Chapter 38
Pei Yi felt unusually irritated, as if a ball of flame had burned across the tip of her heart. Had the inhibitor she had taken earlier already passed its effective period in less than a day?
She rummaged through her bag, took out a white medicine bottle, poured out several pills, and swallowed them with mineral water.
After putting the medicine bottle back, she found a box of ladies’ cigarettes in her briefcase. Her fingertips trembled twice as she opened the cigarette case. She took one out, held it between her index and middle fingers, and brought the filter to her mouth. But the hand searching for a lighter stopped…
This was a hospital. Smoking indoors was not allowed.
Pei Yi took the filter out of her mouth and caught sight of two faint red lip prints left on the paper. She suddenly remembered that night a few days ago, on the hospital rooftop, when Zhong Lin had come looking for her and coughed violently twice from the cigarette smoke. Those light chestnut eyes had been watery.
The little girl seemed to really hate the smell of smoke.
Pei Yi pressed her lips together, put the cigarette back between her lips, and without lighting it, only took two breaths through the filter. The sound of water was still ringing in her ears, huala la.
The moisture continued to spread. The ward was not large, and the scent belonging to an Omega was carried by the mist, surging secretly indoors like a hidden tide, becoming richer and more intense.
Wet and lingering.
She heard the water suddenly stop. Slippers tapped twice. Then came the sound of a button being pressed. She should be applying body wash.
The water flowed again for five or six minutes, then stopped.
Pei Yi raised her hand and removed the unlit cigarette from her mouth. Her knuckles flicked, and the cigarette was thrown into the trash can.
Two days ago, she had read a paper saying that after smoking for a long time, the scent of smoke would mix into one’s pheromones, carrying a faint tobacco smell.
Pei Yi took out a lipstick, opened a powder compact, and touched up the lipstick that had been rubbed away earlier in the mirror.
She should stop smoking from now on.
She suddenly wanted to quit.
With a “click,” the bathroom door opened.
Zhong Lin stepped out in slippers, a white towel casually draped over her head. Her hair was still half-dry, and water occasionally dripped from the ends. The shoulder of her goose-yellow shirt was damp, and a small patch of fabric clung to her collar. The first button was undone, revealing a small patch of snowy white.
“Where’s the hair dryer?” Having just showered, Zhong Lin’s fair cheeks were flushed faintly pink. When she spoke, there was a bit of nasal softness in her voice, like honey, sticky and sweet.
Pei Yi opened the bedside cabinet. The hair dryer was actually inside the drawer. She stood up, holding it, and lifted it toward Zhong Lin. “Come here.”
Zhong Lin hesitated, then still walked over in her slippers. “I’ll do it myself.”
She stopped beside Pei Yi and reached out for the hair dryer. Just as her fingers were about to touch the handle,
she grabbed nothing.
“Learned how to snatch things now?” Pei Yi suddenly raised her hand and lifted the hair dryer above her head.
Zhong Lin stretched her arm forward. The soles of her slippers were wet, and her foot slipped. Her whole body tilted forward and fell toward Pei Yi.
The damp ends of her hair brushed against Pei Yi’s chest, leaving a small wet mark. The white shirt there became a little translucent.
Pei Yi’s hair, which had been tucked behind her ear, fell loose and brushed Zhong Lin’s cheek, making it itch faintly. Zhong Lin could smell a familiar fragrance: shampoo mixed with Alpha pheromones, a scent that made one blush and one’s heart race.
Zhong Lin failed to steady herself and crashed into the other woman’s arms. From this angle, the tip of her nose was right at the other woman’s collarbone hollow. Her hands lifted by reflex, blocking in front of herself, but when she pressed down, they happened to cover a patch of softness. The feeling at her fingertips was very strange, as if kissed by clouds, warm and soft.
Only separated by her hand, they were almost chest to chest. She could feel the heartbeat, pounding violently again and again.
Zhong Lin’s chest rose and fell sharply. Through the fabric, she could sense the temperature of the other person’s body. It was hot, burning her to death.
This posture was extremely like throwing herself into someone’s arms, though Zhong Lin had not meant to do that at all.
