Wen Yan had already taken the seat next to Qiu Zheng.
Wen Lin was speechless. Wow—so this guy actually had such a childish side?
Grandpa Wen, however, sided with the young couple. “Sit properly. Why are you trying to squeeze next to your sister-in-law? If you’re jealous, go find someone yourself. You’re never serious about anything…”
The more he talked, the more annoyed he became.
One of them was completely devoted to research, utterly uninterested in romance. The other lived a carefree, indulgent life with no intention of settling down. Both of them gave him a headache.
Wen Lin didn’t take his words to heart. Generational differences, after all—Grandpa had been strict with their parents’ generation, but with them, he mostly just nagged.
She continued chatting with Qiu Zheng across Wen Yan.
“Were you walking around the estate just now?”
“Mm.”
“How was it?”
“It’s very big—and very beautiful,” Qiu Zheng replied.
A servant brought tea. It was hot water. She was actually dying of thirst, but even after blowing on it, she could only take small sips, which barely helped. So she set it aside.
“Oh my god, Wen Yan really made you walk all that?” Wen Lin exclaimed after hearing about her afternoon. “Let me tell you—he’s just a block of wood with no sense of romance. He wouldn’t know this, but omegas are delicate and need to be cared for.”
Well… not really. Qiu Zheng felt a bit embarrassed to say that her poor stamina was just due to laziness—it had been that way even before she transmigrated.
Wen Yan shot a cold glance at Wen Lin. “Wen Lin.”
She rolled her eyes. “Am I wrong?” Then she suddenly raised her voice, “Aunt Wang!”
Someone immediately came over. “Miss.”
“Bring two bottles of room-temperature spring water,” Wen Lin instructed, then turned back to Qiu Zheng with a smile. “You’re thirsty, right?”
This time, Qiu Zheng was genuinely touched. Not only was this beautiful lady gorgeous, she was also considerate.
Wen Yan fell silent. He watched as the servant brought the water—and Qiu Zheng promptly gulped down more than half a bottle.
His dear sister looked full of “concern.” “Look how thirsty you were. Next time, just say what you need at home—don’t be shy. If you expect certain people to think of it themselves, that’s impossible.”
Qiu Zheng replied a bit shyly, “I was just waiting for the water to cool.”
Her tone had become more familiar, and there was a faint smile on her face.
Wen Yan’s grip tightened slightly. Someone who was usually so guarded now seemed foolishly unguarded. Didn’t she notice Wen Lin’s ill intentions?
A strange irritation rose in his chest—uncomfortable, hard to describe. He wanted her to stop talking to Wen Lin, stop smiling at her.
He suddenly remembered one of the rules on his list: Do not feel jealous. It even had a note: Do not interfere with her interactions with others.
So… was this jealousy?
To Qiu Zheng, though, Wen Yan just seemed a bit off.
He had been staring at her the whole time. After Grandpa Wen left, the atmosphere grew awkward. She said she was going to the restroom, but actually slipped out to the balcony to check her phone.
She hadn’t looked at her phone much all day. In their group chat, Kang Ya and Qing Qiu had already been chatting a lot—about story ideas, and Kang Ya sharing travel photos.
Not seeing Qiu Zheng respond, they even tagged her.
Qing Qiu: Nan Xing, why so quiet today?
Kang Ya: Don’t tell me you slept all day?
After asking, they moved on to other topics.
Seeing it, Qiu Zheng naturally replied.
Nan Xing: I’m visiting relatives today. I didn’t have a chance to check my phone.
Qing Qiu: I knew it! I thought you were stuck and spiraling before finishing your book.
Nan Xing: Not that bad.
Kang Ya: Let me tell you—I just got a ridiculously absurd comment…
Kang Ya’s pen name sounded like “stress-resistant,” but in reality, she wasn’t resistant at all. Qiu Zheng often saw her venting—it was her way of releasing stress. It was both pitiful and a little funny.
Qiu Zheng was smiling as she read when suddenly a voice spoke near her ear:
“What are you looking at?”
The sudden voice startled her. She had been leaning against the balcony railing, and in her shock, her phone slipped from her hand.
Wen Yan reacted quickly and caught it.
He had reached out from behind her, almost enclosing her in his arms. “Did I scare you?”
He definitely had. Qiu Zheng took a moment to recover before taking her phone back. “Why are you here?”
They were too close. She tried to step back, but the railing left her nowhere to go.
