She desperately wanted to hold the girl’s hand, to offer herself up completely as a sincere apology.
But the girl smiled faintly and indifferently, her gaze returning to the tablet.
【President Shi overstates it. I just lack the fortune.】
【But as the old saying goes, a blessing in disguise. I’m very comfortable following Sister Mu Xi now. Not only do I have no worries about food or clothing, we share a common goal. What is lost is gained—everything is for the best. No need for President Shi to worry about me.】
Shi Youwan’s heart burned as if scorched by high heat, the pain making it hard to breathe.
She pressed her fingers together hard, and the nearly healed wound on her palm couldn’t withstand the pressure. The tender flesh split open, and fresh red blood flowed freely.
“Xiao Mo, you’re not a mute.”
“If I say you have paths, then you definitely do.”
Don’t follow Shen Muxi—what she can give, I can give too.
She had said words like that a few days ago in Yinzhou City and couldn’t repeat them. If she did, Xiao Mo would get angry.
“Xiao Mo, Shifeng Group also has a charitable foundation. That school in the small town where you stayed—I can have the foundation allocate funds tomorrow for renovations. Or even select a new site for rebuilding, though that would take more time.”
Shi Youwan’s words conveyed resolute determination, but her smile and voice were full of tenderness.
Hot blood trickled in her palm. She discreetly moved her left hand to her side, hiding it from Chi Yumo.
She had promised there wouldn’t be a next time. She wouldn’t hurt herself again.
Yet she had broken her word again.
“Xiao Mo.” Her lips trembled slightly, opening and closing. “Consider it me begging you—don’t participate in tomorrow’s competition. Don’t worry, Shen Muxi won’t make trouble for you. I’ll handle all the consequences of withdrawing.”
Shi Youwan’s left hand shifting from her lap to her side, her little movements—Chi Yumo saw them all.
Money moved mountains; Chi Youwan’s “promise” was beyond doubt.
But why was she so stubborn? How could she bear the weight of a “beg” from the great President Shi?
Others always begged Shi Youwan; she always ordered people around. When had she ever so casually uttered “beg”?
Shi Youwan, this isn’t you. You shouldn’t be like this.
The tablet was still in hand. Chi Yumo checked the time again, lifted the cup a second time, and drank the now lukewarm water until not a drop remained.
【Twenty minutes are up.】
【I know President Shi is all-powerful, but please lift your noble hand and stop manipulating the life of a nobody like me. Mo Yu is deeply grateful.】
Then she stood up and typed what she thought was the final words of this meeting on the tablet.
【Of course, President Shi is benevolent and philanthropic. On behalf of the Deaf-Mute School’s teachers and children, I first offer my highest respect and thanks. I’m sure this will be a great good deed for both Shifeng Group and the school.】
Shifeng Group was wealthy beyond measure, with gold and jade piled high. Donating for charity was virtuous and beneficial to the company’s image.
Shi Youwan had said those words herself.
On the day she begged her not to marry, not to become someone else’s wife.
Twenty minutes might not be enough to fully cool a cup of warm water, but it was enough to chill all the blood in Shi Youwan’s body.
It was only early autumn in September, and the outdoor temperature was neither cold nor hot. The suite maintained a constant 22 degrees Celsius.
Yet Shi Youwan’s hands and feet were ice-cold, and even her heart, as if scorched by a branding iron, plunged into an icy cavern along with Chi Yumo’s repeated rejections and her gradually receding footsteps.
She stood up abruptly, her knee knocking into the coffee table without pause, and stumbled to the entryway, where she tightly embraced the girl.
“Xiao Mo, don’t go. I won’t force you anymore, and I won’t interfere with your work. You can do whatever you want.”
Shi Youwan’s face pressed closely against the girl’s straight shoulder blades, pleading in a tone of humility she had never used in her life. “Don’t leave me. Let me stay by your side. Let’s start over, okay?”
Okay?
Hah.
If Chi Yumo could speak, she would have laughed out loud.
Shi Youwan, have you forgotten that I begged you like this too?
—I won’t be willful anymore, I won’t turn on the lights anymore. I’ll do whatever you tell me to do, I’ll accept whatever you give me, I won’t go against any of your wishes. Let’s go back to how things were before, okay?
—Jiejie, as long as you want me, okay?
—Jiejie, don’t drive me away. Let me stay by your side.
It was too late, and there was no going back.
Shi Youwan, you made your decisive choice long ago. Why regret it now? Why put on this aggrieved expression as if you’ve suffered some great injustice?
Chi Yumo grew a little impatient and also disliked her own tendency to soften.
Her waist, abdomen, and left arm were all gripped tightly by Shi Youwan, but fortunately, her raised right arm remained free.
She let go of the tablet, pried open Shi Youwan’s fingers one by one with her right hand, then seized Shi Youwan’s left wrist and turned to face the heartbreakingly beautiful woman whose tears swirled in her eye sockets.
Then she picked up the tablet again: 【President Shi, don’t demean yourself like this. You’re troubling me. Can’t you be more dignified and keep your word?】
Shi Youwan shook her head repeatedly.
Her voice choked as she spoke: “Xiao Mo, I don’t want dignity. I don’t want credibility. I want you.”
