After Crossing Over, I Marked the Empress

The alpha’s words were clear and forceful, her voice tinged with an indescribable excitement.

Even Xu Zhao, diligently reheating dishes in the kitchen, heard it crystal clear.

This ‘formidable general’ who had long been by the empress’s side, swift and decisive, couldn’t help but blink thrice.

She silently put down the ladle in her hand and tiptoed out.

Soon, a curious head poked out from the living room corner, along with eyes widened in shock.

In the living room sofa, the empress was lowering her gaze, carefully applying ointment to that dog… that alpha lying on her lap.

Gu Junwan’s slightly curled black hair slid down her shoulders, obscuring half her face.

A delicate, obedient eartip peeked out from her long hair.

The visible redness betrayed the omega empress’s unsettled emotions.

Her fingertips gently pressed on the back of Shen Han’s neck.

When touching the gland, she always withdrew quickly.

Her movements were so gentle, as if afraid of hurting the alpha on her lap who could easily take on ten opponents.

Although Xu Zhao, being a beta, couldn’t smell any pheromones, at this moment, she could almost feel the intertwining auras between those two in the living room.

The special assistant retreated to the kitchen with a smile, continuing her work.

She thought it was quite good to have such an alpha who could move the empress’s heart.

However, the latter seemed somewhat mercurial.

If only she could change that explosive temper that could erupt at any time, that would be even better!

In the living room, on the sofa.

Surrounded by the incredibly soothing subtle plum fragrance, Shen Han quickly fell asleep.

Gu Junwan knew she must be exhausted today, so she didn’t wake her.

After putting away the ointment jar with its lid tightened,

The empress lowered her gaze to the alpha’s head, hesitated slightly, then tentatively reached out to stroke her long hair.

The young alpha’s hair was soft and delicate, warm, like the finest warm jade in the world.

During the day in the training room, to hide the suppressant patch on her neck, the young alpha had deliberately let down her ponytail, just like this docile appearance now.

But strangely, though in the same form, under that omega instructor’s teasing in the afternoon, she had been like a temperamental lion.

As Gu Junwan pondered, she began to smooth the little lion’s fur.

The silky hair flowed through the omega empress’s slender fingers, bringing waves of crisp and gentle snow cedar scent.

Xu Zhao came to the living room carrying a soup bowl.

Looking up, she saw her empress earnestly ‘petting the dog’.

After setting out all the dishes, feeling somewhat superfluous, the special assistant finally walked to the sofa.

She whispered: “Your Majesty, shall we eat now or later?”

Gu Junwan was too embarrassed to be too intimate with Shen Han in front of others.

She discreetly withdrew her slender hand and spoke softly: “We’ll eat later.”

“Go handle this: that instructor called He Meng, from tomorrow on, needn’t come to work at the compound anymore.”

Xu Zhao acknowledged and immediately took her phone to the balcony to make calls.

Before leaving, she glanced at the alpha sleeping soundly on the empress’s lap, oblivious to this matter.

She thought: Indeed, our empress either doesn’t act, or strikes decisively when she does!

But that instructor deserved it, repeatedly offending right under the empress’s nose.

…

Early morning.

He Meng, gloomy all night, arrived at the office with dark circles under her eyes that even foundation couldn’t hide, and a foot still sore from twisting it several times last night.

Just as she entered, she saw staff clearing things from her desk.

Standard work items were set aside.

While all her personal items were being collected into a cardboard box.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

He Meng, ignoring her still-aching foot, rushed forward in a few steps, shouting at the staff.

The burly male beta naturally wouldn’t be intimidated by her shout, nor affected by her unique datura pheromones.

Several people quickly tidied up the workstation.

One of them expressionlessly said to her: “Miss He, from now on, you are no longer a compound member. You will no longer have the right to freely enter and exit the office area. Please cooperate and return your work card.”

He Meng could hardly believe what she was hearing!

She unconsciously stepped back, her voice becoming shrill: “On what grounds? What rule did I violate? I haven’t received any written notice, you have no right to make me leave!”

After saying this, she turned and left the office.

Feeling the schadenfreude in the gazes of many around her, He Meng felt both humiliated and furiously indignant.

This compound job was actually dispensable for her.

But as the young miss of the He family, she had always sailed smoothly through life. When had she ever suffered such ‘inexplicable’ grievance?

After making several phone calls and learning that the person who ordered her dismissal was Xu Zhao, she immediately changed direction, heading straight for the compound’s special administrative office area.

Others might fear that Special Assistant Xu by the empress’s side, but He Meng didn’t!

Of course, the reason the newly dismissed Instructor He wasn’t afraid was that she didn’t feel she had violated any serious regulations.

Serious enough to be driven away without any reason given!

When He Meng rushed to the special administrative office area in a rage, she found to her dismay that her access card couldn’t open the entrance hall doors.

Great grief and frustration clouded her mind.

