Chapter 27

Qin Yushu’s lips touched the rim of the glass.

She didn’t drink much in that sip, but compared to her earlier tentative taste of the carbonated drink, this one was solid and real.

When she pulled away,

the transparent glass wall of the cup showed no trace of lipstick—it retained its original hue. Those lips, untouched by makeup or anyone else’s “artistic” touch, were already this vibrant red and radiant.

The real deal.

Endlessly alluring.

From Lu Ningshuang’s angle, she could see the Omega’s thick black hair parted to reveal her snowy-white cheek, earlobe, and shoulder.

And further down, amid the misty veil of her robe, the undulating peaks and layered… mountains.

As the saying goes, the higher you stand, the farther you see.

Being truly tall did allow one to see far—and even… “deeper.”

The glass of pure water that Qin Yushu had specifically asked for ended up only brushing against the beauty’s lips and teeth.

She pulled it back a little and slanted her eyes toward Lu Ningshuang. “Aren’t you going to drink?”

Suddenly called out by name, Lu Ningshuang’s mind went blank and muddled. She still held the cola that Qin Yushu had forcefully shoved into her hands, but her heart was thinking,

She doesn’t seem to like it that much after all?

“Then do you want to drink from the same glass as me?” Qin Yushu said.

It turned out that, without realizing it, she had voiced her inner thoughts aloud.

Gulp.

Lu Ningshuang once again saw Qin Yushu’s extended hand—slender and fair, free of nail polish.

Earlier, she had thought those fingers looked stunning against the dark soda. Now, holding the clear water, they were no less captivating.

Pure and flawless, like a gift from the heavens.

Lu Ningshuang asked herself honestly.

Was this okay?

This… was perfect—couldn’t be better!

The Alpha’s heart bloomed with flowers, but her actions resisted. She picked up the glass and tilted her head back for a hearty gulp-gulp-gulp.

So bold and refreshing!

But carbonated drinks could make your teeth ache if you chugged too much. Before she even set the glass down, Lu Ningshuang’s eyes and brows had scrunched up.

So when she suddenly noticed the glass of water beside her, she tilted her head back and drained it too. Then she heard Qin Yushu’s voice.

“It seems Miss Lu’s bones aren’t as tough as her mouth.”

Lu Ningshuang: “……”

Oh ho~

She had forgotten.

“See? Isn’t this better?” The beauty’s lazy, casual tone showed no sign of weakening.

Little Dog Lu didn’t look at her and mumbled with her head down, “I’ll go pour you another glass.”

This time, Qin Yushu didn’t stop her—perhaps she had noticed the tips of Little Doggy’s ears, flushed red as blood when she bowed her head.

Adorable.

But adorable as she was, bullying her too much all at once wouldn’t do. It had to be gradual, sustainable, for repeated use…

Lu Ningshuang bustled off.

“What’s this?” Qin Yushu asked again.

The apartment was tiny, with the living room and kitchen close together. As long as Qin Yushu spoke at a normal volume, Lu Ningshuang could hear her clearly.

Pouring a glass of water wasn’t complicated—Lu Ningshuang thought about it and decided not to wash and swap out the cup.

Mainly because they were broke; the decent glasses were already in use.

When she returned, she saw that Qin Yushu was pointing at the shopping bag she had grabbed from her room on the way back.

Lu Ningshuang stepped forward. “This is for you.”

The beauty raised an eyebrow, her expression a mix of surprise and uncertainty.

She asked, “A gift?”

“……”

Lu Ningshuang felt awkward and answered honestly, “No.”

“Oh.”

Qin Yushu’s voice dropped a bit, and she leaned back slightly.

Lu Ningshuang set the item down and rummaged inside, pulling out a dark navy scarf.

Qin Yushu clearly remembered it too; her brows lifted lightly again. Then she heard Lu Ningshuang say,

“You lent this to me before. Now that you’re here, I’m returning it to its rightful owner.”

Qin Yushu crossed her knees, resting those hands—beautiful enough to rival her face for attention—casually on her lap.

Formed into a gentle curve, they looked ready to play a world-class piano piece on a golden concert hall stage the next second.

“I remember saying back then that you should swap it back next time you played with Xiao Yi?”

“Huh?”

Lu Ningshuang didn’t catch the nuance. “It’s all the same, all the same.”

Qin Yushu smiled, her brows relaxing. “Indeed.”

The Alpha had no contact info for Fu Junyi, so seeing her required going through—her.

