With all the angst I throw at you, I thought it would be nice to space out some of the pain by sprinkling in some Alternate Universe mini-stories. I envision them to be about 2-3 chapters in length, and are usually fun, smutty, and are canon in so much as they are indeed true Alternate Universes. When the novel is completely done, I will separate the extras into their own arc/section. For now, just enjoy the ride.
The first AU story features an Alpha Li Changyu that is a king of a nomadic group and an omega prince Jin Xiyan. Second is so-called-black bellied CEO Jin Xiyan and thief extraordinaire and sex worker Li Changyu. Third (but maybe not last?) is a rags to riches Cinderella Jin Xiyan and hot sexy General Li Changyu.
Without further ado, let’s get to the hot stuff!
What am I going to do?
Jin Xiyan sighed as he looked out the window of the carriage, watching the city and the suburban villages fade into the forest scenery. The road turned from decently tamped down to rocky, which made the ride bumpy and agitated his already nauseous stomach. He was on his way to his destiny, which might as well be his doom.
He was the first omega Prince to be born into the Royal Family of Dashan for quite some time. Jin Xiyan’s upbringing was spoiled with riches and served the finest foods, but this lavish lifestyle came at a heavy price. He grew up knowing that his life was not his own, and that it was at the whim of his Emperor Father. With alpha Brothers all vying for the throne, the Emperor’s greedy hands clinging to the crown, being an omega there was nothing more than being a pretty pawn. Jin Xiyan knew this day would come, but he had hoped that it wouldn’t have been so soon.
He was barely past his eighteenth birthday, and now he was traveling for who knows how long to reach the Sui Kingdom to marry Crown Prince Qin Yuze. He never even met the Prince, only his portrait. He was an attractive alpha, but there was a lifeless quality to the painting the likes of which he’d never seen before. The reminder of his dark, calculating stare made him shiver.
“Your Highness, are you alright?” his eunuch servant, Su Ao, asked. “Please, this humble servant asks that you shut the curtain before you catch a chill.”
Su Ao fussed by pulling a blanket out from under the carriage seat and laying it over his lap. Jin Xiyan’s heart squeezed at the tender way Su Ao tucked the blanket in and smoothed it out. Su Ao is more like my Mother than my birth one…
“I am fine, Su Ao. Could you fetch me a book from my bag? Any book will do.” Jin Xiyan was unsure how well he could tolerate reading while being rocked around, but he wanted to try something in order to calm his nerves.
Su Ao did as he was asked and pulled out one of the few possessions he managed to pack with him. Books and his paint set were his most prized belongings, but his Family prioritized the decorative robes and jewels to pack. He was to be a Wife, not a scholar, or so his Mother said.
Jin Xiyan reached his hand out when Su Ao offered him a book, and his fingers barely grazed the spine when the carriage pitched hard in one direction. Su Ao slid along the bench and slammed into him, the bag in his lap and the book tumbling down to the bottom of the carriage. A horse let out a high pitched whinny and shouts surrounded them. Su Ao let out a cry himself as he landed hard on the floor when the carriage jerked again. Jin Xiyan reached out to try and catch his eunuch, but he was too late, and he too tumbled to the floor.
Landing face first, his cheek hit the hard wooden bottom of the carriage. His lip caught between his teeth and the force split it, blood dribbling down. Jin Xiyan pushed himself back up onto his knees when a loud crack! rang out and the carriage fell forward, sitting at an angle now that made them slide down towards the front. The duo tumbled out through the opening for the driver, which only had a small flap of fabric to cover it.
Dust from the dirt road clouded around them, and all that Jin Xiyan could make out were tall shadows that began to surround them. His disorientation quickly changed to panic when the dust started to settle and revealed a small crowd of alphas that surrounded them. They dressed in Northerner clothing, which was strange because they were so far South that they normally didn’t roam here.
Su Ao immediately flung himself in front of Jin Xiyan, his shout of warning less reassuring and firm with his stuttering.
“R-r-run! I will h-h-hold them off, Young Master!”
Guilt and fear made him hesitate, but Jin Xiyan saw the look in Su Ao’s eyes. He scampered onto his feet and bolted towards a gap between two alphas that he could easily slip through. The two burly men lunged at him when he drew near, but by sheer luck, Jin Xiyan ducked just enough that he was out of their reach. He headed to the woods by the roadside, his slippered feet pounding against the ground.
Jin Xiyan was already out of breath by the time he reached the trees, unused to both the level of fright he was experiencing and exerting his body so physically. He persisted on sheer will alone, knowing that if he was captured, it was bad enough that he was a Prince – adding the fact he was an omega on top of that spelled out his doom.
