Chapter 71

Lin Xu was clingier than usual today, clinging to Shu Qingyou like an octopus, holding her so tightly that Shu Qingyou could barely breathe. She lifted her leg and kicked Lin Xu.

Lin Xu let out a muffled grunt, clutching her calf, her eyes darting around slyly as she resorted to her old tricks.

The two stared at each other in silence until Shu Qingyou, exhausted, fell asleep first.

The next day, after being tossed around by Lin Xu, Shu Qingyou felt as if her head was weighed down by a jackhammer. She couldn’t get up, her eyelids were heavy, her nose was stuffy, and breathing was a struggle.

Especially since one side of the blanket was bulging up—she didn’t need to look to know what Lin Xu was doing.

Shu Qingyou woke up from the ministrations. In a daze, she reached for Lin Xu’s head and weakly tugged at her hair. “Enough… really, enough.”

Her voice was as faint as a silken thread. Even in her fervor, Lin Xu calmed down. She emerged from below, her tongue flicking out to lick the moisture from her lips.

She then reached out and placed her hand on Shu Qingyou’s face. The scorching heat burned her fingertips, and Lin Xu’s expression changed to one of shock. “You’re burning up!”

Shu Qingyou had no strength left and could only let Lin Xu fuss over her—changing her pajamas, washing her face…

Perhaps because she’d worn too little the day before and had a big fight with Lin Xu, who, in a fit of venting, had taken her too many times without restraint.

Calculating the time since they’d met and tangled, it was inevitable she’d catch a minor illness. Her throat itched, and she coughed incessantly.

Feeling guilty, Lin Xu grabbed her phone. “I’ll call the doctor right now.”

The family doctor arrived without a second’s delay upon receiving the order, only to find President Lin looking even more sullen than the overcast sky.

Lin Xu’s brows furrowed, cold light bursting from her eyes. “If you hadn’t come soon, my wife would’ve burned up!”

The doctor apologized profusely, explaining the traffic jam, but Lin Xu dismissed her as useless and inflexible. “Can’t you ride an electric scooter? I should’ve just called 120.”

“Alright, alright, check her out. Besides the fever, is there anything else wrong?”

The doctor wiped cold sweat from her forehead, opened her medical kit, and went through the routine checks. Seeing the Omega’s flushed face and persistent cough, she suggested sending her to the hospital.

Lin Xu scooped her up—she was so light. A rare pang of guilt hit her, and she silently vowed not to cold-war with Shu Qingyou anymore.

Shu Qingyou’s breathing was rapid, her mind foggy, her consciousness tumbling into a deep abyss. Instinctively, she curled up, seeking comfort from the Alpha.

At the Lin family’s private hospital, Lin Xu stayed by Shu Qingyou’s side without leaving as she received her IV drip. She’d even brought Shu Rong along, who anxiously paced around her mother’s bedside.

Shu Rong kept looking to Lin Xu for help with her eyes. Lin Xu lifted her onto her lap. “Mommy will be fine soon.”

The routine blood tests and CT scan showed mild malnutrition but no pneumonia. The attending doctor glanced at the faint bruises and red marks visible on the Omega’s skin.

She’d seen Alphas send Omegas to the hospital from overexertion more than once.

But since it was President Lin, she couldn’t outright blame her and instead hinted obliquely. “You young folks need to know when to stop…”

Lin Xu thought she meant their bedroom activities and reined in her bad temper. The director was also her grandmother’s attending physician, so she showed some respect.

By midnight, the flush had faded from Shu Qingyou’s face, revealing a pallid, sickly complexion. When she opened her eyes again, her hand was gripped tightly.

Lin Xu’s eyes were threaded with red bloodshot veins. She forced a faint smile. “I’m sorry. If I’d known you were sick this morning, I wouldn’t have…”

Shu Qingyou parted her lips, her voice a mosquito’s buzz. “It’s fine, don’t take it to heart. I didn’t take good care of myself.”

“No,” Lin Xu denied firmly. “The doctor said you’re malnourished too. From now on, I’ll fatten you up and boost your immunity.”

“Mm, okay.”

Shu Qingyou couldn’t care less about Lin Xu’s promises. She was just glad to be in the hospital—better late than never.

A rough plan was forming in her mind. Her pale lips moved faintly as she asked listlessly, “Where’s Rongrong?”

“In the next room, sleeping soundly.”

Lin Xu stroked her temple hair, her slender neck as fragile as porcelain. Lin Xu curled her fingers in fear. “Don’t worry, I’m taking good care of Rongrong. She’s my daughter…”

Shu Qingyou had no intention of arguing about that. She knew even at her worst, Lin Xu wouldn’t neglect the child. She closed her eyes.

She needed another day on the IV. When Lin Xu had a moment, she fed her medicine. Shu Qingyou hesitated, reluctant to lie back down.

“What’s wrong? It’s not bitter.” Lin Xu tasted the sweet medicine. “Finish it all, and you can go home tomorrow.”

“Bored. I want to play on my phone.”

Though Shu Qingyou rarely touched her phone, Lin Xu didn’t suspect anything and handed it over, reminding her, “Rest more. Staring at your phone is bad for your eyes.”

“Mm.”

Lin Xu had no interest in anything else, devoting herself fully to caregiving. Her gaze burned intensely, and when Shu Qingyou glanced up, she felt a strange unease.

After being stared at so much, Lin Xu eagerly offered, “Need me to do anything? I’ve got plenty of strength.”