Thus, Lu Ningshuang meeting Fu Junyi was equivalent to meeting her.

Now,

Little Dog had become her partner, so naturally, she could meet her niece again in the future—more easily, more frequently.

It was all the same, just… with priorities slightly reversed.

“Here you go.”

As Lu Ningshuang spoke, she kept pulling it out. “You lent it to me that time, and I took it to the dry cleaners once when I wore it back.”

Qin Yushu: “……Hm?”

This “hm” from Qin Yushu wasn’t just for Lu Ningshuang’s words—it was for her actions too—

The Alpha suddenly leaned in close, her face inches away. Just as she thought Little Dog had finally wised up for some “naughty” deed, the other girl draped the scarf around her neck.

And wrapped it once more.

Just like Qin Yushu had done to Lu Ningshuang back then.

This sneak attack caught her off guard. In an instant, the Omega’s air of refined artistry vanished; the beauty’s usual knowing expression froze.

Suddenly, she looked a bit… dazed.

Little Doggy was clingy, only continuing once the loop was complete, her voice full of satisfaction. “Here you go.”

As if it held some special ritualistic meaning.

Qin Yushu suspected deliberate revenge.

A sudden “burden” around her neck, but as Little Dog’s good intention, it was indeed warm and cozy.

The Alpha had explained it clearly and even paid to have it dry-cleaned—though Qin Yushu didn’t particularly care about such things.

Yet the Alpha pressed on with her bombshell. “But it was wrapped around once more afterward.”

Qin Yushu gazed intently.

?

Lu Ningshuang: “Though I didn’t wash it that time.”

“Because it was really just draped very briefly around my neck.”

Qin Yushu was certain.

This was intentional “revenge.”

—Or rather, swapping back what she had done to her.

Little Dog was getting bold!

Qin Yushu had a slight germaphobia—or not quite that; most people recoiled from strangers suddenly touching their body.

But Lu Ningshuang, who had already had two “intimate” “physical contacts” with her, clearly wasn’t in the “stranger” category anymore.

She was right.

Qin Yushu sniffed lightly at the scarf around her neck—it did smell faintly; Little Dog hadn’t lied.

Not even a trace of her own scent lingered.

Qin Yushu looked up and reminded her, “Miss Lu, this is indoors.”

“Oh, right.” Lu Ningshuang responded, sharing her experience. “President Qin’s scarf looks thin, but it’s super warm. Wearing it indoors for too long gets a bit hot…”

“You know it gets hot, huh.”

As Qin Yushu spoke, she unwrapped the scarf. In that short time, a faint pink flush had warmed her cheeks near her jawline.

Light and lovely.

“No need to split hairs so much.”

Qin Yushu said, “Some of my things, Miss Lu can use freely—as long as they’re not personal items.”

She looked at Lu Ningshuang; Little Dog Alpha seemed dazed, still processing.

Qin Yushu added, “Small pieces can be mixed and matched casually, but don’t wear full outfit sets.”

Lu Ningshuang: “Wh-why?”

“People would recognize our relationship.”

“Can’t they know?” Lu Ningshuang asked, her brows drooping unconsciously, looking a bit downcast.

“They can.” Qin Yushu said.

Little Dog perks up.jpg

“As I told you before, Miss Lu, in a couple of days, I’ll take you to a banquet and introduce you to everyone as my partner. You’ll have to appear publicly with your official status.”

“Not as some secret little lover I’m hiding away.”

“Oh……”

Lu Ningshuang’s brain circuits clearly weren’t turning fast enough, so Qin Yushu broke it down plainly.

“But that kind of occasion is obviously different from your daily life.”

“For example, at the company right in front of you—if you wore my clothes there. Our heights and builds are similar; you could probably pull it off.”

Qin Yushu paused slightly, her dark eyes serious, focused—even carrying the patient guidance of an elder to a junior.

“You’d run into trouble.”

“Big trouble.”

In Lu Ningshuang’s life experience, her parents hadn’t taught her much—one part because they were laid-back, another because they rarely emphasized specifics.

Besides school teachers and directors, the one who taught her the most was probably her cousin Qi Jingming, five years her senior.

Lu Chengyue didn’t count.

Though she often drilled “money first” into Lu Ningshuang’s head, the latter nodded along without absorbing much.

A salted fish could never flip over.

But now,

Qin Yushu’s guidance was utterly different from Qi Jingming’s.

