Shi Wei Yue hissed as she sharply drew in a breath.
Wen Ruxing had bitten her quite hard. If she hadn’t dodged quickly, the mark would have been even worse. Whatever that woman was clutching so protectively in her arms, Shi Wei Yue was curious, but she didn’t dare ask recklessly, afraid she might accidentally step on one of Wen Ruxing’s triggers then the loss would outweigh the gain.
“Fine, I won’t pull you anymore. Get up yourself, okay?”
The woman exuded a strong scent of red wine, her expression hazy, clearly drunk. The moment Shi Wei Yue let go, Wen Ruxing collapsed bonelessly, falling straight onto the sofa.
Shi Wei Yue couldn’t help but ask,
“Why did you drink so much?”
Wen Ruxing lazily narrowed her eyes.
“You weren’t home.”
What did her absence have to do with Wen Ruxing getting drunk? Shi Wei Yue mentally scoffed at the absurdity. To be honest, she didn’t want to get too entangled with Wen Ruxing, so she simply tossed out a “Goodnight” and hurried upstairs to shower.
Work at the company had been hectic today. Running a business required shouldering responsibilities on multiple fronts, with the most crucial aspect being high-level decision-making. Shi Wei Yue was determined to cut out the rot, but to do so, she had to gradually take control of the power. The first step was ensuring she had the capability to manage it otherwise, the mess would only grow worse in her hands.
She wasn’t in the habit of staying up late, but the anxious voice in her mind kept pushing her forward. After showering, she decided to review the reports that had come in today before heading to the kitchen for an iced coffee.
The kitchen was adjacent to the living room. After quietly retrieving a chilled Americano, Shi Wei Yue closed the fridge and instinctively glanced at the sofa. In the dim light, the vague silhouette was still lying there, knees drawn up to her chest, curled into a protective posture.
Shi Wei Yue paused.
She didn’t particularly like Wen Ruxing, but she didn’t dislike her either. Even if the other woman was an Alpha, a hangover combined with spending the night on the sofa without proper rest would undoubtedly lead to a headache the next day.
They weren’t truly wives, even now, Shi Wei Yue still found the whole situation somewhat absurd. Whether it was the original owner’s illogical, farcical marriage to Wen Ruxing or their current relationship of constant scheming under the same roof, none of it made sense.
Still, even if they were just roommates, she ought to remind her.
Shi Wei Yue slipped off her shoes and stepped onto the carpet, gently patting Wen Ruxing’s shoulder to signal her to move somewhere else to sleep.
But Wen Ruxing, groggy in her sleep, let out a muffled groan and instinctively swatted her hand away, rejecting the touch. Shi Wei Yue called her name, and at the familiar voice, the woman slowly opened her eyes. Her breathing remained uneven, the heavy scent of alcohol clinging to her. The red wine’s aroma wasn’t unpleasant, mingling with the fresh fragrance of her body, saturating the air until it felt intoxicating.
“Wen Ruxing,” Shi Wei Yue repeated her question, sitting on the edge of the sofa and staring at her intently, “Why did you drink so much?”
“To…” Wen Ruxing didn’t evade the question this time, though her words were slightly slurred. “Train.”
The first half of her words was mumbled, and Shi Wei Yue couldn’t make them out clearly, but she knew the woman’s consciousness was growing increasingly hazy as time passed. If left alone here, Shi Wei Yue even feared she might get up and continue drinking.
After several failed attempts to pull her up, Shi Wei Yue couldn’t just leave her lying there. Gritting her teeth, she used a princess-carry hold, one hand supporting the back of the villainess’s neck, the other sliding beneath her knees and forcibly lifted her horizontally.
Wen Ruxing struggled, but Shi Wei Yue tightened her grip. Though reluctant, she lowered her head to whisper near the woman’s ear:
“It’s me. Be good.”
Only after speaking did Shi Wei Yue belatedly realize how odd that sounded. Yet, miraculously, the woman in her arms relaxed slightly, ceasing her struggles and sparing her any sarcastic remarks.
Shi Wei Yue couldn’t enter Wen Ruxing’s bedroom, the door was locked with a passcode only the owner knew. Standing at the doorway, she hesitated, then jostled the woman in her arms:
“Wen Ruxing.”
Eyes closed, Wen Ruxing ignored her.
