Chapter 25

Wei Shu took a sip of water, holding the cup. She realized something tasted off. She licked her lower lip. A strong, metallic, coppery taste made her freeze.

Wei Shu touched her lips with her fingers. She thought she might have bitten her own lip during the heat. But as she rubbed her lips, she found no wound.

Wei Shu looked down at the dried blood on her fingers. The blood was a dry, purple-black color. The residue on her hand was like a powder.

Suddenly, a flash of memory came to her. Wei Shu’s face changed. She blushed deeply, her eyes darting away in shame. Then she turned pale, biting her lower lip anxiously. Her gaze drifted to the back of Li Yuanxi’s neck.

A series of images flashed through her mind. The memories of what she had done began to resurface.

Her hands trembled as she held the cup. Listening to Li Yuanxi’s occasional sharp intakes of breath, a wave of overwhelming shame washed over her.

She had never imagined she could be so brazen during her heat, actually pinning Li Yuanxi down and taking what she wanted. What was the difference between that and “If you can’t do it, I’ll do it myself”?

Li Yuanxi bent over, occasionally jarring the wound on her neck. When it hurt, she would hiss. Slowly, she got used to it. But the wound on her gland kept bleeding in fits and starts.

After several hours, it still hadn’t fully clotted.

Hearing Li Yuanxi hiss again, Wei Shu quickly put down her cup. Her ears were bright red. She hurried over and silently took the things from Li Yuanxi’s hands, beginning to prepare the meal herself.

Li Yuanxi raised an eyebrow. She caught a glimpse of Wei Shu’s face, which was so red it looked like it might drip blood. She couldn’t help but laugh. Hearing Li Yuanxi’s laugh, Wei Shu bit her lip, her eyes downcast in shyness as she focused on cooking.

The conches and other seafood from lunch were almost dead. Li Yuanxi had washed them several times, boiled them, and set them aside. When it was time to eat again, she just needed to reheat them.

Neither of them felt like talking. The cave fell silent, filled only with the sounds of the crackling fire and the boiling water.

The cooked taro was incredibly soft and sticky. Li Yuanxi had boiled four of them. After her ordeal in the afternoon, Wei Shu was famished.

They each sat on opposite sides, a few meters apart. Li Yuanxi peeled a taro. The soft, white flesh was fluffy and slightly sweet. After finishing one, she moved on to the conch.

She had boiled all the seafood they had collected that morning in two batches.

Wei Shu bit into the meat of a snail, sneakily glancing at Li Yuanxi. Li Yuanxi was eating quickly, soon producing a pile of empty clam shells.

By the time she had finished the entire bucket of seafood, Li Yuanxi finally felt full. The frustration and Aggrieved Expression she had been holding in had vanished. It turned out that good food was the best cure for a bad mood.

Wei Shu got up of her own accord to clean up. Li Yuanxi was sitting outside the cave, holding her stomach and looking up at the stars.

Wei Shu busied herself inside the cave. After everything was tidied up, she turned her attention to the figure sitting outside. She sighed, rubbing her brow.

Finally, she boiled a bucket of water and mixed it with cold boiled water. She walked to the mouth of the cave, her eyes falling on Li Yuanxi, who was swatting at mosquitoes. Li Yuanxi was cursing under her breath, but each slap killed several of them.

Wei Shu watched her with a gentle look as she waved her hands, killing mosquitoes left and right. There were a lot of them at night, fewer during the day.

Occasionally, Li Yuanxi’s movements were too big and jarred the wound, making her hiss. Hearing this, Wei Shu’s fingers tightened on her clothes. Her eyes fell on her neck. Her memory was just a blur of blood. She didn’t know how serious the wound was.

“Ahem, Li Yuanxi, I’ve boiled some hot water. You can go take a bath.” Wei Shu’s face flushed as she said this. It felt strange to say this after what she had done to Li Yuanxi during the day, and then tell her to go take a bath at night.

Without a word, Li Yuanxi got up, picked up her small stool, and eagerly came inside. She threw some wild mint into the bathwater as a mosquito repellent. Keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead, she lifted her chin, picked up the water, and walked away.

