A Disguised Scum Alpha Marked Her Aloof Ex-Wife - Chapter 43

The undercurrents surging between the two of them went completely unnoticed by White Bird.

Although she was also an Alpha, her gland was damaged, and the scents she could perceive were all dulled. Just now, when Zhu Yu’s ability had suddenly surged, their joined palms had felt as though they had been shocked by electricity. White Bird shrank back, sneezed, and a small flame shot out.

Her body trembled instinctively, but Zhu Yu’s energy was very warm, like the sun melting her icy body… Even in fear, White Bird still gripped Zhu Yu’s hand tightly.

Threads of cold spread from White Bird’s frail body. The electric shock had stirred up very bad memories. She parted her lips, making voiceless, hoarse sounds.

Zhu Yu, whose hand was being squeezed by her, finally came back to herself. She held White Bird’s hand with both of hers and shook it hard, hoping to reassure her.

But White Bird’s face was deathly pale. She tugged Zhu Yu along, about to kneel to Bai Shuzhou. Her other hand rose, as if she wanted to plead for something.

Help me. It… hurts…

Compared to the pain in her memories of the laboratory, everything she had suffered with the star pirates was not worth mentioning.

Her strength was great. Zhu Yu had only just finished smiling when she was dragged to the floor. She could even feel the young woman’s arm, gripping her tightly, spasming and twitching.

Zhu Yu did not know why she was doing this, but her heart inexplicably tightened. She immediately lifted her gaze nervously to look at Bai Shuzhou.

The woman on the sickbed sat in a field of snow-white. The faint blush on the tip of her nose had not yet faded, making her face look even paler, clear as glass.

She sat upright there, looking at White Bird’s movements. She froze slightly and gently bit her lip. She looked like a god above the white clouds, gazing down at the chaotic mortal world, her pale blue eyes full of pity.

But she was powerless.

Her eyelids lowered, blocking her gaze, yet Zhu Yu felt the pain around her grow even thicker, like ink dripping onto this pure white, unable to dissolve, unable to be wiped away, finally covered by silent snow.

Zhu Yu half-knelt and held White Bird. After hesitating for a few seconds, this being the first time she treated someone other than Bai Shuzhou, she tightly clasped both hands. Her palms warmed slightly, and she slowly patted White Bird’s trembling back.

White Bird was very thin. Zhu Yu could easily feel the bones of her back, light as if they would break with one touch. She curled into a ball and leaned against Zhu Yu’s arms.

Her physical condition was much better than Bai Shuzhou’s. The warm healing energy quickly helped her calm down again. Her hollow eyes stared at Zhu Yu, then lightly turned toward Bai Shuzhou, looking back and forth, showing confusion and bewilderment.

Her mental injuries seemed even more serious. She kept holding Zhu Yu’s clothes and refused to let go. Only when the specialized medical staff arrived and needed to transfer her to the monitoring room did Zhu Yu have no choice but to take off her shirt and let White Bird clutch it, bringing it inside with her.

Through the thick glass door, Zhu Yu watched the emptiness in White Bird’s eyes slowly disappear. Her chest felt stuffy too, as if the entire space inside her ribs had been filled with damp cotton, heavy and oppressive.

Leaving White Bird alone was cruel.

She could understand White Bird’s feelings, but White Bird needed treatment, and Zhu Yu could not follow her in.

During those previous experiments, what exactly had those people done to her—to them?

Zhu Yu felt anger rise in her chest, despair, and also… hatred.

This emotion was too intense and too unfamiliar. Zhu Yu rarely had such negative feelings, and she did not even know whom she should hate.

Amid the inexplicable deathly thoughts welling up inside her, Zhu Yu gritted her teeth and again remembered Bai Shuzhou’s compassionate eyes.

Her heart slammed violently against her chest.

Zhu Yu had to press hard against her chest, leaning against the cold tiles of the corridor and bending over so that air could flow better.

Her straight back slid down the wall little by little, as though she were falling from high above. She saw that slender, porcelain-white hand again.

Above the pale blue veins, that little mole was red enough to sting the eyes, like the bullseye of an archery target. The surging hatred finally found its target, condensing into the sharpest arrow. The bowstring was pulled to its limit, shooting straight toward those sky-like eyes.

