My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar] - Chapter 49

Distracted by the interruption, He Yu never did get the full story from Gu Jin. Even after she followed Gu Jin to the room arranged for her, her heart rate remained abnormal.

She paced the room twice, forcing herself to focus on her surroundings. The room was on the fourth floor. Contrary to her expectations that the entire floor would be one massive space, it was divided like the other levels into individual rooms. However, the space was vast; there were only four rooms on the entire floor. One was Gu Jin’s master bedroom, one was her study, one was her private training room, and there was a fourth one that Gu Jin had not mentioned and He Yu had not asked about. Refusing to share a room with Gu Jin, He Yu chose to stay in the study.

In this so-called study, Gu Jin had placed several large bookshelves filled with books, along with some ancient writing implements. Everything was arranged neatly, though it did not look like it was used very often. The study also had a bed and a private bathroom. After Gu Jin finished explaining the layout, she left without waiting for He Yu to speak. This crisp, efficient demeanor made He Yu feel somewhat uncomfortable. It seemed that ever since they left the Capital Star and arrived at Lota Star, Gu Jin had become different.

Gu Jin, having left He Yu’s room, returned to her own. The bedroom was chillingly empty. Aside from a bed, there was nothing else; not a single decorative item was in sight. Once inside, Gu Jin tapped the wall, and the room underwent a drastic transformation. Items appeared out of thin air in the previously barren space.

At the entrance stood two flower stands with lush greenery, leaves trailing to the floor. An entire wall was filled with various collectibles, such as miniature limited-edition aircraft and limited-edition Star Rubik’s Cubes. She had filled an entire wall with these precious items. In the center, there were several sets of sofas and a private holographic cinema. The bed itself had not changed much, other than becoming twice as large, dozens of times softer, and piled high with various plush dolls.

As for the last wall, if He Yu were here, she would recognize it immediately: it matched the bookshelves in the study, right down to the placement of the books and stationery. The difference was that everything in Gu Jin’s bedroom showed clear signs of frequent use.

A cold, empty room had become a dream home in an instant, fully equipped with every device imaginable. The indoor air circulation system hummed to life, carrying a delicate, fragrant breeze that brushed past the expressionless Gu Jin and filled every corner of the room.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Gu Jin’s shoes vanished automatically. Gu Jin pulled her legs up, leaned against a brown plush bear roughly her own size, and sat in a daze, clutching it. Anyone seeing this scene would either think the world had turned magical or that their eyes were playing tricks on them. The formidable Commander Gu, who could tear down a palace and act with such arrogant bravado, actually had a side like this? What was happening to the world?

Unfortunately, no one could see this. No one could see the Commander curled into a tiny ball on the massive bed. Because she was Commander Gu, the God of War of the Vize Empire and the nation’s greatest strength, she was not supposed to have a weak side or any soft spots.

He Yu did not see Gu Jin again until the next day. Although she heard Gu Jin ordering others to train all day, she had never seen Gu Jin train herself. Now, as the troops were gathered for drills, He Yu stepped downstairs and saw Gu Jin sunning herself on a rocking chair by the door, holding a black cat.

Gu Jin heard He Yu’s footsteps, of course. She did not need to look back to know it was her. Her rocking leg paused, and an empty chair automatically materialized next to her.

He Yu did not stand on ceremony; she sat down and looked at the exceptionally relaxed Gu Jin, then at the black cat in her arms. Was this the pet Gu Nuan mentioned yesterday? It did not look like it could hurt anyone.

“Is this your pet?” He Yu actually liked furry things, but ever since Elder He warned her against wasting time on trivial amusements, she had abandoned the idea of keeping pets. Having seen Gu Jin’s terrifying little friends at the estate, He Yu had subconsciously assumed that whatever was kept here would be just as frightening. She had not expected it to be a cat.

“Do not say that; it will get angry. This is my brother,” Gu Jin said, opening her eyes. Her slender, fair hand patted the black cat’s head, successfully waking the groggy animal. “Come on, say hello to your sister-in-law.”

