Feeling a bit emotional, Che Xiayun wasn’t the only one.
After dinner, Che Xiayun went upstairs, rested for a while, then picked up her iPad and tapped on the familiar app icon. However, the homepage recommendations weren’t the anime compilations she usually followed, but rather videos made by unknown uploaders with titles like:
[“Confessed to my crush today! Here’s what happened”]
[“My Secret Crush Diary / A tribute to the only romance in my exhausting senior year”]
[“Quiz: Are you and your crush meant to be?”]
She only glanced briefly before searching for the anime she was following, but those eye-catching titles had already imprinted themselves in her mind.
An inexplicable emotion began to stir within Che Xiayun.
So, Ma Qingyu already had someone she liked? And yet, Che Xiayun had forcibly taken the position of her marriage partner, even making her manage the company and do all the hard work wasn’t that exploitation?
Suddenly, Che Xiayun felt she had gone too far. She really wasn’t much of an alpha, wasting an omega’s youth and never even speaking kindly to her.
An alpha like her deserved to have her gland bitten.
The more Che Xiayun thought about it, the guiltier she felt. She almost wished she could offer her gland to Ma Qingyu to bite a couple more times, just to vent her frustration.
But for now, Che Xiayun believed the best temporary solution was to be more accommodating toward Ma Qingyu, keep her secret about having a crush, and dutifully play the role of a tool. When the time came, she would step aside gracefully. Even if she couldn’t remain idle, at least her conscience would feel somewhat at ease.
Ma Qingyu went to take a shower. Che Xiayun sighed silently, feeling that even her anime wasn’t as entertaining anymore. She got up from the beanbag chair and went to the wardrobe to fetch a blanket.
The spare blanket was also warm orange, with a smiling kumquat doll embroidered on the cover. The stitching looked somewhat uneven, as if it had been added by hand later. Although the kumquat doll was smiling, its large eyes still sparkled brightly, making Che Xiayun reach out and touch it unconsciously, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
After spreading out the blanket, Che Xiayun lay down to test it. The fleece was soft but not very thick, and she could faintly feel the coolness of the floor beneath. She rolled over a couple of times, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket. Her back no longer felt chilly, it was quite warm. She could sleep like this tonight.
She got up from the floor and glanced around, her eyes settling on the white bun-shaped pillow on Ma Qingyu’s bedside. She still needed a pillow maybe she could use that one?
Using a decorative pillow as a headrest shouldn’t be too much, right? After a brief consideration, Che Xiayun decided it was probably fine and placed the white bun pillow on her makeshift bed.
Ma Qingyu emerged from the shower, her long hair damp and hanging loosely behind her. A pure white bathrobe wrapped around her graceful figure. Seeing Che Xiayun busily taking out toiletries from her suitcase, she pursed her lips and said, “Sorry, I had a bit to drink earlier, my tone wasn’t great.”
Che Xiayun stood up, holding a bag of toiletries, and replied casually, “It’s fine.” Then, pointing to the items in her arms, she added, “I’m just going to put these away.”
“Mm.” Ma Qingyu stepped aside to let her enter the bathroom, feeling relieved about their earlier tension. After all, she reasoned, this was the first time they were sharing a room. Their toiletries would be placed together, cups side by side it looked rather sweet.
Che Xiayun casually placed her portable travel-sized toiletries on the bathroom counter and glanced over at Ma Qingyu, who was still standing by the door. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Ma Qingyu’s face flushed slightly, and she averted her gaze. She went to the bedside table to grab a hairdryer and began drying her hair. The warm air from the dryer blew through her strands, but before her hair was even dry, her cheeks were already burning red:
If Che Xiayun used the bathtub for a soak, then in a way, they had already been in contact while undressed.
By the time she had finished drying her hair, changed into her nightgown, and settled against the headboard to check her phone, Che Xiayun still hadn’t emerged from the bathroom. Ma Qingyu couldn’t help but smile at the corners of her mouth with such a slow shower pace, she must be taking a bath.
But inside the bathroom, Che Xiayun was not doing well at all.
This biologist, who hadn’t yet had the chance to fully understand the mechanisms of an alpha’s sensitive period and an omega’s heat cycle, was already being taught a harsh lesson by reality, experiencing it firsthand in the most intense way.
Because her first sensitive period after differentiation had arrived abruptly, catching her completely off guard, and at such an awkward place and time.
Che Xiayun was utterly miserable.
If she rushed out now, her agitated state and alpha pheromones would likely cause harm to Ma Qingyu. But staying in the bathroom and enduring it would only delay the inevitable until Ma Qingyu knocked on the door to check on her. The latter option, at least, would give her time to prepare and possibly call for emergency help.
The sound of running water in the bathroom had stopped for a long time, yet there was no movement at all. Even if she were taking a bath, it shouldn’t take this long. Ma Qingyu couldn’t help but worry had she fallen asleep in the tub?
