Ji Yao was furious and raised her hand to strike, but at the last moment, she remembered she needed this job.
Yielding, she changed her fist into an open palm and forcefully pushed Zhou Feng away.
The distance was too close, and the unpleasant scent of alpha pheromones enveloped her.
She was a firm believer in AO relationships, only drawn to sweet, soft omegas, there was no way she would ever submit to an alpha like Zhou Feng, who was old, faded, and greasy!
“President Zhou, if there’s nothing else.”
“What’s the hurry?”
Pushed aside, Zhou Feng didn’t seem bothered at all. Instead, she smiled and continued speaking to Ji Yao, as if the shove were some kind of flirtation. Ji Yao quickly took several steps back.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t overpower Zhou Feng, it was that, in that critical moment, she remembered her debts.
So, she had only pushed Zhou Feng, and though she hadn’t held back her strength, Zhou Feng was an alpha in good physical condition. For her, that little bit of pain was nothing.
If it had been an omega.
A delicate and fragile omega like Shi Yu definitely wouldn’t have been able to withstand it.
Thinking of Shi Yu at that moment made Ji Yao’s expression even uglier than before.
Because what came to mind wasn’t anything else, but the fact that she truly resembled the insults hurled at her online an adulterer, a scumbag alpha!
And she had confirmed it herself.
Emotional infidelity was still infidelity, and the object of that infidelity stood right in front of her: an older, greasy female alpha she could never accept.
No, it couldn’t be anyone!
But in reality, it seemed there were many “anyones” who had been her objects of infidelity.
Not only did Shi Yu despise it deeply, she herself felt the same!
She sternly rejected Zhou Feng, “President Zhou, I think you’ve misunderstood me.”
“Misunderstood what?”
“Misunderstood that you’re in debt? Misunderstood that Shi Yu paid off your debts for you?”
Ji Yao froze for a moment, suddenly recalling the three million mentioned in the divorce agreement. So, had she just uncovered the truth behind the divorce?
Shi Yu had paid off “her” debts, which was why Shi Yu had managed to escape her clutches?
“What are you spacing out for? Did I say something wrong?”
Seeing her like this, Zhou Feng grew displeased and reached out to pinch her chin, her flirtatious eyes narrowing with a smile.
Ji Yao was a beat too slow to dodge and still ended up being touched slightly.
She made no effort to hide her disgust, displaying it plainly for Zhou Feng to see.
Zhou Feng’s smile remained, but her eyes burned with anger.
“I don’t have that much patience, Ji Yao.” As she spoke, Zhou Feng returned to her desk and gestured for Ji Yao to come closer.
Ji Yao didn’t move.
The next second, Zhou Feng tossed a key card at her.
“You know this place.”
“Ji Yao, this is the last time I’m offering this to you. If you’re not there by 7 p.m. tonight.” Zhou Feng left the rest unsaid, but it was clearly nothing good.
Without hesitation, Ji Yao stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
She couldn’t see Zhou Feng’s expression, but she imagined it wasn’t pleasant.
From the chat history in that earlier WeChat conversation, Ji Yao had more or less pieced it together: in three years, she had gone from doing odd jobs to becoming a music variety show producer, all thanks to Zhou Feng’s influence.
Maybe she had been stringing Zhou Feng along, or maybe she had been coerced.
No, it couldn’t have been coercion, she had definitely been stringing her along.
And now, Zhou Feng was on the verge of losing patience.
Being buried in debt had indeed placed immense pressure on Ji Yao’s mind.
Giving in to Zhou Feng might quickly clear her debt of over three million, but she would never sell her body!
At the same time in the hospital room, Shi Yu was preparing to be discharged when two unexpected guests blocked the doorway.
The visitors were her alpha father and omega mother Shi Xinzhi and Huang Shan.
Back in the day, this couple had been the envy of many college sweethearts, a talented man and a beautiful woman.
But too much time had passed, and Shi Yu had long forgotten what her mother once looked like in her prime.
Now, she more closely resembled a resentful woman.
Sitting beside her father, she hardly dared to breathe, only glaring coldly at Shi Yu.
“Where is Ji Yao?”
“I heard she brought you to the hospital. Did you chase her away again?” Shi Yu’s father, Shi Xinzhi, spoke coldly.
His indifferent tone didn’t sound the least bit concerned about Shi Yu.
And in truth, he wasn’t.
Shi Yu resembled him her voice was cold, her demeanor aloof.
But fortunately, their personalities were nothing alike.
Shi Yu had been worn down by countless hardships into the person she was today.
Shi Xinzhi, on the other hand, had been like this for as long as she could remember, utterly unrecognizable as the man who had once defied his father in a fit of passion to marry her mother.
Now, all he felt was regret, and he grew even more determined to meddle in his children’s lives.
Shi Rui had already gone on seven or eight blind dates, none of which succeeded, yet Shi Xinzhi remained undeterred.
In fact, Shi Yu’s marriage to Ji Yao had partly been Shi Xinzhi’s doing. The older he got, the more rigid his thinking became. After a year of arguing, Shi Yu had finally compromised: if she couldn’t find a suitable alpha within a year, she would listen to him.
And so, she hastily chose to marry Ji Yao.
And just as hastily, they divorced.
“Since you refuse to go on blind dates, why not remarry Ji Yao? After all, she is Panpan’s biological mother.”
“Besides, this marriage was your own stubborn choice, why not stick with it?”
