Chapter 54

Her Omega could grace the hall and work the kitchen, beautiful on the outside, apron tied around her waist as she dutifully washed her hands and prepared soup for her.

When their gazes met mid-air, the Omega did not stint on her gaze soft as water, thoughtfully preparing a little pre-meal sweet for her.

Shu Rong, on the other hand, became mere window dressing, propping herself greedily at the edge of the table with drool pooling from her mouth.

Lin Xu teased her with a small piece of cake but did not give it to her. Shu Rong’s eyes brimmed with tears from the torment, and she grew so anxious that she nearly spoke human words.

Shu Qingyou had instructed her not to feed the child too many sweets, but Lin Xu thought Shu Qingyou was truly hypocritical. Reading could wait, but she controlled Shu Rong’s nutrition with iron rigidity.

Lin Xu secretly saved a little and fed it to Shu Rong.

Shu Qingyou turned a blind eye; as long as Lin Xu was happy, it was fine. In exchange, Shu Rong’s impression of Lin Xu skyrocketed.

Ever since their last fruitless exchange, Lin Xu had given up on pressing the issue. Before their daughter learned to call her “mommy,” school could wait.

Lin Xu propped up her chin and watched Shu Qingyou’s slender, busy back, which now carried a mature charm.

If her pheromones had previously been the green sweetness of an unripe orange, laced with a hint of bitter orange blossom,

Now they were more like thin-skinned, tender flesh.

A gentle poke, and orange juice overflowed, soaking her entire palm and slowly spreading toward her wrist.

Lin Xu narrowed her eyes, unable to figure out if it was from too much abstinence, making her want to drag the person to bed every day.

Medicine claimed it was usually Omegas who couldn’t leave an Alpha’s pheromones, but Lin Xu inwardly cursed that nonsense.

Four years—she had spent four years forgetting Shu Qingyou, striving to erase the sweet orange pheromones that had once driven her mad with lust. To her, their relationship had been nothing but a vengeful game.

Game over.

She had grown tired of it and said goodbye. Shu Qingyou’s feelings didn’t matter; they weren’t worth considering.

Back then, Lin Xu had been a ne’er-do-well second-generation heir whose career hadn’t taken off, relying on her grandmother and needing a marriage alliance to bolster her position.

On their wedding night, Lin Xu had indulged herself one last time by biting the gland. Shu Qingyou cried out in pain and begged her to stop.

“Why?” Lin Xu didn’t understand; her fingers were even slightly wrinkled from being soaked. “With so many pheromones, didn’t you feel good?”

Shu Qingyou resisted her but couldn’t push her away. Lin Xu found it boring and irritably swept back the hair from her forehead.

She stared at Shu Qingyou from head to toe, surveying every inch of territory that belonged to her. Under the dim yellow light, the graceful body was covered in marks from her bites.

She belongs completely to me, Lin Xu thought coldly as she trailed the hand from earlier across Shu Qingyou’s face. Shu Qingyou’s skin was so delicate that a little pressure left a red mark.

Lin Xu’s eyes darkened. She gripped Shu Qingyou’s jaw with her thumb and forefinger, her gaze locking onto Shu Qingyou’s vermilion lips, which glistened like dripping blood.

She wanted to kiss her, devour her… Lin Xu growled viciously, “Not talking? Fine, then get out.”

She waved her hand. “Severance pay—it’s yours. Take those clothes, bags, jewelry, whatever you want.”

It was a stormy night with thunder crashing deafeningly, all the more irritating since she had been forced into this marriage and faked smiles all evening. Shu Qingyou should have pulled out all the stops to please her.

Who was the sugar mommy here? Did she really have to keep fawning over Shu Qingyou?

In the end, Shu Qingyou showed some backbone and agreed.

Such backbone—Lin Xu almost wanted to applaud. Fine, she wouldn’t bend for a pittance of rice. Then why had she agreed to trade her body for money in the first place?

The mocking words didn’t come out. Shu Qingyou sluggishly pulled on a nightgown and slowly got up.