He Yu: “…I suspect you are unwell.”

As He Yu frowned, Gu Jin sat up, holding the black cat. The cat opened a pair of heterochromatic blue-green eyes, flattened its ears, let out a massive yawn, and took a long stretch. Watching its lazy posture, He Yu’s fingers twitched; it looked incredibly soft.

Noticing the eagerness in He Yu’s eyes—a look she rarely showed—Gu Jin realized she had misjudged. Ever since she introduced her little friends to He Yu, she had assumed He Yu disliked animals. She did not reflect on the fact that very few people would like those creatures.

“Want to hold him?” Gu Jin lifted the cat and offered it to He Yu. The cat was initially reluctant, kicking its paws in protest, but a single look from Gu Jin made it immediately stiffen and play dead.

He Yu was surprised that Gu Jin would take the initiative, but the appeal of fur was too great. After confirming it was alright, she carefully extended her hands, holding her breath as if handling a fragile piece of art. She slowly took the cat, placed it gently on her lap, and began stroking it.

“What is his name?” In the presence of such cuteness, even He Yu could not maintain her cold expression. Her face softened as she whispered the question.

Gu Jin narrowed her eyes, casting a threatening glare at the cat that was trying to escape. Only when the creature lay back down in a state of resigned defeat did she answer. “Him? His name is Dung Ball. You can call him Little Black if you like.”

This time, He Yu clearly heard the threatening purr from the cat and felt its muscles tense up instantly.

Looking at the cat’s elegant frame, unique eyes, and natural, noble arrogance, He Yu felt bad for it. It was like calling a princess of the realm or an imperial war hero “Cuihua.”

“Are you serious?” He Yu’s stroking hand paused. She thought of her unborn child and decided that, under no circumstances, would Gu Jin ever be allowed to participate in naming the baby. The potential for damage was simply too high.

“What is not to be serious about? Look at how pitch-black he is. It is very descriptive. I wanted to rename him Coal Ball, but that sounded too much like something from a history museum, so we stuck with this.” Gu Jin sounded entirely reasonable, as if she did not see anything wrong with it.

He Yu stopped stroking the cat. After that comment, she could not quite bring herself to continue.

The moment she let go, she felt a lightness in her lap, followed by a shadow falling over her. The black cat was gone. In its place stood a black panther, taller than a person, with fur so shiny it seemed to glow. It squinted its heterochromatic eyes at them, front paws extended in a predatory crouch.

He Yu remained with her hands still held up in the air, staring in absolute, utter shock. Was that not just a black cat?

Before He Yu could react, the massive panther’s head lunged forward, creating a gust of wind. When she looked over, she saw that Gu Jin, who had been sitting peacefully beside her, was gone!

She jumped up from the chair and watched the panther turn to leave. Hanging from its jaws was none other than Gu Jin!

She took two steps to give chase, but a panther’s speed is legendary; in the blink of an eye, it vanished from her sight. Startled, He Yu blinked. She was about to call for help when she suddenly remembered: was that not just Gu Jin’s pet? Besides, who in the entire Vize Empire could actually beat Gu Jin in a fight?

Thinking it over, she lowered her hands and sent a message to Gu Nuan via her optical device.

[Yu: The Commander was carried off by the black panther she keeps. Is she alright?]

She was thankful for her choice of a pseudonym, as using her real name would have exposed her identity instantly. The reply came quickly.

[Gu Nuan: It is fine, this is normal. Our Commander is just very beloved by animals. I hope the Lady was not frightened?]

Beloved? He Yu looked at the message with a blank expression. She replied that she was fine and put her device away.

While He Yu wondered if Gu Jin was being eaten, the panther had carried her to a corner of the back garden, dropped her on the ground with a thump, and let out a growl of dissatisfaction.

Gu Jin stood up, brushed off her clothes, and looked helplessly at the panther. “What are you doing?”

