On one side was her fiancée, who was betraying her. If Shen Yuwei stepped forward now, she could point at Guan Qing in front of everyone and confront her. It would help repair her ruined reputation.
On the other side was Ling Jiao, who had once used shameless tricks to pursue her, but after the aphrodisiac incident, had started acting completely differently. Ling Jiao had protected her, stood up to her father Shen Zhiwen for her, and mocked the pretentious Shen Xiaoxiao in her defense.
Who should she choose?
Guan Qing stood beside Wang Ruo and stepped closer, her eyes filled with sadness and loss.
“Are you trying to test me, to see whether I truly love you?”
So that was it. There was no such thing as a miracle falling from the sky. It had been a setup from the start. But why had Wang Ruo gone along with it? Wasn’t Shen Yuwei no longer the heiress of the Shen family? Why would Wang Ruo help her?
Shouldn’t she have looked down on her and kicked her while she was down?
Now that Shen Yuwei had lost her title, she was just a bit more beautiful and capable than the average Omega. Having a few genuine friends wasn’t impossible, but it was certainly rare.
That thought helped Guan Qing feel a little less guilty. But when she saw Ling Jiao tightly holding Shen Yuwei’s hand, stopping her from leaving, her anger spiked.
“You set me up, and you still had the nerve to come to a couples’ restaurant with her?”
Shen Yuwei looked at her coldly.
The warmth in her gaze that had once held emotion and self-restraint was gone. What remained was sharp and distant. She let out a soft laugh.
“Then what were you doing here with Wang Ruo at the same restaurant?”
Beside her, Ling Jiao was clearly struggling. Her breathing was labored and rough.
“Let’s go,” she urged in a strained voice.
Shen Yuwei decided not to waste time fighting with Guan Qing. She quickly helped Ling Jiao out of the restaurant, half supporting and half carrying her. Not far away, Ling Jiao’s black car was parked outside.
Last time, Shen Yuwei had been the one who lost control.
She didn’t remember much of it, but seeing Ling Jiao like this now, she finally understood how bad it must have been. Ling Jiao clung to her, rubbed against her, and even tried to bite her neck.
A clear-headed Ling Jiao would never act like that.
Even though the walk to the car was short, barely a hundred steps, Shen Yuwei was drenched in sweat by the time they got there. Carrying a burning-hot body against her made her feel like she was being cooked.
When they reached the car, she reached around Ling Jiao’s waist, trying to find the key.
That happened to be Ling Jiao’s most ticklish spot. She started laughing uncontrollably. In the midst of her laughter, she managed to recover a little clarity and sighed.
“The keys are in my pocket. Why are you grabbing my waist?”
Shen Yuwei didn’t answer. Her expression was flat.
What kind of Omega kept their car keys in their pants pocket?
She reached into Ling Jiao’s pocket, pulled out the keys, unlocked the car, and pushed Ling Jiao inside.
Ling Jiao looked like she was suffering. Her entire body was burning. She would have given anything to jump into a tub of ice water.
While driving, Shen Yuwei asked her, “Where do you want to go? Back to your family home or to your personal doctor?”
“Will a suppressant patch work?”
Ling Jiao struggled to speak. “Take me to your hotel.”
She held back the urge to grab Shen Yuwei during the car ride. When they finally arrived, Shen Yuwei helped her up to the third floor. Ling Jiao’s pheromones were so strong that Shen Yuwei’s legs were shaking. If not for her determination, she would have abandoned the whole situation and run.
Once she got Ling Jiao onto the bed, Shen Yuwei grabbed her phone and called Wan Qing.
“Wan Qing, get her family doctor to come to the hotel right now.”
Wan Qing was startled but didn’t ask questions. She immediately called the doctor.
“What? Right now? I’m still out of town for work. I can send one of my colleagues instead.”
It would take at least fifteen to twenty minutes for the doctor to arrive.
An Alpha’s susceptibility period could start at any moment and was almost impossible to control. The effect of pheromones on Alphas was much stronger than an Omega’s heat, increasing in intensity several times over.
