A Fishing-Type Omega Always Wants to Possess Me - Chapter 3

The moment those words fell, no one seemed to process what Yu Mianzhou had just said.

The entire living room once again sank into absolute silence.

For the second time, Gu Wanlan felt that suffocating atmosphere descend upon the room.

Ever since the girl named Yu Mianzhou returned, the mood within the Jiang household had shifted again and again—all within a single day.

Why?

Was she truly nothing more than an ordinary stepdaughter?

Gu Wanlan instinctively wanted to ask Jiang Zhi beside her, only to discover that the study door stood wide open and Jiang Zhi was sitting behind the desk, peeling an orange.

Her movements were unbelievably slow.

The sharp, cold blade gleamed ominously before suddenly plunging straight into the flesh of the fruit. Golden-orange juice splattered all over her hand.

Yet she kept her head lowered, her expression shrouded in shadow and impossible to make out.

Gu Wanlan’s heart abruptly skipped a beat.

The question had already reached her lips, but she could no longer force out a single word.

Downstairs, Yu Shu’s mouth hung open for a long time without producing so much as a syllable.

Once she finally recovered, she grabbed Yu Mianzhou’s hand, her voice trembling.

“Is—is that true?”

“It is.”

Yu Mianzhou calmly met her gaze.

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll bring her home tomorrow and let all of you meet her.”

Her composure finally allowed Yu Shu to breathe a genuine sigh of relief. She nodded repeatedly.

“Good. Good…”

Yu Mianzhou rose and looked toward Jiang Yingqiu on the second floor. Meeting her gaze directly, she took the initiative to ask:

“Is that all right, Aunt Jiang?”

Jiang Yingqiu lowered her eyes and studied her for several seconds before replying with a single indifferent word.

“Fine.”

Yu Mianzhou smiled, stuffed the stack of profiles back into Yu Shu’s hands, then turned to leave.

“I’m going upstairs.”

Yu Shu did not stop her again.

When Yu Mianzhou returned to the third floor, her gaze once again swept across the tightly closed door of the music room opposite hers.

Then she opened her own door and went inside.

The next morning, when Yu Mianzhou came downstairs, Gu Wanlan had arrived to pick Jiang Zhi up so they could continue choosing a wedding dress.

Only Yu Mianzhou and Yu Shu remained at home.

The moment breakfast was over, Yu Shu asked impatiently, “Mianzhou, when is your girlfriend arriving? When are you going to pick her up?”

She was far too eager.

Yu Shu had not lived comfortably in the Jiang household these past few years.

Jiang Yingqiu had never married her. Jiang Zhi’s maternal family refused to allow Jiang Yingqiu to remarry and had never once treated Yu Shu kindly.

It could be said that apart from Jiang Yingqiu, not a single member of the Jiang family agreed to let her marry into the family.

And so she continued living awkwardly at Shenyuan Estate, entirely dependent upon other people’s favor. Fortunately, she was a nonthreatening Omega who had spent all these years humbling herself and behaving submissively. Only because of that had she managed to remain.

That was precisely why she longed so desperately for her daughter to undergo a secondary differentiation into an Alpha—so Yu Mianzhou could give her at least a little more standing within this household.

Yu Mianzhou understood her mother’s circumstances perfectly well.

But Yu Shu had refused to listen when Yu Mianzhou tried to persuade her to leave the Jiang family years ago.

There was even less chance of convincing her now.

“I’ll go in a little while.”

Yu Mianzhou leisurely swallowed the rest of her breakfast.

“Then hurry!”

Yu Shu smiled.

“Remember to bring her home tonight and let us meet her. You finally have a girlfriend. Mommy is truly happy for you.”

The relief in her voice was impossible to conceal.

Yu Mianzhou nodded.

“All right.”

“Oh, right.”

As though suddenly remembering something, Yu Shu took a card from her bag and handed it over.

“Since Miss Gu personally invited you to the wedding, don’t be stingy. Go and buy them a respectable wedding gift. Be generous, and don’t give anyone a reason to look down on you.”

Yu Mianzhou had already decided what wedding gift she intended to give them. She had no use for Yu Shu’s card.

But the moment she imagined the endless interrogation that would follow if she said so, she simply accepted the card, rose, and left the dining room.

She asked the butler for a car and drove to the airport.

The airport was crowded with travelers coming and going. Yu Mianzhou had not been waiting at the exit for long before she spotted an extraordinarily eye-catching figure.

The woman had flamboyant red hair styled in large waves and wore sunglasses, striking red lipstick, and a sexy short dress paired with a thigh garter. She stood out sharply among the travelers hurrying around her.

She pushed her suitcase directly toward Yu Mianzhou, removed her sunglasses, and revealed a bright, glamorous face.

It was Joyce.

“Hey, Elowen. Have you been waiting long?”

Joyce opened her arms with a coquettish laugh and wrapped Yu Mianzhou in an enormous hug.

“You secretly rushed home without telling me. I still haven’t settled that score with you.”

Yu Mianzhou patted her back and smiled.

