Villainous Scientist (14)
“Does she… like me?”
After giving Song Xuyi a kiss, Jiang Qianyu collapsed into her arms, her body limp and soft.
Song Xuyi didn’t know whether Jiang Qianyu was truly drunk or just pretending, as she rigidly held her by the fire, her heartbeat racing as if about to burst from her chest, her face almost as red as hers in her embrace.
Even if Song Xuyi was emotionally dense, the look in Jiang Qianyu’s eyes betrayed that something was amiss. Remembering Jiang Qianyu’s clingy behavior recently, Song Xuyi belatedly realized—indeed, she and Jiang Qianyu had gotten unusually close.
Although Jiang Qianyu was the villain, once Song Xuyi guessed that she was from the Jiang family, she had already abandoned any plans to persuade Jiang Qianyu to let go of her hatred.
Song Xuyi now only thought about establishing a firm foothold on Blue Star, growing her strength, and ultimately relying on her power to protect the male and female leads from death.
Feeling somewhat sympathetic towards Jiang Qianyu’s plight, and given that the current Jiang Qianyu hadn’t committed the massacre of Alphas as outlined in the plot summary, Song Xuyi had been looking out for her a bit more lately, wanting to reduce Jiang Qianyu’s aggressiveness as much as possible…
But deep down, Song Xuyi only saw Jiang Qianyu as a sister, and it never occurred to her that Jiang Qianyu might develop other feelings for her.
“Probably!” The system took a moment before snorting in response: “It’s not strange that she likes you…”
Song Xuyi pursed her lips.
The observer sees clearly.
Even the system had made such comments. Regardless of whether Jiang Qianyu’s feelings were intentional or unintentional, her affection had indeed reached a point that could lead to misunderstandings.
But given the circumstances, not to mention the system’s rules that participants in this smaller world were prohibited from engaging in romance, even if Song Xuyi were moved by Jiang Qianyu’s beauty, she could affirm that she harbored no romantic feelings toward Jiang Qianyu.
Perhaps it was because Jiang Qianyu had limited interactions with others and had never encountered someone like herself before, which could explain her feelings. If they maintained a distance and Jiang Qianyu met more people, her feelings towards Song Xuyi would probably gradually cool down.
With this thought, Song Xuyi made up her mind.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qianyu, who was pretending to be asleep in Song Xuyi’s arms, was feeling incredibly conflicted. She was afraid that Song Xuyi would discover her true feelings, and while fear dominated, there was also a glimmer of hope. If Song Xuyi did realize how she felt, how would she view Jiang Qianyu’s affection? Would she possibly accept her feelings as well…?
About an hour had passed, and the surroundings gradually quieted down as the bonfire party finally dispersed.
Song Xuyi carried Jiang Qianyu back to the capsule dormitory.
When she lifted Jiang Qianyu, Song Xuyi paused for a moment, feeling a brief sense of haze: it seemed that her physical strength had recently declined.
In the past, carrying Jiang Qianyu did not feel difficult, but lately, Song Xuyi clearly felt a bit strained, and she also felt this lack of vigor when operating Mechas…
Could it be side effects from the medication that Jiang Qianyu had injected into her?
In the synopsis, the drug Jiang Qianyu administers can completely turn an Alpha into an Omega, and the fact that she only transformed halfway does seem a bit abnormal…
Song Xuyi decided that after returning to Blue Star, she would undergo a physical examination. Having lived on Blue Star for so long, it was time to officially recognize her Omega status on Blue Star. Moreover, the Mecha Academy was recently researching Mechas more suited to Omegas; perhaps she could participate in such research.
Carrying Jiang Qianyu on her back, Song Xuyi returned to the capsule dormitory, resting several times during the short journey. Jiang Qianyu did not wake up throughout the process, and Song Xuyi didn’t want to delve into whether Jiang Qianyu was feigning sleep or truly asleep. It was better that Jiang Qianyu was asleep since Song Xuyi didn’t know how to face her at the moment.
(Originally translated on littlepandatranslations.com, let's go!)
After putting Jiang Qianyu on the bed, Song Xuyi breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to lie down on another bed, she couldn’t help but remember the instances of Jiang Qianyu’s pheromones going out of control at night, and her thoughts inadvertently drifted…
Song Xuyi’s cheeks flushed, and in the end, she quietly put on her jacket, closed the room door, and stepped out, deciding to spend the night with the students who were staying up as guards instead…
Unbeknownst to Song Xuyi, at almost the exact moment she closed the room door, Jiang Qianyu opened her eyes.
She stared blankly at the ceiling for a long while before finally, expressionlessly, curling her lips into a slight smile and murmuring softly, “It seems… the bet has been lost, huh!”
