A Fishing-Type Omega Always Wants to Possess Me - Chapter 1

The engagement ceremony was scheduled for a clear day in early summer.

To make it in time, Yu Mianzhou bought a ticket for the earliest flight home.

Songcheng was bright with sunlight. Although the morning mist had yet to disperse, the city possessed a liveliness far more captivating than Country Y, which was currently deep in its rainy season.

After getting off the plane, she checked the time.

It was nine in the morning back home.

It had taken her three years to leave Songcheng for Country Y, yet returning required only eleven hours.

The Jiang family’s car had already been waiting outside the airport for quite some time.

As soon as the butler saw her approaching, he immediately stepped forward and respectfully took the luggage from her hands.

“Second Young Miss, it has been a long time.”

Even after all these years, hearing herself addressed as “Second Young Miss” still caused Yu Mianzhou a wave of physical discomfort.

She did not let it show, however, merely replying in a mild voice, “I didn’t expect Butler Sun to come and pick me up personally.”

The butler was an old employee who had worked for the Jiang family for several decades. He was deeply trusted by Jiang Yingqiu, the family’s current head, and would not ordinarily handle something as trivial as collecting a guest.

He smiled.

“There is a joyous occasion in the main household today. The Eldest Young Miss and Miss Gu are getting engaged, and everyone, from top to bottom, is far too busy. I’m the only one who still has time. Surely the Second Young Miss doesn’t mind being collected by an old man like me?”

Yu Mianzhou behaved as though she had not understood the implication behind his words. Her lips curved into a smile as well.

“How could I?”

“That’s good.”

The butler opened the car door.

“Please get in, Second Young Miss. Madam and Ms. Yu have been waiting for you at home for quite some time.”

The car entered the city. Half an hour later, it passed through an avenue lined with plane trees before finally stopping at Shenyuan Estate.

Compared to when Yu Mianzhou had left, Shenyuan did not appear to have changed much.

It still stood upon a priceless piece of land, commanding exclusive views of both the mountains and the lake. It resembled an isolated palace untouched by the outside world, every corner displaying the wealth, elegance, and grandeur of its owner.

The moment she stepped out of the car, she was greeted by a massive archway woven from pink balloons and white roses. Gilded strings of lights wound through it, glowing softly beneath the sun.

The sweet fragrance of champagne and the perfume of fresh flowers drifted through the air, mingling with the distinctive scent of grass and trees that filled the estate.

Elegantly dressed guests moved between neatly trimmed hedges, champagne glasses in hand.

Her arrival had been impeccably timed.

The engagement ceremony was just beginning—

Accompanied by moving music and surrounded by applause and cheers, a beautiful couple slowly walked from the far end of the red carpet toward a platform draped in white gauze beside the fountain.

Almost the instant Jiang Zhi appeared, everyone’s eyes turned toward her instinctively.

Today, she wore a lotus-pink gown. Her long hair had been swept up, revealing her slender, pale neck. Delicate makeup adorned her face, perfectly blending the cool aloofness and dazzling beauty in her features.

She merely had to stand there, and everything around her became a blurred backdrop.

Yu Mianzhou had practically engraved that face into her soul.

She turned to leave.

Before she could take a single step, however, the butler smilingly blocked her path.

“Where is the Second Young Miss going? This is such a joyous occasion. Why don’t we remain here until the end and share in some of their happiness?”

This was already the second time today that the butler had used the words “joyous occasion.”

Yu Mianzhou had no choice but to stop and continue watching the ceremony.

Since the Jiang family did not want her to miss this perfect engagement, she would watch it properly until the end.

At the center of the crowd, Jiang Zhi did not seem to notice her. Instead, she had her arm linked through that of the tall woman beside her—

Miss Gu, Gu Wanlan, one of the Empire’s few officially registered S-class Alphas.

With a loud bang, the ceremonial cannons fired.

Flower petals poured down from the sky, dreamlike and romantic, like the beautiful dream bestowed only at the end of a fairy tale.

One petal landed in Jiang Zhi’s hair.

Miss Gu stood tall and straight. As she lowered her head to look at Jiang Zhi, the tenderness in her eyes nearly overflowed.

She raised a hand and brushed the petal from Jiang Zhi’s hair, her movements natural and intimate.

The gesture drew envious exclamations from the surrounding guests, who offered the couple their blessings one after another.

At that moment, the butler also turned to look at Yu Mianzhou.

Contrary to what he had expected, this unfavored Second Young Miss displayed no jealousy, resentment, unwillingness, lingering attachment, or anything of the sort.

Instead, her expression was far too calm.

There was even the faintest smile at the corner of her lips.

It lent her composed expression an inexplicable trace of strangeness…

Perhaps even madness.

Why would he think that?

The old butler shook his head.

