Su Mi did not hear clearly what Shen Han said.
Her attention was drawn away by the sensation of fingers rubbing her lower back. In a moment of distraction, she only caught Shen Han’s muffled mutter.
She asked in confusion, “What?”
Shen Han smiled. “Nothing. Did I make you cold? Sorry.”
She properly withdrew her hand from under Su Mi’s clothes.
Su Mi was slightly stunned and said, “It’s not really cold…”
She could tolerate this level of chill for a simple cuddle.
But before she finished speaking, she noticed that although Shen Han’s hand had been pulled out, it had not left. Instead, it slid along Su Mi’s waist to her stomach.
Rubbing the flat little abdomen, Shen Han looked up at her and asked, “Was the restaurant’s food not to your taste tonight? It should have been one of Haicheng’s top spots in Prime City, with plenty of sweet dishes.”
“…” Su Mi’s face heated up. She lowered her head to pry Shen Han’s hand away.
She had been too distracted by what she overheard to eat properly that evening, paying no attention to the food at all, let alone eating her fill.
She muttered, “Why do you always like rubbing my stomach… What’s good about eating too much? I’ll just get fat and have to diet later.”
The hand on Su Mi’s abdomen obediently let itself be pried away, then was caught by Su Mi’s slightly smaller hand. It slid along her fingers to play with them.
Shen Han said casually, “You’re not fat at all. Eating more is healthier.”
Su Mi’s eyes widened as she retorted, “Then I’ll turn into a pig.”
Shen Han lifted the hand that was being held and hooked Su Mi’s chin upward.
“Even if you turn into a pig, you’ll be a cute little pig. I can afford to keep you,” she said lazily.
Su Mi: “…As if I need you to keep me.”
Her face flushed in defeat. She took the chin-hooking as teasing, lowered her head, and indignantly bit the tip of Shen Han’s finger.
She left a shallow tooth mark.
Shen Han chuckled mockingly. “See, the little pig is hungry and biting people.”
Su Mi wanted to refute the little pig comment, but the next moment, she suddenly floated into the air. Shen Han had scooped up the crook of her side-sitting leg and her waist, princess-carrying her.
After standing up, she even tossed her upward a little on purpose.
The instant weightlessness scared a small yelp out of Su Mi, and she hurriedly grabbed Shen Han’s shoulders.
“What are you doing!” Su Mi’s face turned red.
Shen Han shook her. “Going to feed the little pig some dinner.”
Su Mi was shocked. “Dinner? Are you being childish!”
Shen Han’s motion of kicking open the terrace door paused. Her expression stiffened slightly as she lowered her gaze at Su Mi. “Childish?”
Su Mi keenly sensed the danger and smiled obediently. “Sis, no, not childish at all.”
Shen Han: “…”
She ground her teeth but said nothing.
Su Mi was delighted. “Sis? Sis? Sis?”
Sis was a reduplicated word too.
She was set down on a chair by the island counter, between the dining area and kitchen, facing the kitchen directly.
She watched as Shen Han turned on the kitchen light, washed her hands, rolled up her sleeves, and opened the fridge.
It was quite novel.
It was the first time Su Mi had seen Shen Han cook.
Su Mi sat on the high stool, swinging her legs, finding it all very wondrous. Before entering the house, her mind had been swirling with those overheard matters.
But once home and seeing Shen Han, her heart suddenly settled. External disturbances no longer affected her.
Was this what home felt like?
And now Shen Han was making her a midnight snack.
Su Mi propped her cheek on her hand, humming a cheerful tune as she watched Shen Han rummage through the fridge and finally select a steak.
After finishing the midnight snack, Su Mi followed Shen Han to the function room for their routine mental power guidance session.
Her mental power had grown not just perceptive but stronger day by day.
She had discussed it with the professor in the school lab, who said she could intern there when they had openings at year’s end.
However, once she lay in bed that night, turned off the light, and closed her eyes alone with her pillow—
Su Mi still ended up wide awake.
The moment she shut her eyes, those overheard words and her past interactions with Ren Yue echoed in her ears.
After an hour without sleep, Su Mi felt a heavy weight in her chest. She sighed, climbed out of bed.
Hugging her body pillow, she drifted like a ghost to Shen Han’s bedroom door and knocked.
A sliver of light leaked from the door crack. She knew Shen Han always stayed up late.
Sure enough, the door opened automatically the next second.
Su Mi’s toes curled slightly in her fluffy slippers. She had knocked on impulse, but now, facing entry, she hesitated again.
