Chapter 6: The Chaebol Heir’s Canary — “One Last Time” Is Your Lie

Scorching breath washed over her ear. More than half of Shi Yu’s body went numb. Jiang Qiuyan had spoken with a smile, yet she sensed danger for no reason she could name.

Her instincts proved right.

An alpha lost in heat had no reason to speak of. One moment she was holding her and kissing her tenderly; the next, she bit her neck.

Sharp canine teeth pierced Shi Yu’s collarbone. Two small holes welled with blood.

Unable to bite Shi Yu’s gland, she settled for second best. Either way, she lost nothing.

Against pale, luminous skin, the two blood holes looked like red plum blossoms blooming on snow. Jiang Qiuyan ducked her head and gently sucked, her canines occasionally grazing Shi Yu’s tender skin, drawing involuntary shivers.

Even though this had happened once before, Shi Yu still wasn’t used to such intimacy. She pushed at Jiang Qiuyan.

An omega couldn’t refuse an alpha, especially one pressing down with pheromones.

With just a kiss, her mind already turned foggy and numb. If things continued, she’d become even stranger.

She didn’t want to lose control in front of Jiang Qiuyan.

Sensing her resistance, Jiang Qiuyan lifted her head from the crook of Shi Yu’s neck and looked at her questioningly.

The alpha’s eyes were fever-bright, long lashes damp with moisture, though whether from tears welling in her gaze or sweat on Shi Yu’s neck, one couldn’t tell.

She was fighting to stay lucid, but signs of losing reason were already surfacing. Heat wasn’t so easily resisted.

Shi Yu said softly, “You don’t have to be like this.”

Anyway, I’m just a tool for her to get through her heat. Why bother being so gentle?

Understanding her meaning, displeasure flickered across Jiang Qiuyan’s eyes. What did this little thing take her for? Some garbage alpha who turned into a beast under the influence?

True, alphas could become animals under pheromones. But she wouldn’t be like that.

A kitten this soft and sweet, she could never bear to hurt.

“Could you handle it otherwise?”

Shi Yu was silent for a few seconds before answering faintly, “I could.”

Like hell she could! Jiang Qiuyan rarely cursed, but looking at this delicate, docile little omega, how could she stay angry?

It was all that old brute Shi Huaixin’s fault, turning a perfectly good child into this. She’d make him pay eventually.

Jiang Qiuyan pecked Shi Yu’s lips and said, “Little Yu, from now on you don’t need to deliberately please me. If you don’t like something, say so. I won’t force you.”

Shi Yu blinked. “Really?”

Seeing her like this, Jiang Qiuyan thought she didn’t want to be intimate and pulled back slightly.

“Really. I won’t lie to you.”

This time Shi Yu answered quickly: “Then hurry up.”

“?” Now it was Jiang Qiuyan’s turn to freeze.

Shi Yu thought she hadn’t heard. She looped her arms around the alpha’s neck and kissed her, mimicking her motions with licks and sucks and nuzzles.

Jiang Qiuyan’s brain exploded. The reason she’d barely recovered crumbled again. Her heart was tossed into a whirlpool, spinning and churning until all that remained was the person in her arms.

Lips and tongues tangled. Woodsy scent mixed with floral as the room’s temperature climbed, the fragrance thickening to envelop them both.

Jiang Qiuyan was an excellent kisser, and Shi Yu was swept off her feet. Everything was hazy, as though treading on cotton. She sank into it without noticing the changes within herself.

Her fair skin gradually flushed pink, her gaze turned dreamy and unfocused, and pheromones spilled out continuously. She’d clearly lost control.

Jiang Qiuyan quietly opened her eyes, her breathing further thrown into disarray.

She tightened her arms, wrapping Shi Yu’s thin, supple body in her embrace. The kisses grew more intense and deeper, giving the other no room to breathe.

