Pregnant with the Empress’s Alpha Heir - Chapter 22.1

This time, unlike her usual hurried comings and goings, Yu Zhitao bid a solemn farewell to the young girl Ah Jiu.

Afterward, she lay down in the soft little bed Ah Jiu had specially made for her, closed her eyes, and left the dream.

She had made up her mind for now, she wouldn’t tell Ah Jiu about the dream.

If Ah Jiu hadn’t told her these things, it must be because she didn’t want her to know.

If she foolishly confronted Ah Jiu directly with the truth of the dream, it would be no different from tearing open the wounds buried deep in Ah Jiu’s heart.

So, though it pained her, she had to play dumb, just a little.

Of course, that didn’t mean she would pretend nothing had happened. She would find other ways to try and help Ah Jiu.

But judging by how carefree the young Ah Jiu in the dream had been, the real Ah Jiu’s emotional burdens must have mostly resolved by now.

That was at least some good news, enough to let Yu Zhitao breathe a sigh of relief.

Time blurred as if a long while had passed. Yu Zhitao felt something repeatedly brushing against her nose. Summoning all her strength, she opened her eyes to see a soft cat paw pressed against her cheek.

The next second, Xiao Jiu was scooped up by Ah Jiu.

Seeing Yu Zhitao awake, Ah Jiu looked apologetic. “Did I still wake you?”

Yu Zhitao yawned and tried to sit up, but the moment she moved her waist, she immediately flopped back onto the bed with a thud.

“Ouch!” She couldn’t help but whimper.

Ah Jiu shut Xiao Jiu outside the door and returned to the bedside. “Sore?”

Yu Zhitao’s face flushed as she forced herself to say, “N-no, I’m fine.

“I just got up too fast. I’ll be okay after a moment.”

Ah Jiu leaned down to look at her. “Sorry, I didn’t hold back enough last night.”

Yu Zhitao waved her hand. “No, it’s not your fault.”

She had only slept, not lost her memory.

She remembered perfectly well who had been the one clinging to Ah Jiu like a madwoman last night.

That said, Ah Jiu’s stamina was truly impressive those slender arms had effortlessly lifted her hundred-pound frame. If she hadn’t been the one to collapse first, crying and throwing a tantrum, Ah Jiu might have even flipped her over for another round.

Thinking back to the sound of running water from the bathroom just before she fell asleep, Yu Zhitao still felt a lingering fear,

Who knew how long Ah Jiu had spent under that cold shower?

What a shame. If only she had exercised more regularly, maybe she could have followed Ah Jiu into the bathroom to help and maybe even gotten another glimpse of Ah Jiu fresh out of the shower.

“Cough, cough!” Yu Zhitao choked, coughing violently.

Ah Jiu quickly helped her sit up, patting her back to soothe her.

“What’s wrong? Do you have a cold?”

Yu Zhitao shook her head emphatically.

She would never admit that she had been fantasizing right in front of the subject of her fantasies and had drooled so much she choked on it!

How did her thoughts always veer off into such strange territory when she started with perfectly innocent intentions?

Yu Zhitao quickly gritted her teeth against the soreness and got out of bed.

“Ah Jiu, I’m going to wash up first.”

Ah Jiu looked skeptical. “Can you manage on your own?”

“Yes!” Yu Zhitao half-blocked, half-pushed her out of the bedroom. “I’ll be quick. Go check on Xiao Jiu, it’s going to cry if it’s left alone outside.”

Only Ah Jiu’s excessive indulgence allowed her to get away with such a flimsy excuse.

Finally alone in the bedroom, Yu Zhitao let out a sigh of relief.

She slapped her own face in frustration. “What the hell? How could you think of such dirty thoughts in front of Ah Jiu? Have you no shame? But…”

She smacked her lips. “Ah Jiu’s figure is really amazing, ugh. So I was careless last night, I should have followed her in. Ahhh, I can’t think about this anymore!!!”

With that, she rushed into the bathroom, filled the sink with cold water, and dunked her head in.

When she emerged, Ah Jiu saw her half-damp bangs.

Yu Zhitao tried her best to act as if nothing had happened, forcing herself to finish breakfast.

The day’s schedule was packed.

Yu Zhitao continued performing at the bar but had already started saying goodbye to familiar staff and handling contract termination matters.

