AIDDPD Ch3

When Lu Zhao woke up the next morning, he felt something hard pressing into his hand from the ring he wore.

It was only then that he gradually remembered he was now a married omega. If not for this ring reminding him, Lu Zhao would have felt no sense of reality about it at all.

He and Bai Li got along too peacefully. Bai Li was an interesting person—Lu Zhao thought that if Bai Li were still in the First Legion, he’d actually want to be assigned to the same combat unit as him. Bai Li was far more interesting than most of the alphas in the Legion.

Lu Zhao got out of bed, and as he stood up, the shading layer on the floor-to-ceiling windows automatically receded, filling the entire room with the Empire’s early morning sunlight.

The round, chubby robotic butler rolled in with a new set of casual clothes on its head after getting Lu Zhao’s permission.

Lu Zhao glanced at his own loungewear—this was a set that Bai Li had pulled out of his own closet yesterday. Their marriage had been even more rushed than others thought. Or rather, neither of them had given much thought to handling it. Moving into this suite had been a last-minute decision, and Lu Zhao hadn’t even bothered to arrange any real estate, as he had always lived in the military dormitories.

Just as he was wondering whether he should have Huo Cun send over a few extra outfits, he heard the robotic butler beep twice and then announce in a ridiculously cutesy voice, “Welcome home, Master! Mwah!”

Lu Zhao was stunned speechless.

At the doorway, Bai Li’s voice sounded, and Lu Zhao finally understood that this was Bai Li’s doing—he’d set the greeting for the robotic butler.

Bai Li looked freshly back from exercise, his hair damp with sweat as he strolled to Lu Zhao’s bedroom door and glanced in. “Hey, Flower, you’re up.”

“This butler greeting is…something,” Lu Zhao said, too busy cringing at the butler’s voice to worry about any newlywed awkwardness.

Bai Li laughed uncontrollably. “It’s hilarious, right? If you can’t handle it, just change it yourself.”

“I can change it?”

“Yeah,” Bai Li answered while sipping water. “Last night, I added your management access, so now you can arrange things however you want here.”

Lu Zhao hadn’t expected this; after all, this property was Bai Li’s own. While Lu Zhao was his legal spouse in name, their relationship wasn’t truly that of partners. Lu Zhao thought about it and didn’t know what to say, so he just replied, “Thanks.”

“You can go freshen up first. I’ll wait for you to finish before I go,” Bai Li said nonchalantly with a nod.

Lu Zhao acknowledged him and started toward the washroom, unconsciously glancing at Bai Li’s legs as he passed.

Today, Bai Li wore workout shorts, revealing long, straight legs with tan skin—a testament to his long-term training. His muscles were firm, giving him a more aggressive look compared to the noble alphas who bulked up with strength supplements and quick-sculpting regimens.

Lu Zhao’s gaze lingered for a moment on the scar on Bai Li’s left leg, stretching from ankle to thigh like a twisted fleshy centipede. Just looking at the scar invoked an unbearable sense of pain. He had no idea how Bai Li had endured it back then.

Lu Zhao looked for just a moment, then said nothing and headed straight into the washroom.

“You can take a bath, but you’ll have to fill it first. I woke up late today and forgot, so you can just use the quick-clean function,” Bai Li’s voice called out from outside the washroom.

The washroom was spacious, and Lu Zhao immediately noticed the tub, large enough for two adults to bathe in—something you didn’t often see in the Empire, where advanced technology had made quick-cleaning a standard option, taking only three minutes for a thorough clean.

As Lu Zhao stepped into the quick-clean area and removed his clothes, his mind returned to Bai Li’s left leg. With such a severe injury, it was no wonder Bai Li had retired from the frontlines back then. Others didn’t know the story, yet they still dug up Bai Li’s personal history and flaunted it to the public, rubbing salt in his wounds.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhao was reminded of the injury he had suffered in a recent frontier battle. Bai Li lost a leg and still has his wound picked at; he could only imagine how many people would be reveling in his own injury if it ever came to light.

