Transmigrated Into a Scummy Alpha Who Stole the Male Lead's Mermaid Fiancée - Chapter 31.2

Lan Xing’s eyes darted away, a bit embarrassed, but Yu Ke didn’t care. She stepped forward, backing Lan Xing into the narrow corridor.

Yu Ke was over ten centimeters taller. She could easily kiss Lan Xing’s forehead by tilting her chin up slightly, but she didn’t take the initiative. Instead, she slowly raised her hand, gently rubbing near the tie of Lan Xing’s high ponytail, then lightly scratching along the fall of her hair.

It felt as soft as a teddy bear, but Lan Xing’s hair was even more astonishingly thick. Slipping her fingers into the strands was like plunging them into cotton candy, completely enveloped.

Lan Xing lowered her face, her eyelashes trembling slightly like a nervous little rabbit. Her head rose and fell faintly with each breath.

She was being pinned against the wall by the princess consort.

Lan Xing’s hands, hanging at her sides, clenched her pant legs, her palms slightly sweaty. Yet she couldn’t resist the urge to hug the princess consort. With just a light clasp, she could wrap her arms around that slender waist.

That was far more comfortable than a man’s sturdy waist. The thought of a royal Alpha like Princess Yu Ke losing herself in passion made Lan Xing almost breathless.

“Kiss me, little mermaid.” Yu Ke toyed with her hair, gazing down at her flushed face as she spoke in her uniquely husky contralto.

Unable to resist any longer, Lan Xing wrapped her arms around Yu Ke’s waist, tilted her head up, closed her eyes, and pressed a kiss to her lips.

A kiss to remember.

Yu Ke lifted her eyelids, a satisfied smile curling at the corners of her mouth as she looked at this beautiful, adorable creature.

Li Jian’an and the others were still in the hovercar, revving the engine impatiently. Unhurried, Yu Ke took Lan Xing’s hand, brought it to her lips for a gentle kiss, and said softly, “Put on the protective suit, and don’t leave my sight. Promise me.”

Lan Xing nodded earnestly, happily going to fetch the protective suit and change into it, as excited as a child.

Watching her joyful demeanor, Yu Ke finally relaxed. She had learned a lesson from this incident: a wife’s requests must be fulfilled as much as possible!

This colonial planet had a massive population. On the way to the factory, the ground was dotted with desolate, barren buildings. Only near the factory did the number of people noticeably increase. Crowds gathered, their eyes dull as they watched the hovercar pass overhead, some with clear hostility and resentment.

“Can you tell the genders of these people?” Lan Zhen picked at her red nails and said coldly, “These ones, those ones, you can’t tell at all. It’s like how humans were before differentiation.”

“Highly populated areas like this are only suitable for Betas. Once large numbers of Alphas and Omegas gather, it inevitably leads to chaos,” Li Jian’an remarked. “Betas are the best, we’re the ones who do the work, and we’re the ones who maintain social stability. We have better temperaments than Alphas, no aggression, and greater endurance than Omegas. That’s why the bottom rungs of the galaxy are all us…”

“I don’t like places like this,” Lan Zhen said. “If I weren’t worried about you all, I wouldn’t even step out of the Princess’s ship.”

Yu Ke glanced at her and, for once, flattered her: “Isn’t that right? How could we manage without you?”

Lan Zhen brightened a little and murmured, “It seems you, a weak Alpha who can’t mark, aren’t entirely useless. At least you know who’s in charge here.”

“Weak Alpha who can’t mark” had almost become Yu Ke’s label.

The others looked at Yu Ke with sympathy. Lan Xing hesitated, wanting to clarify something on Yu Ke’s behalf, but then reconsidered.

She had only been temporarily marked by the Princess, but that didn’t prove the Princess wasn’t incapable of marking.

Unless she formally marked her.

Her expression shifted slightly. Could it be that the Princess really was incapable of marking?

Was that why she had been keeping her at a distance lately?

At this thought, when she met Yu Ke’s gaze again, Lan Xing averted her eyes.

Alphas had such strong pride, she absolutely must not hurt her!

With one look at Lan Xing’s evasive eyes, Yu Ke understood. She was utterly exasperated. How could even Lan Xing believe the rumors?

Lan Xing had no idea what her eyes had just revealed. She spoke up weakly in Yu Ke’s defense: “The Princess isn’t a weak Alpha…”

Everyone: “…”

Everyone: “???”

“So that means she really is incapable of marking?!” Li Jian’an was utterly shocked.

Now even Lan Xing had confirmed it, so this must be absolutely true.

Lan Xing parted her lips slightly, her doll-like blue eyes filled with great confusion, how had he interpreted it that way?

“Confirmed, our captain is indeed incapable of marking,” Li Jian’an sighed deeply, speaking to Yu Ke with grave concern. “Actually, being a Beta is quite good. Once you detach from worldly pleasures, you’ll realize everything is illusory. I’m not saying this to mock your inability to mark, after all, I’m incapable of marking too.”

A vein twitched on Yu Ke’s forehead, but for Lan Xing’s sake, she held back.

