The atmosphere fell into a sudden silence, but this time, the quiet didn’t bring any discomfort to either of them. Instead, they felt it was quite nice, no awkwardness from running out of topics. This peaceful companionship felt just like being with old friends who had known each other for years.
Before long, Xiao Xi and the driver came in carrying a large pile of things. Xiao Xi instructed the driver to put the items in the kitchen while she herself laid out the takeout dishes on the table one by one.
“What about yours?” Chi Qingwei asked, noticing only two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table.
After tidying everything up, Xiao Xi casually pulled the driver over and said, “Our tastes are a bit stronger, we’ll go out and eat on our own.”
Driver: ???
I don’t have strong tastes!
However, Xiao Xi paid no attention to his inner thoughts. She half-dragged, half-pulled him out the door. Once they were back in the car, she said, “Let’s go. Whatever you want to eat, it’s on me!”
This was her way of repaying him for his role as the designated driver along the way.
Driver: “…”
Chi Qingwei watched Xiao Xi’s unusual behavior and couldn’t help but shake her head with a sigh.
“She’s quite adorable,” Shen Zuofeng remarked, finding herself alone with Chi Qingwei again. She couldn’t help but feel there was some deeper meaning behind Xiao Xi’s actions.
“Yes, just like a child who hasn’t grown up,” Chi Qingwei said with a hint of helplessness. Xiao Xi’s full name was Chi Xi, the daughter of her aunt. She had lived abroad with her aunt for many years, and whether it was because she had annoyed her aunt overseas, she had been sent back to the country. To keep her from fooling around all day, Chi Qingwei had taken her in as her assistant. Fortunately, although her personality was a bit carefree, her abilities were quite solid.
“Let’s eat. After we finish, you can go inside and rest for a bit.”
“Mm,” Shen Zuofeng nodded, picking up her chopsticks and eating slowly. Truth be told, she didn’t have much of an appetite. At that moment, all she wanted was to sleep.
“Have some soup first,” Chi Qingwei said, serving her a bowl and placing it in front of her.
“Thank you,” Shen Zuofeng replied, lifting the bowl and drinking slowly. As she drank, her movements gradually slowed even more. She kept her eyes downcast, avoiding Chi Qingwei’s gaze, and said in a low voice, “Thank you for this time, and thank you for being willing to come.”
From the moment Shen Zuofeng laid eyes on Chi Qingwei, her heart had been filled with a complex mix of emotions sour and swollen with unease.
“Then I’ll accept your thanks,” Chi Qingwei said, noticing her subdued demeanor but unsure what was troubling her.
“Miss Chi, do you think I’m overestimating myself?” Shen Zuofeng lowered her head further. For the first time in her life, she felt so powerless. Although she had achieved some success, it still wasn’t enough.
The gap between her and Chi Qingwei was vast.
Zhao Haisheng had dared to treat her this way precisely because he saw how shallow her foundations were and the truth was, he wasn’t wrong. Without Chi Qingwei, she wouldn’t have been able to get out of that situation so quickly. She would have had to rely on a prolonged legal battle to force him to back down.
Yet Chi Qingwei had managed to get her out with just a few words.
Shen Zuofeng had never been one to care much about such things. In her view, as long as two people genuinely liked each other, external conditions were insignificant. But this incident had shaken her confidence. She was afraid she wasn’t worthy of Chi Qingwei.
If given the chance, she would strive to catch up, but the reality was that, at this moment, she didn’t have much to offer.
Chi Qingwei’s gaze sharpened. “Why would you say that?”
Shen Zuofeng looked up at her, her expression conflicted. “Our family backgrounds don’t match.”
After saying this, she turned her head away and refused to look at her.
Chi Qingwei lowered her head and massaged her temples, saying, “If I thought you were overestimating yourself, would I have come?”
“As for family background, that part is true, but why are you so fixated on it? You’re thinking too far ahead.”
Shen Zuofeng’s face flushed red. She turned back, looking somewhat hesitant and stammering. It was true they had no relationship at the moment, yet she was already worrying about their family backgrounds not matching. And even if they didn’t match, would she give up? Probably not, because she felt that Chi Qingwei’s allure made it impossible for her to let go.
“Besides, you shouldn’t underestimate yourself. With your current abilities, you’re already among the best of your peers. Many people haven’t achieved what you have.”
Shen Zuofeng pursed her lips, feeling ashamed. “I was overthinking things.”
“You must be exhausted. Finish eating and go rest.” Chi Qingwei set down her chopsticks. She hadn’t been hungry to begin with; she had only sat down to keep Shen Zuofeng company.
“Okay.” Shen Zuofeng lowered her head and continued eating, though this time she ate a bit faster.
After the meal, Shen Zuofeng cleaned up and took the trash out. When she returned, she saw Chi Qingwei reclining on the sofa, reading a book. The golden afternoon sunlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling window, casting a warm glow not far from her.
“I’m going back to my room,” Shen Zuofeng said, her eyelids drooping heavily. She felt she had reached her limit.
“Alright.”
