For a full 100 days, she hadn’t eaten a single decent meal—or more precisely, her appetite had been poor, and she’d once thought her sense of taste had failed her.
Shu Qingyou frowned as she watched her wolf down the food. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t eaten good things before—why was she so obsessed with fried chicken?
Once she was full, Lin Xu thought about fleeing again. Shu Qingyou didn’t hold back and kicked her right in the butt.
Lin Xu clutched her reddened backside, looking miserable.
“When are you leaving?” The path wasn’t long, and Shu Qingyou strolled along leisurely.
“Huh?” Lin Xu still wasn’t used to such blunt, aggressive words coming from Shu Qingyou’s mouth.
She at least had a hat to shield her from the wind and snow. Lin Xu took it off and placed it on Shu Qingyou’s head, adjusting it for her.
Timidly, she asked, “When do you think I should leave?”
Shu Qingyou didn’t hesitate. “The sooner, the better.”
She hadn’t even started her plan to win her wife back yet—this couldn’t fall apart halfway. She wasn’t willing to give up without a fight.
“I know I was wrong.”
Straight to the point, no beating around the bush. Shu Qingyou halted her steps. “And?”
They were almost at the doorstep. Lin Xu fidgeted with her fingers and mumbled with her head down, “I went to see a psychologist.”
“Oh?” Shu Qingyou perked up a bit, raising an eyebrow. “What was the diagnosis?”
Lin Xu scratched her head and gave an awkward grin. “I yelled at the doctor and ran away.”
Soon, Lin Xu noticed Shu Qingyou’s expression darkening with alarm. She hurriedly explained, “See, I’ve got so many flaws—even the doctor couldn’t stand me.”
Shu Qingyou waited for more. Lin Xu had run all that way—first hot, then cold. The wind, frost, and snow kept drilling into her collar. She sneezed.
A booger bubble popped out. She sniffed, and Shu Qingyou patted her pockets—no tissues. Tough luck for Lin Xu.
She poked her elegant fingertip into the hollow of Lin Xu’s collarbone. Damp strands of hair brushed against her skin over and over—not very comfortable.
“Go back, wash up, and sleep.”
Lin Xu grabbed her finger. “Even the doctor couldn’t tolerate me, but you put up with me for so long. You’re amazing. I owe you.”
It wasn’t about being amazing—it was lovesickness at work.
Shu Qingyou said, “If you don’t leave, I won’t care about you anymore.”
Lin Xu restrained herself from more touching and stood under the eaves, rubbing her hands and breathing on them. “Can we at least exchange contacts? I won’t bother you for no reason.”
“And if something happens with Rongrong, I can let you know right away.”
Just mentioning the child worked wonders. Shu Qingyou reluctantly added her as a friend. Lin Xu beamed, her eyes narrowing into slits.
Shu Qingyou turned away, opened the door, closed it—smooth and without a backward glance.
Lin Xu made no extra moves. The door slammed shut, leaving her outside. She leaned against it and looked up at the deep blue sky, snowflakes drifting down gently.
She spaced out there, then sneezed again—as if her inner monologue had backfired.
She dawdled, even planning to just lay out a mat at her door and play the pitiful role.
She waited and waited. Ten minutes later, there was a click, and a wave of warm air rushed out from inside.
Lin Xu: “!!!”
Excitement rushed to her head. Shu Qingyou had come to find her—she couldn’t bear to leave her out in the cold after all.
However, Shu Qingyou merely leaned against the doorframe, her slender jaw tilting up slightly.
Lin Xu froze. Her gaze followed Shu Qingyou’s movements. Shu Qingyou’s skin flushed pink as her slender fingers brushed aside her smooth, long hair.
A small, swollen gland was exposed to the air, pheromones gradually seeping out.
An Omega’s pheromones quickly stirred the Alpha’s restlessness.
Lin Xu wanted to run, but her feet felt stuck in mud. She couldn’t control her physiological reaction. Stammering, she said, “W-what are you doing?”
“Bite it.”
Shu Qingyou’s tone was cold, her pale red eyelids lowered, desire flickering in her eyes but not fully revealed.
Lin Xu couldn’t advance or retreat. She desperately suppressed her own surging gland, muttering repeatedly, “Say no to bad temptations, say no to bad temptations, say no to bad… Ah!”
So dawdling. Shu Qingyou grew impatient and yanked Lin Xu’s arm.
Caught off guard, Lin Xu collided with her fullness. Her flushed face felt like it was about to explode from the heat.
Even in the 0°C snowy weather, it couldn’t suppress the impulse deep inside.
Lin Xu clung to her last shred of reason and blurted, “Our relationship right now… it’s not good to mark…”
Shu Qingyou pinched her gland, making her whimper and beg, her legs buckling into a half-kneel.
“My suppressants are used up—I haven’t bought more. Use you as a substitute for today.”
“Besides, didn’t you used to love doing this the most? I’m offering myself up, and now you pretend to be a gentleman?”