Zhong Lin immediately backed away half a step. Her whole body was like a taut string, and her little face flushed bright red, like a ripe peach, delicious and tempting. “S-sorry!!”
It was the first time she had spoken so anxiously. Even her voice trembled. A hand pressed down on her shoulder.
Pei Yi looked at her, her eyes deep. “Sit down.”
“Really… I can blow-dry it myself.” Zhong Lin emphasized again.
A strong force came from her shoulder. A strand of hair was pressed down, pulling faintly at her scalp.
The attitude was somewhat forceful, leaving no room for refusal.
Zhong Lin gave a soft hiss and was pressed down to sit by the bed.
Only then did Pei Yi realize she had hurt her just now. Her brows furrowed, and she withdrew her hand from Zhong Lin’s shoulder.
The hair dryer was turned on, blowing hot air beside Zhong Lin’s ear with a whirring sound. Long fingers moved through her hair. Fingertips unintentionally brushed past the roots, and her head tingled faintly from it.
The ends of her hair were blown up. The air smelled of shampoo, a clean scent, but mixed within it was a nearly undetectable strand of Omega pheromones, thread by thread, hiding desire.
Zhong Lin felt a little uncomfortable from the blow-drying. When Pei Yi’s wrist came close to her cheek, a faint fragrant wind brushed past—extremely light Alpha pheromones. The roots of her legs became a little weak. Zhong Lin pressed her knees together and curled her toes hard against her slippers.
The process of drying her hair felt so long…
Soft hair flowed between Pei Yi’s fingers as she stood before the bed. It was as smooth as silk. Her nose twitched twice, lightly sniffing the scent between Zhong Lin’s strands of hair.
Pei Yi liked this scent very much. The agitation in her heart earlier became even worse, as if oil had been poured onto fire. A trace of desire flashed through those dark brown eyes, almost obsession, but only for an instant.
She heard Zhong Lin inhale softly beside her ear. It seemed that while Pei Yi had been distracted, she had hurt her again.
Pei Yi stopped the hand holding the hair dryer. The fingers gripping Zhong Lin’s hair gradually loosened. “Do it yourself.”
Then she handed the hair dryer to Zhong Lin.
She had never dried anyone else’s hair before. The force with which she held Zhong Lin’s hair had been too strong.
She had also never been close with another Omega before and did not know how to be considerate…
But there was one thing she was clear about: she did not want to be friends with Zhong Lin.
What should I do with you… Zhong Lin?
When Zhong Lin had leaned into her just now, separated only by that soft little hand, Pei Yi could feel that violent heartbeat thudding in her chest, again and again, like a drum.
This feeling was absurd.
Perhaps when the variety show ended, everything would return to how it had been before?
She wanted everything to return to normal, yet she did not want… to never see Zhong Lin again.
Pei Yi raised her hand and rubbed between her brows, then slowly walked to the door. The white incandescent light in the corridor outlined her figure. She truly had a slim waist and long legs. Half-leaning against the doorway, her silhouette was breathtakingly beautiful. “Hurry up.”
Her tone seemed a little impatient.
Cold and arrogant.
Zhong Lin picked up the hair dryer. Though helpless, she still forced a smile. “Okay.”
Back then, the one who wanted to dry her hair was Pei Yi.
Now, the one telling her to hurry and dry it herself was also Pei Yi.
If she had done it herself from the beginning, she would probably have finished long ago.
Pei Yi was just like this—fickle and unpredictable.
A heroine’s heart was like a needle at the bottom of the sea. Truly complicated.
A few minutes later, Zhong Lin finished tidying her hair, placed the hair dryer back on the bedside cabinet, and even helped the nurse sister fold the blanket on the bed.
Pei Yi happened to finish the discharge procedures at this time. She turned off the lights, and the two left together.
With a “click,” the ward door closed.
With a “click,” the ward door was pushed open.
More than forty minutes later, a figure stood at the door of the same ward.
Chu Yunze had rushed back, travel-worn. The makeup on her face had not even been removed. She reached out and turned on the lights, only to discover that the room was empty. By the hospital bed, there was only a pair of used disposable slippers.
She sniffed and smelled a fragrance. It seemed to be the scent of body wash or shampoo, and also an extremely faint… Omega pheromone.
