Ever since that last encounter, Xu Xintong had not seen Nong Wanshi again.
This made her very happy, and she poured all her energy into studying every day.
Seeing her momentum, her classmates were also inspired. After all, the other girl used to not study at all, and now that she had suddenly awakened, if they didn’t work hard themselves, they would end up at the bottom of the class.
Calculating the dates, Xu Xintong felt that her rut period was approaching.
She needed to stock up on some suppressants; looking at the supply at home last time, there didn’t seem to be much left.
With nothing to do in her spare time, Xu Xintong would always chat with Diudiu about random things.
“Diudiu, do you think you can make my brain a little sharper? Will that help my studies reach the next level?”
“Yibao, that is not advisable! Studying relies not only on talent, but also on your acquired hard work! You cannot take shortcuts!”
Actually, Diudiu hadn’t even figured out some of the system’s functions yet, and she hadn’t told her host that she was a rookie on the job.
“Mhm! You’re right, Diudiu!”
“I must study hard, work hard, and work even harder to achieve my goal.”
Seeing her host display such self-awareness and diligence, Diudiu felt she had great teaching talent.
“Love you! Come here, Diudiu! Muma, muma!”
Xu Xintong spent a good moment kissing the empty air. Anyone who didn’t know better would think her brain was not working quite right.
Aside from sometimes being very strange, this was the host’s hobby, so it had no right to interfere.
Meanwhile, Xu Xintong knew she occasionally needed some encouragement to keep her going.
“You should know what our family wants.”
The man sat in a wide leather armchair, his hands clasped in front of the desk, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s, yet carrying unquestionable authority.
His voice was deep and slow, every word sounding carefully considered and full of irrefutable power.
“This is not a request, but a mandatory task.”
His fingers tapped lightly on the desk, the rhythm slow and powerful, as if emphasizing the weight of those words.
“You understand what I mean, right?”
As the last sentence fell, an invisible sense of oppression filled the air, making even breathing feel heavy.
“Yes.”
Nong Wanshi lowered her head, her face completely expressionless.
What no one knew was that a plan had already formed in her heart.
Will you be a useful pawn?
For several days straight in her rut period, Xu Xintong felt completely exhausted.
Her studies at school also hit a roadblock; the severe discomfort made it impossible for her to focus at all.
Thinking that it was almost over, she gritted her teeth.
She chanted silently: Xu Xintong, you are the best! Even if you became an Alpha, you can still do great!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells.
Finally making it to the end of school, Xu Xintong shouldered her bag and planned to go straight home to lie down and finally get some proper rest.
“Little sister, want to come play with older brother?”
She had just pedaled her bike around two corners when she ran into street hoodlums!
She initially thought about sneaking away quietly since they hadn’t noticed her anyway.
“Yibao! You can’t just stand by and do nothing! Those bad guys are clearly going to hurt that girl!”
“This is immoral behavior, you have to stop them!”
Diudiu didn’t want any stains to appear in this world; these things needed to be erased.
Hearing Diudiu’s righteous speech, with a thud, she dropped her bicycle.
She rolled up her sleeves and shouted angrily,
“You’re all adults, what are you doing? In broad daylight, acting so disgraceful!”
“Where did this bitch come from, yelling here!”
Hearing this, the hoodlums glared at Xu Xintong, and the threatened girl also turned her head in surprise.
“Come on, let’s make this quick! How annoying!”
Xu Xintong, already annoyed from her uncomfortable rut period, had reached her limit.
Her smooth, fluid movements in the fight made Diudiu praise her endlessly.
“I never expected the host knew how to fight! So cool!”
In her previous life, to make herself look sturdy and avoid appearing as weak as a regular Omega, she worked out every day and spent a few years learning Sanshou and self-defense. These mere punks were no match for her at all.
It was just that her body felt a bit too overwhelmed right now. Luckily, her technique was solid; it looked like she needed to add some fitness training.
While still worrying whether this was the kind of body an A-grade Alpha should have, wondering why she felt so weak, that girl shyly mumbled a thank you to Xu Xintong.
