Chapter 41 Part 1

As soon as the call connected, Yin Man cut straight to the chase. “I’m Yin Man. Surely, that name isn’t unfamiliar to you?”

The little Alpha lover whom Shi Youwan had searched for over a year without success was named Chi Yumo. After Chi Yumo lost her voice, Shen Muxi had signed her as an artist and given her the stage name Mo Yu.

Shi Youwan had personally told her all of this that afternoon in the private room of the restaurant.

Including how they met, how they fell for each other, how they parted, and how they reunited—Shi Youwan had laid it all out.

She had omitted the details, of course.

Yin Man had never met Chi Yumo in person. She had only heard Shi Youwan describe her through rose-tinted glasses, praising Xiao Mo to the skies for this and that.

But one-sided words alone weren’t enough to judge just how good the girl really was.

Love was a matter between two people, and it was hard to tell right from wrong. Outsiders had no business meddling.

Yin Man understood all that.

She didn’t want to drag Chi Yumo out and curse her bloody either. She just couldn’t stand seeing Shi Youwan repeatedly hit a wall, enduring it all while wasting away to skin and bones.

Even if Shi Youwan had hurt Chi Yumo more deeply a year ago, it was an indisputable fact that Shi Youwan had considered Chi Yumo in everything she did.

Yin Man feared that Shi Youwan, burdened by regret and guilt, would say nothing and foolishly bear Chi Yumo’s cold stares. So, she wanted to play matchmaker, do her part for her friend, and ease a bit of her own guilt.

“I’ve heard all about your situation from Youwan. I’m in Lingjiang too. Let’s meet tomorrow. I’ll send you the time and place.”

The idea of meeting Chi Yumo for an open talk had come to her long ago, back when she saw online that Chi Yumo had been caught in a media storm during her modeling competition.

Some “misunderstandings” were best cleared up by her.

Once the little Alpha cleared up the misunderstanding and reconciled with Shi Youwan, with an Alpha’s pheromones to soothe her and personal care to tend to her, Shi Youwan’s health should improve, right?

Yin Man’s own body was damaged; true love was out of reach for her in this lifetime. That’s why she didn’t want her closest friend to miss out on true love and live with regrets.

…

Receiving Yin Man’s call was outside Chi Yumo’s expectations, but she wasn’t surprised that the woman had gotten her number.

Yin Man set the meeting for three in the afternoon at an elegantly styled teahouse.

It was serene and minimalist, with simple yet refined decor in a classical style—unpretentious yet exquisite. A faint scent of sandalwood incense greeted her upon entry.

Chi Yumo paused to inhale it deeply several times. The calming, soothing aroma reminded her of Shi Youwan—of Shi Youwan’s lotus fragrance, in particular.

Business socializing meant Shi Youwan drank far more alcohol than tea, but she truly preferred quiet and serenity. Back at the old mansion, sandalwood had burned the most during the days they weren’t intimate.

Chi Yumo was punctual and in the habit of arriving early, so when she took her seat in the reserved tea room, the woman who had extended the invitation hadn’t arrived yet.

She had accepted Yin Man’s invitation because she wanted more proof of Shi Youwan’s “love” for her.

That way, her two years of pining wouldn’t seem like fawning or begging for scraps.

It made her feel a little better to think of it that way.

The usher bent at the waist and poured her a pot of tea first. Amid the rising steam, the lazy sunlight stirred her drowsiness, clouding her usually clear eyes with a hint of haze.

She propped her head on one hand, her eyelids half-closed. Soon, the approaching footsteps slowly roused her from her sleepy daze.

Her intuition told her Yin Man had arrived.

Amid the dry, slightly grating sound of the wooden door sliding open, she caught a faint trace of red wine mingled in the sandalwood. Glancing toward the door, she realized with a start that it was Yin Man’s pheromones.

Chi Yumo stood to greet her courteously.

Even without showing any expression, the woman opposite her had narrow, elongated eyes that seemed casual at first glance but hid a sharp scrutiny, as if they could see right through to the emotions she kept buried beneath her skin.