After settling Ling Jiao on the bed, Shen Yuwei went downstairs to the front desk and asked for as many large ice packs as possible. She was trying to use physical methods to cool Ling Jiao down and reduce the effects of the drug.
But it wasn’t enough.
The last time Ling Jiao helped her through a heat episode, she had been forced to soak in cold water for over two hours. Trying to resolve the situation quickly this time was practically impossible.
Ling Jiao sat up on the bed in a daze. Waves of heat rushed over her again and again, leaving her drenched in sweat. She fanned herself with one hand while trying to unbutton her shirt with the other.
Shen Yuwei watched, overwhelmed, unsure where to start with the ice packs. She tied Ling Jiao’s wrists together with a rope, knelt on the bed to hold her down, and placed one ice pack on her forehead and another on her waist.
Ling Jiao smacked her lips, feeling like something was missing in her mouth. She leaned forward and tried to bite Shen Yuwei’s arm. Shen Yuwei reacted quickly, stuffing a lollipop into her mouth.
But Ling Jiao was still suffering. Tears welled up in her eyes. She started whining, asking for hugs and kisses. When she didn’t get them, she threw a tantrum, flailing and crying like a child.
As she waved her arms around, her elbow hit a drink cup nearby. The lid hadn’t been secured properly.
The cold red drink splashed all over Shen Yuwei’s face.
Drops slid down her skin like little rivulets. Against her pale complexion, the liquid made her look hauntingly beautiful, like something out of a dream.
Shen Yuwei licked her lips unconsciously and glanced at Ling Jiao.
Ling Jiao stared at her in awe, stunned by the unexpected beauty.
Shen Yuwei thought she had finally calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief.
She collapsed beside her on the bed, gasping for air like a fish out of water. Her heart was pounding, her body soaked in sweat.
Ling Jiao took advantage of the moment. She easily freed herself from the rope and threw herself on top of Shen Yuwei.
Shen Yuwei tried to push her away but couldn’t.
Ling Jiao let out a soft sound, buried her face in Shen Yuwei’s neck, and gently bit down. Then she licked the skin tenderly. A bead of red drink slid from Shen Yuwei’s cheek to her ear, and Ling Jiao caught it with her mouth.
Then she softly sucked on Shen Yuwei’s earlobe.
Cool and sweet.
Shen Yuwei shuddered from head to toe. Her heart, which had just started to calm down, pounded wildly again. A wave of tingling heat spread from her neck outward, turning her ears bright red.
She could even feel her own Omega pheromones starting to release from the back of her neck. That one innocent lick had already triggered her scent.
This couldn’t go on.
She fought to get free. Ling Jiao held her tightly and nuzzled her cheek, whispering,
“So sweet.”
Just one bite. All she needed to do was sink her teeth into the back of Shen Yuwei’s neck, and the mark would be made.
Shen Yuwei shook her head, her breathing uneven.
“No. You can’t.”
“Sister… you can’t.”
The closer she got, the harder it was for Ling Jiao to hold back. She heard Shen Yuwei’s gentle plea, and obediently stopped. She only pressed her cheek lightly against her and rubbed in small circles, craving comfort like a thirsty person sipping poison.
An intense surge of electricity shot through Shen Yuwei’s mind.
It was both threatening and intimate.
Hot breath touched the back of her neck and sent shivers down her spine.
Just as they were about to lose control completely, the doorbell rang.
Shen Yuwei snapped back to reality. She quickly fixed her clothes and went to open the door.
A beta doctor wearing gold-rimmed glasses looked inside.
“No bite mark, I hope?”
Shen Yuwei finally exhaled and nodded. She stepped aside and invited her in.
The bed was in complete disarray, with large patches of water stains clearly visible. The air was thick with pheromones, almost solid in presence. Even a beta, who usually could not sense pheromones at all, found it difficult to handle.
The beta doctor let out a sigh and said, “This is really too intense.”
Shen Yuwei felt extremely embarrassed.