During her final performance, Wei Meng, who hadn’t been seen for a while, made a special appearance.

“I own a few bars on Academy Star.

“How about it, my little money tree? Interested in some part-time work between classes?”

After confirming that Yu Zhitao belonged to Ah Jiu, Wei Meng had stopped flirting with her.

Today, she was here purely for business.

Yu Zhitao was about to agree immediately.

If nothing else, they were already relatively familiar with Wei Meng, who was a generous boss with salaries and bonuses.

Although Yu Zhitao was about to start school, she still needed to earn her own living, so there was no reason to refuse.

She replied, “Of course!

“But I don’t know my class schedule yet or when I’ll be free. I’ll let you know once I figure it out.”

Wei Meng nodded.

“That works. You’re always welcome here.”

That night, Wei Meng threw her a small farewell party as the boss.

Everyone had fun, but when it was time to say goodbye, Shu Da clung to Yu Zhitao’s shoulder, crying until her makeup ran.

Only after Yu Zhitao promised to keep in touch via the Star Network did she finally let go.

Back home, after washing up, the two lay in bed.

Yu Zhitao held Ah Jiu close, greedily inhaling her woody scent.

Compared to when they first met, the decaying note in Ah Jiu’s pheromones had faded significantly.

She’d mentioned this to Ah Jiu several times, but A-Jiu, who smelled it every day, couldn’t tell the difference.

Just as she closed her eyes, Ah Jiu suddenly asked, “Did you agree to work part-time at Wei Meng’s bar because of money?”

“Huh?” Yu Zhitao rested her head on Ah Jiu’s shoulder, tilting her chin to look at her. “Yeah.”

“If that’s the case, don’t go.” Ah Jiu wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Yu Zhitao shook her head. “We have to think long-term.

“Not to mention tuition and daily expenses, if we want to see each other between two planets, we’ll need a hefty sum for interstellar travel, right?

“And in the future, we’ll need to consider buying a house, furniture, renovations.”

She counted on her fingers seriously.

“Ah Jiu, I want a house with a small garden so I can grow flowers, and Little Jiu can play in the yard someday.

“If we save more now, I can move you and Little Jiu in sooner.”

Ah Jiu caught her fingers.

She sighed. “Don’t worry about that. I have money.”

Yu Zhitao tried hard not to look surprised, not wanting to hurt Ah Jiu’s confidence.

She smiled. “I know, our Ah Jiu is amazing.”

“But when it comes to money, the more the merrier.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll manage it properly. If my studies get too demanding, I’ll just go to the part-time job once a week, I won’t let it interfere with important matters!”

Ah Jiu shook her head. “If you’re going because you enjoy it, then once or twice is fine.”

“But if it’s just to earn money, you’re not allowed to go.”

She rarely took such a firm stance. Yu Zhitao shrank back slightly.

She pleaded, “You have to let me save up some pocket money so I can surprise you by flying back to see you in the future, right?”

“Working part-time at Wei Meng’s bar, think of it as me earning my own travel expenses.”

“You don’t need travel expenses,” Ah Jiu said. “I have a private spacecraft. Whenever you want to come back, I can go pick you up.”

“If you want to prepare a surprise, I’ll just give you one directly.”

Yu Zhitao was stunned.

Take the Yu family behind her, for example one of the four great noble families of the capital planet.

They had a few private spacecrafts too, but those were all registered under the names of the family elders. As for her and her siblings Yu Zhi Qiao and Yu Zhi Huai, they hadn’t yet had access to such things.

Ah Jiu having one was surprising enough, but to casually offer to give her one?

Yu Zhitao reached out and pinched Ah Jiu’s cheek.

“Does it hurt?” she asked.

Ah Jiu held her hand. “Don’t mess around. Be good.”

The warmth from her fingertips told Yu Zhitao this wasn’t another bizarre dream.

“Hmm, Ah Jiu, are you really that rich?”

Ah Jiureplied calmly, “A little more well-off than the average person.”

“That’s more than just a little, isn’t it?” Yu Zhitao thought to herself, astonished.

The next moment, she panicked. “Oh no, then all this time I’ve been dragging you onto public transport for my daily commute and making you cook and feed the cat at home.”

“I-I…”

“What are you thinking?” Ah Jiu cupped her face and smiled helplessly. “Whether I have money or not has nothing to do with any of this.”