Starting from the next day, Jiang Qianyu noticed that Song Xuyi began to distance herself from her.
Although Song Xuyi appeared normal during their conversations, she intentionally avoided any physical contact with Jiang Qianyu and was unwilling to meet her gaze…
Jiang Qianyu understood the reason behind Song Xuyi’s change in attitude; however, she pretended not to notice Song Xuyi’s aloofness, treating her as she always had.
Observing Jiang Qianyu’s attitude over several days, Song Xuyi began to harbor some confusion. Perhaps she was overthinking things; maybe Jiang Qianyu was just a bit too dependent on her and didn’t harbor those kinds of feelings toward her after all…
However, Song Xuyi had little time to dwell on these thoughts, as the battle against the Insect Race had officially begun.
What made the Insect Race terrifying wasn’t just their toxic, corrosive mucus, their massive size, or their durable bodies. It was also that some of them possessed intelligence and the ability to shapeshift into human forms, infiltrating human settlements to wreak havoc from within. Over the years, the Insect Race had been a persistent scourge in the hearts of all Imperial Star’s inhabitants.
This was all a drill, and to protect the warriors, each member of the Insect Race on the Insect Egg Star was fitted with a tracking device. These devices would sound an alarm when they came within a hundred meters of a warrior.
Seemingly aware of their dire situation, the Insect Race started to use the terrain to their advantage, breaking into small squads and hiding away in corners.
Confronting the bloody and brutal conflict head-on, several injuries later, everyone shed the novelty and arrogance they initially felt facing the Insect Race. They adjusted their attitudes and began to fight the Insect Race with earnest.
Song Xuyi’s Mecha unit was the backbone of the defense against the Insect Race and was also the unit responsible for slaying the most insects. Among the Mecha warriors, Song Xuyi stood out, having eliminated a number of the Insect Race that reached the top of the entire army’s tally.
Despite the cruel nature of the battle, humanity was clearly winning, and the injuries sustained were minor. So when everyone returned to their base in the evening after concluding the battle, their mood was relatively relaxed.
However, on the fifth day of the exercise, as dinner time arrived, an alarm suddenly rang out at the base—
“Attention all personnel, please note, upon roll call, an Insect Race individual capable of shapeshifting is missing. It is suspected to have discarded its tracking device and infiltrated our base…”
The shrill alarm sounded three times, signaling the severity of the situation.
Instantly, the relaxed atmosphere that had permeated the base vanished. Everyone became vigilant. The base initiated martial law. Students and teachers slept with their weapons within reach. They began to identify each other by iris scans and the scent of pheromones, fearing that familiar faces might suddenly morph into the Insect Race…
In these moments, everyone truly experienced the cruelty of battle and its rapid changes.
During this time, Song Xuyi, who always made excuses to sleep in her Mecha at night, was also sent back to her own dormitory.
At first, Song Xuyi felt awkward, but Jiang Qianyu was incredibly calm and natural. At night, Song Xuyi didn’t smell the scent of the pheromones anymore, and gradually she too began to relax.
Only the system knew that every night after Song Xuyi fell asleep, Jiang Qianyu would open her eyes and gaze in Song Xuyi’s direction with an indescribably complex emotion swirling in her eyes.
Days passed, and the missing Insect had not shown up, causing the base’s alertness to wane somewhat.
In the dormitory, Song Xuyi received a message from one of her Beta teachers telling her that her reward had been issued and to come and collect it immediately.
During this period, Song Xuyi had set a new record for killing a large number of Insects, so the military awarded the top three students in the kill count with some prizes.
The teachers had already informed Song Xuyi about this earlier, so without any suspicion, she went straight to the dormitory where her instructor was based.
After Song Xuyi left the dormitory, Jiang Qianyu too headed to the temporarily established infirmary to check on the injured students. In truth, she didn’t care about the lives of others, but Song Xuyi had a fondness for people who were kind and sunny, so Jiang Qianyu put on an act, trying her best to come across as such.
However, inside the base tent, Jiang Qianyu spotted the Beta teacher chatting away merrily with an injured student…
Jiang Qianyu’s expression changed instantly!
Subconsciously, she reached for her light brain to inform Song Xuyi, but then she realized that doing so might trigger a surprise attack from the Insect…
With gritted teeth, Jiang Qianyu decided to inform the school’s team leader instead. She then injected herself with an Alpha enhancer and sped toward the Beta teacher’s room with unprecedented speed…
When Song Xuyi arrived in the room, only the Beta teacher was present.
