Shen Wanli had spent several days like this, with no news from Jiang Rou at all. It was as if all connection between the two of them had completely severed since that day.
Every time Shen Wanli dreamed, she would find herself reliving the events of those few days. She recalled the constant, overwhelming intimacy and Jiang Rou’s tearful accusations, which lingered persistently in her mind.
Waking up from yet another dream of this sort, Shen Wanli found herself drenched in sweat. A wave of restlessness surged from deep within her, and she shoved her blanket onto the floor, hoping the cold air would help clear the chaotic thoughts in her mind.
A familiar heat began to rise within her body once more. Knowing that fighting it was futile, she had no choice but to get up and head toward the bathroom.
Her phone rang. Checking the screen, Shen Wanli was surprised to see it was Han Qing. Ever since she had apologized to Han Qing a few days prior and stated she didn’t want to continue their relationship, Han Qing’s expression had seemed completely normal, save for a calm, simple question: “Is this because of Jiang Rou?”
Shen Wanli, who had never been one to lie, found herself telling a falsehood that day, hastily claiming the matter had nothing to do with Jiang Rou.
She had only heard Han Qing chuckle in response. “Since we cannot be lovers, we can still be friends. If you ever need anything in the future, you can always reach out to me.”
Shen Wanli had to admit she had never met someone as magnanimous as Han Qing, which made her feel that being friends might actually be quite nice.
“What is it?” Shen Wanli picked up the phone and asked.
Han Qing’s cheerful and breezy voice quickly came through the other end. “What are you up to? Want to come out for a drink?”
Shen Wanli glanced at the clock on the wall; it was only eight in the evening. Realizing that spending the weekend cooped up at home torturing herself was pointless, going out to unwind didn’t sound like a bad idea. “Send me the address.”
Han Qing gave her the name of a well-known bar. After replying that she knew where it was, Shen Wanli got dressed and drove over.
Upon entering the bar, Shen Wanli found it to be a quiet lounge rather than a loud club. The atmosphere was calm and pleasant, and the moment she stepped inside, she spotted Han Qing waving at her.
“Why do you look so exhausted?” Han Qing asked, startled by Shen Wanli’s appearance.
In Han Qing’s memory, Shen Wanli was always gentle and poised, never looking like this with dark circles under her eyes, clearly lacking proper sleep lately.
“It is nothing.” Shen Wanli shook her head and sat down beside Han Qing.
“Is it because of Jiang Rou?” Han Qing asked.
Shen Wanli looked at her, thinking that this woman was truly sharp-eyed and rather wicked for forcing her to spell it out like that.
In the end, Shen Wanli couldn’t help asking, “How did you know?”
Seeing Shen Wanli’s clueless expression, Han Qing burst into laughter. “You are just too cute.”
Shen Wanli frowned at Han Qing’s words. It was the first time anyone had ever called her cute, something she had never expected.
Han Qing kept laughing until, seeing Shen Wanli’s knitted brows, she finally managed to compose herself. “Because it is written all over your face.”
Facing Han Qing’s definitive answer, Shen Wanli hurriedly denied it. “How is that possible?”
Han Qing turned serious. “Wanli, have you ever noticed that the way you look at Jiang Rou is completely different from how you look at anyone else? Besides, I heard she used to be your fiancée. So why don’t you just accept her?”
This question had genuinely perplexed Han Qing for quite some time. Had things remained as they were before, Han Qing would have simply viewed Jiang Rou as an ordinary suitor.
That day was originally supposed to see the two of them settle things, yet Shen Wanli ended up apologizing to her instead.
Han Qing had always been a proud and brilliant woman, and in her experience, she had never suffered such a snub. Naturally, she had wanted to know why, but Shen Wanli had simply offered endless apologies before the matter fizzled out.
It was only when Han Qing visited the Shen family the following day that she discovered the past relationship between Shen Wanli and Jiang Rou, finally unlocking the puzzle that had been lingering in her mind.
However, Han Qing was never one to cling stubbornly to things, and because she held a genuine admiration for Shen Wanli, she had proposed remaining friends.
Listening to Han Qing’s question, Shen Wanli finally gave an honest answer: “Because we are both alphas.”
“What?” Han Qing stared at her in utter disbelief, as if hearing some kind of joke. “No, what era is this? Does being an alpha really matter that much? Then why were you even engaged in the first place?”
With the progress of modern society, while AO pairings remained the standard, there were plenty of AB and AA relationships around.
Han Qing truly hadn’t imagined that their inability to be together came down to this reason.
“But Xiaorou used to test as an omega, right up until she suddenly underwent secondary differentiation into an alpha,” Shen Wanli explained. “I do not know if you can understand this feeling. Someone you always believed to be an omega suddenly becomes an alpha. It is quite a shock.”
Shen Wanli trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished, but Han Qing understood what she meant.
It wasn’t merely a shift in gender; it was a shift in social identity. Shen Wanli had grown up accustomed to being an alpha and had always naturally assumed the dominant role in relationships.
“But you never even asked for Jiang Rou’s opinion. Aren’t you making a decision a bit too early? What if she is still willing to be the same as before? After all, you have years of history between you.” Han Qing asked hesitatingly, trying to reason with Shen Wanli.
Eventually, Shen Wanli ended up recounting what had happened during those few days. After all, Han Qing was the first person who allowed her to confront those events directly, and technically, Han Qing was also a victim of that situation.
Hearing the story, Han Qing fell silent for a moment. Having only met Jiang Rou twice, she hadn’t expected the young woman to be capable of such obsessive behavior. Then again, some people simply couldn’t adapt to a shift in relationship dynamics.
Han Qing sighed and patted Shen Wanli’s shoulder. “Since things are like this, if you want to figure out your own feelings, I think you might as well try dating someone else.”
“Try dating someone else?” Shen Wanli looked a bit dazed, as she had never considered such a possibility before.
Initially, she had thought that if things continued this way, she would simply find a gentle, virtuous omega to settle down with, believing that even without deep romance, a sense of duty would suffice.
“Yes. Find an omega of the type you actually like, test your true internal needs, and see what matters more to you: the person or their secondary gender. If you do not even try, how will you ever know what your heart truly wants?” Han Qing said.
Shen Wanli had to admit that Han Qing’s words offered a fresh perspective. She had trapped herself in a dead end, forced to confront the issue purely because of Jiang Rou’s radical actions over the past few days.
“Thank you,” Shen Wanli said sincerely.
Han Qing brushed it off with a lighthearted wink. “Don’t worry, I will also help you keep an eye out for someone matching your type.”
This gesture of warmth managed to lift Shen Wanli’s gloomy mood just a fraction, drawing a faint smile to the corners of her lips. “Then I will look forward to it.”