Chapter 24 Part 2

Qiao Ke bit her tongue, swallowing the last two words. “Old Street District—it’s the third day today. Rain’s too heavy; hardly any residents out. The bodyguard said he saw someone at the window this morning, nothing unusual.”

The third day since last month the 29th—also the third day since they cut ties.

Already three days?

Shi Youwan closed her eyes briefly, her mind filled with Chi Yumo’s tear-streaked face.

And those eyes full of despair.

“Pull them back. No more following from now on.” Removing the well-intentioned “surveillance” would give Little Mo true freedom, with sea and sky boundless.

“Got it.”

“Can tonight’s flight take off?”

“If the rain stops or lightens by five p.m., yes. I’ll keep tabs on the weather and flight updates.”

“Mm. Have the contingency ready too.” She had an important meeting in another province tomorrow morning; if the flight couldn’t go, she’d switch to a five-hour overnight high-speed train.

“Understood. Also, that Vice President He from Zhaoda Tech has been waiting in the lobby for fourteen straight days.”

“Send him up. Tell him he has fifteen minutes with me.”

“Yes.”

Leaving the president’s office, Qiao Ke went downstairs first to bring up the persistent Vice President He, relaying the message.

Once he was inside for the meeting, Qiao Ke messaged Xiao Yi back, reminding her to drink moderately, not stay out all night, and return to the villa with the driver.

The day after the engagement hot search, Xiao Yi had called Shi Youwan over a dozen times.

Shi Youwan, distraught and uneasy, hadn’t picked up any, dumping the task of handling Xiao Yi on Qiao Ke.

Qiao Ke went to the villa and talked her down, getting her to accept Shi Youwan’s impending engagement to Yin Man.

—What about Chi Yumo? Has she accepted it?

Xiao Yi’s sudden question chilled Qiao Ke to the bone, sending shivers down her spine.

Before that, she’d seen Xiao Yi’s dependence on President Shi as a child’s reliance on an elder, her little schemes as childish bids for attention.

Turns out, Xiao Yi’s anxiety over President Shi wasn’t about elder care—it was an Alpha’s craving for an Omega?

That was terrifying.

It was strange, really. Xiao Yi had excellent grades and always behaved politely around her, calling her “Sister Qiao” in a way that made her skin crawl.

Yet Qiao Ke just couldn’t bring herself to like Xiao Yi from the bottom of her heart.

Whether it was her solicitous concern or handling sudden incidents, it all felt like going through the motions, devoid of any real empathy.

But with Chi Yumo, it was entirely different.

She worried for her, rejoiced for her, sighed for her, even secretly cursed President Shi for being so heartless and oblivious to romance, taking advantage of her favoritism to bully the poor little one.

She only learned about President Shi’s engagement after it exploded on the hot searches. When she called to ask, her boss simply tossed back, “Don’t worry about it. No interviews,” and hung up.

Thinking back to that night when Aunt Han had seen off the guest, tears streaming down her face as she begged Qiao Ke to keep an eye on Little Mo and comfort her, and hearing Aunt Han describe Chi Yumo’s state after leaving the Old Mansion, Qiao Ke’s heart ached.

Such a vibrant Alpha, heartbroken at the dawn of her first love—how long would it take for her to emerge from the shadows and regain her spark?

Having tasted both the sweetness and bitterness of her boss, how could she ever like another Omega?

Qiao Ke had sighed more in those three days than she’d drunk water.

She was starting to think her boss was a scumbag Omega who toyed with hearts and discarded them.

That night, after sending Chi Yumo the message late at night—【Sleep away your worries, food to drown your sorrows, taking tomorrow off to eat and drink with you】—and receiving 【Please leave me alone, thank you】 in reply, she hadn’t disturbed her anymore.

Chi Yumo must hate her.

After all, seeing her would remind Chi Yumo of her boss.

She hoped the rain would stop soon, and the rain in Chi Yumo’s heart would too. After the rain, the skies would clear, right?

…

The relentless patter of rain sounded like a passionate symphony, dense droplets smashing onto the streets, splashing up strings of water flowers. The crisp sounds seemed to play a unique melody for the city’s bustle.

Only when night fully fell, separating indoors from out into two worlds, did the rain gradually soften.

Chi Yumo opened the old wooden window she’d kept shut all day, propping it with the discolored brass hook, letting the scent of rain flood in with the wind.

The damp night breeze swept away the sweltering summer heat, moist and fresh, the temperature cooler than during the day.

On the 6th of this month, she had to go to the Provincial Drama Troupe to handle onboarding procedures. Without love, life went on, work went on. These past few days, she needed to pull herself together and find a suitable rental nearby.

—Yumo, let’s find a bigger place when the time comes. We can room together?

