Chapter 22: The Chaebol Heir’s Canary — This Golden Birdcage Was Made Just for You Part 2

She and Jiang Qiunian had only met a few times and exchanged no more than five sentences. They could hardly be called acquaintances. Why would she come looking for her?

Coming to find Shi Yu on her own, keeping it from Jiang Qiuyan, Jiang Qiunian naturally had her own motives.

On one hand, she was afraid Jiang Qiuyan would lose control if she learned where Shi Yu was. On the other hand, getting there first might win her Shi Yu’s affection and snatch her from Jiang Qiuyan’s grasp.

“Morning, Little Yu.”

A voice broke the silence. Chu Yuan inserted herself between the two, blocking Jiang Qiunian’s line of sight.

Both had bold, fiery personalities and striking, glamorous looks. Standing together, they created an oddly harmonious picture.

Chu Yuan glanced at Jiang Qiunian and narrowed her eyes at Shi Yu. “It’s getting late. We should head to class.”

Shi Yu nodded and said to Jiang Qiunian: “I have things to do. I have to go. Bye.”

The two got into a taxi, leaving Jiang Qiunian standing alone in the wind, bewildered. She turned to look, and Chu Yuan shot her a cold, disdainful glance with a mocking smirk.

Wasn’t she supposed to be deeply moved? What did it mean, dumping her like that?

And that damn alpha, was she provoking her? Jiang Qiunian was sure she’d never met her before, yet she felt inexplicable hostility from her.

What should she do now? Should she tell Jiang Qiuyan?

Jiang Qiunian fell into deep thought.

Shi Yu had been attending classes for several days and got along well with her classmates. Whenever she had trouble with a problem, everyone was happy to help. She loved the atmosphere.

After that day, Jiang Qiunian showed up from time to time, even playing pitiful and claiming she had nowhere to live, begging Shi Yu to take her in. Shi Yu flatly refused.

There was only one bed. If she gave it up, where would she sleep?

Several times, looking at that face whose eyes and brows bore a faint resemblance to Jiang Qiuyan’s, she nearly asked how Jiang Qiuyan was doing.

Luckily she held back. Otherwise, knowing that Jiang Qiuyan was living happily wouldn’t have made her happy either.

The more time passed, the clearer Jiang Qiuyan’s face became in her mind. There was a faint, hazy feeling in her heart, but she didn’t know what it was.

Jiang Qiunian wanted to keep pestering her, but Chu Yuan grabbed her by the collar and dragged her away.

“Harassing a single omega every day. Looks like you want to take a trip to the police station.”

Jiang Qiunian turned, her gaze cold and dark. “Let go!”

“I’d let go even if you didn’t ask. Disgusting.” Chu Yuan released her and clapped her hands together disdainfully, as if Jiang Qiunian were some kind of germ.

“Who are you calling disgusting?”

“Exactly who you think. What of it?”

Shi Yu watched them bicker, her head swimming. She turned around, went inside, and shut the door, sealing out the noise.

She reached up and felt her forehead. Sure enough, she had a fever.

She’d been running low-grade fevers on and off lately but hadn’t thought much of it. After a shower, she climbed into bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

In a haze, she felt someone touching her face. The hand was cool and comfortable. She couldn’t help leaning into it and nuzzling. A low laugh came to her ears.

“Still as affectionate as ever.”

Who was speaking? The voice was familiar, but she couldn’t place it.

She drifted back to sleep, dismissing it as a dream.

When she woke again, the sun was shining and the sky was a clear, brilliant blue. If someone hadn’t been yelling at the top of their lungs, it would have been a perfectly lovely morning.

Her head was groggy and her body felt heavy. Shi Yu slowly sat up and saw a used suppressant on the nightstand.

She’d thought it was just a fever. Turns out her heat had arrived.

But when had she taken the suppressant? She had absolutely no memory of it.

“Little Yu, are you okay? Open the door!” Chu Yuan pounded frantically on the door.

Shi Yu set aside her questions and opened the door. Seeing her unharmed, Chu Yuan let out a long sigh of relief.