Chu Yunze frowned. It felt as if a feather had brushed across her heart—itchy and uncomfortable… This was a hospital. Nothing should have happened. That faded Best Actress should not be that beastly.
No matter what, she had developed great interest in Zhong Lin, whether in Zhong Lin herself or her pheromones. They were like tangerine-flavored cream, milky and sweet, fresh like tangerine,
yet they hooked one’s emotions until one could hardly control oneself.
Chu Yunze took out her phone, opened WeChat, and slid her finger across the screen twice, but stopped midway.
She suddenly remembered that she did not even have Zhong Lin’s WeChat…
The production team did not allow guests to exchange phone numbers or WeChat during the show.
The evening wind squeezed in through the window ledge. The final strand of Omega pheromones floated and sank in the air, almost blown away.
Chu Yunze leaned against the doorway. She closed her eyes, leaving only a faint sigh to spread through the ward in loneliness.
She would stay a while longer, until all of Zhong Lin’s pheromones had dispersed.
After a long while, the light was turned off.
With a “click,” the door of that ward was closed again.
With a “click,” the car door was pushed open.
A foot wearing a small black leather shoe landed on the ground. The ankle was fair, very thin and bony. Zhong Lin got out of the car. Across a road stood a large stretch of office buildings.
Pei Yi parked the car in a parking space, got out, and walked to Zhong Lin’s side.
When the light turned green, the two crossed the road together.
Zhong Lin walked beside her, staring at the office buildings across the road. In an instant, she understood: Pei Yi was truly willing to help her!
She was willing to connect her and let her sign with a new entertainment company. For example, Pei Yi’s Wanfang Entertainment—ordinary artists found it very hard to get in.
But as long as the company carefully selected someone and confirmed they had the qualifications to sign, the resources they gave would be much better than the opportunities other companies gave newcomers. There would be no exploitation of artists, and as long as one worked hard, one could learn a lot.
So Wanfang Entertainment had a very good reputation in the industry. For newcomers, it was a narrow bridge everyone fought to squeeze across.
Zhong Lin was slightly lost in thought. Even the corners of her eyes curved a little. Fine light shimmered in her light chestnut eyes, and the smile in her brows could not be hidden. It felt like the Bai Ze cub’s future was suddenly full of hope. (:з)∠)~
She completely failed to notice that a delivery rider’s electric bike was riding toward them.
“Careful.” Zhong Lin’s hand was suddenly grabbed. The other person’s fingers were slightly warm and held Zhong Lin’s hand very tightly.
Zhong Lin was pulled by the hand and tugged backward. Her body tilted back, bumping into someone’s shoulder.
The delivery rider sped past, almost brushing the tips of her toes.
Zhong Lin’s heart jolted, but the strength on her fingers still did not loosen. Pei Yi’s palm held her slender fingers.
The warmth of Pei Yi’s palm traveled through her fingers, a little hot. Zhong Lin’s wrist trembled, but she did not break free. She allowed Pei Yi to hold her hand and lead her across the road.
With her hand held, they had no choice but to walk very close together. Her shoulder bumped into Pei Yi twice without her realizing.
Zhong Lin silently licked her lips. Her heart inexplicably itched. The hand being held felt tingly at the wrist, a little strange.
When they reached the other side of the road, Pei Yi let go of her hand as if nothing had happened. It was as if everything just now had never occurred.
Zhong Lin asked her, “Where are we going?”
“We’re almost there.” Pei Yi raised her hand and coughed lightly, half covering her mouth and nose.
But the tip of her nose unconsciously sniffed her own fingers. A faint sweet fragrance remained on her fingertips.
It was Zhong Lin’s scent.
On the other side of the road, a man in a baseball cap sent out the photos he had just taken.
—Pei Yi holding Zhong Lin’s hand. The two were very close.
Note: Miss Pei may have a situation. The person holding hands with her is a female Omega.
The man raised a hand, pressed down the brim of his cap, and turned to disappear into the crowd.
Zhong Lin and Pei Yi knew nothing about this. One after another, they entered a towering office building.
At Wanfang Entertainment, someone knocked on the door of an office.
