The refreshing scent of mojito filled every corner of the space, intertwining with chaotic breaths and the soft murmurs of a siren, composing a melody that could lead seafaring travelers astray.
Shen Zuofeng held Chi Qingwei tightly, her emotions a mix of urgency and heartache, as if she wanted to crush and dissolve her into her very bones and blood. Her eyes were bloodshot; this torment was even more unbearable than the two days and nights she had spent sleepless in the detention center.
She buried her head in the crook of Chi Qingwei’s neck, her warm, soft lips seeking out the fragile gland at the nape.
Right there, the cool, minty fragrance with its hint of chill drove her to the brink of madness, making her crave to claim that refreshing scent as her own.
Her vibrant red lips began to tremble. As Shen Zuofeng pressed them against the faintly pulsating gland, her heart started pounding violently, thumping one beat after another as if trying to break free from the confines of her chest, no longer under her control.
An overwhelming wave of rich lime scent surged forth. As a top-tier alpha, her pheromones should have been intimidating and oppressive, yet in Chi Qingwei’s presence, they were as gentle as a spring drizzle cool and soothing, evoking no fear, only the serene comfort of being immersed in nature.
Shen Zuofeng enveloped Chi Qingwei with her pheromones, her lips pressed against the gland working diligently to soothe its restless turmoil. Her fangs protruded, then retracted, over and over again. Only after many repetitions did the dizzying mint fragrance begin to slowly fade, allowing Shen Zuofeng to finally restrain the instinct to mark her completely.
Watching Chi Qingwei still trapped in the throes of heat, Shen Zuofeng had never felt a moment so agonizing. The beast within her roared wildly, emotions swelling until her heart ached, her nose tingled with sourness, and her eyes grew moist.
This was the person she loved, suffering in her arms under the torment of desire, yet she could do nothing about it.
Shen Zuofeng gritted her teeth, trembling as she held the slender Chi Qingwei close. When she tried to speak, her voice came out choked with sobs, leaving her feeling helpless and ashamed.
Even though they had known each other for such a short time, she cherished her deeply, unwilling to cause her even the slightest harm.
Shen Zuofeng felt as if she were about to explode from the agony. Her past ruts had never tormented her this much, yet she dared not let go of Chi Qingwei. She could only press as close as possible, offering her abundant pheromones to soothe her restless body and mind.
“Chi Qingwei, please get better soon,” Shen Zuofeng murmured under her breath, though she knew it was impossible. An omega’s heat lasted three to five days, meaning Chi Qingwei would repeatedly fall into these uncontrollable surges until they gradually subsided in the later stages.
Watching Chi Qingwei slowly calm down, Shen Zuofeng’s eyes ached with sorrow. Why did she have to endure such torment? What was the purpose of this secondary gender’s existence?
Carefully, Shen Zuofeng laid the sleeping Chi Qingwei down, pulled the blanket over her, and then made her way to the bathroom.
Lowering her gaze, Shen Zuofeng closed her eyes and hesitantly placed her hand on herself. Instantly, her entire body shuddered. An overwhelming sense of shame washed over her she had never done this before. But tonight, the discomfort was so intense that she feared if she didn’t find relief, she would fall apart right there.
With her eyes shut tight, unwilling to face reality, her senses became unusually sharp. Adding to it was the secret thrill of knowing the person she liked was just outside, intensifying the mix of shame, excitement, pleasure, and heart-pounding nervousness. Shen Zuofeng felt as if she had overturned a bottle of mixed emotions, and all she wanted now was to get this over with as quickly as possible.
When she first differentiated into an alpha, Shen Zuofeng struggled to adapt to this new physical reality. But since it was already a done deal, she wasn’t about to harm herself over it. Instead, she consoled herself by thinking of it as being intersex.
After all, in her original world, intersex people existed too, didn’t they? Shen Zuofeng defined these individuals as alphas to comfort herself, alphas were intersex, and intersex people were alphas.
Enduring the shame, she resolved the matter. As the air filled with the strong scent of green lemon, her face flushed even redder.
After thoroughly cleaning herself, Shen Zuofeng fetched some water to wipe Chi Qingwei down. After all the earlier turmoil, Chi Qingwei had broken out in a sweat.
Carrying the basin out, she found Chi Qingwei still sleeping soundly. Sitting beside her, Shen Zuofeng watched her carefree slumber and gritted her teeth, muttering under her breath, “You little troublemaker.”
After causing such a stir, she was sleeping so peacefully.
Wetting a towel and wringing it dry, Shen Zuofeng only dared to wipe the parts of Chi Qingwei that were exposed, not daring to lift her clothes and overstep any boundaries.
After the simple wipe-down, Chi Qingwei seemed to feel much more comfortable. A soft, sticky hum escaped her nose before she turned over and settled back into a deep sleep, a slight smile curling at the corners of her lips as if to say she was having a wonderful dream.
Shen Zuofeng sat beside her, staring in a daze. How could someone be so beautiful? She was everything Shen Zuofeng adored.
People say that the first attraction is superficial, based on one’s idealized image of another. Shen Zuofeng didn’t know how to refute that, but the truth was, the more she got to know Chi Qingwei, the more captivated she became. Far from shattering her illusions, Chi Qingwei had firmly taken hold of her heart and mind.
