Chapter 47: Baby, Suppressant or Me?

Dark clouds accompanied the torrential downpour as Shu Qingyou turned on the car’s interior light. The flickering glow illuminated her wooden expression.

Lin Xu carefully chose her words, setting aside their argument for the moment. When she finally spoke, her throat felt parched. “Qingyou, why did you suddenly stop watching the road just now?”

As if she had anticipated the question, Shu Qingyou answered without hesitation. “I felt a bit unwell. Dizzy.”

“Then let me drive.”

“No need. Thank you.”

Shu Qingyou’s voice returned to its cold politeness, leaving Lin Xu at a loss for words. It wasn’t normal. Lin Xu’s unease grew bit by bit, but she couldn’t pinpoint the source, so she had no choice but to accept Shu Qingyou’s explanation.

They finally made it home without incident. Lin Xu got out first, expertly scooping up the child and holding an umbrella to shield Shu Qingyou from the rain. The distance from the car to the doorstep was only a few steps, but Lin Xu’s shoulder, exposed beyond the umbrella, still got soaked.

Shu Qingyou glanced at her before quickly looking away, her face expressionless. She hurried to her room and shut herself inside, leaving the older woman and the little one staring at each other in the living room.

This single detail told Lin Xu that Shu Qingyou was hiding something important and refused to share it.

At a loss for now, Lin Xu turned to Shu Rong. “Has your mommy ever done this before? Liked to be alone and ignored you?”

In Shu Rong’s memory, Mommy only did this occasionally at night, but she thought Mommy just couldn’t sleep.

She shook her head. Lin Xu sighed—pointless. What did she expect from asking a child?

Shu Qingyou had rated her zero points at first, which had hurt Lin Xu like a thousand needles piercing her heart. But Shu Qingyou’s uncharacteristic behavior had completely dispelled that sadness.

Compared to a car accident, why fuss over credibility points? Looking on the bright side, at least it wasn’t negative. As long as it was zero or above, she could stay here.

Lin Xu had gotten good at soothing herself. She helped Shu Rong wash her face, gave her a snack, and the little one played contentedly like a pet at home.

Shu Qingyou still didn’t emerge. Lin Xu couldn’t guess what she was doing in her room. Lately, all the housework had fallen to Lin Xu, and today was no exception.

They had come home in a rush today, and the plan to shop for groceries at the supermarket had been shelved. Lin Xu opened the fridge—only two tomatoes and one medium-sized potato. Even a skilled cook couldn’t make a meal without ingredients.

Lin Xu grabbed her keys and checked the weather forecast. The next few days would bring continuous gloom and rain, with temperatures dropping sharply. She drove out alone to buy groceries. Even if she didn’t know how to cook some dishes, she had to learn.

In case Shu Qingyou got sick, she needed to be able to take care of her.

When she returned, the bedroom door was still tightly shut. Lin Xu’s heart was a tangle of emotions. Was it because Shu Qingyou was still mad at her, or was she truly unwell?

She shifted her focus and prepared three dishes and a soup. The warm aroma of the meal filled the house. Lin Xu washed her hands and untied her apron, her long hair tied in a low ponytail.

She embodied the perfect image of a dutiful housewife—Alpha edition. Only then did she dare knock on the door. “Qingyou, open up. I made your favorites.”

She stepped back a few paces, waiting for Shu Qingyou to come out.

Shu Qingyou’s dizziness hadn’t been an excuse to brush off Lin Xu. Outwardly, she said nothing, but inwardly, she was in turmoil. If Lin Xu hadn’t forcefully reminded her in the car, who knew what accident might have happened afterward.

So she had locked herself in her room, taken her medicine, and waited to sober up. She rolled up her sleeve, and the scar on her arm stood out glaringly.

With Lin Xu taking care of Shu Rong, she could heal alone. Lin Xu already acted like a mature Alpha mother, caring for Shu Rong well. Even if she were gone someday, Lin Xu wouldn’t treat Shu Rong poorly.

The door lock clicked open. Lin Xu saw Shu Qingyou standing there fine and alive, which eased her worries greatly. Even so, she didn’t dare look at her too much.

She wanted to call out Shu Qingyou’s name but held back to avoid bothering her further. Instead, she said softly, “I’ll go serve you some rice.”

Shu Qingyou agreed. Her pale, snowy eyes watched Lin Xu’s busy back as she reflected—had she overreacted, leading to this self-inflicted need for more medicine?

She turned her attention to Shu Rong instead, who sat on the sofa watching TV with the pet, now changed into her loungewear.

Shu Rong spotted Mommy emerging from the room and immediately jumped off the sofa. Her little stubby legs carried her straight to Shu Qingyou, hugging her thigh tightly.

Shu Qingyou’s guilt deepened. She crouched down and stroked Rongrong’s small face. The innocent expression was quite healing—a true little padded jacket.

Lin Xu watched enviously from across the dining table, silently tending to her tasks.

The only meat dish Lin Xu made today was a fish; she knew Shu Qingyou preferred light vegetarian fare. Lin Xu had once teased her that she only ate meals to sustain basic life functions.

“Qingyou, eat more…” Lin Xu picked up a piece of potato for her, lifting her eyes cautiously to show concern.

Shu Qingyou forced a grateful expression, her pale lips parting. “Okay.”

