Chapter 54
“I…” Shen Su slowly opened her eyes, her gaze landing on Lu Yan.
Lu Yan was wearing a light pink dress.
She remembered that the Lu Yan of the previous world had worn a very similar outfit.
Suddenly, she caught a whiff of the familiar iris pheromones. In an instant, her chest burned as if something was violently trying to break out of its shell.
Shen Su was momentarily dazed until Lu Yan reached out, her slightly cool fingertips brushing against her cheek. Shen Su snapped out of it instantly. Her expression shifted as she brushed Lu Yan’s hand away. “I only think of you as a friend. Get out of here right now—”
Shen Su staggered forward, forcefully pushing Lu Yan out of the room, and then locked the door. No matter how hard Lu Yan knocked, she refused to open it.
Propping her hands against the door, she let out a long breath and slowly slid down to sit on the floor. Pressing her ear against the wood, she listened to the raw, heart-wrenching confessions Lu Yan poured out from the other side—
“In your eyes, am I just the same as Xu Ming?”
Of course you’re not the same.
“Can we only ever be friends?”
“Who were you looking at through me just now?”
“You had me play the role of your girlfriend just to appease your parents, didn’t you? Was it all to save a spot for the person truly in your heart?”
A flicker of confusion crossed Shen Su’s eyes. She vaguely felt that something was amiss.
Lu Yan thinks she’s a substitute?!
“Sugar, I’m willing to be a substitute. If the one you love ever comes back, I’ll step aside without a single hesitation. So, could you please give me just a tiny chance?” Lu Yan’s words were incredibly humble, laced with a quiet sob. “Just let me stay by your side. I promise I will never pester you.”
Shen Su’s brow furrowed tightly. She slowly unlocked and opened the door, looking down at Lu Yan, who was collapsed on the floor.
She quickly averted her eyes, looking instead at a potted plant behind Lu Yan. Forcing her voice to sound cold, she said, “Put your scent blocker back on. And start cherishing yourself a bit more; don’t talk about seeking a substitute or being one for someone else. If you truly like me, take what I just said to heart.”
With that, Shen Su closed the door.
A lingering trace of iris pheromones still hovered in the air, and she took a greedy breath of it.
Outside the door, Lu Yan’s eyes were rimmed with red, and tears flowed uncontrollably down her face. Covering her face, she wept and asked, “So, you’re never going to talk to me again?”
No one answered.
As it turns out, dreams really are the opposite of reality.
All the lingering affection in those dreams was nothing but her own unrequited wishful thinking.
Supporting herself against the door, Lu Yan slowly stood up. She stood at the entrance for a long time before speaking. “Sugar, I’m leaving. If anything happens, you can message me.”
Inside the room, there was still only silence.
Lu Yan turned and walked away in deep disappointment.
Hearing the footsteps recede into the distance, Shen Su let out a long sigh of relief.
Over the following week, Lu Yan occasionally went over to care for the kitten, privately staying the night at the new apartment.
One night, she had a terrible nightmare.
She dreamt that Shen Su died—died tragically in a plane crash.
Waking up in the middle of the night, she found her pillow completely soaked with tears.
Instinctively, she called out, “Shen Su…”
She opened their chat window, her fingertips flying across the screen, but in the end, she deleted the massive paragraph she had drafted.
This week, Lu Yan hadn’t received a single message from Shen Su, so she didn’t dare initiate contact. She was terrified of seeing that dreaded red exclamation mark.
She sat on her bed like that until dawn. The next day, she tidied the sheets and went to work as if nothing had happened.
“Yan Yan, where do you want to go for this weekend’s team building?” a female Beta asked, leaning close to Lu Yan during lunch break.
“Huh? What?” Lu Yan was thinking about Shen Su, so she hadn’t heard a word the Beta said.
“Didn’t you see the team building poll in the group chat?” The Beta blinked. “Why do you seem so out of it this week? Has the recent project been too exhausting? Now that it’s finally wrapped up, you should use this team building to go out and have some fun!”
“Anywhere is fine with me.” Lu Yan opened the WeChat group, glanced at the messages, and asked, “Which one do you want to choose?”
Her relationship with this female Beta was decent. Since she didn’t care where they went, she might as well help her colleague cast a vote.
“I want to go rafting!” The Beta raised her eyebrows and gave a knowing smile. “Don’t you think it’s a golden opportunity? Men and women in wet clothes! Plus, I heard we’re allowed to bring family members!”
The Beta had a crush on someone who happened to be in the neighboring team. The neighboring team was joining the team building as well.