“There’ll be plenty of opportunities for that later. Come on.”

After getting into the car, Joyce settled into the passenger seat and pulled a small box from her handbag, handing it over.

“Here. The things you asked me to bring. It’s the newest version—the effects are better, and the side effects are milder. The doctor asked me to tell you that there’s only enough here for six months. You can’t keep using this medication so often. You’d better hurry up and find an Omega…”

Inside the box were several packets of pills and a stack of suppressant patches.

Yu Mianzhou glanced at them before starting the car.

“Thank you.”

She had differentiated far too late, and because her classification was so high, her pheromones were extremely unstable and frequently hovered on the verge of going out of control.

The best doctor in Country Y had advised her that she had only two choices.

Either she found a compatible Omega to mark regularly, using the most primitive method to soothe her pheromones, or she would have to continue relying on this specially formulated medication.

Joyce looked around curiously.

“Honestly, an Alpha of your rank could crook one finger and have any kind of Omega you wanted. Why insist on putting yourself through this every month and using those foul-smelling suppressant patches?”

She leaned over, playfully curling one slender fingertip beneath Yu Mianzhou’s chin. Her expression carried a touch of charming innocence.

“Are you really not going to reconsider your big sister?”

They happened to stop at a red light.

Yu Mianzhou rested one wrist on the steering wheel while propping her other arm beside the window. She tapped her temple and curved her lips.

“Sorry. I have no intention of going back to something I’ve already left behind.”

Three years ago, after finishing her afternoon classes, Yu Mianzhou had suddenly developed an intense fever.

Halfway home, she could no longer support herself. Her hands and feet weakened, and she collapsed into the bushes beside the road.

Only when the back of her neck became hot enough to scorch her nerves and the sharp scent of mint flooded her nose did she finally realize what was happening.

She was undergoing a secondary differentiation.

But by the time she understood, it was already too late.

Not far away, two Omegas had begun showing signs of losing control under the influence of her chaotic pheromones.

The laws in Country Y were extremely strict. If an Alpha failed to control their pheromones and caused an Omega to enter heat against their will, the Alpha would face an enormous fine. In serious cases, they could even be imprisoned.

This heat had come suddenly and violently.

The scent of mint spread farther and grew richer with every passing moment.

At this rate, she would cause a serious disturbance…

Yu Mianzhou used every ounce of strength she possessed to cover the back of her neck, but it did nothing.

Just as she became overwhelmed with panic and helplessness, Joyce’s face appeared before her.

“Do you need help?”

“The hospital…”

After forcing out those words, Yu Mianzhou could no longer hold on and fainted among the bushes.

When she awakened in the hospital the next morning, Joyce was still there.

The first thing Joyce said upon seeing her open her eyes was:

“I saved you, and I also took care of the trouble caused by your pheromones last night. As payment, you have to marry me.”

Yu Mianzhou: “…”

At the time, she had thought she had encountered a lunatic.

Only after Joyce’s lawyer arrived did she learn that Joyce came from a powerful local family.

She had a gravely ill grandmother, several uncles and male cousins eyeing the inheritance like hungry tigers, and a three-year-old daughter.

Before her grandmother passed away, Joyce had to marry and obtain a legally recognized spouse. Her daughter also needed another legal mother. Only then would mother and daughter be entitled to a substantial inheritance.

Joyce was three years older than Yu Mianzhou, but she had round eyes and the appearance of a beautiful, delicate young girl who naturally inspired affection.

Sitting beside the hospital bed, she instructed her lawyer to present Yu Mianzhou with an exceedingly generous contract.

“Don’t worry. The moment I receive the inheritance, we’ll get divorced. I can give you ten percent of my share.”

Yu Mianzhou hesitated for only a few seconds before signing the contract, though she refused the portion of the inheritance Joyce offered her.

It was not that she had never questioned whether Joyce’s story was true.

But her life was already such a mess.

If it was a lie, her life could hardly become much worse.

If it was true, then this could serve as repayment for Joyce saving her.

And so the two of them married and divorced in rapid succession, their relationship continuing until the present day.

As far as Joyce was concerned, her relationship with Yu Mianzhou had long since surpassed friendship.

They were practically family.

When Yu Mianzhou rejected her, Joyce did not become angry. She merely sat upright and laughed sweetly.

“Could it be that after all these years, you’re still longing for that unattainable first love in your heart? I have to say, Elowen, that is the sort of clichéd plot you only see in novels. Tell me—did you see her after coming back this time?”

Yu Mianzhou had concealed the matter exceptionally well over the years. Even Joyce had no idea what her unforgettable first love looked like.

Yu Mianzhou did not answer and instead changed the subject.

“Where’s Lina? She didn’t come back with you?”

Joyce had known she would avoid the question.

At the mention of her daughter, her expression softened.

“She’ll come over later. She still has some paperwork to handle in Country Y.”

Lina was the daughter Joyce had with her first love.

After Joyce became pregnant, that Alpha disappeared without a trace, abandoning her after getting what she wanted and leaving Lina without another mother from the moment she was born.