“Ah, it’s nothing. No need to thank me.”
Before she even finished speaking, the person had already run off, leaving not even a shadow behind.
Little did she know, all of this had been witnessed by Nong Wanshi sitting in the car.
“Follow them.”
As soon as she got home, Xu Xintong quickly took a shower, dug out some previous lung cancer reference materials, and sat cross-legged on the sofa to study them.
She had looked at them for barely five minutes when she was interrupted by a steady, gentle knock on the door: knock, knock, knock.
“Coming!” Thinking it might be the auntie from next door who had promised to bring some peaches from her orchard for their family.
She jumped off the sofa, not even bothering to slip her slippers on properly.
With a click, she opened the door, lowering her head ready to take the bag from the auntie’s hands.
“Auntie, how do you take care of your hands? They’re so white and long.”
Looking up, Xu Xintong almost bit her tongue.
With a clack, she decisively shut the door and turned around, leaning her back against it.
Nothing good ever happened; it was either getting a nosebleed or biting her tongue.
“Open the door. Your peaches.”
Concise and clear.
Adjusting her posture, she forced a smile.
Opening the door again, Xu Xintong tried to take the bag from Nong Wanshi’s hands, but the other girl wouldn’t let go at all.
Xu Xintong wore a look of utter confusion.
A tall man in a black uniform nodded to Xu Xintong, then carried over a dozen boxes of fruit, nuts, and milk into their house.
“Teacher Cai asked me to come check on your family’s situation.”
“Huh? Is that a thing?”
Didn’t Teacher Cai already know what her family situation was like?
Then again, it seemed Teacher Cai was the one who told her about her dad’s illness in her past life, while her mom kept hiding it because she didn’t want her to worry.
It seemed Teacher Cai really cared, even sending someone to check on her family.
Logan, but why did it have to be Nong Wanshi who came?
“Ah, well. Where is Teacher Cai? Why didn’t she come?”
Xu Xintong had completely bought into Nong Wanshi’s explanation.
“Teacher Cai wasn’t feeling well today and is resting at home, so she asked me to help out.”
Xu Xintong knew Nong Wanshi was Teacher Cai Feiyun’s niece. Normally, whenever she needed help with school or daily life matters, she would ask this all-around top-student niece as well.
“But my family members aren’t back yet. You…”
Hesitating a bit, Xu Xintong still didn’t really want to be alone in a room with the other girl. Even though it was her own house, she wanted to escape.
“It’s fine, I can wait.”
Seeing that the other party insisted on staying, she couldn’t very well chase her away.
Xu Xintong’s home had a relatively minimalist style, and the air carried a faint trace of wood scent. The refreshing fragrance made Nong Wanshi feel inexplicably comforted.
She watched as the other girl intently read through several documents, all of which were about lung cancer.
“Is someone in your family sick?”
The voice was soft yet carried a soothing quality. The tone of concern made Xu Xintong shiver.
“Dad has lung cancer.”
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her shirt, her fingertips turning white from the force.
Xu Xintong’s gaze drifted about; she always revealed her vulnerable side in front of Nong Wanshi, and she hated that.
A moment of silence.
“I know a very good doctor who specializes in lung cancer. He should be able to help.”
Xu Xintong lowered her head. How could she not know that Nong Wanshi could find good doctors?
In her past life, it was her own negligence; as the illness worsened and they missed the optimal treatment window, it left her with endless regrets.
But this time, her father’s illness wasn’t severe yet, it was just that she still lacked the ability.
“What do you want?”
Her voice trembled. Xu Xintong could clearly feel her body shaking. She knew Nong Wanshi never did a losing business.
Nong Wanshi didn’t expect her to catch on so quickly and understand her personality so well.
“You…”
A single word, left hanging without a completion.
“Huh?”
“Me!?”
She raised her head in shock. There was no more fear in her gaze, only confusion and puzzlement.
“You help me. Every time I go into estrus, you help me get through it and ease my discomfort.”
“However, no marking, and absolutely no crossing the line.”
“As for your rut period, I won’t help you.”