Shi Yu’s entire tongue was numb. Her lips burned around the edges. She didn’t need a mirror to know they were swollen.

Jiang Qiuyan sucked and pecked a few more times before letting go. Seeing Shi Yu’s misty eyes, her heart lurched.

Very suddenly, Jiang Qiuyan felt the heat inside her intensify.

A chill washed over her skin. The mist in Shi Yu’s eyes condensed into tears that fell. Long, thick lashes grew damp, making her look all the more pitifully lovely.

“How are you so… good at seducing people!”

Through gritted teeth, she dove in with fierce determination.

Shi Yu flinched in fright and instinctively clung tighter to her neck.

An unfamiliar sensation bloomed across her chest. Pounding with the heartbeat beneath, it pushed her body’s restlessness to a new peak. Lost and overwhelmed, Shi Yu could only hold Jiang Qiuyan tighter.

Jiang Qiuyan let out a muffled groan, amusement coloring her tone: “Don’t squeeze so tight. Are you trying to suffocate me?”

“I’m sorry!” Shi Yu hastily let go.

Jiang Qiuyan looked at her panicked eyes and swallowed hard. The hand on Shi Yu’s waist pressed firmer.

Delicate and timid, sweet and naive. Every gesture looked deliberately designed, yet they all came from pure instinct.

That was far more enticing than intentional seduction.

And the girl in question had no idea she was being provocative.

Jiang Qiuyan’s heart hammered like a war drum. To keep Shi Yu from hearing, she even straightened up. If the little kitten knew she got excited just from seeing those tear-filled eyes, she’d think she was a pervert.

She couldn’t scare her. The girl was too timid.

Shi Yu’s arms around her neck slipped away as the distance grew. She didn’t cling or resist, but she didn’t understand why Jiang Qiuyan had suddenly pulled back. Did I do something wrong?

If the alpha wasn’t satisfied, tomorrow she’d be sent back with Pei Shuyu.

Shi Yu’s heart clenched. Her mind sharpened instantly. Absolutely cannot go back to the Pei family. Absolutely cannot!

She wrapped her legs around Jiang Qiuyan’s waist, then, to the other’s startled gaze, kissed the soft flesh over that beating heart.

Jiang Qiuyan’s expression shifted from surprise to shock. She hadn’t expected Shi Yu to be so bold.

Shi Yu kept at it while watching the alpha’s reactions, murmuring, “I can make you happy too. I can do it well.”

Jiang Qiuyan swallowed hard and pressed a hand to her forehead.

Not only did she not find the girl presumptuous, she found the clumsy earnestness adorable. She really was bewitched.

She drew a deep breath, opened her eyes, pressed a hand to the back of Shi Yu’s neck, and with an arm around her waist, hoisted her up until Shi Yu was seated on her lap.

“Since you want to please me, I’ll give you a chance.”

Suddenly thrust into the “top” position, Shi Yu was deeply uncomfortable. Her gaze darted about, too nervous to look down at her.

Jiang Qiuyan watched her flustered look and raised her hand to slap her backside. A crisp sound rang out, and Shi Yu froze.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Qiuyan asked deliberately.

Shi Yu’s face turned even redder, her ears practically dripping blood. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she stammered, “Wh-why did you do that?”

Jiang Qiuyan raised one leg, tilting Shi Yu against her. She tilted the girl’s chin up and stared at her with unguarded intensity.

“Dislike it?”

Shi Yu’s dark pupils rippled like water, her shyness all the more alluring. She looked away and murmured, “Not exactly dislike. It was just so sudden.”

Jiang Qiuyan slapped her again. Shi Yu flinched and shrank closer.

“Used to it now?”

Shi Yu still wasn’t used to it, but she didn’t dare say so. If she spoiled Jiang Qiuyan’s mood, she’d lose her protection.

“I’ll get used to it.”

Her voice was syrupy sweet, so obedient it hurt to hear.