—Xiangxiang, we can’t room together. You’re an Omega, I’m an Alpha. Even as close friends, living together could lead to misunderstandings. I’m not afraid of people misunderstanding our relationship—I’m afraid of tarnishing your reputation.

She’d already felt a bit guilty about Cheng Xiangxiang’s deep affections. Xiangxiang was such a good girl; she shouldn’t suffer for Chi Yumo’s sake.

But a week had passed, the onboarding date loomed, and Xiangxiang hadn’t contacted her again. They probably couldn’t even be friends anymore, huh?

Her phone vibrated on the table. Chi Yumo’s first thought was Cheng Xiangxiang.

But it wasn’t.

It was from the person she disliked, the one she couldn’t stand.

【Xiao Yi: Does this book look familiar?】

【Xiao Yi: If not, I’ll burn it. If you want it, come pick it up at XX Hotel tonight at nine.】

In the photo, it was the only book in the villa study that didn’t belong to Shi Youwan—the professional extracurricular book Chi Yumo had left there on her first visit to the villa.

Chi Yumo had only been to Shi Youwan’s private villa twice.

The first time, she’d gone with Xiao Yi when they were both summoned.

Xiao Yi got scolded, while she received Shi Youwan’s first kiss under the lights—a kiss so sweet it melted into her heart.

The next day, Shi Youwan left early. After washing up, Chi Yumo pulled a book from her bag and went to the study.

Soon after, Chen Han came to pick her up.

Thinking she’d come back again, wanting to leave traces of herself in Shi Youwan’s life, she casually placed the book on the shelf.

The second time was one late night.

At a banquet discussing a government-enterprise cooperation project, Shi Youwan had been forced to drink far too much. Feeling terribly unwell, she instructed Zhang Kai and the others to take her to the villa nearby and had Qiao Ke call Chi Yumo over.

She cared for Shi Youwan all night, entwined with her all night. The next day, they left together by car, and she never returned.

Tracing back, her love and desire for Shi Youwan, her possessiveness, had actually taken root two years ago.

That book was the most compelling—physical evidence.

The book mattered if it mattered, didn’t if it didn’t.

It could sit forgotten on the shelf forever or be found and tossed by Shi Youwan, but it absolutely could not be damaged in Xiao Yi’s hands.

So, she had to get it back.

That night, Chi Yumo went to the hotel to meet Xiao Yi without any disguise. She wanted to boldly be herself again, live her old life again.

At 8:50, Xiao Yi finally sent the room number.

She’d been to this hotel twice as a bodyguard with Shi Youwan, but only in the banquet hall, never the guest rooms.

Following the room number to the door, she glanced left and right. There were cameras in the corridor.

So, this wasn’t a high-end VIP floor.

Shi Youwan’s engagement news must have hit Xiao Yi hard too. Xiao Yi probably knew she and Shi Youwan had fallen out, right? What humiliation did she plan tonight?

But was there even a need to humiliate her anymore?

Chi Yumo didn’t knock. Instead, she lowered her head and messaged Xiao Yi: 【Open the door.】

Seconds later, the door opened.

It was Xiao Yi.

The moment she saw Chi Yumo, she sneered coldly, “You’re tougher than I imagined, you stray dog.”

Chi Yumo ignored her nonsense and extended her hand. “The book. Give it back.”

Xiao Yi ignored her and turned to walk inside.

She was already here; she had to get the book. So what if she endured more verbal abuse? She’d heard plenty. What was there to fear?

But the moment she stepped through the door, a solid blow struck her shoulder and neck, and she instantly lost consciousness.

Then, a basin of ice-cold water mixed with ice cubes jolted her awake.

Her eyes were blindfolded with opaque black cloth, unable to see. Her mouth was sealed with tape-like stuff, silencing her. Her hands and feet were bound tightly to a chair, immobile.

“Don’t waste your energy. The knots on your hands and feet are dead knots—you can’t break free. Struggle less, suffer less.”

It was Xiao Yi’s voice.

But Chi Yumo’s hearing was exceptional. Even with only Xiao Yi speaking, she could tell from subtle sounds that there was more than one person in the room.

Another remained still.

She couldn’t yet tell if that one was male or female.

“Originally, I planned to find you an Omega at the club, let you have some fun. Then film a little video, make you go viral.”

“But… considering you’re such a pitiful worm, I’ll let you off.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything illegal. After all, there’s someone very important waiting for my love.”

“I heard you’re leaving Yinzhou City soon, heading to the Provincial Drama Troupe next door? Congrats.”

“Since you have such a great opportunity, go. Once you’re gone, don’t come back. Yinzhou City has no place for you. I have no place for you. And that person’s side has no room for you either.”