Chapter 30: Won’t You Send Me Back?

In the evening, Lu Yixue woke up.

The room carried only a faint scent of Calming Incense.

Lu Yixue stretched lazily, feeling full of energy. She thought to herself that Guan Yueying had finally done something right.

She walked to the window and pulled open the curtains. Only then did she remember that she was staying in a quirky room when she saw the window across the way.

But upon spotting the sunflower stuck in a mineral water bottle on the opposite windowsill, Lu Yixue’s mood brightened up as well.

There were flowers placed in many spots around the house usually, but they were so commonplace that Lu Yixue rarely paid attention to what kinds they were or what they looked like.

She had grown accustomed to ignoring ordinary scenery.

Lu Yixue reflected on herself for a moment, then drew the curtains closed again.

The person across the way had a careless or laid-back personality. She did not.

She had no desire to lock eyes with a stranger from the opposite window at some inopportune moment.

After changing clothes and stepping out of the room, she found Guan Yueying curled up on the sofa, typing away on her phone. Hearing the noise, Guan Yueying looked up. “You Yi was complaining to me about how my aunt is abusing her. She hasn’t gotten a full eight hours of sleep in days, hahaha.”

Lu Yixue: …

She raised a hand to touch her dark circles and didn’t respond. “I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”

“Let’s go, let’s go. I’ve been waiting for you. I already reserved a spot.” Guan Yueying jumped off the sofa and shoved her phone into her pocket. “What about your assistant? Is she coming?”

“She has her own plans,” Lu Yixue said flatly.

“Alright, just us girls then.”

By the time they reached the lobby downstairs, the private car Guan Yueying had hired was already waiting at the hotel entrance.

The moment Lu Yixue opened the car door, she frowned. The unfamiliar Alpha pheromones made her nauseous, goosebumps erupting across the skin beneath her shirt. She stepped back, breathing in fresh air. “Get another car.”

“Huh? What’s wrong with my car, miss?” The driver grew tense. A daily rate of five thousand wasn’t easy to come by; she’d been set for the month after just these few days.

Guan Yueying knew right away from Lu Yixue’s reaction that pheromones lingered inside the car. Though she couldn’t smell them herself, she understood Lu Yixue. Her face soured, the smile vanishing. “Didn’t I tell you to clean it thoroughly? How are there still pheromones left?!”

“I washed it three times specifically. As a Beta, I really can’t smell it.” The driver felt wronged. Money was hard-earned, and crap was hard to swallow. “It’s tough to switch cars now. It’s late evening—truly clean ones are scarce. I’ll make sure it’s spotless tomorrow, okay?”

“No, forget it. Come back tomorrow. We’ll eat nearby tonight.” Ordinary smells could be tolerated, but not pheromones—not even a trace. Guan Yueying decided without hesitation.

The driver wanted to argue but caught sight of Lu Yixue’s pale face in her peripheral vision and held her tongue. She probably had some condition; an incident in her car would be trouble.

“Outsiders are just unreliable,” Guan Yueying grumbled irritably. “Luckily, there are decent spots around here.”

There was a mall right by the hotel. Guan Yueying led Lu Yixue to eat boiled fish.

They were seated by the window. The restaurant wasn’t crowded, and their boiled fish arrived quickly.

It was a double-style fish: one side spicy, fragrant, and fresh—the aroma alone was refreshing. The other looked utterly bland and tasted even worse, like chewing on bird spit.

Guan Yueying took one bite of the bland side and ignored it, focusing on her spicy fish.

Lu Yixue also ate quickly, her movements and posture remaining elegant.

Outside the window, Pei Shijin and a few classmates from her school finished eating at the neighboring shop and passed by this one.

One of her classmates pointed at the heads of Lu Yixue and Guan Yueying. “Look at that thick, smooth hair. So enviable.”

The others chimed in agreement, their words dripping with sourness. “Those two must be so carefree and happy. Not like us, staying up till our hair falls out.”

“Not ‘us’—don’t lump Pei-jie in. Pei-jie’s got plenty of hair.”

Pei Shijin, who had been staring at materials on her phone, only looked up when someone called her. “What?”

“Nothing. Just the usual envy of people with lush hair.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Pei Shijin suggested, “Regular sleep, proper diet, more exercise.”

“Hahaha, we don’t have time for that.”

“I’d rather die than give up fried chicken and cola!”

“Hahahaha…”

…

Pei Shijin listened to their jokes and chuckled along twice.

She glanced back, seeing only a potted banana tree.

It was quite lush too.

After finishing the boiled fish, Guan Yueying dragged Lu Yixue to a bar to dance.

Though she still didn’t know why Lu Yixue was suffering from insomnia, no matter the troubles, blasting off with some fun would fix it.

