Little Pink Starfish

After Rebirth, I Became the Fated Omega of the Scumbag Gong’s Uncle

Even a man who had once endured the cruelest tortures in this world with unwavering composure and poise would never lose control over something as minor as AO pheromone dependency.

Su Liang knew this perfectly well. What’s more, the Alpha who suddenly seemed especially delicate and sensitive hadn’t even tried to hide it.

But so what? Maybe it was because the man’s aura was just too overwhelming, or maybe shallow people like Su Liang were simply powerless against the allure of beauty—he realized he couldn’t truly reject the man in front of him.

Su Liang curled up in Lu Taipan’s arms, breathing slightly fast. But he could keenly feel the arms of the Lord of the Serpent Pit wrapped tightly around him. Even through the military uniform, he could sense the top-tier Alpha’s firm, powerful body and the heat radiating from it.

Due to the size difference between an Omega and an Alpha, Su Liang’s face was pressed directly against Lu Taipan’s chest. Even the faintest whispers vibrated through the man’s chest and reached his ears.

And that strong, steady heartbeat.

“Thank you very much for providing your pheromones,” Su Liang heard Lu Taipan say in a low voice—deliberately polite, as if trying to maintain decorum and restraint.

But his actions were far from restrained.

Su Liang instinctively tried to pull away, only to be pressed back into the embrace.

“Sorry, it seems I haven’t received enough comfort yet.”

The Alpha murmured.

The alloy of the metal bite inhibitor felt cool against his skin, and the man’s breath brushed Su Liang’s ear. With the inhibitor and suppressants in effect, Lu Taipan’s pheromones were so faint even the most sensitive instruments wouldn’t pick them up.

And yet, Su Liang could still feel them—clearly.

The scent of burning incense overwhelmed the cold dampness of the underground, rich and heady, laced with ambiguity. It was the kind of pheromone that felt like a blatant seduction.

“Mr. Si, we’re still in public,” Su Liang finally reminded him through gritted teeth after several minutes, sounding both embarrassed and annoyed.

“I know.”

Lu Taipan’s voice was low and teasing as he spoke beside Su Liang’s ear.

“But I really haven’t calmed down yet. Truly.”

…Especially not a certain part of his body.

Lu Taipan subtly shifted position, making his point very clear.

As expected, Su Liang froze stiff in his arms, not daring to move.

“You—”

“Don’t worry. It’s just my body armor.”

Lu Taipan explained calmly.

A small lie, but it let Su Liang sigh in relief.

Watching the flustered boy, a wave of hunger surged up from the throat of the Serpent Pit’s master.

“Hurry up and finish your secondary gender differentiation, Xiao Liang.”

The husky whisper was thick with desire.

Once the differentiation was complete, Su Liang could receive a formal mark.

Both of them knew the craving behind those words all too well.

Su Liang’s ears turned completely red, and he buried his head deeper into Lu Taipan’s chest.

After a long while, a muffled voice came from the depths of the Alpha’s embrace—impatient and slightly exasperated.

“Aren’t I already trying…?”

A red-faced boy stubbornly trying to keep calm in front of his lover—it was almost unbearably cute.

Unconsciously, Lu Taipan tightened his embrace again.

At that moment, a slightly hesitant mechanical voice spoke beside them.

“For the sake of my new shell, should I perhaps come back later?”

The two figures in the lounge area immediately separated—or more accurately, Su Liang, startled, shoved Lu Taipan away with lightning speed.

“Mr. Butler!”

Su Liang took a deep breath, then turned to the butler—his face still flushed.

“We were just doing pheromone therapy, nothing… never mind, it’s fine.”

He sighed in resignation.

“…Is there something you need?”

The butler was still wearing its factory-default silicone face. It glanced at Su Liang, then Lu Taipan, and its digital eyes flickered slightly.

Lu Taipan paused briefly at the flicker, but the butler continued naturally.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean to interrupt your ‘normal’ medical interaction.”

