“No marking.”
“She will die.”
As these two phrases dominated her thoughts, Ji Yao nearly lost control and released her pheromones.
A crisp, tart sensation infiltrated the rich sweetness of the cloud mist tea fragrance.
Shi Yu, who had been clawing frantically at her back, stilled, resting her chin on Ji Yao’s shoulder with a soft, contented sigh. “Mmm…”
Though alphas possessed superior physical prowess compared to omegas and betas, their fatal weakness lay in omega pheromones.
This full, potent cloud mist tea aroma made Ji Yao’s vision blur. She tightened her grip slightly on Shi Yu’s wrist.
Uncertain of her own intentions, she only knew that the cool temperature felt soothing.
It created a stark contrast with the scorching breaths against her ear.
Her breathing hitched…
Ji Yao grew still, allowing the cloyingly sweet tea fragrance to envelop the nape of her neck.
Like a gentle caress, yet it sent shivers through her.
A thought emerging from the depths of her soul startled her into clarity.
The cloud mist tea scent seemed to share an incredibly profound connection with her.
Not as an intruder, but as part of herself.
In her daze, she unconsciously began to savor that unique, fragrant aroma.
She couldn’t recall when or where, but it brought her consciousness back into focus.
No.
She couldn’t harm Shi Yu again.
Under the direct influence of the omega, Ji Yao clenched her teeth, struggling to retract her pheromones and create some distance between them.
But she couldn’t move too far away.
Her purpose here was to protect Shi Yu. Without knowing which ghostly entity was affecting them both, staying close made it easier to discern.
Taking a step back, Ji Yao turned sideways, gripping Shi Yu’s arm with one hand while biting her index finger with the other. Forming a hand seal, she pressed it once more against Shi Yu’s forehead.
Closing her eyes, she sensed three distinct auras intertwining, the weakest naturally belonging to Shi Yu herself, while the other two.
A pink aura suppressing a black one.
Now she understood what this strange pink ghostly shadow was.
Ghosts were once human, possessing all manner of emotions and desires. The essential condition for becoming a ghost was an obsession too profound to release.
And this pink specter’s obsession was love.
In other words, it was a bit of a love-struck fool.
The reason Ji Yao hadn’t considered this type was because they were rarely encountered in the otherworld they were considered low-level entities, not particularly powerful, but skilled at beguiling hearts.
Moreover, they typically preyed on those lacking in either physical or emotional fulfillment.
Emotionally…
Remembering Shi Yu’s usually aloof expression, she likely didn’t have such needs.
That left her pheromone imbalance as the opening this little pink ghost exploited.
When Ji Yao pulled it out, Little Pink was still tightly entwined with Little Black, its expression utterly infatuated…
Noticing Ji Yao’s stare, its blurred human-like face actually showed surprise.
“Heh… quite expressive, aren’t you?”
Ji Yao couldn’t help rolling her eyes dramatically, using her right hand to restrain its movements while allowing it to continue absorbing Little Black.
Neither of these little entities posed much threat to her. Little Pink had some ability, but Little Black… was merely a jinx, capable of affecting people’s luck.
For instance, Shi Yu nearly being hit by the lamp was due to this unlucky ghost.
Once Little Pink absorbed it, it would soon become a love-struck, misfortune-bringing ghost.
Ji Yao calmly waited for the pink substance to be absorbed, as Shi Yu had already fainted and was resting obediently on her shoulder.
Moreover, she simply had no container to deal with the pink substance.
Carrying one was less effort than carrying two.
Oh, wait there was also Shi Yu, who was already unconscious.
Her pheromones had also quieted down, barely affecting Ji Yao anymore.
Gently supporting her, Ji Yao walked to the staircase, but Shi Yu showed no signs of waking. After hesitating for a long time, she still didn’t step down.
She didn’t dare to appear in front of Panpan like this.
Because Panpan had sharp eyesight, and although Ji Yao didn’t find the pink substance particularly ugly, it did look rather shady.
She didn’t want to scare Panpan.
So she stood there for a while, maintaining her hold on Shi Yu, careful not to touch her too much. The effort was exhausting.
Fortunately, before long, the doorbell rang downstairs, followed by her phone.
Struggling to answer, she heard Xiao Zhu’s voice: “Sister Ji, I’m at the employer’s door.”
“Grandpa Qiao asked me to bring you something.”
“What is it?”
“A necklace. Grandpa Qiao said you need it.”
Guessing what it was, Ji Yao replied softly, “Okay, you…”
After scanning the area, she spotted the slightly open window on the second floor and continued, “Throw it through the open window on the second floor.”
Xiao Zhu was strong; she had no doubt he could make the throw.
After a few minutes, Ji Yao used the fingers holding the pink substance to lightly hook the necklace Xiao Zhu had tossed up, then clenched it in her palm.
Her stiff body finally relaxed. She took a deep breath and began moving Shi Yu downstairs.
She didn’t know which room Shi Yu stayed in and needed to ask Panpan.
Panpan, who had been eagerly waiting for her, was already by the door before she opened it, clutching her clothes.
“Mommy, Mommy!”
The little crybaby’s tears had stopped, but her voice grew sharp with worry upon seeing Shi Yu.