“Little White! I did not tell anyone you were called White Dumpling, so why are you telling people I am called Dung Ball?” the massive panther complained, its voice deep and guttural. Not feeling that huffing in her face was enough, it swiped a giant claw toward Gu Jin’s shoulder. An ordinary person would have been hospitalized on the spot.

Indeed, this was not just a panther; it was a mutated one, and it had mutated much more thoroughly than Gu Jin’s other friends, such as the mutated rats. It could even speak.

Gu Jin rubbed her shoulder and tapped the panther’s scapula. “She is your sister-in-law, not a stranger. Also, if you call me White Dumpling again, I will call you Dung Ball for the rest of our lives.”

“White Dumpling!” the panther repeated stubbornly in a low voice.

“Dung Ball!”

“White Dumpling!”

“Dung Ball!”

When Gu Jin returned to the front door after their fight, she found He Yu still sitting in the same spot, though she was now reading a book. Hearing the noise, He Yu looked up and stared at the disheveled, beggar-like Gu Jin with astonishment, then could not help but chuckle. “What happened to you?”

“Do not ask. He calls himself Dung Ball but refuses to let anyone else use it,” Gu Jin said, wiping her nose. “Just call him Little Black when you see him. I do not think you can beat him in a fight.”

After repeated negotiations, both sides made concessions: Gu Jin would not let anyone else call him Dung Ball, and he would not tell He Yu that Gu Jin’s childhood nickname was White Dumpling.

“Um… about that black cat, or black panther, what is going on?” He Yu changed her terminology. Honestly, aside from Qin Zhao, she had never seen such a magical sight. The key was that Qin Zhao could switch between human and beast forms, but how was this panther doing it? And why was it so big?

“Oh, Little Black was a gift given to my mother. He is only about a month younger than me. He comes from the Ru Long Empire and is a mutated species. His intelligence is similar to a human’s. You can refer to Qin Zhao for the shape-shifting principle; it is the same mechanism.”

Gu Jin did not intend to hide it from He Yu. She plucked a leaf from a nearby plant. The Ru Long Empire was extremely mysterious, having no contact with any other empire. Others had no chance to learn about it, especially regarding gene fusion. It was normal for He Yu not to understand.

Gu Jin’s mother again? Hearing about her for the third time, He Yu had spent a long time researching her the previous day. She could only find that she had been the “Flower of the Empire,” the model for all nobles, but nothing else; not even a single photograph existed. Such a mysterious figure sparked He Yu’s curiosity; she felt Gu Jin’s mother was an extraordinary person.

“So, Little Black is your mother’s pet?”

“No, he is my mother’s son. I told you, he is my brother. My mother raised us together since we were children. If you call him a pet, he will be furious.” That was why they were called Little Black and Little White, Dung Ball and Dumpling. Gu Jin did not even want to recall those dark, historical years.

“Your mother,” He Yu began, realizing Gu Jin did not seem to mind talking about her, “must have been a very interesting person?”

Gu Jin, who had been chewing on a blade of grass while staring at the sun, turned back. She looked at the slightly awkward He Yu, blinked, and revealed a mischievous smile. “What? Do you want to meet your mother-in-law?”

After being soundly beaten by He Yu, Gu Jin still promised to take her to see her mother-in-law, under the pretext that even an ugly daughter-in-law must eventually meet her parents-in-law. She was rewarded with another beating.

Gu Jin’s mother rested in the star tomb outside Lota Star. Seeing that He Yu truly wanted to go, Gu Jin did not stop her. In any case, she was going to take He Yu there sooner or later.

Since they had nothing major to handle today, Gu Jin briefed Gu Jing, packed a few things, and took He Yu aboard an interstellar ship toward the star tomb.

The moment they left Lota Star’s protective shield, Gu Jin and He Yu were automatically encased in water-like protective suits. While human physiology was strong enough, it still could not survive in space for long. However, they did not need the thick, heavy spacesuits of the past; this thin, almost invisible layer was more than enough.

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