The AI said brightly.

“However, the medical department found some unusual references in ancient Leia texts. Some phrases in those books may explain Young Master Su Liang’s connection to the Leia Bloom. The doctors who discovered this sincerely invited you to review the texts with them.”

“Ancient texts? You mean my ability to make Leia plants bloom and bear fruit is actually connected to the Leia people? Then I definitely should go take a look—”

Su Liang’s eyes widened with interest, and he immediately prepared to head to the medical department.

“Sorry, Mr. Si, I—”

Originally, Su Liang was supposed to stay with Lu Taipan all day. But if he went to the medical department, it might delay Lu Taipan’s schedule.

Lu Taipan raised a hand and pressed the hover confirm button for him.

He placed a hand on Su Liang’s back, gently pushing him toward the AI.

“I have another meeting soon. You’d be waiting outside anyway. Better to spend that time doing something useful.”

He said.

“But…”

Seeing that Su Liang was still a bit hesitant, Lu Taipan softened his expression.

“I’m not so far gone that I’ll lose it the moment you walk away.”

The man soothed with a sigh.

He seemed to have completely forgotten that just moments ago, he’d claimed to need a hug due to a pheromone dependency episode.

In the end, Su Liang relaxed and left with the butler.

But as he watched the boy’s retreating back, the warmth on Lu Taipan’s face vanished instantly.

His expression turned cold and dangerous.

He tapped his earpiece.

“Status?”

Just one word.

All of Su Liang’s treatment arrangements had been carefully scheduled—there was no way the medical department didn’t know. Yet they had invited Su Liang during Lu Taipan’s working hours.

Which meant this invitation was no coincidence.

A deliberate excuse, arranged by the AI to get Su Liang away from him. Something related to Su Liang had happened—and the AI needed to report it privately.

A moment later, the butler’s voice came through.

“I’ve just received intel: Lu Zheng’en used his authority as acting family head to delay the enforcement of Lu Zhizhao’s confinement order.”

Lu Taipan’s eyes went cold.

That order had been issued by him personally. If Lu Zheng’en delayed it, that meant Lu Zhizhao was still free to act.

“Reason?”

“The individual is in critical condition. Under these circumstances, confinement can be postponed until recovery. When we handed Lu Zhizhao back to the main family, his vitals were stable. But as acting head, Lu Zheng’en used his power to blur the lines.”

Then, a video appeared on Lu Taipan’s terminal.

Lu Zhizhao had awakened from his long, forced coma. The footage showed he had undergone a full skeletal replacement surgery.

He was no longer the pampered heir he once was. In the video, the young Alpha looked emaciated, his face sunken. The footage, shot in Lu family’s shooting range, showed moving virtual targets, which Lu Zhizhao shot down effortlessly.

Brain, eyes, chest, limbs—
Each shot landed fatally.

He scored a perfect 100.

But Lu Zhizhao’s expression didn’t change. Instead, he stared at the space where the target disappeared, as if gazing into the distance.

After a long pause, his face twisted into a grotesque smile.

“…His mental strength is still damaged. Lu Zheng’en has summoned many mental healers, but the prognosis is poor.”

And yet, because of this, Lu Zhizhao had been granted freedom outside the rules.

Clearly, Lu Zheng’en was openly challenging Lu Taipan’s authority.

But this wasn’t like him.

Lu Taipan quickly realized—

Yes, Lu Zheng’en was greedy, a man who’d had everything taken by his younger brother and yearned for power and wealth. But he was also a coward.

He wouldn’t dare challenge Lu Taipan so blatantly—unless he had backup.

Soon, the butler gave the answer.

“Lu Zheng’en has formally allied with the Ning family. Ning Jiayi and Lu Zhizhao are set to marry. Lu Zheng’en hid the truth about Lu Zhizhao’s health and expulsion from the family.”

“Ning Tangsheng didn’t find out?”

