Chapter 64

Qin Yushu was a few years older than Lu Ningshuang and had experienced far more, with a wealth of knowledge. As long as it didn’t involve her own concerns, she could easily discern the other party’s intentions.

It was too obvious.

The other person had come straight for her Little Dog, baring their fangs the moment they met, eager to devour her whole.

Qin Yushu had timed her arrival perfectly.

She exchanged a brief glance with the other party. In President Qin’s judgment, this hot-headed kid who couldn’t even mask basic emotions—a brute who only showed ferocity and cruelty—could never be her match.

She also didn’t believe Lu Youyou would be that kind of person.

But—

Flies had buzzed incessantly around her, and even if they couldn’t bite, the noise alone was utterly annoying.

Moreover, Little Dog wasn’t like a cat or hamster that could stay cooped up indoors without issue. She needed to go out for walks and play, to have occasional contact with the outside world. Keeping her shut in for too long might even cause problems.

Qin Yushu couldn’t watch her every second. A moment’s lapse, and an opportunistic fly might slip through.

Unbidden, the image from earlier in the office flashed in Qin Yushu’s mind—the two Alphas facing off.

Each had their own child by their side, equally young, beautiful, and vibrant, while she stood at one end, merely watching…

This scene instinctively displeased Qin Yushu.

Perhaps it could be described with two other words, but whether President Qin wanted to admit it was another matter.

In business negotiations, every second was a dance on a knife’s edge. Qin Yushu could control her emotions perfectly, even viewing from a third-party perspective like a god’s eye, methodically making the optimal decision.

But at this moment, her gaze deepened, a hint of emotion leaking out—perhaps intentionally…

She only saw the opposite side.

Lu Ningshuang’s expression froze for a moment, then joy bloomed on her soft, delicate face.

She gently, ever so gently, tugged at Qin Yushu’s hand.

Qin Yushu, whose brooding mood had been brewing: “…”

Little Dog said timidly, “I don’t want others calling me that either, only Sister can~”

She was happy, her eyes sparkling with brilliant light.

Lu Ningshuang praised, “Sister thinks of everything~”

Qin Yushu: “…”

With those words, she shattered the emotional atmosphere Qin Yushu had been building. Silly… not smart enough.

So President Qin was biased too.

She called others “idiots” or “fools,” but for Lu Youyou, it became the harmless “not smart enough.”

Not even “not smart,” just “not quite.”

The favoritism was clear.

Lu Ningshuang didn’t think too deeply about it. Subconsciously, she felt the words “jealous” were utterly foreign and distant to Qin Yushu.

And for herself to make the other do this…

Lu Ningshuang added, “Then when there’s an annoying guy around, Sister can just call me by my full name. I’ll… I’ll try to get used to it.”

She probably knew a little.

It wasn’t just “someone” or “strangers,” but specifically “annoying guys.”

Not just anyone could call her Youyou!

Seeing Little Dog like this, Qin Yushu knew Lu Ningshuang hadn’t grasped her underlying meaning at all.

But even without understanding, the sentiment in her words still lifted Qin Yushu’s mood by a third.

As for more…

Little Dog hadn’t even remembered who the other person was, let alone their intentions. Why bring it up and help her rival?

President Qin wouldn’t make such a blunder, so right now, she was the one troubled, while Little Dog was blissfully cheerful…

Ignorance was bliss.

In the end, Qin Yushu just lowered her eyelids, reining in the thick emotions within, and said flatly, “Got it.”

“Let’s go back.”

“Oh~”

Lu Ningshuang responded but didn’t move, her gaze lingering on Qin Yushu’s face.

More precisely, on the slightly puffed skin of President Qin’s cheeks from the candy, her clear eyes almost speaking aloud.

Qin Yushu suddenly smiled. “Does Youyou want to taste the candy she picked too?”

Lu Ningshuang shook her head repeatedly.

She suddenly remembered something and looked back, seeing Lu Jiaojiao still standing there foolishly, head down eating candy, acting like she saw and heard nothing. Only then did she relax a bit.

This was her Alpha.*

As she watched, Qin Yushu handed over a blanket. Lu Ningshuang covered Lu Jiaojiao. “Thanks.”

President Qin withdrew her gaze. “Jiaojiao’s pretty cute.”

The car started.

Considering the sleeping little dumpling inside, the atmosphere was quiet. After a while, Qin Yushu casually asked softly, as if offhand.

“Was Youyou very popular in school before?”

Lu Ningshuang paused, then responded, her voice low too. “Not really.”

“Really?” Qin Yushu’s tone was casual, seemingly indifferent, yet somewhat disbelieving.

Qin Yushu continued, “They all seemed to like calling you Lu Shuangshuang.”

A nickname different from the full name, a reduplicated one—it was inherently intimate.

She knew very well, having called “Lu Shuangshuang” herself.

“Giving me a nickname doesn’t necessarily mean they liked me; maybe they were just following the crowd…”

Lu Ningshuang explained. Though she didn’t fully grasp the deeper meaning, her dog-like sharp intuition made her instinctively sense this topic was extremely dangerous.

Be careful.

