After confirming their relationship, Lu Yue wanted Bai Long to move into his villa.
He never said it outright, but he’d casually bring it up now and then, mentioning how cramped her rented place was—the distaste in his eyes impossible to hide.
But Bai Long didn’t agree. She only compromised by saying she could stay at his place on weekends, without any plan to give up her current rental.
Even though the place was small and worn-down, in Bai Long’s eyes, it was the only refuge she had when she first arrived in this world.
She couldn’t bear to let it go.
The man could sense that Bai Long had a special attachment to this place, so after she proposed staying with him on weekends, he didn’t press further.
Today happened to be a weekend—the day Bai Long was going to Lu Yue’s villa.
She woke up early, packed her things, and deliberately chose a bright yellow dress, tying her hair up to reveal her fair, slender neck.
She looked energetic and elegantly tall.
But when Bai Long arrived, aside from the housekeeper who came at regular intervals to clean, she didn’t see Lu Yue anywhere.
Suddenly, she remembered—the night before, he had mentioned he would be attending a banquet today and might return late.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, the hour hand pointed exactly to “4.”
Judging by Lu Yue’s usual return time from such events, he probably wouldn’t be back until eight or nine o’clock.
There were still four or five hours to go. Bai Long figured she might as well make use of the time, so she went out to buy some groceries to restock the nearly empty fridge.
Since Lu Yue had certain standards about cleanliness, especially his own room—it was generally off-limits to outsiders.
Of course, “outsiders” didn’t include Bai Long.
To be precise, after Bai Long started staying here, Lu Yue’s room was mostly tidied and cleaned by her.
He could have done it himself, but Bai Long felt she didn’t contribute much when she visited, so she took it upon herself.
Luckily, Lu Yue didn’t mind. He generally accommodated her requests—even those she didn’t ask for—treating her with a surprising level of indulgence.
Like that time she passed by a boutique and happened to glance at a dress in the window. The next day, when she came home, every single outfit from that display window had been packed up and delivered by Lu Yue.
The price tags were still attached.
At that time, Bai Long stood frozen for a long while. When Lu Yue slightly lifted his chin, clearly waiting for praise,
She held back for a while and finally managed to say,
“Impressive. Very domineering CEO of you.”
Lu Yue didn’t seem to take it as teasing—he genuinely treated it as a compliment and spent the evening clinging to her for a “reward.”
He kept coaxing her to mark him over and over.
She was easily swayed by his charms; whenever he leaned in, she lost all resistance. Mid-way through, she would be dazed by his thick pheromones, losing her sense of moderation.
When she woke up the next day to see him covered in “red plum blossoms” (bruises/hick*ys), she was so frightened she didn’t dare touch him for half a month, terrified she might accidentally work the brilliant, decisive CEO of Chenyue to death in bed.
Thinking of this, Bai Long’s face flushed bright red, her fair skin tinged with pink like peach blossoms in March.
She pressed the back of her hand against her cheek to cool down, then pushed open the door to Lu Yue’s room.
Lu Yue’s room wasn’t cluttered—everything was neatly arranged, and even the slightest disturbance would be noticeable.
The most prominent things in the room were books. Five shelves from top to bottom were packed full.
Bai Long usually didn’t touch the books or other items. She only came in to clean.
Since Lu Yue didn’t return every day, some areas collected a thin layer of dust that needed attention.
Bai Long didn’t think there was anything embarrassing about an Alpha doing this kind of work. After all, she was still a student, and she was glad she could help Lu Yue in whatever small ways she could.
Humming a tune, she picked up a cloth and moved a stool over to wipe the windows. Just as she reached the window, her gaze caught a small box in the upper right corner of the desk.
Inside were the inhibitors Lu Yue carried with him for emergencies.
Lu Yue’s inhibitors were different from others’. Because he had endured his earlier heats without timely marking, relying solely on sheer willpower, his dosage was several times higher than that of other Omegas.
These inhibitors were complicated to produce and limited in quantity, so he never left them lying around carelessly.
Bai Long picked up the green box and shook it gently. It seemed only one vial remained.
Maybe it was just her anxiety, but as soon as she saw the inhibitors, her eyelid started twitching. A nagging feeling settled in her chest—like something was about to happen.
At the time, she thought she was just overthinking, so she didn’t dwell on it and continued cleaning.
But by almost ten that night, Bai Long realized it might not have been her imagination after all.
As one of the rare couples with 100% pheromone compatibility, they shared a certain instinctive awareness when the other was in danger.
Bai Long pressed her lips together and sent a message on her phone.
As expected, the person who usually replied instantly didn’t respond this time.
Unable to wait any longer, she changed her shoes, threw on a jacket, and took a taxi straight to the hotel where Lu Yue’s banquet was being held.
Normally, entering such an event required an invitation, but Bai Long and Lu Yue were practically inseparable. The security at the entrance recognized her.
Seeing her unusually tense and anxious expression, and considering Bai Long was a double-S Alpha whom no one there could realistically challenge—
They didn’t give her much trouble and simply turned a blind eye, letting her in.
By the time Bai Long entered, the banquet was winding down. Most people had already left, leaving only a few scattered individuals chatting over drinks.
