The Empire Doesn't Assign Partners [Interstellar]

“Report: 3S-class Sentinel Jiyao requests Guide Yudong as his marriage partner. We await the organization’s approval.”

“Sorry, no,” Yudong said, standing in the snow just a step away. She tilted her head, her eyes and brows smiling. “The Empire doesn’t assign partners anymore, Jiyao. You have to woo your own wife.”

~~

Before Yudong appeared, Jiyao thought the idea of a destined soulmate was complete bullshit. He would never open his mental domain to anyone, not even to a Guide with a high compatibility rating.

On an afternoon when his mind was in chaos, the homeroom teacher introduced the new student at the front of the classroom. Jiyao’s fringe was damp with sweat. He raised his eyes listlessly. The new student was fresh-faced and charming, her lovely eyes already holding a hint of tenderness even without a smile. Most importantly, her pheromones, though faint, smelled wonderful.

Like a pear blossom’s pale white on a branch, like a white lotus just beginning to bloom, like autumn dew on bamboo leaves and snow softly falling from winter plum blossoms. Her pheromones were cool and pure, as if they held the freshness of all four seasons.

He liked her pheromones.

Theme: Youth, coming of age, and growing up.