Chapter 24: The Chaebol Heir’s Canary — Don’t Mind Me, I’ll Play by Myself

Shi Yu’s cries pulled Jiang Qiuyan back to reality. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she released Shi Yu almost instantly.

Looking at the trembling, pitiful thing she had bitten, every inch of her body screamed one word: misery.

Shi Yu’s gland had swollen, its color an unnatural vivid red, ringed with bite marks. Blood seeped from where the canines had pierced.

If an omega wasn’t marked willingly, both parties’ pheromones would reject each other, resulting in exactly this kind of situation.

Jiang Qiuyan’s pheromones had been entirely “driven out,” and Shi Yu’s gland had sustained some degree of damage. Jiang Qiuyan couldn’t bear to look at the trembling omega in her arms, afraid of seeing disgust and resentment on her face.

She had never lost control like this before. What was wrong with her?

Just as she was about to set Shi Yu down to fetch the medicine kit, the omega in her arms clutched her arm.

“Can you untie me now?”

The omega looked up at her, eyes wet and glistening, like a newborn fawn, small and helpless.

Perhaps it truly hurt too much. Her body was still trembling slightly, her face scrunched up. But in those pure eyes, there wasn’t a trace of dislike.

Jiang Qiuyan’s heart felt like it was being grabbed, crumpled, and then smoothed out again. This familiar yet unfamiliar sensation was a flutter.

As if it were an instinct written into her DNA, she liked Shi Yu.

“It must hurt, right? I’m so sor—”

“Miss Jiang,” Shi Yu interrupted, “can you untie the chains on my hands first?”

Jiang Qiuyan didn’t know whether Shi Yu was desperate for freedom or simply didn’t want to hear her apology. But the fault was hers, and she couldn’t blame the girl for anything.

She reached out to undo the golden chains on Shi Yu’s hands. Shi Yu watched with wide, expectant eyes.

The moment her hands were freed, she looked at the red marks on her wrists, and tears of grievance fell. Jiang Qiuyan tried to comfort her, but was subtly avoided. Shi Yu curled up in the corner, pressing her hand against the bleeding gland, burying her face.

She looked so wronged that Jiang Qiuyan didn’t dare approach.

The air fell into an agonizing silence. After a long time, just before Jiang Qiuyan couldn’t hold back and spoke, Shi Yu spoke first.

“Were you going to give me to Shi Huaixin?”

She lifted her head, but wasn’t looking at Jiang Qiuyan. She was staring at the chain around her ankle.

A flash of insight struck Jiang Qiuyan, and suddenly some things clicked into place.

So my wild imaginings were spot on. I’ve truly become this irredeemable monster.

Jiang Qiuyan reached out to hold her. Shi Yu flinched instinctively, her eyelashes trembling with fear.

Jiang Qiuyan simply opened her arms, looking down at her without a word, yet somehow saying everything.

With her life in the other’s hands, Shi Yu didn’t dare defy her. She obediently burrowed into her embrace.

She had thought the worst was death, nothing to fear. But when Jiang Qiuyan bit her gland, she suddenly felt that life was precious indeed.

It hurt too much. Better to stay alive.

“Shi Huaixin is crippled and in a psychiatric hospital. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Shi Yu froze at first, then abruptly shot up from her arms, staring at her with wide eyes, as if weighing the truth of her words.

“Don’t believe me?” Jiang Qiuyan raised an eyebrow.

Shi Yu quickly shook her head. “I believe you! Of course I believe you!”

Jiang Qiuyan pinched the back of her neck where fate resided. What need was there to lie to her?

“Then stay here and be good. Don’t go anywhere.”

Jiang Qiuyan leaned down and kissed her gland, gently licking away the bloodstains. Shi Yu’s body went rigid, her neck stiff, until she realized there were no other intentions behind it and finally relaxed a little.

Once her body’s rejection weakened, the alpha’s pheromones began to seep into the gland again. Heat surged from every limb and bone, and Shi Yu’s body began to feel strange again.

“Miss Jiang, can you let me go first?”

Hearing the way she addressed her made Jiang Qiuyan angry. Being so polite with her alone, what was the reason? Wasn’t it just to draw a line between them? She absolutely wouldn’t allow it!

