Xie Yuqi had just put away her phone when she heard a magnetic, pleasant female voice coming from behind her.
“Xiao Qi, long time no see.”
She turned around and saw a beautiful, vaguely familiar face.
The Alpha standing before her wore a deep V black evening gown. Her tall, striking figure stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens within the crowd of wealthy socialites. Her waterfall like dark hair had been meticulously styled into a high, sleek, and trendy updo, revealing a long, beautiful neck. A hint of cleavage was visible. She carried a powerful aura, noble and elegant, making it easy to overlook the massive ruby resting on her collarbone. Her cold, glamorous facial features leaned slightly harsh, but the look she directed at Xie Yuqi was imbued with a gentle smile, giving her a unique, captivating charm.
Xie Yuqi’s pupils contracted slightly.
Xia Li? Why was she here? Hadn’t she been abroad for many years?
A hand rested gently on her shoulder, and the magnetic female voice drew close to her ear. “What, don’t you recognize your Li-jiejie anymore?”
The voice was low, warm, and laced with a hint of amusement.
As if startled, Xie Yuqi took a panicked step backward. In her mind, scenes from the past flashed vividly.
Ten years ago in middle school, when she was thirteen, the age when early love first awakens.
Back then, she had just entered her first year of middle school. The moment she enrolled, she stunned all the teachers and students alike, becoming the undisputed school beauty. Yet, she kept hearing from her classmates about another “goddess,” one who reigned supreme across both the high school and middle school divisions.
Xia Li. The eldest young lady of the Capital’s Xia family, an S-class Alpha. Noble, aloof, and powerful, she was an existence that made every Omega scream with admiration.
Xie Yuqi was proud and competitive, so naturally, she couldn’t take this sitting down. She immediately led her own entourage to the high school section. Just as they were whispering outside the “goddess’s” classroom door, someone suddenly tapped her shoulder.
“Xiao Qi?”
She turned around and bumped straight into a pair of deep, smiling, ink-dark eyes.
Beside her, Xu Ziwen and Lu Niansheng urgently whispered. “Xiao Qi, that’s Xia Li, the eldest young lady of the Xia family.”
Being stared at by those eyes made her feel entirely uncomfortable. She wanted to step back, but suddenly stumbled. Right at that moment, a pair of long, strong hands wrapped around her waist.
She fell into an embrace and once again met those deep, smiling eyes.
“Xiao Qi, you’ve grown so much already?”
The other person gave her nose a playful flick.
Xie Yuqi was incredibly embarrassed, instantly blowing her top. She swung her hand to slap her away, but the other woman caught her by the wrist.
“Now that you’ve grown up, your temper has grown too. When I saw you as a child, you used to blush and call me Li-jiejie.”
“Let go of me!” she fumed, completely throwing a tantrum.
Xia Li released her, amusedly ruffling her hair again: “Why did you come to the high school section? Were you looking for me specifically?”
Having her thoughts exposed, Xie Yuqi became even more embarrassed and mortified. She glared at her: “Who’s looking for you specifically? I was just passing by.”
With that, she lifted her skirt and ran away.
From then on, the high school section became a forbidden zone for her, but the name “Xia Li” frequently popped up from other people’s mouths.
Xie Yuqi grew more and more annoyed, constantly feeling like the other girl had stolen her spotlight.
However, at that fiercely competitive age, she couldn’t resist secretly digging for information on the other woman’s updates.
After being awkward for a long time, the incident involving Ye Lingyi occurred.
Xia Li had made a high-profile appearance, picking up the trembling, tear-streaked Xie Yuqi right in front of everyone.
After that, Xia Li went abroad, separating them for years. The name “Xia Li” gradually became a hazy silhouette hidden deep within her heart.
The memories rushed back like a tide, making Xie Yuqi’s earlobes turn inexplicably hot. But at this moment, she was no longer the green, naive thirteen-year-old girl she used to be.
Facing the beautiful, mature, and powerfully aura laden Alpha before her, she extended her hand.