“You haven’t been to class in three days and you didn’t answer your phone. I thought something had happened to you.”

“I’m fine. But you…”

Shi Yu didn’t know how to put it and decided not to say anything.

Chu Yuan reeked of alpha pheromones. The bite marks on her gland were red and swollen, looking thoroughly…

Perhaps Shi Yu’s gaze was too direct. As if remembering something, Chu Yuan silently pulled her collar higher, her expression turning awkward.

“That stinking alpha won’t bother you again. Don’t worry.”

Before Shi Yu could respond, she added: “Get some rest. I’ll head back. I’ll ask for leave at the prep school for you. No rush to come back to class.”

Chu Yuan left, her steps a little unsteady, muttering curses under her breath as if she deeply loathed someone.

Shi Yu tilted her head and thought about it. She figured things would be quiet for a while.

Shi Yu turned back inside and lay down on the bed again. The quilt seemed to carry a familiar pheromone scent. She rolled over and buried her face in it.

She’d been here for over a month now, and every night she still reached for that nonexistent embrace. Her dependence on Jiang Qiuyan ran deeper than she’d imagined.

She took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and stared into space.

Doesn’t everyone say time heals all wounds? I’ll forget eventually.

The small town’s hotel room was cramped and shabby, with an unpleasant odor. But Jiang Qiuyan seemed oblivious. Her entire focus was on the laptop in front of her.

This was every movement Shi Yu had made since arriving here. A simple back-and-forth between home and the prep school. Every day she took a detour to buy herself a bouquet of flowers. She was taking good care of herself.

On the screen, Shi Yu suddenly turned and smiled. Jiang Qiuyan’s heart lurched, and she instinctively held her breath.

On closer look, she’d been smiling at someone else.

Pain shot through Jiang Qiuyan’s chest. She felt suffocated. Her hand clenched and unclenched again and again, unable to suppress the turmoil inside.

She’d planned to let the little cat live on her own for a while, but she seemed to be enjoying herself far too much, with another alpha right there beside her.

“What am I going to do with you, Little Yu? This is something I absolutely cannot tolerate.”

Jiang Qiuyan snapped the laptop shut. A smile rose on her dark face, but her eyes were freezing cold. Her amber irises were shadowy and unreadable, as if quenched in ice.

Guarding her silently? Ha! What a foolish idea.

She’d thought that after all this time together, Shi Yu would have developed some feelings for her. But it had all been wishful thinking. While she’d been joyfully dreaming of their future, Shi Yu had already planned her escape.

In that case, she didn’t want to wait any longer.

Ever since her heat, Shi Yu had been a bit listless. But there was nothing physically wrong with her. She was just lazy and uninterested in everything.

One day, Chu Yuan, who hadn’t visited in a while, showed up with several hairy crabs. Shi Yu’s gaze shifted from the crabs to her face. “I don’t have the tools to turn these into food,” she said flatly.

Chu Yuan knew that, of course. That was exactly why she’d come.

“Then let’s eat at my place. We can have dinner together.”

Shi Yu was too lazy to move, but her appetite won out in the end. She surrendered to the hairy crabs.

The two houses were close, and the rose-covered wall between them was in full bloom. As they passed, petals blew off and scattered across the ground, clinging to their clothes.

Chu Yuan reached over and plucked a petal from Shi Yu’s bangs. Looking down at her, her eyes were soft and tender.

Shi Yu blinked blankly and thanked her.

They walked side by side, their silhouettes a perfect match.

As they neared Chu Yuan’s place, Shi Yu looked back over her shoulder, eyes full of confusion.

“What is it?”

“I keep feeling like someone’s watching me. And the stare is… so intense, like it could burn a hole through my back.”

Chu Yuan scanned the surroundings but spotted nothing suspicious.

“Must be your imagination. If it makes you uncomfortable, let’s just hurry inside.”

Shi Yu nodded and went inside with her. Meanwhile, out of their sight, an alpha burning with jealousy nearly ground her teeth to powder.

Her eyes were bloodshot, fists clenched, veins faintly bulging at her temples.