The doctor stepped forward and gave Ling Jiao, who was already becoming restless and aggressive, a suppressant injection. When that failed to calm her, he administered another dose. Then he handed Shen Yuwei a pheromone suppression patch.
Just like any skilled doctor, he observed, asked questions, and diagnosed the situation.
“What exactly happened?” The beta doctor adjusted his glasses. “A colleague told me that this isn’t even Ling Jiao’s scheduled heat period. If it’s not caused by her own cycle, then it must have been triggered by something external.”
Shen Yuwei, cradling her arm that had just been bitten, tried to recall everything seriously.
Something external?
At the restaurant, all she remembered was Ling Jiao drinking a cup of coconut jelly milk. Could that have been the problem?
But other people drank it too. Why didn’t the other Alphas enter heat early?
Could it be someone from Ling Jiao’s past who held a grudge and wanted to make a fool of her? That didn’t seem right either.
“Where were you just now?” the doctor asked.
Shen Yuwei named the upscale restaurant they had been to.
The doctor paused for a moment before replying, “Alright, I guess I should just explain it directly.”
“That Western-style restaurant has a couple’s meal promotion. They add a mild stimulant to the complimentary coconut jelly milk. It’s similar to how some people drink milk tea and end up with insomnia. It’s not illegal or anything harmful.”
Shen Yuwei looked confused.
There was actually something like that?
The beta doctor continued, “The amount they add is very small and usually harmless. It would not cause any problems unless Ling Jiao had recently gone through a heat period without any relief.”
“If she had experienced that, then even a small stimulant like the one in the coconut jelly milk could trigger another reaction.”
Shen Yuwei was speechless.
It felt like she had just been blamed out of nowhere.
Ling Jiao’s last heat had been triggered by Shen Yuwei’s pheromones, and it only calmed down after she soaked in cold water. So, this time, was it also her responsibility?
The doctor noticed her silence and gave a small smile. “The suppressant I gave her can only delay the onset of her heat. It’s like treating the symptom, not the root cause. If this continues, Ling Jiao might eventually lose her ability to sense pheromones at all.”
“That is what we refer to as physical abstinence.”
“Also, you need to understand that once an Alpha enters a heat period, whether it is triggered or naturally occurring, it usually cannot be resolved with just one episode. A few days from now, Ling Jiao could go into heat again.”
They couldn’t rely on cold water every time.
“If it really becomes unmanageable,” the doctor said kindly, “you might consider finding a suitable Omega for her.”
Shen Yuwei nodded with a heavy heart. “Alright, I understand.”
After the doctor left, Shen Yuwei began pacing in the room. She thought to herself that if Ling Jiao was going to experience another heat cycle in a few days, this was not a long-term solution.
Ling Jiao had a number of rumored Omega flings in the past. Maybe she could try contacting one of them?
In the evening, Ling Jiao woke up.
It felt like she had been through a serious illness. As soon as she opened her eyes, she sneezed a few times and sniffled. “Yuwei?” she called out, her voice hoarse.
Ling Jiao froze.
Shen Yuwei turned on the light and looked at her from a short distance away, cautiously observing her.
“Do you remember what happened this afternoon?”
Shen Yuwei touched the back of her neck. She could still feel the sensation where Ling Jiao had lightly bitten her. In the past, she had disliked physical closeness with anyone other than Guan Qing. Even with Guan Qing, despite being together and engaged for so long, they had never crossed certain boundaries.
Whenever Guan Qing tried to get intimate, Shen Yuwei would turn away. Guan Qing would complain and say things like, “You’re way too conservative.”
But Shen Yuwei could not ignore how every inch of her skin reacted with discomfort and resistance.
She used to believe that once they got married and became husband and wife, maybe she would become desensitized and used to it. So, she never considered whether it was just that Guan Qing wasn’t the right person, and that was why she rejected everyone else’s touch.
Only today did Shen Yuwei suddenly realize she did not dislike Ling Jiao’s whimpering, her clinginess, her desire to press close, or even her attempts to mark her.
It turned out she did not hate physical intimacy.
Maybe she had simply never met the right person.
She had no logical explanation for this feeling.
