Chapter 23
Ji Jinning was soaked to the bone. She couldn’t lift her sister, nor could she fight off the bad man. Her eyes were red as she cried.
Hearing Wang Qingyao’s voice, she wiped her eyes, and her small body, on its short legs, splashed through the rainwater.
It was too dark, she couldn’t see anything. Ji Jinning fell several times, but the pain made her stop crying.
She couldn’t cry.
She had to find Mommy, to save Mama, her sister, and Auntie Wang.
Wang Sheng had naturally heard Wang Qingyao’s words, but he didn’t care. He had been their neighbor for a year and a half.
Did he not know these two Omegas?
“Mommy,” what a joke. It was all a lie. Who would meddle in this at a time like this…
Even if it was a new lover, fine. They could come and watch the live show. Wouldn’t that be more interesting?
Wang Sheng smiled triumphantly. In the dim, distorted light of the flashlight, he was clearly excited, so excited that his eyes glowed with a strange red light.
Ji Jinning stumbled up the stairs. She couldn’t see anything. She didn’t know how many times she had fallen, the hard stairs bumping against her body.
It hurt a lot.
But she didn’t cry.
It was as if she knew crying was useless. Would her mother come to comfort her?
It was as if she knew her Mommy was named Song Xun. Her Mama had told her. Her Mama said Mommy would like them, but Ji Jinning didn’t believe it for a second.
She wasn’t as easy to fool as Ji Jinyu.
But, but, she had no choice but to find Mommy…
Mommy didn’t know about them. Would Mommy come to save them?
The first floor was flooded. The water hadn’t reached the second floor yet, but it was getting closer. So only a few families were living in the hallways of the building, and none as high as the 10th floor.
Ji Jinning didn’t encounter anyone in the hallway as she climbed. But she knew Mommy lived on the 16th floor.
But where was the 16th floor?
Song Xun felt a discomfort in her glands. She touched the back of her neck; the micro-inhibitor patch was still there, secure.
It wasn’t really pain, more of a throbbing, with a slight stinging sensation. It was an uncomfortable feeling.
It was strange. Other than the accident when she first differentiated, she had never experienced this before. But in reality, the two situations were different.
It was as if something was stimulating her glands. And what could stimulate an Alpha’s glands was, of course, an Omega…
An Omega releasing pheromones outside the door?
Song Xun frowned and stood up, glancing to the side. The two dogs were asleep on the heated platform. Shi Tou was lifting weights in a corner of the living room. Chang Fei was curled up on the sofa, playing Tetris.
Chang Wan was idly reading a book under a lamp. Everything seemed… normal.
But her sudden movement had drawn everyone’s blank stares.
“Big Sis, what’s wrong?”
“…” Song Xun.
She was just as confused. “You guys don’t feel anything?”
Her gaze swept past the Omega, Chang Wan, and then to Shi Tou and Chang Fei. It seemed… they really didn’t.
Then why was she…
Seeing her hand on the back of her neck, the others quickly realized it was a problem with her glands. The crisp scent of pine wood finally broke through the micro-inhibitor patch and spread out.
Chang Wan, holding a dog, was pushed back a little by the pressure. Shi Tou and Chang Fei, both Alphas, were unaffected.
“If an Omega was releasing pheromones, it makes no sense that we wouldn’t react.”
Chang Fei pondered. “Other than that, the only other possibility is…”
Being affected by the massive, chaotic release of pheromones from a fully marked Omega at close range?
But the problem was…
The only person Song Xun had ever fully marked was Ji Tang.
Not even the former Su Qingyu.
Did this mean Ji Tang was nearby, and her pheromones were in chaos, thus affecting Song Xun?
Is Ji Tang in trouble?!
Is that possible? We’ve been searching for so long.
But it seemed that besides this explanation, there was no other.
Song Xun’s heart pounded. Without a second thought, she ran for the door. No matter what, she had to check.
Chang Wan stayed behind to watch the house. Shi Tou and Chang Fei quickly followed.
Bang bang!
Ignoring the stairs, Song Xun, holding a flashlight, jumped down the banister.
This was an ordinary apartment building, two units per floor. A single glance was enough to see everything.
She ran down, and the farther down she went, the more her glands ached, a more violent, throbbing pain.
Closer…
When she reached the twelfth floor, she heard a thud in the darkness, as if something had fallen. Song Xun shone her flashlight and saw… a child, lying on the steps.
“What’s this child doing here?”
Shi Tou peered down from the landing above. He wasn’t as fast as Song Xun, but with the light, he saw it too.
But Song Xun… she had seen this child before.
It was the older of the twins.
She didn’t know the child’s name, but she remembered her well. The older sister was a little adult with a serious face.
And the younger sister, Little Yu’er, was a cute, smiling child.
She shouldn’t have felt any sympathy. Song Xun wasn’t the type to soften her heart. But for some reason, when she saw this child, she couldn’t be cruel.