Her long, straight pale legs caught Lin Xu’s eye. Shu Qingyou wobbled unsteadily and steadied herself on the sofa.

A small patch of wetness flickered into Lin Xu’s view, and she swallowed hard, stiffly turning her face away.

“Still trying to seduce me?”

Shu Qingyou paused, looking at Lin Xu’s carefully dressed outfit, as if she had just attended some banquet.

She asked, “Lin Xu… aside from the pheromones, did you ever like me?”

On the day they parted, the check Lin Xu gave her was rather stingy; she hadn’t wanted to give her a single cent.

The next day, she twirled her pen in the office, stewing all day before taking the initiative to cool off.

Did she like Shu Qingyou? Lin Xu had no answer. Keeping the daughter of her mother’s killer as a mistress, tiring of her, and discarding her like trash—that would have been the gratifying end.

Yet when despair flickered in Shu Qingyou’s eyes, Lin Xu’s heart felt gripped by Shu Qingyou’s soft hand.

Shu Qingyou wouldn’t leave so quickly; finding a place took time.

No more questions about liking or not—they could play a little longer, day by day. That was what Lin Xu wanted to tell her.

When she hurried back to the apartment after work, the furnishings were unchanged, and a faint, elusive fragrance lingered in the air.

Leaving so eagerly?

Lin Xu wasn’t generous enough to gift millions in luxury cars, but she wasn’t stingy either—limited-edition designer bags, jewelry, clothing piled high for Shu Qingyou to choose from.

But Shu Qingyou’s frugality shocked Lin Xu; she rotated the same outfits year-round in a simple, minimalist style, never wearing heavy makeup.

That was fine; Lin Xu had no intention of publicizing her mistress or bringing her to banquets or family gatherings.

When Lin Xu occasionally returned, drunk, Shu Qingyou always prepared honey water and meals ahead of time, obediently waiting near the entryway.

She wiped her down, bathed her, had sex with her, serving Lin Xu in every way.

But Lin Xu had only eaten Shu Qingyou’s cooking once and tasted her pheromones in it—irresistibly addictive. Afterward, she suspected Shu Qingyou had drugged her.

To avoid any schemes, Lin Xu never touched the food again.

Now that the person was gone, she hadn’t taken anything from the closet. Lin Xu frowned—at least she had that money; she wouldn’t starve on the streets.

But Lin Xu had truly underestimated Shu Qingyou. After their split, she stumbled upon a magazine interview.

That year they were together, Shu Qingyou had entered a national youth ceramics competition and won first with a white porcelain sculpture. The award was prestigious in their ceramics circle, with rigorous judging and entrants who were rising stars.

The interview was dull—stilted questions, formulaic answers.

The photo drew the eye more: a warm gray clay wall background, the woman standing in profile, plain white linen clothes with slightly curled hems, hair pinned up, lending her clear features an indescribable poise.

Just average looks… All in the past. Her thumb swiped the tablet.

She scrolled past…

Before clocking out that day, while a subordinate reported work, she fiddled absentmindedly with her phone. Noticing the subordinate’s gaze, she casually flipped it face-down on the desk.

The screen showed that old photo of Shu Qingyou.

Nothing big deal—a sugar mommy keeping a photo of her canary was normal.

But how had Shu Qingyou ended up in such a state now?

As Shu Qingyou brought the final dish to the table, Lin Xu’s wandering thoughts returned.

The spread was as abundant as ever: three dishes and a soup steaming hot, nutritionally balanced and tailored almost perfectly to Lin Xu’s tastes.

Women needed constant praise, and Lin Xu knew this well. She tugged at Shu Qingyou’s sleeve. “Thank you, Shu-jie. You make me delicious meals every day—you’re amazing.”

“It’s no trouble,” Shu Qingyou said, unsure what scheme Lin Xu was hatching this time. She gently scraped Lin Xu’s nose. “No bad ideas.”

“Ah, Shu-jie, what kind of person do you take me for?”

As Shu Qingyou set out bowls and chopsticks, she accidentally recalled Lin Xu’s lips and chin drenched in pheromones. She said guiltily, “No, nothing…”

“Oh? Qingyou, want to play an adult game with me…”

Lin Xu was still recovering, so the company had hired a professional management team for daily operations; only core documents needed her review and signature.