She stood with her arms crossed in front of the semi-transparent card-swipe gate, and began to loudly denounce.

“Chief Secretary’s Office Assistant Xu Zhao, abusing public power, unjustly harming others’ interests!”

“I request an audience with the respected Empress! I ask the Empress to arbitrate, to give innocent victims a bright sky!”

“…”

It was during office hours, with people coming and going in the office area.

In no time, this incident was spreading like wildfire, with some even livestreaming in the communication groups.

The building security, seeing she wore a compound office work badge and appeared to be rightfully defending herself, couldn’t forcibly drag her away.

They could only temporarily control her on the spot, then quickly report to the leadership.

In the Secretary’s Office, Xu Zhao was about to brew coffee when she saw young Dong from the secretarial team rushing over, his phone playing a noisy scene on speaker.

“Sister Zhao! Quick, look at this!”

Xu Zhao didn’t stop her movements, leaning her head to watch the livestream on the phone screen for a while, then suddenly said with a cold laugh: “She’s really asking for death.”

But young secretary Dong was extremely anxious.

As fellow members of the assistant team serving the empress, Xu Zhao had always been the well-deserved leader, most trusted by the empress.

Now with someone causing such a scene at the office.

Regardless of the truth of the matter, in everyone’s eyes, Special Assistant Xu had already been splashed with dirty water.

Xu Zhao leisurely took a sip of coffee, then only under young Dong’s urgent urging did she take the phone and head to the gate.

As soon as Xu Zhao appeared, the onlookers, both open and hidden, immediately perked up, not wanting to miss such an exciting gossip scene.

He Meng, surrounded by security in the lobby corner, also perked up.

She raised her chin and, across the human wall, began to speak sarcastically to Xu Zhao.

“Special Assistant Xu, you’re really throwing your weight around. Want to get rid of me? Who gave you this power!”

Xu Zhao had originally been somewhat angry.

But hearing these words, she immediately felt amused inside.

She thought secretly: Naturally, it was the empress!

The Secretary’s Office was always busy, and Xu Zhao, as the empress’s special assistant, was the busiest of all.

She didn’t want to waste energy on such an unreasonable person.

So she called over two more security guards and had them directly take the person away.

“Instructor He Meng, there’s no public written disciplinary document for you out of consideration for your reputation.”

“You have time to make a scene here, why don’t you reflect on what regulations you violated in your work?”

Hearing Xu Zhao say this, He Meng couldn’t help feeling somewhat guilty.

But things had already come to this point, and she wasn’t willing to be dismissed with just a word.

Taking advantage of the moment the security guards were dragging her, she shouted loudly: “I demand to see the Empress! Let go of me, I want to see the Empress!”

Xu Zhao was getting a headache, just thinking about whether to have security directly gag her.

The phone in her pocket began to vibrate.

It was the phone number of Gu Junwan’s office.

The empress’s cool, calm voice came from the other end of the phone: Bring her to see me.

After hanging up, Xu Zhao looked at the security guards and said with a gentle smile: “Let Miss He in.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but everyone present heard it clearly.

Immediately, a low murmur swept through the entire office lobby.

Even He Meng was stunned.

For some reason, seeing the smile blooming on Xu Zhao’s lips, she felt a chill down her spine.

“What… what are you going to do?”

“As you wished, Miss He.” Xu Zhao pushed up her glasses, then began to lead the way. “Taking Miss He to the empress’s office.”

He Meng was ‘escorted’ forward by two beta security guards, her legs subtly weakening.

Though she had been so arrogant at the gate earlier, now that she was really being taken to see the empress, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat afraid.

After the security guards ushered He Meng into the office, they retreated.

Xu Zhao stood to the side with her hands down, showing no intention of speaking.

The entire office was so quiet that only the ‘scratch scratch’ of the empress’s pen moving across paper could be heard.

Along with He Meng’s panicked heartbeat.

The empress sat behind her desk not far away, reviewing documents.

A few thin beams of morning sunlight penetrated through the curtains, falling on the edge of the desk, seeming to gild that cool and elegant woman with a layer of sacred light.

Also an S-rank omega, Gu Junwan, just sitting quietly, could make He Meng feel a sense of shame.

She stood rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do, her throat feeling stuffed with cotton.

The impassioned words at the gate earlier now couldn’t even squeeze out a single syllable.

Xu Zhao stood silently to the side, gloating inwardly while also very curious.

She was already eager to know how the empress would deal with this person who didn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth.

This was no audience of a superior with a subject!

This was clearly a confrontation between omegas!

However, that He omega’s current performance was utterly weak.

Gu Junwan let the other stew for a full fifteen minutes before finally tightening her pen cap and closing the open file on her desk.

A pair of heart-stirring golden phoenix eyes looked towards He Meng’s direction.

A light, casual voice resonated in the quiet office.

“You have strong objections to my handling method, Miss He?”