It didn’t matter. What did she have that Yin Man could use against her?

“Have a seat.”

Yin Man was only a few minutes late.

Chi Yumo paused slightly, her gaze falling on the woman before her with brilliant golden hair like the sun, the tips reaching her neck in layered straight strands, each distinct. Her makeup was rich but not gaudy, and paired with the golden hue, she resembled a Western movie star from the silver screen.

Chi Yumo remembered Yin Man’s hair had been black before—at least during the two years she’d paid attention to her.

Yin Man leisurely lifted her cup and took a sip of tea, then raised her brow as if quite satisfied with the flavor. “How is it? Not bad, right?”

As she spoke, she pulled a pack of women’s cigarettes and a lighter from her handbag, then glanced at the silent Chi Yumo. “So, how are we doing this today? Don’t you have anything you want to know? Not even one question?”

Without waiting for Chi Yumo’s response, Yin Man lit a cigarette on her own, plunging the scene into a brief silence.

She took a few drags as if relieving an itch, then stubbed it out in the ashtray. “Sorry about that. Couldn’t hold back. She said you don’t drink much and don’t like the smell of smoke. My nicotine cravings are bad; those couple puffs help me settle.”

Chi Yumo lowered her gaze, her knuckles clenching under the table.

She wasn’t annoyed by the two puffs of smoke, but by Yin Man’s words—”She said you don’t drink much and don’t like the smell of smoke.”

Shi Youwan… remembered that so clearly.

She had brought a tablet but kept it off the table, wanting to hide herself deeper, not letting the other see through her, not betrayed by her words.

She would just listen.

Just listen, and she wouldn’t give herself away.

So she changed tactics, refilling the teapot and pouring Yin Man a full cup.

Gazing into her indifferent eyes, Yin Man furrowed then relaxed her brows, speaking lightly. “Forget it, no beating around the bush. Qiao Ke told me you two have pure love. By that logic, she and I have a pure friendship—heaven and earth can attest to it. Crystal clear, clearer than this tea, not even held hands.”

Though Chi Yumo deliberately avoided eye contact, Yin Man still caught the flicker in her gaze.

“Don’t doubt it. She’s got strong boundaries and a sense of propriety; her aura is ice-cold. A handshake for business is her absolute limit.”

“I asked you out today not to bully you with my status. Think of it as a truth session, just about the tangle between you and me. Since we’re laying it all out, I’ll be straight: yes, I’m an S-Grade Alpha, but unfortunately, after differentiation, I developed Gland Atrophy Syndrome. In short, a pheromone secretion disorder. I can’t mark Omegas—commonly known as infertility. Incurable.”

Yin Man was the eldest daughter of the Yin Family and the “product” of a marriage alliance between two families. Her parents hadn’t loved each other; they divorced when she was six and started elementary school.

Her father remarried an S-Grade Omega wife, and in three years, they had two sons, both A-Grade Alphas at birth.

Perhaps because her stepmother’s S-Grade wasn’t innate—her parents being one S-Grade and one A-Grade—the two sons from her were only A-Grade upon differentiation.

Dissatisfied, Yin Man’s father wanted more children, but her stepmother’s body had taken damage from those childbearing years, and at advanced age, pregnancy was difficult again.

Even if pregnant, it was hard to guarantee S-Grade offspring.

Her father was getting on in years too. For reputation’s sake, schemes like divorcing and remarrying again or surrogacy to produce more heir candidates died in the womb.

Yin Man’s Gland Atrophy Syndrome was diagnosed during her first Susceptible Period at seventeen.

In a great family, an Alpha unable to continue the bloodline was worthless, even if S-Grade. Her father saw her condition as a disgrace and paid a fortune to silence the doctor.

From then on, he sent her abroad under the guise of study—seven years of neglect. Studying overseas was exile, abandonment.

Days abroad dragged on like years. In despair and self-abandonment, idle all day, until Shi Youwan splashed a bottle of mineral water on her, waking her from a drunken rant at the school gate late at night.

—Stand up. You can drink, but don’t lose your dignity and backbone after.

