After Crossing Over, I Marked the Empress

The secret talks at the training camp concluded in an unexpected manner.

The Empress’s entourage boarded vehicles to return to the hotel.

Seated in the back, Gu Junwan closed her eyes and began mentally reviewing the day’s events after confirming Shen Han was uninjured.

‘Uncle Yu won’t waver in his support for Yuwei because of our earlier conversation. That much is certain.’

‘But my expectations have been met. In the upcoming confrontation with our hidden adversaries, even if he won’t actively help, at least he won’t interfere with my actions.’

‘That’s enough!’

‘Also, the incident Jiang Xinyue encountered may not be an isolated case.’

‘Medical staff, educators, and police play crucial roles in people’s lives. They are the first line of defense protecting the public. The bad apples must be removed.’

‘Building democracy is an arduous, long-term task. I hope one day equal rights will blossom across Federation lands.’

Thinking of Jiang Xinyue’s pheromone loss of control, Gu Junwan’s nose twitched slightly.

She hadn’t noticed earlier outside, but now in the enclosed car space with Shen Han, she detected a trace of someone else’s scent on her Alpha.

The scent had become extremely faint, imperceptible to those with less sensitive noses.

Moreover, Special Assistant Xu had actually absorbed more of the scent than Shen Han.

But Omegas are inherently sensitive to scents on their Alphas, and instinctively averse to other Omegas’ pheromones.

For these reasons, even if Gu Junwan wanted to ignore it, she couldn’t.

If no one else were in the car, she might have directly used air freshener to give her Alpha a thorough “cleansing” from head to toe.

However, with Xu Zhao and the driver in front, she couldn’t very well act so petty.

Gu Junwan discreetly shifted position, increasing the distance between herself and Shen Han.

This was to avoid feeling displeased with a certain Alpha.

In a situation like today’s, she knew rationally she shouldn’t care about such trivial matters.

But jealousy never listens to reason!

It comes, it goes, free as the wind!

Shen Han clearly noticed her Omega’s small movement away from her.

She felt uneasy, her thoughts a tangled mess.

‘Did my impulsive gunshot disrupt Junwan’s plans?’

‘I don’t know what got into Ning Xi. My actions were somewhat excusable, but her running up to kick him could be considered a violation of discipline if pursued!’

‘It’s all because I didn’t handle things well from the start. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have ended up like that.’

‘Junwan put so much preparation and effort into this meeting. I hope I didn’t ruin it.’

After fretting for a while, Shen Han felt she should proactively admit her mistake.

She silently slid next to Gu Junwan and whispered in her ear: “Junwan, I didn’t handle today’s situation well enough. Let’s discuss it properly when we get back. I’ll work hard to make up for it and earn merit.”

The warm breath on the Omega’s fair cheek and ear successfully tinged them pink.

The sudden “sneak attack” made Gu Junwan’s heart skip a beat.

But the faint unfamiliar scent that followed made her frown slightly.

Gu Junwan extended one slender jade finger, gently pushing the other’s head away from her ear.

Shen Han blinked, gazing pitifully at her Omega like an abandoned stray dog.

Gu Junwan was amused by her expression but didn’t relent in her resistance to the silly Alpha before her.

Her lips curved slightly as she mouthed: “You smell of something I don’t like.”

The guard team had lip-reading classes, an elective skill not mandatory for everyone to master.

After all, special guards and spies were entirely different categories.

Ma Haoyu, with his spy background, always ranked first in lip-reading exams. Shen Han’s performance was only middling.

But now, she easily understood Gu Junwan’s meaning.

Hearing that this was what her Omega cared about, Shen Han immediately felt relieved.

She even felt a secret delight: Junwan is so cute when she’s jealous!

After giving the Omega a “watch me” hand gesture, Shen Han immediately slid to the far end of the seat away from Gu Junwan.

Then, she quietly asked the front passenger: “Special Assistant Xu, can I have a bottle of air freshener?”

At some point, Xu Zhao’s briefcase had acquired a new regular item: special air freshener.

“One moment.”

Xu Zhao could guess why the Alpha in the back was asking for it, so she quickly rummaged in her bag.

If Shen Han could easily carry it herself, she certainly wouldn’t trouble Xu Zhao.

Every time the guard team went on a mission, they underwent uniform equipment checks, including both manual inspections and instrument scans.

Team members could privately carry things like lighters without issue, but always carrying air freshener would be awkward.

What, is there some major odor leak that can’t be contained?