Lin Xu was stunned, her mind foggy. Right, she’s offering—this isn’t me forcing it. No reason not to.
She bared her sharp fangs, the whites of her eyes gradually streaked with crisscrossing red veins. Following the scent she’d daydreamed about day and night, she inched closer.
The source of the fragrance made her lose all reason. Suddenly, a gust of wind with sleet slammed into her neck. Cold snow landed on her skin, melting into wet slush.
She gasped, her teeth chattering, clarity returning to her eyes.
With tremendous willpower, she released Shu Qingyou’s shoulders, swallowed hard, and mumbled, “No, no—I think I have suppressants.”
Just as she said it, Lin Xu lowered her head, fixed on the ground, turned, and bolted back to her own place.
Shu Qingyou stared at her panicked retreating figure, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly. After a long moment, she silently walked to the bedroom and pulled open a rosewood drawer.
A full row of suppressants sat there plainly. She wasn’t short on them.
She’d only tested whether Lin Xu had truly changed. It hadn’t disappointed her, but she felt no joy either.
Lin Xu hesitated, her steps heavy as she climbed to the second floor. The room was dark, the telescope for peeping tossed in the corner.
She packed it away carefully. Unsure if she had suppressants, the temporary housekeeper she’d hired had bought a ton of daily necessities.
After rummaging for ages, she finally found a box. Without a second’s delay, she rushed to knock on the door.
But after knocking for a long time, no one answered. Lin Xu stomped her foot. Had Shu Qingyou gotten mad at her?
She pulled out her phone and typed a message: [I brought them. Are you okay? Open the door.]
Shu Qingyou: [Just go. I don’t need them.]
The icy words stabbed like a knife. Lin Xu gripped her phone in a daze. Seconds later, grievance welled up, sour and bitter. She wiped the dampness from her eye corners.
Fine, she’d leave—she wasn’t desperate to please her anyway.
Lin Xu took a red-eye flight that night. No luggage to pack—she’d come empty-handed and left the same.
Shu Qingyou felt Lin Xu’s influence on her was a bit too much.
She couldn’t focus on reading, and closing her eyes brought no sleep. She rolled over, got up, and took out the cold medicine she’d prepared.
Peering through the window at the opposite side, she waited a long time—no lights came on.
Half an hour later, a black sedan pulled up next door. The driver, in white gloves, respectfully opened the door.
Lin Xu stepped out, still in the same clothes. Before ducking her head back in, she looked up.
Shu Qingyou’s long lashes trembled, her figure swaying as she quickly drew the curtains.
Moments later, the engine roared to life, fading into the distance.
Lin Xu was full of pent-up frustration. Off the plane, she faced the familiar country again—skyscrapers and steel forests in the distance, the skyline hazy gray.
She pulled out her phone, opened the chat app. A bunch of red dots clustered together; Shu Qingyou’s pinned avatar unchanged.
This wife-chasing trip had failed, but the good news was Shu Qingyou hadn’t called the cops on her for stalking.
She hesitated, brow furrowed, and sent a message.
[I went on a business trip back to Hua Country.]
She attached a photo of herself looking windswept—clearly staged by someone else.
Shu Qingyou received the text right after waking up in the morning. This was the fruit of Lin Xu’s surveillance over that time.
At least she’d nailed her schedule perfectly.
She replied: [You got uglier.]
Lin Xu: [……]
Some things were unforgivable. In a huff, she got a beauty membership. Under the store manager’s silver tongue, she prepaid hundreds of thousands to try it out.
The beauty salon staff grinned ear to ear. Already so pretty, skin barely needing care—still having beauty anxiety?
What kind of fool was this?
After a full round of treatments, Lin Xu touched her even bouncier, softer skin—pure white, like new.
Shu Qingyou got the photo and found it both amusing and pathetic.
If she cared so much about her feelings, why not change back then? Too little, too late.
If all Lin Xu’s actions were just to get her attention—
It had failed utterly. Shu Qingyou had lost her anger and joy toward Lin Xu’s deeds—now it was just vexing.
Shu Qingyou: [Not as good as Rongrong.]
Lin Xu’s eyes widened, lips pressing tight.
Realizing Shu Qingyou was insulting her—could she turn back time? This wasn’t urban fantasy.
If anyone else was unhappy, it was Shu Rong. She didn’t like Mommy much either, but she’d realized this was her other mother.
The type who’d abandoned her for three years.
Little cakes couldn’t heal her wounded heart.
Mommy hadn’t been great to her either—forcing her, at such a young age, to sit in the office wielding power alone.
That pressure wasn’t something a three-year-old cutie could handle.
Stacks of incomprehensible white papers and black words before her were like tales from another world, yet the adults made her stamp them.
So she cried for ages, her throat hoarse, and refused to speak even more.
Auntie’s comforts didn’t work. Mommy and Mom weren’t around. Thoughts of running away weren’t new.
One evening at dinner, Lin Xu ran into Shu Wan Ning feeding Shu Rong, carefully wiping rice from her mouth. The little one accepted it contentedly, her other hand clutching a pad bigger than her face.
