His father’s gaze toward Gu Lingzhou shifted. He let out a long sigh. “You’ve worked hard. I’ll take your advice and stock up on supplies. ‘One thrives in hardship and perishes in comfort’—I’ve been at ease for too long.”
Following Gu Lingzhou’s line of sight, he looked at Shi Yuxing. “Back then, your great-grandfather led a legion against the Zerg—and he fell in battle.” His father’s gaze dimmed. “After that, our family set a rule: no one may serve in the military for generations. But your father here—I actually always wished I could be someone like Lingzhou. So when the Gu family proposed the marriage, I agreed without hesitation. Maybe it was too rash.”
He turned to Gu Lingzhou, taking a deep breath. “Xingxing is in your hands. Protect him well. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask your father-in-law. If the military ever needs support, I have some money—I’ll back you all the way.”
Shi Yuxing and his mother stood to the side, both looking at the father-in-law and son-in-law—two men with no blood relation—with matching expressions of disdain.
His mother: “Xingxing, your father has always had a ‘military dream.’”
Shi Yuxing: “Mm, I can tell. You almost became a military wife.”
Aunt Zhang placed the brewed tea on the coffee table. His father poured a cup for Gu Lingzhou first, then one for himself. “Lingzhou, you’re a rare talent. I knew that even before you two married. Over the years, you haven’t visited much. Since we have time today, let’s have a good talk.”
Shi Yuxing grew curious. One was military, the other business—what could they possibly chat about?
And then it turned into exactly that—
The two went back and forth, occasionally pausing to sip tea.
“With our planet’s current strength, if the Zerg launched a surprise attack, do you think we could come out unscathed?”
“If it were my past self, probably not. But my current self—yes.”
Shi Yuxing yawned. What was all this? From marriage to planetary interests—did alphas always like discussing this kind of stuff?
“Lingzhou, what do you see as the biggest challenge right now?”
“Not being able to protect the ones I love.” Gu Lingzhou stood and walked over to Shi Yuxing.
Shi Yuxing was drowsy, almost asleep. A shadow fell before him. He squinted with effort and saw Gu Lingzhou standing in front of him. For a second, his mind went blank. Then he heard the alpha’s gentle voice: “Rest assured. I will protect everyone I love—whether it’s Yuxing, you, or Mom.”
He had lost his parents twice. He would not lose them a third time.
Before Shi Yuxing could fully snap out of it, Gu Lingzhou scooped him up in his arms. “Yuxing’s tired. We should go.”
“Oh my.” His mother blushed and covered her face. “Go on, go on. It’s almost nine—we should turn in too.”
·
Shi Yuxing comforted Xiao Zhou, who had been left alone in the car crying because he hadn’t replied to his messages.
“Wife, my head feels so hot—I must have been outside too long. I think I have a fever. Touch it.” The alpha leaned half his weight on Shi Yuxing, boneless as ever.
Da Ling opened the door and frowned. “Go to the room and give yourself a shot. I can smell your pheromones.” Alphas were more sensitive to the pheromones of their own kind than even omegas—especially when it was their own scent.
Shi Yuxing pressed his hand to the young alpha’s forehead. “It is a bit warm. Is your rut coming soon?”
No sooner had one wave passed than another arrived. One alpha’s rut had just ended, and the next was already starting. If he helped both alphas through their ruts, he’d have to use up all his annual leave.
Xiao Zhou obediently took the injection and let Shi Yuxing take his temperature again.
“37.1 degrees—still normal.” During a rut, an alpha’s temperature usually hovered around 38 degrees—painful and violent. He wondered if that Gu Lingzhou had hit his rut yet. Might as well send a message to check.
With that thought, Shi Yuxing messaged his “ex-husband.”
· How long until I heal a star: Happy birthday—work going smoothly?
No reply. Shi Yuxing found it odd. Though Gu Lingzhou was busy, he usually replied to messages almost instantly. Maybe he was really swamped?
The “really swamped” General Gu was actually speeding back at full throttle. Seeing the message from Shi Yuxing, those intimate photos flashed through his mind at lightning speed. He resisted the urge to reply and pushed his craft even faster.
A shooting star streaked across the night sky.
Shi Yuxing didn’t get a reply from Gu Lingzhou. Instead, his attention was snagged by the two alphas emerging from their baths.
“Wife, wife—since it’s my birthday, can I sleep with you tonight?”
