Chapter 12

After much difficulty, Lin Xu finally banished the amorous thoughts from her mind. She twisted her face and shooed the mother-daughter pair out of the room.

Shu Qingyou was perceptive enough. She had a deeper understanding of Alpha-Omega heats than Lin Xu did, and the endurance she had shown was hard to put into words—Lin Xu’s situation was hardly better.

After all, earlier, half of Lin Xu’s neck had flushed red, her gaze flickering evasively with urgent need.

Shu Qingyou still remembered Lin Xu’s usual style of dress: formal outfits that accentuated her curves, never casual home wear. That morning, she had deliberately dressed Lin Xu in leisure clothes.

Surprisingly, they fit perfectly, giving off the first impression of a girl-next-door.

Though Lin Xu couldn’t suppress her long-ingrained instincts—her brows furrowed, eyes flashing with ferocity, a bit irritable—overall, Lin Xu was being quite obedient now.

“Can I come in?”

Lin Xu drank some water to quench her thirst, deeply troubled by the sticky dampness in a certain part of her body. The lingering afterglow of brief relief still coursed through her.

The thought of washing up flashed through her mind. Should she just take care of it thoroughly?

After pondering for a few minutes, a knock at the door startled her. She fumbled the water cup, splashing some onto her pants.

“Wait, wait a second!”

Day after day, all she thought about was lewd stuff. Couldn’t she focus on recovering her memories properly? Lin Xu chided her unworthy thoughts.

“Ahem, what is it?”

Lin Xu climbed up from the wooden floor, crossed her arms, bent one leg, and leaned her upper body against the bed, feigning nonchalance.

“I’ve brought you some clean clothes to change into. They’re mine…”

Including underwear, she handed them to Lin Xu and stepped closer.

Shu Qingyou’s gaze involuntarily drifted downward. Even after taking the medicine, she hadn’t recovered as quickly as Lin Xu. Her voice was softer than usual, a chill lingering in her eyes.

“Did I disturb you?”

She didn’t finish the sentence. Lin Xu, puzzled, let out a questioning sound and followed the direction of Shu Qingyou’s averted gaze, immediately realizing.

What great water this was—splashing everywhere but right on her crotch area.

Lin Xu forced herself to stay calm. “No, your timing is perfect.”

Better to play it off than explain.

Lin Xu generously accepted the nightgown and the black lace-trimmed panties. She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, struggling to describe her current mood.

Shu Qingyou clearly had no interest in her, yet she brought this kind of style—was it a hint, or was she overthinking it?

This was what they called narcissism mixed with overconfidence. Lin Xu washed her brain for a moment and thanked Shu Qingyou.

Shu Qingyou: “I’ll take you shopping for pajamas tomorrow. Get some early rest.”

Lin Xu: “Ah? Making you spend more money again—are you sure you have enough?”

Straight to the point. Shu Qingyou lowered her lashes. “Don’t you think asking that is pointless?”

Lin Xu thought, Isn’t that just common sense? Does big sister live off her savings? Living in a place like this, how much money could she have? But saying it outright would hurt her pride.

She rephrased: “Where do you work?”

Shu Qingyou didn’t answer right away. She paused for a few seconds, scrutinizing Lin Xu’s sincere face.

Those ink-black pupils focused intently. Long ago, Shu Qingyou had been drawn to her, like the moon bound inescapably to Earth’s orbit.

Fatal, yet impossible to resist.

Shu Qingyou’s tone turned gentle, her voice rising slightly at the end. “Are you concerned about me?”

The question caught Lin Xu off guard. Why did it sound so ambiguous coming from Shu Qingyou’s mouth, laced with a hint of teasing?

Shu Qingyou’s face was usually so cold, stingy with even a single smile toward her.

It must be an illusion. Lin Xu quickly convinced herself that she was just bored and overly concerned about others.

“Alright, I was just asking casually. How’s Shu Rong doing? She’s scared of shots, haha.”

Teasing someone about their daughter was pretty lame. Lin Xu hurriedly clarified: “I mean, what kid isn’t afraid of needles?”

Talk too much and you’d mess up. From that evening until the next morning, Shu Qingyou didn’t respond to Lin Xu’s joke. Lin Xu felt depressed.

But when she tasted the fried egg and bacon Shu Qingyou had made for her, her mood shifted. “This egg is runny, wow, so tender! And the bacon is crispy!”

Shu Qingyou had no special reaction to Lin Xu’s exaggerated praise. “No need. It’s just a very ordinary breakfast.”

Lin Xu looked up. Shu Qingyou poured a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice and pushed it to the edge of the plate. Her loose navy shirt had its sleeves rolled up, a black sandalwood bracelet circling her slender white wrist—black and white contrasting, her skin glowing white in the morning light.