Shi Xinzhi’s words were utterly absurd. Shi Rui couldn’t stand it and tried to interject, but his mother, Huang Shan, held him back.
Between her son and daughter, Huang Shan had always favored Shi Rui a little more. Even though both had disappointed her by presenting as omegas, she still treated Shi Rui better.
This frustrated Shi Rui, but there was little he could do. On one side was his mother, on the other his sister, so he directed all his anger at Shi Xinzhi.
“If we’re talking about persistence, why didn’t you stick with it?”
“I take after you, I have no patience, so of course I wouldn’t persist either.”
Thankfully, Panpan had already been taken home by the nanny, allowing Shi Yu to reveal this side of herself without worrying about setting a bad example.
She and Shi Xinzhi did look more alike both had thin lips that hinted at coldness.
Shi Yu smiled faintly as she looked at her parents, who were physically together but emotionally distant.
The once-envied couple had ultimately faded away in the long, monotonous passage of life.
For over a decade, Shi Xinzhi had been habitually unfaithful and no longer regarded Huang Shan with any respect.
The Shi family was a large clan, with numerous main and branch lines. Her grandfather came from the second branch and held actual controlling shares in Shi Chuang Group. However, Shi Xinzhi had three brothers, he was the second eldest.
In his youth, he had been rebellious. His family strongly opposed his marriage to Huang Shan, but he insisted on marrying her anyway. Years later, after seeing how his eldest and youngest brothers’ wives supported their careers, he began to resent Huang Shan.
He despised her, both emotionally and physically.
The only silver lining was that Shi Xinzhi never resorted to physical violence, he relied on emotional neglect and indifference instead.
Apart from matters concerning Shi Rui and Shi Yu, Huang Shan was rarely taken out, so whenever she felt discontented, she would find ways to pester Shi Yu.
Knowing that Shi Yu’s marriage to Ji Yao was falling apart, Huang Shan felt no sympathy for her; instead, she took pleasure in her misfortune, using it to highlight that her own marriage was still somewhat acceptable.
Shi Yu was disappointed.
But one cannot choose their parents. Apart from negotiating for more freedom, she couldn’t completely break ties with them.
The only thing Shi Yu felt grateful for was that Shi Xinzhi was relatively satisfied with her career. He believed that her fame might allow her to “sell” herself into a favorable marriage.
However, after she married Ji Yao, that plan fell through.
Shi Yu couldn’t understand how Shi Xinzhi could embody both stubbornness and contradiction. He didn’t want her to make her own decisions about marriage, yet after learning she had married Ji Yao, he advised her to work on her marriage and be a proper, sensible omega.
That wasn’t her nature. When she decided to marry Ji Yao, she had been somewhat impulsive and harbored illusions.
But when she discovered that Ji Yao was not what she had imagined, the moment her illusions shattered, she became resolute about getting a divorce.
Even after the divorce, Shi Xinzhi didn’t let up.
“Then go on a blind date.”
“Anyway, you can’t be without an alpha by your side.”
Shi Xinzhi, stumped by Shi Yu’s words for a moment, still managed to blurt out this familiar line.
Shi Yu sneered and didn’t respond, preparing to leave instead.
Over the past few years, Shi Xinzhi had repeated two things the most: reconcile with Ji Yao, or find another alpha.
Her dismissive attitude provoked Shi Xinzhi’s anger and embarrassment. He reached out to stop her but paused when he touched her wrist. Noticing the bandage on her hand, he asked displeased, “What happened to your hand?”
Shi Yu, who had been bending over, stiffened for a moment upon hearing this. She lifted her head, her clear eyes smiling at Shi Xinzhi. “Dad, I thought you only cared about what kind of alpha I should find.”
“Shi Yu!” Her words ignited his anger, but he only sternly called her name before he could say more. At that moment, Huang Shan stepped between them.
She grabbed Shi Yu’s hand, urging her not to anger Shi Xinzhi.
She had been in the hospital room for quite some time, mostly watching Shi Xinzhi or Shi Rui, with her glances at Shi Yu mostly filled with animosity. She hadn’t even noticed the injury on Shi Yu’s wrist.
Shi Yu frowned slightly, and Shi Rui pulled Huang Shan’s hand away, scolding her, “Mom!”
Huang Shan seemed startled and nervously released Shi Yu’s hand.
It was Shi Xinzhi who showed concern first.
“How is it? Does it hurt?”
“It’s fine.!” Shi Yu’s voice was muffled, her emotions extremely complicated.
Just like Shi Xinzhi himself complex.
He softened his tone, persuading Shi Yu, “I just asked the doctor. Your current health isn’t great. While you’re still young finding an alpha quickly is the right thing to do.”
“If you don’t like the ones I pick, then find one yourself.”
Shi Xinzhi’s concerned expression was genuine, but the more he acted this way, the more confused Shi Yu became.
They were both omegas, yet she had hardly ever heard Shi Xinzhi say such things to Shi Rui.
Moreover, these words were repeated by Shi Xinzhi every few days, and she was thoroughly sick of them.
Back when she was with Ji Yao, it had been of her own free will, but that didn’t mean she had any intention of finding another alpha now.
She said softly, “I don’t have the energy for that right now. I just want to raise Panpan well.”
Mentioning his granddaughter, Shi Xinzhi froze and didn’t respond. Instead, Huang Shan beside him chimed in, “I think that Xiao Xie by your side is quite good.”
“He’s been with you for so many years and treats Panpan well too.”
“Why not give it a try?”