After receiving the freshener bottle, Shen Han immediately began using it in the back corner.

Looking through the rearview mirror, Xu Zhao saw Shen the dog hunching her back, furtively spraying as if using insecticide, and found it rather amusing.

She felt no one would believe her if she told them about this.

That Captain Shen, who seemed like a “god of death” to others, behaved like this in private before the Empress.

Doing whatever the Mistress says, incredibly obedient.

‘Huh? Why did I use the word “Mistress”?’

After her mind wandered, Xu Zhao suddenly thought of an issue.

Omegas experience scent aversion between each other. She had stayed in the infirmary so long, surely Jiang Xinyue’s pheromone scent clung to her. Should she also use some air freshener?

With this thought, Xu Zhao took action.

After retrieving the small freshener bottle, she didn’t immediately put it back in her briefcase, but sprayed it several times on her shoulders and arms.

The driver didn’t know what had happened at the training camp earlier.

Seeing Captain Shen and Special Assistant Xu’s actions in the car, the middle-aged Beta became somewhat nervous.

A little figure paced back and forth in his mind.

‘What are Special Assistant Xu and the others doing? Is this some special fan culture ritual?’

‘Wait! I’m an insider now too. Will they pass the freshener to me after they’re done? I’m so excited!’

Of course, Xu Zhao wouldn’t pass the air freshener to him.

If she could hear the driver’s current thoughts, she’d probably have another headache.

Special ritual? What nonsense?

Only someone with a decade-old blood clot could come up with such questions!

“Special Assistant Xu.”

Hearing the driver’s voice, Xu Zhao paused as she was putting the freshener back in her bag.

She turned her face curiously: “What is it?”

The driver looked straight ahead, somewhat embarrassed: “Um, that thing in your hand, I haven’t sprayed it yet?”

Xu Zhao’s eyelid twitched behind her glasses.

She stuffed the small bottle into her bag and said irritably to the driver: “Just focus on your driving.”

Driver: “Oh~”

After eliminating the stray scents on herself, Shen Han didn’t brazenly cling to her Omega.

After all, there were others in the car. Propriety had to be maintained.

Just then, her work phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated.

Shen Han took it out and saw it was a message from Ning Xi.

[Boss! What should I do? Was I too impulsive earlier?]

[Will the Empress think there’s a problem with my work attitude? Will I be punished?]

Seeing the overwhelming survival instinct between the lines, Shen Han felt an inexplicable sense of balance.

She could even imagine Ning Xi’s anxious, cowardly appearance sitting in the car right now.

After some thought, she replied: [Now you’re scared? Weren’t you super brave earlier?]

Ning Xi: [Wuwuwu, I just saw our teammate being bullied. If I didn’t hit him hard, that beast of a doctor might dare to do it again.]

Shen Han: [He probably won’t have a next time. Those two shots Commander Yu fired weren’t simple. With a major artery hit by bullets, basic bleeding control and bandaging won’t save him.]

Ning Xi: [Let’s not talk about him. Back to the main issue, should I write a self-criticism report?]

Regarding this question, when they first got in the car, Shen Han wasn’t sure.

But after the air freshener incident, she had a general idea of Gu Junwan’s attitude.

The Empress never joked about important matters.

The fact that she cared about lingering scents in this situation was enough to show that today’s main task had been completed.

Additionally, Commander Yu’s final gun-firing action indirectly confirmed the talk’s success.

Otherwise, how could their side have left the training camp so easily?

[You still need to write the report. One thing is one thing. Your task at the time was to protect the Empress, but you acted on your own to go beat someone up. That’s technically a violation of discipline.]

[But you don’t need to worry too much about it. I saw that Junwan doesn’t seem to intend to punish you. In the end, she delivered the most vicious blow. Otherwise, do you think Commander Yu would have shot his own subordinate?]

[Remember to delete this after reading!]

Seeing this message from Shen Han, Ning Xi felt an immense weight lift from her heart.

After rapidly typing a reply, she immediately selected permanent deletion for their chat history.

Although it’s unlikely anyone would monitor her phone, security measures still needed to be thorough.

[Clinging tightly to Boss’s thigh! Take me on your adventures!]

Shen Han looked down at Ning Xi’s flattery and silently chuckled.

Then she received an inquisitive look from the side.

Shen Han deleted the chat messages, put away her phone, and turned to her Omega with a wide grin, showing her beautiful white teeth.

Gu Junwan smiled gently, mouthing to her Alpha: “Silly.”