Qiao Ke rang the doorbell while Chi Yumo was chugging water. All the pheromones had been poured into Shi Youwan, but it was Chi Yumo who had been drained dry. She was extremely dehydrated, both thirsty and hungry.
She tied the bathrobe belt securely, brushed her hair to cover the suspicious marks on her neck, and opened the door. “Morning, Sister Qiao Ke.”
“I brought you two some breakfast.” Qiao Ke and Zhang Kai had eaten dinner before heading to the restaurant yesterday. Chi Yumo had only had dessert, and after the fight and everything else, it was no wonder she was starving.
The breakfast was takeout from the hotel restaurant. President Shi’s condition was unclear, so the fewer people who came into contact with her, the better.
“Thanks, Sister Qiao Ke.”
Chi Yumo took the breakfast and had just set it on the table, ready to eat a couple of bites to replenish her energy, when she heard Shi Youwan calling her from the bathroom.
“Xiao Mo.”
“Coming, Sister.”
“Help me blow-dry my hair.”
“Okay.”
She emerged from the bath like a lotus flower fresh from water, radiant and alluring.
Her open collar revealed scattered, artfully placed marks of intimacy, alluring and seductive.
Her little lover knew her limits—nothing too intense above the collarbone. In contrast, Shi Youwan herself had left several bold imprints on Chi Yumo’s neck without restraint.
Once her hair was half-dry, Chi Yumo put away the blow dryer. “Sister Qiao Ke is outside. She brought us breakfast.”
“Mm.” The wide stool could seat two people, and Shi Youwan had deliberately left space when she sat down. “Sit. Let me see your injuries.”
They sat side by side, facing each other.
Shi Youwan’s fingers gently caressed each of the wounds on Chi Yumo’s face.
Her slightly warm fingertips lingered at the corner of her lips. Chi Yumo turned her head and kissed Shi Youwan’s fingers. “Sister knows I’m tough and recover quickly. These minor injuries will heal in a few days. The play rehearsal is still ten days away, so it won’t affect anything.”
“Aren’t you afraid of scarring on your face?”
“Not afraid.” Chi Yumo knew what Shi Youwan was worried about. “Charging into battle for Sister—these are badges of courage.”
Also badges of my love for you.
Shi Youwan’s thumb pressed against Chi Yumo’s lips, rubbing back and forth lightly. A flood of memories from those lips and tongue flooded her mind, and her body temperature spiked again.
“Eat breakfast, then go to the hospital with Zhang Kai for a full-body checkup. Be good, or I won’t feel at ease.”
The bodyguards hired by Lu Xin Ming couldn’t have been pushovers. Xiao Mo and Zhang Kai had fought four on two, and from the looks of their injuries, the battle had been fierce. Beyond the visible cuts and bruises, there was no guarantee their bones or organs were unharmed.
“Okay, Sister. I’ll listen.”
The little Alpha’s bright, warm smile dispelled some of the extreme thoughts Shi Youwan had harbored from last night’s ordeal.
She lazily looped her arms around the Alpha’s neck, kissing her eyes and lips. Her mood improved greatly. “Xiao Mo, carry me out. You go eat breakfast and call Sister Qiao Ke in.”
“Okay.” Chi Yumo grinned happily and scooped her up.
There was a spare bedsheet and duvet cover in the bedroom closet, which Chi Yumo had changed while Shi Youwan was bathing.
She placed Shi Youwan on the bed and tucked her in. “Sister, I’ll eat first. Call me when you’re done talking business with Sister Qiao Ke.”
“Mm.”
Though she knew Shi Youwan prioritized work over meals and had a tiny appetite, Chi Yumo still fetched a glass of warm water and a cranberry scone before Qiao Ke entered. She coaxed Shi Youwan into eating it before leaving the room to them.
The bedside trash bin was stuffed full of tissues. Qiao Ke glanced at it in disbelief.
She had been prescient and bought medicine early. “President Shi, this is your usual contraceptive pill. And this… is for rubbing on to reduce swelling.”
“Put it in the drawer.”
Hearing that, Chi Yumo chewed her shortbread in embarrassment and took a sip of millet porridge. She pulled noise-canceling headphones from her backpack and put them on.
No more passively “overhearing” Shi Youwan and Qiao Ke’s conversation.
Was she hurt there?
Chi Yumo wasn’t entirely sure. She couldn’t see, and Shi Youwan wouldn’t let her look.
During those hours last night, she had been very mindful of Shi Youwan’s body and hadn’t pushed too hard. She still remembered the lotus in the pond struggling and rolling in the mud, rising upward with unyielding resilience.
The ferocity of the storm accelerated its growth and tempered its toughness. In the end, the flower bud covered in glistening water droplets broke through the soil and surfaced, basking in the warm sun, nourished by spring rain, standing tall and blooming layer upon layer of petals.
The delicate stamens cradled the newborn lotus seeds.
Sunlight, rain and dew, wind and snow.
