The bedroom was filled with the rich aroma of pear blossom wine. Unlike most Alphas, Shi Wei Yue’s pheromones didn’t overwhelm with an aggressive assault but rather seeped in subtly, gradually claiming every inch of the space.
By the time Wen Ruxing realized it, she was already drowning in the Alpha’s pheromones. Each breath carried the sweet fragrance of pear blossoms, with just a hint of alcohol that warmed her cheeks, intoxicating and irresistible.
Shi Wei Yue lay curled on her side in an odd posture, biting the edge of the blanket, murmuring incoherently in her sleep. Wen Ruxing couldn’t make out the words, her breathing growing ragged in the invisible ocean of pheromones swirling around her.
She had drunk too much earlier that night and had been exhausted, but under the stimulation of the Alpha’s Scent Hormone, the alcohol’s effects had dissipated, leaving her startlingly awake.
For an Omega, living in close quarters with an Alpha for an extended period either led to intimacy or, if there was no mutual interest, became exceptionally dangerous. The natural interaction between Alpha and Omega pheromones triggered instinctive reactions. Amid the fragrance of pear blossom wine, she could already detect the faint scent of freesia her own pheromones.
Her gland tingled faintly, and Wen Ruxing struggled to suppress the urge to release more. Yet, her restraint only seemed to provoke the Alpha beside her, whose pheromones spread even further in response. Once she succeeded, Wen Ruxing kept her eyes fixed on Shi Wei Yue, carefully observing her reactions as she cautiously reached across the unspoken boundary between them, draping her arm lightly over the Alpha.
She wore long-sleeved pajamas, and as the Alpha’s pheromones surged forth, they clung to the fabric of her sleeves far more effective than the borrowed clothing from before.
With her other hand, Wen Ruxing pulled the blanket over her nose and mouth, trying to minimize her intake of pheromones before she lost control and tipped further into dangerous territory.
**
Shi Wei Yue wasn’t one to sleep in. Early in the morning, before the housekeeper arrived, she quietly slipped out of bed, took a quick shower, and washed the underwear she had changed into the night before in the bathroom before stepping out.
Last night’s dream had been hazy and ambiguous, a rare experience for her. The resulting physical reaction left her feeling awkward, especially with Wen Ruxing still asleep beside her in the same bed.
Though it wasn’t the first time she had shared a bed with another woman, Shi Wei Yue couldn’t shake an inexplicable sense of discomfort, mixed with a faint guilt. She made sure to avoid disturbing Wen Ruxing as she got up.
The villa district was silent in the early morning. Even in late autumn, the evergreen trees in the greenery belts remained lush, dotted with seasonal flowers. The warm sunlight filtered through the leaves, and the crisp air lifted her spirits.
Taking advantage of Wen Ruxing’s continued slumber, Shi Wei Yue made a call, she hadn’t forgotten the Omega’s odd behavior from the night before.
The person who answered was the detective the original owner had hired to tail Wen Ruxing. Though they hadn’t been in contact for a while, the man responded politely, greeting her with courtesy.
“Go check if Wen, ” A sudden jolt of electricity shot through her, a tingling sensation spreading deep into her bones. The system had no physical form, but Shi Wei Yue rolled her eyes and hastily corrected herself, “, if my wife has been in contact with anyone recently.”
After giving her instructions, she hung up.
The moment the call ended, the system’s voice echoed in her ears:
“Host, please take the mission seriously and fully embody the domineering CEO persona.”
Shi Wei Yue didn’t understand how not calling someone by their name meant she wasn’t taking the mission seriously, but to survive, she could bend as needed:
“Then what should I call her?”
The system just repeated the same line:
“Host, please take the mission seriously and fully embody the domineering CEO persona.”
Outwardly calm, Shi Wei Yue inwardly cursed its ancestors eighteen generations over.
The private investigator hired by the original host worked remarkably fast, calling her just minutes later.
“Miss Wen met with President Fu just yesterday.”
“President Fu?” A name suddenly flashed in Shi Wei Yue’s mind. “Fu Ting Shen?”
“Yes.”
The male lead, Fu Ting Shen, was the CEO of Fuxing Entertainment. Aside from daily management, his main responsibility was IP adaptation, which meant he had professional dealings with Wen Ruxing.
Shi Wei Yue later discovered they could loosely be considered childhood friends, having known each other for years. According to the plot, Wen Ruxing would develop feelings for Fu Ting Shen. But Fu Ting Shen was an Alpha, and she still had no idea where that scent on Wen Ruxing had come from.
Could Wen Ruxing have been fooling around with some Omega before falling for Fu Ting Shen?