Lu Yixue had zero interest in the noisy, crowded, unhygienic activity of clubbing. The moment she entered the bar, she headed upstairs to the quieter area.

Guan Yueying grabbed her tightly. “Look, each round platform is private. Once you buy it, no one else can come up unless invited. Clean, hygienic, not crowded!”

She had searched forever to find this unique bar.

Lu Yixue glanced at the round platforms, then yanked her arm free forcefully. “Looks like monkeys.”

Guan Yueying: …

Uh, if the twisting wasn’t graceful, it did look odd. But as long as she wasn’t embarrassed, it was the others who were.

Perfect for someone who loved clubbing but had germaphobia!

Guan Yueying followed Lu Yixue dejectedly to the second floor and into a private room.

Drinking in a place like this—what difference from the hotel?

“No way. If we’re not dancing, I want some performance shows. Otherwise, what’s the point of coming?” Guan Yueying glared at Lu Yixue, as if she’d throw a fit if refused.

“Whatever.” Lu Yixue opened a bottle of mineral water for herself. She had work tomorrow—no alcohol.

The hangover soup from the home chef tasted weird, and the pills weren’t great either.

Ever since realizing that without someone to care for her, a hangover would leave her reeking like a beggar, Lu Yixue controlled herself not to get drunk.

Guan Yueying called the manager, who brought two rows of Betas. “Report your best acts to Ms. Guan.”

Ms. Guan—that title was amusing. Guan Yueying sat with legs crossed, wine glass in hand, looking every bit the big boss.

“This one, this one, and that one over there—you four, stay.”

The bar performances were never just performances. They started fully clothed, but buttons came undone mid-twist. One Beta jumped beside Guan Yueying, rubbing her chest against Guan Yueying’s arm and trying to feed her a grape.

A thick fragrance hit Guan Yueying straight on the head. She sneezed—”Achoo!”—and knocked the grape away.

She rubbed her nose. “No need. Just dance.”

Lu Yixue finished her water and stood. “I’m going for a walk.”

“Huh?” Guan Yueying was baffled. “Don’t go! We haven’t even gotten started.”

Lu Yixue waved her off and walked out.

Outside the private room, the music and voices were deafening, but the air was fresher.

She couldn’t understand why some Betas sprayed Imitation Omega Pheromone Perfume on themselves.

But it didn’t affect her. She didn’t get it, but she respected it.

After standing at the door a bit, Lu Yixue went downstairs and out.

Staying too long made her ears hurt.

She hugged the wall, seeking a path without people.

Before leaving, Lu Yixue glanced at the round platforms amid the crowd. Each one had several people on it.

As she thought—not many could stand alone up there like monkeys.

Pei Shijin was squeezed in the middle by her classmates, regretting coming along countless times.

These were just new acquaintances she’d likely never see again. Why force herself to fit in?

Not fitting in was her nature.

Pei Shijin told a classmate her stomach hurt and squeezed outward. Plenty of people weren’t wearing Inhibitor Rings, weren’t spraying Barrier Agent, and couldn’t control their pheromones.

By the time she pushed through, Pei Shijin felt covered in scents.

Inevitably, she thought of Lu Yixue. If Lu Yixue saw her like this, she’d be dragged into the bathroom and scrubbed ten times over.

Heh, Pei Shijin laughed at her own imagination. Luckily, she wouldn’t run into Lu Yixue now.

She bought a bottle of mineral water, held it, and headed out to sleep.

If anyone asked tomorrow, she’d say her stomach hurt and she went back to the hotel for medicine.

Outside the bar, Pei Shijin looked at the unfamiliar street, pulled out her phone to locate the hotel, and started navigation.

Following it led her into a dead-end alley. Pei Shijin stared at the two-meter wall, covered in climbing shoe prints, with bricks piled at the base.

She wavered inwardly. Did everyone in Pearl City climb walls?

For a moment, she couldn’t tell if the navigation was glitching or the locals were.

Fiddling with her phone at the wall base, Pei Shijin downloaded a new app, which rerouted her.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She still wouldn’t climb—easy to ruin her clothes.

As she turned to leave, a “jie jie jie” cackle came from the other side of the wall.

Sounded just like a vicious cannon fodder. Pei Shijin rubbed her ears.

“Run, keep running, heh heh heh. Nowhere left, huh?”

“Hand over your phone and bag obediently, and we’ll let you go.”

“No way, hic. She’s so pretty—she’s seducing me. And I took the bait, hahaha.”

…

The lines were tacky too, like villains from the dramas Song Zonghui watched.

Sounded like four or five on the other side, but no voice from the cornered girl—probably too scared to speak.

“Bang!” “Creak!” “Crash!”

A fight broke out over there, quite fierce.