With time on her hands, she craved that with Shu Qingyou. Who wouldn’t want to dip their fingers into a trickling hot spring?

Lin Xu’s voice turned sticky as her hand rested on Shu Qingyou’s left wrist. Shu Qingyou stiffened instantly, unnaturally withdrawing her hand and quickly changing the subject. “Let’s play a game.”

“Hm?” They’d played together before; though Shu Qingyou was terrible, barely more than a vegetable, Lin Xu enjoyed her coquettish pleas for help.

“Sure, let’s eat first. You’ll have to carry me then.”

Probably carry us to a loss… Shu Qingyou sighed inwardly at her poor gaming skills. She picked up a piece of rib and placed it in Lin Xu’s bowl. Lin Xu eyed the glistening, fragrant rib but didn’t move.

“Not to your taste?”

Lin Xu shook her head miserably and said weakly, “My hand hurts. Feed me.”

Shu Qingyou’s face heated. She glanced at Shu Rong diligently chewing her chicken soup rice, oblivious to them.

Sigh, my girlfriend’s like a three-year-old. Shu Qingyou lifted her arm, spoon extended. Lin Xu opened her mouth with an “ah,” then casually reached out, encircling Shu Qingyou’s wrist.

Once the rice was in her mouth, Lin Xu released it.

Narrowing her eyes, she hooked Shu Qingyou’s little finger. “Baby, I like you so much.”

Lin Xu touched her wrist repeatedly, intentionally or not, the warm sensation right there.

Shu Qingyou tried to stay composed. Since Lin Xu hadn’t asked pointedly, she wouldn’t overthink.

She set down her bowl and coquettishly chided, “You’re uncomfortable and still restless, you little liar. Eat by yourself…”

Lin Xu agreed, but her heart was like a mirror. Her appetite was fine; she polished off two and a half bowls of rice before choking a bit.

It startled Shu Qingyou into digging out long-unused digestive tablets.

Lin Xu eyed the near-expired pills and declined politely. “I’m fine. Playing games will help digestion.”

As expected, when they gamed together, Shu Qingyou dragged them down as always, but she focused intently, lips pursed tight.

Twenty restarts, twenty times pitting Lin Xu—Shu Rong couldn’t stand it and made a disdainful noise.

Growing bold, daring to disdain her mom—Lin Xu pinched Shu Rong’s chubby cheek. “Go cool off, little brat.”

Though Shu Qingyou had invited her, it was too embarrassing. She looked timidly at Lin Xu. “Should we keep playing?”

Lin Xu’s mentality was rock-solid. She leaned close. “What, tired of it? Want to try playing with me instead?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Shu Qingyou was going crazy. Lin Xu’s desires seemed insatiable lately, frequency ramping up, and she didn’t even mind being “eaten” by an Omega.

By then, a hand had slowly roamed under her nightgown, igniting fires everywhere. She trembled; everywhere it touched itched unbearably.

Her watery phoenix eyes welled with tears. “Tonight…”

“Wait a sec.” Lin Xu cooed softly, not slowing her movements until Shu Qingyou weakly gripped her hand to stop.

Lin Xu sneered inwardly. Shu Qingyou had left her for four years without a shred of longing or care, yet had the nerve to ask if she’d ever been liked?

Shu Qingyou probably didn’t even know herself if it was dependence on her pheromones or real feelings.

How ironic… Liking the wrong person without realizing, an Omega brainwashed by Alpha pheromones.

“Shu-jie, you haven’t played with Rongrong in ages. I’ll play by myself.”

Lin Xu withdrew her hand, pretending to open a mobile game on her phone with a sweet smile.

Shu Qingyou steadied her racing heart, thinking she needed a serious talk with Lin Xu. At this rate, normal life wasn’t normal anymore…

Lin Xu silently opened her messages, instructing her assistant to pull Shu Qingyou’s hospital visits from the past few years—clinics, electronic records, prescriptions, everything in detail.