She was still falling continuously, violent wind roaring around her. In the dark, it was as if a voice clung to her ear and whispered:

Do not expect. Do not believe. Do not like her…

Hate… Bai Shuzhou…

?!

The thought abruptly broke through the fog and stabbed into her chest. Zhu Yu suddenly woke from the nightmare as though plunging into ice water, the back of her shirt already soaked with cold sweat.

Pah.

Zhu Yu pinched her wrist, took a deep breath, and immediately refuted it fiercely.

As a firm materialist warrior, she was not afraid of this kind of thing. It was only a mere nightmare.

“I don’t care what you are. Get off me right now!”

“We are a match made by heaven, destined by fate. Since when is it your turn, you monster, to object?”

After clenching her fists and angrily shouting with great force, Zhu Yu did feel much better psychologically.

Her voice was firm and powerful. Her vocal cords vibrated, making her chest hum and rise with them. Her tightly pinched wrist could feel the beat of her pulse. These tiny sensations were all very real.

She was safe. She was not dreaming. Her feet were on solid ground, and she was clearly alive.

Zhu Yu let out a long breath.

She was just about to lean against the wall and recover a little more when a hesitant voice broke in.

“Your Highness Zhu Yu, are you all right? Do you need an examination?”

Zhu Yu raised her head and saw that signature yellow hair. It was Yu Yan—beside her were several unfamiliar researchers, all wearing white coats, with a small Federation emblem pinned to their collars.

Oh.

The Federation emblem.

Zhu Yu’s newly calmed head buzzed again.

Were they the scientific team here for the exchange?

She had embarrassed herself in front of international friends! Aaaaaah!

At this distance, Zhu Yu did not know how much they had seen, but she was very certain they had heard the two lines she had just shouted.

Everyone looked at her very politely, smiling in silent sighs. At this moment, silence spoke louder than words.

She, the dignified Star of the Empire’s Common People and the only Alpha partner personally acknowledged by the princess, had been shouting in the corridor of the Royal Academy, suspected of being possessed by a ghost… Haha.

The young woman smoothly leaned against the wall, shaping a sharp curve at her waist. With one hand, she brushed her black hair back. The pure-white beams in the corridor seemed unable to reflect into those dark eyes, making her look melancholic yet strong. She faintly curved her lips toward the newcomers, her voice slightly hoarse.

“My blood sugar dropped. It’s nothing serious.”

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Welcome to the Empire for this exchange visit.”

The Federation woman standing in front could not help having her eyes light up. She carefully observed Zhu Yu up and down, and dense streams of data flashed across her lenses.

“Mm. Please take care of yourself,” Yu Yan said, treating Zhu Yu’s enormous before-and-after change as if she had not seen it at all. She bowed slightly, then reached out to stop the Federation people who wanted to come forward and chat, calmly leading them in another direction.

Zhu Yu should not have too much contact with Federation people. This was something the princess had specifically instructed before losing her memories.

During this special period, relations between the two nations were still very stiff. For the scientific envoy to come for an exchange visit at all was already the result of interstellar public opinion and the joint efforts of many parties.

“She’s Zhu Yu? The only D-rank ultra-frontline mecha pilot?”

“Her physical function data is good. Subtracting the detector’s margin of fluctuation, it’s even higher than the official numbers. For a mixed-blood to reach this level really isn’t easy.”

D-rank mental power was the lowest threshold for linking with mechas, and Zhu Yu had just barely stepped over that threshold, forcing her way into the ultra-frontline approval standard.

The Federation’s technology was far more advanced than the Empire’s. The scientists unconsciously used a high-and-mighty, evaluative tone, carrying a slightly cold accent, with no intention of hiding it.

To discuss this on someone else’s territory was truly not an appropriate topic.

The red-haired Federation woman beside them coughed calmly, walked next to Yu Yan, and smiled lightly to change the subject. “Is she often like this?”

“She doesn’t look hypoglycemic. It seems more like post-traumatic stress disorder. A warrior’s mental health is important too, you know. Can she really pilot a mecha like this? Would she like a youth psychological questionnaire?”

