Chapter 23

Shu Qingyou calculated the time and returned home. She had dinner outside as well. Shu Rong had eaten too many snacks and kept rubbing against her, begging for a belly rub to help with digestion.

In that casual moment, she vaguely recalled Lin Xu’s recent coquettish demeanor.

It was just like a fluffy little thing that had eaten its fill and drunk its fill, seeking comfort from its owner. Or rather, it was genetic inheritance—they were exactly alike.

When Shu Rong was half a year old, she had a fever once. It wasn’t serious, and the doctor determined it wouldn’t affect the child’s development. As for not opening her mouth to speak, it had once troubled Shu Qingyou.

As time passed, Shu Rong didn’t lack any of the natural traits other children had, so Shu Qingyou stopped worrying about it.

Shu Qingyou had always been indifferent by nature. Lin Xu had only stayed for a few short days, but Shu Rong’s mood had improved quite a bit.

Analyzing it, Shu Qingyou felt a bit more guilt toward her child. She had thought she was qualified to be a good mother.

That woman was exceptionally familiar with Lin Xu—a wealthy heiress with an air of extravagance, her appearance bright and beautiful.

Back then, she had wondered what kind of person would suit Lin Xu, someone who could provide her with enough emotional value.

Now the answer was clear: the Omega who could spend a lifetime with Lin Xu would have to be her equal.

After coaxing her daughter to sleep, she slipped a pack of women’s cigarettes into her pocket. No matter what, life went on—people couldn’t just stay stuck in place.

In truth, she had to thank Lin Xu for untying her mental knot, prompting her to reconnect with teachers and friends she hadn’t contacted in a long time.

The first day of work felt like a clock that had started ticking, urging her onward.

A story with an ending—once the period was placed, the details of the process no longer mattered.

When she went to the backyard to check the clay-drawing machine, the visibility was low in the dim light, and she could only make out a vague silhouette huddled not far away.

She gripped the newly opened cigarette pack, lowered her lashes, thought for a few seconds, and then pressed the cigarette back in.

Who else but Lin Xu would be squatting there so boldly, waiting for her?

It was a deep autumn night, with thick fog settling in.

She pondered for a moment, then reached out to remind her—why wasn’t Lin Xu leaving?

Lin Xu was like a parched traveler in the desert, her mind foggy. She wasn’t unaware of Shu Qingyou’s rejection.

But she pressed too hard. Her palm touched the fluffy coat and pushed toward her own chest, Shu Qingyou’s slender back digging into her palm.

The butterfly bones protruded inch by inch under her touch, and Lin Xu’s senses told her it was excessively sexy. Pheromones seeped uncontrollably from her gland.

She buried herself in Shu Qingyou’s neck hollow. Shu Qingyou’s naturally falling strands of hair intertwined with Lin Xu’s, and Lin Xu’s breathing grew more and more erratic.

She praised her sincerely.

“Truly beautiful—even the gland is.”

“Shut up…”

Shu Qingyou’s immediate reaction was that Lin Xu wasn’t in her right mind. These Alphas, when their rationality collapsed, would say all sorts of sweet nothings just to get the pheromones they craved.

At least she could confirm that Lin Xu hadn’t been drinking.

“Why hold back?”

Lin Xu sighed unclearly and forcefully wedged her leg between Shu Qingyou’s.

With no support behind her, Shu Qingyou had no choice but to cling to Lin Xu’s shoulders.

The hot floral fragrance seemed intent on overtaking and assimilating all other scents.

Shu Qingyou’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated in her chest, her breathing labored. The other’s scorching breath layered upon her cool skin, spreading outward.

An embarrassing ache stirred between her legs.

But Lin Xu wasn’t particularly gentle. She pressed against her, her domineering actions no different from before.

Unable to move, Shu Qingyou felt a touch of despair. She was being induced into heat in the open air, with the cold wind fiercely blowing her long hair.

It slightly alleviated the relentless heat from her body, and Shu Qingyou barely managed to squeeze out brief words through clenched teeth.

“Wait, I can’t stand.”

Lin Xu, who had no intention of stopping, rubbed her scorching lips against the smooth white Inhibitor Patch.