The only way to crush the rumors was to formally mark an Omega and make the O pregnant with her child…

But then, wouldn’t they start spreading rumors next that Yu Ke had actually been cheated on?

Yu Ke took a soft breath and glanced at the beautiful Omega sitting beside her, deciding that patience would bring calm.

The guide parked the jet car at the factory entrance, respectfully ushering them inside, where a group of servants greeted them, offering water and tea while kneeling to serve.

Even the Ferrari Palace no longer had servants kneeling to serve royalty and nobility, but on this colonial planet, the lower classes both resented these wealthy interstellar buyers and had no choice but to kneel and serve them.

This was also why Yu Ke was reluctant to bring Lan Xing off the spacecraft, she didn’t want Lan Xing to see the ugly aspects of colonial planets.

She worried that witnessing these things might upset Lan Xing, so she needed to keep an eye on Lan Xing’s expression from time to time.

In reality, Lan Xing remained as composed as a true queen. She accepted the offered tea, holding it without drinking, her face devoid of any extra expression, making it difficult for Yu Ke to guess her thoughts.

After waiting half an hour, the factory manager finally appeared. He was short and plump, always smiling, and began by enthusiastically introducing himself before inquiring about Yu Ke’s purchasing plans.

“Do you have any inventory?” Yu Ke was concise. “We’ll take whatever stock you have and leave.”

She didn’t want to stay a minute longer than necessary.

“Our inventory here is all reserved for large orders shipped to various planets, so we currently don’t have any extra stock,” the plump manager bowed humbly, his tone modest. “But we have secondary fuel awaiting processing, which only needs packaging and canning. If you wait just a day or two, our factory will produce it for you immediately.”

Yu Ke glanced at Lan Zhen, who shrugged, his face practically saying, “See? I knew it would be like this. I told you not to come to this damned place!”

“We don’t need much and don’t want to stay here long,” Yu Ke said firmly. “Whether you have one can in stock or two, we just want to take it and leave.”

“Understood, understood,” the plump manager grinned widely. “It’s not easy for you to come all the way here, but if you wait just one more day or half a day at the earliest, we’ll have the goods ready immediately. Many planets are scrambling for this batch… If you buy from us, it’s 100,000 per can, but if you take it to Datianxi or Labu, you could sell it for over 200,000.”

Yu Ke began to hesitate, but the plump manager immediately seized the opportunity and said enthusiastically, “Honored guest, waiting one day here is truly no wait at all. We will arrange accommodations for you and your friends, ensuring you have a pleasant travel experience.”

It seemed they were determined to keep them on the planet for one more day, no matter what.

In the end, Yu Ke agreed.

Trading deuterium fuel tanks was something Lan Xing strongly supported. If they could pull it off, this journey would become far more meaningful.

The hotel stood right beside the factory, its environment far better than they had imagined. Each room came with a suite and private pool, a stark contrast to the scarred colonial planet around them.

“They want to squeeze more money out of us,” Li Jian’an said warily. “Lure us in with luxury, then find ways to drain our wallets. I’ve seen this trick a hundred times!”

Xiao Nan was equally tense. “These people scare me… I can’t shake the feeling something’s off about them.”

“Exactly! Completely abnormal,” Li Jian’an agreed. “The interstellar database claims 30% of the population are clones, but I’d say it’s way more than that. Every one of them looks like they were born solely for this massive factory…”

At these words, Yu Ke’s expression instantly darkened.

Did Lan Xing know about this?

Was this the reason she was so determined to visit this planet, no matter what?

“Clones?” Xiao Na exclaimed, unaware of the implications. “No wonder they all seem so vacant. Some are downright creepy, like soulless husks…”

“And none of them wear protective suits,” Li Jian’an continued. “Partly because their genes are modified to withstand years of nuclear radiation. They replace entire generations every decade, so cost isn’t an issue. Notice how crowded this place is, yet there are no children…”

Crash! Yu Ke’s teacup shattered on the floor, startling Li Jian’an into forgetting his train of thought.

“What’s wrong?” Li Jian’an asked, bewildered.

Lan Zhen chuckled lightly, arching an eyebrow as she glanced at Lan Xing.

Lan Xing offered a frail smile but remained silent.

Servants… the very clones Li Jian’an had been describing hurried over with apologies, kneeling to clean up the broken porcelain.

For a moment, Yu Ke couldn’t bear to look at Lan Xing’s face.

Ever since the clone discussion began, her eyelids had been twitching nervously, let alone hearing terms like “replacement” and “modification.”

She had no idea how Lan Xing truly felt about these people.

Yu Ke drew a slow breath, cautiously peeking at Lan Xing, afraid she might find her heartbroken or desolate. Instead, Lan Xing met her gaze with a smile, graceful as a butterfly dancing through a storm, fluttering elegantly within its cage of rain.

Most clones never experience childhood. Their bodies develop in cultivation tanks, their memories implanted. Once created, they must fulfill their purpose, like the workers on this planet, toiling day after day under nuclear radiation until they’re discarded and replaced by a new generation.

The mere thought of it felt like a thorn pressed against her chest, stealing her breath.

She needed to cherish Lan Xing deeply, to make her understand: she was the one and only little mermaid in this world and she belonged to her.