Shu Qingyou felt the warm breath on her face, and a faint itch stirred at the back of her neck.
Lin Xu wasn’t in heat. The tip of her nose was surrounded by the faint lavender scent of body wash, which was even more relaxing than Lin Xu’s pheromones.
But at that moment, it couldn’t have been more fitting to use on Lin Xu, ignoring the location, occasion, and time—not to mention the child right beside them.
Their posture was intimate and ambiguous.
Lin Xu pinned Shu Qingyou against the kitchen counter, her waist pressed against the quartz surface. A few drops of water fell from the faucet into the stainless steel sink, the sound unusually clear.
Even without using an Alpha’s natural intimidation, the impending sense of crisis didn’t diminish in the slightest.
Shu Qingyou turned her face away, a few strands of hair slipping from her hairband and covering her increasingly hot ear tips.
She extended her index finger and poked it in front of Lin Xu’s shoulder.
“…A bit too close.”
They used the same shampoo, but Lin Xu could still distinguish the difference. Getting close to Shu Qingyou brought an intoxicating sweetness.
Just a few more centimeters, and she could taste it… Lin Xu’s lower abdomen tightened.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice.”
Lin Xu snapped back to her senses and reluctantly retreated to her original position.
Her gaze darted around randomly, and she felt her lips growing dry.
She picked up her water glass and gulped it all down. The glass surface bore the imprint of sweaty palm prints.
“Actually, the steamed bun is pretty good too, Sister Shu.”
She was really hungry this time. She took a big bite of the bun and swallowed it down hastily, but it still didn’t satisfy her hunger.
“May I have some vegetables, Sister Shu?”
She called “Sister Shu” twice in a row. Her chopsticks were already about to touch the fatty red meat, yet she still asked knowingly.
Shu Qingyou rubbed her fingertip, letting out a soft “mm” from her throat.
Shu Rong, who had witnessed the entire scene, looked worried.
She had cute cartoonish children’s bowl and chopsticks. Normally, her mother fed her, but now she held her practice chopsticks and froze in place.
She didn’t understand what the adults were doing, but her mom was being bullied again.
Out of pent-up frustration she couldn’t vent, she grabbed her chopsticks and poked clumsily at the rice in Lin Xu’s bowl.
Lin Xu, who was gnawing on her bun: “???”
“Want me to feed you?” Lin Xu pressed down on Shu Rong’s flailing arm as if showing off, her voice bright and clear.
“Sister Shu, let me feed her from now on!”
Shu Qingyou didn’t mind the detail. In fact, Shu Rong could eat on her own by now, but she was overly dependent on her mother.
Sometimes, she worried whether Shu Rong could adapt to kindergarten, full of strangers.
“Sure.”
Lin Xu leaned down and warned Shu Rong in a sinister tone, “I hate it the most when others touch my things.”
With that, Shu Rong’s mouth gaped open, and before she knew it, it was stuffed full of rice.
Shu Rong chewed with tears in her eyes, thinking in terror that Lin Xu was a super bad big sister.
By the end of the meal, all three had things weighing on their minds. Lin Xu was unusually diligent, scrambling to clear the table, wash the dishes, and vacuum as if her energy was inexhaustible.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead, her face flushed red. She noticed the door leading to the second floor was locked. Looking up from below, the copper lock appeared quite new.
“Sister Shu, is there something up there that can’t be seen?”
Shu Qingyou was teaching Shu Rong to recognize characters at the coffee table. Her finger paused in mid-air before landing on the pinyin.
Without looking up, she said flatly, “Nothing important.”
“Your face hasn’t healed yet. Take your medicine.”
Feeling shut out, Lin Xu listlessly finished her chores and swallowed an anti-allergy pill when she had a moment.
The medicine took effect quickly, but it felt strange, making her drowsy. Lin Xu yawned and wandered to her room door.
“Sister Shu, I’m so sleepy. I’m off to rest.”
Shu Qingyou glanced at the floor. Lin Xu had indeed cleaned diligently, but it felt more like currying favor.
By evening, as the sunset glow filled the sky, the guest room door remained tightly shut. Shu Qingyou set down her book. Four hours had passed since Lin Xu went to sleep.