She glanced at Qin Yushu beside her and suddenly said, “I’m super ordinary. And by that logic, shouldn’t it be Sister? Good looks, great family background, outstanding abilities—in school, you’d be the top student, excelling in organizations too. A shining, legendary campus goddess like that would attract tons of people, right?”

“Sister must’ve gotten love letters and gifts every day until her hands cramped, huh?”

“No,” Qin Yushu denied.

Lu Ningshuang’s eyes widened. “How is that possible?!”

Qin Yushu’s school days had indeed been dazzling, trampling countless boys and girls underfoot.

She wasn’t a goddess bathed in light but had surpassed that level, standing alone at the peak unshakable, while others lingered at the base or midway, all reduced to insignificant specks looking up at her.

Some hated her, some admired her, but she had never attracted bees and butterflies like Little Dog Lu.

Even as her Alpha looked at her suspiciously, Qin Yushu shook her head frankly.

Lu Ningshuang had an epiphany. “I get it!”

“Hm?”

Qin Yushu listened closely—

“Sister’s just too outstanding!”

Lu Ningshuang concluded with a bang. “People choose the excellent ones, but if someone’s excellent on another level, not even on the same track, it gives a sense of being unattainable.”

“That’s Sister.”

“Because Sister’s just too outstanding and perfect. While they were eating, drinking, and playing, you were already negotiating with their parents and elders. Different levels naturally breed fear, so they didn’t dare approach.”

“It’s not that Sister’s unapproachable; it’s that they were too inferior, so inferior that even getting close made them feel ashamed.”

“But if it were me—”

Lu Ningshuang used herself as an example. “Lady Ning told me long ago that if someone likes me, maybe because my grades were decent, or I looked okay, or my personality, but them standing before me and saying it outright—was because they saw all my merits?”

“No.”

Under Qin Yushu’s profound gaze, Lu Ningshuang delivered the classic line.

“It’s because I’m easy to fool!”

At least she looked very foolable.

Pretty face, unassuming family background in a noble high school, and a soft, gullible personality at first glance… The others’ families mostly knew each other or had indirect business ties. If the kids got entangled and caused trouble, it would be awkward for everyone.

Seventeen- or eighteen-year-olds, hormones raging, couldn’t hold back.

So who to target?

The rootless, drifter Lu Shuangshuang, of course.

She looked easy to approach—this was also why Lu Jiaojiao said her second sister always got eyed by all sorts of weirdos.

Poor, weak, easy to brush off, no worries afterward.

Clearly, the family’s precautions worked well. Lu Ningshuang knew this full well and took no pride in being a “heartthrob”; she probably found it troublesome. In the end, none of those she labeled bad guys—and who tried to deceive her—stuck in her memory.

She just lay flat like a salted fish and continued her life.

Finally, Lu Ningshuang summed up, “So those people didn’t really like me at all; they just had ulterior motives.”

But for Qin Yushu… today’s rival’s appearance finally held meaning.

Like a butterfly flapping its wings, tearing a hole in the transparent gauze window, letting light pour in.

The first sensation wasn’t the warmth of sunlight, but how dark and cold the room had been before.

The candy Lu Ningshuang had given Qin Yushu was tiny. Wedged under her tongue, it forced her to speak sparingly, but in just moments, the texture was about to vanish.

Her tongue tip moved slightly.

“That Lu Youyou, have you ever thought—” Qin Yushu suddenly spoke up, instantly capturing Lu Youyou’s full attention.

The sky had already grown dim, and inside the car, it felt even darker and heavier. Even though they were so close, when Lu Ningshuang looked over, she couldn’t clearly make out Qin Yushu’s expression.

Lu Ningshuang had just spoken at length, and a stray strand of hair clung to her cheek, drawing the eye.

Qin Yushu leaned in, her fingertip gently brushing it away, bringing the Alpha and Omega even closer.

In a daze, she inhaled, as if catching a whiff of pheromones.

Sweet and fragrant, like cherries.

But when she tried to chase the scent, it seemed like nothing more than an illusion.

Her gaze landed on those peach-blossom eyes—beautiful in shape, seductive in intent, yet growing deeper and more profound, devoid of their usual shimmering ripples.

The car window cracked open a bit more, letting sunlight spill in and illuminate the shadows in the corner.

Qin Yushu looked up, her face no longer hiding the flickers of dark, alarming emotions, wrapped softly in layers of honeyed sweetness.

Her unusually gentle voice was like honey licked from the edge of a blade.

“Youyou…”

She sighed.

And Lu Ningshuang’s gaze was fixed unwaveringly on this Omega she had marked—her Little Dog, her little fool.

Qin Yushu’s lips curved, and she suddenly smiled, radiantly beautiful and intensely alluring. Her fingertip toyed with Lu Ningshuang’s hair, tucking it behind her ear, but her hand didn’t withdraw.

Her nail brushed deliberately—or perhaps not—against the root of the Alpha’s ear, even pressing against the throbbing pulse.

It could soothe, or it could be…

“By Miss Lu’s reasoning—”

The form of address reverted.

A murmur that was both dangerous and like a lover’s whisper.

“I am just one of those people with ill intentions toward Miss Lu.”