Shi Yuxing was about to nod when Da Ling pressed a hand against Xiao Zhou’s forehead. “You’re showing signs of pre-rut. Go sleep next door.”
“No, I’m not even in rut yet! You just want to hog the wife all to yourself. Don’t think I didn’t notice you deliberately stayed so long at the Shi house today. I was only inside for an hour—you were there for nearly three.” Xiao Zhou glared at him like a snarling dog guarding its food.
The mature alpha didn’t argue back. “Remember our agreement? Whoever’s in rut sleeps alone.”
Xiao Zhou wasn’t falling for it. “You were the one who broke faith today—so don’t blame me. I’m not going, and my wife said I can sleep with him.” With that, he planted a loud kiss on Shi Yuxing’s cheek.
Perhaps that kiss was the spark that ignited the war. The pheromone concentration in the room suddenly spiked—even Shi Yuxing, a beta, could clearly smell that fir scent.
One forced kiss from an alpha meant more forced kisses were coming.
Shi Yuxing was pinned to the bed by two identical faces—the same bloodline, even the same person.
“Yuxing—him or me?” Hot, steamy breath flowed into his ears, making his eardrums pound again. He had no chance to speak. The two rival alphas attacked his collarbones from both sides. Even knowing the marks would show, he had no strength to stop them.
Both hands were pinned above his head. He felt like he was melting into that fir scent.
The alphas’ hearts beat faster and faster. The sash of his bathrobe was yanked loose.
The general had just stepped off the flyer when, amid the horrified gazes of several onlookers, he boarded a starship. The next second, the starship shot off like an arrow released from a bow. But fate seemed to be working against him—one red light after another. Gu Lingzhou’s composure was fraying. He slammed his fist on the steering wheel, the blaring horn provoking a nearby driver to roll down his window and curse.
“Shut up!” Gu Lingzhou roared, pounding the wheel a few more times until the starship nearly stalled.
His eyes burned; the red light blurred before him. He picked up his phone and scrolled to his contacts, tasting the increasingly metallic tang of blood in his throat. He tried to swallow it down, but it was useless—his throat was bleeding. Over and over, he told himself: maybe it was a misunderstanding. Maybe Shi Yuxing had been coerced. He was making excuses—he didn’t want to believe his wife would betray him.
He would kill the ones who had led his wife astray. Tear them limb from limb—no, that wasn’t enough. He would torture them, make them watch their own flesh fall away piece by piece, then force them to eat it and swallow. As for his wife—those who disobeyed had to be locked away. His treasure, his wife since marriage, belonged to him. No one was taking her away.
Even when the light turned green, he didn’t make the call. Instead, with a calm expression, he sent Shi Yuxing a message assuring him he was safe.
The screen went dark, reflecting Gu Lingzhou’s sharp features. He couldn’t let them escape.
On the other side, Shi Yuxing, still playing around with the alphas, vaguely heard the sound of a starship’s engine. He froze, pushed both alphas away, and glanced at his lit-up phone. Wrestling with the two alphas had left him drenched in sweat.
“Yuxing,” a warm mouth bit his ear, pulling him back onto the soft bedding. “Who do you choose?”
Shi Yuxing laughed, tossed his phone aside, and cast all worries away. “Let me think… Whoever performs better tonight gets my pick.”
He had no idea that the faint engine sound had stopped nearby. Gu Lingzhou parked his starship and sprinted forward. The lights on the second floor of the villa burned bright, stabbing his eyes. The door’s fingerprint lock recognized him instantly. The moment it opened, a wave of high-concentration fir pheromones crashed over him like a tsunami—no less ferocious than a magnitude-ten surge.
Gu Lingzhou’s hackles shot up instantly. All caution forgotten, he was consumed by a single thought: to drag out the despicable alpha who had stolen his wife and dared to mimic his pheromones, and kill him.
He bounded up the stairs three at a time. The bedroom door was ajar, the sound of splashing water escaping through the crack. The fir scent poured out through the gap—the thread of reason had long since snapped. His face twisted with rage, his chest heaving violently. Red-eyed, he drew the sidearm from his waist and kicked the bedroom door off its hinges.
The sight before him sent his blood boiling. He roared without restraint—
“GET OFF HER!!!!!”
Two bare-chested men—one with his back to him, massaging Shi Yuxing’s shoulders; the other kneeling, sleeves rolled up, washing Shi Yuxing’s feet.
