Yu Sheng froze. She followed the trajectory of Jiang Qiu’s hand, her eyes landing squarely on the conspicuous box sitting inside the bin.
“Why?” the Omega whispered.
Watching Yu Sheng crouch down to retrieve the ring box threw Jiang Qiu’s thoughts into complete disarray. She tried to avert her eyes, but the Omega’s ragged breathing seemed to echo right beside her ear. The Alpha knit her brows, unable to calm her raging emotions.
“Yu Sheng, I have a fiancée,” the Alpha said coldly. “I am getting married. Do you understand?”
Yu Sheng bit her lip, and only after a long pause did she reply, “I don’t want to understand.”
“You…”
“You also said you were going to marry me, but you never fulfilled that promise. As long as you haven’t registered the marriage or held the wedding, you can still choose differently, can’t you?”
“Xiao Yan isn’t you. This marriage is entirely different.”
They were both speaking of the past, but the Omega spoke of past promises while the Alpha spoke of past mistakes. Yu Sheng wanted to fight for that last shred of lingering affection, but Jiang Qiu wanted to push her away completely, all for the sake of a loveless marriage?
With tears falling uncontrollably, the Omega remained crouched, barely able to stand. She murmured her protest, “But you don’t love her.”
“Does it matter?” Jiang Qiu shot back, her tone completely flat.
Stunned, Yu Sheng looked up, her eyes entirely bloodshot. “Does affection truly no longer matter to you when it comes to marriage?”
Jiang Qiu didn’t answer.
In the second their eyes met, a flash of softness flickered across the Alpha’s gaze.
Then, the sudden drumming of raindrops against the windowpane broke the momentary silence. Jiang Qiu glanced outside. Feeling utterly frantic and wanting nothing more than to escape this conversation, she deliberately remembered that Wen Yan hadn’t taken an umbrella. The downpour was growing heavy, she used the excuse of bringing her an umbrella to leave. The Alpha moved to walk away, but before stepping out, she snatched the ring box back from Yu Sheng’s hands.
Yu Sheng stood up. “You already threw it away.”
“I’m throwing it further away this time so you won’t have any more absurd delusions.” Jiang Qiu walked briskly, fleeing the apartment in a panic with an umbrella in hand, not even registering that she was leaving Yu Sheng alone in her home.
The door slammed shut with a resounding bang. Yu Sheng snapped out of her daze, but because she had been crouching for so long, her legs were numb, causing her to stumble as she rushed out after her. Jiang Qiu had already taken one elevator down. Yu Sheng pressed the button for the other and scrambled downstairs.
Yu Sheng caught up to Jiang Qiu just a few paces away. The Alpha was holding the box, looking unsure of where to throw it, while the Omega hadn’t even brought an umbrella. She dashed right into Jiang Qiu’s path.
“Can you just give it to me?” Rain beat down on Yu Sheng’s face, blurring her vision.
Jiang Qiu instinctively tilted the umbrella over her, but her voice remained cuttingly dismissive. “This is my property. I have the right to dispose of it as I see fit. I only intend to discard it. I have no intention of giving it away.”
Yu Sheng’s shoulders were already soaked through, water dripping from the ends of her hair, yet she persisted obstinately, “Since you’re going to throw it away anyway, why not just give it to me?”
“What do you want it for? To keep as a memento?” Jiang Qiu’s tone grew harsh. She felt she had made herself clear enough.
“Just consider it my delusion of accepting your proposal from two years ago,” Yu Sheng said softly, harboring the last bit of her imagination.
The Alpha let out a mocking scoff, derision flashing in her eyes. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
“I still love you,” Yu Sheng looked up, the words slipping out of her.
The only sound left around them was the chaotic roar of the rain. Jiang Qiu’s grip on the umbrella handle loosened, and the canopy unconsciously tilted further toward the Omega.
Jiang Qiu had to admit that the very first sensation she felt upon hearing those words was joy. But looking into Yu Sheng’s deep eyes, she felt lost again, uncertain whether she should believe what the Omega said.