“Sister Xu, Teacher Pei brought someone over.” The little assistant stood at the doorway, still holding a folder. “Seems to be a newcomer. I haven’t seen her before.”
The woman was about thirty-something, dressed in a gray suit. She put down the document in her hand, bent her index finger, and unconsciously tapped the desktop. “She moves fast.”
This person was Pei Yi’s manager, Xu Tao. She was the one who had disguised herself as the lottery staff member at the mall before.
“Second Miss is still too young.” Xu Tao pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses. A sheet of white light reflected across the lenses. She clicked her tongue, stood, and walked out the office door. “Young people really can’t stay calm.”
After all, she was an Alpha who had been single for more than twenty years and had never tasted meat. The moment she smelled a bit of fishiness, she could not resist making a move. Pei Yi was still too inexperienced.
In the corridor, four people met face to face.
Pei Yi brought Zhong Lin, and on the other side, Xu Tao brought assistant Wang Xueqi.
The moment Zhong Lin saw Xu Tao, she froze slightly, her eyes somewhat blank. “You… aren’t you…”
“It’s me. We met that night,” Xu Tao waved at her and explained. “Xiao Pei asked me to meet you before, that’s all.”
Afraid Zhong Lin would think they had deliberately teased her before, Xu Tao added another sentence. “At the time, it was just a joke with you. Don’t think too much.”
“But those gifts…” Zhong Lin raised her hand and touched the thin platinum-colored bracelet on her wrist, shrinking her hand as if she wanted to take it off.
“No need to return them to us. Those were… given to you by my boss.” Xu Tao raised her brow and waved her hand to stop Zhong Lin’s movement. She used the word “boss” in place of Pei Yi.
“Every future employee gets them. If you truly don’t want to sign with us, it won’t be too late to return them then.” At the end, Xu Tao even added another sentence, sounding a little like she was trying to cover something up.
This was not a lie. To some extent, Pei Yi was indeed one of her bosses.
Xu Tao secretly studied Zhong Lin.
Twenty years old. Her age was already quite old. If she had not come from a professional background and had not taken art exams, switching careers halfway was basically impossible… unless she was extraordinarily gifted.
But Xu Tao had already seen Zhong Lin’s learning ability. Her speed at accepting new skills was practically godlike. That night, when she learned to throw darts, even Pei Yi had been shocked by Zhong Lin.
In addition, her figure was really very good. Her waist was narrow and slender. Although she was an Omega, she was not the especially petite type. She had material where she should, with curves in all the right places.
And this face was truly too good-looking. Xu Tao had never seen any artist whose bare face could be this perfect. Her lashes were super long, fluttering again and again, leaving trembling shadows at the edges of her eyelids.
Her cool white skin carried just the right amount of pink. Her cheeks were tender like freshly peeled boiled eggs, making one want to poke them.
Even Xu Tao, as a Beta, could not help looking at her a few more times and silently swallowing. In her heart, she thought Pei Yi might really have been bewitched by this little enchantress this time!
—Was this Pei Yi asking her to manage a newcomer? This was clearly the future young madam!
“Xu Tao?” Pei Yi asked coldly.
Xu Tao immediately came back to herself and waved at assistant Wang Xueqi. “Xueqi, take her to look around the environment.”
“Let her decide whether she wants to sign with us in the future.”
Assistant Wang Xueqi nodded and stepped forward.
“Our Wanfang Entertainment artists have always taken both cultural courses and performance courses together. I heard you’ve already graduated from university, so you can skip the cultural courses in the future,” Wang Xueqi patiently introduced while showing Zhong Lin the way.
“Singing and dancing, instruments, creation, acting classes… The courses will be arranged according to your personal characteristics.”
“…”
Wang Xueqi left with Zhong Lin.
“Once the variety show ends, let her come over for intensive training,” Xu Tao said, watching the two walk away. “There just happens to be another batch of people starting reinforcement classes.”
“She hasn’t been feeling well recently. There’s no rush for intensive training.” Pei Yi turned and walked toward the office behind them. She pulled out the leather office chair and sat directly in front of the desk.
“We can also have someone arrange individual classes for her.”