The next day, she learned Shi Youwan was a year ahead, same department, same major. From then on, she shamelessly became Shi Youwan’s “follower.”

She studied with Shi Youwan, ate and drank with her, and even helped chase off unworthy suitors.

Shi Youwan had helped her regain her dignity and backbone.

Seven years abroad.

Two years wasted, five years of diligent study, leading to the presentable Yin Man.

“She knows about my physical defect. And the reason rumors never stopped about me having a crush on the president of Shifeng Group all these years? She allowed me to use it as a cover, which also helped her fend off ill-intentioned suitors.”

“My situation in the Yin Family isn’t a secret—plenty online. Not walking on thin ice, but not on flat ground either. If my body were fine, I wouldn’t need marriage alliances to fight for shares.”

“You were with her for two years; you’ve heard things about me, right? I have no expectations for family or love. My ambition is only in business. I don’t do romance, can’t do romance.”

After Yin Man laid bare her pain, Chi Yumo no longer avoided her gaze. Yin Man’s smiles and sighs were filled with self-mockery and bitterness.

Those words didn’t match Yin Man’s domineering exterior or Chi Yumo’s prior impression of her.

“Last June, I begged her persistently for a three-year contractual marriage—no personal entanglements, just mutual benefits. I didn’t know she had a little lover then. Thirty-plus years without one—how could I expect one to suddenly appear, hidden so well, not a whisper leaking out.”

“She took nearly a month to agree to help. I leaked the news to the media overnight. But days later, she backed out, saying she had someone she liked and couldn’t get engaged, not even fake. She wanted to meet that person clean and flawless.”

“Though I project arrogance, I have principles and bottom lines. I don’t hurt or go against friends’ wishes.”

Her father had no hopes for this daughter who couldn’t carry on the line, but a marriage to the Shi Family would change that.

So he approved of her “win-win” marriage with Shi Youwan, promising to delegate power post-wedding and an extra 5% shares as a gift.

That would make her stake in New Yin Green Energy second only to her father’s.

It wasn’t ruthless ambition squeezing out her brothers for gain. Shares were more symbol of dignity and backbone than money or fame.

After her first Susceptible Period, her pheromone level had declined yearly due to the illness; she was no longer S-Grade.

She knew, her father knew, Shi Youwan knew.

To keep the defect secret, she wore Inhibitor Patches year-round and avoided hospitals. Even when sick, she went to pharmacies for common meds, dodging any gland-related tests.

“I respected her decision and never brought up marriage again. I thought I’d see her glowing with love’s nourishment next, but instead, I found her in a hospital room.”

“You probably can’t imagine how she looked.”

Yin Man held up her hands and rotated them. “Her hands, deathly pale, covered in purple needle marks on the backs. No color in her face, gaunt and haggard, vomiting everything she ate three times a day, surviving on IV nutrition…”

Hearing Yin Man’s detailed description of Shi Youwan’s condition, picturing her lying in that hospital bed, Chi Yumo’s expression finally shifted slightly.

But how could that be?

Her departure had been one of two paths Shi Youwan offered, and she’d left a farewell letter. Shi Youwan’s mental preparation should have been even more complete than hers, right?

Shi Youwan couldn’t eat or swallow. Was it really because of her “disappearance”? Did Shi Youwan truly love her that much?

“Last month at the charity gala in Yinzhou City, she even sent me a message specifically asking me not to go so that I wouldn’t ruin your mood. It was the day after the charity gala that I realized the person she had been thinking about day and night was you.”

Yin Man drank a cup of cold tea. “What I never expected was that after breaking up, both of you ended up worse off than the other. If you cared about each other so much, why didn’t you just clear the air back then?”

Her fingertip tapped the teacup as she sighed. “Yes, I guess she didn’t tell you the truth either. Right around the time you graduated, she wanted to set you free, to let you live a bright and open life. And it just so happened that I asked her for help, so she used the marriage alliance to make you give up on her completely. But it backfired, hurting both you and herself.”

“With something like this… I can’t say if she was right or wrong. The only thing that’s certain is that she absolutely didn’t want to harm you.”