Chapter 25

After night fell, the temperature in the campsite dropped sharply. The people who had been gathered outside eating, drinking, and playing gradually went into their tents. Only a small number of people, dressed in thick clothes, were still holding out.

Wei Jinzhi was only wearing a hoodie, so naturally, she could not stand being frozen. Among their group, she was the first to enter the tent.

She even felt a faint trace of regret.

Why had they come camping in this season?

Not long after she went in, Song Qiliang came over to ask whether she wanted to eat anything else. Wei Jinzhi knew Song Qiliang was worried about her, but she truly had no appetite. After saying a few words, she sent her away.

She sat alone, bored, scrolling on her phone for a while. Then He Qinmian also came in, and the people outside the tent dispersed.

He Qinmian carried an obvious smell of alcohol. Without the slightest sense of being an outsider, she threw herself onto Wei Jinzhi and hung her arms around Wei Jinzhi’s neck.

Wei Jinzhi disliked the smell of alcohol all over her and pushed her a little farther away.

But He Qinmian did not loosen her hands. She swayed several times before finally standing steady.

Then she immediately became aggrieved. The light inside the tent was not too bright, but He Qinmian’s big eyes were [unauthorized copy]wet, making her look soft enough to melt someone’s heart.

Wei Jinzhi sighed. She truly had no way to deal with her. She shifted her position and pulled He Qinmian over again.

He Qinmian took the opportunity to lean into her arms, all her tears spilling onto Wei Jinzhi’s shoulder as she whimpered softly and called her, “Jinzhi…”

In truth, He Qinmian was not drunk at all. She only wanted to use the alcohol as an excuse to make a fuss. She knew Wei Jinzhi would not ignore her.

Wei Jinzhi actually did not have many friends, but the lively He Qinmian had many. Sometimes, Wei Jinzhi also wondered how she had ended up accepting He Qinmian as a friend.

They had absolutely nothing in common.

But thinking about it again, perhaps it was simply because He Qinmian was clingy.

Or perhaps it was because, once, He Qinmian had saved her when she differentiated in the bathroom.

At that time, Wei Jinzhi had still been a middle school student. During her differentiation, she had been so frightened that her mind went blank. Fortunately, He Qinmian had been there. She had found inhibitors and guarded the bathroom door. Later, after learning that Wei Jinzhi rejected her omega identity, He Qinmian told others that her own heat had arrived and helped her keep the secret that she had differentiated into an omega.

One’s secondary gender information was uploaded by the individual. Because of He Qinmian’s cover, no one discovered anything when Wei Jinzhi uploaded her information as an alpha.

So saying He Qinmian was clingy and troublesome was only something ​Read on BaiLianTales​Wei Jinzhi said when she was feeling disdainful.

Right now, He Qinmian was feeling miserable, so like many times before, she leaned into Wei Jinzhi’s arms and said pitifully, “Why can you pretend to be an alpha and still meet your true-love alpha, but I’m an honest omega and I can’t!!”

She had dragged this statement out again.

In truth, how could that count as meeting one?

Besides, Wei Jinzhi had already retorted against her once today and did not want to do it a second time.

She patted He Qinmian’s back and comforted her gently. “Don’t be anxious. What’s yours will definitely be yours.”

He Qinmian had told Wei Jinzhi about her sad past countless times. As for the misunderstandings involved, Wei Jinzhi could only say that the two of them still lacked fate.

He Qinmian was very speechless toward Wei Jinzhi’s comfort, but she still leaned closer into her arms and cried out loud.

Her mouth was full of messy nonsense. At first, her voice was not low, but Wei Jinzhi allowed her to vent.

After all, their group’s tents were all very spread out. At this hour, she was not afraid of disturbing anyone.

He Qinmian cried for a while. When Wei Jinzhi saw that she had gone quiet, she thought she had fallen asleep. But bailiantales.comthen she saw He Qinmian hugging the blanket tightly and silently shedding tears.

Wei Jinzhi could not help feeling sorry for her. She thought Yan Xin was truly ruthless enough. So many years had passed, and she had not given He Qinmian even the slightest chance to explain. And He Qinmian was foolish too. Could she not be a little more forceful?

Clearly, she had also suffered grievance back then, yet she only felt that she was the one who had wronged Yan Xin. Like a snail, she slowly and clumsily tried to please her.

Wei Jinzhi kept patting He Qinmian’s back, her gaze drifting blankly toward the dim light.