She ran over and picked the child up. Her body was soaked, probably from the cold. Her face was pale, and she was shivering. Her clothes were torn in several places, and there were scrapes on her face. She looked nothing like she had a few days ago.
Her eyes were red, and even though she had fallen so hard, she held back her tears. She was panting with exhaustion, but when she saw Song Xun, she burst into tears.
“Mommy, Mama, save Mama…”
The child’s voice was extremely hoarse. In reality, Song Xun hadn’t heard much, but that sudden cry of “Mommy” she had heard with a clarity that seemed to come from her heart.
A premonition suddenly took hold of her, one she had never imagined, but one that seemed to be some kind of answer.
Her breathing quickened. Song Xun stood up, thrust the child into the arms of Chang Fei, who had just caught up, and ran downstairs like a madwoman.
She was a fool.
She hadn’t thought of it.
Her and Ji Tang’s children were twins.
She had never seen Ji Tang. The female Omega with the two children was someone else. She had assumed that woman was their mother.
But… she wasn’t.
Was Ji Tang hiding from her?
Why?
Song Xun had no time to think. She jumped down the stairs, running as fast as she could.
She was almost at her limit. Chang Fei and Shi Tou, following behind, were left in the dust, even though it was only two floors.
Faster, faster.
10th floor.
She didn’t need to look. She could already hear it.
Affected by the pheromones of her fully marked Omega, Song Xun felt her glands throbbing, a pain that had now turned into a burning, stinging sensation.
The foul smell of oxalic acid triggered her instinctive need to suppress and fight back.
She shone her flashlight. The door to 1001 had a hole in it and was already open. Water was clearly seeping out from inside, flowing out the door.
She stepped on it, a wet sound.
The wind, the rain, the man’s curses, and… a familiar, uncontrollable panting…
A numbing, electrifying heat erupted from her glands, like a fire burning, consuming even her reason.
She lay limply in the water, but the cold water, instead of soothing her, was like hot oil, threatening to devour her completely.
Even her resistance seemed like a form of seduction.
Boom—
The sound of hurried footsteps. In an instant, they were right there. Wang Sheng heard the noise and looked up from Ji Tang’s neck. Before his fingers could even touch his flashlight, a powerful force hit him, sending him flying uncontrollably.
Bang!
He crashed onto a half-broken coffee table, shattering it to pieces.
In a blur, Wang Sheng could only see the blinding light of a flashlight, and behind it, a pair of eyes colder than the light itself.
He passed out.
Song Xun ignored him and rushed forward. A familiar figure lay in the water, her clothes disheveled, revealing a hint of her skin.
But at least she had arrived in time.
Song Xun breathed a small sigh of relief. She gathered the woman into her arms. Her heart was pounding, and she was furious, but she knew now was not the time to settle scores.
She’s about to go into heat.
No wonder the Alpha pheromones had triggered such a strong reaction, one that even she could feel.
But, thank goodness…
Song Xun released her own pheromones, enveloping Ji Tang. The scent of a full mark was more instinctually familiar than a physical presence. It easily drove away the foul smell of oxalic acid, suppressing and dispersing it.
There was no one else here. Without hesitation, Song Xun took out an inhibitor patch from her space, gently lifted the woman’s wet, dark hair, and placed it on her glands.
With the suppression gone, Ji Tang’s consciousness began to clear. She coughed softly and, in the light of the flashlight that had fallen into the water, she looked at the person holding her.
She couldn’t see clearly, but she knew who it was.
“Song Xun…”
“I’m here. I’m here.”
Her consciousness was still not very clear, her voice too low and weak, but she was urgent. Her fingertips trembled, wanting to do something, but she couldn’t.
“Song Xun, the children…”
Chang Fei, holding Ji Jinyu, waded over. Seeing Song Xun look back, he said immediately, “She was kicked, but it’s nothing serious. But she has a fever.”
Song Xun’s brow furrowed tightly. She stood up, holding Ji Tang. “Let’s go back first.”
Chang Fei, holding both Ji Jinning and Ji Jinyu, quickly followed. Shi Tou, on the other hand, shone his flashlight on the flooded, messy floor, finally landing on the equally unconscious Wang Qingyao.
“Big Sis, what about her?”
Ji Jinning, who had been quietly lying in Chang Fei’s arms, holding her sister’s cold hand and looking at Ji Tang, now looked over at the sound. Her small voice said, “That’s Auntie Wang…”
Song Xun thought for a moment. She seemed to be Ji Tang’s friend, and it wouldn’t be right to leave her. And she seemed to have a good relationship with the children.
“Bring her up.”
“Okay.”
Shi Tou didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the woman by her wet collar, hoisted her over his shoulder, and followed Song Xun and Chang Fei.
It was supposed to be a serious situation, but Chang Fei… “…”
He didn’t say it, but he couldn’t help but wonder, Will this big idiot ever find a wife?
