Jiang Manru tossed her phone onto the bed, fell backward, and sank into the soft quilt with a smile still lingering at the corners of her lips.
[Don’t make it sound so harsh. You were chosen as the preferred option.]
When she sent that message, she could imagine the expression on Bai Yue’s face, first looking slightly stunned, and then curling into that familiar, slightly roguish smile of hers.
The legend of Lost.
A veteran of the romance game.
Now she had her wrapped around her little finger.
Jiang Manru rolled over, buried her face in the pillow, and her shoulders shook with laughter.
This is too interesting.
That Alpha who ran the show at Lost, that Bai Yue who supposedly never stayed for anyone, was now chasing after her, sending messages, giving badges, sitting at the bar waiting for her.
She was so clumsy at chasing someone.
But also:
A little cute.
Jiang Manru laughed her fill, rolled over, and stared at the ceiling.
Her phone was tossed to the side, the screen still glowing. In that chat box, the last message was the one she had sent, and Bai Yue hadn’t replied yet.
What was she doing?
Still sitting stupidly at Lost?
Or did she go home in a rage?
Jiang Manru turned on her side, picked up her phone, and glanced at the chat box again.
No new messages.
She yawned, getting ready to sleep. Just as she was about to switch back to her phone’s home screen, the phone buzzed.
[You said it, next rut you’ll help me.]
Jiang Manru looked at these words and curved the corners of her lips.
Still dwelling on that?
She typed: [Sure.]
The other side replied almost instantly: [Then no need to wait for next time, let’s do it today.]
Jiang Manru was slightly stunned.
Today?
She checked the time, it was almost eleven.
What nonsense was this person talking about?
She typed: [Now?]
Bai Yue replied very quickly: [There’s a newly released reagent called “Ash.” Heard of it?]
Jiang Manru stared at that name, her brows furrowing slightly.
Ash.
She had heard of it.
It was heavily hyped on the black market, rumored to force an Alpha into a rut, with an effect three times more violent than a natural cycle.
But the risks were also high, including pheromone disorder, gland damage, and in severe cases, it could permanently affect marking ability.
She typed: [Heard of it. What about it?]
Bai Yue: [I’m waiting for you at our usual spot.]
Jiang Manru looked at these words and was stunned for several seconds.
She gave a speechless laugh.
Injecting reagents? Forced estrus?
Who was she trying to fool?
To hook her out, this person really dared to say anything.
Jiang Manru rolled over and pressed her phone face down on the pillow.
She couldn’t be bothered with her.
She had seen this kind of trick too many times.
When an Alpha is chasing an Omega, what harsh words wouldn’t they dare say? What risks wouldn’t they dare take?
But when it actually came down to doing it, they were each more cowardly than the last.
Things like “I might die if you don’t come” and “I bet on whether you care about me or not” were all routine.
Jiang Manru closed her eyes.
Ignore it.
Let her wait.
Once she realized she couldn’t wait around for anyone, she would naturally slink back home.
Sleepiness washed over her again.
Jiang Manru shrank deeper into the quilt, finding a comfortable position.
Half asleep, a thought flashed through her mind. What if? What if Bai Yue really did it?
No, impossible.
No one would be this crazy.
She rolled over and forced that thought down.
The usual spot.
That hotel, that top floor suite.
When Bai Yue swiped her card and entered the door, it was exactly five minutes past midnight. The room was identical to the day she left. The living room, the bedroom, the floor to ceiling windows, and that bed.
She walked over to the window, looking out at the city’s night view.
Thousands of lights, dotted like stars.
Just like that night.
Bai Yue sat down on the sofa.
In her hand, that reagent gleamed coldly under the light.
She had asked someone to get this from the black market. The person who developed it was said to be a madman. Its effects were more violent than any suppressant, half of the people who used it suffered from pheromone disorders for three months, and two people went straight to the hospital.
Should she bet? Bet that person couldn’t bear to see her die. Bet that she would be willing to open the door just like that night in the Maldives.
If she came:
Then this game would enter its next round.
If she didn’t come:
Bai Yue twirled the reagent between her fingertips.
Time ticked by, second by second.
There was still no movement at the door.
Bai Yue took out her phone and glanced at the chat box.
The last message was the one she sent.
No reply.
She checked the time again, forty-three minutes past midnight.
Bai Yue leaned against the sofa, closing her eyes.
Images of that night surfaced in her mind, including the laughter in the dark, those shockingly bright eyes, and the intoxicating scent of white peaches.
[Next rut, I’ll help you out too.]
The text in the chat box automatically turned into a familiar voice in her mind, carrying mockery and the laughter of someone in total control.
Help.
Was this her idea of help?
Making her sit here all alone and wait bitterly?
Bai Yue opened her eyes, looked at the reagent, and suddenly felt like laughing.
Sitting in this hotel in the middle of the night, waiting for someone whose face she hadn’t even clearly seen. The other person was probably just using her to pass the time during her estrus period, and saying she would help next time was just a polite refusal.
She wasn’t coming here at all.
Bai Yue knew her act couldn’t go on any longer. But the next second, the corners of her mouth curved again. In that curve, there was self-mockery, madness, and a kind of excitement unique to a gambler.
If she didn’t come, she didn’t come.
At worst, she would suffer for a few days.
At worst, she would end up in the hospital.
Right at that moment:
Her phone suddenly rang, shattering the quiet of the night in the room.
The characters “Jiang Manru” danced across the screen.
Bai Yue frowned.
At this hour, she should be sleeping. Why was she calling?
Bai Yue stared at the screen, not picking up.
The ringtone was exceptionally harsh in the quiet room.
One ring. Two rings. Three rings.
Bai Yue didn’t move. She looked at that name, and a nameless feeling welled up in her heart.
It was irritation. It was annoyance. It was the impatience of wondering why someone would call at a time like this.
The call hung up, and the room plunged back into silence.
Bai Yue flipped her phone over, pressing it face down on the sofa.
The phone rang again.
It was still Jiang Manru.
Bai Yue’s brows furrowed even deeper.
She reached out and turned her phone to silent.
The screen lit up and went dark, lit up and went dark.
Finally, it stopped.
Bai Yue leaned against the sofa, staring at the ceiling. The only sounds in the quiet room were the low hum of the air conditioner and the faint city noise from outside the window.
She suddenly thought of a question: if that person never came, how long was she going to wait?
She didn’t know. All she knew was that right now, she didn’t want to leave.
Not because she was still waiting, but because she didn’t want to admit she had lost.
Bai Yue picked up the reagent once more, unscrewed the cap, and the transparent liquid gleamed faintly under the light. She stared at that reagent for a long time.
Then, she screwed the cap back on and tossed it onto the coffee table.
She wasn’t going to play anymore.
It was pointless.
She leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes. Only one thought remained in her mind: that person wasn’t coming.
One thirty-one.
The doorbell rang.
Bai Yue snapped her eyes open.
She thought she had misheard.
The doorbell rang a second time.
Bai Yue sat on the sofa, not moving.
The doorbell didn’t ring again. But the person who pressed it should still be outside the door.
Bai Yue slowly stood up and walked over to the entrance.
She didn’t open the door immediately. Instead, she leaned against the doorframe and asked, “Who is it?”