In the end, being lovesick only hurt herself. Shu Qingyou deeply felt the bitterness of having her heart blinded by lard.
She lowered her eyes and pursed her lips without a word, her trembling fingertips tightly twisting the iron-gray bedsheet.
“Why aren’t you talking?” Lin Xu’s voice was as cold as frost and snow as she narrowed her eyes.
She reached out to toy with the strands of Shu Qingyou’s hair that had fallen over her shoulder, her smooth, rounded shoulder clearly marked with several rows of ruthless bite marks from Lin Xu.
Lin Xu released the hair twisted between her fingers and slid her hand to the bite marks, pressing down repeatedly with her knuckles.
Being nibbled on by her during lovemaking was routine for Shu Qingyou, especially during heat when such things were overlooked—she was used to it.
But pressing on the bite marks while sober brought the pain surging back.
“Mm… it hurts a bit, Lin Xu.”
Shu Qingyou shrank back, pulling the blanket up to cover the unsightly marks on her skin.
“Oh, sorry, baby.” Lin Xu knelt naked on the bed. She crawled from the foot of the bed to the head where Shu Qingyou huddled in the corner, the blanket keeping a brief distance between them.
“Here,” Lin Xu stretched out her neck, making sure her gland aligned with Shu Qingyou’s mouth. “Bite me back, make it hurt, and we’ll call it even.”
A massive burst of fragrance released, overwhelming Shu Qingyou until she was dazed and on the verge of fainting. Her heartbeat raced, and her body reacted familiarly.
Endless heat spread from within to every inch of her skin. Redness rose at the corners of Shu Qingyou’s eyes. “Don’t mess around. I was just joking with you.”
Lin Xu grinned innocently at her, clearly not buying the “joking” excuse. “You swore up and down that you wanted to break up with me before, and now you’re off to Japan. Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“Or do you see me as some low-IQ dog who only knows how to lick you?”
Shu Qingyou turned her face away, suppressing the desire that shouldn’t flare up now. She thought aggrievedly that if she really saw Lin Xu as stupid, she would have left long ago and wouldn’t still care about her so much.
This silence ignited all the long-suppressed anxiety in Lin Xu’s heart.
She pulled her head away with a scoff from her throat, licking the sweet orange juice from her lips—which only made her crave the sweet aroma of pheromones even more.
“Ah, so you’ve been holding back for so long. Must be tough, huh, Qingyou baby?”
Shu Qingyou suppressed her indescribable emotions and sniffed quietly. She retorted, “I already said it was a joke. Just treat it as a whim.”
“A whim to run away?” Lin Xu pondered for a moment, then gripped the back of her neck and forced Shu Qingyou to meet her eyes. Veins stood out sharply on the back of her hand.
“Have you forgotten? Your daughter is still in my hands.”
Shu Qingyou’s neck was pinned, the powerful pressure making it hard to breathe properly. She couldn’t dodge. Furious, she snapped, “Rongrong is your daughter too! You always do this—every few days, you have to pick a fight for no reason!”
This was exactly what Lin Xu wanted to hear. She hated Shu Qingyou’s silence during arguments, when it was always her one-sided rant with half-baked understanding. Being scolded gave her a clear target now.
“Who was it that couldn’t enjoy a few peaceful days before coming up with some new way to torment me? Is going to Japan that important?!”
That was her career. It wasn’t like she had to leave right away, but Shu Qingyou didn’t want to give in. She shot back, “Yes, it is important.”
Shu Qingyou raised her brow and drove the knife deeper. “A hundred times more important than you!”
Lin Xu froze for a moment, then leaned forward, forcing Shu Qingyou right to the edge. Staring into Shu Qingyou’s stubborn eyes filled with resentment, she exerted force with her hand.
With the cover gone, Shu Qingyou hugged herself, her tone laced with panic. “Don’t do anything crazy!”
Lin Xu crawled between her legs and pressed against her. “I’m upset. You need to comfort me properly.”
Without giving her a chance to argue, Lin Xu clamped her neck, preventing any resistance. Lin Xu brushed her sharp teeth lightly over the soft skin near Shu Qingyou’s mouth. “Aren’t you used to it? Saying you’re scared now is just putting on an act.”
“Don’t… mm… I really was… just joking before…”
Shu Qingyou couldn’t do more. Her gland was bitten, and Lin Xu’s pheromones were too intoxicating—even amid rising anger, there was a roasted medicinal sweetness.
Lin Xu’s hand moved downward with practiced ease, her hot breath incessant. “Am I important? Do you care about me? Do you love me?”
“Mm, very important. I only care about you. I love you…”
Shu Qingyou closed her eyes in resignation, gave up thinking, and answered Lin Xu’s possessive questions mechanically. Her voice was cold and faint, so soft that Lin Xu had to press against her lips to make out the words from her lip movements.
“Baby, you’re lying to me.”
Lin Xu’s arm moved vigorously while her other wrist pressed over Shu Qingyou’s mouth. Her voice hoarse, she said, “If it hurts, bite it. This mouth of yours is made for hurting me anyway.”
The next moment, stinging pain shot through Lin Xu’s hand. She suddenly felt so satisfied, crazily pushing her hand further.
Tears welled in Shu Qingyou’s eyes, streaming down nonstop. Strings of water droplets splashed onto Lin Xu’s skin, scalding her until she gritted her back teeth.
“You’re crying, you’re crying—you’re in the right, so I’ll just be the bully!”
After who knew how long, Lin Xu finally stopped, panting heavily. Her gaze shifted from Shu Qingyou’s face to her own arm, where blood seeped from neat bite marks. She smiled as she admired them.