After a while, He Qinmian’s crying grew softer. From the looks of it, she was tired and wanted to sleep. Wei Jinzhi hesitated for a moment, then did not make her go back. Instead, she planned to squeeze in and sleep with her.

After all, if two people squeezed together, it would be a little warmer.

The dim lighting also made Wei Jinzhi sleepy. But she did not sleep very soundly, because the moment she fell asleep, she began having strange dreams.

Calling them strange was not quite right. It was only that she seemed to be watching her childhood self from an omniscient perspective. Her younger self wore a white dress stained with filth, running wildly all over the mountains and fields.

Every time that child turned back, Wei Jinzhi’s heart clenched fiercely.

Until she could no longer bear it and woke from the dream with a start.

The light inside the tent was still dim, but it was much better than the foggy haze in the dream. Once Wei Jinzhi realized she was somewhere safe, she adjusted her breathing several times and finally calmed down.

But she also quickly realized something was wrong.

He Qinmian was gone.

The person who had clearly fallen asleep even earlier than she had was no longer beside her.

Very soon, she seemed to hear footsteps outside the tent. They were irregular, and there was more than one person.

The sounds outside came and went. Time passed second by second, until a familiar crying sound came through. Wei Jinzhi was so frightened that she trembled.

According to Wei Jinzhi, who often suffered from insomnia, the current time was not late. It was only eleven.

So after hesitating for a while, Wei Jinzhi still gathered her courage and got up. After all, He Qinmian was not there, and she could not feel at ease.

She casually grabbed a flashlight, turned on her phone’s flashlight as well, and crept outside.

Wei Jinzhi’s palms were covered in sweat, and her entire body was tense. Every step was very difficult.

At that moment, she heard the sound of tugging ​Read on BaiLianTales​and pulling outside the tent, as well as someone speaking in a lowered voice.

“Can you stop making a scene? It’s the middle of the night. Everyone’s sleeping…”

That voice sounded somewhat familiar to Wei Jinzhi. Then she heard He Qinmian cry out, “Yan Xin…”

She opened the tent and shone the flashlight directly toward the source of the sound. The two people pulling at each other’s arms both subconsciously blocked their eyes.

In truth, the campsite was not especially dark. Faint lights were still flickering.

He Qinmian and Yan Xin were not very close to her either. They were roughly between two tents, nearly ten meters away.

Just now, Wei Jinzhi had been too sensitive, which was why she had felt the two of them were very close to her.

She suddenly lost her strength, and the flashlight fell to the ground with a thud.

With the light gone, He Qinmian weakly met Wei Jinzhi’s eyes. Tears still hung in her eyes. After seeing Wei Jinzhi, she looked both aggrieved and guilty. She opened her mouth but could not speak. Instead, she loosened her grip on Yan Xin’s hand.

Yan Xin took the opportunity to move a step away from her, but her gaze drifted between He Qinmian and Wei Jinzhi.

During the day, a male alpha had stayed beside He Qinmian the entire time. Later, she had also been unauthorized copylaughing and talking with Wei Jinzhi.

All of this made Yan Xin furious, but none of it could compare to the anger of He Qinmian calling her in the middle of the night and acting drunk.

What did He Qinmian take her for?

Her expression was extremely ugly, and even when facing Wei Jinzhi, her gaze carried hostility.

Wei Jinzhi was an alpha who was beautiful and charming. Yan Xin knew she could not compare, and she only found it laughable.

The more she thought about it, the more she actually laughed. He Qinmian was never short of high-quality alphas by her side. Yan Xin knew herself very clearly. Was staying far away still not enough?

At night, she had also drunk a little. She was not exactly drunk, but she had some difficulty controlling her emotions. With one hand, she grabbed He Qinmian’s arm and forcefully flung her toward Wei Jinzhi.

The movement hurt He Qinmian a little. She turned back to look at Yan Xin, but Yan Xin stared at Wei Jinzhi.

Just now, when she had flung He Qinmian away, Wei Jinzhi had taken a step forward, as if somewhat worried.

Yan Xin felt like she was a clown.

Wei Jinzhi too.

So with red eyes, she questioned He Qinmian, “Don’t you already have a fiancé? What’s your relationship with that male alpha today? And what’s your relationship with Wei Jinzhi?”

“Are they, like me, fools you’ve been stringing along?”

Yan Xin’s voice was pressed very low, but her tone was fierce. He Qinmian was questioned so hard that tears flowed on their own. Subconsciously, she answered, “No…”

But Yan Xin seemed not to pay any attention to what she said and continued, “You have a fiancé, and you have boyfriends and girlfriends. So can you stop appearing in front of me?”

