Chapter 66 p1
Close relative.
The words sent a chill down Xu Jinnan’s spine.
While this world’s setting was similar to her original world, with the exception of the ABO dynamics, the basic principles of genetics remained the same.
Close relatives shared too many similar genes, limiting genetic diversity in their offspring and increasing the risk of inheriting harmful recessive traits.
Incestuous relationships significantly increased the risk of genetic disorders.
This could explain the original Xu Jinnan’s mental instability, her differentiation defect, even her violent tendencies.
“They’re insane,” Xu Jinnan muttered, her worldview crumbling. She suddenly remembered something from the original Xu Jinnan’s memories.
Xu Lian’s words to Xu Tao echoed in her mind: “We don’t even know if she’s an Alpha yet, let alone an S-class. If she turns out to be an Omega… then your precious daughter is a failure.” She had found those words strangely ominous, like they were trying to breed a superior Alpha…
And now, looking at the list, all the potential mates were S-class.
In this world, Alphas represented only 5% of the population, Omegas 10%, the rest Betas.
And even among Alphas and Omegas, S-class individuals were incredibly rare.
Based on the compatibility list, most of the matches were between 50% and 60%.
Lu Yun was the only one with a compatibility level above 90%.
So… the original Xu Jinnan had likely been an experiment – an attempt to breed a pure, superior Alpha through incest.
And Xu Lian’s words had been a chilling prophecy; the original Xu Jinnan had indeed become a failure…
A dysfunctional waste.
—
It was almost midnight. Xu Jinnan’s car was parked in a secluded area, the only light coming from a dim streetlamp and a few flickering ground lights, like fireflies about to be extinguished.
The faint glow was like the eyes of the underworld peering into the world of the living.
She still had another photo, and after taking a few minutes to process the first one, she slowly pulled it out.
The date on the second photo was twenty-two years ago, five years after Xu Tao and Lu Yun’s marriage.
This list was shorter, with fewer names.
Carriers of S-class Omega Genes, Total 4:
Four entries followed, labeled X1, X2, X3, and X4, like products, not people.
Their information was just as detailed as before, but instead of a compatibility level, each entry had an “S-class Omega Differentiation Probability.”
Ranked from lowest to highest, X4 had the highest probability – 95%. Exceptional.
Xu Jinnan’s gaze lingered on X4’s information. Birthdate: 1121.
Shen Shu’s beautiful face flashed through her mind, her heart skipping a beat before quickly returning to its normal rhythm.
What am I thinking? It’s just a coincidence. It can’t be.
She refocused on the photo. If the original Xu Jinnan had been an experiment, a product of incest, what about these children?
She remembered the little girl in the courtyard, the one Xu Lian had been abusing… Xu Lian had said the girl was meant for Xu Tao’s branch of the family, originally intended for the original Xu Jinnan.
Meaning, for some reason, the Xu family had stopped choosing mates from within the family, starting with the original Xu Jinnan.
Xu Lian’s mocking words to Xu Tao echoed in her mind: “Mother has so much faith in your genes, already making plans for her future.”
A chilling thought occurred to her, a thought both absurd and plausible.
There weren’t many S-class Alphas or Omegas in the Xu family. Out of the old matriarch’s three children, only Xu Tao was an S-class Alpha.
Perhaps, due to the scarcity of high-ranking Omegas within the family, they had found these children, carriers of S-class Omega genes, as potential mates?
The thought made her blood run cold.
And what had happened to them? The original Xu Jinnan had never mentioned X4. Where had she gone?
What had happened to these children?
Her hands trembled as she put the photos away, her mind racing, then going blank, overwhelmed by the implications.
She sat in the car for half an hour, staring out at the deserted road, raindrops starting to splatter against the windshield, blurring the already dim landscape.
The asphalt road, glistening with moisture, seemed to stretch endlessly into the darkness, threatening to swallow her whole.
A distant light flickered, and her phone vibrated, breaking the silence. She looked at the caller ID.
Shen Shu.
Shen Shu: [Not coming home tonight?]
Xu Jinnan stared at Shen Shu’s profile picture for a moment, then typed a reply: [I’ll be back. Go to sleep.]
After sending the message, she started the car.
Two simple photos, yet they held a weight heavier than any book, secrets she needed time to process.
Especially the fact that she was in the body of a child born from an incestuous relationship.
It meant she could face unforeseen health risks, both physical and mental…
She felt a deep sadness, a profound sense of despair.
If she had known this earlier, she wouldn’t have pursued Shen Shu. She would have stayed away…
Perhaps then, they wouldn’t be living together, sharing meals, commuting together, hugging, kissing…
Horseback riding.
Receiving concerned messages from Shen Shu.
Her heart ached, a heavy, suffocating feeling.
—
At 2 a.m., she parked in her designated spot at Xingcheng International, turned off the engine, and put the photos away before getting out of the car.