“Senior Xia, long time no see.”
Her tone was steady, polite, and formal.
A ripple of surprise surfaced in Xia Li’s eyes. Her deep gaze searched Xie Yuqi’s face, but she could no longer find even a single trace of the beautiful, domineering, and easily blushing Omega from back then.
She let out a soft laugh and sighed: “Time really flies. Xiao Qi has grown into a great beauty.”
Xie Yuqi caught the slight teasing tone and knitted her brows subtly. Her heart felt rather complicated, but she remained polite as she said. “I was ignorant when I was a child. I’ve made Senior Xia laugh at my expense.”
Xia Li smiled gently: “Saying that makes us sound a bit like strangers, Xiao Qi.” She immediately followed up by asking, “Have you been well all these years?”
While speaking, she stared at her with deep eyes, as if trying to look straight into her soul.
Xie Yuqi’s heart tightened slightly. She veiled her gaze. “Very well. Thank you for your concern, Senior Xia.”
Xia Li chatted with her courteously for a moment longer, agreeing to find time for a small get-together before turning to leave.
By now, it was already eleven o’clock, drawing near the end of the banquet. The elders who held real power had moved into various private rooms to begin the true competition for fame and fortune.
Meanwhile, the younger generation divided themselves into various small circles, starting a new round of revelry with their acquaintances.
This was destined to be a sleepless night.
Xie Yuqi watched Xia Li’s retreating back, a trace of melancholy surfacing in her eyes.
No one knew that Xia Li was the only Alpha she had ever harbored feelings for throughout her entire adolescence.
Suddenly, a mischievous, suppressed giggle sounded by her ear.
“Hehe, Yuqi, who was that? To think she could captivate you like this, confess right now!”
Xu Ziwen and Lu Niansheng flanked her from the left and right, hooking their arms through hers simultaneously.
Xie Yuqi didn’t hide it from her close friends and told them the truth. The two of them let out a synchronized “Wow!”
“It’s Senior Xia!”
The three of them immediately found a private room. While sipping drinks, they began talking about their past middle school days.
Lu Niansheng had a look of infatuation. “Senior Xia was the dream goddess of everyone back then!”
“So, she was your dream lover too?” Xu Ziwen teased her.
Lu Niansheng pinched her cheek in a spoiled, angry manner. “She was a dream goddess, what do you mean lover? Don’t talk nonsense, okay?”
Xu Ziwen dodged and giggled. “You’re the one talking nonsense. Back then, Yuqi hated Senior Xia the most!”
Lu Niansheng snorted. “That’s not necessarily true. Haven’t you heard that for adolescents, the more they hate someone, the more they care about them?”
Xu Ziwen burst into hearty laughter.
Xie Yuqi was vexed enough to pinch both of their faces.
After frolicking for a good while, Xu Ziwen suddenly said. “To be fair, Senior Xia’s conditions are truly excellent. Her family background is extraordinary, she’s handsome and beautiful, and she’s an S-class Alpha. She is way better than that snooty Ye Lingyi who looks at people with her nostrils. Most importantly, she is courteous and exceptionally gentle and considerate toward Omegas.”
Lu Niansheng sighed: “It’s a pity Senior Xia already has a fiancée. Otherwise, she could really be considered…”
She cut herself off immediately, but she and Xu Ziwen simultaneously looked toward Xie Yuqi.
Xie Yuqi had known about Xia Li having a fiancée since middle school.
She heard that her fiancée came from a noble and powerful family. Throughout her entire high school years, no one dared to pursue Xia Li because of it.
Xie Yuqi said: “I’m a little sleepy. Let’s call it a night.”
Xu Ziwen and Lu Niansheng actually still wanted to play, but seeing their friend’s lack of interest, they immediately agreed.
The two of them sent Xie Yuqi home first, and then gathered together to fret.
Xu Ziwen had a childhood sweetheart girlfriend. Their family backgrounds matched perfectly, and they were just waiting for the right time to get married.
