Inside the car, the bone-chilling cold clinging to Jiang Wuyue bristled with hostility. An Yangxue’s hand, resting on her laptop, paused slightly.
She closed the laptop, removed her glasses, and leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes to rest.
The warm, yellow ceiling light cast a shadow along the sharp, straight bridge of her nose. An Yangxue could feel Jiang Wuyue’s gaze fixed on her profile, heavy with confusion.
Opening her eyes slowly, her cool gaze met the impoverished Alpha’s. Jiang Wuyue froze for a moment, noticing her brownish-green irises. She recalled the brief details she had skimmed through earlier. As one of the three Omegas with an exceptionally high pheromone compatibility match with her, An Yangxue rarely appeared in the public eye. Magazine interviews about her were virtually nonexistent, and photos were few and far between.
Being in the same confined space with her at such close range felt surreal.
The scenery outside the window blurred past. Sitting inside the warm vehicle, warmth gradually returned to Jiang Wuyue’s body. The driver raised the privacy partition, granting the two in the back seat absolute privacy. Jiang Wuyue couldn’t understand—on the day before she went to the Administration Bureau, An Yangxue had trailed behind her in a car. By then, An Yangxue must have already known about their exceptionally high pheromone compatibility.
Yet, An Yangxue had left quietly back then. Why bring her onto the car now?
Jiang Wuyue tested the waters. “President An, if you wanted to meet, you could have contacted the staff at the Administration Bureau to arrange it. That way, both sides would have time to prepare.”
After a pause, a voice as distant as An Yangxue’s cold appearance sounded beside her ear. “Did I interrupt you from fawning over other Omegas?”
Jiang Wuyue was taken aback. An Yangxue sneered, “You’re drenched in the reek of Xiao Sui’s pheromones.”
“…President An knows Miss Xiao?” Jiang Wuyue suddenly felt the awkward embarrassment of being caught red-handed. She secretly took a whiff of herself; the faint trace of Xiao Sui’s pheromones had long been blown away by the wind.
So, had Xiao Sui told An Yangxue that they were meeting today?
Yet, when An Yangxue mentioned Xiao Sui, she sounded thoroughly disgusted.
An Yangxue averted her eyes. “She rejected you?”
Jiang Wuyue admitted frankly, “Yes. Miss Xiao already has someone she loves.”
An Yangxue said, “Then why do you have the scent of her pheromones on you?”
Instead of answering immediately, Jiang Wuyue countered, “President An hates Miss Xiao, doesn’t she?”
“I despise her.” An Yangxue rubbed a ring on her index finger. “Can her physical condition even afford to let her reject you?”
“She’s more stubborn than I imagined.” An Yangxue’s voice was faint, laced with impatience.
“Feelings aren’t so simple. Personally, I think Miss Xiao is very devoted,” Jiang Wuyue continued. “President An seems very familiar with Miss Xiao’s pheromones. Could it be… that the person she loves is you?”
Unfortunately, An Yangxue wasn’t amused by her cold joke. Her eyelashes lowered, casting a chilly glint from her eyes onto Jiang Wuyue.
“It’s within my expectations. After all, you are poor and ordinary, completely incomparable to her. Even with the advantage of pheromone compatibility, as long as Xiao Sui hasn’t lost her mind, it’s impossible for her to fall for you.”
To proud figures like An Yangxue and Xiao Sui, Jiang Wuyue was nowhere near their level in status or wealth. An Yangxue’s mocking words made Jiang Wuyue lower her head with a faint chuckle, a trace of bitterness trailing the corner of her lips. An Yangxue assumed she was seeing things.
Tapping her long, slender fingers on her leg, An Yangxue said, “From what I know, you are short on money.”
Jiang Wuyue nodded candidly. “That’s right.”
“I can pay you, but you need to make Xiao Sui fall for you—to make her want to be with only you.” An Yangxue spoke the shocking proposition in a calm tone.
Jiang Wuyue frowned slightly. “President An just said it was impossible for Xiao Sui to fancy me.”
“You have too much faith in me. If an exceptionally high pheromone compatibility can’t sway her feelings, forgive me, but I can’t do it either.”
The reason An Yangxue had summoned her was utterly absurd. If the car hadn’t been in motion, Jiang Wuyue would have opened the door and left immediately.
“Refusing money… It seems the pressure from your debts isn’t that heavy after all,” An Yangxue mocked coldly.
Jiang Wuyue simply said, “Would President An choose to be with me just because of pheromone compatibility?” Her gaze fell upon An Yangxue, who was dressed in a stylish, form-fitting black cashmere ensemble featuring a ruby rose brooch pinned to her chest. The strikingly vivid color stood out like a bound, blazing flame within her deep, quiet pool of composure.
She and the outwardly intense and flamboyant Xiao Sui were complete opposites.
The moment the words left her mouth, Jiang Wuyue paused, realizing An Yangxue would likely find her frivolous.
“Do you deserve it?” Just three words—void of rage or explicit insults—instantly carved an unbridgeable chasm into the arm’s-length distance between her and Jiang Wuyue.
“When I found out my pheromone compatibility with you was 90%, I wondered how it could be someone like you,” An Yangxue stated her feelings at the time in a flat tone, paying no mind to Jiang Wuyue’s feelings.
In An Yangxue’s view, ordinary people lacked shame and dignity as long as money was involved.
