Chapter 9

Shi Youwan owned countless properties, but Chi Yumo had only visited three of them: the Old Mansion, Shi Youwan’s private villa, and a spacious apartment in the city center.

The one she visited most often was the Old Mansion where she now stayed.

In the dead of night, Chi Yumo lay alone in bed, unable to sleep. Every few minutes, she checked her phone.

Two hours earlier, despite having no appetite, she had forced down about half of the food on the table, chatting and laughing with Aunt Han to hide her loneliness.

Worried that she might get indigestion, Aunt Han had chased after her upstairs with some digestive tablets.

She had mustered her energy and waited for a long time.

First, she waited while reading a book. When she grew drowsy, she switched to playing games while waiting—stubbornly waiting until her phone ran out of battery, until her eyelids could no longer stay open. Still, Shi Youwan had not returned.

In the haze of the early morning hours, a chill crept up behind her, followed by a cool arm draping over her warm body.

At three in the morning, Shi Youwan returned, took a warm shower in the adjacent room, and then entered the bedroom to slip into bed.

The moment she embraced Chi Yumo, all her worries and frustrations vanished.

“Sister…”

“Mm, I’m back.”

She thought she had woken Chi Yumo, but after unconsciously calling out “sister,” her little lover gripped her hand and fell into a deep sleep.

With only two and a half hours of sleep, Shi Youwan alone probably wouldn’t have rested well; after a while, her body would naturally wake her.

But that night, with Chi Yumo there, it was the alarm that roused them in the morning.

As soon as Shi Youwan reached for her phone on the pillow, Chi Yumo rolled over into her arms, her voice hoarse as she murmured, “Sister.”

The unusual reaction of her body disrupted Shi Youwan’s breathing. She silenced the alarm with one hand while rubbing the fluffy head in her arms with the other, coaxing her in the soft, gentle voice that only Chi Yumo had ever heard. “It’s still early. Keep sleeping. I have to go on a business trip to another province for a few days.”

Hearing that Shi Youwan had to go on a trip, Chi Yumo woke up a bit more. She clung to Shi Youwan’s shoulder and tilted her head up to kiss her chin.

“Were you angry last night?”

“No.”

Chi Yumo said aggrievedly, “But Sister hasn’t let me tag along as your little shadow for so long.”

In the first year, Shi Youwan had let Chi Yumo act as her personal bodyguard two or three times a month on average, accompanying her both within the province and beyond. But this year…

It averaged less than once a month.

With no response, the dejected Chi Yumo closed her eyes and lazily shifted to the side. “Work comes first. Don’t be late, Sister. I’ll sleep a bit more.”

As the weight pressing down on her lifted, Shi Youwan did not feel any lighter.

The bedside lamp flicked on, and she saw that the necklace she had personally fastened around Chi Yumo’s neck the night before had been removed and placed back in its jewelry box, which sat on the nightstand on the other side.

She sat up, ignoring the unease in her heart, reached out to stroke Chi Yumo’s long hair, and asked softly, “Xiao Mo, your birthday is coming up soon. What gift do you want?”

Chi Yumo opened her eyes, hope flickering in them. “You coming to my graduation performance would be the gift I want the most—and the one I’d love the most.”

“Sister, you will come, right?”

She wasn’t greedy. She didn’t beg for a formal title. But she hoped Shi Youwan could have some real connection to her life—not just meeting to make love and vent desire, relieving her Heat Period like animals mating.

The graduation performance was on June 22, the commencement ceremony on June 23, and her birthday on June 27.

Last month, Chi Yumo had told Shi Youwan about the performance date, and Shi Youwan’s response had been: I’ll try my best then.

This time, Shi Youwan said the same: “Okay, I’ll try to make time.”

Chi Yumo felt a pang of disappointment, but she forced herself to understand Shi Youwan—to understand her busy schedule as a high-powered executive, to understand her prioritization of the big picture.

After Shi Youwan finished washing up and getting dressed and left the room, Chi Yumo sat up against the headboard and stared blankly at the jewelry box.

Last year on her birthday, her love for Shi Youwan hadn’t yet reached the point of wanting to possess her completely. Shi Youwan hadn’t asked what she wanted and simply gave her a new phone and a new computer.

Practical items—Chi Yumo accepted them.

Because she was repaying a debt, she hadn’t kept clear track of the fees from her bodyguard work for Shi Youwan. Salary and debt repayment went through the same card, which Qiao Ke managed.

She only took two thousand yuan a month as living expenses, which Qiao Ke deposited into her old card at the beginning of each month; the rest went toward the debt.

So she wasn’t even sure how much she still owed Shi Youwan to this day.