Li Yuanxi had decided to cut ties with Wei Shu for the day. The bite had hurt too much. She couldn’t look at this omega who was so determined to mark her.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t be marked. It was just that… whose marking was this bloody?

Li Yuanxi mentally scolded herself. What was she thinking? She carried the hot water to the edge of the forest, quickly washing herself. She wasn’t dirty anyway. She was done in under ten minutes.

After they had both washed up, Wei Shu sat on the edge of the bed. Li Yuanxi sat by the fire. She had no desire to go to bed.

She was genuinely afraid that if Wei Shu’s heat returned in the middle of the night, she would be bitten again. Her pheromone gland would be completely destroyed. Wah~ The thought made her want to cry.

She had no intention of marking anyone, but she also didn’t want to lose a chunk of her flesh. It hurt too much!

Wei Shu sat on the bed, her gaze soft and flickering, carrying a gentle tenderness. She didn’t even realize it herself, but she had developed a certain dependence on Li Yuanxi, and a shyness she rarely felt.

“I probably won’t be in heat again tonight.” Wei Shu turned her head, her eyelashes trembling in the firelight, casting shadows on her face. Saying this out loud was incredibly embarrassing.

For anyone, discussing their heat period was a private and serious matter. People didn’t talk about it openly unless they were partners.

Li Yuanxi curled up and turned her head, her eyes full of “I don’t believe you!!!”

Wei Shu rubbed her forehead. She knew she had scared Li Yuanxi. Now Li Yuanxi was terrified she would bite her again. Still, she suppressed her shame and told her, “I feel like my heat has passed.”

Li Yuanxi clearly didn’t believe her. Wei Shu sighed and continued to explain. “You know that an AO’s Bonding Heat lasts for three hours, with intervals of no more than an hour.”

“It’s been almost three hours since my last one. That proves my Bonding Heat is over.”

“Really? You won’t bite me again?!” Li Yuanxi stretched her neck out like a little turtle, peering at Wei Shu, trying to judge if she was telling the truth.

“Really. I swear.” Wei Shu beckoned to Li Yuanxi. “What?” Li Yuanxi pulled her neck back warily. “I want to take a look at your wound.” Wei Shu picked up the iodine and put it on the bed.

Li Yuanxi immediately picked up her small stool and scooted at least three meters away. She was practically sitting at the entrance of the cave.

Wei Shu then remembered that the second time she had bitten Li Yuanxi was under the guise of applying medicine. Now, the mere mention of medicine made Li Yuanxi afraid.

Thinking about this, Wei Shu’s face was so red it felt like it was bleeding. Had she really been that fierce during her heat? She had given Li Yuanxi, an alpha, a psychological trauma.

The memories of the afternoon flooded back. “You’re indulging me, aren’t you?” The question burned in Wei Shu’s heart. She didn’t know what to say or do anymore.

Before their relationship had become this complicated, Li Yuanxi was the only alpha who could get close to her. But their relationship had started to drift apart during university.

“I really am not in heat anymore. Feel my palm if you don’t believe me.” Wei Shu stood up, standing two meters away from Li Yuanxi, and reached out her hand. Her mind was in turmoil. All she wanted was to treat Li Yuanxi’s wound to prevent infection.

Li Yuanxi’s pheromone gland was already problematic. Reopening the wound twice could easily damage the delicate gland.

“Li… Chuyi, I really need to see your wound.” Wei Shu called her by a nickname she hadn’t used in a long time. Li Yuanxi’s nickname was Chuyi.

Hearing the name Chuyi, Li Yuanxi’s eyes flickered. She pouted and reluctantly agreed to Wei Shu’s request. This time, she made Wei Shu stand in front of her, so she could react immediately if she tried anything.

Sitting on the bed, Li Yuanxi took off her shirt again, revealing her toned back. She exercised regularly and had a great body.

But without enough carbohydrates on the island, subsisting mostly on protein, her muscles weren’t as defined as before.

Wei Shu looked at the cotton pad, soaked through with blood. She sprayed it with iodine to soften the clotted blood. After about a minute, she slowly peeled the pad away.

