Chapter 33: In This World, He’s an Outlier Too

Shao Ye felt a wave of dread wash over him. A cold, gut-deep fear that made his hands clench. But fear wasn’t going to cut it anymore. Not today.

With a sharp breath, he made up his mind. He pushed himself off the bed, marched to the dining table, and with one savage sweep of his arm, sent the entire meal flying. Plates clattered, food splattered across the floor like a declaration of war.

When news of his hunger strike reached Shao Lan, she knew. She knew. The plan had been blown wide open. Rage boiled inside her, but she swallowed it down, tamped it into a tight knot of control, and stormed into his room.

“Brother,” she snapped, her tone teetering between anger and concern. “What the hell are you doing? Starving yourself? Are you out of your damn mind? You’ll destroy yourself at this rate!”

Shao Ye didn’t bother with niceties. He locked eyes with her, his gaze ice-cold, cutting like a blade. “What? You wanna kill my kid?”

Her heart skipped a beat—no, it damn near stopped—but she forced herself to stay calm. “What are you even talking about? Why would I—”

“Eat it,” Shao Ye cut her off, his voice low and venomous, practically daring her. “If you’re so innocent, eat it.”

Shao Lan froze. She didn’t need to fake hesitation; it was written all over her face. She wasn’t about to touch that food. Not a chance. Backed into a corner, she had no choice but to confess: Yes, there was something in the damn food.

Shao Ye’s voice dripped with disappointment, slicing through the tension in the room like a whip: “Ah Lan, I never thought—never in my wildest nightmares—that you’d ever lie to me.”

His words cut deeper than any blade, and Shao Lan’s chest tightened with a sharp, searing pain. She had made a mistake, a split-second lapse in judgment, and now the price was staggering. His trust was slipping through her fingers, and she knew the cost might be unbearable.

Her gaze locked on Shao Ye’s unwavering eyes, but she swallowed her defiance. Pushing too hard right now would be suicide.

“Brother,” she cooed, her voice trembling with calculated vulnerability, tears pooling in her eyes like a well-trained actress. “I only did it for you. I couldn’t bear to see you struggle, to risk losing you… leaving me all alone.”

But this time, Shao Ye wasn’t buying it. His eyes burned with a cold fire, and his tone was razor-sharp. “Ah Lan, that was my child. My child! And you decided, all on your own, to rob him of his chance at life? Did you even consider my feelings? My right to decide?”

Shao Lan froze, her breath hitching as a wave of fear swept through her. Her carefully constructed facade cracked, exposing her desperation. She clutched at him, her voice frantic. “Brother, I swear, I won’t interfere again! Please, forgive me!”

Shao Ye didn’t respond. He just stared at her, his silence louder than any scream. The girl in front of him—this manipulative, deceitful woman—felt like a stranger. His sister, the one he cherished, was gone.

The realization gutted him. He pressed a hand to his eyes, his voice breaking into a bitter laugh. A single tear slipped free, betraying the storm inside him.

What could he do? A monster or not, she was still his sister.

Finally, he spoke, his tone flat but firm. “Ah Lan, let me see Lu Zhanxing.”

The words barely left his mouth before her panic flared, raw and instinctive. “No! Brother, no! You promised me you wouldn’t leave! You said you’d stay with me!” She clung to him like a lifeline, her tears soaking into his shirt as her body trembled.

Shao Ye gently cupped her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Ah Lan, I swore I’d never abandon you. And I won’t. But I need to see him, just once. We have unfinished business, and there’s the child—he deserves answers too. If you’re worried, send someone to shadow me.”

Her tears paused, confusion flickering in her eyes. “Brother… you mean to settle things with him? For good?”

He nodded, his chest heaving as he fought to keep his emotions in check.

A flicker of hope lit her face, and her lips trembled as if she didn’t dare believe it. “Does that mean… you’ve chosen me?”

Her joy bubbled over, uncontrollable and intoxicating. “Brother, I’m so happy!” she cried, calling for the maids to bring dinner. For the first time in days, Shao Ye sat down to eat.

But later that night, when she returned to her room, her mask slipped. The cheerful glow vanished, replaced by a sharp, icy determination.

“Boss Bai,” she said coldly, her eyes narrowing at the man in the wheelchair staring out the window. “You went to see my brother.”

The man didn’t flinch, though his shoulders tensed slightly. “Yes,” he admitted with maddening calm.

“And it was you who spilled my plans to him?” she pressed.

“Also yes.”

Her patience snapped like a brittle thread. In an instant, she was on him, her delicate fingers tightening around his throat. “What’s this, Bai Boss? Even after being reduced to a cripple, you still pine for your little white moonlight? Pathetic.”

He didn’t struggle. Didn’t even blink. That only enraged her further.

She hurled him onto the bed with a sneer, her gaze icy and unyielding. “You think I can’t break you? You should know by now—what I can do goes far beyond your little games of strength.”

Her mind reached into his, her mental control so invasive and brutal it made mere physical pain seem merciful. He writhed silently, his lips pulling into a grotesque smile as madness took hold.

The only reason Boss Bai hadn’t been tormented to death by her by now was because the guy was already dancing on the edge of insanity—a lunatic barely holding it together.

Through his gasps, he laughed, wild and defiant. “You think you’ve won? Lock him up all you want, but his heart still beats for Lu Zhanxing.”

Shao Lan’s lips curled into a cruel smile as she released him. “Wrong, White Boss. He’s chosen me.”

His expression faltered, the disbelief painted clear across his face.

Everyone knows that Shao Ye has doted on his sister since he was a child, and now it seems that his balance is still tilted towards his sister.

