Yin Wei stood on the balcony, a lit cigarette in her right hand. She stared at the villa gate, taking an occasional drag.
The villa was lively today with many cars coming and going, none of which interested her.
After finishing the cigarette, she stubbed it out on the edge of the balcony, where small black stains had already formed.
She checked the time. It was 6:10 PM, and the dinner party would begin in fifty minutes.
“I knew you would be out here smoking.” A woman pushed the door open behind her.
The woman’s pheromones hit Yin Wei’s nose first; it was her Omega mother.
The woman walked to Yin Wei’s side, patted her shoulder, and adjusted her clothes. “Go and spray some perfume. You know your grandfather does not like you smoking.”
Yin Wei did not move. She stared downstairs and said indifferently, “It is not that he dislikes me smoking; he dislikes me as a person.”
The woman paused. “How can that be? You are his own granddaughter.”
“Oh,” Yin Wei sneered and glanced at the woman. “Do you not know why he dislikes me?”
The woman sighed, reached out, and touched her hair. “I know you resent me, but I have to consider your future. In this vast Yin family, we must satisfy your grandfather if we want to live well.”
Yin Wei turned around and said dismissively, “Save it.”
The iron gate downstairs opened again. A familiar car drove into the villa. Yin Wei finally softened her expression. The woman beside her saw it and smiled. “Even if not for your grandfather, do it for Xia Tingwang. Go and spray some perfume; she does not like the smell of smoke.”
This worked. Yin Wei turned and went into the room to select a perfume with a scent similar to her own pheromones. Her mother followed her in and sniffed near her. “Mm, that is fine. It is hard to smell it now.”
Yin Wei smiled. Seeing her in a better mood, the woman said, “If you like her, why not tell her? If you do not speak up, she will never belong to you.”
Yin Wei ignored her, turned, and went downstairs.
Inside the villa, lights flickered and voices buzzed. Yin Wei saw Xia Tingwang chatting warmly with her grandfather and several of her uncles in the living room.
The Yin family had eight grandchildren, all Alphas, and all were high achievers. Only Yin Wei’s Omega mother had been willful when she was young, indirectly causing the death of her Alpha mother. From then on, Old Master Yin had never looked at them properly. In the entire Yin family, she and her Omega mother were like transparent entities.
Yin Wei had never had the chance to converse happily with her grandfather or her uncles.
“You see,” her mother whispered in her ear. “Xia Tingwang is a lovable child and the only daughter of the Xia family. The entire Xia family belongs to her. If you could marry her.”
Her mother did not finish, but Yin Wei understood her meaning.
After taking over VW, Xia Tingwang gradually transformed from a young girl into a female executive. Her temperament changed drastically. She was not intimidated when dealing with Old Master Yin and other veteran businessmen; she handled herself perfectly. This was something Yin Wei wanted to learn but could not.
Xia Tingwang also saw her. She said a few words to the people around her and walked over to Yin Wei and her mother, greeting her, “Hello, Auntie.”
Yin Wei’s mother opened her arms to hug Xia Tingwang. “Hello, hello, you are such a good child.”
“Come,” Xia Tingwang tilted her head at Yin Wei. “Take me to see the flower garden.”
The flower garden was in the corner of the garden. An area of about five or ten square meters had been fenced off by Yin Wei. To be accurate, it was Xia Tingwang who had fenced it. In the Yin family, Yin Wei did not have the authority to claim a piece of land in the garden for private use.
More than a decade ago, when Xia Tingwang was still in middle school, she was a girl who loved flowers. However, because the Xia family had a grandfather who was allergic to pollen, their garden never grew any.
As a result, Xia Tingwang had taken a liking to the flowers in the Yin family’s garden. On a whim, she had fenced off a plot of land. No one dared to interfere with the area she claimed. This small plot had been preserved for over ten years; every time she visited the Yin family, Xia Tingwang would spend a long time fussing over it.
Even now that she was an adult, this habit had not changed, though she was no longer as restless as she was when she was a child.
The garden was enclosed with glass, forming a small glass house. Under the care of the Yin family’s servants, the flowers grew vibrantly. Now, even in winter, one could see flowers from all four seasons.
Xia Tingwang took off her coat and went in with a small watering can. Beside each type of flower was a small sign detailing how to care for it.
Yin Wei stood to the side, holding Xia Tingwang’s coat. Honestly, without Xia Tingwang, she almost never came to this garden. In the Yin family, she was an unloved child. Because of her mother’s past mistakes, she also seemed to have become a sinner.
However, Xia Tingwang, who was not a member of the Yin family, held a high status in this home. Everyone liked her, and her garden was treated as a top priority by the servants. Yin Wei dared not touch anything, fearing the servants would mistake the garden for hers.
Her close relationship with Xia Tingwang was due to them being the same age and classmates throughout middle and high school.
“Xia Tingwang is a lovable child and the only daughter of the Xia family. The entire Xia family belongs to her. If you could marry her.”
