Duan Jinwei was originally an intern doctor whose duty was to look after patients in various hospital beds. She had just breathed a sigh of relief after stepping out of Qiao Jiao’s ward, but when she heard the nurse ask her to go back in, her whole world felt like it was crumbling.
Duan Jinwei bit the bullet, walked to the door of Qiao Jiao’s ward, knocked gently, and whispered, “Miss Qiao, hello.”
Relax.
When doing her rounds earlier, since Qiao Jiao didn’t expose her on the spot, it meant the woman wasn’t pursuing what happened that day.
As long as she wasn’t pursuing it, they could just pretend it never happened.
“Come in,” Qiao Jiao’s voice came from inside the room.
Duan Jinwei pushed the door open and walked in, keeping a stiff smile on her face. “Miss Qiao, is there something you need?”
Qiao Jiao asked, “Not calling me ‘older sister’ anymore?”
Duan Jinwei: “…”
Qiao Jiao’s gaze slowly swept over Duan Jinwei.
The white coat, the name tag, the girl’s delicate face, those glasses, and, the tips of her ears, which were beet red.
“Change the dressing,” Qiao Jiao reminded her softly.
This kind of simple work should normally have been handled by a nurse.
Yet, Duan Jinwei immediately stepped forward to check Qiao Jiao’s wound. She was extremely focused and careful, exceptionally gentle when peeling off the old dressing. She lifted the adhesive edges little by little, peeling them away bit by bit without touching any sensitive areas, and her movements were tender while disinfecting.
The moment the liquid medication dropped, Duan Jinwei softly reminded her, “Let me know if it hurts.”
Qiao Jiao could smell the clean, fruity scent coming off the other person.
Does it hurt? Duan Jinwei asked.
“It doesn’t seem to hurt as much as the bite the other day,” Qiao Jiao said casually.
Duan Jinwei’s hand trembled slightly.
I must act completely nonchalant. Anyway, since she didn’t bring it up, that incident never happened.
Qiao Jiao leaned against the pillow with her arms crossed, coldly watching the young doctor in front of her as her fingertips gently tapped on her knee.
Even though changing a dressing was a very simple task, Duan Jinwei felt that these short five minutes were even longer than performing surgery.
Cold sweat welled up on her forehead.
Just as Duan Jinwei finished changing the dressing and wanted to quickly slip away, Qiao Jiao’s voice came from behind: “Stop right there.”
Qiao Jiao stood up and walked toward her step by step.
Duan Jinwei’s face turned pale in an instant.
Her heart thumped wildly. Subconsciously, Duan Jinwei stepped back. The door was just a step away behind her, as long as she moved a little faster, she could escape this ward.
Qiao Jiao raised her hand to press against the wall beside her, and with her other hand, she locked the door with a click.
Duan Jinwei’s back of the head pressed against the door. She widened her eyes and stared blankly at Qiao Jiao.
Qiao Jiao said, “Let’s talk about what happened the other day.”
In the empty ward, the woman stared quietly at her, her gaze feeling almost tangible.
Cold sweat slid down Duan Jinwei’s back.
She stared blankly at Qiao Jiao for a long while. For some reason, her legs felt terribly weak, and she slid down a few inches against the wall.
Her voice involuntarily took on a hint of a cry: “Sister, I’m sorry…”
Qiao Jiao was slightly stunned.
She had anticipated many scenarios.
For instance, Duan Jinwei might use saving her life as leverage or demand favors. Qiao Jiao wasn’t someone who liked owing others anything, so the matter from that day needed some kind of conclusion.
She just hadn’t expected this reaction from the kid.
Qiao Jiao asked, “Why are you saying sorry?”
Duan Jinwei: “I did something wrong…”
Qiao Jiao found it rather amusing, her voice softening a bit: “Where do you think you went wrong?”
Duan Jinwei stammered, “I… I…”
Qiao Jiao stood right in front of her, looking down from above. Those beautiful peach-blossom eyes curved with amusement, their gaze calm and light.