“What’s even more laughable is that I’m not even special. There are two others whose pheromones share a high compatibility with yours.”
“Miss Jiang, your fate is truly unpredictable.”
An Yangxue had thoroughly investigated her background. The bankrupt Jiang family had long been forgotten under the passage of time. In the silence, Jiang Wuyue reflected on why she was still sitting there, enduring An Yangxue’s verbal sarcasm.
She had never intended to become emotionally entangled with Xiao Sui, An Yangxue, or that third, unseen Omega.
Her primary reason for accepting the Administration Bureau’s arrangements was to gather information about that mysterious woman. The culprit had torn off her suppressor patch, letting her own pheromones spread through the dark corridor, lightly stroking the back of her neck in a flirtatious manner. The surge of suppressed yet volatile sensations had wrecked her from within. Jiang Wuyue despised the weakness of being controlled by someone else. That woman was a Beta, completely unaffected by pheromones. She must have watched with amusement and mockery as Jiang Wuyue lost control, panting and so weak she could barely stand.
The memory was so vivid that recalling it now stirred the innate predatory instincts of an Alpha, leaving Jiang Wuyue craving to bite into something soft.
She sighed. “President An must be joking. As far as I’m concerned, my fate has never changed.”
“In good health, free from illness and disaster,” Jiang Wuyue continued as the scenery outside slowed down, signaling it was time to get off. “However, President An should be careful. I heard from the administrator that using scientific means to suppress pheromones for too long can cause severe hormonal reactions in the body.”
“The reason I had the scent of Xiao Sui’s pheromones on me was that she fainted again.”
“I had no choice but to use my pheromones to soothe her.”
The driver pulled up at the entrance of the residential complex where Jiang Wuyue lived. The signboards of small shops near the gate emitted colorful lights, illuminating the dim, narrow alley. Jiang Wuyue pushed open the car door to step out. “If President An ever needs my pheromones, I can lend a hand for free, too.”
As the car door closed, Jiang Wuyue caught a glimpse of fluster and shock flitting across An Yangxue’s exquisitely composed face, completely stripping away her cold and aloof demeanor from earlier. Walking away with a smile, Jiang Wuyue felt a petty sense of satisfaction, as if she had finally vented her frustration.
Returning to her apartment, Jiang Wuyue walked over to the window and drew the curtains. Her building was close to the main gate, where the Bugatti—looking entirely out of place in the dilapidated complex—had already driven off. Jiang Wuyue looked down and sniffed her clothes, catching the lingering scent of An Yangxue’s rose-scented pheromones.
She is in just as severe a condition as Xiao Sui, isn’t she? She didn’t even realize her pheromones were leaking out unconsciously.
Jiang Wuyue shed her jacket tainted with the pheromones, intending to wash away all the scents that didn’t belong to her.
Around eleven at night, the administrator—deeply concerned about how Jiang Wuyue’s meeting with Xiao Sui went—sent a message to check in. She implied that if there were no romantic feelings with Xiao Sui, she could arrange for Jiang Wuyue to meet the other two.
Jiang Wuyue truthfully reported the outcome without going into details. At the end, she added a line mentioning that she had already met An Yangxue as well.
The flood of exclamation points refreshing on the screen left Jiang Wuyue helpless.
With two Omegas out of the picture, the administrator immediately set up a meeting with the third.
Reflecting on Xiao Sui’s and An Yangxue’s attitudes toward her, Jiang Wuyue had no interest in meeting the last one. But before she could refuse, the administrator sent over the address—the final Omega was unexpectedly cooperative, taking Jiang Wuyue by surprise.
The venue was a highly famous performing arts center in the city.
Jiang Wuyue searched the Omega’s name online, and her schedule for tomorrow popped up: a charity event whose total proceeds would be donated to an orphanage as a medical fund for sick children.
In the center of the article was a photo of the performance’s star.
It showed her side profile as she pressed down on piano keys, eyes closed, completely immersed in the music.
The performance was set to begin at two in the afternoon, and Jiang Wuyue arrived by car at noon. Outside the magnificent, gilded entrance stood five standees arranged in an arc, instantly catching the eyes of entering guests. The standees displayed information about the performing guests, including a diva from the music industry and a violinist. Occupying the central spot was the person Jiang Wuyue was meeting today.
Guided by the staff, Jiang Wuyue was led toward the backstage dressing rooms. The hallway was filled with a comfortable fragrance, and everyone kept their voices hushed, carrying out their work in an orderly fashion. A staff member knocked politely on the door several times and waited for it to open.
Coming out to greet Jiang Wuyue was a solemn young Beta. She led Jiang Wuyue inside, revealing a surprisingly spacious room hidden behind the small door. Jiang Wuyue sat down on the sofa while the young girl poured her a glass of water.
“The makeup artist is styling Sister Le’er right now. Please wait a moment, Miss Jiang.”
“I am Sister Le’er’s assistant, Tina. You can call me if you need anything.” Giving Jiang Wuyue a deep look, Tina slid open the pocket door and stepped into the inner room.
The formal atmosphere made Jiang Wuyue place the glass gently on the coffee table. Hanging on the empty walls of the reception area were several elegant and splendid oil portrait paintings of Shi Le’er.
Occasional subtle sounds drifted from the tightly closed inner dressing room. Bored out of her mind on the sofa, Jiang Wuyue was just beginning to doze off when the door opened.