Chapter 10

Lin Xu’s self-initiated actions did not receive any tolerance, let alone the praise she had imagined.

She successfully earned herself a long silence from Shu Qingyou.

This was outright cold violence, and Lin Xu couldn’t accept it. Her temper flared up, and she blamed Shu Qingyou.

“Why are you angry? Tell me what I did wrong. Is explaining going to kill you?!”

The amnesiac Lin Xu, of course, didn’t notice that when her anger surged, even without releasing the oppressive pressure of her top-tier pheromones, her presence alone created considerable physical strain on others.

Yue Yang quickly sensed it too—the air was filled with restless molecules.

Perhaps she should leave first and give the little couple space to argue?

Shu Qingyou remained silent, a fleeting sadness flashing in her eyes.

She had a soft personality from a young age. Due to frequent colds and fevers, she needed more self-cultivation to nurture her mind, which naturally led to her habit of avoiding arguments.

It was precisely her past weakness that made it hard for her to refuse Lin Xu’s excessive demands during their time together.

Many memories weren’t worth dwelling on; thinking too deeply only added more pain to old scars.

She turned away, suppressing her emotions and resuming her usual demeanor as she continued the unfinished topic with her teacher.

At first, Lin Xu was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on—no one to smooth her fur, she became erratic and aggressive.

Now, she had been firmly shut out. Whether good or bad, her mood plummeted to rock bottom.

The situation was dire, and Lin Xu felt a bit at a loss. Suddenly, inspiration struck: if the big one was hard to deal with, start with the little one.

She squatted down to Shu Rong’s level and shook the child’s finger.

“I’m sorry, I was wrong. I won’t tell you any more bad stories. I have a story about a princess slaying an evil dragon—super exciting. Are you interested?”

Shu Rong opened her mouth, looking thoughtful. In the past, Mommy had only told her stories about princesses and knights living happily ever after. What was slaying a dragon?

Her little face was like a white steamed bun, even cuter when puffed up.

This was promising!

Lin Xu pressed her advantage.

“Big Sis will buy you all kinds of sweet snacks—any candy you want, soft or hard, square or round, with little patterns or animals. Oh, ask your mommy if you can have some?”

Hearing there were so many kinds of candy, Shu Rong couldn’t help but be tempted.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then under Lin Xu’s encouraging gaze, gently bumped her head against her mommy’s arm.

Shu Qingyou felt helpless and exasperated. Was she a child who could be placated with a few sweet words?

Using her daughter to tempt her? Shu Qingyou ignored it.

“Teacher, from what you described earlier, your wife specially brought back a piece of pottery from Europe. May this student have the honor of seeing it?”

Yue Yang, who had been watching the drama unfold, had already been amused inwardly for a while. Out of politeness, she pretended nothing had happened and smiled in agreement.

Lin Xu couldn’t hold back her composure any longer. She hurriedly hugged Shu Rong, turning the tables.

“Shu-jie, you can’t abuse a child like this. She’s so little, right at the age where she’s craving sweets. If you won’t buy her candy, you’re not fit to be her mom.”

“Rongrong, you’re so pitiful—no love from mom or anyone. Tell Sis what you want to eat, and I’ll get it all for you!”

Lin Xu thought she had performed exceptionally, getting carried away.

“Shu-jie, say something at least. People might think you’re mute.”

How did she manage to hit every single one of her landmines so precisely? Shu Qingyou’s brows lowered slightly.

Shu Rong, hugged tightly, could no longer understand what Big Sis was saying.

Why was Mommy looking at her? Mommy said Sis wasn’t a bad person, so should she listen to Sis?

Shu Rong blinked dazedly, her mouth opening slightly as her throat bobbed, producing a timid, short sound.

“Chirp.”

The three adults present: …

Great, she had backfired spectacularly. Lin Xu was embarrassed to the point of black lines on her forehead, her mouth twitching several times.

The silence lasted until after dinner. After bidding farewell to the teacher, Shu Qingyou not only had to drive but also keep an eye on Lin Xu, this overgrown child.

Lin Xu had been fairly proper during the meal—her table manners were ingrained from childhood. She handled the silver cutlery with ease, whether cutting food or her posture, making her a model of Western etiquette.

Gradually, one glass of red wine after another went down, and Lin Xu’s condition spiraled out of control.

She slumped on the table, reaching her hand toward the flame of the silver candelabrum, babbling: Watch my flame-extinguishing technique!

The waiter rushed over in a panic to stop her. Lin Xu was strong, especially drunk, and in her chaos, she nearly started a fight.

The scene was utter chaos.

Shu Qingyou could only apologize profusely to the teacher. Fortunately, the teacher was magnanimous and even asked if they wanted to stay the night.

Of course, Shu Qingyou didn’t want Lin Xu causing even bigger trouble at her teacher’s home, so she chose to drive back.

The car interior lights were dim and yellow, with occasional white beams from oncoming vehicles flashing through the windows. In the interplay of light and shadow, her serene phoenix eyes reflected like snow in a silent winter night.

Lin Xu was dizzy, slumped like a puddle of mud in the passenger seat—for safety, she couldn’t be put with her daughter.

Even without the heater on, Shu Qingyou felt hot, her body less under control than usual, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

She had to deliberately regulate her breathing to avoid panting aloud.