In reality, Che Xiayun was far from asleep. Restless emotions had taken over her entire body, every cell screaming for release. Heat spread from her glands, flushing her slender alpha frame with red from the nape of her neck to her eyes. The boiling sensation threatened to strip away her rationality, but even with bloodshot eyes, they couldn’t conceal the clarity and brightness of her deer-like gaze.
Though she felt brimming with boundless energy, she sat defensively curled in the corner, several times raising a fist as if to punch the wall but stopping herself each time. The restless pheromones of an S-class alpha surged through her veins. With great difficulty, Che Xiayun restrained her pheromones, veins bulging on her neck, not allowing even a trace of the alpha scent, a potent trigger for omegas to escape.
Ma Qingyu checked the time. It was 9:50. Che Xiayun had likely finished her shower around 9:00, and there had been no sound from the bathroom for a full half hour.
She couldn’t wait any longer.
Tentatively, she knocked on the bathroom door and raised her voice, “Are you done in there?”
Che Xiayun took a deep, heavy breath, opened her eyes, and dug her fingers into the gaps between the tiles, fighting back the urge to lash out. “My sensitive period has started. You!”
The voice that came out was so hoarse it sounded strange even to her.
But before she could finish her sentence with “don’t come in,” the bathroom door was abruptly pushed open.
Ma Qingyu rushed in anxiously but froze at the doorway, taking in the sight before her Che Xiayun, flushed all over, veins bulging, slumped exhaustedly in the corner, her bathrobe soaked and clinging to her body. A complex mix of emotions swirled in Ma Qingyu’s heart.
This was her first time facing an alpha in their sensitive period. She knew that alphas could become extremely irritable during this phase and were highly likely to harm the omegas around them, yet she rushed in without hesitation.
Che Xiayun furiously smashed a nearby ceramic tile with her fist, sending cement and lime powder scattering everywhere. She roared, “I told you to get out!”
Her furious voice echoed through the bathroom.
Her bathrobe was soaked, and her long, silky hair was damp from the steam in the bathroom, making her look as if she had just been pulled out of water. Yet the skin exposed to the air was unusually flushed.
The shattered tile had cut the back of her hand, but she paid it no mind. Her head hung low, her lips trembling as she tried to steady her emotions. In a hoarse voice, she said, “Call an ambulance.”
“Okay.”
Ma Qingyu snapped out of her daze, glanced at her worriedly, and then retreated from the bathroom. She quickly made the emergency call and hurried downstairs, rummaging through cabinets to find a pack of cooling patches. She also grabbed a few bags of ice from the freezer before returning to the bedroom.
Rushing back into the bathroom, Ma Qingyu saw Che Xiayun again. The wound on the alpha’s hand had stopped bleeding, but the blood from earlier had stained her white bathrobe.
Kneeling on the bathroom floor, Ma Qingyu unwrapped a cooling patch and, holding it along with the ice in her palms, offered them to Che Xiayun. “These can help bring down the fever. They might make you feel a little better.”
Che Xiayun barely lifted her eyelids and spat out a single word, “Leave!”
Ma Qingyu bit her lip but persisted, holding out the items. “Let me apply this for you.”
“No!”
Che Xiayun turned her head away irritably, but as if by fate, a pale blue cooling patch landed squarely on her forehead.
Ma Qingyu stuffed the ice packs into her hands. “I’ll get you some clean bathrobes and towels.”
So annoying.
Che Xiayun felt as though she were surrounded by a haze of red heat, with a persistent coolness pestering her and strange objects attacking her. That sticky thing had even adhered to her forehead.
But a faint chill began to seep from it, offering a slight relief, so she decided not to remove it.
Inside, two conflicting voices were warring within her. One insisted that an omega who offered herself was the perfect tool to cool her heat, no matter who she was, just hold her, bite her gland, and inhale her pheromones.
The other voice stubbornly resisted, insisting that she must not harm Ma Qingyu. If she went too far, her own life would surely be at risk.
Gradually, the alpha’s most primal, most vicious thoughts began to take over.
Ma Qingyu returned with clean bathrobes and towels. She draped a towel over Che Xiayun and said softly, “Dry yourself off and change your clothes. The ambulance will be here soon.”
Che Xiayun’s eyelashes fluttered. Suddenly, she reached out, grabbed Ma Qingyu, and pulled her close, locking her in an embrace. Her arms tightened so fiercely that Ma Qingyu could hardly breathe. Che Xiayun inhaled the faint fragrance of her hair and murmured, “Don’t go.”
The bathrobe slipped to the floor, dampened by the moisture on the ground and stained with dust from the shattered tiles. It was clearly no longer wearable.
Ma Qingyu instantly grew tense, holding her breath and not daring to make a sound. Her heart was a mix of anticipation and fear, no one knew what an alpha in their sensitive period might do to an omega.
But it was only after pressing so close together that she truly realized how feverish Che Xiayun’s body was, even able to feel the faint trembling of the muscles beneath her skin.