A slight pressure from her hands and the little omega was sitting on her lap. Jiang Qiuyan caught her ear between her lips and kissed it. “What do you call that person surnamed Chu?”

That person surnamed Chu? Chu Yuan?

Shi Yu answered honestly, “Chu Yuan.”

Jiang Qiuyan seemed to smile, but her tone was off. “Using someone’s given name after knowing them for just a few days, but only being so polite with me. Why?”

The answer was simple. Shi Yu could have said it without thinking, but Jiang Qiuyan sealed her mouth, choking every explanation in her throat.

She had inhaled too many pheromones. Shi Yu’s mind grew foggy again, her whole body restless, a nameless craving welling up from the depths of her heart.

She hugged Jiang Qiuyan on her own, rubbing against her, pressing kisses all over her chin and neck.

But this method couldn’t ease her thirst. It only made things worse.

“Ji… Jiang Qiuyan…”

Shi Yu looked at her with hazy eyes, her expression dazed and sensual, carrying a deadly allure.

Jiang Qiuyan’s throat bobbed as she asked in a hoarse voice, “What is it?”

“Don’t… just a little…”

Her words trailed off halfway. She could only press herself against Jiang Qiuyan, rubbing back and forth.

Those desires were impossible to fill, burning away her reason until she actually wanted to beg Jiang Qiuyan to hurry…

But how could she say such things?

Jiang Qiuyan knew exactly what she wanted, but endured the discomfort and refused to go further. Instead, she took Shi Yu’s restless hands, brought them to her lips, and kissed them gently. “Little Yu, tell me honestly what you want. Otherwise I can’t give it to you.”

Shi Yu’s brimming tears slid down, droplets clinging to crow-black lashes, the corners of her eyes crimson as blood, unbearably enticing.

“Anything, just… dote on me…”

Jiang Qiuyan’s eyes went completely dark. Reason was annihilated in that instant, and all her earlier restraint crumbled.

“Alright, then I’ll dote on you. Don’t cry, little sweetheart.”

She said dote on me. What a cute choice of words. How could she not comply?

Jiang Qiuyan comforted her as asked, kissing her gently when soft sobs rang out, earnestly fulfilling the duty of “doting” on her.

Shi Yu was already in an extremely sensitive state. Under this level of assault, she quickly couldn’t hold on and collapsed into Jiang Qiuyan’s arms.

She lay against Jiang Qiuyan’s shoulder, gasping for air, while Jiang Qiuyan had already started anew…

“Do you like it?”

Shi Yu was like a small boat caught in a storm, rocking and swaying, tossed about as waves wrapped in tempest bore down, annihilating everything.

Jiang Qiuyan deliberately pretended not to notice and asked playfully, “Sweet Baby, why aren’t you talking?”

“I…!”

Shi Yu’s already delicate voice was shattered. Soft tones echoed through the birdcage, becoming a haunting melody.

“If you don’t say it, that means you don’t like it. I suppose I’ll have to try harder.”

Shi Yu knew she was doing this on purpose, but her tone sounded light and cheerful, as though she had returned to how she used to be. It made her feel at ease.

“I like it… I really like it…”

The little omega murmured this against her chest, panting. Jiang Qiuyan felt warmth blooming in the center of her heart, as though something was about to spill out.

She would take it as a confession. Whatever she liked, at least it was like.

“Then, will you not leave me?”

She spoke in an ordinary tone, but if you listened closely, you could hear a faint tremble and plea.

Jiang Qiuyan pressed Shi Yu into her embrace and kissed the side of her lips. “Answer me. Say you won’t leave me.”

This time, even the foggy-minded Shi Yu sensed something was wrong.

She looked up. Jiang Qiuyan’s eyes were rimmed red, suppressed pain and a sliver of hope flickering within.

Shi Yu reached up to touch her eyes and whispered hoarsely, “Why…”

Why do I feel like you’re this sad because of me?

Jiang Qiuyan thought she was asking why she was being forced to stay. Her gaze flickered for a moment before she grabbed the back of Shi Yu’s neck and kissed her without restraint, claiming every corner of her mouth until she couldn’t make another sound.