Ling Jiao’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and she held her breath.
She remembered everything she had done. Not only did she remember, but it replayed vividly in her mind like a high-resolution movie. No matter how hard she tried, she could not forget it.
She had acted spoiled, begged for kisses and comfort, refused to let go, and insisted on biting her neck.
Just thinking about the whole scene made her feel unbearably embarrassed.
It was like a stampede of wild horses running through her mind.
Ling Jiao couldn’t help but admire her completely irrational self. The fact that she had dared to challenge danger head-on, like plucking a tiger’s whiskers, was bold to the point of insanity. She had been dancing on the edge of death without a care.
“It was an accident,” Ling Jiao said as she took a deep breath, her expression serious and sincere. “It won’t happen again. If it does, just knock me out. I promise I won’t blame you. Don’t worry.”
However, Ling Jiao couldn’t help but worry about how hard the blow would be.
“No matter what, hit me gently. I’m really scared of pain.”
Shen Yuwei pressed her lips together. Ling Jiao’s obvious desire to distance herself left her feeling slightly unsettled. The Ling Jiao of the past would have been thrilled to be physically close to her. Now, after some real contact, Ling Jiao acted as if she were trying to avoid something dirty.
“We’ll talk about it next time,” Shen Yuwei replied coolly.
“Why did you take me to that Western restaurant today?” Ling Jiao asked. “And how did it just so happen that Wang Ruo and Guan Qing were there?”
“How did your earbuds pick up their voices? Are you not going to explain?”
Ling Jiao was completely straightforward. She didn’t bother to hide it. “Yes, I did it on purpose. The moment Wang Ruo called out, Guan Qing came right out with her. Isn’t that ridiculous? She already has a fiancée, yet she still doesn’t keep her distance from other Omegas. If this happened back in my hometown, she’d be tossed into the river for it.”
Being tossed into the river might be a bit much.
Shen Yuwei thought to herself, Could you at least pretend to be subtle?
Ling Jiao said, “I just don’t think Guan Qing is right for you.”
Shen Yuwei couldn’t hold back. “How would you know that? You’ve never dated her. I’m the one who knows whether she suits me or not.”
“You lent her six hundred thousand yuan, and she still hasn’t paid you back.”
Ling Jiao looked weak, but her voice was firm. “And she’s still flirting around with other Omegas. That is not what a good Alpha should do.”
“A good Alpha?” Shen Yuwei asked, puzzled. “Is that a new term?”
Ling Jiao nodded seriously. “A good Alpha only treats their partner well. They stay close to only their own Omega, don’t get involved with others, don’t smile at other Omegas, don’t two-time, don’t wear revealing clothes, never go shirtless, and absolutely no pre-marital intimacy.”
That description made Shen Yuwei burst into laughter.
“No Alpha can live up to all that.”
She gave a slightly self-deprecating smile. “These days, just showing basic respect for Omegas and not being a chauvinist is already pretty rare.”
Ling Jiao huffed. “I can do it.”
Shen Yuwei sighed softly. “Then your future wife will be very lucky.”
Ling Jiao spoke with solemn confidence. “As long as you leave Guan Qing, I promise I will help you find a trustworthy Alpha. Someone just like me, with outstanding character and morals.”
Shen Yuwei took it as a joke and didn’t think much of it.
After all, Guan Qing had so easily decided to break off their engagement, despite all the years they had spent together. Shen Yuwei should have seen it coming. Lately, Guan Qing had been saying she was too busy to visit, and she never brought up the money she borrowed. Maybe she had already decided to end things.
Perhaps it all started the moment Shen Yuwei stopped being Shen Zhiwen’s daughter.
In the past, Shen Yuwei never assumed the worst of anyone. But now, everything had been confirmed by Guan Qing herself. The decision was made, the words were spoken. It would be rude to pretend otherwise.
“Yao’er,” Ling Jiao said gently, “staying in a hotel like this isn’t a solution. I already talked to my parents about inviting a friend to stay for a while, and they agreed. All that’s left is for you to say yes.”
“Would you be willing to come home with me?”