Shen Zuofeng returned to her room and forced herself to brush her teeth before making her way to the bed. She collapsed onto it without ceremony. The mattress was springy, causing her to bounce slightly, but even that didn’t jolt her awake. As soon as she closed her eyes, her thoughts drifted away, and she quickly fell asleep.
Outside, Chi Qingwei turned a page of her book, but her mind began to wander. She couldn’t quite define her feelings for Shen Zuofeng. They had only just met, and this was only their third encounter, yet their interactions felt as if they had known each other for a long time.
Setting the book aside, Chi Qingwei sighed softly. She decided to let things take their natural course.
She walked to Shen Zuofeng’s room and tried the door, finding it unlocked. Carefully, she pushed it open and stepped inside. Sure enough, Shen Zuofeng was so exhausted that she had fallen asleep without even covering herself with a blanket.
Chi Qingwei approached, pulled the blanket over, and gently tucked her in. Even with this movement, Shen Zuofeng didn’t stir, remaining deeply asleep with her eyes closed.
In her sleep, Shen Zuofeng’s features were soft and unguarded, devoid of any sharpness. Her lips, now restored to their rosy hue, were slightly pursed, as if she were having a pleasant dream.
Perhaps because she was asleep, the fresh, pleasant scent of lime that always surrounded her seemed stronger than when she was awake. Even the faint trace of alcohol on her seemed more intoxicating than usual.
Chi Qingwei took a step back, pressing a hand to the gland on the back of her neck. Biting her lip, she took one last look before hurriedly leaving Shen Zuofeng’s room. Back in the living room, away from the lingering scent, her racing heart gradually calmed down.
It was probably because her heat was approaching that her sensitivity to pheromones had heightened more than usual. Even just that brief, unintentional whiff had caused her gland to slowly grow warm.
Chi Qingwei shook her head with a bitter smile. These animal instincts truly were one of the greatest adversaries on humanity’s path to civilization.
After taking a shower in her room, she began to feel a bit drowsy. Without dwelling on why Xiao Xi hadn’t returned for so long since someone was accompanying her and she wouldn’t get into trouble she lay down on the bed and peacefully dozed off for a nap.
“Muyu, do you think there’s a chance between my cousin and that Shen Zuofeng this time?” Even though it was still daytime, Chi Xi was already sitting at the bar counter, a glass of alcohol in front of her. Beside her, a man with a short buzz cut was slumped over, catching some sleep while Chi Xi was on the phone.
The bar belonged to him. He had been sleeping at home when this young lady called and dragged him out of bed to come here and mix drinks for her.
On the other end of the line, Jiang Muyu chuckled softly and said gently, “I’ve never met that Miss Shen before, so how would I know if there’s a chance between them? But if she has good character, I do hope there’s a possibility.”
Hearing that gentle laughter, Chi Xi’s heart felt as if it were floating. How could there be such a tender person in the world? Always so even-tempered, as if she would never get angry.
“Character-wise, her character is actually alright,” Chi Xi thought for a moment and gave an objective assessment. Although she had initially thought Shen Zuofeng was a bit frivolous for boldly asking for her cousin’s contact information, upon further reflection, aside from that, she hadn’t crossed any boundaries. Besides, someone with poor character wouldn’t have been willing to help an omega in heat.
“If you think she’s good, then she probably is,” Jiang Muyu said softly. “Xiao Qing’s condition may be manageable for now, but it’s not actually in a very good state. If she could find a suitable alpha, she might suffer less in the future.”
This was the tragedy of being an omega. Without the soothing presence of pheromones over time, once their pheromones spiral out of control, they could go mad.
Hearing this, Chi Xi fell silent. She truly wanted Chi Qing Wei to be well, but she didn’t want to force her into doing something she was unwilling to do. Besides, if her cousin were willing to casually find someone to soothe her pheromones, why would she have let them accumulate to the brink of losing control for so many years?
Yet, she sincerely hoped her cousin could be well. The situation was relatively stable now, but what about in another year or two? Would it still be as manageable as it is now? Even Jiang Muyu couldn’t guarantee that.
She could sense that her cousin had some special feelings toward Shen Zuofeng, and because of her cousin, she was willing to create opportunities for the two. But whether it would work out still depended on her cousin’s own heart.
Moreover, her cousin was incredibly stubborn. Unwilling to settle, she wouldn’t even use synthetic pheromones, simply because she disliked their smell and the fact that they lingered on her body for a long time afterward. She said it was worse than death to her.
It wasn’t her own scent, and she found it hard to tolerate having another smell on her.
Because of this, the entire family was deeply worried about her, yet they couldn’t force her.
“Mu Yu, have you ever thought about finding someone again?” Chi Xi’s voice was low, and if one listened carefully, a faint trace of nervousness could be detected.
Jiang Muyu was slightly taken aback, then shook her head with a wry smile and said somewhat helplessly, “I haven’t thought about that question. Let it be as fate wills.”
After saying this, however, she felt a bit dazed. Counting carefully, it had been five years since she left.
Five years not too long, yet not too short either. As time passed, the once vivid memory of her voice and smile gradually grew hazy. Perhaps one day in the future, she would no longer remember what she looked like.
What a powerless feeling that would be.