She could no longer offer her unconditional trust.
To Jiang Qiu, it felt more likely that Yu Sheng was merely trying to manipulate her again.
The Alpha looked away, all traces of a smile vanishing from her face. “Do you find this amusing?”
Yu Sheng asked, “What?”
“Summoning me and dismissing me whenever you please, is it that entertaining?” Jiang Qiu questioned her harshly. “You break up with me when you want to, and now you want to reconcile just because you feel like it. Why should I revolve around your whims?”
“I didn’t mean…” Yu Sheng hadn’t thought of it that way. Panic seized her as she tried to explain.
But Jiang Qiu cut her off impatiently:
“Didn’t mean what? You came here today for nothing more than to patch things up with me. Yu Sheng, let me tell you right now, don’t even dream about it.”
Perhaps the moment she saw the ring box, Yu Sheng truly believed there was hope. She thought that if Jiang Qiu still loved her and had kept that proposal ring for two long years, the Alpha must have been waiting for her all this time. She thought she still stood a chance.
But Jiang Qiu’s reaction was like a bucket of freezing water.
From head to toe, it drenched Yu Sheng completely.
“I didn’t… I didn’t mean to demand anything from you.” Yu Sheng hung her head, her voice softening into a near-plea. “Sister, I just wanted to ask… could you consider me one more time?”
“Don’t call me that,” Jiang Qiu said coldly, looking away.
Yu Sheng choked. The parts of her body soaked by the rain began to ache with an icy chill, and her heart throbbed with intense bitterness.
“I’m sorry for what happened two years ago. I know I was wrong. If there’s any way to make amends, I’ll do absolutely anything.”
“Don’t be naive, Yu Sheng,” Jiang Qiu spoke calmly. “You want to tear apart my marriage just so you can get what you want?”
Yu Sheng fell silent. She didn’t know what else she could say, but one final question lingered in her heart. “Do you truly… no longer have any feelings for me?”
She wanted to hear the answer from Jiang Qiu’s own mouth, rather than relying on her own conjectures.
The Omega only wanted a direct answer from the Alpha.
The puddles accumulating on the ground rippled continuously under the falling rain. Jiang Qiu finally met Yu Sheng’s eyes once more. In the dark of the night, the Alpha’s pupils were deep and unreadable, veiling all traces of anger or joy. It was impossible to discern whether she felt nothing at all or if her emotions were simply too complex to untangle.
“Even if I still have feelings for you, so what? Why on earth should I have to be with you again?” With that, Jiang Qiu casually flung the ring box away, sending it flying into the dense greenery nearby.
The weight vanished from her hand entirely, the Alpha’s voice laced with self-derision. Originally, she hadn’t intended to throw it away, perhaps to use it as a reminder of the past, or maybe as a mocking self-warning. But now, it was gone for good.
Severing two years of self-deception, Jiang Qiu ignored the ache in her chest. Despite being crushed by how much she still cared, she maintained her facade of utter indifference and walked away.
Since Yu Sheng could break things off so ruthlessly back then, why couldn’t she do the same now?
She left Yu Sheng standing alone in the rain, speechless.
The Omega stared in the direction the ring box had been thrown. The rain quickly soaked through her hair, washing away the tear tracks on her cheeks. Amidst the downpour, Yu Sheng’s choked sobs were faint, instantly swept away by the wind until not a sound could be heard.
Her body temperature plummeted, but Yu Sheng seemed completely oblivious to the cold. She turned and walked straight into the green belt.
The dark clouds had reduced the night to a murky dimness. The greenery covered a wide area, and the bushes were incredibly dense. At a glance, it was impossible to distinguish where the dark ring box had landed.
Yu Sheng plunged in regardless, bending over to search through the foliage. To make matters worse, she had left her phone upstairs, leaving her to rely on the faint light from the streetlamps above to scan the ground inch by inch.
She didn’t care about looking wretched, she just felt so incredibly hurt.
Even if she didn’t entirely believe Jiang Qiu’s harsh words, that ring was the sole remaining physical memory of their time together.