Shortly after the car left the Old Mansion, seeing that Shi Youwan had no further instructions, Qiao Ke prepared to close her eyes for a nap.

She had known Xiao Yi longer than Chi Yumo had. Shi Youwan had “kept” Xiao Yi for six years, and she had “cared” for Xiao Yi for those same six years.

Overall, Xiao Yi was a well-behaved child who didn’t cause much trouble.

The two most outrageous incidents in six years were the fights with Chi Yumo, which completely shattered her previous “humble” image.

Qiao Ke couldn’t help but yawn, her mouth still open when Shi Youwan spoke. “Make sure to clear my schedule for the evening of the 22nd and the afternoon of the 23rd this month. Some things I can forget, but you can’t.”

“Yes, President Shi.”

Qiao Ke naturally knew what those time slots were for. She assured her, “Miss Mo’s matters are noted in both my notebook and phone reminders—double insurance. I won’t forget.”

“Also, once we land there, find a moment to contact Xiao Mo. If she has nothing planned for the weekend, buy her a plane ticket.”

Last week, she had hurt Xiao Mo’s feelings. Last night and this morning, she probably hurt them again.

This month’s events were supposed to be happy ones. Why did she have to make Xiao Mo sad?

Just consider it an early graduation trip for Xiao Mo.

…

Back at the Old Mansion, after Chi Yumo got out of bed, charged her phone, and returned the book to the study, she headed downstairs to the gym for a workout.

By the time she came back upstairs, the sun was already high.

She showered in her room, ate breakfast in the dining hall, and suddenly felt life was meaningless.

“Miss Mo?”

As she sat dazed at the table, Chen Han came over to call her.

“Aunt Han,” Chi Yumo snapped back to reality, set down her bowl and chopsticks, and stood. “I’m done eating. I’ll head back soon—please arrange a driver to take me.”

“The young lady isn’t home, so you can stay here. There are plenty of farms, fisheries, golf courses, and other resort spots nearby. If you’d like to go somewhere else to clear your mind within the city, I can arrange it. For out of town, just tell Qiao Ke—she’s more efficient than I am…”

Chen Han’s words touched Chi Yumo. She walked over and lightly hugged her, leaning on her shoulder. “Aunt Han, thank you. There’s actually something I’ve always wanted to say but held back, afraid it might offend you.”

“Silly child, words from the heart are true words—how could they offend?” Chen Han also raised her hand to pat her back.

“You’re a lot like my grandma. She was my only family.”

“Xiao Mo, I’m old enough to be your grandma anyway, so treat me as one—it’s nothing.” She was nearly sixty, Chi Yumo twenty-one or twenty-two; to outsiders, she’d surely be called “grandma.”

At home, following Shi Youwan’s lead in seniority, Chi Yumo called her “Aunt Han.”

When they first met, Chi Yumo was twenty, and Chen Han had seen in her a maturity far beyond her years.

That self-discipline, awareness, composure, and self-control weren’t achieved overnight; it showed her family elders had raised her well, with careful and responsible upbringing.

“Even without you saying it, I can tell your grandma was a kind and benevolent woman, or she couldn’t have raised such an obedient, talented, and beautiful granddaughter. Xiao Mo, your grandma in heaven must be proud of you.”

“Mm, I won’t let Grandma down.” Chi Yumo sniffled and straightened up, towering nearly a head over Chen Han.

She stood tall with spirit, her gaze resolute, her tone firm. “Once my pursuit stabilizes, please come watch our performances.”

Chen Han smiled warmly. “Good, then I’ll wait for Miss Chi’s invitation.”

Miss Chi. Not Miss Mo.

After sharing those heartfelt words with Aunt Han, Chi Yumo felt much lighter.

When she went upstairs to retrieve the necklace, she searched online for it but couldn’t find an exact match.

However, similar Peridot and Pearl Pendant Necklaces that the app identified cost no more than five figures at most, within her acceptable range. She pocketed it to take back to her bare-walled Old House, unafraid it would “gather dust.”

At nine-thirty in the morning, just as she returned to her little place, before her butt had warmed the sofa, Chi Yumo received three messages from Xiao Yi full of mockery and provocation.

[Do you know how she answered me last night?]

[She said, an adult Omega who neither wants to marry nor suffer physically would naturally have a lover, because lovers are far more useful than Inhibitors.]

[Chi Yumo, you met her when she was thirty-three. Why don’t you guess how many lovers she’s had since adulthood? And while you’re at it, guess if you’ll be the last?]

Her recently calmed heart was suddenly disturbed. Chi Yumo’s pent-up anger and melancholy had nowhere to vent.

Fortunately, Qiao Ke’s message brought her great comfort, pulling her back from the abyss just in time: [Does Miss Mo have any plans this weekend?]