“Yeah, it’s a good opportunity.” Lu Yan selected the “rafting” option and instinctively tapped into her chat history with Shen Su.
The messages still ended on the night before the violent rut.
Lu Yan drafted an invitation for Shen Su to join the team building, but after editing it, she deleted it all. She let out a soft sigh. If only Shen Su were here.
Pity was, she might never see her again.
Meanwhile, Shen Su had just emerged from the safe house, a wave of hot air hitting her square in the face.
Fanning herself with her hand, she thought to herself that the weather was getting hotter by the day.
Shen Su got into her car, only to find her mother waiting for her inside. Her mother was looking at her with a rather complex expression.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Shen Su was momentarily bewildered.
“What did you say to that girl Lu Yan the other day? She left in tears.” Shen Mother’s brow was knit tight. The way she looked at Shen Su made it seem like she was staring at a scumbag Alpha who had abandoned her family.
Shen Su rubbed her nose a bit guiltily. “I didn’t really say much…”
Though I suppose I might have used some harsh words.
“By the way, Mom, didn’t I tell you not to bring her over?” Shen Su remembered the incident and quickly shifted the blame. “We aren’t even engaged yet, after all. Doing that was a bit inappropriate, wasn’t it?”
“Strictly speaking, that’s true. But since you like her so much and you’re an S-rank Alpha, there’s no need to be so overly rigid about conventions.” Shen Mother paused. “Do you know what your attitude toward Lu Yan looks like?”
Shen Su’s breath hitched. Could she have seen through me?
Shen Mother said word for word, “Like a scumbag who plays with someone’s feelings and has no intention of taking responsibility.”
Sensing that her mother was genuinely angry, Shen Su immediately backtracked and slid into a mental kneel. “I was wrong, I was wrong! I’ll coax her back right away! We’ll get engaged as soon as possible!”
Shen Mother let out a cold snort. “Are you sure she even wants to get engaged to you anymore?”
Shen Su asked tentatively, “What did Lu Yan say before she left?”
Shen Mother tilted her chin up slightly. “She said that the person you actually love isn’t her—that she’s just a substitute. She begged me not to tear a pair of true lovers apart and promised she would never come back to bother you again.”
Shen Su blurted out, “It’s all a massive misunderstanding!”
“Really?” Shen Mother narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Shen Su nodded like a woodpecker. “Absolutely true. She’s the only one in my heart!”
“I’ll trust you this once,” Shen Mother huffed softly. “By the way, Mom, how did you handle that matter with Xu Ming?” Shen Su felt a headache coming on just thinking about Xu Ming. Why was everyone in this world acting like an outlaw?
Shen Mother got irritated just thinking about it. She rubbed her temples. “She’s not my daughter, how else could I handle it? Naturally, I handed her over to her mother.”
Shen Su nodded. That made sense.
“Her mother apologized and compensated us on the spot, then sent Xu Ming out of the country. She even said that once your rut ended, you could handle her however you pleased.” Shen Mother shook her head. “But since she’s already sent her away, what else can we really do? The matter ends here.”
Shen Mother paused, hesitating for a brief moment before adding, “Also, your father came back a few days ago. He was quite angry when he heard about you and Lu Yan. Go give him a proper explanation once you’re back home.”
“I understand,” Shen Su murmured, her mind racing to figure out how to coax Lu Yan back.
“Right, go to the hospital for another check-up.” Shen Mother still felt a bit uneasy. “This was likely your first time being exposed to an inducing agent; I’m afraid of any lingering aftereffects.”
“Okay.”
Shen Mother accompanied Shen Su to the hospital first. Fortunately, the medical report showed no major issues. However, after understanding the full sequence of events, the doctor suggested they run an S-rank genetic test.
Staring at the genetic report, which matched her expectations, the doctor hesitated to speak.
Seeing this, Shen Mother grew anxious. “Doctor, is there a problem with this genetic report?”
“It’s not actually a major problem.” The doctor laid down the report and asked, “Miss Shen is an S-rank Alpha, but she has never displayed any abilities that surpass ordinary people, correct?”
Shen Mother let out a sigh of relief. “As long as my daughter is safe and sound, it doesn’t matter even if she doesn’t have any.”
The doctor shook her head. “In truth, Miss Shen does possess an area that far surpasses ordinary people.”
“What area?” Shen Su’s eyelid jumped, a distinct sense of foreboding washing over her.
The doctor cleared her throat. “An extraordinary capacity for restraint.”
