Chapter 34

Lu Xi’s hand froze midair as she clutched the clothes, her heart racing with panic. She felt completely defenseless against Chi Xingcen’s teasing—it was utterly humiliating.

“Are you shy?” Chi Xingcen asked, wrapped in the bedsheets. She stared unblinkingly at the woman’s back. The taut muscles along the arm holding the dress clearly betrayed her embarrassment and tension.

Lu Xi was helpless. She hadn’t expected Chi Xingcen to call out her hidden shyness so directly.

Lowering her eyes, she placed the light blue dress on the bed. She planned to step out first, sparing Chi Xingcen the awkwardness of changing in front of her.

“Wait.”

The voice from behind stopped her. Lu Xi paused and glanced over her shoulder. “What is it?”

Chi Xingcen brushed her long hair behind her ear, exposing her slender, pale neck. In a cool, detached tone, she said, “You put the dress too far away. I can’t reach it.”

Lu Xi: “…”

Why did it feel like Chi Xingcen was flirting with her? Was it just her imagination?

She quickly dismissed the thought, attributing it to the Omega’s heat period. Walking to the foot of the bed, she picked up the dress and held it out to Chi Xingcen. Lu Xi kept her gaze pure and fixed straight ahead on the spotless floor.

“It’s still a bit out of reach.” Chi Xingcen stretched her arm, her fingertips inching forward, but they fell short of the fabric.

With no other choice, Lu Xi edged closer to the headboard. From the corner of her eye, she gauged the distance between Chi Xingcen’s hand and the dress.

The Omega’s delicate, curved fingers landed perfectly on the neatly folded garment. As she lifted it gently, her rounded pinky nail brushed innocently across the Alpha’s warm palm.

A tingling itch, like a mild electric shock, coursed through Lu Xi. She shivered and yanked her hand back in a flash.

“I’ll step out,” she said hurriedly. “Try on the dress and see if it fits. If not, we’ll get you another one.” Her steps quickened as she fled through the door.

With a soft click, the door shut behind her. Chi Xingcen remained alone in the room, surrounded by the rumpled bedsheets.

Once the footsteps faded, she withdrew her heated gaze and examined the dress.

It was a form-fitting light blue number with thin one-inch straps over a wavy neckline. The loose pleats across the bust revealed just how well-endowed its owner was.

No need to guess—it was the Alpha’s dress. Chi Xingcen had already felt that “strength” firsthand.

Their heights were similar, and their builds matched closely enough. The dress fit her surprisingly well.

Stepping out of the room for the first time, she glanced at the Alpha’s door. It was firmly shut, silent inside. Without lingering, she descended the stairs slowly.

After breakfast-slash-brunch, a servant led her to the study on the second floor. The Alpha wanted to discuss something, the servant said. Chi Xingcen had a pretty good idea what it was about. She pushed open the door and entered.

“How was breakfast? Anything not to your taste?” Lu Xi sat primly in a chair. Hearing her approach, the Alpha closed the folder in her hands and looked up. Her eyes followed the girl in the pale blue dress as she entered.

The silk fabric hugged her frame, with subtle pleats at the waist that accentuated her slim figure just right. Below the knee-length hem, a band of white lace wrapped around her legs, rubbing against her creamy skin with each step of those long, straight limbs. From afar, it resembled intricate designs on fine porcelain—enough to leave anyone entranced.

Only when Chi Xingcen sat across from her did Lu Xi snap out of her daze. The Alpha touched her nose self-consciously and redirected her attention.

“Take a look at this. It’s the intel we just gathered.” Lu Xi slid the notebook across the desk, finally daring to meet her eyes.

The information had been compiled over the past couple of days on Lu Xi’s orders from Lu Li. Her goal was to show Chi Xingcen exactly who had slipped the inducement agent into her drink that night.

According to Chi Xingcen’s heat cycle, that period shouldn’t have arrived yet. But someone’s meddling had stirred her pheromones into a frenzy, forcing an early onset.

Chi Xingcen had suspected as much, but with no power in the Chi Family and the elders watching her closely ahead of the engagement banquet, she had no way to investigate.

She never imagined she’d uncover the full details right here with the Alpha.

It was her dear cousin, after all.

During the party, Chi Yueluo had plied her with drinks, sneaking in the inducement agent. Then she arranged for someone to usher the already tipsy Chi Xingcen to a pre-booked hotel room.

“…I grabbed the wrong keycard, so that’s how I ended up opening your door that night.” Truth be told, it wasn’t entirely a mix-up. Chi Yueluo from the second branch aimed to ruin Chi Xingcen’s reputation, so she’d simply instructed the hotel staff to hand the card to the next Alpha who checked in. Assuming it was a prearranged rendezvous, they registered Lu Xi briefly at the desk and gave it to her.

