Warm sunlight filtered through the window, casting patches of light across the floor. Gray-white walls and a matching ceiling were the first things Ming Jiao saw when she opened her eyes.
Where was she?
More concerning than her surroundings was the dull ache and exhaustion radiating through her body. The gland at the back of her neck remained hot and tender, even a slight tilt of her head triggered a throbbing pain in her temples.
However, she wasn’t overly panicked. Having been an Alpha for so many years, she was intimately familiar with this sensation, these were the standard physiological reactions to the onset of an Alpha’s rut.
The fatigue forced her to close her eyes again for a moment. Once her mind cleared, she reopened them to properly survey the room. Taking in the environment, she made an educated guess, she had likely been brought to a hospital by the police. She was safe. Furthermore, observing the layout, she realized this was a private suite and likely an expensive one.
Sigh. Ming Jiao let out a long breath in her mind. A moment later, she forced herself to sit up, reaching out to pull the monitoring sensors off her body and the IV needle from the back of her hand.
If she were the “yesterday” version of herself, she might have stayed to rest for a day. But her current wallet simply wouldn’t allow such luxury.
“You’re awake,” a clear, cold voice sounded from the doorway.
Ming Jiao stopped what she was doing and looked up. A slender, elegant figure stood at the door, arms crossed in a visibly defensive posture.
Ming Jiao had an excellent memory, she immediately recognized the woman. This was the Omega she had rescued the previous night.
She hadn’t seen her clearly in the dark, but now, at close range, Ming Jiao realized the woman possessed an extraordinarily beautiful face. Even though Omegas were generally known for their good looks, this one was on an entirely different level. Beneath shapely brows, her eyes were as bright as dark grapes, and even her slightly pale lips appeared exquisite.
Yet, despite the woman’s beauty, Ming Jiao felt a flicker of annoyance.
By all rights, Ming Jiao was her savior, but the Omega’s expression held no hint of gratitude. Instead, it carried a high and mighty air that felt uncomfortably familiar and irritating.
Heh.
Ming Jiao gave a mental scoff. The hand that had been about to pull back the covers retracted. She sat back against the headboard, staring at the Omega in silence, waiting.
Lin Wanshuang was sharp enough to sense the displeasure. She lowered her arms and slowly walked toward the bedside, pursing her lips. “Thank you for saving me last night. My name is Lin Wanshuang.”
It was a concise, albeit formal, introduction and expression of thanks.
Ming Jiao’s brow arched slightly, her mood improving a fraction. “Ming Jiao. It was nothing.”
With that, she resumed her exit plan. She truly couldn’t afford this room.
Seeing this, Lin Wanshuang’s beautiful brows furrowed. “Miss Ming, what are you doing? The doctor said your rut is unstable, you can’t leave the hospital.”
Ming Jiao replied, “I know my own body. Thank you for bringing me here, Miss Lin.”
Lin Wanshuang grew anxious, stepping forward to block her. “You can’t leave!”
Ming Jiao gave her a strange look. “What do you mean, Miss Lin? I haven’t committed a crime. Why can’t I leave?”
Lin Wanshuang shot a quick glance toward the door, then turned back, seemingly unable to find the right words. “You just can’t!”
Ming Jiao looked down at the hands pressing against her blanket, her expression cooling. “Let go.”
Lin Wanshuang refused to budge. After a few seconds of a silent standoff, she finally yielded, giving Ming Jiao a deep look. “Wait here.” She walked to the door, checked the hallway carefully, and then, click, locked the door.
“The reason I left just now was to check your medical report.”
Ming Jiao frowned. “That is a violation of privacy, Miss Lin.”
Lin Wanshuang paused, blinking. “Oh. My family owns this hospital.”
Ming Jiao: “…” What is it with these rich people?
“Fine. So you saw it. What then? Do I have cancer? Some terminal illness? Why are you so insistent on keeping me here?”
“You really don’t believe in taboos, do you…” Lin Wanshuang muttered with a frown before continuing. “Your report shows you are an E-rank Alpha, but the peak fluctuations of your pheromones are nowhere near E-rank. Such intensity should belong to at least a B-rank.”
Ming Jiao’s expression went cold. Her gaze toward Lin Wanshuang turned indifferent, thick with wariness.
“So, Miss Ming… do you have Glandular Hypofunction Syndrome (GHS)?”
As the words fell, a detailed medical report was placed before Ming Jiao. She realized that while she was unconscious, this young lady had likely inspected every detail of her medical history.
Ming Jiao looked down at her blue and white striped hospital gown and fell silent.
Oh. I’ve been completely exposed.
“I see. It seems Miss Lin intends to be a very diligent doctor in the future. However, GHS isn’t exactly a rare disease. Your efforts are misplaced.”
“No—” Lin Wanshuang’s eyes sparkled with an almost frightening intensity. “GHS isn’t rare, but seeing it in an Alpha as young as you is rare. In fact, you’re the only case I’ve ever encountered.”
Ming Jiao quietly observed the young, beautiful Omega. The girl’s eyes were shining as if she had discovered a fascinating new toy.
Ming Jiao had to admit she was right. GHS was a condition typically found in retired Alpha soldiers. During their service, they often received high-level Omega pheromone stabilization for various reasons. Once they returned to civilian life, their glands would atrophy due to the prolonged lack of high-level Omega pheromones.
This atrophy led to a drop in rank. However, since most were older, they rarely cared. Ming Jiao didn’t know if she was the only young Alpha with this condition, but she was certainly among the youngest.
“Miss Lin, GHS isn’t fatal. Even if I have it, it’s like a cold that never quite goes away. The impact on me is negligible.”
