Shen Wanli never expected to receive such an answer from Jiang Rou’s own lips, and in an instant, she felt her breathing grow heavy and restricted.
She had considered many possible outcomes, but the truth turned out to be the exact one she least wanted to accept.
“When did this start?”
Shen Wanli noticed her voice was trembling slightly. She knew there was an inexplicable feeling churning deep inside her chest right now, though she couldn’t quite put a name to it.
“Well.” Jiang Rou paused in thought. “At first, seeing her made me angry, but Qin Miao is also very talented, gentle yet bold, and she is an omega. Besides, her grandmother really appreciates me and treats me very well.”
Hearing Jiang Rou list so many good traits about Qin Miao brought a wave of extreme sourness and bitterness welling up in her heart. She didn’t understand what was happening to her; she only knew she wanted to escape this place as quickly as possible.
Noticing that Shen Wanli’s complexion looked somewhat off, Jiang Rou offered a rare display of gentle concern. “Why does your face look so pale? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Shen Wanli pushed Jiang Rou, who was standing a little too close, slightly away and composed her expression. She knew her current behavior was somewhat out of hand and felt rather embarrassed.
Was there anything in the world more embarrassing than almost letting someone discover your unrequited feelings? Before this, when Jiang Rou had asked her who she liked, Shen Wanli had felt unsure of the answer. But the moment Jiang Rou stated she liked Qin Miao, Shen Wanli realized she had found the answer: she had fallen in love with Jiang Rou! What a terrifying thing to realize, that someone who had liked her for so many years had turned around and fallen for someone who was pursuing her instead.
Shen Wanli thought to herself, could this be retribution from the heavens for her past indecisiveness? Shen Wanli shook her head. “I am feeling a bit unwell and want to go home to rest.”
Seeing Shen Wanli’s poor complexion, Jiang Rou assumed that Shen Wanli actually had feelings for Qin Miao, but because of a sense of guilt toward herself, she couldn’t let those feelings become reality, hence her distress. At this thought, Jiang Rou’s expression turned somewhat heavy, but out of consideration for Shen Wanli’s physical state, she relented.
“Shall I drive you back?”
Jiang Rou asked.
Shen Wanli initially wanted to refuse, but realizing her current state meant driving herself could lead to an accident, she simply nodded, silently permitting Jiang Rou to take her home.
Seeing how poorly Shen Wanli looked, Jiang Rou unusually refrained from saying anything more.
When they arrived downstairs at Shen Wanli’s apartment building, Jiang Rou knew Shen Wanli needed some time to process things, so for once, she didn’t pester her to go upstairs together.
Shen Wanli stepped into her apartment, and looking around the empty space, she felt her heart echo that emptiness, as if something was slipping through her fingertips and she could no longer hold onto it.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Pulling it out to check, Shen Wanli saw it was Qin Miao. Remembering Jiang Rou’s words from earlier, Shen Wanli really didn’t want to answer, partly because she didn’t want to face anyone right now, and partly because the two of them genuinely needed to keep their distance.
However, fearing it might be a work-related matter, Shen Wanli ultimately answered the call.
“Senior Sister Wanli, what are you up to? Do you have time tonight to come out for a drink?”
Qin Miao’s voice no longer carried the flickering uncertainty it had earlier that day. Whether she had figured something out during the drive home remained a mystery.
“I have plans tonight.”
As the words left her mouth, Shen Wanli realized her voice sounded somewhat hoarse.
Hearing the distinct fatigue in Shen Wanli’s voice, Qin Miao paused and then asked with concern, “Are you not feeling well?”
Shen Wanli told a rare lie. Even though she knew the other person couldn’t see her, she nodded anyway, though what she meant by it, she had no idea herself. “I am indeed not feeling very well. Let us catch up another time.”
Hearing Shen Wanli’s rejection, Qin Miao felt a flicker of disappointment. Yet, recalling the scene she had witnessed earlier that day, she could roughly guess what kind of situation Shen Wanli was dealing with, so she simply said, “Then get some rest, Senior Sister Wanli. We can hang out another time when you are free.”
Shen Wanli murmured an acknowledgment and hung up the phone. Collapsing onto the sofa, she looked at the remaining bottles of wine her assistant had bought previously, and on a sudden, uncalculated impulse, she opened another bottle and drank.
The alcohol slid down into her empty stomach, filling the void with a dull, stinging pain.
Yet, a moment later, she felt as though the ache in her chest had dulled slightly, so she took another drink after another, as if doing so could scatter the oppressive weight in her mind.
Early the next morning, Shen Wanli was jolted awake by her phone ringing.
She irritably tried to silence the alarm, only to find the calls coming in like a relentless chain of pestering rings, one after another. Finally unable to tolerate it any longer, Shen Wanli picked up the phone.
“Who is it?” Shen Wanli’s voice still carried heavy sleepiness, her tone far from pleasant.
The voice on the other end made Jiang Rou pause in surprise.
She hadn’t expected Shen Wanli’s voice to sound so thoroughly exhausted.
Softly, Jiang Rou asked, “Are you still at home?”
Shen Wanli raised her head to glance at the clock and realized she had already missed her usual office hours. She nodded and replied, “Yes, I was feeling a bit under the weather today, so I did not go to the company. Is something the matter?”
Hearing that Shen Wanli was feeling sick, Jiang Rou immediately panicked and asked, “Are you ill? Do you need me to come up and check on you?”
“Come up and check on me?”
Shen Wanli was momentarily stunned. “Are you downstairs at my apartment right now?”
Jiang Rou murmured an affirmative response. “Yes. I originally planned to go to the company with you to discuss some cooperation projects, so I came to wait for you downstairs. But after waiting a while and seeing you hadn’t come down, I wondered if you were still asleep.”
Hearing that Jiang Rou wanted to discuss business with her, Shen Wanli was surprised, but that surprise was quickly overshadowed by the realization that Jiang Rou was sitting right outside her building.
Shen Wanli quickly said, “I came home feeling a headache last night, and it has not gotten any better this morning. Why do not you go on home first?”
She really didn’t want Jiang Rou seeing her looking like a mess and starting to form ungrounded guesses.
To her dismay, Jiang Rou refused to budge. “Since you are sick, I am coming up to see you.”
Unable to brush her off, Shen Wanli had no choice but to agree. In the few minutes before Jiang Rou arrived at her door, she scrambled to tidy up the empty wine bottles on the coffee table, shoving them into a trash bin tucked behind the door.
Let us just hope Jiang Rou doesn’t notice anything when she comes in, Shen Wanli thought to herself.
When Jiang Rou stepped into the apartment after Shen Wanli let her in, she immediately caught a faint trace of alcohol lingering within the coconut milk pheromone scent lingering in the air. Pretending not to notice, she walked further inside. As Shen Wanli turned around to fetch a pair of slippers for her, Jiang Rou glanced backward toward the entrance.
Catching sight of the empty wine bottles visible inside the trash bin, she instantly understood what was going on.
Could it be that knowing I like Qin Miao has broken her heart over losing such a good omega? Jiang Rou thought quietly to herself.