The most embarrassing part was her gland and its opening, both subtly swollen.

Shu Qingyou didn’t dare press the inhibitor patch on her neck—even a minor movement now could have unpredictable effects.

Her brows furrowed tightly. Her heat cycle—it had come a week early. The faint orange scent was already leaking out, clearly detectable.

If she didn’t hurry, the smell would soon fill the entire car.

Shu Qingyou’s voice was low, carrying a barely noticeable tremor: “Rongrong, Mommy’s going to open the window. Put the little blanket on, okay?”

While the pheromone leakage was still mild and they were in the suburbs with few people, as long as she drove fast enough, some of it could dissipate.

Shu Rong hadn’t differentiated yet and couldn’t smell anything. She wrapped herself in the blanket as the cold wind whooshed over her head.

The mostly sober Shu Qingyou glanced in the rearview mirror. Blown by the cold wind, Lin Xu’s eyes half-opened groggily, mumbling complaints before frowning, hugging her arms, and continuing to sleep.

Half an hour later, as they neared home, Shu Qingyou closed the windows early, enduring the relentless heat surging from within. She carried Shu Rong to the living room and put on a cartoon for her.

Shu Qingyou’s voice sounded exceedingly weak as she spoke.

“If you get tired of watching, sleep on the sofa. Mommy will carry you to a nice bath later.”

Shu Rong was overjoyed, flashing a big smile. Mommy usually didn’t let her watch cartoons at night, so she stared at the TV happily.

Shu Qingyou had endured too long. The moment she got home, her legs went soft, making it hard to walk normally.

The symptoms were rampant.

The familiar home blurred in her vision.

She had to lean on the wall, no longer suppressing her breathing.

“Mm…”

In her haze, she thought she must keep suppressants in the car from now on. She had been too careless. Ever since having Shu Rong, she had grown lax about these things.

Lin Xu’s sudden visit—she had underestimated Lin Xu’s influence and shouldn’t have let her guard down.

Suppressants, where, where, where…?

She finally shuffled to the bedside, rummaging through the drawer over and over.

“What are you looking for?”

A hoarse voice suddenly sounded behind her, making Shu Qingyou tremble all over.

She had heard this devilish whisper countless nights.

Lin Xu loved using this voice, replacing her usual cool detachment.

During moments of passion, when forcing her, relying on being a top-tier Alpha, Lin Xu would always nibble at her gland and its opening without any restraint.

Shu Qingyou couldn’t help recalling the bone-deep pain of having the mark washed away.

Compared to back then, when her body—already marked by Lin Xu—became easily aroused, at least now she could cling to her last shred of reason.

Even so, in the peak of her heat, even the slightest trace of Lin Xu’s pheromones made her feel defeated.

Lin Xu had been resting in the car—how? Shu Qingyou’s eyes lost their clarity as she panted softly.

The phlox flower scent was faint, but in her heated state, Shu Qingyou felt trapped by Lin Xu’s thick floral aroma, like a dense silk net locking her in.

Her head spun, and she barely shook her head.

“N-Nothing… I’m not looking for anything.”

Lin Xu was still a bit groggy—she had drunk too much, and apparently caused a scene at dinner?

Damn! Waking up, she found herself alone, abandoned in the car by Shu Qingyou.

Looking around, it was pitch black outside, and the room lights weren’t much brighter.

Had something happened? After thinking, she decided to apologize in front of Shu Qingyou.

Entering, Shu Rong was glued to her cartoon, ignoring Lin Xu’s arrival.

She immediately spotted Shu Qingyou half-kneeling, seemingly searching for something. Lin Xu felt too awkward to make a fuss.

Why was Shu Qingyou in the guest room, lights off? Did that mean she still couldn’t sleep in the bed tonight?

Nothing?

Lin Xu didn’t buy it. She approached Shu Qingyou, placing a hand on her shoulder, her breath brushing Shu Qingyou’s ear.

“Shu-jie, let me help you look.”

Shu Qingyou’s shoulders tensed abruptly. Lin Xu’s unique floral scent, mixed with the alcohol on her breath, brewed an indescribably seductive allure.

A new wave of heat spread from her ear tips to her roots, red enough to drip blood.

Shu Qingyou pinched her arm hard, regaining some logic to speak.

“It’s fine… You go out first… Mm…”

“What’s wrong, are you sick?”

Something really seemed off. To observe closely, Lin Xu leaned in nearer under the moonlight.

“I’ll take you back to your room to rest, Shu-jie. This is my bed.”

She tried to stay patient, her tone softening at the end.

But the moment she touched Shu Qingyou’s slender back, Shu Qingyou completely collapsed to the floor, barely clinging to the bedcovers.

“Ah…”

Shu Qingyou’s silky long hair draped over her chest, half-veiling her flushed face. Under the clear moonlight, her eye tails tinted pink.

A misty fog covered her darkened eyes, making them hazy.

Shu Qingyou involuntarily shot Lin Xu a reproachful glance. Lin Xu was stunned.

Quickly realizing the situation was bad, Shu Qingyou furrowed her brows and shook her head in refusal again.

It wasn’t Lin Xu’s first time seeing this. Her heart pounded wildly—Shu-jie was so beautiful, breathtakingly so.

And that little brown mole at Shu-jie’s eye tail made her crave it even more.