“Perhaps. But more likely, he chose to turn a blind eye. While we have no medical proof, the timing of events strongly suggests that S-rank Omega Ning Jiayi is already pregnant. The father… is likely Lu Zhizhao. The conception probably happened during the accidental marking.”

“…They wouldn’t waste an S-rank Omega like that.”

If Lu Zhizhao and Ning Jiayi married, it would at least appear that the Lu and Ning families were allied.

And who would care about the fate of the “tool” used in that alliance?

“Lu Zheng’en is thrilled about the wedding. Given Lu Zhizhao’s condition, he wants it formalized quickly. He plans to announce it publicly at the Victory Celebration Banquet.”

The butler’s synthetic voice held a note of disdain.

“The Victory Banquet?”

Lu Taipan’s gaze narrowed.

He remembered—the so-called “Victory Celebration Banquet,” or “Golden Night,” was held to commemorate humanity’s triumph over the Canaanites.

Each year, the First Star Zone celebrated wildly, but the most important event was the banquet hosted by the Supreme Commander.

Everyone called it the “Golden Night.”

It was a dazzling, ruthless stage for the elite, where every detail reflected the power struggles of the past year.

But one seat never changed: the “Throne,” belonging to the Lu family.

Yet Lu Taipan had never attended—not once.

Each year, he received countless earnest invitations, but he always declined with cold indifference.

【“Spending time with a bunch of fools is a waste of time.”】

Everyone eventually accepted he would never go.

In his place, Lu Zheng’en—his foil—gladly attended every year.

Clearly, this year was no different.

But this time…

“Date of the banquet?” Lu Taipan asked.

“Two days from now,” the butler replied. “And Lu Zheng’en’s gone all out—he’s invited the entire media. He plans to turn Lu Zhizhao and Ning Jiayi’s wedding into the ‘wedding of the century’ and gain public favor—”

“Notify the Supreme Commander. This time, I’ll attend.”

The butler paused. In its vast data stream, a ripple stirred—akin to human excitement.

“Understood, my Lord. I’ll cancel Lu Zheng’en’s attendance.”

“No.” Lu Taipan’s tone was cold. “Let him come. He’s worked so hard, after all.”

“But inform the Commander—I’ll be attending with my partner.”

---

“The Victory Banquet? Oh, I know that one—it’s the Golden Night, right—”

That evening, Su Liang blinked in surprise after hearing Lu Taipan’s invitation.

“I’ve only ever watched the broadcast online… It’s such an important event. Would it really be okay for me to attend?”

After everything with Lu Zhizhao last time, he felt a bit uneasy about being in such a high-society place.

Lu Taipan gazed at him intently.

“I know you don’t like those occasions. Honestly, I don’t either. And there’ll be many S-rank Alphas there. Their pheromones might trigger me. Even though I’ve improved since being with you…”

He took Su Liang’s hand, fingers intertwining.

The tall man lowered his eyes, dark lashes shadowing his gaze.

“…I want you by my side.”

His voice was deep.

“I won’t lie. It’s not just the dependency.”

“Mr. Si…”

“It’s ridiculous, really. I’ve never attended before. My pheromone disorder kept me away from people. You healed me… but I still don’t know if I can face crowds without losing it.”

His grip tightened. He leaned down and pressed a faint kiss to the back of Su Liang’s hand, through the inhibitor.

“That’s why I need you.”

Then he met Su Liang’s eyes.

“…Okay.”

Su Liang heard himself say.

No one—no one—could refuse this version of Lu Taipan.

When he said yes, Lu Taipan smiled in quiet satisfaction.

“Thank you.”

He handed Su Liang the banquet invitation.

All Su Liang had to do was confirm attendance.

But as he flipped open the screen and saw the text, he froze.

“Lord Lu Taipan and his partner Su Liang will attend…”

He stared at the Alpha beside him, stunned.

“‘Partner’? What’s with this ‘partner’?!”

“Cough…”

Lu Taipan looked away and gave a guilty cough.