Lin Xu always had light sleep and no habit of napping, so Shu Qingyou suddenly had a bad premonition.
She knocked on the door.
She stood at the doorway for a moment, but there was no response from inside. She called Lin Xu’s name, but got no reply.
Her slender hand grasped the doorknob and turned it clockwise.
The door wasn’t locked. The curtains inside were drawn, making the room feel like night had invaded.
A vague little mound rose on the bed.
“Still sleeping?”
Shu Qingyou asked as she approached and twisted on the bedside lamp, improving the visibility.
This wasn’t normal. Shu Qingyou easily lifted the corner of the blanket.
Lin Xu had long legs, but now they were curled up, her hands clasped over her chest, breathing heavily in a fetal position.
Her plain cotton pajamas were soaked with sweat, clinging to her back.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead, her lips pressed tight, her face flushed red as if scalded in boiling water.
Shu Qingyou furrowed her brows.
She hadn’t even touched Lin Xu yet, but the heat reached her fingertips from afar.
Leaning closer, she could hear unclear whimpers from Lin Xu’s throat.
“You’re running a fever.”
Shu Qingyou found the fever reducers—they’d been used just days ago and were on the bedside table.
She suspected the anti-allergy pill Lin Xu took at noon and didn’t delay. She sat on the bed’s edge, lifted Lin Xu’s head to rest on her lap.
In a gentle voice, she coaxed, “Open your mouth.”
In her daze, Lin Xu’s hot breaths fluttered. She felt dizzy, and a long-missed orange scent wafted in.
How is that possible?
It’s been four years. That woman still haunted her dreams unrelentingly. She frowned tightly.
How many times had it been? She had resisted that pheromone countless times—anything citrus-related, perfumes with top notes akin to orange.
For that reason, she only used custom scents blended by her perfumer.
It wasn’t sentimentality; she simply didn’t want to think of Shu Qingyou.
Five years ago, after her beloved mother’s car accident death, Lin Xu went from daily anxiety to severe OCD. She knew the root of it all but was powerless.
But she couldn’t wallow in decline forever.
The Lin Family was vast, with tangled roots. She knew many relatives coveted her shares and voting rights.
In her extremely chaotic mental state, she inherited her mother’s shares and trust. At 19, Lin Xu craved decision-making power, but she lacked the authoritative strength to convince the board.
Fortunately, her mother had always been Old Lady Lin’s most favored eldest daughter, so Lin Xu was seen as the heir.
Old Lady Lin single-handedly eliminated dissent, protecting Lin Xu, rallying key directors and shareholders with higher dividends to prevent defections.
Even as everything seemed smooth sailing, Lin Xu’s mental state deteriorated.
No one knew that during the day, she wore a mask of easy confidence—silver-tongued in negotiations, exuding control like a superior.
But at a young age, she developed a drinking habit, needing to get drunk to sleep at night.
Keeping Shu Qingyou felt like an outlet. With a vengeful mindset, she proposed the arrangement—fiancée or not, what did it matter?
Everyone in their circle kept Omegas anyway.
Her first glimpse of Shu Qingyou was shortly after the woman’s family business went bankrupt. She was carrying a porcelain vase protected by suede toward a truck.
The truck was piled with handmade ceramics and several large machines—likely for bulk sale, Lin Xu guessed.
The driver kept urging her impatiently, his eyes glued to the graceful curves of Shu Qingyou’s waist and chest.
Shu Qingyou dressed like a recent college grad: basic white shirt, rolled-hem jeans, low ponytail—simple overall.
From across the sidewalk, Lin Xu barely made out her profile: smooth jawline, hair brushing her porcelain-pale face. Rushed, she paid no mind to her appearance.
She probably hadn’t slept well in a long time.
Lin Xu glanced at her now and then as she loaded and unloaded. Lin Xu lounged idly in her car, smoking.
Smoke billowed continuously from the luxury understated black car.
As dusk fell, only the golden filter at her fingertips glowed faintly.
Having smoked over half a pack of Sobranie, Lin Xu flicked her wrist, revealing her silver-gray mechanical watch. The blue steel hands had made a full circle.
There wasn’t much to see, yet an hour had passed unnoticed.