Her lazy, unserious tone was not that arrogant, yet each sentence was more excessive than the last. Yu Yan frowned slightly, expressionless, and threatened, “If you are truly interested in the condition of a royal family member, you may ask the Snow Leopard Knights.”

Then be arrested and questioned slowly.

The woman laughed and spread her hands. “I’ve discovered you Empire people really can’t take a joke. Don’t be so serious.”

Zhu Yu watched the group walk away, and the posture she had struck instantly collapsed. From a straight little blade of grass, she wilted.

Why did one of them look so much like Nangong? Truly unlucky. Maybe she really had been followed by something bad. When she had time, she really should go pray somewhere… No, wait. In the interstellar era, what was she supposed to pray to for exorcism?

She also wanted to pray for romance and health, to bless them with long-lasting peace and safety. There was no need to ask the God of Wealth. Her home already had a dragon god who dropped treasures. They were not short on money.

Ah, not short on money.

Just saying it made her feel stronger.

Money was very precious. “I’ll give you money” was like a more materialistic “I love you.” Zhu Yu was trying hard to accept Bai Shuzhou’s way of expressing love.

One million every month. If it was all used to buy cotton, it could crush her to death.

What deep love! Of course it was love.

Zhu Yu let her thoughts run wildly. She specially went to wash her face and re-tied her hair in front of the mirror, making sure she looked normal before pushing open Bai Shuzhou’s door.

Without question, she had already hidden it very well. But the first moment Bai Shuzhou glanced at her, the corners of her lips pressed faintly downward. If her dragon tail were still there, its tip would definitely curl up sadly.

Zhu Yu took the initiative to speak. “She’s fine. They gave her a sedative. The person in charge said she needs to be monitored with equipment. If anything else happens, they’ll notify us immediately.”

“Zhu Yu.”

“Hm?” The young woman blinked at her.

“What about you?”

“I’m fine. I even ran into the Federation scientists outside just now. They—”

“You’re lying.”

The woman’s icy fingertips pushed aside the loose hair on Zhu Yu’s forehead, letting the glittering water droplets at the ends roll down. Her jade-like knuckles lightly touched the corner of Zhu Yu’s eye, her thin voice brushing past.

“You’re not allowed to lie to me.”

Bai Shuzhou pressed against Zhu Yu’s forehead, even her breathing light. That clear blue gaze poured into the black abyss, drop by drop, her fingertips kneading Zhu Yu’s temples.

Smelling that faint rose fragrance, the anxiety and restlessness deep in Zhu Yu’s soul suddenly disappeared.

“Healing ability users have a very strong capacity for empathy. When you form a mental power connection with someone else, you may be affected…”

“Sorry. Was it still too much for you?”

Her gaze lowered, her long lashes brushing faintly. Zhu Yu’s breath caught.

Bai Shuzhou was actually apologizing. Her cool voice was pressed very low.

“As compensation, what do you want?”

The young woman whose face she held stared at her and blinked.

Money, jewels, houses, power…

What Bai Shuzhou could promise was not all that much, yet it just so happened to satisfy every worldly desire.

But someone was actually unmoved. Zhu Yu only gently held her fingertips, lightly pressed her lips together, and pinched them shyly yet enticingly.

Very clever.

She had chosen the most expensive thing.

Ripples appeared in that quiet sky, and light broke through the dark clouds. Thus the bird dived deep into the sea, and the little fish flew into the sky. Only the rhythm of their heartbeats trembled with the rubbing of fingertips, once, then again, slowly drawing closer.

The woman suddenly smiled, leaned in, and kissed the corner of Zhu Yu’s lips. Her icy fingertips slowly slid along the corner of Zhu Yu’s eye and into her hair, scratching with neither too much nor too little force.

The breath exhaled between her lover’s lips and teeth was like a feather leisurely brushing over Zhu Yu’s heart, deliberately burrowing into the softest place. It made Zhu Yu feel so numb she wanted to hide under the quilt and scream, yet her face was cupped gently and irresistibly, allowing no resistance.

Silver hair fell low. Zhu Yu was forced to look directly into those pale blue eyes.

“You want… me?”

Author’s Note:

Bai Shuzhou: She’s so good at this.

Zhu Yu: She’s so good at this aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!