When she heard the question, Xi Xiaoyan fell silent.
“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to,” Meng Chuwu said gently, seeing the hesitation in her eyes.
One of them sat on the edge of the bed, the other in a cushioned wooden chair by the desk. The room was filled with the faint fragrance of fresh flowers that Xiao Chi had recently replaced. Their knees were less than an inch apart.
“It’s not that I can’t talk about it. I’m just afraid you’ll be upset,” Xi Xiaoyan said quietly. Her eyes were as clear as ever, so pure that it was hard not to believe every word she said.
“You think I’ll get jealous?”
“Didn’t you get jealous the night before last? And right now, my body still…”
Meng Chuwu knew exactly what she meant. The scent of Jiang Tianyang’s pheromones hadn’t completely faded from Xi Xiaoyan’s body.
When an Omega breathes in an Alpha’s pheromones during a heat, the scent can stay in their system for several days.
They both understood this without needing to explain.
“I’m not that jealous.” But as soon as Meng Chuwu said it, she felt like she had just revealed herself.
“Really?” A spark of excitement flashed in Xi Xiaoyan’s eyes.
Beneath her elegant features was a look of quiet pride and joy that came from realizing the person she liked was actually jealous.
“So are you going to tell me or not? You can find everything about my past online. And before we got married, I told you quite a lot, didn’t I?”
Xi Xiaoyan pouted and let out a small laugh. “Only if you promise not to get mad, not to get jealous, and not to laugh at me.”
“That’s not fair. Yesterday you got upset over those twin sisters, remember?”
Meng Chuwu’s voice dropped near the end of her sentence.
“I was silly to let things like that affect me.”
“Then blame me. Blame who I used to be,” Meng Chuwu said with a helpless sigh. “I really was awful back then.”
“Alright, to be fair, I’ll tell you about what happened between me and Jiang Tianyang back in high school.” Xi Xiaoyan took a deep breath, as if gathering all her courage.
Meng Chuwu sat quietly, listening.
It turned out that, just like Xi Xiaoyan, Jiang Tianyang had been expected to become an S-rank based on early childhood genetic testing. Because of that, both girls grew up under high expectations from their families.
But when she turned sixteen, Xi Xiaoyan’s official result was a B-rank Omega. Jiang Tianyang didn’t become an S-rank Alpha either. Her result was even more disappointing: a C-rank.
Although these outcomes were beyond their control, both of them were treated differently by their families after the results. On top of that, classmates and even friends started to ridicule them. That painful period left deep scars during their high school years.
At her lowest point, Xi Xiaoyan joined the school drama club. That was where she met Jiang Tianyang.
Their similar experiences brought them closer. They grew to understand and support each other deeply.
Even though Jiang Tianyang was one grade ahead, it didn’t stop their friendship from growing stronger over time.
Xi Xiaoyan was never quite sure when Jiang’s feelings turned into something more than friendship.
Eventually, at graduation, Jiang Tianyang confessed to her.
Xi Xiaoyan turned her down. “I already like someone else.”
“Xiaoyan, do you still have feelings for Meng Chuwu?” Jiang asked. Her eyes were filled with sadness and concern.
Jiang had clearly known. It made sense. That rumor had spread all over school. Most people probably knew about Xi Xiaoyan’s hopeless crush.
Xi Xiaoyan bit her lip and replied, “It’s just something in my imagination. Maybe even a fantasy. But being able to love her already makes me happy.”
“I hope your dream comes true,” Jiang said.
To her surprise, Jiang Tianyang didn’t laugh at her. Instead, she offered genuine well wishes.
Still, her eyes filled with tears as she smiled. That image, that bittersweet smile through the tears, had stayed in Xi Xiaoyan’s memory as clearly as if it happened just yesterday.
Every time she remembered Jiang’s one and only confession, Xi Xiaoyan couldn’t help but blame herself for being too heartless. For the sake of an unreachable dream—one that she never thought would come true—she had rejected the one friend who had stood by her during those difficult years.
Long before Jiang graduated, Xi Xiaoyan had already sensed her feelings. When you like someone, it always shows in your eyes.
But since she couldn’t return those feelings, and Jiang had never said anything out loud, Xi Xiaoyan had pretended not to notice. She didn’t want to lose her only real friend, so she carefully tiptoed around the truth to preserve what they had.