“Is it?” Lin Wanshuang lifted her chin, looking like a winner. Ming Jiao felt as though she were looking at a proud peacock.
Unaware of Ming Jiao’s thoughts, Lin Wanshuang proceeded to lay out her cards. She opened her palm to reveal a light green handkerchief, in the center of which sat a spent injector.
Ming Jiao’s heart skipped a beat. Her defensiveness hit its peak.
“What do you hope to prove with a used suppressant, Miss Lin?” Under the covers, Ming Jiao gripped the IV tubing she had pulled out earlier. Subduing an Omega would be trivial.
“Miss Ming, you are difficult to talk to.” Lin Wanshuang pulled a small metal box from her pocket, one that was hauntingly familiar to Ming Jiao.
“What a coincidence. I have a vial of A-rank Mimic Pheromones too. Bought from the same source, ‘Auntie Yu.'”
The sale of military grade restricted drugs was a serious crime. With one sentence, Lin Wanshuang had tied her own fate to Ming Jiao’s.
“I know why you bought the Mimic Pheromones,” Lin Wanshuang said. “Retired soldiers are older; the impact of GHS on their rut is minor. But you’re young. Your pheromones are at their peak activity, yet because of GHS, they have no outlet. The backlash hits your own body.”
“Mimic Pheromones can ease the rut, but they treat the symptoms, not the cause. Am I wrong?”
Ming Jiao relaxed her shoulders slightly, her pale eyes locking onto the Omega. “You’re right. So, does Miss Lin have a cure for GHS?”
Lin Wanshuang spread her hands, looking slightly annoyed. “Of course not.”
“But,” she continued, “allow me to re-introduce myself. Lin Wanshuang, Senior Researcher at the GBRI (Glandular Biomedical Research Institute). My field is Biological Glandular Science.”
“If there is a cure in this world, I will be the one to find it.”
It was an incredibly arrogant statement, yet coming from her, it didn’t seem offensive.
Ming Jiao’s lips quirked up, her aggressive features softening. “So, Miss Lin wants me to be her lab rat?”
Lin Wanshuang blinked, whispering two words: “More than that.”
Ming Jiao: ?
Before she could ask more, a knock sounded at the door, followed by a middle-aged woman’s voice. “Shuang shuang? Are you in there? Has Miss Ming woken up?”
“Yes!” Lin Wanshuang stood up, placing a finger to her lips in a “shhh” gesture, signaling Ming Jiao to keep quiet about their conversation.
Ming Jiao nodded slightly, taking a moment to straighten her messy bedsheets. As for the IV tube she had been clutching? It was long gone, discarded somewhere out of sight.
When Lin Wanshuang opened the door, the person outside immediately ushered her back into the room. Two elegant women entered. Looking at them, Ming Jiao could easily see the family resemblance.
“Miss Ming, these are my mothers. My Alpha mother, Lin Chenqing, and my Omega mother, Zuo Xiangjun.” After the introduction, Lin Wanshuang turned to her parents. “This is Miss Ming Jiao, the Alpha who saved me last night.”
Lin Chenqing stepped forward with a warm smile, exchanging pleasantries before gesturing for assistants to bring in gifts.
“Miss Ming, we are truly grateful for your help last night. Please, accept these tokens of our appreciation.”
Ming Jiao had recognized Lin Chenqing the moment she walked in. Anyone living in Jincheng would know her, the Chairperson of the Shunlin Group, a titan of the local business world.
Seeing the gifts, Ming Jiao didn’t refuse. In this world, accepting the gift was often the best way to put powerful people at ease.
“You’re too kind, Auntie. It was just a small thing. I’ll accept these, then.”
Lin Chenqing’s smile widened. She patted the edge of the bed. “Good girl. I heard from the doctor that you need more observation. Rest easy here, we’ll handle everything. We’ll make sure you leave here healthy.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” Ming Jiao replied, looking perfectly harmless.
While the two Alphas chatted, Zuo Xiangjun took Lin Wanshuang aside to wash some fruit. She pulled her daughter close, clearly unhappy. “Shuang shuang, why were you locking the door with her? An Alpha and an Omega alone…”
“Mom, didn’t you investigate her? She’s just an E-rank Alpha. She’s no threat, and she saved me.”
This only made Zuo Xiangjun more annoyed. “Don’t get me started! Why did you go to the North District yesterday without bodyguards? Do I need to remind you how dangerous that place is?”
Lin Wanshuang didn’t argue. Instead, she hugged her mother’s arm and swayed gently. “I know, I know. I won’t do it again. Don’t be mad, Mom.”
Zuo Xiangjun remained silent, staring at her daughter. She knew her all too well, admit the mistake now, do it again later.
Having been pampered since childhood, Lin Wanshuang was an expert at coaxing her mother. By the time they returned with the fruit platter, Zuo Xiangjun’s anger had vanished.
Lin Chenqing felt a wave of relief. If her wife stayed angry, it was usually her who got the lecture at home.
As seasoned socialites and business leaders, the two mothers kept the conversation flowing, making the small room feel harmonious.
Lin Wanshuang chewed on a piece of apple, her eyes darting between everyone in the room as she gauged the mood. Satisfied, she swallowed the last bit and stood up with great solemnity.
“I have an announcement to make.”
Lin Chenqing put down the fruit, turning her attention to her daughter. “What is it, Shuang shuang?”
Lin Wanshuang’s gaze swept across the three of them. She took a subtle step toward Ming Jiao’s bed, moving away from her mother, just in case.
Then, she dropped a bombshell that shook the room:
“I want to marry Ming Jiao!”