Chapter 1

“Hiss—” Pain attacked Jing Qingxia’s brain.

The deafening roar of gunfire and artillery made her nerves twitch. The stench of blood swept over her, and dizziness seized control of her mind.

I’m dead.

I died on that battlefield.

That thought forced her eyes open at once, and she sucked in great gulps of air.

The moment she opened her eyes, what she saw was an unfamiliar scene.

Scorching sunlight slipped through the gap between curtains that had not been fully drawn, accompanied by the cheerful cries of cicadas—completely at odds with Jing Qingxia’s mood. But the pain in her body had vanished entirely, and the cool air blowing from the central air-conditioning vent gradually soothed the burning agitation inside her.

With her brows tightly furrowed, she looked around.

It was a neat and tidy bedroom. Only around the large bed she was lying on were clothes scattered about, tossed aside at random.

Ring, ring, ring—

The phone beside the bed suddenly rang.

Almost by instinct, Jing Qingxia answered the call while keeping a wary eye on her surroundings.

The environment around her remained quiet, but that did nothing to ease her unease.

From the other end of the phone came the gentle voice of a middle-aged woman. “Xiaxia, are you awake? It’s already eleven. I asked Auntie Zhang to make lunch for you. She didn’t dare disturb your summer vacation sleep-catching-up plan, but Mom was afraid you’d get hungry. Why don’t you come downstairs and eat first? Also, Mom will be back in a little while. I brought you a present.”

From the woman’s tone, it was not hard to hear the affection and indulgence in it.

Jing Qingxia glanced at the caller ID on the phone screen: “Mother Dearest.”

Jing Qingxia raised an eyebrow and carefully tested the waters. “Mom?”

But where had she gotten a mother from?

“Hurry and eat lunch. After you finish, Mom will be back just in time, and I have something to tell you!” The voice on the other end sounded cheerful.

Jing Qingxia still had no grasp of the situation, so she could only go along with it for now. “Okay. I’ll wash up and go downstairs.”

“Good, good, good,” “Mother Dearest” answered in rapid succession.

Jing Qingxia hung up.

She picked up the clothes scattered on the floor and hesitated for a moment, then chose to put them back down. In the unfamiliar walk-in closet, she selected a new set of clothes that would be convenient for movement, then headed toward the private bathroom attached to the room.

After calming down, Jing Qingxia could not help being stunned by how outrageously luxurious the owner of this room was. Just by eye, this single room had to be around eighty square meters. A gym, a storage room, a [read the original at bailiantales.com]walk-in closet—everything was complete. Even a 1.8-meter bed looked small in here.

And that was not even mentioning the ultra-luxurious bathroom, which had separate wet and dry areas as well as a bathtub.

When she entered the bathroom, she could not help glancing toward the mirror. She wanted to see what the difference was between herself, Jing Qingxia, and the “Jing Qingxia” the woman on the phone had called out to.

This face was clearly her own from when she was seventeen or eighteen.

She still had sharp brows and bright eyes.

Compared to a girl’s sweetness, what she carried more of was a valiant air.

Her pair of amber eyes were exceptionally clear.

Compared to when she had been in her twenties, she also looked far more youthful.

She lacked some of the seasoned composure she had when carrying out missions, and she also lacked the devil-may-care stolen content attitude she had while on vacation.

Jing Qingxia fell into a daze for a moment.

A tearing, dull pain appeared in her head.

She had grown up in a military orphanage since she was young. When she turned fourteen, she had just happened to be selected into the army and trained into a special forces soldier in an elite vanguard unit. Eighteen was the year she had won the youth division championship in a military district combat competition for the first time.

But now, the solid, well-trained muscles she once had were gone. After changing into a loose T-shirt, she looked even thinner and more fragile.

While her mind was still muddled, a large number of unfamiliar memories surged into her brain.

These memories belonged to another girl named “Jing Qingxia”—memories of being spoiled rotten since childhood.

Relying on her experience, Jing Qingxia forced herself to breathe deeply. Only after she finally finished receiving all of it did she manage to drive away the dizziness.

But then new fragments forced their way into her mind once more. This time, they were image fragments recorded from an omniscient perspective, along with broken, intermittent pieces of text.

This was a novel.

The domineering girl named “Jing Qingxia,” as a cannon-fodder character in the novel, had pitifully few scenes. In those few scenes, she wholeheartedly wanted to possess the female lead for herself.

The way she wanted to possess her was through a setting unfamiliar to Jing Qingxia—a C-rank Alpha cannon fodder trying to mark the S-rank Omega female lead.