She was like the white porcelain pieces Duan Jinwei had seen in museums before, possessing a mature temperament, elegant and full of spine. Although sharp, that edge was neatly wrapped in a soft mask.
Duan Jinwei only felt her throat tie up again. She struggled for a long time, but not a single word came out.
Suddenly, the door behind her was knocked on urgently.
“Qiao-jie? Qiao-jie?”
“Are you inside?”
It was Cui Yi’an, Qiao Jiao’s assistant. The knocking was truly impossible to ignore. Qiao Jiao glanced at Duan Jinwei, reached out to grip the girl’s arm, and pulled her up from the floor.
The moment her fingertips touched her, she paused slightly.
What surprised Qiao Jiao was the girl’s arm.
Duan Jinwei was very thin, but she was an Alpha. Alpha physiological traits made it hard for them not to grow muscle. Yet while Duan Jinwei looked slender, touching her arm yielded mostly bone.
Without showing it, Qiao Jiao sized up Duan Jinwei once more.
The little Alpha looked soft and gentle, the spitting image of someone easy to bully. It seemed that really was the case.
Qiao Jiao asked, “What time do you get off work tonight?”
Duan Jinwei replied, “P-probably after eleven.”
“Okay.” Qiao Jiao nodded slightly. “Come find me when you’re off.”
Before Duan Jinwei could even react, her body had already responded a step ahead of her brain: “Okay.”
Duan Jinwei mentally cursed herself.
Why do I never know how to refuse whenever I face Sister Qiao?
I clearly have a thousand reasons not to come…
Qiao Jiao opened the door, and Duan Jinwei immediately squeezed through and out.
Cui Yi’an stood there looking completely stunned.
Qiao Jiao had no intention of explaining whatsoever. She turned around, returned to the bed, and wearily rubbed her brow. “What is it?”
“Qiao-jie, a notification just came down from the station. They said there’s an impromptu discussion meeting for a new media reform plan. Lu Yang specifically instructed and named you, saying your attendance is absolute, that you’re the project lead for this meeting, and it can’t happen without you, you have to go right now.”
She paused, glanced at Qiao Jiao’s slightly pale complexion, and added in a soft voice:
“I just went to check the meeting room area. Aside from a few leaders, Lu Yang and two other newly arrived male anchors are all there… The pheromones mixed in that hallway are a total mess. With your current health…”
“Tell them to postpone the meeting for two days,” Qiao Jiao said. “I’ll go over once I’ve contacted a marker.”
That night, Duan Jinwei was so busy she didn’t even have time to eat.
By the time she finished everything, it was already 10:50 PM.
Mindful of the time she had agreed on with Qiao Jiao and worried about being late, Duan Jinwei hurried over to the VIP inpatient building.
When she saw Qiao Jiao, she paused slightly.
Qiao Jiao had changed into casual clothes suitable for going out and was sitting by the window working on her laptop. Seeing Duan Jinwei enter, Qiao Jiao closed her laptop and asked, “Have you eaten?”
Only then did Duan Jinwei realize how starved she was.
“…No.”
Qiao Jiao said, “Let’s go outside and grab a bite.”
Outside the Second Affiliated Hospital of A University, a red plastic running track had been built, and beyond the railing lay the moonlight-shimmering sea. A faint ocean scent drifted through the air.
Since it was approaching midnight, there weren’t many people on the track. Duan Jinwei could practically hear her own heartbeat, feeling as though it might shatter her ribcage. She had never spent time alone with a woman like Qiao Jiao before, daring not to look at the other person, she could only keep her head lowered.
She had no idea what the woman wanted to do by taking her out at this hour.
Unable to help herself, Duan Jinwei glanced up at the moon hanging in the sky.
Dark night, high winds, a great time for murder and body disposal.
For some reason, this thought popped into Duan Jinwei’s head, making her spine feel chilled.
The two of them arrived at a 24-hour convenience store.