Fortunately, Yu Mianzhou had been there.

“Since I’m already here, I’ll be working myself to the bone for you. If your new company’s salary is too low, this young lady will not be pleased.”

Joyce quickly recovered her energy.

Yu Mianzhou had specialized in computer science and artificial intelligence while studying abroad. By the time she graduated, she had already received an offer from one of the world’s leading companies. Even her academic adviser had personally tried to persuade her to remain.

Yet she had rejected every opportunity and chosen to establish her own technology company, focusing primarily on artificial-intelligence research and development.

The domestic branch was already beginning to take shape and had attracted considerable investment.

“Don’t worry. Lunn and the others have already prepared everything. You won’t starve,” Yu Mianzhou said.

The car passed through a bustling commercial district.

A promotional video was playing on an enormous electronic screen at the intersection.

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Joyce suddenly seized Yu Mianzhou’s wrist, her eyes shining.

“Jiang Zhi! That’s Jiang Zhi!”

The moment that name left her mouth, Yu Mianzhou’s foot slammed down.

Even a Bentley with the finest performance could not withstand such an abrupt stop. The tires scraped against the road with a piercing shriek.

Yu Mianzhou’s head struck the headrest, and she frowned involuntarily.

“You know her?”

Joyce’s eyes glittered as she pointed toward the woman on the giant screen outside.

“Of course I know her! That’s Jiang Zhi! Isn’t she the principal cellist of your Empire’s Qingye Orchestra?”

“She began learning the cello at five, performed a suite independently at eight, entered a top university at twelve, and became principal cellist at only eighteen. She’s won so many awards she can barely hold them all. Her fans call her the ‘Solitary Moon Immortal’ who stepped straight out of classical music…”

As Joyce enthusiastically recited every detail she knew, Yu Mianzhou finally recovered and looked through the window—

The woman on the screen wore a formal performance gown and sat before her cello, her fingertips dancing across the strings.

Her cool elegance and focused expression resembled the first snowfall arriving as promised in Jiangnan.

It was impossible to look away.

Only when the traffic light turned green again did Yu Mianzhou calmly withdraw her gaze.

“I didn’t know you usually paid attention to things like this.”

“It’s because Lina recently started learning an instrument, so I began learning along with her. Then I came across one of Jiang Zhi’s performances, and I immediately fell deeply in love with this woman!”

Joyce was practically beside herself with excitement.

“My God, I can’t believe I saw Jiang Zhi here! This shopping center has excellent taste. Darling, I’m hungry. Let’s go inside and have something to eat!”

Jiang Zhi had previously traveled to Country Y to hold a solo recital. Despite using all her financial power and connections, Joyce had still failed to obtain a ticket.

It had nearly become an obsession.

Yu Mianzhou remembered that the logo she had just seen on the top floor of the shopping center belonged to one of the Jiang family’s businesses.

She frowned.

“Can we choose somewhere else?”

“No. It has to be this one!”

Joyce’s eyes reddened on command. She bit her lower lip, looking fully prepared to throw herself on the ground and cause a scene if Yu Mianzhou refused.

“I want to go! I want to go! If you don’t take me, I’ll immediately order ten hamburgers and eat until I burst!”

“Don’t think I can’t tell that you merely want an excuse to secretly reward yourself.”

Yu Mianzhou sounded helpless.

“You’re already the mother of a six-year-old. Aren’t you being a little childish?”

“I enjoy being childish.”

In the end, Yu Mianzhou could not outstubborn her and drove into the underground parking garage.

The two of them took the elevator to the first floor. To allow Joyce to admire Jiang Zhi’s beauty on the enormous screens inside the shopping center from a closer distance, they switched to the escalator.

The moment they reached the second floor, they saw numerous female bodyguards dressed in black standing outside a haute couture bridal boutique not far away.

Catching sight of a familiar figure, Yu Mianzhou stopped.

Through the enormous glass display window, she immediately saw Jiang Zhi standing before a mirror.

She wore a simple, pure-white wedding dress.

There was no intricate lace or elaborate arrangement of diamonds. Only the finest satin, shaped to trace the slender curve of her waist.

A long veil flowed down to the floor, surrounding her with a soft-edged glow that made her entire body seem luminous.

She looked like a goddess descending into the mortal world.

Without warning, Yu Mianzhou’s memories easily drifted back to that summer night after their high school graduation.

The air had been stiflingly hot.

Jiang Zhi had lain soaking wet in her arms, panting as she pressed herself close and whispered stickily into Yu Mianzhou’s ear:

“If I ever marry someone I love, I’ll definitely wear a pure-white wedding dress.”

Now, everything had indeed turned out exactly as she wished.

Yu Mianzhou withdrew her gaze and turned to leave.

“Isn’t that… Jiang Zhi?!”

Before she could take a single step, Joyce’s eyes had already lit up beside her, and she let out a delighted gasp.

Yu Mianzhou’s heart jumped.

She had no time to stop her.

Joyce had already rushed excitedly toward the bridal boutique.