Though it sounded like ordinary phrasing, Shen Su picked up a completely different implication from it. “Because of this extraordinary restraint, I can remain completely unperturbed in tempting situations? In other words… I’m asexual?”
The doctor gave Shen Su a surprised look, not expecting her to point it out so bluntly. After a moment of hesitation, she ultimately nodded.
Shen Mother’s mouth parted slightly, staring at Shen Su in utter disbelief.
Shen Su rubbed the bridge of her nose. No wonder she had been able to hold back from marking Lu Yan this time. So this was the reason…
“It’s not entirely a lack of desire. Once she marks an Omega with high compatibility, there won’t be any major issues,” the doctor added after a thought. “Look at it from another angle—someone with great restraint is bound to build a highly successful career.”
Shen Su thought of another angle: she was actually incredibly well-suited to be a spy or a prisoner of war. That way, even if she were captured, her lips would remain completely sealed. All in all, her physique was built for a career.
Once Shen Su returned home, the family sat around the dining table for a meal. Her father didn’t bring up Lu Yan during dinner. It wasn’t until everyone finished eating that he said, “Susu, come with me to the study for a moment.”
Shen Su followed him obediently.
The two sat across from each other in the study. Shen Su kept her head lowered guiltily as her father let out a heavy sigh.
“What… what exactly are you thinking?” Shen Father asked in a deep voice. “Do you have any idea what kind of impact it will have on Lu Yan if word gets out that you threw her out during your rut?”
“I know…” Shen Su kept her head down and admitted her fault. “It was my mistake. I didn’t handle this well.”
But at that moment, she couldn’t think of a better way; she had no choice but to apply a strong remedy.
Shen Father said, “Even though Lu Yan is a C-rank Omega with no family backing, her professional capability is solid, and she has a good character. Besides, our family has no need for a strategic business marriage, which is why we agreed to your match. You absolutely cannot bully her just because she has no one to lean on! I’ve had people suppress the rumors regarding Xu Ming and what happened between you and Lu Yan. Go make amends to her immediately!”
Shen Su proactively admitted her wrong. “Understood. I lost my head back then, it was all my fault. I’ll go coax her back right away.”
“Also, I looked over your genetic report. It’s not a major issue. It’ll fix itself once you complete the marking process.” Shen Father waved his hand. “Alright, get some rest early. Go coax her tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
That very night, Shen Su sent a message to Lu Yan.
【I’m so sorry. I couldn’t control my temper that day and caused you pain. I wanted to tell you that you aren’t the same as Xu Ming. I’ve also never liked anyone before, so I didn’t know how to express myself. Making you leave that day was only because I was terrified of hurting you. I’m sorry, could you give me another chance?】
The System couldn’t resist letting out a mocking chortle, entirely filled with disdain.
Shen Su: ???
System: ‘Never liked anyone before’… If I hadn’t watched you complete the mission to win over the previous world’s Lu Yan, I almost would have believed that line.
Shen Su: …You’re a bystander, and you’re proud of it?
The System fell silent.
Barely half a minute after the message was sent, Lu Yan replied.
【My mind is a bit of a mess right now. Can we meet up and talk in person? Would it be alright if I invited you to join my company’s team building event? I think we’re going rafting.】
Shen Su agreed immediately. It didn’t matter whether the System believed her or not; what mattered was that Lu Yan was still pining for her. Whatever she said, Lu Yan would believe it.
On the day of the team building, to blend in with the crowd, Shen Su followed Lu Yan onto the tour bus. The moment they met, Lu Yan ran over and wrapped her arms tightly around Shen Su. “Sugar, I missed you so much. Promise me you won’t ignore me next time, okay…?”
Shen Su gently stroked Lu Yan’s back. “I didn’t ignore you. The moment my rut ended, I messaged you!”
Lu Yan froze slightly before letting out a sigh of relief. “So that’s what happened. I overthought it.”
Without needing many words, their relationship instantly returned to the way it was before, though Lu Yan felt as if something was subtly different now.
“Let’s go!” Shen Su took Lu Yan’s hand and walked toward the tour bus.
“You’re riding the bus with us too?” Lu Yan looked at Shen Su in surprise. “If they see you, they might pry into everything. Why don’t you put on a serious face? That way, they might not dare to ask.”
“It’s fine.” Shen Su tightened her grip on Lu Yan’s hand, interlocking their fingers as they stepped onto the bus.
When the crowd saw the two of them, a collective gasp rippled through the bus, followed by frantic whispering.
A bolder colleague spoke up and asked, “Yan Yan, we’re allowed to bring family members for today’s team building. Are you and the young President Shen relatives?”
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