The sound of his pursuers made it feel like they were right behind him. They spoke in harsh tones that Jin Xiyan assumed were curses. He weaved around a tree and one of his would-be kidnappers let out a sharp yell. Jin Xiyan couldn’t hear their footsteps behind him, but he would not stop. He turned his head to look back, mostly to reassure himself that he was too fast for them, but there was no one pursuing him. The two men just stood beside a tree with their arms crossed, looking smug.
Maybe they are lazy predators. His pounding heart swelled at the sliver of hope that his running was too much trouble for the Northern men. Just when he turned his head to look in front of him, he slammed face first into something – something hard. The force of the collision sent him back, his feet trying to find purchase so he would fall, but his left ankle twisted awkwardly as he landed. He fell onto his ass with a hard thump. Jin Xiyan quickly looked up to see what he assumed was a tree that he ran into, but the thing he hit wasn’t a something but rather a someone.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The man was clearly an alpha, by his height and sheer oppressive energy that emanated from him. A pair of bright golden eyes stared down at him, framed by two sleek brows that arched with a curious look. His hair was as black as ink, held back in braids and a long flowing ponytail. Shiny beads of silver and stone decorated his hair that matched his silver hooped earrings. His clothes were also Northern, with a dark purple shirt with fur around the collar. On his arms were black leather vambraces that were layered like dragon scales, which for some reason emphasized how large his hands were. The stranger rubbed his chest, which was probably where Jin Xiyan made impact.
Jin Xiyan gulped when the alpha lifted his gaze to the men behind him and spoke in a foreign tongue. It sounded like he barked an order before reaching down towards him. Jin Xiyan was frozen in fear, making it easy pickings for the alpha to quickly scoop his arm around Jin Xiyan’s waist and hoist him up and over his shoulder. The world turning topsy-turvy kicked him out of his stunned shock. He started kicking and squirming when the man walked forward. When he pounded on the man’s back, he was struck on the rear end with one of those large hands. Jin Xiyan yelped.
“You cannot do this! Put me down right now!”
Another smack sent a sting so hard he could feel it in his lower back. He quieted down, telling himself that he complied because it was better to conserve his energy, not because he was doing what the ruffian demanded. Jin Xiyan couldn’t make out where he was being carried to until he was unceremoniously dropped down. He landed hard on his feet, aggravating his likely sprained ankle. Jin Xiyan stumbled but was caught by Su Ao, who thankfully looked unharmed. Su Ao took hold of Jin Xiyan’s arm and supported his back with his own, keeping him close.
They were back by the carriages, with the men unloading the items and treasures from his dowry onto their own carts. Beside them were servants and guards that were tied together, with many of them gagged. The ones not silenced were quiet and trembled, though there were a few that were content to glare at the perpetrators. Jin Xiyan felt a pang of guilt and remorse at seeing his people like this.
Jin Xiyan took a hobbled step forward and spoke to the back of the man who accosted him, “Let them go this instant! You can take me, I am far more valuable!”
The man tilted his head slightly before turning it to look over his shoulder at Jin Xiyan. Jin Xiyan was given that same arched brow stare before a smile spread across the man’s lips. Jin Xiyan’s face flushed, feeling that the smile was more charming than sinister, and he scolded himself for that thought. The man snorted and turned back to his fellow bandits, where they exchanged words. The man walked away, and if Jin Xiyan had thought the man was tall, an even larger alpha came up to them.
The giant woman was at least a head taller than the man. Though her size was imposing, her face was not unfriendly, but rather neutral with kind, pale eyes. She had a length of rope and tied Jin Xiyan’s wrists together, then Su Ao’s. With the remaining bit of rope, she tied it off to the saddle on a solid black steed that had a white mark around the snout and up its jaw. It looked like the horse was giving a large smile.
“Your Highness,” whispered Su Ao, “are you alright?”
“I am fine. What about you? Did they hurt you, Su Ao?”
Su Ao shook his head, “They did not hurt any of us, save for a few guards that tried to fight back, but nothing life threatening.”
That is a relief. Jin Xiyan sighed. It appeared that the bandits were mostly concerned about the goods, not actually harming people. But why only take us? Jin Xiyan’s relief was short lived, reminded again that he was the only omega amongst the group. He’d read plenty of stories where omegas were kidnapped for their status alone. His Kingdom of Dashan was one of the few that had plenty of omegas, but others would pay a pretty penny for an omega.
A cold sweat broke out across Jin Xiyan’s brow as reality set in. Unless he could escape, that was likely his fate. So lost in thought, Jin Xiyan did not notice the man who caught him had mounted the horse.