It irked her on sight. Lin Xu strode over with a smile to Shu Wan Ning. “Little sister-in-law, you’ve worked hard these days. Let me take over.”
Shu Wan Ning didn’t know about Lin Xu’s Japan surveillance trip. She sent daily updates to her sister as usual, and her view of Lin Xu stopped at: she wouldn’t mistreat Rongrong.
Shu Rong opened her mouth, but no food came. She pouted and turned away.
Mommy’s so annoying.
Once Shu Wan Ning left, Lin Xu took her spot, face stern. “Can’t you eat by yourself yet?”
The questioning tone startled Shu Rong. She blinked her big eyes, shaking and nodding at once to brush her off.
Lin Xu pulled out her trump card. “Rongrong, I went to see your mommy recently.”
At those words, Shu Rong’s lazy posture straightened instantly. She dropped the pad and grabbed Lin Xu’s arm, shaking it.
Eyes full of pleading—she missed mommy so much. She could do without anyone else, but not mommy.
“Little white-eyed wolf—you were so mean to me before.”
Shu Rong clung to Lin Xu. She knew adults loved hugging and kissing her. She played her physical advantages, making little humming noises.
Her daughter was getting craftier. Lin Xu sighed inwardly, hugging her daughter and giving her a preemptive warning: “When you see mommy, don’t badmouth me.”
Badmouth mommy? Plenty of that. Shu Rong put on her innocent cutie-kid face, smiled, revealing two rows of white baby teeth.
The smile gave Lin Xu chills. She continued, “You need to get closer to me, so mommy will see me in a new light.”
“Also, have you not been eating well lately?” Lin Xu poked her daughter’s round tummy, not reassured.
Lin Xu carried her to the scale: 23 jin. She tsked. “I weigh more than two watermelons.”
How could she compare her to a watermelon? Shu Rong huffed, and they weighed again. Fine, no change.
Lin Xu prodded her, murmuring while stroking her chin: “Mommy doesn’t like such skinny little babies.”
Hearing that, the girl couldn’t stay calm. She kicked her chubby legs free, climbed onto the stool at the table.
The table was full of food she could eat. She gripped the spoon, scooped a big mouthful of rice, and shoved it in.
Chewing, she looked at Lin Xu with shining eyes, as if saying: Mommy, look—I’m super good!
Lin Xu: “……”
So obedient, but not for her sake.
“Fine. If you hit 30 jin, I’ll take you to see mommy.”
Tempted by mommy, Shu Rong ate like mad. Over the next month, she fattened up, her little bun face rounding out successfully.
This past month, Lin Xu shamelessly shared daily life videos of herself and Rongrong with Shu Qingyou.
Bombarding her every day with tons of clips. Shu Qingyou couldn’t block her, but not blocking meant enduring the sticky candy barrage.
Lin Xu got smart this time. She used Rongrong to command Shu Qingyou—the so-called soft spot was meant to be exploited just like this.
On her second trip to Japan, she brought Shu Rong along too.
She arrived at the familiar spot and searched high and low around the village, but there was no sign of Shu Qingyou.
Lin Xu checked her Moments and spotted a new update: a photo of a ceramic artwork displayed in an exhibition hall, the lighting hitting it just right.
An address was attached below.
Without wasting a moment, Lin Xu rushed to the venue. She wandered around for ages but still couldn’t find Shu Qingyou. She wasn’t the only one getting anxious.
Shu Rong grabbed fistfuls of Lin Xu’s hair in frustration.
Her scalp nearly torn off by her daughter, Lin Xu pinched her voice and begged for mercy. “Alright, alright! I’ll call your mom. Let go, little ancestor!”
Lin Xu dialed the number. It rang once, and then she suddenly heard a phone ringing nearby.
The venue wasn’t large, and people were exchanging quiet words. You could have heard a pin drop.
The ringtone stood out sharply. It didn’t even ring twice before the owner hung up.
Lin Xu recognized it instantly as Shu Qingyou’s. She hurried through the corridor toward the sound.
The closer she got to Shu Qingyou, the stranger it felt.
She vaguely spotted Shu Qingyou in the stairwell of the emergency exit, shrouded in dim shadows.
There were two figures of similar height. Lin Xu’s heart skipped a beat, and she lightened her footsteps.
Shu Qingyou was dressed casually, yet elegantly. Her hair was pinned up gracefully, giving her that clear, understated air. Lin Xu spotted her at once.
The other woman wore an elegant kimono that accentuated her graceful figure. Her long, straight black hair cascaded down her back, topped with an ornate hairpin.
From the side, her face looked sweetly beautiful, her makeup exquisitely applied.
She leaned in slightly, whispering something to Shu Qingyou. Shu Qingyou listened intently, ear tilted toward her, a smile playing at her lips, her brows and eyes soft and luminous.
The silence around them seemed to match the scene perfectly. Lin Xu’s mind went blank for a moment, her spine stiffening.
Oh no…
Was Shu Qingyou cheating???