Pei Shijin looked up at the short wall, pocketed her phone, gripped the top with both hands, and hoisted herself up.

She hooked her right foot over the top, pushed with three points of contact, brought her left knee up and extended her leg. Pei Shijin perched on the wall and called out, “I’ve called the cops, heads up.”

The thugs below ignored her. They’d thought she was a weak, easy Omega—planning to loot her waist pouch and grope a bit more. But she fought back hard, enraging them.

Hearing the familiar voice, Lu Yixue looked up in shock. Even as a blurry silhouette, she recognized it was Pei Shijin.

How was she here?

Dazed, a thug seized the chance and kicked her in the stomach.

Lu Yixue slammed into the wall.

Pei Shijin, lounging casually on the wall, widened her eyes. Lu Yixue?

Her calm vanished. She pushed off with both hands and jumped down, fist flying at the thug who kicked Lu Yixue.

Lu Yixue leaned against the cold, rough wall, clutching her injury. After ten seconds or so, the blackness before her eyes eased.

She looked up to see Pei Shijin’s clean, efficient moves. If not for the lingering pain in her gut, she’d think she was watching an action scene from a drama.

Pei Shijin moved fast. She sidestepped a stabbing fruit knife, seized the thug’s wrist, and twisted until he dropped it in agony.

Then she yanked him down, driving her knee into his stomach. He curled up on the ground.

Another attacked; Pei Shijin met her with a ruthless straight punch to the temple. The thug went rigid and fainted, kicking up dust on impact.

Her strikes were vicious, targeting weak points. Soon, four lay on the ground.

The last one fled unsteadily.

Worried for Lu Yixue, Pei Shijin didn’t pursue. Her haste and ferocity were to check on her quickly.

“How are you? Let me take you to the hospital.” Pei Shijin’s anxiety and concern were plain.

Lu Yixue felt dazed. She glimpsed another side of Pei Shijin hidden beneath her qipao—dangerous, yet captivating.

“Urp…” As Pei Shijin approached, Lu Yixue caught the mixed A/O pheromone scents and dry-heaved instinctively, every hair standing on end.

Pei Shijin immediately realized it was her own foul odors. She backed away swiftly, wanting to explain but tongue-tied. “I…”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Lu Yixue steadied herself against the wall. But the next second, as she tried to step out of the alley, her legs buckled like noodles, sending her crashing toward the ground.

Pei Shijin lunged instinctively and caught Lu Yixue. “Sorry, let me take you to the hospital.”

She scooped Lu Yixue up into a princess carry, her feet barely touching the ground as she dashed outward. Yet her arms remained remarkably steady and strong, cradling Lu Yixue securely to minimize any jostling.

Heaven truly favored them—an empty taxi passed by just then, and a hospital stood nearby.

Ten minutes later, Pei Shijin delivered Lu Yixue to the hospital.

She gave the emergency doctor a concise rundown of the situation. She’d already checked her over in the car, ruling out internal injuries for the most part, but a full examination was still the prudent choice.

Pei Shijin sat on the cold chair in the corridor, her heart pounding wildly.

Reason assured her Lu Yixue would be fine, but a surge of emotions churned deep inside, leaving her unable to calm down no matter what.

It wasn’t until the doctor completed the check-up and confirmed it was merely a muscle tear, along with some ruptured subcutaneous soft tissue and blood vessels—just apply ointment and rest—that Pei Shijin finally exhaled in relief. Only then could her mind turn to what came next.

Considering their current relationship, she needed to know her limits.

The nurse finished applying the medicine to Lu Yixue, and she shuffled out slowly, spotting Pei Shijin on the corridor chair at once.

Pei Shijin shot to her feet right away, but her steps toward Lu Yixue brimmed with hesitation. “I’ve called a cab for you—license plate xxxx. It’s waiting right outside. Head back and rest.”

“You’re not taking me home?” Bewilderment flickered in Lu Yixue’s eyes. Pei Shijin had never shied away from the hassle before; she’d always handled pickups and drop-offs so thoroughly that even the family drivers couldn’t keep up.

And now, injured as she was—nothing too serious, but her stomach still ached—Pei Shijin wanted her to go back alone.

An inexplicable stuffiness welled up in Lu Yixue’s chest, her heart thumping erratically and fraying her nerves.

“Mm, I came out with my classmates. I need to go find them.” Pei Shijin offered her the medicine she’d already bought.

When Lu Yixue didn’t reach for it, Pei Shijin bent down and hooked the bag onto her finger.

The plastic wasn’t heavy, but it left a half-circle indent on that pale digit.

“Get back quick. It’s not safe out at night.”

With that, Pei Shijin turned and walked away without a backward glance.

Leaving her back to Lu Yixue once more.