Even though Qi Jingming was five years older than Lu Ningshuang—and two years older than Qin Yushu—he had watched his two younger cousins grow up, and with his patient, good-tempered nature, his teachings always carried extra gentleness.

Maybe more than extra.

Little Lu Ningshuang had been quite the troublemaker as a kid; Cousin always rushed to the scene first, cleaned up the mess, then lectured with lines like “You can’t do that,” “You’ll hurt yourself,” “Next time something like this happens, come to me, I’ll handle it”…

Okay, thinking about it, Qi Jingming wasn’t entirely gentle.

That gentle facade was only for those in the “family” circle.

Who knew what ruthless moves he pulled behind the scenes.

His reasons were partly that he couldn’t bring himself to be harsh; partly, at her age, he feared overdoing it would backfire, like a spring rebounding, pushing her toward the path of a “delinquent girl.”

From the current outcome, Qi Jingming’s worries had been unnecessary.

Lu Ningshuang hadn’t become a delinquent—instead, she swung to the other extreme… but the result was good, right?

Probably.

And the Qin Yushu before her—

Her tone wasn’t heavy, but she broke down the reasoning point by point.

Maybe Lu Ningshuang had grown up; blind spoiling and coaxing kids wouldn’t work anymore. At this stage, the Alpha could think for herself—you pour in the logic, and she could digest and understand it gradually.

Not stern, not soft.

But the whole process made it hard to resist; it felt equal, respectful.

Lu Ningshuang watched Qin Yushu too.

The Omega took the scarf and stuffed it back into its bag.

Born with a silver spoon, the beauty had some self-sufficiency, but clearly not expert at it—household chores were handled by staff below, so her folding was a bit messy, edges misaligned.

Definitely not as neat as Lu Ningshuang had packed it.

But that was fine!

Against the deep navy, her skin looked even fairer, lips rosy, dark eyes slightly pensive…

What top-tier beauty!

Yet under that wise mind and the glowing soul beneath, the looks became secondary.

Lu Ningshuang stared and stared.

She finally understood why so many people sought older sisters for romance.

That depth of experience, the rational glow—it was irresistible to the young ones!

She wouldn’t take your tantrums or pettiness to heart, brushing them off with a smile and sweet words.

If in a good mood, she’d earnestly guide you, pinpointing the issue effortlessly—what had troubled you forever was trivial to her, solved without breaking a sweat.

This effortless, casual gentleness and care was like a slow chisel, precise and masterful.

Each cut pierced the soul.

Just like now, as Qin Yushu finished packing, tilted her head to glance at her, dark eyes twinkling with amusement. “Little one, do you get it?”

She had two ways of addressing her.

One was Miss Lu, and the other was little friend.

She usually called her Miss Lu when discussing serious matters, though sometimes her tone carried a hint of teasing—but mostly, it was straightforward.

At least, it appeared that way on the surface.

But once she called her “little friend,” it was entirely about teasing the little dog.

This wasn’t the first time Lu Ningshuang had been teased.

But now, with the person right in front of her, Little Dog Lu suddenly felt a surge of boldness. She leaned straight over and covered her.

Earlier, Qin Yushu had made Lu Ningshuang sit on the edge of the single-seater sofa. The Alpha had been awkward at first, but now, in this superior position, it couldn’t be more perfect.

She leaned down, leaving Omega Qin Yushu with no chance to dodge or flee.

Perhaps she didn’t want to escape, either.

A fleeting glint flashed through her pitch-black, abyssal eyes, as if verifying something once more—but they were too dark.

With her emotions completely concealed, no one could discern them.

Until the Alpha’s lips pressed against that wet, warm softness.

Strictly speaking, this was still their first… kiss, even though it happened so suddenly.

No matter how tangled and unclear things had been before, they had never touched here.

Each other’s lips had silently formed a forbidden zone—mainly following Qin Yushu’s will.

Little Dog leaned down, and this posture was a bit awkward in itself, requiring immense strength from her waist and abdomen.

Fortunately, the only truly soft part of the Alpha’s entire body was that face of hers.

She pressed close for a moment, then pulled away.

Her clear, pristine doe eyes remained untouched by any deep undercurrents, still endlessly pure. Yet it was precisely this unchanging clarity that made her all the more frightening and unnerving.

—She could not be read or fathomed with the naked eye.

“Sister~”

The Alpha called out in a sweet, soft tone. “The cola soda was pretty good, wasn’t it? Want to try it again?”