*A Midsummer Night’s Dream*
Inside the shopping mall—
Yuan Lai was distracted. It had only been half an hour since she and Song Qingxu parted, yet she was already itching to return to her side. She wondered if, in the middle of work, Song Qingxu ever thought of her, even just for a moment.
The driver followed a step behind, carrying several A-brand shopping bags, while two bodyguards trailed at the rear.
Ever since seeing a slew of ridiculous rumors about Song Qingxu on her phone in the car, Yuan Lai had been in no mood for shopping. She wandered aimlessly into a boutique.
The store’s F-brand jewelry was mostly designed around floral motifs. Song Qingxu’s pheromone carried the scent of honeysuckle—fitting enough—but after browsing for a long time, nothing caught Yuan Lai’s eye.
She leaned back into the sofa. The boutique’s afternoon tea pastries weren’t to her taste; she took one bite before setting them aside, then sipped her tea.
Curled lazily in the sofa’s embrace, she half-listened as the sales associate continued introducing pieces to her.
Until—
“This is our new collection,” the SA said, lifting the lid of a velvet box. “It’s called A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Yuan Lai’s eyes lit up instantly. She straightened in her seat.
The lustrous white necklace reminded her of last night’s moonlight—slivers of pale light spilling across Song Qingxu’s figure, cold yet pure. In her mind’s eye, she could see the necklace resting against that slender neck. The image was perfection.
The piece was fashioned from gemstones and diamonds, linked together in the form of flowers. Calling it a necklace felt insufficient—it was more like a choker woven from clusters of blossoms.
“I’ll take it!” Yuan Lai said.
The SA set it aside for her. The necklace had caught her attention, but the same collection also featured a matching ring. Yuan Lai slipped it onto her own finger, imagining it on Song Qingxu’s—petals blooming delicately at her knuckle.
With the perfect gift in hand, Yuan Lai’s heart was already racing toward her wife. She accepted the boxed necklace and ring and headed straight out.
She didn’t even let the bodyguards carry them—she insisted on holding the gift herself, already picturing the look of delight on Song Qingxu’s face when she received it.
Why not head to the set early and pick her up? That way, Song Qingxu could get her present sooner.
“What time will you be done?” Yuan Lai texted her. As expected, no reply came.
“She’s probably filming and can’t check her phone.” Setting her phone aside, she told the driver, “Let’s go straight to the set.”
At that moment, Song Qingxu’s phone was in Ge He’s hands. Ge He had arrived only after filming had begun—without even bringing an assistant.
She hadn’t explained herself to Song Qingxu, instead bowing her head over her phone, typing rapidly. She didn’t bother asking the crew about schedules or progress.
Because the point of contact was unclear, Song Qingxu had to ask several people before figuring things out. Thankfully, Yuan Lai’s assistant had dropped her off early—otherwise, the shoot would have been a mess.
Song Qingxu was already considering changing agents. If this continued, mistakes were inevitable.
When filming wrapped, she stepped out of the studio—only to find Ge He gone, along with her phone and bag.
Just then, Lin Yajie finished her own work for the day, trailed by a full entourage—assistant, agent, makeup artist, stylist, bodyguards…
The contrast with the solitary Song Qingxu was stark.
Lin Yajie, naturally, wouldn’t miss a chance to take a jab. She strode up to her in a few quick steps.
“You dodged me earlier with some excuse—let’s see you try and slip away now.”
Song Qingxu ignored her, scanning the area for Ge He.
Lin Yajie kept talking to herself. “Why are you alone? Where’s your agent? Your assistant?”
When no answer came, she smirked. “Don’t tell me you sent them away on purpose—meeting someone in secret, maybe?”
“Anyone you have to hide from your entourage definitely isn’t your spouse.” She gasped theatrically. “Don’t tell me you’re cheating already, so soon after getting married?”
She suddenly leaned in, making Song Qingxu instinctively take half a step back. In a low voice, Lin Yajie asked, “Is your spouse really some old, balding Alpha?”
Without waiting for a response, she muttered, “If that’s true, I guess I’d understand why you’d sneak around.”
Sometimes, Song Qingxu genuinely couldn’t follow Lin Yajie’s train of thought—yet the woman’s face was dead serious.
The more Lin Yajie thought about it, the more convinced she became. She decided not to leave at all, waving for her assistant to bring over a folding chair.
“I’m staying right here,” she said, fixing her gaze on Song Qingxu. “Let’s see who you’re waiting for.”
“I’m waiting for my agent.” Song Qingxu said.
Lin Yajie snorted. “At least make up a believable excuse. Agents wait for artists, not the other way around.”
Song Qingxu pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Undeterred, Lin Yajie dragged the folding chair right beside her.
“Hey!” She nudged Song Qingxu with her elbow.
“Say what you have to say. And don’t touch me.” Song Qingxu stepped back half a pace, right in front of her.