When he looked again, Yu Mianzhou had already turned toward him. She smiled.

“The ceremony is over. Can we leave now?”

Her eyes were clear and translucent, as though everything he had just seen had been nothing but an illusion.

Three years had passed, and the old butler realized he understood this young woman less and less.

He turned and led Yu Mianzhou toward the main building.

“Please follow me, Second Young Miss.”

The moment she entered, two maids took hold of her without explanation and led her into a dimly lit room.

They pressed down on her shoulders.

Her knees struck the freezing flagstones with a heavy thud.

The pain made her fingertips curl slightly. She did not even have the strength to let out a muffled groan.

A woman immediately rushed forward and embraced her, her voice choked with emotion.

“Mianzhou, my Mianzhou! Mommy missed you so much! How have you been living abroad these past few years? While you were gone, I missed you so badly that I couldn’t eat or sleep properly. Now that you’re back, Mommy can finally stop worrying!”

The long-absent embrace caused Yu Mianzhou’s body to stiffen involuntarily.

Was that so?

Suppressing the pain in her knees, she lowered her eyes and looked at Yu Shu, who was holding her tightly—

Fashionably curled hair, exquisite manicures, and the newest seasonal luxury items from head to toe.

She supposedly had not been able to sleep, yet there was not even the slightest fine line at the corners of her eyes.

Was this longing simply too restrained to be seen?

Or, nourished by wealth, was it so insignificant that it did not matter at all?

Yu Mianzhou curved her lips as well.

“I missed you too, Mommy.”

“I assume the butler has already taken you to see Zhizhi and Miss Gu’s engagement.”

A cold voice suddenly sounded above them, interrupting the reunion.

Yu Mianzhou raised her head.

The first thing she saw was the ancestral tablets densely arranged upon the altar, all lined up in perfect order. Candle flames flickered before them.

The smoke of burning incense mingled with the smell of dust and curled through the room, casting Jiang Yingqiu’s face, seated nearby, alternately in light and shadow.

Jiang Yingqiu.

Jiang Zhi’s mother and the current head of the Jiang family.

She appeared to have been waiting there for some time.

“Mianzhou, since you have returned, you should understand what you may and may not do. Today, before all our ancestors, you must promise that from now on, you will behave yourself and become a qualified member of the Jiang family…”

There was not the slightest emotion in her voice.

She sounded like a machine.

Fortunately, Yu Mianzhou understood her meaning.

She could not help curling her lips.

Behave herself?

Become a qualified member of the Jiang family?

These people were so disgusted by what had happened back then that they were not even willing to mention it aloud?

Besides, they wanted her to become a member of the Jiang family?

Was she even worthy?

Her prolonged silence caused the already tense atmosphere in the ancestral hall to tighten further.

Because of the engagement, many of the Jiang clan elders were present. They had entered to serve as witnesses.

More than a dozen gazes, belonging to people young and old, pierced Yu Mianzhou’s lonely but upright figure like sharpened blades.

In the end, Yu Shu was the first to crack under the oppressive atmosphere.

She grasped Yu Mianzhou’s wrist and spoke to her with reddened eyes.

“Mianzhou, your Aunt Jiang is only doing this for your own good.”

“Stop being so stubborn and do as your Aunt Jiang says. Even if you won’t think about yourself, at least think about your mother…”

Yu Mianzhou did not look at her.

Instead, she raised her eyes and met Jiang Yingqiu’s gaze.

It had been a long time since she had seen such a cold, condescending look.

No one knew what came to her mind.

Only after a long silence did she finally speak.

“…I promise.”

“I, Yu Mianzhou, swear that for the rest of my life, I will behave myself, never cross the line, and never covet anything that does not belong to me.”

Her voice was so hoarse that it sounded as though it had been scraped raw by sandpaper.

Her gaze returned to the ancestral tablets as she pronounced each word distinctly.

“If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning, lose all five of my senses, and grow old alone.”

The moment she finished speaking, two more figures appeared at the entrance to the ancestral hall.

Yu Mianzhou’s gaze had originally been unfocused.

As though sensing something, she raised her eyes.

The instant she clearly saw that face, one of the candles on the altar crackled sharply.

It was as though the world had suddenly been paused, as though she had traveled through a long tunnel of time.

She watched Jiang Zhi’s figure slowly enter her vision—from the vague outline framed by the doorway to her distinct brows and eyes, every detail gradually sharpening into focus.

Finally, when she could clearly see that face, even the rhythm with which light and shadow stirred the air seemed to stop.

Beyond the layers of ancestral tablets, candle flames, and indistinct silhouettes, Jiang Zhi’s figure broke straight into Yu Mianzhou’s sight.

The two women appeared to have come directly after the engagement banquet. Several flower petals still clung to their clothes.

The union of a top-tier Alpha and a top-tier Omega was already a beautiful story simply to speak of.