“You’re here,” the Beta teacher greeted Song Xuyi with an enthusiastic smile. He bustled about, urging Song Xuyi to take a seat and pouring her a cup of tea. “Have some tea first. The other two will be arriving soon…”
Song Xuyi took the cup and sat down, but she didn’t drink the water in the cup.
Somehow, Song Xuyi felt a sense of unease: there was something… strange about her teacher.
“Why aren’t you drinking? It’s warm, it won’t scald you. Try it, this is the finest and freshest tea available, worth a small fortune per ounce. Drink up before the others arrive; I wouldn’t offer it to anyone else…” The Beta teacher urged her to drink, his voice pressing.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Song Xuyi gripped the cup tightly.
Her Beta teacher, who had a sick family member to care for and was usually financially strapped, wouldn’t afford such luxury; he couldn’t even afford to eat well daily, let alone indulge in fine tea. Moreover, he was known for his integrity, treating everyone impartially, and would never show favoritism…
With quick thinking, Song Xuyi instinctively flung the tea in the cup towards the ‘Beta teacher.’
As the tea hit the ground, it hissed, corroding a large patch of the carpet.
“—Hmm, you truly are the top pilot of the Mecha unit,” the ‘Beta teacher’ dodged with a swift move, his voice turning eerie as his muscles began to swell, his clothes stretching and bursting at the seams. Within moments, he transformed into a giant green worm. Speaking with a human voice as the worm, he hurled a mass of mucus towards Song Xuyi: “I had hoped to kill a few more, but it seems I’ll have to settle for just you now…”
Indeed, it was a bug from the Insect Race in disguise!
Song Xuyi was well-prepared and immediately rolled to the side to dodge the mucus. However, the bug had already locked the door when Song Xuyi entered, limiting her space to evade. At this moment, Song Xuyi’s physical strength was no match for the giant green worm…
Song Xuyi could only try her best to dodge and buy time, hoping that others would notice something was amiss. The cunning bug was clearly aware of this and was relentlessly attacking Song Xuyi…
The green worm’s movements brought immense pressure; the teacher’s dormitory was now a mess of broken things everywhere. A piece of metal was sprung up, hitting the fleeing Song Xuyi on the leg. She winced in pain, her movement faltering. She heard the sound of the door falling, but she had no time to pay attention to the noise, as the giant worm’s tail was already whipping toward Song Xuyi’s head—
Song Xuyi’s eyes widened in horror.
A fierce gust of wind swept by, and with a ‘thud,’ Song Xuyi’s heartbeat seemed to stop for an instant.
She saw a face she knew all too well, as exquisitely delicate as ever, yet the girl’s usually pale complexion made the red mole at the corner of her eye seem as crimson as blood.
Jiang Qianyu smiled at Song Xuyi, raising her hand to touch the tear trailing from Song Xuyi’s eye:
“—I’m glad you’re unharmed.”
Song Xuyi parted her lips to speak: In that moment, she suddenly found herself almost too intimidated to meet Jiang Qianyu’s bright, star-like gaze.
Song Xuyi no longer wished to revisit how Jiang Qianyu tore the bug in half.
After killing the bug, Jiang Qianyu collapsed into Song Xuyi’s arms.
Jiang Qianyu had always haphazardly tested drugs on herself, and this time, after sustaining a severe blow, a multitude of underlying ailments surged forth all at once. Assisting Song Xuyi to fend off the full-force strike from the bug nearly cost Jiang Qianyu her life.
By the time Jiang Qianyu awoke, three days had already passed.
“Don’t ever be so reckless again!”
Seeing Jiang Qianyu awaken, Song Xuyi’s suspended heart finally settled. During the three days she cared for Jiang Qianyu, Song Xuyi was consumed with guilt every moment: If only she had brought a weapon when she left, Jiang Qianyu wouldn’t have ended up in such a state…
“I don’t think it was reckless,” Jiang Qianyu curved her lips into a smile, reaching out to touch Song Xuyi’s face, “If I had another chance, I would still choose to save you.”
“Xuyi, you once saved my life, and this time, I was merely repaying the favor. You shouldn’t feel too guilty.”
Song Xuyi instinctively wanted to turn her head away from Jiang Qianyu’s touch, but remembering how Jiang Qianyu had shielded her, she resisted the urge to turn away.
“Xuyi, now that I’ve repaid your life-saving grace, can you tell me what kind of person you like?” Jiang Qianyu caressed Song Xuyi’s brow, speaking softly.
Her voice was soft, seemingly casual as if it were only an offhand question. Had Song Xuyi not been sitting beside her bed, she might not have heard it at all.
But Song Xuyi knew she was serious.
Song Xuyi was momentarily stunned – the question was somewhat unexpected, yet it seemed inevitable.