After all, it was the middle of the night—lone Alpha and lone Omega… oh wait, on the surface now she was a Beta…
The last time she entered Shen Han’s bedroom, they had nearly… but that time, Shen Han had been angry.
This time, of course not…
Wait a minute.
Last time Shen Han had been angry, but this time…
Su Mi had just lifted her foot to step in when she abruptly stopped.
Her sluggish brain from the whole evening finally caught on.
Shen Han wasn’t angry today?
Su Mi frantically recalled Shen Han’s behavior when she returned that evening. It did seem different.
And she had foolishly thought Shen Han was just being affectionate…
Su Mi slowly swallowed.
Was it because she came home late? Was she jealous, angry?
Very possible.
Then going to her now would be walking right into the trap.
Su Mi wanted to run.
But a clear voice came from inside. “Planning to stand guard at my door tonight?”
Su Mi steeled herself. “Coming.”
She comforted herself that Shen Han had acted normally later, even making her a snack. She shouldn’t be that angry.
Su Mi clutched the tassels of her body pillow and shuffled step by step into Shen Han’s room.
In the center of the room, Shen Han leaned against the headboard, lifting her eyelids to look at her. On her neck was a pale silver neck ring with a star-shaped pendant in front.
The bedside lamp cast a warm glow, the soft light falling on Shen Han’s bare shoulders, making her pale skin seem even cooler.
Shen Han curved her lips and asked, “Nightmare?”
“…Not really.”
Su Mi hesitated and shuffled to the other side of the bed, lifted the covers, minimized her presence, and quietly climbed on.
She sat on the far edge, padding her brought-over body pillow behind her waist.
She touched the smooth bedsheet and cleared her throat lightly.
Su Mi said, “Actually, I ran into Ren Yue today.”
As those words left her mouth, the temperature around her seemed to drop a bit.
Shen Han calmly uttered an “Mm?”
She closed the book in her hand, set it on the nightstand. The faint rustle of sheets sounded as she turned sideways to look at Su Mi unhurriedly.
Meeting Shen Han’s calm, tolerant gaze for a moment, Su Mi inexplicably felt guilty or awkward and shifted her eyes away.
She fixed her nervous gaze on the foot of the bed, feeling like a child there to confess.
But it wasn’t fear. In fact, she had come precisely because she wanted to talk to Shen Han about it, to vent her feelings.
Su Mi gathered her thoughts and said, “I didn’t eat much tonight because in the restaurant, I overheard her chatting with Madam Zhang. It really got to me…”
Shen Han: “What did they say?”
Su Mi scratched her cheek, her words a bit jumbled as she recounted what she had heard and her conclusions to Shen Han.
She omitted the drugging part but changed it to say that Madam Zhang and Ren Yue had probably misunderstood her taste in Omegas, thinking she liked Ren Yue’s type, and even considered finding a similar Omega to approach her.
At that point, Shen Han let out a soft, cold laugh.
The sound was very low and faint. Su Mi turned to look; Shen Han’s expression was normal. “Anything else?”
“That’s all I can remember now,” Su Mi said, gazing at Shen Han earnestly. She let out a small sigh. “I just feel… a bit defeated.”
Shen Han: “Defeated how?”
Su Mi: “Sis warned me so many times, but I kept defending Ren Yue. Now it seems ridiculous. She had ulterior motives, but I couldn’t see it at all and treated her like a friend who genuinely liked me… I’m so dumb. Maybe I’m not cut out for making friends.”
She said it listlessly, like a dejected little dog, scooting toward Shen Han.
Shen Han smoothed her hair and said, “How did you jump to that conclusion again?”
Su Mi pouted. “Now I think anyone approaching me either sees me as a stepping stone or wants my benefits. Either way, it’s the same—not for me…”
Shen Han helplessly relaxed her furrowed brow and touched her cheek. “Is little pig about to shed little tears? So aggrieved.”
Su Mi puffed up indignantly. “No way.”
“Not yet? Your nose is turning into a little pig snout,” Shen Han pressed her nose tip. “If they’re approaching you for who you are, you definitely can’t associate with them. You have a girlfriend, you know?”
Su Mi: “…That’s not what I meant!”
Shen Han chuckled and steered the topic back, saying nonchalantly, “If it’s for benefits, so be it. It’s on them to show their value and win you over, not for you to worry about what they want from you… Every factor about you—your personality, abilities, family background—is part of you. Nothing to separate out…”
She tilted her head closer, narrowed her eyes, and smiled at Su Mi. “I’m yours too.”