No wonder she refused to reach out even once. She already had someone to ease her loneliness. Good. Very good!

Not until that slender, lively figure disappeared from view did Jiang Qiuyan look away. Her expression had returned to normal, her amber eyes calm as still water.

After the peak of madness came stillness. But this stillness carried the unmistakable hush before a storm.

Chu Yuan went to the kitchen to cook. Outside, a gust of wind swept through, sending countless petals against the window before they drifted slowly to the ground.

Such a beautiful scene, but Shi Yu had no appreciation for it. Her mood, like the suddenly shifting weather, had turned restless and uneasy.

Without any reason, she’d suddenly grown agitated and desperately needed an outlet.

“Chu Yuan, I’m not feeling well. I’m going home. Let’s eat together next time, my treat.”

“Huh?”

Shi Yu blurted “I’m really sorry” and stumbled out the door.

The wind carried damp rain. Heavy leaden clouds blanketed the sky as if about to fall. Shi Yu looked up. Drifting flower scents mingled with a faint hint of pine.

She froze. Even knowing it was impossible, she couldn’t help searching for that familiar figure everywhere.

Nothing.

Shi Yu didn’t understand why she was like this. All she felt was her heart being squeezed, as if something were about to spill out from within.

Fat raindrops pattered against the ground, quickly becoming a downpour. Shi Yu seemed not to notice, walking home through the rain.

The moment she stepped through the door, she collapsed.

Her body wouldn’t obey. Just as she was about to hit the floor, someone caught her from behind.

Shi Yu fell into a warm, broad embrace, inexplicably familiar. She tried to turn and look, but was swept up into someone’s arms.

The sensation of weightlessness hit her. She instinctively gripped the person’s arm, but her head spun harder and her vision blurred further.

Who are you?

Shi Yu opened her mouth and lost consciousness completely.

The alpha carried her into the bathroom and stood under the running shower, paying no mind to her expensive clothes. Only when Shi Yu’s temperature returned to normal did she wrap her in a towel, dry her off, and lay her on the bed.

Whether from the steam of hot water or falling ill from the rain, Shi Yu’s cheeks were flushed an unhealthy red.

Jiang Qiuyan reached out to feel her forehead. Shi Yu caught her hand and nuzzled against it. Her eyes opened slightly, and she murmured in a daze: “I missed you so much.”

Jiang Qiuyan’s breath caught. She leaned closer. “Say that again. You missed what?”

Shi Yu closed her eyes again but still wouldn’t let go of her hand.

Was it an offhand remark, or did she mistake her for someone else? Jiang Qiuyan’s eyes darkened. She stared at Shi Yu for a long time, but couldn’t bring herself to say a single harsh word.

“What am I supposed to do with you?” She pressed her forehead to Shi Yu’s cheek and murmured softly.

In the middle of the night, the fever burned Shi Yu awake. Throat parched, she tried to get up for a glass of water but tripped over something beside the bed and fell on top of it.

“Mm…”

A muffled groan came from beneath her. Shi Yu’s muddled mind stalled. She looked down. The room was dark, with no moonlight tonight. All she could see was pitch black.

A stranger had entered her home. Logically, she should have been afraid. But strangely, not only was she unafraid, she didn’t mind this person’s embrace.

An arm circled her waist. The person held her and slowly sat up, pressing her into their embrace. After a long pause, they said: “Why are you in heat again?”

Less than a week had passed since her last heat.

Shi Yu had no idea. This was her first time experiencing such a thing.

Alpha pheromones drifted into her nostrils. Her body trembled uncontrollably, her throat growing tighter and drier, her entire body burning.

“J… mm…”

The name hovered on her tongue, ready to spill out, but ultimately remained unspoken. Shi Yu pressed herself against the alpha and sought out her lips in the dark.

She seemed intimately familiar with this alpha’s body, getting what she wanted without any effort.

The alpha’s body went rigid. It took a while before she caught her breath. “Do you know what you’re doing?” she asked softly.

As she asked, a wave of frustration swelled inside her. She caught Shi Yu’s wandering hands.