“The child,” he rasped, clinging to the last shred of his defiance. “What about the child? Once it’s born, you’ll no longer be the only family he has. Can you live with that?”

Her laughter was low and dangerous, her eyes gleaming with malice. “Oh, so that’s your game? Hoping to stir the pot, turn my brother against me? How adorably desperate.” She leaned closer, her words like venom in his ear. “You’ve always underestimated me.”

"Hah! Shao Lan, you're just as sharp as you were as a kid," Boss Bai sneered. "But let me remind you—I’ve never liked brats who think they’re too clever for their own good."

Shao Lan didn’t even flinch. "And what’s your opinion worth now? Hate it all you want. At the end of the day, you’ll still grovel at my feet like a whipped dog, begging for mercy."

Boss Bai sat there, legs shattered, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white, his eyes brimming with rage and humiliation.

The sight only fueled Shao Lan’s fire. He leaned in closer, voice dripping with venomous glee. "Look at you now, Boss Bai. Once the almighty Alpha of the Dust District, untouchable, unshakable—a goddamn star shining high in the night sky. But here’s the kicker—I’ve been dreaming of this moment since the first time I laid eyes on you. I swore to myself that one day, I’d pluck that lofty star of yours and grind it into the dirt beneath my heel."

Boss Bai’s glare sharpened, his eyes narrowing in shock, but Shao Lan wasn’t done.

He grinned wickedly, savoring the moment. "Oh, and one more thing," he said, his voice low and taunting. "I’ve always known about those filthy little fantasies you’ve been harboring for my brother. But let me tell you a secret, Boss Bai—something I’ve been saving just for you."

His lips trembled, but she cut him off.

“And one more thing,” she said, her voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “The day my brother disappeared… do you know how the Alliance found him? Why they stopped him and did those blood tests?”

His face drained of color, the realization crashing over him like a tidal wave.

“It was you,” he whispered, horror-struck.

Shao Lan’s smile widened, sharp enough to draw blood. “Good boy. You’re finally catching on.”

Shao Lan just smirked, her smile laced with meaning she didn’t bother to explain.

Looking back on her life, she always thought of her brother as a gift from the heavens.

From a young age, she noticed how their parents doted on him, showering him with care, while she was ignored—or worse, met with thinly veiled disgust. After all, boys had a higher chance of becoming Alphas, while someone like her—odd, defiant, a freak—was destined to be the family misfit.

So, screw them all.

The slums were already a cesspool of crime; a few deaths wouldn’t stir the waters. She’d planned it meticulously, and on a stormy night, she made it happen. Poison took care of their parents, and the thugs she hired beat their precious son to death.

Still, blood ties run deep, and out of some lingering attachment—or maybe morbid curiosity—she dragged her brother’s corpse to the mass graveyard. That should’ve been the end of it.

Except it wasn’t.

Her supposedly dead brother came back to life.

For someone born a devil, even Shao Lan hadn’t seen anything as messed up as this. When she called out to him, shaken but keeping her cool, she realized the man standing before her wasn’t the same. He didn’t remember a thing. He didn’t even remember who he was.

He introduced himself as Shao Ye, like a stranger wearing her brother’s face, his mannerisms completely different. Strangest of all? He clung to her like she was the center of his world—protective, doting, utterly devoted.

Fine. If that’s how he wanted to play it, she’d roll with it. She fed him a new story, painted herself as his only family, and let him believe it.

But as she watched him, Shao Lan began to see the cracks. This “brother” of hers wasn’t from this world. His ideas, his reactions—they didn’t belong here. He was an outsider, just like her. A shadowed creature hiding in plain sight.

And she got it. They were both monsters, misfits slinking through the dark. If anyone could understand her, it was him. For the first time in her cursed life, she felt something she’d never known: love.

Real, raw, maddening love. Someone who’d give everything to protect her, who’d stay no matter what, who’d forgive her unconditionally. It was intoxicating, a drug that sank its claws into her and wouldn’t let go.

But paradise always comes with threats, and too many people had their eyes on him. Her paranoia exploded when she discovered he’d developed as an Omega. That tiny, fragile part of him made him vulnerable—desirable—to the wrong kind of people.

She was too young, too powerless to keep him safe. So, she took matters into her own hands. Quietly, without his knowledge, she sabotaged his full differentiation. It was easy; he trusted her completely. With the right drugs, she stunted his gland development, ensuring he couldn’t produce pheromones.

And he didn’t suspect a thing. If anything, he seemed relieved. His ignorance about secondary genders worked in her favor.

For a while, it was enough. Life settled into its bleak, controlled rhythm.

Then there was Boss Bai. That smug bastard was impatient, dropping hints that Shao Ye’s lack of differentiation might be a medical problem. He pushed and prodded for him to see a doctor.

Shao Lan knew the truth couldn’t come out. If Shao Ye’s Omega status was exposed—along with her tampering—it would be over. She wasn’t ready yet. She wasn’t strong enough to protect him. Bai or someone worse would snatch him away.

So she made the hardest choice.

She leaked his status to the Alliance military, knowing they’d act fast. Sure enough, one day during a routine blood test at work, they flagged him as a rare, highly prized Omega. He was whisked away to the Imperial Omega Academy on Capitol Star before anyone else could touch him.

It wasn’t ideal, but it was safer than here. Capitol Star had rules. Marriage contracts couldn’t happen until legal age, and even then, his damaged glands would make it hard to find a perfect match.

By then, she’d be ready. Strong enough to take him back. Strong enough to keep him safe.

This wasn’t goodbye. This was just biding her time. Because no one—no one—was taking her brother away from her.