“I’ve wanted to apologize properly,” Lu Xi said solemnly, dipping her head slightly. “I’m truly sorry for what happened that night. Luckily, I had the hotel lock down all info about us beforehand, so the fallout didn’t spread further.”

Suddenly it clicked for Chi Xingcen. Because the Alpha had tipped them off, the staff never leaked that she’d spent the whole night with an Alpha. That was why Chi Yueluo thought her scheme had failed and lay low for a few days instead of stirring up more trouble.

“As for why Chi Yueluo wanted to ruin your innocence, my people haven’t nailed that down yet,” Lu Xi continued, noting the Omega’s grave expression as she mulled it over. “But my best guess is she didn’t want you marrying the second young master of the Ming Family.” She paused. “Do you know what she’d stand to lose if you went through with that engagement?”

Lose? Chi Xingcen couldn’t help a soft scoff, her expression twisting faintly.

What else could it be but the scraps of the family fortune?

Her grandfather, the Chi Family Old Master, still held the reins. He had fathered two Alphas: her father from the main branch and her aunt from the second. On the surface, her father had only her as his child. The second branch had two kids: her Omega cousin Chi Yueluo and her Alpha cousin Chi Yanqing.

The Chi Family never valued Omegas much. But for prestigious marriages that saved face, they’d usually allot 1% of the shares as a dowry upon marriage.

With the main branch having only Chi Xingcen at present, the Old Master had publicly declared before the Chi-Ming betrothal talks that he’d give her 5% of the Chi Family shares.

That announcement hit everyone else’s interests hard, especially the second branch—they seethed with resentment. Unable to challenge the Old Master directly, they sought other ways to strike.

“Those shares are mine by right.” Chi Xingcen gripped the notebook tightly, mockery fading from her face, replaced by sorrow and turmoil that tugged at the heart. “Grandpa gave them to me.”

He’d been sharp and capable in his youth, single-handedly planting the Chi Family’s flag amid the Capital City’s crowded aristocracy. Age had dulled him now, his mind foggy and forgetful—worsened since her Omega grandmother passed years ago.

Just days earlier, news of her impending betrothal had snapped him lucid long enough to declare the 5% dowry publicly.

Fearing he’d forget again, he’d summoned a trusted lawyer that very day to handle the paperwork. Once legally binding, the shares would transfer to her automatically upon marriage.

“I won’t let them take it. It’s Grandpa’s gift to me.” The old Chi Xingcen had drifted through life oblivious to the family’s envy over her shares. But after everything, she understood now: before massive gains, blood ties meant nothing—just soulless puppets chasing profit.

She wouldn’t go easy on those so-called relatives. Not just her shares—she’d seize them all, take up her grandfather’s mantle, and become the next head of the Chi Family.

Watching the emotions flicker across the girl’s face, Lu Xi spoke up at the right moment. “So, what’s your plan now?”

The Alpha’s voice rang clear, like a pristine stream washing away the gloom in Chi Xingcen’s heart. She refocused, meeting Lu Xi’s eyes steadily. “I might need your help.”

Lu Xi smiled. “What kind?”

“Didn’t you say that day you’d get engaged to me?” Chi Xingcen’s gaze locked onto the Alpha’s smiling eyes. Word by word, she declared, “Engage yourself to me. I need to secure the shares Grandpa gave me first.”

They hated her getting so much? Fine—she’d claim it all anyway, and show them she wasn’t one to bully.

Of course, that meant truly relying on this Alpha.

She had selfish motives too. The Alpha wielded immense power, unfazed by Ming Family revenge or Chi Family schemes. A dark part of her wanted to drag her into the abyss…

Her thoughts swirled chaotically. Chi Xingcen clasped her hands, thumbs pressing tight. “So, will you agree to an engagement with me?”

Lu Xi blinked, caught off guard. It was the first time a girl had proposed to her outright. Sure, self-interest was at play, but she had to admit—it made her shy.

“Of course.” Her ears flushed hot, her face burning, but Lu Xi’s lips curved irresistibly upward. In a gentle voice, she added, “Helping you benefits me too.”

Chi Xingcen: “?”

Seeing the perfectly puzzled look on the girl’s face, Lu Xi cleared her throat twice. Restrained delight swirled in her narrowed eyes. “Truth is, I do have feelings for you.”

She’d felt deep guilt over that night, but after these past days together, she genuinely liked this outwardly fragile girl with an iron will.

Fine, she was mostly just lustful. A face like Chi Xingcen’s would top the charts even in the entertainment industry’s beauty pageant. Being drawn to her was only natural.

“So… is this your confession?” Meeting the Alpha’s bluntness head-on, Chi Xingcen tilted her head and voiced her question plainly.