Little Pink Starfish

[I seriously don’t know what kind of ridiculous luck that Lu family monster has. How is it fair that someone that high-level could still find an Omega?!]

The more Lin Yifei thought about it, the more miserable he felt. In the end, he couldn’t help but start ranting in his legion’s private chat.

Since even the legion commander himself was yelling like this, it wasn’t surprising that across the invisible web of communications, the entire info-net was going wild.

The media the Lu family had prepared for the engagement made the most of the situation. The scene that just played out in the main hall was instantly broadcast across all territories of the Earth Federation.

Everyone had seen the appearance of Lu Taipan and Su Liang.

Starnet was exploding.

[Holy crap, holy crap—I thought those earlier pictures were fake, just edited PR to make Snake Den look better. But that lunatic really is that hot?! I don’t care if he’s insane—he looks like that? I’m in!!]

[Wasn’t the Snake Master supposed to be some psycho? But he looked so gentle just now. God, if my boyfriend treated me like that—even if he was only 1% as good-looking—I’d be happy for life!]

[Did you guys notice? As long as the Snake Master isn’t looking at the Omega, he’s super cold and scary. Yeah, he’s hot, but terrifying. But the moment he glances at that O, he changes completely—so warm, so gentle! My heart can’t take it!]

[Are you all just staring at the Snake Master? Am I the only one paying attention to his partner? Who is that Omega? They’re stunning…]

[Right? I couldn’t imagine anyone who’d match with Lu Taipan. But the second I saw that Omega—I got it.]

[If I had a partner that pretty, I wouldn’t be crazy either. My spouse would be my whole world.]

[I want a wife like that too, sobbing…]

[Starcrest University student reporting in! Just so you all know, that’s our treasure of an upperclassman!]

[The fish cried, the sea knows—and I cried too. I thought after Senior Su broke up, maybe I’d have a chance. Who knew his new partner would be that guy?!]

[Thanks for the tag—my cousin’s in Snake Den, and he told me the Snake Master’s been secretly married for years. He stayed out of the spotlight just to focus on his family.]

And the conversation only spiraled from there.

[What do you think the Snake Master’s child would be like?]

[I never liked that guy before. He seemed terrifying, killed so many people… but after what I saw tonight, I weirdly think he’d be a good husband. Am I imagining things?]

[@upstairs, probably. I get the feeling he’d be the type to get jealous of his own kid. Like, nobody’s allowed to take his wife’s attention—not even their baby.]

…

*

As people across all walks of life babbled half-heartedly through the rest of the gala, the Golden Night moved on to the ballroom dance segment.

The grand hall cleared, and soft music began to play.

In the past, the ball was the highlight of Golden Night. The order in which family reps gave their speeches was a display of power and influence, but the ball afterward was a battleground. Everyone maneuvered for position, for alliances, for dominance in silence.

But tonight… everything had changed.

No one could focus on honeyed words and veiled threats.

No one was weaving between factions, forming secret pacts or subtle betrayals.

People still smiled and made small talk, but their attention remained fixed on the far corner of the ballroom.

The aura of a double-S-ranked Alpha was too overpowering to ignore.

And the Omega at his side… no one could look away.

Some Alphas even vaguely sensed that this Omega of the Snake Den’s master—might be a double-S as well.

Was that even possible?

…

“Whew…”

Su Liang looked toward the dance floor and sighed softly.

“Wanna dance?” Lu Taipan suddenly asked.

“No,” Su Liang immediately shook his head. “Just feels a little stuffy in here.”

Too many eyes were on him.

The older Alpha instinctively pulled Su Liang deeper into his shadow. He stared silently at the boy’s stunning face for a moment, then spoke:

“Sorry. I’ve been forcing you too much.”

“I agreed to come. It’s not really forcing—”

“You mean your body. Are you still uncomfortable?”

Because of the way he said it, his concern carried an almost flirtatious undercurrent.

Su Liang choked.

“…I’m fine,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

But in truth, Su Liang couldn’t deny it.

Even though it had been days, his body still ached.

Whenever the bite suppressor was removed, Lu Taipan would become… well, a little unhinged.

Su Liang didn’t understand why a man so calm and controlled could turn so… wicked in private. Some of his preferences were so intense that even Su Liang, someone who had grown up in the rough 48th district, was left completely speechless.

The only blessing was that the med officer’s stern warnings had at least somewhat stuck with the Alpha. He’d managed to stop himself before completely losing control.

