Omegaverse: Salted Fish Life in the Yaoi Novel

The sun shone brightly overhead, yet the light that fell across the children’s playground was soft and almost ethereal, as though the sky itself had decided not to spoil their fun. Laughter rang out across the open field as the children raced in every direction, desperately trying to avoid being tagged.

Shen Guoxing was right in the middle of it, laughing along with her new friends every time someone else got caught. One of the current taggers spotted her standing nearest and immediately charged. Shen Guoxing only smirked, stuck out her tongue in pure cheekiness, and darted away at full speed.

The boy’s eyes widened. Determined to get payback for that mischievous smile, he chased after her with everything he had. Unfortunately for him, Shen Guoxing had drunk the Perfect Foundation potion earlier. The effect turned her into something close to a little super-soldier.

After only a short pursuit the boy staggered to a stop, both hands braced on his knees as he gasped for air. "You..." he managed between heavy breaths, pointing a trembling finger at her.

Shen Guoxing smiled and tilted her head, the picture of harmless innocence. "I’m...?"

"You are..." the boy’s chest still heaved. He stared at the ground, trying to catch enough breath to finish the sentence.

"I am a what?" Shen Guoxing asked, walking closer—not because she needed to hear him better (her enhanced senses could catch a whisper from far away), but because she wanted to make sure he was all right.

The moment she came within arm’s reach, the boy’s exhausted expression flipped into a triumphant smirk. He lunged forward and slapped her shoulder hard.

"I got you! Tagged!" he shouted, already spinning around and sprinting for his life while his laughter echoed across the field.

Shen Guoxing stood frozen, one hand still half-raised in the air. She blinked several times and stared at her own palm in disbelief. Did I... Did I just get tricked?

A full minute passed before she snapped out of the daze. When she looked up she found her new playmates clustered in a corner, laughing so hard some of them were holding their sides. Something hot and competitive flared inside her chest—an unfamiliar, exciting fire she had never felt before.

She cracked her neck once, smirked, and said simply, "Run."

Then she bolted.

To the other children it was as if a sudden gust of wind had appeared. They scrambled to their feet in pure panic.

"Ru–run!" they screamed, the cries of mock terror bouncing across the playground.

Shen Guoxing grinned at their reactions, thoroughly entertained. Her eyes flicked left and caught sight of Leilei, who was running in the opposite direction with her back turned. Shen Guoxing changed course without hesitation and closed the distance in seconds.

Leilei, meanwhile, was feeling rather proud of herself. Shen Guoxing went after the ones on the right side, and I ran left. I might actually escape this round, she thought, a satisfied grin spreading across her face.

She had no idea that a certain seeker was already right behind her, the potion’s effects making the chase effortless. Shen Guoxing reached out and lightly touched her shoulder.

"Got you."

Leilei froze. When she turned and met Shen Guoxing’s bright, grinning eyes, she let out a scream so loud it probably woke half the village. Shen Guoxing’s own eyes widened in surprise. She quickly patted Leilei’s shoulder again, softer this time, as if to say it was only a game.

Leilei, face burning with embarrassment, opened her mouth to explain—or cover up—the scream. But the moment she looked into Shen Guoxing’s clear, completely innocent eyes, every coherent word vanished.

"Uh.. ahhh.. oh....." was all that came out.

She pressed her lips together and wanted to bang her head against the nearest tree. Leilei, you keep digging your own grave! She scolded herself mentally.

What she did not realize was that every changing expression on her face was being carefully observed. Shen Guoxing tilted her head, reading the shifting emotions with surprising accuracy.

Is she embarrassed? Shen Guoxing wondered. Then her eyes lit up. Wait.. is this the same kind of telepathy Aunt Wanyan and Aunt Xingxue have?

She had believed she would have to wait years before gaining anything like that ability. Now she glanced at the still-flustered Leilei and smiled with pure, sunny innocence.

I already found her, she thought.

And with that quiet realization, she unknowingly signed herself up for whatever new schemes the World’s Will might decide to play with next.

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While the children continued laughing and running across the distant playground, the atmosphere on the farmland remained sharp and charged. Gu Chengze still gripped Su Wanyan’s collar tightly, eyes burning with barely controlled fury. In stark contrast, Su Wanyan regarded him with a soft, almost teasing smile.