The truck rumbled away. Moments later, Shu Qingyou emerged from the studio, squatting at the door tending to some thriving succulents.
Lin Xu watched openly, thinking, This Omega is so oblivious. Can’t she sense a strange Alpha’s prolonged stare?
A mocking impulse rose unbidden. She stubbed out the last ember in the ashtray.
Pushing open the car door, her long legs in black suit pants stepped out, breathing the freshest air.
Her target was clear. Minutes ago, she’d decided: time to play.
“Hello, boss.”
Those were Lin Xu’s first words to her, delivered with deliberate friendliness, her brows and eyes matching.
Shu Qingyou’s back stiffened suddenly. After a few seconds, she stood and turned to face Lin Xu.
Up close, Shu Qingyou was beautiful—not flashy. Her phoenix eyes lowered demurely, lips pale pink, curves soft, nose tip slightly red.
Just looking at her evoked a sense of peaceful times, especially up close.
Lin Xu figured she’d just cried.
Shu Qingyou spoke softly, her face unable to hide her disappointment: “Not for long.”
“Oh, really? Such a shame.”
Pretending regret, Lin Xu shook her head sympathetically. “I was looking forward to checking it out. The reviews online are pretty high.”
Shu Qingyou fidgeted, tucking a strand behind her ear. “Maybe in the future…”
She stopped, throat bobbing with a choked sob.
Of course Lin Xu knew she was no longer the boss. She pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket and offered one.
“If you don’t mind, wipe with this. Right here.” Lin Xu pointed to the faint dark circles under her eyes, curving her lips. “It’s still a bit wet.”
“Thanks.”
…
In her haze, the orange scent grew rampant, invading her senses.
She let out a muffled groan, struggling to pry open her heavy eyelids. Even a slight head movement felt like stirring thick paste.
Lin Xu jerked back warily, shooting Shu Qingyou a glare. “Am I dreaming?”
Shu Qingyou was puzzled by Lin Xu’s sudden cold expression.
Her hand was still at the back of Lin Xu’s neck. She paused, sensing something off.
Instinctively, she said, “You’re running a fever. Take the medicine first.”
Medicine?
Lin Xu eyed her suspiciously. In Shu Qingyou’s palm was a white pill; a glass of water sat on the table.
Hah, as if. Lin Xu quickly understood. How could it be?
She seized Shu Qingyou’s wrist abruptly, the pill dropping onto the bed from the sudden release.
“Lin Xu?”
Shu Qingyou blanked for a moment, her heartbeat quickening.
Before she could ask more, Lin Xu yanked her into an embrace.
The strength was unprecedented these past few days.
Lin Xu flipped over, pinning Shu Qingyou’s hands swiftly. Her breathing was erratic, face flushed crimson.
Shocked, Shu Qingyou’s shoulders were pressed down hard, the back of her head hitting the pillow with a mild jolt of pain.
She couldn’t help letting out a short cry.
“It hurts…”
Her neatly pinned hair cascaded like a waterfall, stark against her creamy skin.
Lin Xu’s eyes reddened, the orange scent firing up her nerves.
“Hurts?”
Lin Xu mumbled the word, leaning in closer, her long curls draping over Shu Qingyou’s neck, strands intertwining.
It’s just a dream anyway. Why not do whatever she wanted?
So realistic—even the smooth texture felt like the tea set in her office.
Useless junk she should’ve tossed, yet it lingered, breeding trouble.
After Shu Qingyou left, Lin Xu’s OCD evolved into germaphobia.
No one was allowed to touch her things. Even attending events with her fiancée, no physical contact permitted.
The dream Shu Qingyou was pristine.
She tore off the inhibitor patch, floral scent blooming. Lin Xu inhaled deeply, eyes closing.
Shu Qingyou’s pupils shrank in disbelief.
At the same time, uncontrollable heat surged, her breathing growing heavier.
She forced herself to calm, suppressing the involuntary reaction, and said gravely, “You’ve recovered?”
The pheromones spiraled out of control, thick with desire—like a storm shattering a calm lake.
“Recovered…”
Lin Xu loomed over her, eyes narrowing dangerously.
“What do you mean?”
