] - Chapter 4

After agonizing over it for a while, Gu Jin decided not to court death while things were so heated; she would set the matter aside for now.

However, before Gu Jin could even step out of the He family’s front gate, her optical computer received a video message from Tao Ran.

They hadn’t seen each other in ten years, and with busy military duties, they hadn’t kept in touch much. Seeing Tao Ran’s message now, Gu Jin realized her memory of her had blurred into nothing more than the image of a cute, dainty “little sister” from next door.

She clicked accept, only to discover it was actually a three-way video call. Brushing past Tao Ran’s image, Gu Jin’s gaze immediately landed on He Yu in the other frame.

…What kind of shitty luck was this?

On the other end, He Yu hadn’t expected the third person joining the call to be Gu Jin. Her previously pleasant expression instantly shifted, turning as cold as an iceberg.

Looking back and forth between them, Tao Ran tried to smooth things over. “Um, Sister Gu Jin, Sister He Yu? I heard you both are back! That’s great. We agreed I’d host a welcome-back dinner for you, remember? If possible, how about today? Are you free?”

Gu Jin withdrew her gaze from He Yu and smiled at Tao Ran. “Little Ranran, sure. I’m fine with it. Just send me the location once you’ve decided; I’m available anytime.”

He Yu also looked at Tao Ran and nodded. However, the joy of seeing Tao Ran was instantly suppressed by the irritation of seeing Gu Jin again—so much so that He Yu couldn’t even register how she truly felt about seeing Tao Ran.

Having received affirmative answers from both, Tao Ran gave a sweet smile. “Then you two chat! I’ll go check for a suitable place. See you later!”

The moment she finished speaking, Tao Ran’s feed vanished, leaving only Gu Jin and He Yu. The atmosphere was exceptionally awkward.

Just as the two of them let out a cold snort, looked away, and reached out to close the video, Tao Ran popped back up, causing them to freeze mid-motion.

“Oh, right! Sister Gu Jin, Sister He Yu, I noticed your backgrounds look the same. Are you living together right now?” Seeing the identical colors and decor behind them, Tao Ran asked curiously.

Gu Jin & He Yu: “…”

“No,” He Yu said. “No!” Gu Jin shouted.

Realizing they had spoken in unison, Gu Jin reacted first, sneering as she quickly retorted, “Ha! How could I possibly live with her? She’s a terminal case of germaphobia and OCD. Living with her would be a death sentence. One’s ancestors would have to be seriously lacking in virtue for a descendant to suffer that kind of retribution.”

“True enough. Who could be so unlucky as to live with a pig? Even an ancient pigsty would be a hundred times cleaner and tidier than a certain someone’s nest,” He Yu countered, arms crossed, refusing to yield an inch.

Tao Ran, caught in the middle: Yes, yes, I have a big mouth, I shouldn’t have asked…

Seeing the two start a war over a single sentence, Tao Ran silently and timidly exited the chat interface. She breathed a sigh of relief. How could people stay this aggressive for decades without losing an ounce of momentum? Impressive. Respect!

With that thought, Tao Ran glanced at the restaurant she had initially chosen and decisively changed it to the Royal Restaurant—the place with the best security and the strongest building materials on the Capital Star.

After sending the message to both of them, Tao Ran relaxed and got ready to head to the location to wait for them.

Gu Jin watched the screen after He Yu hung up first. She gave a heartless yawn, completely forgetting her original reason for being there. Since there was still time before the meeting, she headed to her new home first.

By the time she received Tao Ran’s message, Gu Jin was sitting on the roof of her new house drinking tea. Looking at the message, she frowned slightly and replied.

Gu Jin: Don’t get a table by the window. Switch to a private booth.

After sending it, Gu Jin lowered her eyes and waited for a reply. She thought about the current situation. Regarding the Battle of Planet Rota, the public only knew it was a narrow victory won at a great cost to the military, but they didn’t know what had actually happened.

Even He Yu’s parents were currently being officially declared as “on leave.” He Yu hadn’t explained the situation upon her return, and no one knew the truth. Even the news of Gu Jin’s own severe injuries had been suppressed; they simply said she had been reassigned to the Capital Star.

This was a matter of great importance. Aside from the Empire’s top brass, no one knew not even Tao Ran. Although Tao Ran’s father was the richest man in the Empire, he wasn’t a politician or military personnel, so he was naturally in the dark.

Glancing at her optical computer again, Gu Jin curled her lip at her own message. She felt like she was meddling in things that didn’t concern her. Whether the two “bodyguards” following He Yu would arouse suspicion was none of her business, right? Why was she being so nosy?

Despite thinking this, she didn’t retract the message. A moment later, Tao Ran replied.

Tao Ran: Sister Gu Jin, didn’t we always love window seats before? You used to say booths were stuffy. What’s wrong this time?

Gu Jin: Your sister here is afraid her charms are so great that sitting by the window would cause traffic accidents. Let’s sacrifice our comfort for the happiness of others.

Tao Ran: …Understood!