Qiao Jiao bought a bowl of oden and a cup of hot soy milk. Not knowing what kind of food Duan Jinwei liked, she bought a little bit of everything. Duan Jinwei gasped at the sight of this “luxury version” of oden, but didn’t dare say anything, pulling out her phone to pay with a heart full of heartache.
Then she heard a “ding” beside her.
Qiao Jiao had scanned the QR code and paid the bill.
Duan Jinwei froze.
Qiao Jiao sat down on the bench inside the convenience store, propping her chin with one hand, tilted her head slightly toward the seat, and said softly, “Eat first.”
Duan Jinwei was indeed starving. Because of her hectic work schedule recently, she ate without any regularity whatsoever, sometimes just making do with a steamed bun for a meal. She had no idea how long it had been since she’d had a proper meal.
Holding the fragrant, steaming bowl of oden, Duan Jinwei swallowed hard.
She handed a portion over to Qiao Jiao.
“Sister, you eat first.”
Qiao Jiao was stunned for a moment.
She shook her head. “I’m not eating.”
Duan Jinwei had no choice but to eat by herself.
Qiao Jiao sat beside her, propping her chin on one hand, quietly watching her.
The steaming oden fogged up the lenses of the girl’s glasses.
When people eat, their sense of defense always tends to lower a bit.
Qiao Jiao cleared her throat and said, “First of all, I want to thank you.”
“If it weren’t for you that day, my physical condition would have been much worse.” Qiao Jiao paused, then added, “And the Alpha who was attracted by me outside the private room, you helped with that too. For all of this, thank you.”
Duan Jinwei: “Cough, cough…”
She choked, struggling to swallow what was in her mouth, her eye rims turning flushed from holding her breath.
She looked nervously at Qiao Jiao, but everything was a blur through the fogged lenses, making it impossible to see the other’s face.
Clumsily, Duan Jinwei took off her glasses, revealing a pair of clear, beautiful eyes that looked timidly at the woman before her.
Because they were close, every detail became clear.
Qiao Jiao was slightly taken aback.
Duan Jinwei’s eyes were very pretty, her pupils a deep shade of brown. The outer corners of her eyes drooped slightly, giving her an innocent look, and when she gazed at someone by squinting just a bit, she looked like a puppy.
Qiao Jiao said calmly, “The day I called you to meet me, it was because of a misunderstanding. I’m truly sorry. From start to finish, this whole thing was Xiao Yi’s fault, and I’ve already disciplined her. For causing you trouble, I’m apologizing on her behalf.”
Duan Jinwei was stunned: “It’s nothing…”
Perhaps it was the late hour, or perhaps the woman’s tone was so gentle, she had rarely heard such gentle words in her entire life. The bridge of Duan Jinwei’s nose grew sore, her eye rims heating up as she fought back the tears threatening to spill.
Qiao Jiao looked at her and thought:
Is this kid really an Alpha?
No wonder Xiao Yi used to complain to her all the time, saying she didn’t have half an Alpha’s presence.
Timely, Qiao Jiao changed the subject: “Your technique was also very good.”
Duan Jinwei looked at her in a daze, her ear tips instantly exploding into a blush, feeling so embarrassed and restless she didn’t know where to sit: “No, no.”
“The marking that day, I actually wasn’t very professional at all, and many steps were handled poorly. I…”
A very faint trace of a smile flickered in the depths of Qiao Jiao’s eyes: “I meant your medical skills.”
“Changing the patient’s dressings and communicating were both handled very well.”
Duan Jinwei: “…”
She clenched the hem of her clothes, lowered her head, and felt her ears burning as if they were about to catch fire.
Yet over the years in the workplace, Qiao Jiao had seen plenty of self-righteous, aggressive Alphas.
Duan Jinwei was the first Alpha of her kind she had ever encountered, and to her surprise, she didn’t dislike it at all.
“As for what you said about the marking, you’re a beginner, so that’s understandable. It’s inevitable not to be skilled the first time around, but at least the end result was good.”
Facing the sea breeze, Qiao Jiao tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and suddenly asked, “Would you have any interest in becoming my Alpha pheromone marker?”