Shi Wei Yue pursed her lips.
She wasn’t keen on using Shi Xiangling’s money. Although the original owner had plenty of funds, most of it came from the Shi family. As the saying goes, “He who takes from others is beholden to them.” Even though she was technically part of the Shi family, she felt no real sense of belonging.
Her gaze swept over the white leather bag once more. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t see how carrying it would add any extra charm or elegance to a person. Even with the sales assistant’s enthusiastic pitch, she had no desire to splurge on it.
Her hesitation must have been obvious, because the saleswoman gently asked,
“Is there something holding you back?”
Shi Wei Yue: “…”
Well, she had quite a few reservations, actually.
Without Shi Xiangling around to influence her, Shi Wei Yue naturally wasn’t about to waste money on a bag worth hundreds of thousands. Even as a wealthy heiress, her own funds weren’t enough for such reckless spending. Besides, her company was on the verge of bankruptcy, if word got out that its chairman was still in the mood to splurge on luxury handbags, it would be nothing short of ridiculous.
She had little interest in anything else in the mall either. After politely declining the saleswoman, she leisurely made her way to the entrance when her phone rang. Answering it, she heard Shi Xiangling’s apologetic voice on the other end:
“Yueyue, something urgent came up, so I can’t make it to meet you. Just pick out whatever you like and take it, I’ll reimburse you tomorrow. Once you’re done shopping, head straight home, okay? Don’t go wandering off anywhere else.”
Shi Wei Yue’s fingers tightened slightly around her phone. She replied with a soft “Okay,” but didn’t even notice when the call ended. Instead, she aimlessly lingered near the mall’s entrance on the first floor.
The cool night breeze brushed against her cheeks. As the weather grew colder, it quickly dispelled the warmth from the mall’s climate-controlled air. Being an Alpha, Shi Wei Yue’s robust physique meant she didn’t feel the cold much, even in just a short-sleeved shirt. At most, her skin registered a slight chill.
But another kind of unease seeped into her bones, leaving her feeling cold in a way that had nothing to do with the temperature.
Many ordinary people fantasized about the life of a wealthy heiress, but Shi Wei Yue hadn’t been born or raised in such an environment. Suddenly inheriting this status didn’t mean she could adapt as effortlessly as characters in novels often did.
Years of ingrained habits and values made it difficult for her to fully blend into this world. A wave of inexplicable melancholy washed over her.
This sadness wasn’t directed at anyone, nor was it homesickness. She hardly felt any attachment to her original world, no family or friends there were worth fighting tooth and nail to return to. And now that she was here, going back didn’t seem like a simple possibility anyway.
The threats posed by the male and female leads, as well as the main antagonist, loomed over her like a blade suspended above her head, its fall unpredictable. The constant dread was akin to being a death row inmate granted a temporary reprieve. Even if she gave it her all, the outcome might still be bleak.
And for some reason, she had just experienced a strange sense of dissonance. Perhaps it was her natural wariness, but the fact that she could harbor such suspicions toward a sister who doted so much on the original owner made Shi Wei Yue question herself inwardly.
Most people would only feel touched and happy to be pampered by their sister, but she always maintained an extra layer of wariness toward others, making it difficult for her to open up over time.
The dim streetlights cast a long shadow of the woman standing by the roadside. Shi Wei Yue surveyed the bustling unfamiliar city. At this hour, there were quite a few pedestrians. With her striking looks, standing alone by the street easily drew attention. A few young girls chattered and giggled as they passed by, and soon, one of them, urged on by her friends, approached with a flushed face.
“Miss, are you waiting for someone?”
Shi Wei Yue wasn’t waiting for anyone. The question caught her off guard, and a lazy smile curled at her lips. The charm of a mature female Alpha was unconsciously alluring. The girl who looked up at her blushed even harder, stammering and unable to get out another word. Shi Wei Yue leaned in slightly, maintaining a polite distance, her voice warm and smooth:
“I’m heading home. My wife is waiting for me.”
Back to that home with the big devil, Shi Wei Yue thought to herself.
**
When she entered by fingerprint, the sound of the TV in the living room flooded her ears. Shi Wei Yue spotted the woman on the sofa. In the darkness, with no lights on, even the glow from the TV highlighted her fair, snow-like skin. Wen Ruxing, with her slender waist and long legs, had a distinct silhouette. She always carried herself with perfect posture, whether standing or sitting. Shi Wei Yue had rarely seen her lose composure.
Even now, with her knees drawn up and hugging a blanket curled into a ball, Wen Ruxing’s posture was still elegant.
In novels, descriptions of a beautiful woman often used clichés like “swan neck, right-angle shoulders, butterfly back,” all vague and repetitive. But seeing the person before her, Shi Wei Yue finally understood the true beauty of a “swan’s” long, pristine neck and graceful shoulder lines.
Under the soft glow, the woman’s smooth profile, free of makeup, remained striking. Without cosmetics, Wen Ruxing seemed even more serene. Hearing the noise, she glanced over indifferently.
The two wordlessly acknowledged each other without further inquiry. Shi Wei Yue went to take a shower, pondering what to wear to work tomorrow. Suddenly, she remembered that her outfit had been washed by the housekeeper and probably hadn’t been put away yet.
She didn’t find the clothes in the bedroom closet.
Shi Wei Yue had an excellent memory. After quickly drying her hair, she checked the balcony, nothing. She searched the walk-in closet but still found nothing.
Strange.
The housekeeper wouldn’t have stolen or misplaced her clothes. But ever since Wen Ruxing said she’d put them in the washing machine, Shi Wei Yue hadn’t seen them.
“Wife,” she called out, “have you seen my clothes?”
She briefly described the outfit, but Wen Ruxing ignored her. As Shi Wei Yue moved closer, her Alpha-sharp senses caught the rich aroma of red wine.
“You’ve been drinking?”
Only then did she notice the woman’s long, thick lashes trembling slightly, her eyes glistening with moisture. A flush seemed to have spread to the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, making her delicate features even more vivid and alluring.
Wen Ruxing’s gaze was unfocused and distant. Sensing something amiss, Shi Wei Yue tried to pull her up, but the woman reacted by clutching the blanket tightly to her chest, refusing to let go.
“Wen Ruxing!”
She called out her name, but the woman only clutched the object in her arms tighter. Shi Wei Yue didn’t understand what was happening and was caught off guard when she got bitten, leaving faint marks on her wrist.