Yu Zhitao sighed. “I just mean these past two months with me must have been hard on you.”

Ah Jiu hook her head. “Not hard at all.”

“These two months have been much happier than before. You’re a priceless treasure.”

Yu Zhitao blushed.

She coughed and regained her composure, asking, “So, are you a runaway princess from some wealthy family?”

“Runaway emperor,” Ah Jiu stubbornly corrected. “Not ‘runaway.’ I came out to relax.”

Yu Zhitao nodded.

“So, staying in the capital planet this time means you’re going back to inherit the family business, right?”

Ah Jiu took a deep breath. “More or less.”

Yu Zhitao  was pleased with her own cleverness.

She rolled her eyes. “I have an idea.”

“What idea?” Ah Jiu couldn’t quite follow her train of thought.

Yu Zhitao sat up, swung her long legs over, and straddled Ah Jiu’s waist.

“The inheritance is divided per head, right?”

As she spoke, she boldly reached to undo Ah Jiu’s collar.

Licking her lips, she feigned seriousness. “We could have a child.”

“That way, wouldn’t we get a bigger share of the money?”

Ah Jiu froze for a moment before steadying her by the waist.

Both knew the idea of a child was impossible, but this bit of playful teasing needed no explanation.

“You little gold-digger,” Ah Jiu said.

Yu Zhitao leaned down, her breath brushing against Ah Jiu’s cheek.

“Do you want this little gold-digger or not?”

Ah Jiu gently bit her lower lip.

“Yes. Let’s have a few.”

The next moment, Yu Zhitao’s world turned upside down as she found herself pressed into the bedding by Ah Jiu.

Ah Jiu leaned down, and Yu Zhitao obediently tilted her head up, their lips meeting in a slow, lingering kiss.

The night was intoxicating.

The next day, with Ah Jiu’s help, Yu Zhitao arranged for the school supplies she had prepared earlier to be shipped ahead.

These items would arrive at the Academy Star before her and be kept under proper care.

This way, when she set off the day after tomorrow, she could travel light without worrying about her luggage.

Xiao Jiu, her pet cat, was temporarily sent to a pet boarding facility.

Since Yu Zhitao couldn’t take her cat to school, Xiao Jiu would have to stay in Ah Jiu’s care.

At first, she had been a little worried, but Ah Jiu readily agreed, reassuring her not to fret.

However, with both of them so busy these past few days, they had no choice but to board the cat temporarily.

Ah Jiu promised that once Yu Zhitao left the Capital Star, she would take Xiao Jiu to their new home to look after her.

She always kept her word, so Yu Zhitao never doubted her.

On their last day together, the two cleaned the apartment in preparation for moving out.

Though they had only lived here for two months, Yu Zhitao felt a pang of reluctance.

After all, this was where she and Ah Jiu had begun their journey together, witnessing the deepening of their bond day by day.

The more she cleaned, the more melancholic she became.

Until…

She entered the kitchen.

Ah Jiu had already tidied most of it when she found a black bag tucked deep inside a cabinet.

She remembered this was something Yu Zhitao had hidden away earlier.

From the shape, it seemed to contain a few boxes of medicine.

After a moment’s thought, Ah Jiu didn’t open it herself but set it aside.

When Yu Zhitao walked in, she gently reminded her, “Zhitao, did you leave something here?”

Lost in her wistful mood, Yu Zhitao had completely forgotten about it. Staring at the black bag, she couldn’t recall what it was at first.

“What is this? Is it mine?” She walked over and began untying the bag.

The next second,

“Ugh, ugh, what the ugh!”

Yu Zhitao tied the bag back up with several tight knots at record speed.

The wave of nausea finally jogged her memory about the bag’s contents.

She cursed Yu Zhihuai in her mind.

“Didn’t he say this new medicine wouldn’t harm an Omega’s body too much?

“If I took even one pill, I’d lose half my life!”

“What’s wrong?” Ah Jiu turned on the kitchen ventilation and hurried over.

Yu Zhitao quickly distanced herself from the matter.

“Uh, it’s nothing. This is just, an emetic.

“Way too potent.”

Ah Jiu frowned and brought the bag to her nose, sniffing it.

The medicine did have a strong, volatile scent, Ah Jiu could clearly detect a herbal aroma.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t identify the exact ingredients.