Still—

Su Liang had been thoroughly wrecked.

Just thinking about how he’d whimpered and begged the other night, only to be “bullied” until he could barely move, made him glare at Lu Taipan.

And this man dared to act innocent now?

Receiving that glare, Lu Taipan felt a thrilling jolt down his spine.

His throat bobbed slightly. He couldn’t help but lick the edge of his marking teeth.

His fangs itched.

Then, suddenly, he straightened up and fully blocked Su Liang behind his own tall frame.

“Sir?”

“Shh—”

A silent gesture.

At that moment, a top-tier singer gracefully stepped into the center of the ballroom. She smiled and began to sing an impromptu song for the guests. The lights in the hall dimmed to match the mood of her performance.

When the song ended and the lights returned, everyone in the ballroom was stunned to find—

The couple they’d been watching so closely… had vanished.

“Mm…”

Outside the ballroom, in a shadowed area near a flower terrace, a soft, breathy moan escaped the lips of a youth.

Su Liang was completely limp, clinging to the strong Alpha holding him up, dizzy from the kisses.

Only after a long time did Lu Taipan finally release him.

“That was… intense.”

He used his thumb to gently wipe the corner of his lips, where fresh bite marks remained—left there by an overwhelmed Omega who couldn’t help himself.

Lu Taipan licked the wound, looking thoroughly satisfied.

“Mr. Lu… are you having another pheromone-dependency episode?”

Su Liang stared at the bite, then asked weakly.

Lu Taipan looked into his eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled him into a firm hug.

“Yeah. But more than that—I’m jealous.”

He kissed the tip of Su Liang’s ear.

“Too many people were looking at you. I lost control again. I’m sorry… I just wanted to get you some air.”

But even then, he couldn’t stop kissing him in the dark.

Su Liang sighed.

Then, reaching out, he gently touched Lu Taipan’s lips.

“Idiot,” he muttered.

And somehow, that soft little scolding made the man holding him relax all at once.

…

At the same time, on the other side of the curtain draped over the flower terrace, noisy voices could be heard.

Normally, idle chatter wouldn’t get Su Liang’s attention—but this time, they were talking about him.

“Young Master Lu, we were friends back then, weren’t we? Come on, what’s going on? You’ve gotta give us something!”

“Yeah, tell us—your uncle suddenly has a partner? Wasn’t he supposed to be mentally unstable and on the verge of collapse? But now…”

No one dared to bother Lu Taipan directly. But there was more than one Lu in this room.

People who used to hang around Lu Zhizhao didn’t hesitate to hound him now for gossip.

Lu Zhizhao stayed silent, face dark. Ning Jiayi tried to smooth things over.

But those Alphas who used to treat him with courtesy didn’t even acknowledge him.

Then someone casually said:

“Why does that Omega look familiar? Isn’t he… who was it?”

“Oh yeah, isn’t that Su Liang? The Beta who always stuck around you! That guy was way too pretty—I wouldn’t forget a face like that.”

Lu Zhizhao’s head snapped up, eyes locking onto the person who’d spoken.

His reaction was as good as confirmation.

“Wait… is it really him?”

“So, what’s going on with you and Su Liang now?”

…

“If you have questions,” a low voice cut in coldly, “you can ask me directly.”

Everyone froze. They turned, stunned, to look toward the secluded corner where the voice had come from.

The heavy velvet curtain was drawn back.

And out of the shadows stepped a man like a nightmare given form—towering, cold, terrifying.

But when he spoke of Su Liang, his voice softened.

“Su Liang is my mate.”

In front of everyone, Lu Taipan said, word by word: “Technically speaking, he should be addressed as Uncle.”

It sounded like a reply to those questions—but Lu Taipan never looked away from Lu Zhizhao, not for a second.

His calm reply and overwhelming presence silenced the entire scene.

And in that stillness, the sound of a faint bump and a mechanical whirr became deafeningly clear.

“S-Sorry…”

Not far away, a young man stood frozen in place, pale with panic.

He was from a small family, attending Golden Night for the first time. Before this, he’d been a private content creator—in old Earth terms, a livestreamer.

Not wanting to waste this rare chance, he’d been streaming everything nonstop.

As a Beta with almost no pheromone presence, no one had paid him any attention.

Until he, shocked by what he was seeing, bumped into a table. Snapping back to reality, he tried to turn off his floating livestream bot—

But it was too late.

Everything that had just happened had already been broadcast… without a second of delay.