But that wasn’t her focus right now. Shi Wei Yue had the investigator dig further and learned Fu Ting Shen was hosting a banquet in a few days.
Business banquets inevitably involved drinking and peer pressure, a toxic practice Shi Wei Yue had loathed even as an intern in her past life. Though she could hold her liquor, she despised those pushy, greasy men who acted like their lives depended on forcing others to drink.
Recalling Wen Ruxing’s drunken state last night, she clearly hadn’t drunk much meaning she had alcohol intolerance. How was someone like her supposed to keep up with those burly Alphas at the banquet?
And as someone who’d supposedly grown up with her, Shi Wei Yue refused to believe Fu Ting Shen didn’t know Wen Ruxing’s alcohol tolerance.
Frowning, Shi Wei Yue felt a surge of dislike for the male lead she’d never even met though she wasn’t fond of Wen Ruxing either.
After breakfast, Shi Wei Yue headed to work as usual, arriving slightly later than yesterday but still within normal office hours. Someone running a few minutes late rushed through the doors just as Shi Wei Yue descended for her rounds, startling like they’d seen a ghost.
Shi Wei Yue glanced at her.
Liao Xiao Ting’s face flushed crimson.
Liao Xiao Ting was the secretary to that hypocritical Manager Wang. After his public humiliation yesterday, he’d lost any desire to summon her to his office. Though new to the workforce, Liao Xiao Ting knew if not for Shi Wei Yue’s intervention, she wouldn’t have escaped unscathed harassment at best, who knew what at worst.
But Manager Wang still held his position. Torn all day over whether to quit, she’d vented to her best friend late into the night and overslept as a result.
President Shi rarely came to the company, and before yesterday, Liao Xiao Ting had never even seen Shi Wei Yue. In the words of others, President Shi seemed to be a wealthy heiress who didn’t bother much with business, running the company merely as a hobby and for the sake of having a title. Liao Xiao Ting hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but upon actually meeting her in person, all the rumors and impressions about her were shattered overnight.
Even without heavy makeup or an air of superiority, Shi Wei Yue carried an undeniable presence, graceful and composed. She wasn’t smiling, but her voice was gentle, devoid of any sarcasm or criticism toward subordinates. After listening to Liao Xiao Ting’s explanation, she nodded:
“Sign in retroactively. Next time, leave earlier.”
Shi Wei Yue had a sharp memory for faces and vaguely remembered Liao Xiao Ting. Thinking of her reminded her of Manager Wang, giving her a slight headache.
She had sent the video to Manager Wang’s wife yesterday. According to HR, the guy had taken sick leave today and didn’t show up for work, but Shi Wei Yue wasn’t about to let him off so easily.
Just as she had poured herself a glass of water, sat down, and turned on her computer, her phone vibrated. The caller ID displayed a single character: “Liu.” As soon as she answered, a woman’s voice came through from the other end, directly naming a shopping mall and asking if she wanted to go shopping today.
Shi Wei Yue glanced at the time, it was a little past nine in the morning. The other person probably had nothing better to do, but she didn’t have the luxury of spending every day wandering around aimlessly. Nor did she have much interest in the extravagant, spendthrift lifestyle of wealthy heiresses.
Her own money wasn’t even earned yet, what she spent now belonged to others, and that didn’t sit right with her.
She put her phone on speaker and set it on the stand.
“Not today. I’ll go with you when I have time.”
There was a brief pause on the other end. The woman seemed to hear the sound of her fingers tapping on the keyboard.
“Are you playing a game?”
Shi Wei Yue typed quickly, and to someone who didn’t know better, it might indeed sound like she was playing an online game. She didn’t bother explaining and just gave a vague hum in response. It seemed there was someone with Miss Liu, she whispered something to the person beside her before the phone was taken away.
“Hey? Yueyue.”
A somewhat familiar female voice came through the Bluetooth earpiece, familiar not to Shi Wei Yue herself, but dredged up from the original owner’s memories. The voice was casual, as if the speaker was walking while talking. She could hear footsteps.
Then the footsteps stopped, and the voice lowered, brimming with barely contained excitement:
“On the evening of the 10th next month, game night at Yue Shang Hao Ting,. Are you coming? We’re one short.”
Shi Wei Yue couldn’t think of any game that required six people, probably cards or board games. The original owner’s social circle was vast, with a contact list that seemed endless, but Shi Wei Yue wasn’t much of a partygoer. She asked absentmindedly, already preparing an excuse in her mind:
“What game?”
There was a two-second silence on the other end, as if the person was both surprised and annoyed.
“Did you lose your memory, Shi Wei Yue? Didn’t we agree during our vacation on South Island that you’d treat me? What, you’re backing out on a verbal promise now?”