Su Mi’s heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively leaned back, stammering, “Y-you, don’t be so sudden.”
Shen Han let out a soft hum of laughter from her nose. “It’s the truth, Baby. You deserve to be loved the most.”
Her gaze darkened slightly. She didn’t say that, in her view, Ren Yue’s initial contact with Su Mi had definitely been at Madam Zhang’s behest, using her as a stepping stone.
But now, it probably wasn’t for that reason anymore.
No need to say it, though. Shen Han had no reason to create rivals for herself from any angle.
Su Mi was dazed for a moment. “…Mm.”
Shen Han leaned back and simply told her the story of the Ren Family.
There wasn’t much to tell. Back in Xi City, Zhang Luhe had been one of the maids responsible for cleaning the Old Residence. She was glib-tongued and ambitious, working hard to win Old Madam Shen’s favor and get promoted to serve at her side. Over a decade or two, even Ren Yue’s father, Ren Changlang, who did business outside, benefited from Shen Corporation’s conveniences, like getting the green light, and his ventures prospered.
Later, once the Ren Family had amassed enough wealth, Zhang Luhe felt they had enough money and resigned from the Shen Family, no longer doing menial work. But without the Shen Family, Ren Changlang’s business skills were mediocre, and the Ren Family company soon declined, unable to satisfy Zhang Luhe’s needs. So a few years later, she latched onto Old Madam Shen again.
Now she wasn’t a personal maid but more like a companion to chat and amuse the Old Madam—nothing significant.
In summary, there was no real connection.
“She’s good at hyping it up outside, linking the Ren Family and Ren Yue to the Shen Corporation,” Shen Han said. “Only the Old Madam is fooled into liking it and lets her. I don’t interfere. It’s all empty hype; Prime City’s elite don’t buy it. Useless here.”
Her tone when mentioning Old Madam Shen was very flat.
“The Old Madam has no real power in the Shen Corporation or Shen Family now. I only tolerated her introductions once or twice because my girlfriend has good morals and is… somewhat filial,” Shen Han gazed at her, shrugging slowly. “But my marriage is my own choice. Who I pick as a partner has nothing to do with the Old Madam.”
Su Mi’s face heated and her heart raced. Strangely, she felt… a bit seduced.
She coughed lightly, her throat dry. “Oh, oh.”
Shen Han smiled and asked, “So, feeling better? It’s no big deal. Being with me, you’ll meet plenty more social climbers.”
Su Mi sincerely asked for advice. “Then what should I do?”
Shen Han looked at her. “Treat them however you like. Sis has your back. Even if you poke a hole in the sky, I can patch it.”
Su Mi was speechless and whispered, “Wow, that cool?”
Shen Han laughed. “No choice. Sigh, after all, my little one is just a little pig.”
With that, she went to boop Su Mi’s nose again.
Su Mi flailed her hands to dodge, unconvinced, and reached to press Shen Han’s. “I think you’re the one—”
After some playful tussling, Su Mi ended up pounced on Shen Han, face to face. They quieted down.
Su Mi gradually heard her heartbeat intensifying.
She leaned in, her face burning, and slowly kissed Shen Han’s lips.
Shen Han raised her eyebrows and looked at her with a smile. “Sleeping here tonight?”
Su Mi opened her mouth. She felt that maybe her worries had been resolved and she should go back to sleep alone.
But some strange emotions in her heart made her… not want to leave.
After hesitating for a long time, she said, “Mm.”
Shen Han deftly tucked her into the other side of the quilt. “Okay, I’ll go brush my teeth first.”
Shen Han lifted the covers and got out of bed. Su Mi shrank into the quilt, obediently staring at Shen Han’s back as she walked into the bathroom, until the figure disappeared behind the door.
She stared at the bathroom wall. Tsk, why wasn’t it frosted or glass?
But now that the fuss was over, lying in the quilt with her nose and surroundings filled with Shen Han’s cold fragrance, it felt like she was tightly wrapped up.
Very safe, an indescribable sense of comfort.
Su Mi listened to the sound of water starting in the bathroom, then stopping. She had no idea what Shen Han was doing inside.
She touched the tightly sealed suppressor patch on the back of her neck, then touched the barrier earring that continuously supplied shielding power.
Her mind was blank. She wasn’t sure what her reason was for staying, but Shen Han lingered in the bathroom a bit longer than usual.