Jiang Qiuyan released her chin and cradled the back of her head to kiss her, sucking gently on those swollen lips, patiently and meticulously tending to every spot.

Soothed and comforted, Shi Yu gradually forgot her earlier fear. She thought: as long as she pleased Jiang Qiuyan well enough and made her happy, she could use her to leave Hai City and start a new life somewhere no one could find her.

“Focus.”

Jiang Qiuyan bit her lower lip before her lips and tongue moved on to new territory.

Wet, heated kisses landed on her chin, neck, collarbone. The gland at the back of Shi Yu’s neck itched and stung as pheromones flooded out like a broken dam, quickly filling the entire room.

Something felt off to Jiang Qiuyan, but she was already too far gone under the omega’s pheromones. Only one thought filled her mind.

“Jiang… Miss Jiang, what’s wrong?”

Shi Yu happened to catch Jiang Qiuyan’s gaze and was terrified by the torrent of desire churning in those eyes. Fear struck her out of nowhere.

Jiang Qiuyan said nothing. She pressed Shi Yu into her embrace, a hand drifting along her spine…

At a time like this, words were useless.

The tears trapped at the corners of Shi Yu’s eyes finally fell. She bit her lower lip hard to stifle any sound. Her hands gripping Jiang Qiuyan’s back curled, fingers tucking in so she wouldn’t scratch.

Jiang Qiuyan kissed her eyelids, cheeks, and the corners of her lips, voice low and rough: “It’s okay. Scratch if you want. With your kitten-strength, it won’t hurt.”

Shi Yu thought, That’s not true. Though she looked thin, she had real strength in her hands. Otherwise, how could she do so much heavy labor?

She shook her head, hugged Jiang Qiuyan’s neck tighter, and buried her face in her arms.

Jiang Qiuyan’s gaze deepened. She no longer restrained the force of her hands.

Shi Yu’s whimpers rose from the hollow of her shoulder, thin and soft like a kitten’s mewling, driving Jiang Qiuyan to madness again and again.

Jiang Qiuyan loved hearing those little cat sounds, but mewling alone wasn’t enough. She wanted to see Shi Yu’s red-rimmed, tear-streaked face, and more than that, she wanted to see her lose herself completely in her arms…

The more she imagined it, the more her blood surged, rushing to her head until Jiang Qiuyan plunged wholly into madness.

Shi Yu was jolted so hard her organs felt like they’d come loose. She beat desperately at Jiang Qiuyan’s shoulders, trying to reach the alpha’s reason, but the other couldn’t sense a thing. Those crimson eyes blazed with greed and fervor, as if they’d grind her to nothing.

Jiang Qiuyan wasn’t deliberately ignoring Shi Yu. She was simply under the grip of heat, reduced to a creature that knew only how to take.

Her lips grazed Shi Yu’s gland more than once, and it took superhuman restraint not to bite down.

Shi Yu lay limp in her arms, gasping for air, too exhausted even to blink. Jiang Qiuyan wiped the sweat from her forehead and nuzzled their noses together.

“Little Yu. Baby.”

Shi Yu didn’t know whether Jiang Qiuyan was calling her “Baby Little Yu” or saying Little Yu was her baby. Exhausted beyond measure, she couldn’t respond, but her heartbeat still quickened.

In all her life, no one had ever called her “baby” in such a gentle voice.

But it was just a pillow-talk line from an alpha in heat. She would have said the same to any omega.

Besides, her relationship with Jiang Qiuyan was one of mutual use. Emotions were unnecessary.

“What are you thinking about now?”

Jiang Qiuyan’s voice was muffled because she had something in her mouth…

Shi Yu looked down. The other’s face was pressed against her chest, those alluring phoenix eyes half-lidded, looking like a sly fox.

No matter how many times she saw it, Jiang Qiuyan’s beauty hit her like a physical force. She couldn’t fathom how such a gorgeous, high-ranking alpha could ever be short of omegas.