At first, she didn’t understand why Nong Wanshi wanted her, but Xu Xintong looked at things with an open mind.
She had already translated the other’s words into saying she was going to act as Nong Wanshi’s suppressant to help her.
Thinking simply, she didn’t notice that Nong Wanshi’s gaze was growing increasingly intense, seemingly a bit nervous.
“Okay. Rest assured, I won’t do anything inappropriate.”
Xu Xintong was quite confident in her own character; an upright gentleman described no one else but her.
“Then my dad’s illness…”
“I’ll have the doctor come for an examination tomorrow. Our agreement takes effect immediately.”
“Mhm, okay.”
A muffled voice. She felt like her rut period hadn’t fully passed yet, and right now she just wanted to lie down.
The fresh sandalwood scent in the room gradually grew richer, filling the air with an alluring atmosphere.
Nong Wanshi felt her body floating a bit. Clearly, her suppression patch was securely applied, but it felt like her pheromones were leaking out, wanting to mingle with the sandalwood scent.
And the instigator of all this, Xu Xintong, was completely oblivious.
Xu Xintong took a deep sniff, wanting to capture more of that scent that made her feel supremely comfortable. She didn’t know what was wrong with her; she only felt her body growing hot and completely sapped of strength.
“I want to go rest in my room for a bit. You can wait in the living room.”
She stood up, but her legs simply couldn’t support her weight.
Seeing her about to collapse, Nong Wanshi had no choice but to quickly stand up and catch her.
Watching her head toward the bedroom, fearing she might fall halfway, Nong Wanshi supported her all the way there.
“Thank you. Please help me close the door behind you.”
“They should be back soon, just wait a little. I’m feeling a bit unwell right now.”
By now, her voice had grown deep and hoarse, carrying a trace of exhaustion and restraint.
At the moment Nong Wanshi had drawn close, supporting her all the way over, Xu Xintong had felt much better.
But the moment they separated, she felt a hollow ache in her heart and an urge to tightly embrace the other person.
Meanwhile, Nong Wanshi wasn’t having an easy time either. Her estrus period had passed long ago, but as a top-tier Omega, she didn’t have a completely fixed cycle; once triggered, it could happen at any time.
Stirred up by desire, she wanted to exercise restraint, but…
Unable to control herself, she closed the door, stepped closer and closer to Xu Xintong, and pressed her down onto the bed.
“Please… hold me…”
Hearing those words clearly, Xu Xintong was startled at first. She was the one who felt unwell, so why did this person seem to be acting a bit strange too?
But then it clicked: the other person was just asking her to fulfill their agreement.
She reached out, wrapping her arms around her. The two of them lay very close together quietly on the bed.
The profound depth of the sandalwood, the warmth of the white musk, and the crisp coldness of the cedar quietly intertwined in the air, feeling both warm and aloof.
Xu Xintong smelled the pheromone scent unique to Nong Wanshi, and her heart settled down significantly. But it wasn’t enough; desire was wreaking havoc in her heart.
Seeing the other person lying on top of her, her gland exposed right before her eyes, Xu Xintong felt an unbearable itching in her chest. Her teeth ached faintly, and her throat felt dry.
I really want to take a bite.
No, she had just promised earlier not to cross the line.
Xu Xintong endured it with extreme difficulty, the sandalwood scent erupting even more fiercely, betraying her thirsty thoughts.
“Mhm…” That soft moan made Xu Xintong even more aroused; she was losing her ability to restrain herself.
Clack. The sound of the front door opening.
Pulled back to reality, Nong Wanshi realized her loss of composure. She quickly got up, straightened her clothes, opened the door, and politely greeted the uncle and auntie.
Watching all these actions from where she lay, Xu Xintong just found it very cute.
Just a moment ago she was begging for a hug, and now she was acting all proper.
After politely seeing Nong Wanshi off, Xu Xintong began to lecture herself.
What is going on? Has her self-control gotten this bad?
Meanwhile, Nong Wanshi was reliving everything that had just happened in the car, except…
She seemed to have heard some strange sounds.
It sounded like Xu Xintong’s inner voice.