Sighing, Shen Zuofeng reached out cautiously and gently touched Chi Qingwei’s long, curled eyelashes. In a low voice, she whispered, “If only you could like me too, that would be wonderful.”
Shen Zuofeng could sense that Chi Qingwei treated her a little differently, but that slight distinction wasn’t enough to make her believe Chi Qingwei had feelings for her.
Chi Qingwei might see her as special, but it probably didn’t amount to affection.
“When will you come to like and accept me?” Shen Zuofeng leaned against the edge of the bed, lost in the turmoil of love and longing like an inexperienced youth. For the first time in her life, she felt so bewildered by matters of the heart.
Is this what love is like? Making one anxious and insecure, always wishing the other would feel the same way.
As she lay there, tangled in her complicated thoughts, Shen Zuofeng gradually drifted into dreams. In her dream, everything was perfect Chi Qingwei no longer seemed distant. She was right by her side, smiling and teasing her, embodying everything she had ever hoped for.
In her dream, Chi Qingwei smiled warmly at her, standing at the company entrance, waiting to go home together.
And she, running toward her.
Running toward the one who held her heart.
The night concealed many things, but it couldn’t hide the pheromones slowly rising once again in the room invisible, intangible, unrestrained by the darkness, winding around one’s nose, enticing one to fall eternally into the night.
Shen Zuofeng slowly opened her eyes. The scent of pheromones in the air was even stronger than before, and Chi Qingwei had, at some point, crawled over to her side. She clung tightly to one of Shen Zuofeng’s arms, trying to burrow entirely into her embrace, but because Shen Zuofeng was sleeping face down, she couldn’t succeed.
“Hold, hold me!” Chi Qingwei murmured brokenly, her discomfort driving her to tear at her own clothes. The soft, rounded curves of her skin leaped into Shen Zuofeng’s sight, startling her into immediately sitting up to adjust Chi Qingwei’s clothes and tightly holding her in her arms, restraining her hands to prevent any more overly stimulating actions.
Yet even this wasn’t enough for Chi Qingwei. She pressed Shen Zuofeng down onto the bed, embracing her as if she were a large body pillow, even slipping one leg between Shen Zuofeng’s thighs, entwining them in an extremely intimate posture.
Shen Zuofeng gasped sharply, her composure nearly shattering.
Faced with such actions from the person she loved, Shen Zuofeng felt for a moment that she must be losing her mind, how else could she allow herself to be molded and kneaded so recklessly?
“Shen Zuofeng, hold me.” Chi Qingwei’s eyes were tightly shut, but the words that escaped her lips left Shen Zuofeng utterly stunned.
What had Chi Qingwei just said?
It sounded like her name?
Shen Zuofeng, she was calling Shen Zuofeng!
Shen Zuofeng’s heart leaped into her throat. She strained to listen, wanting to confirm whether Chi Qingwei was truly calling her name, but after a long wait, Chi Qingwei said nothing more, only emitting soft, restless moans near her ear.
This was deadly.
Chi Qingwei was undoubtedly a reincarnated enchantress, how else could she pluck at Shen Zuofeng’s heartstrings again and again, leading her wherever she pleased?
Shen Zuofeng resorted to her usual method, enveloping Chi Qingwei in a dense cloud of pheromones to soothe the restlessness of her heat.
As time passed, Shen Zuofeng deeply felt the superior physical constitution of people in the ABO world. The prolonged heats and ruts required immense energy and stamina. Given the circumstances tonight, if she still had her old physique, she would have been exhausted and ready to sleep by now, with no energy left to release pheromones and comfort a restless omega.
The minty scent began to fade. This time, Chi Qingwei didn’t fall directly asleep but remained somewhat conscious.
Groping carefully in the dark, she traced Shen Zuofeng’s face and suddenly called out with certainty.
“Shen Zuofeng.”
Shen Zuofeng’s heart sank. She was terrified that Chi Qingwei would be angry at her actions, that her impression of her would plummet to freezing point. Even though she hadn’t actually done anything to her, she had indeed touched her scent gland.
For any alpha or omega, the scent gland at the back of the neck was an intensely private area not to be touched casually by anyone other than those closest to them.
“It’s me.”
Chi Qingwei didn’t hear her soft reply. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly became aware of the awkwardness of their current position. Just as she tried to shift backward, her body stiffened abruptly when she attempted to withdraw her leg.
Shen Zuofeng, reacting swiftly, scrambled backward hastily. Due to her excessive movement, she accidentally reached the edge of the bed and fell off with a dull thud.
But at that moment, Shen Zuofeng had no energy to care about the fall. Her face flushed with embarrassment as she curled up into a shrimp-like ball, burying her head and not daring to look at Chi Qingwei.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Chi Qingwei noticed that Shen Zuofeng hadn’t gotten up after falling. Her heart tightened with worry. Although the floor was carpeted, she feared Shen Zuofeng might have hit something during the fall.
“Are you okay?” Chi Qingwei leaned over the edge of the bed and saw the other person curled up like a shrimp.
“I’m fine,” Shen Zuofeng mumbled.
Chi Qingwei stared at Shen Zuofeng, who looked as red as if she’d been thoroughly cooked, and fell silent for a moment.
Judging by her reaction, it seemed the place she had accidentally touched earlier wasn’t exactly normal.