“Jia!” The man squeezed the sides of the horse, urging it to a slow pace. In his distraction, Jin Xiyan didn’t move until he was jerked by the rope and lurched forward to walk in a shuffling limp. Glancing back at the caravan, the guards and servants were left alone back with the empty carts and carriages. Some Northerners walked by foot, but many of them were on horses as well.
They moved further and further away from the site of the attack, thus further and further away from possible freedom. Jin Xiyan was unsure how far they had traveled by now, but it felt like ages. Even though the group traveled at a leisurely pace, each step made Jin Xiyan’s leg throb. Jin Xiyan was unused to this sort of pain, which was worse than the few times he’d been punished by a paddle. He focused on taking careful steps, but his attention was pulled away by Su Ao’s gasp.
“Your Highness, you’re bleeding!”
Jin Xiyan blinked and looked down, where the hem of his robe did have a stain of blood. He looked up at Su Ao and bit back the pain, not wanting to make Su Ao any more anxious about him.
He strained to smile, “I am alright. It’s noth–oomf!”
Jin Xiyan bumped into the side of the horse, which suddenly stopped. The beast knickered like he was offended. He lifted his head higher to look at the rider, who turned to look back at him. Those sharp golden eyes honed in on Jin Xiyan’s robes by his feet.
Jin Xiyan frowned. Had he heard us? If he didn’t speak their language, perhaps he was just offended that they were talking at all?
The man turned back to the giant woman who rode beside him and barked out a few words. The woman, in turn, addressed the others with an equally sharp string of sentences. By this behavior, it seemed like the man was in command of this small group of bandits. Then the man swung his leg over and dropped down from his horse, landing in front of Jin Xiyan. Again the imposing figure came much too close for comfort. Jin Xiyan hunched his shoulders forward, trying to make himself even smaller. His eyes widened when the man pulled out a large, menacing knife from his belt.
Is he going to cut out my tongue?! Panic made Jin Xiyan tremble, and the man paused in his advance before he grabbed one of Jin Xiyan’s forearms in a tight grip. He cried out in surprise at the sudden contact and watched in horror as the knife was lifted up. Jin Xiyan shut his eyes tight, unable to bear the sight. Then there was a snap and the weight at his wrists was gone, making his eyes fly open.
The man had cut him free of his bonds and let go of him. He swiftly put his knife back in the sheath at his belt and bent down to scoop up Jin Xiyan like a child. The turn of events made Jin Xiyan too stunned to speak for the moment, but when he was carried away, his senses returned. He squirmed, unused to such intimate contact though it was hardly a friendly gesture. He was being manhandled, for heaven’s sake!
The man knelt down on a patch of grass away from the bandits, but still very close by. He dropped Jin Xiyan onto the ground and grabbed his wrist. He looked into Jin Xiyan’s eyes for a moment before letting him go and reaching for the end of his robes. When he started to push them up, Jin Xiyan’s heart leapt into his throat. On instinct, he kicked out and tried to scuttle backwards away from him, but the man was quick. He grabbed Jin Xiyan’s other foot and yanked it hard, bringing Jin Xiyan back towards him. Jin Xiyan’s legs splayed and the man loomed over him.
Despite his fears, Jin Xiyan looked the man in the eye and begged, “Please do not hurt me!”
Wordlessly, the man stared down at him. His gaze should have been more threatening, but instead they were still curious. Jin Xiyan’s pulse thrummed in his ears and his chest ached as his heart slammed against it. The man grabbed the hem of his robe between two hands and tore it apart with a loud rriiipp!! He created a large split that went up to his knee, exposing his injured leg. The man cradled his foot in one and removed his slipper, carelessly tossing it over his shoulder.
“H-hey! Unf!” Jin Xiyan hissed in pain as the man lifted his leg up higher to investigate the wound. Jin Xiyan looked at it himself, seeing a gash along the side of his leg, with blood trickling down to his swollen and purple ankle. The pain from his sprain must have clouded the pain from the cut which was likely caused by a rock or other debris on the forest floor when he landed.
The man frowned at his injury, like it was a bothersome pest. They were frozen like this until the woman who accompanied him approached with a vial, a cloth, and a strip of bandages. The man lifted a hand and took the cloth first and dabbed at his leg. Jin Xiyan hissed again and flinched, hiking up his robe further. His sense of decorum returned, he clutched at the tear and pushed the ends together to try and maintain some shred of modesty.
The alpha tending to him met his eyes again and snorted, an amused smirk on his smug face. Jin Xiyan blushed and he bristled at the thought of being mocked by the man who caused his injury.
“I would not be in his situation if it was not for you,” he huffed. Jin Xiyan felt comfortable muttering under his breath, since they could not understand him. “You scoundrel, I will not let you–ow!”
The scoundrel in question pinched a fleshy part of his calf that was exposed. His gaze sharpened into a flinty stare before smirking again.