She narrowed her eyes, scanning the surroundings. When she didn’t spot Lu Yue in the main hall, she focused on sensing the pheromones around her.
But the place was too crowded. Not only were various pheromones tangled together, but the smell of alcohol also saturated the air, making it almost impossible to pinpoint Lu Yue’s location amidst the chaos.
Bai Long tried to steady her emotions and began searching carefully from the first floor.
Finally, only the Omega restroom remained unchecked.
Maybe Lu Yue drank too much and went to the restroom to sober up? Is that why he hasn’t checked his phone or replied?
Just as Bai Long was considering whether to go in and check—
It wasn’t that she felt awkward, but in this world, forcibly entering an Omega’s restroom could be considered harassment—serious enough to land her in jail.
“Mr. Lu?”
In the end, she didn’t rush in. Instead, she called out tentatively from the doorway.
“Mr. Lu, are you in there? If you are, could you reply? I’m really worried.”
It was eerily quiet inside—quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Then, from the farthest stall, came a heavy, strained gasp.
“…I’m here.”
The man’s voice was hoarse, but Bai Long recognized it immediately as Lu Yue’s.
Lu Yue never expected to run into one of his business rivals at the banquet. He had accidentally sipped champagne spiked by the other party. Sensing something was wrong, he rushed to the restroom, intending to use an inhibitor to suppress his pheromones on the verge of going haywire.
But it turned out the rival had set up a trap—his inhibitors had been swapped out long ago.
Now, on the brink of his heat and with no way to control it, he had to stay locked in the restroom stall to keep his pheromones from spilling out.
By the time the banquet ended and most people had left, Lu Yue finally gathered the strength to try to leave.
Unfortunately, the drug kicked in too intensely and too fast. His entire body went weak, his back leaning against the stall door, his hands braced on the floor but unable to push himself up.
As his consciousness grew hazy, Lu Yue instinctively called out Bai Long’s name—and somehow, she actually came.
If Bai Long hadn’t called out to him a few more times, he might not have been able to tell whether it was a dream or reality.
“Bai Long, Bai Long…”
“I’m right here.”
His fingers twitched slightly, and he tried to tap the door to signal his location.
Bai Long didn’t even glance around—she followed the sound directly to his stall.
As soon as she pushed the door open, the man, now without support, nearly collapsed to the floor.
Luckily, Bai Long reacted quickly, catching him in her arms.
Lu Yue was in terrible shape—his body was burning up, his forehead damp with sweat, like a fish stranded on land, barely breathing.
“What happened to you? Didn’t I just mark you recently? Why are you in heat again? Did you eat or drink something you shouldn’t have at the banquet?”
As she spoke, Bai Long anxiously released her pheromones, letting them envelop Lu Yue’s gland, soothing him with practiced ease.
“Is that better?”
“…Mark me.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he hooked his arm around Bai Long’s neck, pulling her closer.
“I can’t stand it. I don’t need soothing—I need you to mark me. Now.”
“?! H-here? That’s… not really appropriate, is it…?”
Bai Long was startled by the man’s bold request. Deep down, she was quite conservative—she could force herself to go along with him at home if needed, but this was outside.
It was just… too outrageous.
“Hang in there a little longer, okay? I-I’ll soothe you a bit and it should ease up. Let’s go back and do it properly, alright?”
Seriously, there are still people around who haven’t left yet.
If she marked Lu Yue here and his pheromones spilled out, everyone would know exactly what they’d been up to.
Not only would she be mortified—Lu Yue would experience social death on the spot.
The man seemed genuinely at his limit, eyes hazy with tears, the corners flushed red.
He bit his lip, trying to stifle any sound, but bit down so hard that a line of blood beads formed.
“Stop—don’t bite yourself. Bite me instead, but don’t hurt yourself.”
Seeing this, Bai Long’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly reached out, cupped Lu Yue’s chin, and gently forced his mouth open.
Whether he didn’t understand or was simply venting frustration after being denied the mark,
Lu Yue narrowed his eyes, glared at Bai Long, and slapped away the hand she’d offered him to bite.
Then he hooked his hand around the back of her neck, pulled her down, and sank his teeth into her gland.
Bai Long’s body tensed like a fully drawn bowstring, as if it might snap at any moment.
“I meant bite my hand, not here!”
She took a deep breath and gently nudged the man’s head away from her shoulder.
“Don’t be difficult. I’m an Alpha, so it’s fine, but you’re an Omega. If people find out you…?!”
Lu Yue didn’t seem to hear a word Bai Long said. His gaze was burning, fixed intently on the soft curve of her lips.
His mouth felt unbearably dry. Watching her lips move as she spoke, he leaned forward and pressed his own against them.
Bai Long’s unfinished words were completely swallowed by the man’s scorching lips, his hands daringly, persistently caressing her gland.
Fingertips tracing, skilled and provocative.
No one knew Bai Long’s body better than Lu Yue. With just a few strokes, the last shreds of her reason crumbled.
Lu Yue blinked slowly, pulling back from her lips before wrapping his arms around her neck again to kiss her eyelids.
“You talk too much.”
“A hundred thousand. Take it or leave it?”
“…Wasn’t it thirty thousand per session? Why the sudden price hike?”
“Overnight package.”
“…”