Fortunately, Jiang Qiu had thrown the entire box, making it far easier to spot than a loose ring. Yu Sheng’s fingers closed around the recovered item, and she finally let out a sigh of relief. With tears and rain mixing on her face, the Omega opened the box and stroked the diamond ring.
It had been perfectly preserved, looking as pristine as if it were brand new. On the inner band, the initial of Yu Sheng’s name was neatly engraved.
The Omega’s fingertips trembled slightly. After a moment, she took the ring out and slipped it onto her finger. It fit perfectly.
As she stepped out of the green belt, she failed to notice a stone beneath her feet and tripped, crashing heavily to the ground. A sharp, burning sting flared in her palm. Her nose tingled again, her lower lip quivering as a surge of grievance welled up in her chest.
Though the downpour had eased into a drizzle, the air remained biting cold. Yu Sheng steadied her breathing, doing her best to keep from breaking down completely.
Before she could pull herself up, a gasp echoed nearby. Wen Yan rushed to her side with an umbrella, quickly reaching out to support her arm.
“Miss Yu, how did you end up falling here?” Wen Yan held her arm, only to realize that the other woman was soaked to the bone. Her eyes widened in shock. “Have you been out in the rain this entire time?”
Yu Sheng instinctively pulled her arm back, somewhat unwilling to accept Wen Yan’s kindness.
Shouldn’t this Omega, who was slated to marry Jiang Qiu, despise her?
Yet Wen Yan had shown her genuine concern multiple times, making it impossible for Yu Sheng to stubbornly view her as the thief who stole Jiang Qiu away without feeling a pang of guilt. She couldn’t help but think that Wen Yan was better than her, better suited for Jiang Qiu, and far less likely to hurt her.
But Yu Sheng still couldn’t bring herself to yield.
Confused but undeterred, Wen Yan continued to tilt the umbrella over Yu Sheng. Seeing no sign of Jiang Qiu, she found it inappropriate to press for details, though she could vaguely guess that a major argument had taken place between them.
“Are you alright, Miss Yu? You need to change out of these wet clothes immediately, or you’ll easily catch a cold and fall ill,” Wen Yan added after a moment’s thought.
As if on cue, Yu Sheng let out a sneeze.
Yu Sheng turned to look at Wen Yan, her eyes still fiercely rimmed with red. Hearing the woman’s concern only intensified the grievance in her heart. After staring at Wen Yan for a long moment, Yu Sheng finally spoke.
“I should head back, Miss Wen.”
There was no way Wen Yan could miss Yu Sheng’s distress. She insisted, “Come upstairs and change into something dry before you leave. I really can’t let you go like this.”
Yu Sheng wanted to leave directly, but her phone was still upstairs, and Wen Yan’s earnest tone made it difficult to refuse.
They entered the elevator and selected the floor. Neither spoke, leaving the space engulfed in a heavy, stifling silence. Yu Sheng glanced at the ring on her finger, then used the mirror behind her to look at herself. She looked utterly ridiculous, drenched like a drowned rat.
Yu Sheng bit her lip, observing Wen Yan through the reflection.
Then, parting her lips, Yu Sheng said in a raspy voice, “I’m sorry.”
Since it was just the two of them, the apology was clearly directed at Wen Yan. But it came so out of the blue that Wen Yan didn’t register it immediately. She turned to look at Yu Sheng, noting the genuine remorse in the other woman’s eyes.
Wen Yan had no idea what Yu Sheng was apologizing for.
Yu Sheng, however, had no intention of explaining. Her attitude toward Wen Yan during their first few meetings had been less than polite; she had owed her this apology for a long time. It was only now that she realized just how much she owed the other woman.
The elevator arrived at their floor, and Wen Yan unlocked the door. The apartment was empty. Not knowing where Jiang Qiu had gone, she sent her a quick text to check.
Yu Sheng stood in the living room. Her phone was resting on the coffee table. As she reached out to grab it, she noticed her scraped palm, a few thin trails of blood had formed near her wrist.