Lu Zhao raised his hand unconsciously, brushing over his abdomen, and let out a sarcastic chuckle.

It dawned on him then—Bai Li must have looked at his medical report last night, yet he hadn’t mentioned a word about it today.

Meanwhile, Bai Li was sitting on the sofa, toweling the sweat from his head. After quickly replying to some work messages on his personal terminal, he pulled up the medical report Lu Zhao had sent him the previous night.

This so-called medical report was really a full examination of Lu Zhao after the recent battle. Bai Li reread it carefully. The report stated that due to exposure to an unknown radioactive substance on the frontier planet, Lu Zhao had suffered extensive internal damage and was likely unable to have children.

Treatment options were still under research.

Bai Li closed the report and leaned back on the soft sofa. He rubbed his temples and muttered under his breath, “Was this how the original book was written? What the hell…”

From the moment Bai Li opened his eyes in this life, he knew he hadn’t been born into good fortune.

This world’s settings and characters were exactly like those of a harem novel he’d read in his previous life.

In the novel titled The Empire’s Number One Alpha, the protagonist was an alpha with initially weak mental strength, looked down upon by others in the aristocratic circle and compared to his powerful adopted brother. By chance, the protagonist’s mental power broke through, and he gradually made his mark in the military. But then disaster struck—the protagonist’s battleship encountered space pirates during a long-range patrol and was forced to land on an uncharted frontier planet after a fierce battle.

Stranded on this planet, the protagonist embarked on a long journey home, with his mental strength growing ever stronger, beginning his harem story with numerous omegas captivated by him, and different species from different planets joining him in bed.

Lu Zhao, too, was part of the protagonist’s harem in the novel. According to the story, Lu Zhao’s family had done a favor for the protagonist’s family, leading to an arranged engagement between them from childhood. However, Lu Zhao’s lowly background and residence on a vassal planet kept them from having much contact, and the engagement was never publicly acknowledged.

During the time the protagonist was missing on the frontier planet, Lu Zhao rose in the military ranks due to his own skill, so the protagonist’s family did not break the engagement. Unfortunately, not long after, Lu Zhao suffered injuries in battle, prompting the protagonist’s family to immediately annul the engagement.

With his age approaching and the engagement nullified, Lu Zhao was forced to marry an alpha matched for him by the Empire’s central intelligence.

This part of the story was barely touched on in the novel, only mentioning that when the protagonist returned to the Empire, he discovered that his original fiancée had married his injured, retired adopted brother. Furious, he stormed into his brother’s house and thus reunited with Lu Zhao.

As one of the protagonist’s harem, Lu Zhao had many fans in the novel. He was an independent and powerful omega—aloof and proud, with skills that eclipsed most alphas in the military. Unlike other harem members, he possessed a robust physique and handsome features. This strong-willed omega captivated the protagonist, who eventually pursued Lu Zhao to the point of making him divorce his legal partner to become one of his own, aiding in the protagonist’s career in the military.

When Bai Li read the novel, he’d thought that Lu Zhao must have gotten his brains knocked around in battle. Bai Li was one of the readers who liked Lu Zhao’s character, admiring his independence. He hadn’t expected that later on, these standout qualities would merely serve as a backdrop to highlight the protagonist’s harem powers.

Bai Li was now the male protagonist’s disabled foster brother.

When Bai Li realized he had reincarnated as a trash character, he was already deep into the storyline. Just thinking about the plot he was about to face made him so angry he could practically breathe fire.

To avoid following the novel’s script, Bai Li trained desperately. He became even more formidable in his early years than the original character, joining the First Legion at a young age and even avoiding the injury arc set in the novel. When he saw that he could truly change his fate, Bai Li breathed a sigh of relief.

But not long after, he was shot down and injured in a mecha battle, suffering the same fate as in the novel—his left leg was severely damaged, leaving him unable to pilot mechas.

Bai Li had poured in countless time and energy, only to delay the plot by a few months.

After all these years, just thinking about it still made him feel defeated.