Shu Qingyou thought for a moment, swiped a few times on the screen, and held the phone up to Lin Xu, speaking softly, “I want this.”

It was a trendy blind box store in the mall.

“This doll looks just like me, don’t you think?”

Lin Xu peered closely. The figurine wore bright clothes, hair in cute twin tails, showing a shy, timid face.

It wasn’t identical to Shu Qingyou—more like no relation at all.

But Lin Xu imagined Shu Qingyou dressed like that and found it adorable. She nodded vigorously. “Yeah, it does look like you, but you’re way prettier.”

Shu Qingyou waited quietly for Lin Xu’s nonsense to end. Where’s the resemblance? Only Lin Xu could say that with a straight face.

“I’ll go buy it now?” Lin Xu asked tentatively.

“Yeah, I’m so sick and uncomfortable. I want it…”

Shu Qingyou’s eyes softened with expectation, like a rain-soaked cub. Lin Xu couldn’t resist the near-begging tenderness, her heart stuttering.

“Okay, I’ll go right now. Wait for me. If anything feels off, call the director or me.”

Lin Xu’s figure receded, and Shu Qingyou heard the elevator ding. She rested with her eyes closed for a bit, then called the nurse to ask about the psychiatry department.

Three hours later, Shu Qingyou stuffed the medicine under her pillow. Lin Xu burst in, dusty from travel, carrying a large paper bag.

Shu Qingyou’s eyelids twitched in disbelief. “You bought so many?”

“Yeah, it’s blind boxes. What if you’re super unlucky and don’t get it on the first try?”

Lin Xu pulled over a table, dumped the boxes out, and pushed them to Shu Qingyou’s bedside, excitedly calling, “Baby, come try your luck.”

At that moment, Shu Rong toddled out and clumsily climbed onto her mother’s bed. Shu Qingyou figured it wouldn’t be contagious and sat up with her.

Lin Xu felt a twinge of jealousy but held back. Shu Qingyou guided her daughter’s hands to open the boxes. After twenty, they still hadn’t gotten the one she wanted.

Shu Qingyou wasn’t impatient. She scanned the cute little dolls. “Rongrong, you can play with all of these.”

So many! Shu Rong was over the moon, while Lin Xu scratched her head in worry. “You guys are so unlucky…”

Shu Qingyou shot her a sidelong glance. “You do it. Your luck’s better.”

“I’m kidding. You keep going.”

More childish than the kid. Shu Qingyou ignored her and opened the last one—it was the one. Calmly, she handed it to Lin Xu.

Lin Xu stared at the fair, slender fingers before her, faint veins visible beneath the skin. She murmured dazedly, “You’re really giving this to me? You finally got it.”

“What else?” Shu Qingyou raised a brow. “You’re a hundred times more important than this doll.”

It was everything Lin Xu wanted to hear. She beamed. “When we get home, I’ll turn the study into a display case for doll figures.”

“Sure, Rongrong will love it.”

The illness faded like pulled silk threads—just a common fever. Two days later.

Shu Qingyou met with Teacher Yue to discuss in detail. She took a sip of tea and recounted her experiences.

She omitted the part where Lin Xu had forced herself on her. Her daughter still needed care; she couldn’t just toss Lin Xu into prison.

“In short, you want to get out of the country quickly without Lin Xu catching on.” Yue Yang listened seriously to her description of Lin Xu, which matched her impressions perfectly. The public’s view of Lin Xu wasn’t good.

“Yes, but I can’t go under my own name.” Shu Qingyou sat primly, bowing slightly as she asked for the teacher’s help. Her eyes were limpid as autumn waters, exuding a cool aura.

A dragon in shallow waters—Yue Yang strongly disapproved of Lin Xu caging her like a canary.

“There’s a way, and it’s not complicated. Use an emergency invitation to get you an artist’s visa. Tickets, passport—all under an alias. You’ll have to keep using the fake name abroad.”

Shu Qingyou: “Thank you, Teacher.”

Yue Yang: “No need. Just don’t forget to invite me to your exhibition.”

It wasn’t set in stone yet, but for someone she had high hopes for, Shu Qingyou didn’t want to disappoint. She lowered her lashes shyly. “Of course, I’ll notify you first thing.”

Lin Xu arrived right on time to pick up Shu Qingyou. A silver Porsche gleamed in the luxury villa’s parking lot, motionless like a leopard lurking in the shadows—cold and expensive.

She counted the minutes precisely. When the agreed time passed, Lin Xu couldn’t wait any longer. Dressed in a black trench coat, she stepped out with long legs, slammed the car door, and began a barrage of calls with cold eyes.

The first one was hung up. Her anger rose from zero. She kept calling—the second, third… all hung up.

Anger maxed out. She kicked the car door hard, making it shudder.

The valet, standing seven or eight meters away, trembled in fear, not daring to approach.

Lin Xu didn’t go in to find Shu Qingyou because of her—last time here had been too humiliating. She even wore sunglasses, which did little but provide psychological comfort.

“Lin Xu!” Shu Qingyou’s long boots had just stepped out the door when she saw this violent scene. She took several deep breaths to suppress the urge to argue.

“What!” Lin Xu turned irritably, the sunglasses hiding the raging fire in her eyes.

“Finally decided to come out? I thought you’d sleep there forever.”

Shu Qingyou had an air of refined coolness, her face pure and flawless. She leaned in and hooked her arm through Lin Xu’s at her side.

A smile played in her eyes and brows. “How could I? Right now… all I want is to sleep with you…”