It was drizzling, but she didn’t bother with an umbrella.
She didn’t want to.
The night air was cool, and she pulled her jacket tighter around her, her posture still proud and confident, her usual aura of authority undiminished.
She opened the apartment door.
The dim light in the hallway felt warm and welcoming, dispelling the chill of the night.
She looked up and saw Shen Shu’s bedroom door slightly ajar.
She quietly changed into her slippers, the light blue ones they had bought together, the matching pink ones still in the shoe rack.
She heard soft footsteps from Shen Shu’s room and, composing herself, looked up, a smile playing on her lips. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
Shen Shu stood at the doorway, glancing at the damp strands of hair clinging to Xu Jinnan’s forehead. “Waiting for you,” she replied without hesitation.
In the soft, almost ethereal light, Shen Shu, wearing her pink strawberry pajamas, her long, dark hair loose and flowing, looked unusually gentle.
Xu Jinnan walked over and instinctively smoothed a stray strand of hair from Shen Shu’s forehead, the familiar scent of her pheromones filling her senses.
She paused, then pulled her hand away.
“Weren’t you tired from horseback riding?” she asked. “It’s late. Go to sleep.”
Shen Shu tilted her head back slightly, meeting Xu Jinnan’s gaze.
“What’s wrong?”
Chen Yue must have delivered something.
Xu Jinnan’s heart was heavy. She wanted to talk, to share the burden of the day’s discoveries, the shocking revelations, but she wasn’t ready yet.
“Shu Shu, I’m tired,” she said softly.
Shen Shu’s eyes, usually cool and distant, held a warmth that surprised Xu Jinnan. She didn’t ask any further questions.
She simply leaned closer, her arms gently circling Xu Jinnan’s waist.
Xu Jinnan’s body stiffened, her heart skipping a beat, then she remembered her damp clothes. “I’m cold. I got rained on,” she said, gently pulling Shen Shu’s arms away.
Shen Shu’s grip tightened slightly. “Then you should use an umbrella next time,” she murmured, her face close to Xu Jinnan’s ear, her voice like a soothing balm.
Xu Jinnan couldn’t resist.
“It’s okay,” Shen Shu whispered. “Everything will be okay. Do you understand?” The last sentence, though soft, held a certain firmness, a quiet strength.
“Okay,” Xu Jinnan replied, her voice a mixture of amusement and exhaustion.
The only lights on were the dim ones in the hallway and Shen Shu’s bedroom, the soft patter of rain against the windows creating a peaceful, almost dreamlike atmosphere.
Shen Shu held her for a moment longer, then slowly released her, her gaze lingering on Xu Jinnan’s troubled expression. “Go take a shower, then get some rest,” she said softly.
“Okay.”
Only then did Xu Jinnan’s heart begin to calm down, the earlier turmoil subsiding slightly.
She went to the bathroom, the water hotter than usual, perhaps because of the cooler night air.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Shen Shu’s bedroom door was closed.
Exhausted after the long day, she climbed into bed, trying to push all thoughts aside.
She closed her eyes, and a few minutes later, a soft knock came at the door.
She hadn’t locked it since moving in. She turned on the bedside lamp and called out, “Come in.”
She squinted, then, seeing the person at the doorway, paused. Shen Shu was holding a blanket. She closed the door behind her without looking at Xu Jinnan.
“…Shu Shu?”
Shen Shu walked over to the bed. “Move over,” she said.
Xu Jinnan: “…You…”
She was stunned, her words catching in her throat, a sudden shyness washing over her.
She was still capable of feeling self-conscious, even now.
Shen Shu repeated, her voice calm, “Move over.”
Xu Jinnan, her mouth slightly agape, shifted to the side, making space on the bed. “…Are you sleeping here?”
Shen Shu placed the blanket on the bed. “Where else would I sleep? On the floor?”
“…That’s not what I meant,” Xu Jinnan said, the familiar sweet scent of Shen Shu’s pheromones filling the air as the blanket settled on the bed.
She paused. “Why are you suddenly…”
“Don’t you like it?” Shen Shu asked, her tone serious, yet with a hint of playful challenge.
Xu Jinnan: “…”
Shen Shu’s ability to deliver such suggestive lines with a straight face was both frustrating and endearing.
Even though she knew what Shen Shu meant, she couldn’t quite believe it.
“It’s not that,” she replied. Which normal woman wouldn’t like this?
But it was so unexpected.
As Shen Shu shifted closer, Xu Jinnan instinctively moved her own blanket to the side, making space for her.
Shen Shu sat down on the bed, pulling the blanket over her legs, then snuggling deeper into the covers.
“Xu Jinnan.”
“Yes?”
Xu Jinnan looked at her, noticing the faint redness of her earlobes in the soft light. “Turn off the lights. It’s time to sleep,” Shen Shu said softly.
—
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