As for Lu Niansheng, she was the only child of the Lu family. She had been in a relationship since middle school, and the two of them had always shared great affection. Her partner had also long received the approval of Lu Ruilin and Xu Yisheng.
Only Xie Yuqi, because of that incident during middle school, was exceptionally resistant to Alphas and had never dated one.
The only “little puppy” she had ever dated was a disabled Alpha.
Lu Niansheng cupped her beautiful face anxiously. “What should we do, Wenwen? I’m so worried about Yuqi. Her personality is so stubborn too. What if she gets bullied by Ye Lingyi after marriage?”
Xu Ziwen was also at a complete loss, but she comforted her: “It’s fine. Let’s ask around about all the premium Alphas in Yanjing. I refuse to believe we can’t pick out one who is worthy of Yuqi!”
At 4:30 PM the next afternoon, Xie Yuqi returned to her apartment.
Ding. The elevator doors opened on the top floor.
Ning Che appeared at the doorway, her face entirely filled with smiles.
“Yuqi.”
Xie Yuqi was incredibly surprised. “Didn’t you say you were reading books at the library?”
Ning Che didn’t speak. Instead, she leaned in and pulled her into an embrace.
Xie Yuqi immediately caught a whiff of a fresh, pleasant body fragrance, suppressing her urge to push her away.
“I missed you so much.”
The little Alpha spoke right next to her ear, her voice overflowing with tenderness.
Xie Yuqi silently experienced this embrace. It was warm and fulfilling, bringing her a strange sense of peace.
To tell the truth, during the two days they were apart, she had been very exhausted. Her mind had been tightly wound the entire time, depressed and unhappy, yet she still had to feign an air of nonchalance on the surface.
At this moment, this embrace provided her with timely comfort.
Thus, she tacitly allowed Ning Che to hold her.
Ning Che couldn’t bear to let go right away, tightening her embrace a bit more. She rubbed her cheek gently against Xie Yuqi’s. “Yuqi, I knew you were coming back, so I rushed back ahead of time to wait for you.”
So that was why.
Xie Yuqi perfunctorily pecked her on the cheek.
“Good girl.”
She pushed her away and walked inside.
Ning Che hurriedly held her hand, gripping it tighter than usual.
Xie Yuqi didn’t pull away. She felt Ning Che’s longing, and at this moment, she somewhat needed this feeling of being deeply relied upon.
Upon returning to the apartment, a sensation of physical and mental exhaustion instantly washed over her.
Xie Yuqi went straight into the bathroom.
Ning Che considerately attended to her from the side. Once Xie Yuqi began soaking in the bath, she sat down beside her to keep her company and talk.
She was actually not good with words. In front of her classmates and friends, she was usually the silent one.
When they first met, she would blush at the slightest thing. Just a glance from Xie Yuqi could make her tense up all over with nerves, and her palms would sweat when she secretly held her hand.
Xie Yuqi thought of these things indifferently.
Ning Che was currently speaking with great enthusiasm. They were all trivial matters, yet she sounded animated and joyful.
For instance, what she had done over the past two days, what she had eaten, what books she had read, what people she had met, she even told her about calling her family.
There was no main point, it was a bit boring.
Xie Yuqi couldn’t help but open her eyes to take a glance.
Ning Che was gazing at her. Her eyes resembled a lake, completely clear and holding an extremely soft light, looking at her with absolute focus and tenderness.
Xie Yuqi’s heart suddenly softened.
Her upbringing was entirely different from Ning Che’s, she had learned to discern human hearts from an early age.
She could clearly feel Ning Che’s love for her.
Intense and pure.
It felt very good, very comfortable.
A thought also immediately popped into her head.
“If only Ning Che’s family background was presentable, I could marry her and wouldn’t have to worry about marriage matches.”
But immediately after, she dismissed the notion.
Ning Che’s gland was defective, leaving her unable to reproduce. Meanwhile, she herself carried the heavy responsibility of continuing her family lineage.
Her child would also need a powerful maternal clan.