As the pad came off, Li Yuanxi’s nose stung. Tears streamed down her face. “Wah wah wah~~” She cried so hard it hurt. Her sobs made Wei Shu feel guilty and sad.

“Wah~ just because I… hic… can’t do it, doesn’t mean you can bite me… wah~” Li Yuanxi couldn’t stop crying. Wei Shu hugged her, just like when they were kids, gently stroking her back. Slowly, Li Yuanxi calmed down.

She wanted to say that she had never disliked Li Yuanxi for her gland deficiency. She only felt sorry for her.

Li Yuanxi’s sobs didn’t stop for a while. She rested her chin on Wei Shu’s shoulder. The hot breath from her nose landed on Wei Shu’s earlobe, which slowly turned red, like a ripe fruit ready to be plucked.

Wei Shu comforted Li Yuanxi while examining her gland. Her eyes darkened. It was worse than she had thought.

After peeling off the pad, the wound was beginning to seep fresh blood again. Wei Shu disinfected her fingers with alcohol and gently wiped the wound with a clean pad, fully exposing the bite marks.

The torn skin and the teeth marks were pressed together. Looking at the wound, Wei Shu felt like hitting herself. Even if it hadn’t been a bite to the pheromone gland, it would have been painful enough. She closed her eyes, forcing back the tears.

Chuyi must have suffered so much this afternoon. The pheromone gland was the most delicate and sensitive part of their body.

And now she had injured it this badly. She didn’t know if it would ever heal properly. Wei Shu felt terrible. The guilt was suffocating her.

If they weren’t on this deserted island, there would be countless doctors who could treat Li Yuanxi. But here, she only had a bottle of iodine and a bottle of alcohol.

Li Yuanxi, still lying on Wei Shu, fell asleep without realizing it. When she woke up the next morning, she found herself lying face down on the bed.

Wei Shu wasn’t in the cave. The wooden door was half-open, letting in some daylight.

A fish was stewing in the iron pot on the stove. A slice of lemon and a few wild mint leaves were in the pot for flavor. A small bowl of crushed green herbs was sitting on the table.

Li Yuanxi’s stomach growled at the smell. Just then, Wei Shu returned, carrying her backpack basket. She was also holding a fish Li Yuanxi had never seen before.

“You’re awake? Hurry up and eat breakfast.” Wei Shu gave her a gentle smile. She put down her basket and placed the cleaned fish in cold water to keep it fresh.

Li Yuanxi stared blankly at her movements. Her mind was still slow from just waking up. She was wondering where Wei Shu had gotten the fish.

Seeing her confusion, Wei Shu explained softly, “I caught it with the fishing line you made. I used a conch as bait, and this fish took it.”

“Oh, I see.” Li Yuanxi nodded belatedly. She was about to step out of the cave when she turned back. “Why are you so nice today?”

Wei Shu looked at the woman silhouetted against the light. She didn’t answer directly. “Go wash up. After you eat, I’ll put medicine on your gland.”

Li Yuanxi nodded, holding her stomach, and went to the pit she had dug to relieve herself.

“Am I being nice today?” Wei Shu washed her hands, asking herself in a very soft voice. She had no idea how gentle her smile was.

After breakfast, Li Yuanxi sat down in front of her obediently. She now believed that Wei Shu’s heat had passed.

“I found some herbs that can help heal the wound and reduce inflammation. To make sure the wound heals properly, I crushed the herbs into a paste. It might feel a little cool.”

Wei Shu bent down in front of Li Yuanxi. With a focused, gentle, and quick touch, she spread the herb paste over the wound. Then she wrapped Li Yuanxi’s neck loosely with gauze that allowed for good ventilation.

After bandaging the wound, Wei Shu said, “Don’t leave the cave for the next few days. The heat is bad for your wound. Just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll make it.”

Li Yuanxi looked up at Wei Shu’s delicate, beautiful jaw. A few strands of hair swayed gently in the breeze. Her black, obsidian-like eyes held a soft, watery light. Li Yuanxi was stunned.