In the end, the little cannon fodder did not succeed.

The female lead was saved by the male lead. The cannon fodder reaped what she had sown and received the punishment she deserved—her ending was being personally pushed off a cliff by the female lead, dying without even a place for her corpse to be buried.

The immersive image made Jing Qingxia shiver.

“Looking at it this way, the female lead is pretty ruthless.”

Jing Qingxia washed her face with cold water and helplessly tugged at the corner of her mouth in the mirror.

This helplessness mainly came from the setting of this world.

From the two sets of memories, it was clear that this world’s worldview was very different from her original one.

In this world, gender was not only divided into male and female, but also further categorized into Alpha, Beta, and Omega.

Alphas and Omegas were gender types with special glands. They could secrete pheromones.

Pheromones could interfere with each other and attract each other. The series of reactions they triggered was more like an ancestral regression into animal instinct. Whether it was territorial disputes between the same sex or mating methods between opposite sexes, everything revealed a primitive bestiality.

In this world, pheromones were divided into ranks. Based on concentration, from low to high, they were divided into five levels: D, C, B, A, and S. High-rank pheromones had a certain suppressive effect on low-rank pheromones.

By comparison, Betas, who could not emit pheromones, were more stable and were suited to more logistical roles in society, such as doctors and teachers.

But pheromones also brought convenience to Alphas and Omegas.

Alphas had stronger physiques. They were prone to impulsiveness, but they were also more courageous and more leadership-oriented.

Omegas gained longer lifespans. They were not very strong physically, but they had greater endurance and were suited to work that required more soothing qualities or patience.

Society was able to divide labor, as though becoming more harmonious—if not for the regular ruts and heats.

Ruts and heats were both fatal for Alphas and Omegas.

A rut would cause an Alpha’s emotions to fluctuate, making them more likely to feel helpless and also more aggressive.

A heat would make an Omega more vulnerable and more in need of comfort for both the soul and the body.

Whether it was an Alpha’s rut or an Omega’s heat, both would trigger primitive impulses.

So during this period, it was extremely dangerous for an Alpha and an Omega to stay in the same enclosed bailiantales.com space and allow their pheromones to interact freely.

In the original plot, the little cannon fodder had taken advantage of the female lead’s heat to try to exploit her weakness and mark her.

An Omega who was temporarily marked would become dependent on the person who marked them.

An Omega who was permanently marked would belong only to that one person who marked them.

No matter which kind it was, the little cannon fodder’s intentions were obvious.

“How despicable,” Jing Qingxia cursed under her breath.

She roughly understood her current situation.

To put it simply, she, who had originally been a special forces soldier, had completed the mission entrusted to her by the country and died on the battlefield. Now she had transmigrated into a novel and replaced a minor cannon-fodder character.

Thinking up to this point, Jing Qingxia actually smiled from the bottom of her heart.

Of course, she was not happy because she had become a disposable cannon-fodder tool.

What made her happy was that the heavy responsibility she had carried in her previous life had finally been set down.

What made her happy was that although the identity she had transmigrated into was very miserable, according to the two sets of memories just now, the novel’s timeline had not yet begun. The key plot points that would truly push her toward destruction had not happened yet. There was still time for everything.

What made her happy was that she seemed to… have a home now. Even if she had obtained this home like a thief.

……

After washing up, Jing Qingxia went downstairs.

The middle-aged woman busying herself in the dining room seemed a little surprised. “Miss, you came down so quickly? Everything will be ready right away. Please sit down and eat!”

Auntie Zhang.

A plain, honest woman in her forties. She was a Beta, and she was also the maid of this household—or it could also be said that she was the housekeeper.

She had already worked here for over ten years and was no different from family.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Jing Qingxia said instinctively.

Auntie Zhang’s entire body froze.

Thank you for your hard work?

Was this something the spoiled little princess would say?

Usually, the arrogant and domineering young miss only acted properly in front of her parents. And now she was saying “thank you for your hard work” to her?

But seeing Jing Qingxia’s expression remain perfectly normal, Auntie Zhang felt that her own thoughts ​stolen content​were too harsh. The girl had only just come of age this year and had also reached the time when she was about to differentiate. Before summer vacation, she had even vowed that she would have fun during this break, then work hard once senior year started next semester.

Although no one had taken it seriously, who knew? Maybe she really had suddenly grown up!

“It’s no trouble. Hurry and sit down.” Auntie Zhang showed a gratified smile, sincerely happy.

Jing Qingxia thought about the little cannon fodder’s original character setting.