Irrigation and baptism from the essence, cycling endlessly, vibrant and unending.
As for the contraceptive, Shi Youwan always took precautions after they did it—Chi Yumo knew that.
Last year, she had even anonymously consulted an OB-GYN online about the side effects of contraceptives on Omegas.
The doctor said that all medicine had some toxicity. Occasional use was fine, but if taken too frequently or in high doses, it could damage the Omega’s gastrointestinal tract, reproductive cavity lining, and other areas.
Alphas could prevent pregnancy too.
By going to the hospital each month for an injection of a special agent into the glands to dilute pheromone concentration, the chances of impregnating an Omega could be reduced.
But Shi Youwan had explicitly forbidden her from getting those injections, and to prevent her from acting on her own, she required monthly gland checkups with her private doctor.
Because that Alpha method had side effects too.
Too frequent or high doses over time could lead to a drop in rank at best, or at worst, loss of fertility and irreversible damage.
For female A/O pairs in stable marriages, the reasonable, legal, and healthy contraception method was, after a Permanent Mark, to take their marriage certificate to a government-designated medical institution for simultaneous gland tooth and cavity throttling surgery.
When they wanted children, they could go back for reversal surgery.
These procedures were strictly controlled because birth rates had been declining year after year, plummeting off a cliff in recent years, with last year’s end-of-year data hitting a historic low.
A few minutes later, Qiao Ke opened the door and stood at the bedroom entrance. “Miss Mo, President Shi says eat up, change clothes, and go downstairs to find Kai Ge for the hospital.”
Chi Yumo nodded from the table, swallowing her food. “I’ll change now.”
She only had the outfit from yesterday daytime.
Seeing her grab the black T-shirt from the coat rack, Qiao Ke asked, “Didn’t you bring other clothes?”
She even pointed to her neck as a hint.
Chi Yumo’s face flushed red. She shrank her neck and whispered, “Didn’t bring any.”
Qiao Ke hadn’t expected President Shi to plant strawberries on Chi Yumo’s neck. If she had, she would have bought a turtleneck.
“There’s wound tape in the first-aid kit,” Shi Youwan called from the bed. “Qiao Ke, find some. Xiao Mo, come here.”
Her build was much smaller than Chi Yumo’s, so extra clothes wouldn’t fit anyway.
After finding the wound tape, Shi Youwan had Chi Yumo sit on the bed’s edge and personally covered the two obvious lip-kiss marks.
To reduce the oddity, she added one at the corner of her eye injury and another on the back of her hand.
“All good. Go change.”
“Sister, what about you? Is your body really okay?”
“Once we’re back in Yinzhou, I’ll go to Doctor Xu.”
“Oh.”
Doctor Xu—Xu Yuan, Shi Youwan’s private physician. Chi Yumo reported to her every month.
Chi Yumo changed clothes. Before leaving, Qiao Ke handed her a bulging, soft black plastic bag. “Take this downstairs too. I told Kai Ge to find a safe spot to toss it.”
“…” Realizing what was inside, Chi Yumo took it without looking up.
It was probably the skirt Shi Youwan had torn.
The door clicked shut, leaving only Shi Youwan and Qiao Ke in the room.
Shi Youwan’s gaze gradually cooled. She handed the wristwatch from the bedside table to Qiao Ke. “Archive the recording file as evidence. You know, I know. Beyond that, I don’t want last night’s events fermenting online.”
“Yes.”
The watch was custom-made for her by her Alpha mother. The top face was a mechanical watch style; the underside hid a smart band that took data cards.
The dial was very thin, with a display screen on the band side. It required the correct operation to activate—prioritizing practicality and concealment. Main functions: emergency calls and recording.
It had a slight vibration.
Realizing there was no signal last night, she had activated recording immediately.
Then, Qiao Ke reported on the follow-up from last night.
“That little President Sheng made it clear: Shengshi Group won’t cooperate with Zhaoda Tech. As long as Lu Xin Ming is in power, they won’t invest a single cent.”
“Quite the character. Publicly and privately, I should meet her.”
Shi Youwan had Qiao Ke arrange a meeting with Sheng Yingfei—to thank her in person and probe her background.
At the restaurant, she had heard Sheng Yingfei call Xiao Mo “little friend” with her own ears, heard her say—ruthless and cool, I like it.
When had Xiao Mo befriended Sheng Yingfei?
Qiao Ke called Sheng Yingfei. The other end answered with a “hello” that was half-angry, half-resentful—clearly not awake, venting morning grumpiness impatiently.
“Little President Sheng, sorry to disturb. Our President Shi wants to meet you. Are you free today?”
Hearing it was Shi Youwan who wanted to see her, Sheng Yingfei stretched lazily on the bed. Her tone was languid. “Free, sure, but you have to bring that interesting little friend I like.”
“!!!”
It was on speakerphone! Qiao Ke looked at Shi Youwan like she was facing a formidable enemy.