It made Lin Xu’s heart ache. Not knowing the details of Shu Qingyou’s condition tormented her. She boldly guessed it might relate to the scar on her wrist and shoveled a bite of rice.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Xu asked timidly, “Qingyou, the scar on your wrist…”

Shu Qingyou’s elbow on the table stiffened for an instant. She lowered her gaze and said nothing. She didn’t want to answer—it was a long story, and Lin Xu might not understand now. She could even misunderstand, making things worse.

Lin Xu didn’t get a response, and seeing Shu Qingyou’s troubled expression made her regret speaking up.

They entered a cold war—or rather, Shu Qingyou unilaterally iced her out, and Lin Xu passively endured it.

A week had passed. The relentless rain had ushered in full winter. Sea City, in the south, had bedding that started to feel damp. She slept restlessly.

But that wasn’t the point. Shu Qingyou had met a client and returned looking off-color, her brows furrowed the whole time.

Beyond basic daily exchanges, they had no casual chit-chat.

Shu Qingyou’s slender, scallion-like fingers rubbed at her gland. Her neck was finely white and delicate, as if a light squeeze could make her fragile.

Lin Xu wanted to do just that right now. She pretended to scroll on her phone, but when Shu Qingyou took off her high-necked sweater, Lin Xu’s gaze followed her every move.

Once in her room, Lin Xu watched the clock. Less than a minute later, Shu Qingyou returned to the living room and put her clothes back on, though her movements seemed labored. Her long hair looked like it had been roughly tousled, now disheveled.

Inducement… classic heat symptoms. But Shu Qingyou didn’t seem too severe yet.

Lin Xu desperately pretended not to smell the pheromones, brooding silently as her body reacted inappropriately. She gritted her teeth, blaming Shu Qingyou for being more stubborn than a mule.

“Qingyou, what did you go do?”

She knew but asked anyway. Shu Qingyou tidied her messy hair, trying not to breathe in too much of Lin Xu’s pheromones. Today’s client was a male Alpha—a classmate she wasn’t close with had seen her social media post and made the introduction.

Even though she’d chosen a busy café for the meeting, the male Alpha’s probing gaze carried a nauseating filthy desire. She’d endured it until she got home to inject a suppressant, but it was all for nothing.

Ever since Lin Xu had symbolically bitten her, it was like a spark in dry, windless air. No extra fuel needed—it spread like wildfire effortlessly.

A top-tier Alpha’s pheromones were even more potent. Today’s male Alpha was just average; having tasted the best made her more resistant to the inferior kind.

But they were in a cold war. Lin Xu might already be disappointed in her, growing distant. Though Lin Xu unfailingly did the chores and cooked, she refused to say more than necessary.

Shu Qingyou paused. “I need to buy something.”

Lin Xu was at her side in three strides, fussing over her jacket. She said coldly, “You’re going out in just this? Not afraid of bringing illness home.”

Shu Qingyou ignored her, understanding the implication—she feared contagion. Shu Qingyou lowered her long lashes. “I’ll be right back. Thanks for the concern.”

Lin Xu stared at her flushed little face, unwilling to be honest with her. A single bite could solve it, yet she insisted on fighting her.

Lin Xu snatched the car keys ahead of time. “I’ll go buy it for you.”

“And I don’t like you thanking me.”

Lin Xu didn’t catch what Shu Qingyou murmured behind her—maybe another dismissive thanks, or perhaps her own overbearing assumption.

Shu Qingyou had grown used to Lin Xu’s efficiency, seeing through her needs at a glance. She breathed softly: Hurry back soon.

The simple instruction was swallowed by the howling cold wind as Lin Xu flung the door open.

Like a gust herself, Lin Xu returned in just over ten minutes with a full bag of suppressants. Shu Qingyou was nowhere in the living room; Shu Rong, like a navigation NPC, pointed toward the bedroom.

Lin Xu washed her hands, grabbed a suppressant, and pushed the door open.

Shu Qingyou, deep in her heat period, huddled in the corner hugging her knees, trembling all over. Hearing hurried footsteps, she weakly lifted her gaze.

Her skin flushed an alluring pink, eyes damp at the corners, the mole beneath seductive.

Lin Xu hurried to her side and half-knelt, stroking the top of Shu Qingyou’s head. Every strand of hair was soaked in sweet orange scent.

Sweet and delicious. Lin Xu struggled hard to suppress the urge to mark her.

Without waiting for resistance, she said, “I’ll inject it for you.”

But Shu Qingyou was worlds apart from her usual self—soft and pliant, an Omega entirely at her mercy. Even brushing aside the hair over her gland made Lin Xu gasp at how hot it was.

She tore off the ineffective inhibitor patch. Her Alpha breath washed over it, and Shu Qingyou gasped, her eyes filled with desperate longing as her fingertips gripped Lin Xu’s arm.

Lin Xu nearly dropped the syringe, leaning toward the Omega who had lost self-control from the torment.

She adjusted the angle of the gland and the silver needle, feeling the unnatural heat of Shu Qingyou’s breath on her cheek. Lin Xu averted her eyes. Shu Qingyou bit her lower lip, its color glossy and watery.

Lin Xu held her gaze steadily. After a moment, she set the needle aside, leaned close to Shu Qingyou’s lips, her pheromones mingling with the sweet orange.

“Baby, do you want the suppressant… or me?”