It seemed luck wasn’t on her side lately.
Wen Yan brought over a set of unworn clothes. The sizing wasn’t quite right, but it would do. Looking at Yu Sheng’s bedraggled state, Wen Yan hesitated before asking.
“Miss Yu, would you like to take a quick shower? Oh, and the injury on your leg…”
“Thank you, but please don’t trouble yourself.” Yu Sheng shook her head, carefully avoiding the scrape on her hand as she went into the room to change.
Her body felt icy cold, and a dull ache began to throb in her head. Yu Sheng ignored it, wanting only to leave as quickly as possible. But when she emerged from the room holding her damp clothes, she ran right into Jiang Qiu, who had just returned after failing to deliver the umbrella upon receiving Wen Yan’s text.
Both women froze. After a few seconds of locked gazes, Yu Sheng was the first to look away, using her hand to shield the ring on her finger. The cool metal beneath her fingertips prompted her to trace it gently, she was terrified Jiang Qiu would take back this final token of their past.
Jiang Qiu didn’t notice the gesture. She simply asked, “Do you intend to go home looking like that?”
Yu Sheng’s hair was still dripping wet, but in her haste to leave, she hadn’t given a thought to drying it.
“It doesn’t matter,” Yu Sheng replied, running a hand through her hair and catching the moisture on her fingertips, pretending everything was fine.
Jiang Qiu kept her eyes fixed on her, first on her hand, then straight into her eyes. The Alpha hadn’t intended to say anything more and was prepared to let her walk out the door, but the moment she caught sight of the Omega’s palm, her expression tightened. Unable to hold back, she demanded:
“What happened to your hand?”
Yu Sheng’s movements stiffened. She immediately hid her palm behind her back, shaking her head. “Nothing.”
But Jiang Qiu seemed to see right through her, offering a sharp scoff. “Miss Yu, you are an adult. Do you not even know how to take care of yourself?”
Yu Sheng choked up before answering, “It’s just a scrape.”
“Has it been treated?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Hearing this, Jiang Qiu let out a sigh, realizing she was meddling where she shouldn’t once again. “Miss Yu, may I ask how old you are? Going out like this, are you trying to fall ill immediately or get an infection?”
Yu Sheng wanted to argue that she was exaggerating, but Jiang Qiu wasn’t listening. Conveniently, Wen Yan placed the first-aid kit on the coffee table, gesturing to them. The Alpha walked into the living room and said:
“Come here. Let’s treat your hand first.”
Yu Sheng stood still for a long time. She wanted to walk out, but her feet felt incredibly heavy. Subconsciously, she still found herself obeying Jiang Qiu. After a brief silence, she pressed her lips together and slowly turned toward the Alpha sitting on the sofa.
Jiang Qiu was watching her.
Taking slow, deliberate steps, Yu Sheng sat down on the single armchair next to Jiang Qiu.
In those few seconds, Yu Sheng managed to untangle her chaotic thoughts. She was certain that Jiang Qiu’s concern stemmed from feelings she hadn’t entirely let go of, and she felt relieved that the Alpha hadn’t refused to look at her altogether after their screaming match.
Even a tiny shred of softness, won through an injury, was something she would gladly accept.
Jiang Qiu opened the medical kit and handed her a bottle of iodine. “Do it yourself.”
Yu Sheng gave a soft murmur of assent, but her movements were sluggish, her hand trembling for some reason. Losing patience, Jiang Qiu snatched the cotton swab from her fingers, took hold of the Omega’s hand, pulled it toward her, and leaned in to disinfect the scraped palm.
Wen Yan had excused herself to fetch a hairdryer, leaving the two of them alone in the living room.
Yu Sheng stared blankly at the Alpha before her. The grievance she had suppressed surged up again. She felt cold, and the only source of warmth she could feel was where Jiang Qiu gripped her fingertips. They weren’t sitting incredibly close, but it was close enough for Yu Sheng to study Jiang Qiu’s lowered gaze and that entirely familiar profile.