Moreover, these two were equally matched in appearance, education, and family background.

What a perfectly matched pair they were.

Yu Mianzhou suddenly smiled.

Her voice was soft and gentle, like a prayer offered to God.

“May Sister Jiang Zhi and her future spouse live together in perfect harmony and remain together until their hair turns white.”

Jiang Zhi did not even glance at her.

Gu Wanlan, on the other hand, widened her eyes, visibly flattered by the blessing.

Jiang Yingqiu stared at Yu Mianzhou for a long time, attempting to determine whether her words were sincere.

But she could find no flaw.

The blessing in Yu Mianzhou’s eyes appeared utterly genuine.

Furthermore, she had sworn such a vicious oath.

Jiang Yingqiu checked her wristwatch and ultimately chose to believe her.

“You child. I merely asked you to make a promise. Why did you need to swear an oath? Since you’re back, stay home and rest properly for a while.”

After speaking, she left the ancestral hall in a hurry with her people. She still had work to deal with and did not have much time to spare.

Once Jiang Yingqiu was gone, Yu Shu looked as though she had survived a disaster. All the strength left her body, and she collapsed directly onto the floor.

She looked at Yu Mianzhou, unable to keep a note of reproach from entering her voice.

“Xiaozhou, what were you being so stubborn about just now? Why did you insist on hesitating for so long? How many times do I have to tell you? You’re only a Beta. You’re of no use to the family. We came to the Jiang family all those years ago, and ever since then, we’ve eaten their food and used their things. We should be grateful. Don’t tell me you still have feelings for—”

The words reached her lips, but Yu Shu abruptly fell silent.

She cautiously glanced toward the entrance of the ancestral hall.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhi did not appear to have noticed.

Yu Shu sighed, her eyes red.

“In the end, it’s all because your mother is useless. Thankfully, your Aunt Jiang has now agreed to let you remain in the country. Xiaozhou, from now on, you must behave yourself and keep your word…”

Yu Mianzhou listened to Yu Shu’s incessant nagging and found it unbearably noisy.

She placed a hand against the floor and attempted to stand, but she had been kneeling for so long that her legs would not support her.

Fortunately, one of the maids noticed and stepped forward to help her up.

“Are you Little Sister Mianzhou?”

The moment she stepped out of the ancestral hall, a gentle female voice sounded beside her.

Gu Wanlan slowly approached Yu Mianzhou.

Her expression was calm, and her manner was modest and courteous. Her long, smooth black hair fell behind her shoulders. One look was enough to tell that she was a distinguished young lady raised in a scholarly family.

She smiled lightly.

“I’ve heard others mention you before. I heard you were studying abroad. Have you graduated and come home now?”

Yu Mianzhou’s origins were an open secret within their social circle.

She had not expected a legitimate young lady like Gu Wanlan to address her as a younger sister.

She remained silent for two seconds before ultimately forcing out a smile.

“Miss Gu, is there something you need from me?”

Seeing Yu Mianzhou smile, Gu Wanlan also relaxed.

She had initially worried that Jiang Zhi’s stepsister might be difficult to deal with.

Then she remembered that this young woman had just offered her blessings inside the ancestral hall.

Gu Wanlan spoke softly.

“It’s like this. Your Sister Jiang Zhi and I will be holding our wedding next month. We didn’t know you would be returning, so your name wasn’t included before.”

“Now that you’re back, I would like to formally invite you to attend our wedding next month—”

With an invisible hum, it was as though all the air in the living room had been sucked away in an instant.

Then an unseen block of ice seemed to press down heavily upon the room, filling even the motion of the air with a biting chill.

Every servant present turned their head toward them in perfect unison, their movements uniform and stiff.

The sight inexplicably sent a chill racing down Gu Wanlan’s spine.

Wh-what was wrong?

Amid everyone’s tense expressions, only Yu Mianzhou continued smiling.

She did not know whether this Eldest Miss Gu truly knew nothing or was merely pretending not to know.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Zhi sitting on the sofa, admiring the gardenias beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Only after hearing Gu Wanlan’s words did Jiang Zhi’s gaze, which had always been as still as water, finally move like a venomous snake, slowly crawling up the back of Yu Mianzhou’s neck.

Yu Mianzhou suddenly found the situation very interesting.

Everyone in the Jiang family avoided her as though she were a poisonous creature. They did not dare allow her anywhere near Jiang Zhi. Even during the engagement ceremony, they had only permitted her to watch from a distance.

Yet this woman dared to invite her to the wedding.

And she was one of the people getting married.

Second after second passed, until the atmosphere in the living room became unbearably oppressive beneath the silence.

Yu Mianzhou’s interest was thoroughly aroused.

The corners of her lips lifted into an exceptionally docile smile.

“Of course.”