One thing was certain: while the smell carried the characteristic bitterness of herbs, it wasn’t unpleasant to her. She certainly didn’t have the same violent reaction as Yu Zhitao.

“Are you sure?” Ah Jiu pressed.

Yu Zhitao had already retreated far away, unwilling to go near the bag again.

At Ah Jiu’s question, she nodded rapidly like a pecking chick.

“It’s useless. Just throw it away.”

With that, she fled the kitchen as if escaping disaster.

Normally, Ah Jiu would have done as asked.

But since this medicine seemed to have a negative effect on Yu Zhitao’s body, she couldn’t help but be concerned.

So after Yu Zhitao left, she opened the bag without permission.

When she saw the words “contraceptive pills” clearly printed on the box, she froze for a long time.

“Did she buy these? Why were they hidden here, unopened?” Ah Jiu murmured to herself.

She picked up one box and glanced at the ingredient list.

Unfortunately, Yu Zhihuai had truly spared no expense. This medication contained newly developed compounds, and after reading the names, Ah Jiu couldn’t find any relevant information.

She even searched the interstellar network but only found a handful of references.

All the information was about contraception, with no mention whatsoever of causing nausea.

Ah Jiu could only conclude the medication had gone bad.

So she carefully resealed the bag and threw it in the trash.

But she quietly memorized the drug’s name and key ingredients, planning to consult the palace physicians after returning.

Without smart robots to help, the two worked until evening before finally cleaning the apartment.

Ah Jiu made juice, and they each took a glass, curling up on the sofa to chat.

A newly released romance film played on the virtual screen opposite them.

The story followed a wealthy Omega girl who fell in love with a female Beta, their relationship opposed by the Omega’s family.

After a failed elopement, they were intercepted at the spaceport. The Omega’s family locked her in a cold basement, declaring she’d only be released once she “came to her senses.”

Yu Zhitao, with her strong empathy, watched through gritted teeth.

Ah Jiu remained calm.

She even analyzed: “These two aren’t compatible.”

“An Omega and Beta relationship is difficult. Without Alpha pheromones for comfort, she’d either need long-term suppressants or eventually have her gland removed to find relief.”

Yu Zhitao countered: “For love, even gland removal would be worth it!”

Ah Jiu paused.

“Gland removal has health consequences.”

Yu Zhitao pouted: “Ah Jiu, can’t you be more romantic? Always ruining the mood with practicalities.”

“I’m just stating facts.” Honest Jiu saw nothing wrong with her approach.

Yu Zhitao gave up.

She flopped backward onto the sofa: “Ah but really, one’s family background affects their entire life.”

“See, if the heroine’s family were more open-minded, things wouldn’t have reached this point.”

Ah Jiu agreed: “That’s true.”

Yu Zhitao stole a glance at her.

“What I fear most is the heroine blaming herself at this point.”

“Look, she’s still reflecting on whether she’s been too willful, disappointing her parents’ expectations.”

Ah Jiu surprised her by saying: “It’s not her fault.”

“I think so too.” Yu Zhitao perked up.

She rested her head on Ah Jiu’s shoulder: “Everyone has the right to pursue happiness. She hasn’t hurt anyone and shouldn’t be deprived of her freedom.”

“I wish her lover would burst in right now and take her away.”

“Her lover can’t come. She’ll have to escape on her own,” Ah Jiu said.

Yu Zhitao asked: “Do you think she can escape?”

Ah Jiu was silent for a moment.

Then she said: “Yes, she’s already realized the truth.”

“As long as she isn’t trapped by her own thoughts, no one can stop her.”

Yu Zhitao nodded: “That’s beautiful.”

A small smile curved her lips.

Her Ah Jiu was just like the heroine in the movies, even if she seemed trapped in a basement now, their hearts had already soared into the sky, unstoppable by anyone.

She believed in her Ah Jiu, just as she believed in fairy tales having happy endings.

After a night of tenderness, Yu Zhitao finally fell into a deep sleep in Ah Jiu’s arms.

The next day, Ah Jiu escorted her to the starship terminal.

Before Yu Zhitao boarded, Ah Jiu handed her a string of numbers.

“This is a friend of mine on Academia Star, surnamed Heng. Just call her Sister Heng when you meet her.”