Yet her fear hadn’t completely subsided, she still held onto Ji Yao’s clothes while reaching for Shi Yu’s hand.
Ji Yao let her cling for a while before laying Shi Yu on the bed. Then, turning to Panpan, she said, “Mommy will sleep in this room. You, go back to your own room to sleep, okay?”
The exhaustion from all the activity left Ji Yao with little energy. She didn’t want to move Shi Yu again and just wanted to rest.
This room was clearly a nanny’s quarters, with only a small double bed and a recliner. Ji Yao planned to sleep here to ensure Shi Yu’s safety.
But she had overlooked the child’s fear and clinginess.
Panpan didn’t let go of Ji Yao’s clothes. Instead, she tugged on the sleeve and threw herself into Ji Yao’s arms, her short arms instinctively wrapping around Ji Yao’s neck, completely covering Ji Yao’s face with the fabric.
“Mmph, Panpan.”
“I can’t breathe.”
“Mommy, sorry…” Panpan apologized softly, letting go slightly before adjusting her position and hugging her again, whining, “Mommy, I want to sleep with you.”
She was so young, of course she was scared.
Once she could breathe freely, Ji Yao hugged her back, patting her gently and soothing her: “Okay, we’ll sleep together.”
“But I’ll sleep on the recliner. It might not be very comfortable.”
“That’s okay.” Panpan obediently nestled against her shoulder, yawning and clearly exhausted.
Ji Yao, however, had to muster her energy. She adjusted her hold on Panpan before embracing her again.
I’ll skip looking at that little pink thing for now, since there’s no rush anyway.
The main point is, she was also extremely tired after all, ghost hunting really drains your energy.
Because the floor heating in Shi Yu’s house was too warm, and Panpan was clinging tightly to her while sleeping, Ji Yao woke up twice.
But both times, she was in a daze and didn’t notice anything particularly unusual.
It was just that the air smelled rather pleasant and quite sleep-inducing.
So she simply went back to sleep. In her groggy state, she unconsciously tugged her already thin T-shirt up a little, revealing the edge of her black bra.
There was no blanket on the sofa. Panpan was covered with her down jacket, and only a small corner of it was draped over her own waist, so she didn’t look too presentable when she woke up.
Shi Yu, on the other hand, grew visibly upset because of her disheveled clothes and the chaotic mix of pheromones in the air.
When she noticed the stark contrast of black and white on the sofa, she hurriedly got out of bed.
The black was Ji Yao’s down jacket.
The white was the color of Ji Yao’s skin a warm, healthy-looking shade.
Panpan was held tightly by Ji Yao, and most of the down jacket was covering her, so Shi Yu didn’t even realize Panpan was there at all.
She simply assumed that Ji Yao had.
sneaked into her house in the middle of the night.
Her mind clouded by anger, she completely overlooked how strict the security was in this newly purchased villa and why she herself was in the first-floor maid’s room.
Frowning in disgust at the scents around her, she first went to open the window.
The cold wind sobered her up a bit, and she began to think about the questions she had ignored.
But she still didn’t think it mattered much, because Ji Yao was undeniably in her home.
And she was emitting that lemon-lime pheromone scent that Shi Yu found utterly repulsive.
Sleeping so soundly.
Only after the cold air had diluted the scent did Shi Yu walk back over to Ji Yao.
She casually lifted Ji Yao’s down jacket, of course, she intended to kick her out. But when she saw Panpan lying obediently in her arms,
she froze.
The gesture was quite intimate. Even in her sleep, Ji Yao was supporting Panpan, as if afraid she might fall.
Shi Yu couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart. Before she knew it, she heard herself let out a scornful laugh.
Ji Yao also opened her sleepy eyes, but she didn’t look at Shi Yu. Instead, she instinctively tightened her hold on Panpan.
A few seconds later…
Ji Yao’s eyes opened again.
When she saw the face magnified right in front of her, her arm around Panpan trembled slightly, and she mumbled, “Shi Yu… I, uh.”
“You’re awake?”
“Did you sleep well?”
She greeted Shi Yu with what she thought was her brightest and friendliest smile, but Shi Yu remained unmoved, her gaze fixed on Panpan in Ji Yao’s arms.
Softly, she said, “Let her go.”
Ji Yao wasn’t sure how much Shi Yu remembered from last night, so she didn’t ask first and simply handed Panpan over to her.
After Shi Yu carried Panpan away, Ji Yao followed her out and watched as Shi Yu went upstairs to the second floor.
Not long after, Shi Yu returned to the first-floor living room.
This time, her mood was visibly dark, her face stern, as if she had come to demand answers.
Ji Yao’s visit the previous night had been sudden, but it was all work-related.
However, Shi Yu didn’t listen to her explanation. Sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed, she coldly asked Ji Yao to leave.
“Leave now, and don’t come back. I can pretend nothing ever happened.”
During their recent encounters, Shi Yu had to admit that her feelings toward Ji Yao had undergone a subtle shift not enough to stop her from asking Ji Yao to leave, but enough to make her tone slightly gentler.
However, as soon as the words left her mouth, Ji Yao abruptly stood up and exclaimed loudly, “I can’t leave!”
“I can’t leave yet.”