After finishing her shameless boasting, Gu Jin lay on the roof, rolling back and forth. She checked the time on her wrist-mounted computer one last time before scrambling up, grabbing her coat, and boarding her transport to head back to He Yu’s house.

Setting it to autopilot, Gu Jin began messaging Gu Ting.

Gu Jin: Withdraw the people around He Yu. I’ll watch her personally.

Gu Ting: Hmm? You proactively asking for overtime with no reward is truly unbelievable. What’s the catch? What are you after?

Gu Jin: I’m after your head! One word: yes or no?

Gu Ting: Fine! But remember, do not let He Yu out of your sight for a single second. If anything happens, you take full responsibility.

Gu Jin: You’re so naggy!

Lying back in the transport, Gu Jin irritably slapped her own hand. Stop meddling!

She knew He Yu perfectly. The woman appeared cold and ethereal, like she didn’t consume mortal food, but in reality, she was sensitive and had immense pride. She was the polar opposite of Gu Jin’s own shameless nature.

With the sudden upheaval in He Yu’s family, her sudden loss of freedom, and the looming threat of heavy charges against her family, the naturally proud and strong He Yu would find it unbearable—let alone having the whole world know about it.

If He Yu showed up at a high-traffic public place like the Royal Restaurant with two fully armed soldiers behind her, any idiot could guess what was going on. How could He Yu stand that?

Exhaling, Gu Jin sat up and muttered to herself neurotically, “I’m not doing this for He Yu. I just don’t want Little Ranran to be scared by those two ferocious-looking guys.”

The two soldiers, catching a stray insult: …No matter how ferocious we look, are we more ferocious than you, Young Marshal Gu?

While Gu Jin was still feeling conflicted, the high-speed transport came to a steady halt in front of the He family gate, perfectly blocking He Yu as she was coming out.

He Yu was half-confused and half-wary of Gu Jin’s return. Who knew what Gu Jin was up to now?

Waving her hand to suppress her awkwardness, Gu Jin hopped down from the craft and gestured to the two soldiers. “You two can return to report for duty.”

Having already received orders from their superior, the two didn’t say a word. They saluted Gu Jin, neatly brought out their military transports, and vanished into the sky in the blink of an eye.

Watching them leave without hesitation, He Yu was uncharacteristically puzzled. Had her parents’ suspicions been cleared? It couldn’t be that fast.

“Ahem,” Gu Jin cleared her throat and tapped her forehead. “The task of watching you belongs to me from now on. You have to listen to me, okay?”

He Yu: “…” I knew it wouldn’t be anything good, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

Frowning slightly, He Yu ignored Gu Jin completely and walked past her.

Feeling like her good intentions were being treated like trash, Gu Jin took two steps back and reached out to block He Yu. “Hey! Don’t be so ungrateful! It’s already nice enough that I’m willing to watch you, and you’re still acting like a ‘pig with scallions in its nose’ (pretending to be an elephant)!”

Stopped, He Yu looked up at Gu Jin. She rarely understood the weird phrases that came out of Gu Jin’s mouth, but she didn’t need to be a genius to know it wasn’t a compliment.

“Whether you are being ‘good’ or ‘bad’ has nothing to do with me. Since you are here to monitor me, your only job is to watch me. Beyond that, you have no right to demand anything of me.”

He Yu extended a finger and poked Gu Jin’s shoulder, pushing her aside. She continued walking forward, not caring if Gu Jin followed.

She was a bit annoyed and a bit overwhelmed, but she had to admit that having the person monitoring her change to Gu Jin was beneficial in the short term. For instance, regarding the meeting with Tao Ran, she no longer had to think of an excuse to explain two fully armed soldiers.

However, He Yu wasn’t sentimental enough to think Gu Jin was doing this for her sake. Knowing Gu Jin’s personality, she had likely just snatched up this opportunity to find a way to mess with her.

Before He Yu could figure out how Gu Jin planned to prank her, she felt her arm tighten. After a dizzying blur, she had been dragged onto the craft by that jerk Gu Jin!

Patting her arm, He Yu glanced at the latest limited-edition transport. It was said there were only three in the entire Empire, with a top speed comparable to high-velocity mechs.

Studying the interior, He Yu decided not to argue with Gu Jin’s actions for now. They were going to the same place anyway, and Tao Ran was waiting. She figured Gu Jin wouldn’t actually sell her off.

Thinking this, He Yu actually relaxed and focused on researching the craft’s structure, acting as if Gu Jin didn’t exist.

Gu Jin, who had dragged her aboard, was the one feeling frustrated. This time, He Yu didn’t seem to mind her behavior at all; she just sat there quietly! This was too abnormal. It was unscientific!

In a fit of irritation, Gu Jin hit the special lane switch. The view outside the craft blurred instantly. Within a few breaths, they came to a steady stop at the entrance of the Royal Restaurant.

Before she could make sense of anything, He Yu felt her head spin, and suddenly they were at the entrance. Before she could react, she stumbled. When she looked around, there was no sign of the transport only Gu Jin, standing there spinning a small ring in her hand.

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