In the distant past, Shi Youwan’s tears only fell in bed. And every tear that fell was kissed and licked away by her loving little lover.
Tears more precious than pearls or gems had become cheap and abundant without her little lover’s cherishing.
The tearful woman had slightly disheveled hair and a shattered expression.
The bloodstains smeared on her palm proclaimed the woman’s madness and breach of promise.
Chi Yumo’s gaze shifted downward, and then she lifted the woman’s left hand, smiling in utter disappointment. She couldn’t speak, and there was nothing left to say.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Xiao Mo.”
The woman’s apologies came as urgently as her footsteps in pursuit. She tried to pull her hand back but couldn’t break free, so she lowered her head like a child who had made a mistake.
Seeing the bloodstains she had left on Chi Yumo’s white T-shirt at the waist, the woman panicked helplessly.
“It wasn’t on purpose. I’m sorry, I dirtied your clothes.”
She could feel that Xiao Mo’s grip on her wrist was even tighter than it had been that night in Yinzhou City when she had accidentally injured her palm.
“Xiao Mo…”
The Shi Youwan who was seasoned and steady as a mountain in the business world panicked. Even with her vast knowledge, she couldn’t find the right words to excuse her “breach of promise.”
Perhaps from excessive tension, or maybe sheer panic, the Omega’s faint pheromones thrashed about like fish hauled out of the water in a net, surging one after another until they broke free in moments.
The release of pheromones made Shi Youwan feel her blood racing through her veins once more.
She was a beached fish, a withered lotus, a parched Omega—too long without rain’s baptism, too long without an Alpha’s pheromones to nourish her.
Over four hundred nights, she had only been able to meet Xiao Mo in dreams, drawing on the remnants of warmth preserved in her body’s memory.
But once again, she was flung onto the sofa by the “incredibly strong” Alpha.
【President Shi, you were the one who set up the board and invited me to make the next move. No regrets after the piece is placed—that’s the basic demeanor of a chess player. Please honor your word.】
After typing those words and giving her a cold look that said “put away your pheromones; I’m not interested in you,” Chi Yumo grabbed her tablet and luggage bag and walked out of the room.
This meaningless meeting came to an end.
Shi Youwan collapsed soul-less onto the sofa, covering her face as she sobbed in grief.
She had brought this humiliation on herself. Twice now.
Thinking of the hurt she had once inflicted on Xiao Mo, of Xiao Mo’s eyes cold as frost, of Xiao Mo’s lack of response to her pheromones, the swelling heat in Shi Youwan’s nape gland vanished completely.
Xiao Mo had placed her piece without regret and withdrawn. Only she remained stuck in place, trapped in the chess game.
She couldn’t withdraw, nor did she want to.
The lounge area lay on the unavoidable path from the room to the elevators.
In these twenty-odd minutes, Qiao Ke had checked her watch more frequently than Chi Yumo had checked her tablet.
Seeing Chi Yumo approach, she smiled and went to greet her, her words and manners impeccably polite: “All done talking? Let Kai Ge take you to the hotel.”
Chi Yumo shook her head.
She typed:
【President Shi’s hand wound is bleeding again, and her leg seems to have bumped into the coffee table. Keep an eye on her.】
【President Shi’s emotions are unstable, swinging wildly. Suggest seeing a psychologist.】
【Mental health is as important as physical health. Mental illness can kill too.】
Chi Yumo left with a clear conscience.
Qiao Ke, however, frowned deeply.
Just as Chi Yumo had said, she had noticed their boss’s mental state deteriorating lately. But in the end, the root of it all was Chi Yumo.
President Shi suffered from an incurable “disease of the heart,” and Chi Yumo was her only cure.
Qiao Ke entered the room, checked Shi Youwan’s injury while relaying Chi Yumo’s “concern” for their boss.
They said long illnesses made expert doctors. In the past year or so, Shi Youwan had suffered more illnesses and injuries than in all her previous years combined. As her little assistant, Qiao Ke handled work, life, and even medical care—she was on the verge of becoming an all-around super assistant.
“President Shi, Miss Mo had one last message for me to pass on,” Qiao Ke said hesitantly, which was rare for her. “She said that a year ago, you both already wished each other happiness in your farewells. Your happiness isn’t connected because you and she will each have your own happiness, your own destinations.”
—Wishing you smooth sailing, joy, and happiness.
—In advance, best wishes to you and your wife for a happy marriage and blissful life!
Shi Youwan was at a loss for words to defend herself.
She had shattered Xiao Mo’s heart. Cause and effect—today’s consequences were all her just deserts.
It was what she deserved to bear.
But Xiao Mo, humans aren’t saints—who can be without fault?
As long as you haven’t permanently marked another Omega, haven’t tied the knot with another Omega, I still have a chance, don’t I?
Xiao Mo, I don’t want to honor any agreement or maintain any demeanor anymore. Just treat me as shameless, as a madwoman. Give me this one chance, let me regret this move, okay?
She refused to give up: “Pack up. I’m going to the competition venue—the seat closest to the stage.”
As both assistant and observer, Qiao Ke had her concerns but could only dutifully follow her boss’s orders: “Yes, President Shi.”