If I could marry Xia Tingwang.
Yin Wei admitted that this idea was very tempting.
Xia Tingwang put down the watering can and took out her phone to hand to Yin Wei. Yin Wei knew what that meant and tapped the camera to take a few photos for her.
“Since you like it so much,” Yin Wei said, “why not plant some at your home?”
Old Master Xia had been dead for four years. Without the elderly man with the allergy, there was no need to keep the Xia family’s garden empty.
“I am used to it,” Xia Tingwang said, moving the photos into a dedicated album. “There are trees in the garden that my grandfather planted. I do not want to change that.”
Xia Tingwang stood beside Yin Wei and sniffed lightly. “Did you smoke?”
Yin Wei subconsciously stepped back. She had not expected Xia Tingwang’s sense of smell to be so sharp. Knowing Xia Tingwang did not like the smell of smoke and wanting to explain, she watched as Xia Tingwang took the coat from her arms and walked out while putting it on. “Let us go to your bedroom. We need to hurry and discuss the research for the new products.”
Yin Wei paused. Xia Tingwang did not care why she smoked; the question just now had been asked casually.
The raw material company under the Yin family was a partner with VW, and Yin Wei was responsible for that sector.
In her bedroom, Xia Tingwang sat at the desk, flipping through the proposals on the table.
Her long hair was tucked behind her ear on one side and draped over her cheek on the other. A silver ring collar was set around her slender, fair neck.
“Why are you wearing an anti-bite collar?” Yin Wei asked.
“For safety,” Xia Tingwang said, turning a page. “Why is the price of water grains for the first quarter of next year increasing by 20%?”
“The raw material supplier changed. It used to be Country W, which was cheaper. This year, due to an earthquake, their harvest was poor, so they switched to Country D.”
Yin Wei sat beside her. She liked talking about work with Xia Tingwang; the way Xia Tingwang focused was professional and adorable.
The two of them easily lost track of time while discussing work until Yin Wei’s mother came up to call them down for dinner.
Today was the Laba Festival. In wealthy families, they loved to hold gatherings. One family would take the lead, and they would gather several closely related families to meet.
The leader of the Xia family was Xia Tingwang. Although she was young, the Xia family lineage was thin; now, Xia Tingwang was the only one left, making her the head of the Xia family.
Old Master Yin liked Xia Tingwang very much, and the elders of other families also cherished her. At the family gathering, she was the center of attention. At the long dining table, she sat right next to Old Master Yin.
Yin Wei and her mother sat at the end of the table. Watching Xia Tingwang from across the long table, she could not help but feel envious.
Not even the son of her eldest uncle—Old Master Yin’s eldest grandson—had sat in that seat next to him many times.
Though they were sitting at the same table, it felt as though there was a galaxy between them, a divide caused by their different statuses.
Her mother cut a piece of fish steak and placed it on her plate, whispering, “I heard the Old Master wants Yin Chong to marry Tingwang. He also plans to let Yin Chong take her on a vacation to Ting Island during the New Year to seize the opportunity to cultivate feelings.”
Yin Chong was Yin Wei’s eldest cousin, the eldest grandson of the Yin family, and the Old Master’s favorite. Yin Chong had been busy with his career abroad for many years. Before the year ended, he was injured abroad and was ordered by the Old Master to return home, eventually being put in charge of the company in China.
“Yin Chong has been abroad for over a decade and is not close to her,” her mother said. “In the whole Yin family, she is closest to you. You have already seized the advantage, so you must hold on tight. If you miss out on her, there is no one more outstanding than her.”
Yin Wei turned her head and looked across the long table at Xia Tingwang. Xia Tingwang was accustomed to such scenes; she was poised, calm, and dignified.
Yin Wei ate her fish steak, but it tasted like nothing.
After dinner, there was a tea-tasting party. Xia Tingwang did not like tea and could not bring herself to enjoy it. She glanced at her watch; it was nearly 10:00 PM. She found an excuse to go home.
Old Master Yin smiled. “Chong, take Tingwang home.”
Yin Chong stood up, but Xia Tingwang directly refused. “Thank you, Grandpa Yin, but I am not feeling very well today.”
She clutched her stomach, looking as if she were in pain, and stammered. Old Master Yin was stunned, but he quickly understood, it was that time of the month that female Omegas experienced.
“It is grandfather’s oversight,” Old Master Yin said. “Then hurry home, Tingwang. Travel safely.”
Xia Tingwang left the Yin residence, clutching her stomach in apparent pain. Once she sat in the car, her pained expression instantly returned to normal.
She hated crowded occasions and the mechanical, insincere voices surrounding her, but these people also harbored a goodwill she could not refuse. This reluctant companionship was her limit.
She could not wait to open her tablet and pull up the recording of Sang Ying’s previous live stream.
“Good evening, everyone.”
The raspy voice was like a clear spring flowing through Xia Tingwang’s heart, comfortable and refreshing.