Did…did he..? Jin Xiyan voiced his worry, “You can understand me?” There was no response, but Jin Xiyan tested his luck. “You are a brute!”
Jin Xiyan received another glare and pinch, making Jin Xiyan yelp. “You can understand me!”
His lips pulled into another smirk as he answered fluently, “Yeah. What of it?”
The man’s voice was smooth, his tone confident and rough, which leaned towards cocky. It stoked Jin Xiyan’s ire again, and his heart gave a loud ba-dum! ba-dum!
“If you can understand me, then you can help me communicate!” squeaked Jin Xiyan.
The man swapped the cloth for the vial next, pouring a gel-like substance that was cold enough that it startled him more than the pinch. Jin Xiyan kept his protests to himself and focused on the more important things.
Again the man did not respond. He exchanged a glance with his female companion and then looked back down at Jin Xiyan’s injury, where he began to rub his hands gently over the wound and bruising skin. He spread the substance around with a massage, Jin Xiyan’s skin tingling at the contact.
“Who is your leader?” Jin Xiyan pressed.
“…”
“Is he close? Are you taking me to him?”
“…”
Growing frustrated, Jin Xiyan let out a huff. “If you interpret and help me convince your leader to negotiate my release, I will reward you greatly!”
That apparently caught the man’s interest, because he turned his attention back to Jin Xiyan.
“Oh?” he drawled. “A great reward?”
Bandits, always thinking with money. This would work to his favor. Jin Xiyan grabbed at the opportunity quickly before it could pass him.
“Yes, a great reward. You have most of my goods, but I can request for more in exchange for my safe return.”
“…I’ll consider it.” The man shrugged one of his shoulders nonchalantly. He lowered his foot, and Jin Xiyan was surprised to find that his leg was no longer in pain. It was a little numb and tingly. Though he was unsure what exactly was put on him, Jin Xiyan welcomed the relief. The man took the bandages and unrolled them.
As the man wound the bandage around his ankle, Jin Xiyan asked, “What are your plans for me? You only took me.”
“We are taking you back to the main camp.”
“Then what? Do you know what your leader wants?”
It seemed the man was one of few words, because he was back to being silent. He tied off the bandage, but before he could pull his hand away Jin Xiyan reached out and took hold of the man’s wrist.
“Please…” whispered Jin Xiyan, his hold tightened as he trembled. He was reluctant to make eye contact with the intimidating man, but he needed to convey as much emotion as he could to try and move the man. They locked eyes and the man’s deep yellow eyes flashed with something. The man didn’t pull away, giving Jin Xiyan enough courage to ask, “What is your leader like? Is he fair?”
“You could say he is fair…” The man slowly pulled his hand away and picked up the towel. Wiping his hands, he continued, “But it is not the first thing that people say about him.”
Then there is some hope. Jin Xiyan tried to keep his hope small in order to stay rational. To fish for more information, he asked, “What is the first thing people say about him?”
“They talk about how handsome he is.”
The woman, who’d been quiet so far, choked on a cough. She turned away and coughed into her fist, her shoulders trembling. The man shot her a sideways glare, but otherwise did not pay her any mind. Jin Xiyan examined the man’s face, considering his words. If he is an example of his people, then perhaps their leader is as handsome as he says.
“May I know what your leader’s name is?”
A smug, feral grin spread across the man’s face before he answered.
“Li Changyu.”
I love how u portray that badtard Qin in this nomad
Hehe, I want him to be a scumbag.
Interesante nueva historia con un cambio total de roles. Es como leer otra novela. Thanks for the chapter!🥰
¡Espero que la disfrutes tanto como la historia original! You are welcome <3
Haha! It does feel pretty good to see Li Changyu manhandling Jin Xiyan and amusing himself (and Shen Pei?). He definitely has enough personality to occupy a big alpha body! I can’t wait to see where this goes ❤️.
Yep that is Shen Pei! And I think that everyone will 100000% love Alpha LCY.
LCY as an alpha is going to be so good. Him talking up his own ass shows his confidence is already there. JXY still being all proper and royal even as a kidnapped omega, I can dig it.
LCY and JXY react very differently being kidnapped.
JXY: My goodness! clutches pearls
LCY: spreads legs in a split
Thanks for the coffee snort 🤧
more like split the emperor’s legs😏
Thanks for the chapter ❤️❤️
you are welcome!
first thing I read on new years no regrets uwu
Ahhhh! Thank you! That is such an honor!
AHA AHAHAHA!!! SHIRO IS BACK!! LETS GO ALPHA LCY GO GO GOOOO!!! (ﾉ≧∇≦)ﾉ ﾐ ┻━┻
Enjoy the ride!