When Shen Han came out of the bathroom, Su Mi had already drowsily closed her eyes.
She was holding on with sheer willpower just to wait for Shen Han. She hadn’t fallen asleep, but she wasn’t fully awake either, barely aware of her surroundings.
Soft slippers padded across the carpet, almost silent, but they brought a stronger wave of cold fragrance, signaling to the dazed little dog that the other person was approaching.
The cold fragrance lingered by the bed beside her for a moment, as if gazing at something. The gaze gradually roused Su Mi, her eyelashes trembling. She didn’t dare open her eyes.
Just as Su Mi was about to lose her resolve, the gaze withdrew and slowly moved away, returning to the other side of the bed.
She could hear Shen Han lightly lifting the sheet and getting into bed, then dimming the room lights.
She lay down on the pillow next to Su Mi.
Su Mi woke up then.
Her sluggish brain cells suddenly sprang back to life as Shen Han settled in.
She thought about how this was the first time the two of them were sharing a bed. As she pondered, her thoughts wandered off, jumping to all sorts of miscellaneous things.
After a good while, Su Mi opened her eyes and stealthily turned her head toward Shen Han.
In the quiet night, Shen Han lay there peacefully with her eyes closed, breathing steady. It was impossible to tell if she was asleep.
Su Mi whispered, “…Sister?”
The next second, the wide-awake Shen Han lifted her eyelids. “Hm?”
Su Mi mumbled softly, “I still can’t stop thinking about Ren Yue. I feel so silly…”
Shen Han let out a soft hum and reached out to pull her into her arms.
Her voice lazy, she said, “You’re lying next to your partner, thinking about another Omega? Not afraid I’ll get jealous?”
Su Mi stammered, “N-no, that’s not what I mean! I just think people’s hearts are hard to read…”
Shen Han held her close, practically cradling Su Mi in her arms. Her other hand slid to Su Mi’s back, gently stroking her long hair.
Stroke by stroke, slender fingers threaded through the soft, light-yellow strands.
Shen Han lowered her eyes to watch her own movements. The silky hair flowed between her fingers like a sedative slowly seeping into her bloodstream—smooth, steady, something external that didn’t belong to her.
She wanted to pull her even closer.
Shen Han slowly tightened her embrace around Su Mi. Her ice-blue eyes looked profoundly deep in the darkness as she softly said, “So, no one out there is any good, Baby. Especially Omegas.”
Su Mi hesitated. “Eh?”
You’re holding an Omega right here.
Puzzled, she said, “What’s wrong with Omegas?”
Shen Han lowered her head and gently sniffed the top of her hair. “I don’t like you having anything to do with others. Omegas are others.”
She paused. “Other Betas too… Alphas too… You have no defenses against the Bs and Os out there. I’m worried they’ll fall for you, and I’m worried…”
She trailed off. Uncharacteristically, she didn’t even know what she had been about to say.
Su Mi patted her comfortingly. “Those people outside are just friends at most. I don’t have many friends anyway. If I’d known Ren Yue would misunderstand and think I liked her, I never would’ve gotten close to her in the first place. I didn’t even realize we could be a match.”
She found it amusing as she said it. She had been the one feeling uneasy, yet here she was comforting Shen Han instead.
To her, this was a case of knowing a person’s face but not their heart—the first time she’d truly grasped how treacherous people could be. Late at night, she couldn’t help but sigh over it.
To Shen Han, it was simply that everyone was coveting her partner, this tempting morsel.
Su Mi flushed with embarrassment. Where did she have that kind of charm? Only Shen Han saw her that way…
Shen Han huffed. “You can’t be a match.”
“Of course not. I already have one,” Su Mi said. She wriggled her head up from Shen Han’s arms with effort, planted a smacking kiss on Shen Han’s collarbone, and couldn’t resist sniffing her like a puppy. “Sleep!”
In the darkness, Shen Han held Su Mi tight.
Shen Han noticed Su Mi still wasn’t asleep. She smiled, gently patted her back, and softly hummed a lullaby.
She hummed a children’s song about a doll.
Shen Han’s clear voice was hushed. She didn’t seem like the type to know such a song, but it must have been etched deep in her memory—she sang it effortlessly.
With gentle pats on her back and the lullaby in her ears, Su Mi felt like a cherished child from a perfectly happy family, being soothed to sleep by her parents’ song.
Before long, she really drifted off in Shen Han’s arms.