She couldn’t answer this question.

Because Shi Yu didn’t like her. So she couldn’t answer.

Forcefully keeping someone who didn’t love you at your side, what a despicable and shameless thing to do. How could Shi Yu ever love someone like that?

Twenty-eight years of following the rules, and now she had done something so far beyond the pale. How foolish and ridiculous.

Jiang Qiuyan laughed at herself and quickened her wrist again. Shi Yu lay in her arms, eyes rolling back, feeling as if she could be capsized by the storm at any moment.

She could no longer speak to beg Jiang Qiuyan. She only hoped the woman had some conscience and would finish quickly.

But Jiang Qiuyan was already consumed by her unfulfilled obsession, wanting to use unbroken physical contact to fill the void of not being loved.

Even with the person right before her eyes, growing tender and alluring because of her, Jiang Qiuyan still felt a piece of her heart was missing, impossible to fill.

“Little Yu, baby…”

Shi Yu heard her calling from somewhere in her haze and responded unconsciously before slipping into unconsciousness.

Too many unexpected things had happened these past two days. The pressure on her mind was so great that her body had grown fragile too.

Jiang Qiuyan laid her flat on the bed, watching her without blinking, gently stroking her cheek, cautious and tender, as if afraid of waking her.

If only you could like me too, she thought obsessively.

Half-asleep, Shi Yu felt someone kissing her chest, hands roaming across her back, burning with heat.

She tried to open her eyes but couldn’t. Soon, her consciousness sank back into darkness.

The bathtub was large enough for two people to play in. Jiang Qiuyan patiently and meticulously washed her clean, holding her against her without letting go.

Perhaps she held her too tightly. Shi Yu would let out soft whimpers now and then, shifting to find a comfortable position before falling asleep again. And Jiang Qiuyan would rather let the girl keep repositioning than release her.

Hot water steamed up a white mist, and Jiang Qiuyan’s condition grew increasingly unstable. Heat spread through every limb and bone, every inch of flesh roasting. Sweat dripped from her chin onto Shi Yu’s body, mingling with the water droplets on her skin.

If just holding Shi Yu could do this, it was a bit much.

Jiang Qiuyan immediately thought of one possibility. She looked down at Shi Yu with dark, fervent eyes. No matter how hard she tried to restrain herself, it was no use.

Shi Yu was gently placed in the bathtub, a soft towel cushioning her head. Jiang Qiuyan knelt before her, staring for over ten seconds, then slowly leaned down.

Shi Yu felt like someone was disturbing her rest, but the sensation on her body was so pleasant that she wasn’t all that angry.

Only after the initial gentleness did the feeling gradually become overwhelming, beyond her ability to withstand.

Opening her heavy eyelids, Shi Yu’s still-cloudy mind couldn’t process the situation.

Why is Jiang Qiuyan in… this position? Even if she didn’t want to think about it, she couldn’t ignore it.

Jiang Qiuyan seemed to sense it and looked up, her lips not leaving, so Shi Yu could only see her narrowed eyes.

She seemed to smile, but those eyes held more possessiveness than amusement. A beast that had caught its little white rabbit, that look of absolute certainty was chilling.

Shi Yu bent her legs and struggled, but was easily subdued. Jiang Qiuyan seemed to show off, reducing her to helplessness in just a few strokes.

Shi Yu slid down in the bathtub, but Jiang Qiuyan caught her legs and pinned her. This small accident pressed them even closer together. Jiang Qiuyan’s breath washed over her, making Shi Yu tremble uncontrollably…

She gripped the edge of the bathtub and turned her head away, trying to resist the pleasure. The tears gathered at the corners of her eyes fell into the water as she asked in a dry, hoarse voice, “Why are you doing this?”

How could you do this to someone who’s asleep?

She didn’t know that the Jiang Qiuyan of this moment had no reason left to speak of. Seeing her pitiful, tear-stained face would only excite her more.

Sure enough, Jiang Qiuyan gripped her slender ankles, terrifying madness flickering in her eyes.

“Baby, you can go back to sleep.” She licked the corner of her lips, her face darkened with a heavy flush. “Don’t mind me. I’ll play by myself.”