Lin Xu’s heart skipped erratically again. She barely swallowed the bacon, averted her gaze, and took a gulp of the sweet-tart juice.

“Oh, thanks.”

Today, Shu Qingyou wore a light gray vest over a knit sleeveless top, a black midi skirt, and an outer coat—like a white-collar worker about to head out to the office.

She had already changed Shu Rong into outdoor clothes. Lin Xu racked her brain and decided to cozy up to Shu Rong.

“I’ll hold her, I’ll hold her!”

She darted forward, snatching Shu Rong from Shu Qingyou’s arms.

Shu Rong was bundled up like a little bun, her hair soft and fine. Lin Xu was especially proactive and enthusiastic, rubbing her head and pinching her fair, rosy cheek.

“Your mom made you so pretty.”

Look at that—such a smooth compliment. Lin Xu felt proud of herself.

“Right, Sister Shu? I’m not wrong.”

Shu Qingyou ignored Lin Xu’s flattery. A few strands of her dark hair were pressed down by her coat; she lifted her hand to smooth them out.

For some reason, Lin Xu noticed that Shu Qingyou’s slender ring finger bore no ring. Where was Sister Shu’s Alpha? There were no photos in the whole house, of course—maybe they were in an album.

Newborns always got photographed as keepsakes. For some reason, Lin Xu didn’t want to ask. Thinking about it made her breathless, her temples throbbing.

Shu Qingyou’s gaze lingered on Lin Xu’s face for a moment before she turned to grab the car keys and put on her shoes at the entryway.

“Mm, she’s very cute.”

They hadn’t driven far before arriving at the supermarket. The suburban sky was a clear blue, washed clean like after rain. The cold air deepened, and Lin Xu breathed out a small puff of white mist.

Shu Rong mostly wanted her mom to hold her, but Lin Xu wouldn’t let go.

The little one in her arms resisted, so she tossed out an irresistible reason for Shu Rong.

“Sis will buy you chocolate later.”

It didn’t help. Though Shu Rong was young, she wasn’t stupid—the promise of candy from before hadn’t been fulfilled. She puffed up her little bun face and let out a whine.

Pretending to understand, Lin Xu took the shopping cart from Shu Qingyou, placed Shu Rong in the seat, and set off first.

“I’ll take her to get some snacks. You pick out clothes for me, and come find us later.”

The supermarket’s clothing section was on the first floor, groceries and daily foods on the second. Shu Qingyou didn’t understand her rush, but Lin Xu’s face was bright and energetic, lifting her own mood as well.

Fine, let them play.

Shu Qingyou found a phone shop next to the supermarket. The young owner perked up at the sight of a beautiful woman, banishing his TV-watching boredom.

She tapped the glass counter. “Miss, what phone do you need?”

Shu Qingyou pulled out her phone, its screen cracked beyond recognition.

“It won’t turn on. Can it be fixed?”

The shop owner spotted the issue at a glance. “Hard to say. The back looks smashed and dented—water must’ve seeped into the motherboard.”

She pried open the mangled back panel with tweezers, leaned her head close, and shone a laser pointer.

“Whoa, the capacitor’s burst too. Hang on… The flash memory chip might still be usable. Still want to fix it, miss?”

That day, after Lin Xu’s frantic call, by the time Shu Qingyou arrived on scene, her phone was like this. Something major must have happened midway, tied to Lin Xu’s family.

If she took it to just any shop for data recovery, the contents shouldn’t be exposed.

Shu Qingyou decisively refused. “Thanks, not for now.”

But she couldn’t keep taking Lin Xu out without a phone—she wasn’t a pet. In the end, Shu Qingyou bought a new one.

Carrying the phone box, she picked out a few cotton pajama sets for Lin Xu and headed to the second floor to meet them.

Lin Xu was pushing Shu Rong through the snack aisle, selecting a full array: cookies, cakes, puffed snacks, fried foods—she felt like she’d never seen or eaten these before.

“Does Rongrong want some? You definitely do, right? Buy, buy, buy!”

Yesterday, Shu Qingyou had implied not to worry about money, so Lin Xu shopped happily.

But Shu Rong hadn’t recovered from the shock of the cart full of bags when another colorful assortment dropped in front of her. She barely had room to sit now…

Having picked chocolates and soft candies, Lin Xu waited with Shu Rong by the checkout when she spotted a familiar figure. She waved.

The supermarket’s fluorescent lights were bright. Shu Qingyou approached against the light, her skin nearly transparent. Lin Xu stared unabashedly.

Sister Shu’s legs were long and straight, her walk not bow-legged like a duck’s—more like a cat on a straight line. Not as flashy as a model’s T-walk, but exuding effortless poise.

She hadn’t expected Lin Xu’s tastes to be so varied—a cart brimming with food. Shu Qingyou met her gaze for a moment and couldn’t resist teasing.

“…You’re such a little pig.”