Still, compared to what Jiang had gone through, her own efforts felt like nothing.
“Jiang, I—”
“Xiaoyan, don’t pity me,” Jiang said, interrupting her softly. “The reason I waited this long to confess is because I knew you only saw me as a friend. But it’s so hard—”
Her tears finally fell.
“Even knowing you don’t like me, I still couldn’t stop myself from falling for you.”
“Jiang, I…” For once, Xi Xiaoyan was completely at a loss for words.
“After graduation, I won’t stay by your side anymore. I can’t let myself keep loving someone who doesn’t love me back. And I don’t want to keep being your friend either. Until the day I can just be your friend again, we can’t meet.”
“Does it really have to be like this?”
“Take care of yourself, Xiaoyan.”
That summer in her second year of high school, Xi Xiaoyan’s most vivid memory was Jiang Tianyang in tears. Jiang biting her lips, trying not to sob. Jiang clenching her fists, struggling to stay composed. Jiang giving her a gentle hug, then turning and running away without looking back.
After that, Jiang disappeared from her life completely. Her name still came up in conversations, mostly because of her scriptwriting talent and because many students remembered her as someone who had failed her expected differentiation but still stood out.
In the fall of her senior year, Xi Xiaoyan saw Jiang Tianyang’s name on the school’s honor board. She had been accepted to the university she had always dreamed of.
“She got into her favorite drama and screenwriting program.”
Xi Xiaoyan wanted to congratulate her.
She sent a message.
But the reply said, “You are not on the recipient’s friend list. Please send a friend request first.”
So she gave her blessing from afar.
Looking up at the blue September sky, Xi Xiaoyan saw the white clouds Jiang had always loved. In her heart, she said, “Jiang, I hope your future is filled with happiness. I’ll never forget those two years we shared. May you find freedom and peace in a life without me. May everything ahead of you be even better than what you left behind.”
For the next five or six years, Xi Xiaoyan and Jiang Tianyang stayed completely out of contact.
Until the day Meng Chuwu kissed Xi Xiaoyan while teaching her how to do a French kiss, triggering her second differentiation.
Shortly after that, news of their engagement spread across the internet. Their stunning engagement photos went viral.
One day, Xi Xiaoyan received a message.
“Congratulations. You finally made it. After loving her for so many years, everything you gave was worth it.”
There was no name attached.
But Xi Xiaoyan knew, with absolute certainty, that it was from Jiang Tianyang.
She was sure of it.
Only she would bless her with such gentle sincerity, and offer congratulations that felt so genuinely heartfelt.
“Thank you, Jiang Jie,” Xi Xiaoyan whispered softly.
In just those two short messages, so much longing and memory passed silently between them.
Xi Xiaoyan knew that not long after Jiang Tianyang started university, she experienced her second differentiation. She had felt genuinely happy for her.
Just like Jiang Tianyang had sincerely celebrated the news that Xi Xiaoyan was about to marry Meng Chuwu.
After listening to Xi Xiaoyan’s story, Meng Chuwu felt a swirl of emotions in her heart.
So that was the weight behind Jiang Tianyang’s gaze when she looked at Xi Xiaoyan.
Their pasts were so incredibly similar. No wonder Xi Xiaoyan trusted her so completely.
Xi Xiaoyan had dreamed of marrying the scummy Alpha since she was fifteen.
When she mentioned that dream just now, there wasn’t the slightest hint of embarrassment. On the contrary, her eyes sparkled with pride and joy. That look left Meng Chuwu deeply shaken.
If the shared pain between Jiang Tianyang and Xi Xiaoyan made Meng Chuwu feel a twinge of envy, then Xi Xiaoyan’s deep, unwavering love for the former version of herself felt like a whole bottle of jealousy spilling inside her heart.
But she had to suppress that wave of emotion. After all, getting jealous over herself felt completely unreasonable.
“Now you know everything, Sister Wu,” Xi Xiaoyan said softly.
“Yes,” Meng Chuwu nodded.
“Sigh… now that all my secrets are out, I feel kind of empty. I really want a kiss from you.”
“O… okay.”
Xi Xiaoyan always caught her off guard like this.
Meng Chuwu had no idea how to say no, so she simply went along with it.
Whether it was a kiss or a hug, Xi Xiaoyan always asked for affection so openly, so purely.
Maybe this was the power of loving someone with nothing held back.