Undeterred, Shi Wei Yue called her name a few more times. Wen Ruxing finally opened her eyes in her arms, her slightly upturned gaze meeting Shi Wei Yue’s. Her tone was one Shi Wei Yue had never heard beforelanguid and spoiled, like a grumpy cat awakened from sleep, complaining:
“You’re so noisy.”
With that, she closed her eyes again.
Shi Wei Yue clenched her teeth: “…”
Looking at the woman sleeping peacefully in her arms, Shi Wei Yue briefly considered dumping her back on the sofa. But the impulse passed in an instant. Suppressing her irritation, she gently kicked open her own bedroom door and laid Wen Ruxing on the bed.
The moment Wen Ruxing touched the pillow, Shi Wei Yue turned to leave, only to have her wrist grabbed from behind. The drunken woman’s grip wasn’t strong, nor was she causing any drunken fuss. Her slender, cool fingers rested lightly against Shi Wei Yue’s wrist barely holding on, with no real force. Shi Wei Yue could have easily broken free with a slight tug.
She turned back. In the dim natural light, Wen Ruxing lay on the pillow, her cat-like eyes squinting at her.
“Where are you going? Sleep.”
“I need to handle company matters.”
Shi Wei Yue’s gaze fell on the hand holding her wrist slender, pale fingers with soft fingertips. It was a peculiar sensation. Though she was also a woman, and most women’s hands felt like this, when Wen Ruxing stared at her silently like this, what filled her mind wasn’t fear of the woman’s identity.
The drunken villainess lacked her usual sharpness. Her commanding tone carried a hidden plea, making it hard to refuse.
After a brief hesitation, Shi Wei Yue quickly climbed into bed. Wen Ruxing had already pulled the blanket over herself, so Shi Wei Yue tugged some back to cover herself and turned away, her back facing the other woman.
Shi Wei Yue wasn’t particular about cleanliness, and though Wen Ruxing was a little disheveled from drinking, she was otherwise clean. Both were women and both were Alphas, so sharing a bed wasn’t an issue. Yet, lying on her side, Shi Wei Yue couldn’t sleep. She carefully shifted to lie on her back without disturbing the other, but sleep still eluded her.
Perhaps it was the unfamiliarity of having someone beside her, or perhaps it was the stress of recent events. Whatever the reason, Shi Wei Yue lay there, her thoughts drifting from herself to Wen Ruxing.
Wen Ruxing had previously mentioned “training” to herself, yet here she was drinking. What kind of training could that be, training her alcohol tolerance?
Shi Wei Yue had recently been cramming ABO physiology knowledge and knew that alcohol had a lesser effect on Alphas though that was generally the case. It was also possible Wen Ruxing had a low alcohol tolerance.
But why would Wen Ruxing want to train her alcohol tolerance? Was it so she wouldn’t lose face when drinking against her in the future?
Shi Wei Yue couldn’t help but let her thoughts run wild, but her mind grew even more exhausted from overthinking. Soon, drowsiness overtook her. In her half-asleep daze, she faintly sensed the person beside her turning over but paid it little mind.
**
That night, Shi Wei Yue had a long-missed erotic dream.
She had rarely ever had such dreams before, and even if she had, she couldn’t remember them clearly. Because of that, her understanding of her own sexual orientation had always been somewhat vague. Whether it was due to her Alpha instincts or not, Shi Wei Yue felt like she caught the scent of pheromones in her dream.
It was a terrible dream. The Omega’s pheromones felt familiar, and in her daze, she recalled, it seemed to be the same scent she had accidentally caught on Wen Ruxing before, hidden beneath the freshener in an attempt to mask it.
The hazy image of an Omega gradually took shape in her mind. The fragrance of freesia lingered in her nose, light and elegant yet naturally alluring, like the red apple in the Garden of Eden, waiting to be plucked. Shi Wei Yue’s heartbeat quickened. Even as her rationality urged restraint, the illusions of her dream waged war against her self-control.
Slowly, her reason lost ground, replaced by the voice buried deep in her subconscious, urging her to surrender to instinct.
Her Alpha pheromones surged past all barriers. Guided by instinct, she sank her teeth into that small, round gland, crimson like a freshly ripened cherry. Her tongue pressed against it, desperate to draw in more of that intoxicating scent to fill the overwhelming void.