The orange scent had perhaps overflowed too much, forcing its way out through the cracks.

Like long drought meeting sweet rain, Lin Xu burned with impatience and couldn’t bear to let it go.

She opened her mouth, her tongue tip licking the porcelain-white neck.

It was even more delicious than imagined—the only one in the world. She felt utterly satisfied.

“It’s fine. I’ll hold you tight—you won’t fall.”

A surge of anger rose in Shu Qingyou’s heart. While she couldn’t resist the conditioned reflex, the desire buried deep inside clamored to be released. It was only natural, human instinct.

Her rational string trembled on the verge of snapping, warning her that once she let go of such things, it would be like a wild horse breaking free, leading only to deeper indulgence.

Panting, Shu Qingyou told her, “Can we… pause for a bit?”

“Pause?” Lin Xu’s eyes were hazy, the sweet fragrance overwhelming her brain. She couldn’t help sighing. “It smells so good—so good I want to swallow it whole.”

With that, Lin Xu didn’t hold back and bit down on her neck. The marking teeth sank shallowly into the skin.

Shu Qingyou let out a soft whimper, thinking her neck probably wouldn’t be presentable for days.

Lin Xu’s palm kept stroking up and down her back, eliciting shivers from her.

Shu Qingyou couldn’t claim to be some chaste saint either. Her fingertips curled, rumpling Lin Xu’s jacket into folds of wrinkles.

Gritting her molars, she grunted, “Do you even know what you’re doing?!”

Of course she knew. She was just this shameless, Lin Xu thought. Anyway, there were excuses to cover for her—pheromones driving her, or being half-asleep.

She wasn’t a gentleman anyway. Her marking teeth itched sourly as she continued rubbing against the delicate neck thick with veins, sniffing the scent deeply.

“Just once—just one more.”

She didn’t mean it. She nipped lightly twice, then bit down deeply once.

Lin Xu’s heart pounded like thunder. As long as Shu Qingyou lowered her head, she didn’t need to lean in close to hear the banging heartbeat.

She didn’t notice her own voice had turned hoarse and rough. “Shu-jie, does it hurt?”

Shu Qingyou swallowed her anger. So what if it hurt? Facts proved that even if she cried out in pain, Lin Xu wouldn’t necessarily let her go.

She half-closed her eyes, disheveled strands of hair sticking to her forehead damp with thin sweat.

Lin Xu sensed her relaxation and grew even softer, letting her have her way—like something softer than a little cake.

Harboring wicked intentions yet pretending otherwise, she looked up at Shu Qingyou.

The corners of her eyes flushed with an unnatural red, the brown mole below adding to the allure.

Shu Qingyou’s lips pressed tight, like a victim facing final judgment. Lin Xu couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“Shu-jie, your mouth looks so kissable too.”

Suddenly, Shu Qingyou’s lashes trembled a few times as she lifted her beautiful eyes, her sockets brimming with watery moisture.

Lin Xu froze, her fanciful thoughts scattering.

Shu Qingyou was furious, her phoenix eyes glaring fixedly at her.

“So kissable?!”

Shameless and oblivious—she was already an A with a wife, yet she didn’t acknowledge the marriage and had shown up unannounced to mooch off her here.

Moreover, this place was just a barely livable house, nothing like a mansion, with no servants to attend.

“I—I’m not. I just wanted to try…”

If Gu Huaiyuan hadn’t mentioned kissing under a priest’s witness, she wouldn’t have had this idea.

“You’ve misunderstood. I really didn’t mean to.”

Reprimanded, Lin Xu’s legs stood obediently in place like a guilty schoolchild, hands pressed to the seams of her pants.

A crescent moon had just risen, and by its faint light, she saw the color stain on her pants at the knee, different from the fabric.

Lin Xu’s mind exploded with a boom.

Didn’t this mean… continuing would be better?

Shu Qingyou steadied her breathing and followed her gaze. Her cheeks, which had just cooled, suddenly flushed hot again.

She immediately covered Lin Xu’s eyes and snapped angrily.

“Don’t look!”