“These are the marks you left on me. They look so good.”
Shu Qingyou rolled over, turning her back to her. Waves of soreness surged through her, her body gradually curling up. Soon, wet stains bloomed on the pillow.
Lin Xu silently gazed down at her from above, brushing aside her damp hair and caressing Shu Qingyou’s tear-streaked cheek with her fingertips. Her heart softened.
“Sorry,” Lin Xu offered a belated apology. “Let me wipe you down.”
She got out of bed unsteadily. Having vented her anger on Shu Qingyou, she too was utterly exhausted, her eyes stinging.
She fetched hot water and wiped Shu Qingyou down from head to toe. Throughout, Shu Qingyou remained silent, staring blankly elsewhere.
Lin Xu rinsed herself quickly and returned to hold the doll-like Omega. “I’ll go pick up Rongrong later.”
Only the child could stir Shu Qingyou’s emotions now. She glanced at the time on her phone and said, “We’ll go together.”
Before kindergarten dismissal, they arrived early like the other parents, waiting right at the gate at three o’clock. With half an hour until school let out, Shu Qingyou parked by the roadside and sat in the driver’s seat, tapping the steering wheel.
No matter how Lin Xu tried to engage her, Shu Qingyou went along with whatever she said, even reciting the most saccharine words without flinching.
Even Lin Xu, with her thick skin, could hear the falseness in it. Helpless, she gave a bitter smile. “What do I have to do for you to forgive me? I really hate your cold violence toward me.”
After a heartfelt plea, Shu Qingyou remained unmoved, her face fixed in a formulaic smile. “I understand you. You had your reasons. It’s all my fault for casually mentioning going abroad.”
“Really?” Lin Xu asked anxiously, leaning close to Shu Qingyou’s neck. “You’re not lying to me, baby? You won’t just leave without saying goodbye, right?”
“What nonsense are you saying? I still have Rongrong to take care of. If I leave, who’s going to look after her? You?”
Lin Xu felt a bit reassured, though not entirely. She clung to Shu Qingyou sweetly until Shu Rong appeared at the school gate, backpack on, looking dazed.
Her little backpack held a small cake from Mommy, but she had no appetite. So many people chattered around her, giving her a headache.
She missed Mommy… She lifted her head dispiritedly and spotted Mommy waving to her from the crowd.
Though Shu Rong didn’t understand beauty standards, Mommy wore a pretty dress today, and the adults kept glancing at her—so Mommy must be really popular.
Her mouth split into a huge, radiant grin. She ran crookedly forward and threw herself into Mommy’s arms.
Shu Qingyou squatted down to eye level with Shu Rong and affectionately rubbed her cheek against the girl’s. “Rongrong, Mommy missed you so much.”
Shu Rong nodded vigorously and planted a loud kiss on Mommy’s cool cheek, leaving a little lip mark.
“Was school fun?”
It wasn’t fun, but Mommy had brought her here, and Mommy was never wrong. Shu Rong’s headshake midway turned into a nod.
Shu Qingyou kissed her daughter’s face and murmured softly, “Rongrong is growing up…”
Growing up meant leaving Mommy one day. Shu Qingyou felt a pang of loss and hugged her daughter tighter. From the moment she entered the classroom, Shu Rong had missed Mommy, her little arms and legs rubbing tightly against Shu Qingyou.
Lin Xu waited alone like an outsider until the mother-daughter bonding ended—which took several minutes. Other parents picked up their kids and left one by one.
She went over and patted Shu Qingyou’s shoulder. “It’s cold outside. Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold? How about hugging in the car?”
This was the only sentence all day that sounded human. Back in the car, Shu Rong finally let go of Mommy’s embrace and ran off to play with the pets.
Shu Qingyou opened Shu Rong’s backpack. The little cake inside was untouched. She took it out and handed it to Lin Xu. “Eat it.”
It wouldn’t be fresh otherwise.
Lin Xu was pleasantly surprised, beaming as she ate the food Shu Qingyou fed her. “Thank you for the feeding, baby.”
Lin Xu’s obedient demeanor no longer stirred anything in Shu Qingyou’s heart. Dark currents surged beneath the surface.
When it all came out, she’d be the only one hurt. Lin Xu’s selfishness was bone-deep—why couldn’t she ever learn her lesson?
That evening, while Lin Xu cooked, Shu Qingyou edited a text to Teacher Yue Yang on her phone, planning to meet her.
The teacher asked about her recent situation in a reply. After thinking, Shu Qingyou concisely informed her about Lin Xu, and the teacher urgently wanted to discuss it tomorrow.
Shu Qingyou casually asked Lin Xu, “Tomorrow I’m meeting with Teacher. She has a client to introduce me to.”
Lin Xu paused while stewing the chicken soup and asked dryly, “She won’t introduce you to something in Japan, will she?”
“If you keep being this sensitive, I won’t sleep with you tonight.”
It sounded routine, so Lin Xu turned around, ladled a small bowl of chicken soup, and brought it to the table. “You worked hard today, baby. It’s free-range chicken from five years old—super nourishing.”
Shu Qingyou gave her a sidelong glance. “Rongrong worked hard today too. Don’t you have anything to say to her?”
Lin Xu shifted her gaze to Shu Rong, who immediately flashed an obedient smile upon seeing her.
Who knew what this kid was happy about.
For looking so much like Shu Qingyou, Lin Xu nodded repeatedly, reached out, and pinched her daughter’s little cheek. “Good. Once it’s stewed soft, one big drumstick each for you two.”