"Wow, quite the reaction," she said lightly, nodding toward the way he had stormed across the field. "Was it really that shocking to find out what you really want?"

She laughed as Gu Chengze’s expression twisted, looking as though he had been forced to swallow something extremely bitter.

He raised his free hand, clearly prepared to strike. Before the blow could land, another hand closed firmly around his wrist. The grip was warm but unyielding.

"That’s enough," one of the staff members said, stepping between them and fixing Gu Chengze with a steady glare. He lowered his voice so only the two alphas could hear. "We just got here. Preferably, we don’t want to get kicked out so soon. The company put a lot of money into this segment."

Gu Chengze looked from the man’s face to the hand restraining his wrist. After a tense second he yanked his arm free, spun on his heel, and strode back toward his own plot without another word, already preparing to start the second stage of tilling.

After he left, Su Wanyan calmly adjusted her collar, then offered a quiet, respectful bow toward the staff members and especially toward the one who had intervened. The man returned a small smile and a casual wave, as if to say the matter was already forgotten.

Su Wanyan chuckled under her breath, straightened, and prepared to resume her work. But before she did, she glanced once more in Gu Chengze’s direction. He was already glaring at her again.

In response she simply smiled and stuck her tongue out at him—an openly playful, childish gesture designed to needle him further. Then she dropped her gaze to the soil and began tilling once more, completely ignoring his existence.

Gu Chengze’s glare only intensified. He snatched up the shovel and attacked the ground with aggressive force, driving the blade deep and yanking it back with unnecessary violence.

That pathetic alpha! He seethed, pouring every ounce of residual anger into the earth. Hiding behind others and avoiding conflict. In his mind Su Wanyan was nothing more than a coward.

Conveniently, he had erased the two previous occasions on which she had already bested him in a fight. The evidence that she could hold her own—perhaps more than hold her own—had been carefully locked away in the parts of his memory he preferred not to visit.

He forced his attention fully onto the soil and continued tilling with harsh, angry strokes.

Seeing that no actual fight was going to break out, Qin Yuran and Zhao Yichen both released long breaths of relief and returned to their own plots. The brief interruption was officially over.

Meanwhile, as Su Wanyan worked in a smooth, efficient rhythm, her thoughts turned elsewhere.

Usually in this kind of challenge the main characters either take first place or end up dead last, right? She mused. If they’re not the winners, they’re at the bottom so they can ’show everyone what they’re made of,’ slap the villains’ faces, and then slowly grow closer until they fall in love.

A small smirk curved her lips. Well, I’ll definitely take first place. But if the usual pattern holds, won’t Gu Chengze and Lin Xuanyu fall to last?

Almost as if the thought had been heard, Gu Chengze suddenly encountered trouble. Large rocks began appearing in the soil of his plot—ones he had to dig out by hand—followed by clusters of smaller stones that slowed him down considerably. He cursed under his breath, glaring at the ground as though it had personally offended him.

Su Wanyan chuckled quietly when she noticed. Aha. It worked.

She had long suspected that the World’s Will was powerful and probably listened to the thoughts of everyone present as raw material for new plot developments. She had not expected it to respond quite this quickly. Another small smirk formed.

The World’s Will exists mainly to protect the main characters, but it also exists to push those two closer together. I didn’t realize it could be this.. straightforward. Or this stupid.

Earlier she had tested it with smaller ideas: what if she stumbled and people rushed over in concern? What if Zhao Yichen or Qin Yuran somehow outperformed Gu Chengze? She had floated those possibilities deliberately, waiting for any reaction. However, nothing significant had happened.

Yet the moment her thoughts touched on Lin Xuanyu and Gu Chengze being forced into greater proximity or shared struggle, the World’s Will had moved almost instantly, arranging "divine" interference.

Su Wanyan laughed under her breath again. It’s like a dumb system, if you ask me.

And already she was beginning to form several quiet, careful plans on how best to exploit the loophole she had just discovered.

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I definitely did not accidentally fall asleep again last night... DEFINITELY NOT.