“Aren’t you going to wash up?” Lu Zhao’s voice interrupted Bai Li’s thoughts. “You don’t look so good.”

Bai Li opened his eyes. Lu Zhao had finished his shower, dressed in the casual clothes Bai Li had prepared for him, and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a half-finished nutrient drink. Bai Li rubbed his face and replied, “Nothing, I just stayed up too late playing games.”

Lu Zhao nodded, looking back out the window.

The apartment was on a high floor, giving a panoramic view of the buildings and streets below. The main city district was lavishly planned, home to mostly nobles and military officials. You could see the latest luxury hover cars moving along the semi-transparent tracks in midair. Not far off was the famous “Sapphire” building, where most of the empire’s senior officials worked, coming and going in tailored suits or with military rank insignias.

“You seem to like it here.” Bai Li quickly emerged from the bathroom, not bothering with shoes. Barefoot, he grabbed a nutrient drink and joined Lu Zhao by the window, with the robot butler following him to clean up the water drops he left. “You stood here for ages yesterday too.”

Lu Zhao thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t say I like it. I just haven’t had the chance to overlook the main city at this time in the morning.”

“I’m practically sick of it.” Bai Li downed his drink in a few gulps. “I grew up in the main city. Before my old man passed, he even took me to the top floor of the Sapphire building a few times. From up there, everyone looks tiny and insignificant.”

Lu Zhao knew Bai Li was referring to the former head of the Bai family. The old man’s name was particularly revered in military circles.

Unfortunately, the old man’s only child was an Omega daughter, who had married into the Tang family. Due to imperial laws stating that only Alphas could inherit family estates, the old man required her first Alpha child to carry the Bai surname to inherit the Bai family’s vast legacy and honor.

That child, given the Bai surname and raised in the Bai household from birth, was Bai Li.

These thoughts only flashed briefly in Lu Zhao’s mind. He hadn’t mentioned his former engagement to Bai Li, nor did he know if Bai Li was aware of it. Taking a sip of his drink, he remarked, “The satellite I grew up on wasn’t prosperous. The last time I saw it from above was on the shuttle heading to enlist on the main planet.”

Bai Li turned to look at him, a gentle smile in his eyes. “So, were they tiny and insignificant?”

Lu Zhao couldn’t help but smile back. “Yes, they were.”

Bai Li didn’t ask about the satellite where Lu Zhao grew up, and Lu Zhao didn’t elaborate on that gray, desolate place filled with criminals and interstellar refugees.

The robot butler cleaned up the water on the floor. Bai Li casually tossed his empty drink bottle, which the robot swiftly caught before it hit the ground with two short mechanical arms, issuing a coy protest, “Oh master, you’re so mean~ How could you tease me like that~”

Lu Zhao: “…”

Bai Li laughed uproariously.

Lu Zhao was puzzled. “Our dorm has a robot butler too, but not like this.”

“I invested in a company that makes them, and I customized this one.” Bai Li couldn’t stop laughing. “Flower, tell me which model you like, and I’ll get one customized for your dorm.”

Lu Zhao thought to himself that whatever company took on Bai Li as an investor was probably unfortunate. Before he could respond, his personal terminal chimed.

As soon as he answered, Huo Cun’s voice came through: “Major General, I’ve arrived.”

“I’m coming down.” Lu Zhao finished his drink, seeing the robot butler scurrying over with its two little arms raised, ready to take his empty bottle.

Lu Zhao raised an eyebrow but placed the empty bottle gently on the little arms. The butler, accustomed to Bai Li’s abuse, froze for a moment before letting out a delighted squeal, saying, “You’re so kind!” as it tottered off to discard the bottle.

Bai Li laughed again, and Lu Zhao looked at him, feeling a bit speechless.

“Flower, you’re so kind,” Bai Li mimicked the robot butler’s tone, throwing Lu Zhao a flirtatious wink. “Are you heading out?”

Lu Zhao nodded. “To the Legion.” After a pause, he glanced back at Bai Li.