Lin Yajie was an Alpha, her pheromones strong and aggressive. Ever since Yuan Lai had temporarily marked her, Song Qingxu couldn’t stand any trace of another Alpha’s scent on her. She had a natural aversion to it.
Lin Yajie drew back her wandering hand, sounding wounded. “What’s with the step back? You’re disgusted by me?”
The way she acted, you’d think she’d just caught a cheating lover red-handed.
This—exactly this—was why Song Qingxu avoided engaging with her. Every interaction felt like dealing with an eight-year-old child.
“I’m not,” Song Qingxu sighed, changing the subject outright. “What was it you wanted to say?”
Lin Yajie dropped the “disgust” topic instantly. “Is it true your company booked you for that wilderness survival show?”
When Song Qingxu nodded, Lin Yajie’s eyes widened. “I thought that was just a rumor. Your company’s insane—those shows are full of tough Alphas. Totally unsuitable for you. And it won’t even help your career.”
“They’re really selling you out for clout. Since the show started, you’ll be the only Omega guest they’ve ever had.” Lin Yajie added.
For once, she’d said something reasonable—until she ruined it in the next breath.
Leaning in with a grin, Lin Yajie said, “Lucky for you, I’m on that show too. If you butter me up, maybe I’ll help you out.”
“Say something like, ‘Lin Yajie is prettier and smarter than me, and I really admire her.’ How about it? Good deal, right?”
Song Qingxu decided she’d waited for her agent long enough. She turned to leave.
“Hey, hey!” Lin Yajie jumped up to block her path. “What’s the rush? You haven’t met the person you’re here for yet.”
“Ohhh, I get it—you saw me here and decided to bail?” Lin Yajie said.
Her long arm shot out, catching Song Qingxu’s sleeve. “And you haven’t even agreed to my proposal yet.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Song Qingxu said coldly.
“Don’t say no so fast.” Lin Yajie tightened her grip. She knew that if she let go, Song Qingxu would walk away without a backward glance. “Think it over. I’m serious—the wilderness show is brutal for Alphas, let alone Omegas.”
Song Qingxu had no interest in sparring with an overgrown child. She tugged at her sleeve, but Lin Yajie was surprisingly strong—one hand was enough to hold her in place.
“Not agreeing? Then I’m not letting you go,” Lin Yajie said stubbornly. “It’s just a few nice words about me on camera—it won’t kill you. The tabloids have been running ‘rivalry’ headlines about us forever. You praise me once, rumor broken.”
“Our rivalry is a rumor?” Song Qingxu shot back.
“You—!” That single retort left Lin Yajie momentarily speechless. Scowling, she muttered, “Fine. Wait until we’re on set—you’ll be crying for help.”
“That won’t be your concern,” Song Qingxu said flatly. “Now let go.”
“I won’t. What can you do about it?” Lin Yajie challenged.
While they were still in their tug-of-war, Yuan Lai’s car pulled up right where Song Qingxu had been dropped off earlier—perfectly in her line of sight if she came out.
She had been waiting in the car, but her texts went unanswered and her calls rang through with no pick-up.
Is the shoot that exhausting? Not even a moment to rest?
She decided to get out, gift in hand, and maybe catch a glimpse of her wife at work.
Leaving the driver in the car, she strode toward the set with the bodyguards, stopping a crew member to ask about the shoot.
“Filming’s already wrapped,” came the reply.
Her heart sank. Done with work and still no reply—was Song Qingxu deliberately avoiding her?
The joy she’d felt about the gift dimmed, like summer sunlight smothered by sudden clouds.
But clouds only hide the sun for a moment. She quickly straightened her mood—she was here to make her wife happy, after all.
From up ahead came the sound of raised voices. One of them… sounded like Song Qingxu.
Yuan Lai’s stride lengthened. She pushed through the small crowd gathered to watch.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
The sight made her blood boil.
Her! Wife! Song! Qing! Xu—
Was being held onto by some random woman.
Without a second thought, Yuan Lai marched up, slapped the woman’s hand away, and clasped Song Qingxu’s in her own—fingers interlaced.
Only up close did she realize the woman had been gripping her sleeve, not her hand.
Still, Yuan Lai’s possessiveness flared. She didn’t like that the sleeve was now tainted with another Alpha’s pheromones.
She thought to herself: I’ll have to find a way to get my own scent on this later.
Lin Yajie recoiled at the sudden slap, staring at the red mark on her hand before realizing what had happened.
“Who the hell are you?!” Lin Yajie said.
Feigning a gesture to dust off Song Qingxu’s sleeve, Yuan Lai was in fact covering the spot with her own pheromones, erasing the other Alpha’s scent.
Her smile toward Song Qingxu vanished the instant she turned to face Lin Yajie, her expression icing over.
“I was about to ask you the same thing.” She fixed Lin Yajie with a cold stare. “Who are you?”