Wen Yan noticed and stepped back instead, putting some distance between them. He slipped his hands into his pockets and looked at her.
Of course, he couldn’t say it was because Wen Lin had disappeared after she left—and he was worried she might bother Qiu Zheng again.
Instead, he had come out—and found her smiling at her phone.
A genuine, relaxed smile.
Suppressing the strange feeling inside, he spoke, “Stay away from Wen Lin.”
“Huh?”
“Do you like her?”
“She’s… okay?” Qiu Zheng answered slowly. Who wouldn’t like a pretty woman?
“Just okay? Then why did you let her hug you like that?”
“She’s a woman.”
“She’s an alpha,” Wen Yan emphasized.
“But… she’s a woman…” Qiu Zheng’s voice weakened.
“Qiu Zheng! She’s an alpha!” This time, his tone carried real frustration.
Qiu Zheng fell silent.
She had been in this world for three or four years, but she hadn’t interacted with many people. Most people were betas anyway, and betas were no different from the simple male-female dynamics she was used to.
So she still subconsciously thought in those terms, ignoring distinctions beyond gender.
Now that Wen Yan emphasized it, she reflected—and realized that from their perspective, it did make sense.
So she nodded. “Sorry. I understand now.”
But the frustration in Wen Yan’s chest didn’t ease.
He knew she was the type to apologize quickly—not necessarily because she truly understood.
He thought of how Wen Lin had held her, and how she had been completely unguarded. How could she be so careless? Did she only distinguish between men and women? What if someone had ill intentions? Did she realize that even a female alpha could mark her, could—
Just the thought made his chest feel like it would explode. He took a breath to calm himself, while she seemed unaffected.
Right—ever since the first time they met, she had never been affected. Not by pheromones, not by compatibility, not by him.
After a moment of silence, Wen Yan suddenly asked, “Qiu Zheng, our genetic compatibility is 100%. Don’t you feel anything unusual toward me?”
From anyone else, that question would sound suggestive.
From Wen Yan, it sounded like a researcher collecting cold data.
Qiu Zheng shook her head honestly, then felt it might be a bit too blunt, so she added, “Well… not completely nothing? Sometimes I think you’re good-looking, I guess? And this compatibility doesn’t seem to affect you much either. I’m not even as strong as you—you’ve got stronger mental power.”
Conversation strategy: put yourself down, lift the other person up. That’s always safe.
But for some reason, Wen Yan’s expression darkened even more. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it. His gaze grew heavy, like ink about to drip.
Qiu Zheng felt uneasy. She had heard that alphas, due to their strong pheromones and mental power, often had some degree of irritability.
“Well… I’ll head back first. I’ll go check what’s for dinner… haha…” she said awkwardly, backing away without hesitation.
Better run.
Wen Yan watched her leave. She didn’t hesitate at all.
After a long while, he turned to look outside. He took a cigarette from his pocket but didn’t light it. Eventually, as if thinking of something, he kicked the railing.
Damn it. How could there be no effect?
He was pretending—she seemed genuinely unaffected.
That night, Qiu Zheng slept in Wen Yan’s room. He had grown up in the old residence, and his room had never changed.
The decor was minimalist, in dark, somewhat oppressive tones.
Qiu Zheng knew he had a strong sense of personal space. She had never even been to his own residence before. Standing in the middle of the room now, she felt a bit at a loss.
Wen Yan didn’t look at her. He simply opened the wardrobe and took out another set of bedding.
“The bed sheets are freshly changed. You can sleep without worry,” he said, carrying the bedding to the sofa.
Clearly, he had no intention of sharing the bed.
Qiu Zheng felt relieved. They seemed to be on the same page—sleeping together like that, doing nothing, felt like a different matter altogether.
Neither of them liked it.
She didn’t argue over who should take the sofa. Wen Yan usually had a sense of gentlemanly conduct—he probably wouldn’t take the bed for himself.
She slowly lay down.
After the lights were turned off, the room fell into darkness. She didn’t dare use her phone much, though at least she didn’t have to worry about updates.
Maybe it was the unfamiliar environment—she couldn’t fall asleep. She didn’t know if Wen Yan was asleep, and even turning over felt risky. After a long time, she cautiously shifted.
The more she couldn’t sleep, the more she needed to use the bathroom.
Qiu Zheng felt like crying. Using the faint light from her phone screen, she quietly got out of bed, moving as carefully as a thief.