Che Xiayun gently stroked her hair, then leaned into the curve of her neck, rubbing against her side with a hint of frivolity. Her nose pressed close to Ma Qingyu’s ear, carefully inhaling the source of the omega’s pheromones.
The contact made Ma Qingyu’s face flush hot. She tilted her head back slightly, her heart pounding so fiercely it felt ready to leap from her chest. An inexplicable longing for Che Xiayun to take the chance and mark her flooded her mind.
Che Xiayun held her waist with one hand while the other slid up along her thin nightgown to the nape of her neck. Nimble fingers parted the layers of her hair, brushing against the edge of the omega’s inhibitor patch. Her thumb gently caressed the skin at the back of Ma Qingyu’s neck, a soothing gesture before marking, or perhaps a hint. The atmosphere grew intensely ambiguous.
Ma Qingyu felt soft and warm, her body weak and limp. Her gland, reacting to the physiological response, swelled slightly with blood. She leaned entirely into Che Xiayun’s embrace, her nape exposed to the alpha in her sensitive period.
The exhaust fan in the bathroom continued to hum, letting in occasional cool breezes, yet the two pressed closely together did not grow any hotter.
Because Che Xiayun’s heart had begun another internal struggle.
There was no further action only holding her tightly, embracing this 3S-grade omega like a cooling patch, without making any excessive moves.
Ma Qingyu felt a pang of disappointment, but upon reflection, a sense of relief washed over her.
To restrain one’s instincts at such a moment was truly no easy feat.
Time ticked by, and Ma Qingyu grew so warm that a light sweat broke out on her skin. The sound of an ambulance siren drew nearer from downstairs. She tried to struggle free but couldn’t, murmuring softly, “The ambulance is here.”
Che Xiayun finally released her, remaining silent.
Ma Qingyu’s body felt stiff from being held so tightly. Leaning against the wall for a moment to ease the tension, she then stepped out. A group of medical staff in thick white protective suits surged in, all of them tall and imposing.
“Miss, please leave this area immediately. An S-grade alpha in their sensitive period is extremely dangerous.”
Ma Qingyu was pulled back by the medical staff to just outside the bedroom door but refused to go any further.
The medical staff member’s tone grew stern. “Miss! If an S-grade alpha becomes agitated, hitting you would be no different from hitting a sandbag. It’s very dangerous!”
Ma Qingyu looked at him. “I know, but she won’t harm me. I was just in the same room with her for over ten minutes.”
The medical staff member glanced at her in surprise and said no more.
Soon after, five medical personnel escorted Che Xiayun, who was wrapped in a soiled bathrobe, out of the bedroom. The lead doctor sighed in relief and turned to Ma Qingyu. “This young S-grade alpha has remarkable self-control. She only shattered one tile, truly impressive and she’s been very cooperative with us.”
Ma Qingyu nodded. “Yes, she really is very well-behaved.”
But when she saw Che Xiayun, head drooping and surrounded by the medical team, her heart ached. “Could you let her go back and change her clothes?”
The doctor replied as he walked downstairs, “No, but you can pack some of her things and bring them to her tomorrow. Alphas must undergo centralized isolation during their sensitive periods. An S-class alpha will probably need to stay for about ten days.”
The ambulance was already waiting downstairs. Everyone in the villa stood in the designated open area. Pan Anqi anxiously watched the entrance and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ma Qingyu emerge unharmed.
Che Xiayun was extremely uncomfortable she felt hot, her clothes were damp and sticky, and her robe was stained with dust from shattered tiles and blood from the back of her hand. It was filthy, and her subconscious fastidiousness screamed in protest, but there was nothing she could do except endure it for the moment.
Ma Qingyu spoke with the lead doctor and arranged a top-tier isolation room for her, equipped with the best accommodations, food, and drinks. The only drawback was that family members couldn’t visit freely, a rule that applied to all types of isolation rooms, with no exceptions.
All the medical staff boarded the ambulance, and the vehicle sped off, its flashing lights glaring brightly.
Ma Mingzhe suddenly noticed that the bond between his daughter and Che Xiayun had grown significantly stronger. Stroking the beard on his chin, he smiled faintly, a rare occurrence. Not bad at all.
A few servants whispered among themselves, “So an S-class alpha’s sensitive period is just like that? A bit of fever and it’s over? Tame enough to rival my cat in heat.”
“Exactly, it’s ridiculous. My boyfriend is only an A-class, and last time he was so miserable during his sensitive period, he almost smashed everything and would fight anyone he saw.”
“Honestly, who knows if she’s really an S-class alpha? She’s the eldest young master, how would we know?”
Ma Qingyu overheard their conversation unintentionally, and her expression instantly darkened. Her gaze swept over the servants with their careless remarks, and she let out a cold, bitter laugh. “Alphas are human beings too, not just wild beasts who only know how to vent.”