In an instant, all three turned to look at the doorway. The shattered door lay dead at Gu Lingzhou’s feet, broken in two. His whole body radiated fury mixed with surging pheromones. Bloodshot eyes, skin red as if his blood vessels had burst.
“Holy shit!” Shi Yuxing’s flushed face paled with shock as he let out a curse. Instinctively, he grabbed the nearest pillow and pressed it over Xiao Zhou’s face, trying to hide him—then, remembering the other, frantically used his hand to shield Da Ling. “Why are you—”
Why was Gu Lingzhou here?!
Da Ling brushed Shi Yuxing’s hand aside and stepped forward. The enraged alpha froze the moment he saw the face of the “other man”—pupils contracting, brows twitching. But only for a second. Then his gun hand steadied, aiming directly at the man. “Who are you?!”
“Don’t shoot, Gu Lingzhou—put the gun down!” Shi Yuxing, terrified the weapon would go off, shot to his feet, one foot still in the basin. “I’ll explain later—put it down!”
Da Ling didn’t panic, as if he’d expected this day to come. He pointed at the figure on the bed. Gu Lingzhou’s peripheral vision caught it, and he jolted again. His bloodshot eyes shifted to Shi Yuxing. Then he lunged forward—with a crash, the overturned basin splattered water everywhere. Shi Yuxing stumbled and fell into Gu Lingzhou’s arms with a shriek, their reflections merging on the wet floor.
Gu Lingzhou staggered back, putting distance between himself and the two men. Veins bulged at his temples. Facing these two identical monsters, his hand trembled as he gripped Shi Yuxing’s body tightly. “I’ll protect you—don’t be afraid.” The person in his arms was in shock, only aware of his own heartbeat pounding as fiercely as Gu Lingzhou’s.
Pressed against the alpha’s solid chest, he felt the vibrations. “Are you Zerg? Or some kind of monster?!” Gu Lingzhou retreated another two steps before releasing him, positioning himself in front of Shi Yuxing as a shield. “You disguised yourselves as me to seduce my wife—what’s your goal?!” The sound of a round being chambered followed.
Shi Yuxing snapped back to reality, lunging forward to push down his wrist. “Don’t shoot! They’re not monsters.”
“Gu Lingzhou, when you were eighteen, your parents both died in a crash while traveling—and it wasn’t an accident. Also, the ring hanging around your neck is your wedding ring.” A steady voice drew their attention. Gu Lingzhou looked at the “monster” and felt a momentary disorientation—he did, indeed, wear his wedding ring on a chain around his neck.
“You investigated me? Who the hell are you?”
Shi Yuxing blurted out: “They’re both you—you from different timelines.”
Hearing this, Gu Lingzhou’s brow sank to his eyes. The one across from him looked older and more weathered—he let out a cold scoff. The other on the bed was younger, more immature. Gu Lingzhou’s face darkened as he stared at Xiao Zhou. “They managed to deceive you by wearing my face.”
Shi Yuxing: “…………….”
A gunshot rang out. Shi Yuxing covered his ears, eyes wide with terror. Da Ling dodged quickly, glass shattering everywhere. Before Gu Lingzhou could fire a second shot, Da Ling moved in and kicked the weapon from his hand.
Gu Lingzhou swore: “Run!!!” Then fists flew, landing with dull thuds. Shi Yuxing didn’t run. He stood frozen, watching the two men trade blows, utterly stunned.
Da Ling slammed a palm against Gu Lingzhou’s throat, pinning him to the wall like a bulldozer. Blood poured down Gu Lingzhou’s forehead like water from a shower, trailing down his face and into his collar. Shi Yuxing’s eyelids twitched, his lips trembling as he moved to intervene—but then Gu Lingzhou curled his abdomen and kicked the man flying three or four meters away.
“Stop fighting! Both of you stop!!!” My room!!!
Gu Lingzhou wiped the blood from his eyes, watching the “clone” stand up with a scoff, clutching his stomach. The corner of Da Ling’s mouth curled into a sinister smile. The overhead light cast shadows over his brows; in the darkness, his dark eyes lifted coldly. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his fir scent surged like a tsunami, drowning out the other. Gu Lingzhou paused mid-attack.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this good…” Da Ling murmured. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance to Gu Lingzhou at a speed nearly impossible to track. The general’s facial muscles tightened, arms crossed in defense—but Da Ling’s lips curved up.
With a final groan from the door and a cloud of dust, Gu Lingzhou was thrown out of the bedroom.
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