Chapter 54
A Su family bodyguard chosen to be a personal escort couldn’t possibly be unprepared for sudden contingencies; every active Alpha in their employ underwent regular check-ups and suppressant injections.
When out in the field, if nothing else, emergency suppressants were as essential as their own underwear.
Looking at the injectable suppressant tossed on the ground, the two burly Alphas exchanged a glance. With wicked grins, they simultaneously pulled out micro-syringes clipped to their belts, pressed them against the outside of their arms, and withdrew. Their unfocused eyes cleared instantly.
The one with a beard spoke with a voice as coarse as sandpaper: “Stupid girl, what makes you think we’d dare use something you threw down?”
Jiang Lu’s expression shifted slightly. Her hand, which had been loosely gripping Su Mengrui’s neck, suddenly tightened. She dragged the limp, mud-like Su Mengrui backward toward the security exit.
This was a private elevator leading to the clubhouse. After two turns, besides a glass door connecting to the mall, there was a fire exit door that led directly to the street behind the building.
She wasn’t afraid of fighting two muscle-bound men—in fact, she felt a surge of excitement and anticipation at the prospect—but time was tight; she couldn’t waste it.
Finding her target door, Jiang Lu casually shoved aside Su Mengrui, whom she had dragged the whole way, and lunged toward the heavy fire door like a cheetah.
The voice-activated lights flickered on at the sound of the door opening. She didn’t stop, but as she caught a whiff of the unpleasant pheromones drifting in from outside, the gland at the back of her neck flushed a deep red.
The moment she burst through the door, the girl’s agile body, carrying the overwhelming pressure of strawberry wine pheromones, struck the muscle-bound man blocking the way.
With a powerful kick, Jiang Lu used the man’s chest as a springboard to vault away, turning to sprint toward the side street to reunite with her ride-hail driver.
The car door slammed shut with a bang. Jiang Lu’s heart pounded wildly, and her lips curled upward into a grin as she panted for breath.
The driver, following the plan, floored the accelerator to merge into traffic without a second thought. But seeing the girl’s exhilarated state in the mirror, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity. “You look like you just did something extraordinary.”
Jiang Lu met the driver’s eyes in the mirror. The latter added innocently, “You look happier than I was when I won the lottery.”
“I am quite happy.” Jiang Lu arched an eyebrow, leaning back with her arms crossed, the smile in her eyes refusing to fade.
Honestly, if time had permitted, she really would have liked to give those two bodyguards an injection each—using the largest needles and the most painful medicine possible.
It was simply too satisfying! Hahaha—
Too bad. Maybe next time.
After circling through six traffic lights downtown, the driver finally couldn’t take it anymore: “Hey, little rich lady, where exactly are we going?”
Jiang Lu, who had slid down quite low in her seat with her legs crossed, snapped out of it: “Wait a second, let me ask.”
The driver: “Huh?”
Jiang Lu pulled out her new phone. Since she had only authorized the login before dinner, her contact list was empty except for system notifications. She found the avatar that looked “delicious” and dialed the voice call directly, holding it to her ear.
When the ringtone sounded, Bai Yue had just finished seeing Su Cheng back to her room. She walked quickly to the living room sofa, grabbed her bag, and fished out her phone. Seeing it was Jiang Lu calling, she was startled.
The fact that this little Alpha—who was supposed to be in isolation—had suddenly messaged her this afternoon was shocking enough. Why was she calling directly in the middle of the night?
As far as she knew, an Alpha’s rut lasted quite a while. Even if it was the first time, shouldn’t it take about a week?
It had only been a few days. Was Jiang Lu’s family that indulgent? Or was she… not doing so well?
Bai Yue’s face went through several changes of expression. With a complex look, she answered and walked toward the enclosed balcony adjacent to the living room. “Hello? Jiang Lu?”
Hearing Bai Yue’s voice, which was as pleasant as a mountain stream, Jiang Lu’s already joyful mood improved further. “Hello, Bai Yue. It’s me.”
Hearing the unusual tone in the phone, Bai Yue glanced strangely at the screen. “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s so late, why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Bai Yue, are you about to sleep?” Jiang Lu’s voice dropped a few notches.
She sounded… disappointed? Sensing the change in her mood, Bai Yue’s gaze froze as she stared at the night view outside the window. “No, not yet. What’s wrong?”
Jiang Lu leaned against the car window, her voice carrying an excitement she herself didn’t notice: “I want to see you. Can I come find you?”
“Huh?” Bai Yue’s head buzzed. “Jiang Lu, aren’t you… can you even come out right now?”
“I’m already out, Bai Yue. I just want to look at you. Just once. Even from a distance is fine.” Jiang Lu was so blunt she sounded like a different person. “Please, okay?”
Bai Yue wanted to say Stop joking, little girl, you’re in your rut. What do you want to do coming to see me?
But the moment she heard the word “please,” her right ear felt numb, as if hit by something invisible. A restriction seemed to be placed on her, making it impossible to utter any word of rejection.
By the time she snapped out of it, she was already in her slippers with large cream-white bows, walking out of the apartment complex. The complex wasn’t large and didn’t have many buildings, but the entrance was the most luxurious and grand in the neighborhood.
Jiang Lu stood by the flowerbed at the entrance, nervously pulling at her mask, her eyes fixed on the gate. Bai Yue looked at the green dot on her phone, then looked up at the corresponding location. At first glance, she almost missed the figure standing there.