It was actually quite similar to her own personality, but their conduct and way of thinking were vastly different. She did not know whether her sudden change would arouse suspicion.

But after another thought, who cared? If it made people suspicious, then so be it. A girl who had just come of age having a changeable temperament was far too normal, especially with the ABO setting in this world.

Thinking this, Jing Qingxia also smiled openly at Auntie Zhang.

The sight made Auntie Zhang’s old face flush despite herself.

After working in the Jing family for so many years, today she still had no choice but to sigh once again: the [Read on BaiLianTales]Jing family’s good-looking genes were truly outstanding!

The little girl had not even fully grown into her features yet, and she was already this handsome and pretty!

Just look at that face. Not only was her skin fine and tender, every single one of her features was pleasing to the eye, and together they were even more harmonious. Even with her hair casually tied into a ponytail, she looked very good.

As for her figure, well, she was still growing. But putting everything else aside, just those long legs alone would be enough for people to recognize her at a glance, even if she were tossed into a crowd on the street!

Auntie Zhang sincerely sighed. “Xiaxia is growing up to look just like a celebrity on TV. So good-looking. So pretty!”

Jing Qingxia paused after hearing that.

It had been a very long time since anyone had praised her using the word “pretty.”

When she was little, there had been some. But after entering the army, at first she was doubted because she was good-looking. Later on, the words used to praise her had completely changed into things like dashing, extraordinarily gifted, exceptional, outstanding, and even “Brother Xia is freaking awesome.” Only “pretty” was never among them.

Especially after long-term training, after she had gotten tanned, and after her body had become covered everywhere with calluses and scars from training and missions, her [stolen content]wardrobe did not even have clothes like skirts. It was all hoodies, T-shirts, or military uniforms.

Naturally, she drifted farther and farther away from “pretty.”

That life of constantly staying alert while training, constantly preparing to go on missions, and staying vigilant of everything around her really no longer existed.

This one meal completely washed away the unease Jing Qingxia felt after arriving in a new world.

In a good mood, Jing Qingxia took the initiative to start clearing the dining table.

Auntie Zhang and the maid helping beside her were so frightened that they hurriedly rushed over to take the dishes from her, nervous as though Jing Qingxia might fire them in the very next second.

After understanding what was going on, Jing Qingxia merely smiled.

Before she could explain, the front door of the villa was suddenly opened.

“Xiaxia!!!”

The heat at the tail end of summer was still scorching, and a wave of hot air surged in from the doorway.

The sunlight was dazzling.

Against the light, two silhouettes were outlined in the heat.

One of them kicked off her high heels and ran in with quick taps of her feet, then gave Jing Qingxia a huge hug.

Jing Qingxia’s body went stiff.

Auntie Zhang, however, smiled. “Madam, you’re back.”

“I’m back. Has Xiaxia eaten lunch already? We haven’t eaten yet. Auntie Zhang, please make two more bowls of noodles.”

“Coming right up.”

Only then did Jing Qingxia react. This noble yet gentle middle-aged beauty was the little cannon fodder’s mother, Lin Chanjuan, a gentle A-rank Omega.

“Xiaxia!! Look who I brought back!!! You two haven’t seen each other in so long, right? You have to get along well!”

Jing Qingxia narrowed her eyes and looked toward the doorway.

That person had already changed into slippers and was slowly walking in from the main entrance.

Her features were lovely, and she possessed pheromones capable of captivating all living beings. Intoxicating lemon wine, sweet and tart, yet carrying a coldness that kept others a thousand miles away—that was a glass of chilled lemon wine. The best drink of summer, yet something no one could easily possess.

A line of description from the novel flashed through Jing Qingxia’s mind.

Jing Qingxia had not differentiated yet. Facing a top-tier Omega at this moment, she had no way of smelling her pheromones, but she still felt the description in the book was not wrong.

This girl wore a professional, businesslike smile on her face. An invisible aura enveloped bailiantales.com her body, and within that wariness was the tart astringency of chilled lemon wine.

Sunlight reflected off her body in tiny points of light. After her features blurred slightly in Jing Qingxia’s vision, the tear mole at the corner of her eye entered Jing Qingxia’s sight first.

Jing Qingxia did not know why the little cannon fodder had been so deeply obsessed with the female lead, but she thought that if it were her, the first reason she became fascinated would probably be this tear mole.

The tear mole was placed perfectly.

Even if this girl was indifferent and her gaze was firm, that tear mole deceptively gave people the impression that she was fragile, making them want to protect her.

Jing Qingxia could not help softly calling the girl’s name, with the same firmness she would have for the next several decades.

“Zhong Mingxue.”