Zhong Lin had only just undergone secondary differentiation. Her first heat had just ended. If she had to record the variety show while also attending intensive training, it might be too exhausting…
Xu Tao followed Pei Yi into the office. She had been Pei Yi’s manager for a very long time and could be considered one of Pei Yi’s few friends. It was the first time she had seen Pei Yi put so much thought into one person. “Second Miss, why do you…”
—Why did it feel like she was caring about her own wife???
Xu Tao paused for a moment before continuing. Behind the lenses of her glasses, her gaze was playful. “Afraid your little friend will be wronged?”
The fingers resting at Pei Yi’s side curled slightly. Her knuckles lightly tapped the desk. She lowered her eyes, and her crow-black lashes concealed the expression beneath. “For now… she’s not mine yet.”
“Only a matter of time.” Xu Tao lightly clicked her tongue. “If the chairwoman knew, she would definitely feel gratified…”
So many Omega heirs from various families had been arranged, but Pei Yi had not liked a single one… This had worried the chairwoman terribly. Everyone at Fanghong Group’s headquarters suspected that their Second Miss might be frigid.
Now things were great. Finally, there was someone who could make Pei Yi take the initiative!
“Don’t let Grandpa know.” Pei Yi shook her head slightly and raised her eyes to look at Xu Tao sitting opposite her. Her gaze was extremely cold. “Otherwise… I’ll fire you.”
“I know. I won’t say it.” Xu Tao curled her lips. “But if she comes to Wanfang Entertainment, whether the people at Fanghong Group find out or not, I can’t guarantee…”
After all, Fanghong Group was Wanfang Entertainment’s 100% controlling shareholder. Even the old man sweeping the floor in the company might be a spy from headquarters.
Pei Yi pressed her lips together and sighed softly. “Forget it.”
With so many people and eyes around, if it really reached Grandpa’s ears, it would happen sooner or later. She could not blame Xu Tao.
When the boat reached the bridge, it would naturally straighten. Some things would naturally have solutions when the time came. Besides, she had not even pursued the person successfully yet.
And did she really like Zhong Lin?
Or was she being lured by Zhong Lin’s pheromones and confused by the atmosphere of the dating variety show…
Only acting on a whim?
Pei Yi doubted herself a little, but she was unwilling to think too much about it. Right now, her only goal was to let Zhong Lin come to Wanfang Entertainment and test the waters first.
Whether from a personal angle or from Wanfang Entertainment’s perspective, Pei Yi wanted to keep Zhong Lin.
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
Pei Yi lit up the screen, opened WeChat, and found she had received a new message—
“I heard you joined a dating variety show?” The avatar was a simple drawing of a little girl smiling brightly.
Pei Yi frowned. She thought carefully. It seemed there was no such person among her friends. She also did not know when she had added this person. Perhaps it was one of the random people she had been forced to add during blind dates before?
Pei Yi raised her finger and typed a message.
[Eve]: “Do I know you?”
The other person was probably some group heiress too, with a pretty bad temper. She immediately sent a big emoji.
Other party: [/Extra-large anger]
Other party: [Knock your dog head off.jpg]
Pei Yi did not see the third message. When the other party sent the second meme, she directly blocked them and gave a light snort. “Crazy.”
She did not know what expression the person on the other side would have when they saw the red exclamation mark in the chat box.
In any case, they were probably an insignificant character.
Under assistant Wang Xueqi’s guidance, Zhong Lin toured around once before returning to the office where they had started.
Zhong Lin was brought to the mahogany desk.
The office chair in front of her turned backward. Pei Yi leaned against the leather backrest, hair by her ear falling and casting a faint swaying shadow on the side of her face. Her dark brown eyes gazed at Zhong Lin. She raised her hand and handed the contract to Zhong Lin.
Zhong Lin accepted the contract and roughly looked through the contents:
[During the contract period, the artist shall not date. If there is a need to date, it must be reported to the company.]
…
[Do not bind yourself to Pei Yi. Do not casually drag down or step on this company’s artists!!]
When she saw this clause, the corner of Zhong Lin’s lips twitched. The hand holding the paper trembled slightly.
To sign or not to sign—this was the question.
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