The streetlights at the gate were brighter than those on the street, enough to illuminate everyone’s feet, but they were still no match for someone intentionally hiding. Bai Yue stood still for several seconds before she recognized the little Alpha lurking in the shadows. She thought for a moment, and seeing there were a fair number of pedestrians around, she walked toward the flowerbed.
Just as she took her third step, her phone chimed with a three-word message: Don’t come over!
Bai Yue exited the location sharing and looked up at the girl standing in the shadows—masked and seemingly “armed,” but wearing thin clothes. She gave a puzzled smile.
“If you’re afraid, why did you come?”
The night breeze was gentle, and the Omega’s voice was gentler still. They reached Jiang Lu one after another—one brushing over her eyes, the other slipping into her ears. Jiang Lu’s heartbeat was louder than ever, thumping against her eardrums and making her panic.
“I… I don’t know.” Panic seeped into her voice. “It just… suddenly missed you a lot.”
“Wanted to see you.”
Bai Yue stood under the streetlight, the soft, bright light acting like a custom filter for her. Her bewildered expression was so beautiful it was intoxicating. “Who?”
Jiang Lu’s whole body was tense as she tried to suppress the heat in her neck. Her volume plummeted: “My heart.” And my body.
“What did you say?” Bai Yue didn’t hear her.
Jiang Lu didn’t repeat herself. She stood there quietly watching the Omega. “Bai Yue, I want to hug you. Can I?”
Bai Yue froze.
Jiang Lu stepped out of the shadows, looking like she was struggling as well. “Just for a second. I promise I won’t do anything, I…”
Bai Yue had seen Alphas in their rut before. They were irritable and aggressive; nine out of ten had a strong desire for destruction. To be so well-behaved and cautious—it wasn’t an exaggeration to say Jiang Lu was the first. Beyond that, she actually sensed grievance and pitiableness in her.
Heaven knows, the Alphas in rut she’d seen before inspired nothing but annoyance.
Bai Yue shook her head helplessly, took the initiative to walk forward, and opened her arms. Just as she was about to close them, Jiang Lu beat her to it and hugged her.
As she said, it was a touch-and-go contact; the hug felt like it barely happened. Watching the little Alpha quickly retreat to re-establish distance, Bai Yue chuckled: “I used suppressants not long ago, and I changed my patch this afternoon. There’s no scent on me.”
As the words fell, she leaned in again, reached out, and gave the dazed Jiang Lu a firm hug.
However, similarly, she quickly let go and stepped back. Then she saw the “revived” Jiang Lu immediately cover her nose and mouth with her hands?
Jiang Lu retreated two steps, the stars in her eyes flickering. “Your hair… smells so good.”
Bai Yue’s chest fluttered, and her expression changed instantly—the wine scent on Jiang Lu was so sweet!
Oh no!
Realizing something was wrong, Jiang Lu and Bai Yue both retreated several steps until they were back where they had first met.
“I—I—I… it’s late, Senior, you should go up and rest!”
“It’s late, you should hurry home and rest…”
Their voices collided in the night. Bai Yue felt a frantic panic in her heart. She couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries anymore, turning and running back toward the apartment gate.
Jiang Lu stood still, watching Bai Yue pass through the gate. She took a few steps forward along the path where Bai Yue had left and picked up a hair ribbon lying by the flowerbed. You didn’t even need to be close to smell the fragrance on it.
She pursed her lips, carefully folded it, put it in her pocket, and returned to the car waiting by the roadside with its hazards on.
Back home, the clock showed exactly 11:00 PM.
Jiang Lu held the hair ribbon like a precious, fragile item, placing it gently on her nightstand. She hummed a tune she’d heard somewhere and went to the bathroom to shower. After running around all day, she was exhausted and needed a comfortable sleep.
In the steam-filled bathroom, all the fragrances were covered by the scent of strawberry wine. The Alpha wiped her hair, feeling a lingering fear and secretly glad she hadn’t brought the ribbon in, otherwise the Omega’s scent on it would likely have been soaked through.
Changing into soft pajamas, Jiang Lu curled up in her duvet, adjusted her position, and then uneasily reached out to pull the salvaged ribbon to her pillow. The mint fragrance wasn’t strong—it was actually quite faint—but after two deep breaths, she felt it wasn’t enough and simply wrapped her hands around it, holding it to her chest.
The duvet rustled comfortably as the Alpha quietly closed her eyes, cocooned in the pleasant pheromones, and drifted into dreamland.
Little did she know, the Omega sitting at her bedside with her hands around her knees couldn’t find her sleepiness. Bai Yue stared dazed at a strawberry-shaped glass wine bottle on her covers, her misty eyes blank yet bright.
It was a gift from a friend who loved breeding various strawberries—the best strawberry wine in Liancheng, essentially her private custom blend. The acidity, sweetness, tartness, and even the alcohol content were perfectly to her liking.
But after smelling Jiang Lu’s pheromones, for some reason, when she tasted it now, it felt… wrong. The acidity, sweetness, tartness, and alcohol—none of it was enough.
It was close, but lacking everywhere.
Why was it like this? Were her pheromones really that good?
To be honest, they really were. It was a kind of… comfortable feeling, similar to being slightly tipsy—
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