How should she respond?
Jiang Qianyu had, in fact, made everything quite clear.
Song Xuyi bit her lower lip, straining to find a reason that would not seem so hurtful, “When I was an Alpha, I was drawn to Omegas who appeared delicate and adorable. You fit my aesthetic perfectly, so I couldn’t help but almost force myself on you. But now… having become an Omega, I’ve understood the hardships Omegas endure and I’m deeply regretful. I’ve never really thought about what kind of person I would like. Right now, I just want to prove to the world that Omegas can also achieve great things. Omegas can do more than just bear and raise children; they can also go to the battlefield to protect their home and country…”
It’s not that you’re not good enough, but that I currently don’t have the time or capacity to love someone.
Song Xuyi knew that Jiang Qianyu could understand the subtext in her words.
Because after Jiang Qianyu’s deep dark eyes watched her for a while, she suddenly smiled, “I’m glad you could tell me these things…”
“Xuyi, can you swear to me,” Jiang Qianyu looked straight into Song Xuyi’s eyes: “Swear that no matter what you become in the future, you will stay as good as you are now, and never revert to your former self…”
“I swear,” Song Xuyi solemnly vowed, even though she didn’t know why Jiang Qianyu had such a sense of insecurity about her. But with Jiang Qianyu having just recovered from a serious illness, Song Xuyi didn’t want to argue. After all, she and the original owner of the body were entirely different people. Now it was she who inhabited this body, and time would prove everything.
“I understand, as long as you remain yourself, that’s all that matters,” Jiang Qianyu said with a curved lip, revealing a smile that seemed to be filled with relief. “Don’t worry, I will try my best to let go of my feelings for you during this time…”
(Support me at littlepandatranslations.com)
……
Song Xuyi had prepared a bellyful of words to persuade Jiang Qianyu, but she didn’t expect Jiang Qianyu to let go so easily, which surprised her. But then she thought about how a person as outstanding as Jiang Qianyu wouldn’t lack suitors in school. There was no need to cling to her—the ‘crooked-necked tree’ that had rejected Jiang. With this thought, she also believed Jiang’s words.
Watching Song Xuyi secretly breathe a sigh of relief, Jiang Qianyu’s gaze deepened, though her face still wore a smiling expression. She considerately cooperated with the doctor’s examination, took her medicine, then looking at the dark circles under Song Xuyi’s eyes, she made an effort to persuade her to rest for a while on the accompanying bed next to her.
For three days, Song Xuyi hadn’t closed her eyes in sleep, but as soon as she lay down on the bed, she drifted off.
Little did she know, as she slept, Jiang Qianyu watched her sleeping face with a heavy, somber gaze.
Xuyi was like a highly vigilant kitten; if she tried to force closeness after Xuyi had revealed her vulnerabilities, it would only end up pushing Xuyi further away.
So the tactic had to be one of retreat as advance, temporarily dulling Xuyi’s judgment, making her believe that she was beginning to try to let go.
But how could she let go of Xuyi? she had a clear understanding about herself: if she missed out on Xuyi, she might never find someone she liked as much for the rest of her life!
In that dream that had persisted since childhood, the foolish Zhao Qingyu never dared to confess her feelings and ultimately could only live with regret. But Jiang Qianyu is not the same.
With a slight curl of her lips, Jiang Qianyu thought: She had only said she would try her best; she never promised to let go…
She is only being overly cautious now because her actions have brought things with Xuyi to this difficult juncture.
But… Xuyi has promised: Even if she reverts to being an Alpha, she will not return to her former self.
Then Jiang Qianyu will trust Xuyi this time, and take one more gamble!
When she had her revenge, when the status of Omegas in the empire began to improve, she would start researching a potion for Omegas to turn back into Alphas.
By then, Xuyi would have no reason to refuse her!
And if the Alpha marking her turned out to be Xuyi…
Jiang Qianyu bit her lower lip, her throat tightened at the memory of Xuyi’s gland being turned over by her hands:
She was willing to be marked by her.
But even so…
Jiang Qianyu was confident: Even if Xuyi marked her, she would certainly not be the one underneath.
The author has something to say:
I’m going to get my HPV vaccine tomorrow, so I’m heading to bed early.
Ah, those who can book the nonavalent vaccine, try to queue up early. Don’t be like me, who somehow endured till the age of 26. I’m not even sure if the maternal and child health hospital will have the quadrivalent one tomorrow. If not, I’ll only be able to get the bivalent. I don’t want to delay it any longer…
A little heads-up: This little world will end by tomorrow, or the day after at the latest!
Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee…
LP: Re-translated on February 15, 2024