Jiang Qiuyan was displeased by her probing gaze. She bit down with her teeth, and Shi Yu’s mind went blank, all thoughts vanishing.

“If you want to know something, I’ll tell you. Don’t let that clever little head of yours run wild.”

She could see through Shi Yu’s thoughts at a glance. She couldn’t let the girl’s imagination wander, because… her thought process was not like anyone else’s.

Jiang Qiuyan worked her way down, venturing into hidden groves in search of paradise.

Shi Yu melted into a puddle, her hands naturally strengthless. She’d meant to push Jiang Qiuyan away, but halfway through the motion changed her mind and pressed the alpha’s head closer instead.

A wicked glint crossed Jiang Qiuyan’s eyes. Hands gripping the slender waist, her lips and tongue grew ever more deft in their exploration.

The overwhelming sensation sent waves of white flashing across Shi Yu’s vision. She softly called Jiang Qiuyan’s name, and Jiang Qiuyan answered every time but refused to stop.

After several rounds, some of Jiang Qiuyan’s reason returned, only for her to plunge into another extreme. She could hear and see clearly now but chose to have her way regardless, harder to restrain than before.

Shi Yu’s eyes were swollen from crying, her throat too hoarse to make a sound. She could only submit to whatever Jiang Qiuyan wanted, tangled up in her without end.

Jiang Qiuyan cracked open an eyelid to glance at her. Her tongue swept across the fragrant skin as she repeated the motion, picking up the pace until Shi Yu was crying with a trembling voice.

Shi Yu hiccupped and sobbed, gaze unfocused and glistening with tears. Her whole body blushed pink like a colossal peach blossom, glistening with crystal-clear dew.

Jiang Qiuyan kissed her with wet lips. After a tangled kiss, she asked, “Taste the sweetness?”

Shi Yu blinked, wrapped her arms around the other’s waist, and buried her face in the crook of her neck.

“So tired. No more…”

Her voice was ragged beyond recognition.

Jiang Qiuyan had already been stirring before the words left her mouth. Hearing them didn’t stop her. She coaxed, “Be good, Little Yu. One last time.”

Jiang Qiuyan’s “one last time” always had another time after it. Shi Yu had heard this line too many times now. She absolutely couldn’t trust it.

Shi Yu wriggled free of her grip and crawled toward the edge of the bed. Just as she was about to reach it, a searing hand caught her ankle.

She looked back. Jiang Qiuyan watched her with composed ease. That gaze was utterly assured, as if Shi Yu were prey within arm’s reach.

Not prey being hunted, but prey already in her mouth. In other words, there was absolutely no escape.

Before Shi Yu could react, Jiang Qiuyan had pressed close.

A slender, firm arm wrapped around her waist while the other slid from her neck downward, kneading and toying with soft flesh.

“Little Yu, do you want to leave me?”

Shi Yu leaned back against her and shook her head. Her face was flushed like a peach blossom, pure and lovely.

Jiang Qiuyan smiled and whispered, biting her ear: “Why run? It’s not like I’d eat you.”

Shi Yu wanted to cry but had no tears. If this isn’t eating, what is? There wasn’t a single spot left on her body that wasn’t sore. She was practically being peeled apart bone by bone.

And while her mind wandered, Jiang Qiuyan had already embarked on a new campaign.

The storm raged. Thunder rolled on the heels of lightning, conveniently drowning out a certain sound from within the room before it mingled with the rain to form a symphony of its own.

By the end, Shi Yu could no longer tell reality from illusion. She could have sworn Jiang Qiuyan was holding her and whispering her name, the voice gentle and tender, like calling a deeply cherished lover.

Must be because I’ve been worn out too thoroughly. How else could I have such a delusion?

Jiang Qiuyan’s hand drifted up to caress her cheek, her lips following close behind, kissing and nuzzling, treating her like a cat to be snuggled.

“Really, one last time.”