Before the engagement began, Lu Zhao and Bai Li had met once and agreed on a few terms. Lu Zhao had requested to continue working after marriage, and Bai Li had agreed without hesitation, leaving Lu Zhao’s accompanying officer almost speechless with surprise.

After all, in the empire’s traditional view, Omegas usually resigned and prepared for family life after marriage, as Alphas were considered the main contributors to society.

“Fine, give Huo Cun a punch from me,” Bai Li said, settling on the sofa to check his terminal.

Lu Zhao was almost at the door but paused. “Why would I do that?”

“He added me on the sim-combat platform last night. At first, he wanted to spar, but then, seeing my ranking, he asked me to carry him. Nearly knocked me out of the top 200,” Bai Li grumbled. “What kind of people does your Legion recruit these days? I barely got any sleep, thanks to him.”

Sim-combat, short for simulated star battles, was an old game Bai Li was playing last night. Despite its age, its top-notch production and stringent controls kept it popular with Empire fans of such games.

Lu Zhao chuckled but said nothing as he left in a lighthearted mood.

After he left, Bai Li slumped onto the couch, muttering to himself, “Reality’s a lot more thrilling than novels.”

Downstairs, Huo Cun sat in the hover car, listening to a few military notifications broadcast on the vehicle’s travel terminal.

Lu Zhao opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. Huo Cun lowered the volume to greet him, “Major General.”

“Mm. Let’s go.” Lu Zhao tossed a nutrient drink to Huo Cun. “Didn’t eat yet, did you?”

Huo Cun, still groggy, accepted it gratefully. He had a habit of sleeping late—something uncommon for a Beta, often even oversleeping compared to Lu Zhao, an Omega.

“Thanks, Major General.” Huo Cun laughed as he opened the bottle, studying Lu Zhao as he drank.

Lu Zhao, as calm as ever, finally noticed Huo Cun’s gaze. “What are you looking at?”

“Oh, nothing,” Huo Cun looked away, embarrassed but couldn’t resist. “Major General, how’s it going with Bai Li?” If things weren’t going well, he was ready to bring reinforcements to give Bai Li a piece of his mind.

As for combat ability, Huo Cun wasn’t worried about Lu Zhao holding his own against Bai Li, but Omega physiology made them particularly vulnerable to Alpha pheromones, which, combined with a powerful mental presence, could suppress Omega instincts into submission.

Not wanting to reveal the arrangement between him and Bai Li, Lu Zhao replied vaguely, “He’s interesting.”

Huo Cun relaxed a little. Although he thought Bai Li was unworthy of Lu Zhao, he was satisfied with how Bai Li treated him. “That’s good, then.”

“Did you play sim-combat with him last night?” Lu Zhao asked.

Huo Cun’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’ve got to give him some credit, Major General! Don’t let his attitude fool you—he’s incredible at sim-combat! I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine, but it turns out he’s a big deal in the main planet league. He took me on, and we steamrolled through several matches. And this is the main planet league! He’s amazing!”

Lu Zhao simply replied, “Mm. Before I came down, he told me to give you something.”

“What?”

Lu Zhao raised his hand and slapped the back of Huo Cun’s head. “He thanks you for nearly knocking him out of the top 200.”

Huo Cun: “…” Bai Li’s a real piece of work.

Then Lu Zhao gave him another smack on the head.

Huo Cun was stunned. “What was that for?”

Lu Zhao said calmly, “That was from me. You’re embarrassing.”

Huo Cun: “…” Your whole family’s awful.

Huo Cun downed the nutrient drink in one gulp, the familiar taste filling his mouth. Smacking his lips, he grumbled, “Drinking this every day is so tiresome. I’m really counting on the Legion dinner this month for a proper feast—maybe some crab-shell beasts from Black Star or those fruity warblers from B06 Star.”

“Be grateful you have something to fill your stomach,” Lu Zhao said, ignoring his complaints. He started fiddling with his personal terminal, settling down to handle some necessary paperwork in silence.