He Qinmian shook her head and said “no” several times in a row, tears falling even harder.

When Yan Xin saw her tears, not only was she unmoved, she even pinched He Qinmian’s chin herself and questioned her. “What do you mean, no? Weren’t you the one with a fiancé?”

This misunderstanding had already lasted many years, and Yan Xin had never given He Qinmian a chance to explain. Even though being pinched like this was very uncomfortable, He Qinmian still struggled to say, “He… he… I already broke off the engagement with him. And back then, it wasn’t what you thought.”

“I don’t have any boyfriends or girlfriends either… Yan Xin… will you listen to me explain?” He Qinmian wanted to grab Yan Xin’s hand, but Yan Xin was not willing to let her touch her at all. She raised her arm as if wanting to shake her off. Amid the struggle between them, no matter how much strength Yan Xin used, He Qinmian clung tightly to her.

Wei Jinzhi had not wanted to get involved. She was afraid that if she went over, Yan Xin would become even angrier, and she also could not reveal her omega identity.

But she could not ignore He Qinmian either. The difference in strength between alphas and omegas was enormous, and [read the original at bailiantales.com]on top of that, both of them had drunk alcohol. She was afraid Yan Xin would hurt He Qinmian. So after hesitating for a moment, she still walked forward. But before she could separate the two of them,

a hand suddenly separated them before she could and grabbed Yan Xin’s wrist.

It was Pei Suyuan.

She glared at Yan Xin, then glanced at He Qinmian. In a rather heavy tone, she said to Yan Xin, “What are you making a scene for?”

“Little Yuan’er… I…”

Yan Xin instantly seemed like a deflated balloon. Her head drooped, and her hand no longer used any strength.

Wei Jinzhi also walked over and pulled He Qinmian aside.

This action made Yan Xin angrily lift her head. She stared at He Qinmian’s hand being held by Wei Jinzhi, her eyes filled with hostility.

“Stop making a fuss. Go back and sleep.”

The voices from their conversation just now had already been heard by several people who had not yet gone to sleep, and those people kept glancing over. Pei Suyuan wanted to remind Yan Xin to pay attention, but Yan Xin seemed not to react at all, her gaze straight and fixed.

Pei Suyuan followed her gaze and suddenly understood.

No wonder Yan Xin’s temper was so stubborn. She had misunderstood Wei Jinzhi…

There was no way to explain it to Yan Xin, but Pei Suyuan was the one who knew most clearly. Seeing her look over, Wei Jinzhi pouted with grievance.

“Sister Wei is her friend. Isn’t it normal for her to take her back?” Pei Suyuan tried to persuade Yan Xin with reason, but Yan Xin had long since been carried away by jealousy. She looked at Pei Suyuan in disbelief. The caramel-scented pheromones were somewhat difficult to suppress as she practically roared at Pei Suyuan, “She’s an alpha!”

Yan Xin was probably provoked by Wei Jinzhi’s simulated alpha pheromones.

Even though those pheromones were very faint and not forceful, and normally speaking, as long as one was not too close, they would not make an alpha uncomfortable. Moreover, because Wei Jinzhi herself was an omega, those simulated pheromones were completely ineffective on omegas.

But Yan Xin in this state would not feel that way at all.

The uncontrolled simulated alpha pheromones were very plain. They would only make Yan Xin feel that she was being looked down on, making her even angrier.

“Yan Xin, calm—”

“I like alphas.” Wei Jinzhi spoke coldly, interrupting what Pei Suyuan was about to say. Yan Xin also turned her head and looked at Wei Jinzhi in shock.

Wei Jinzhi could not possibly stolen content reveal her omega identity in front of Yan Xin, so she could only say this.

And it seemed… there was nothing wrong with it either.

Her gaze toward Pei Suyuan carried deep meaning. Pei Suyuan dazed out for a moment, as if she could sense the sweet marshmallow scent beneath the white tea alpha pheromones.

Neither of them was calm, and there was no way to talk about what had happened in the past. Seeing that Yan Xin’s expression gradually returned to normal, Pei Suyuan pulled her to her side and patted her head. “Go back and sleep.”

Then she said to Wei Jinzhi, “You take her back too…”

Wei Jinzhi nodded and took He Qinmian away as well.

After causing such a fuss for so long, He Qinmian had also sobered up quite a bit. Once Wei Jinzhi pulled her, she obediently followed her back.

Seeing her good friend like this, Wei Jinzhi did not feel good either. After returning, she used warm water to wipe He Qinmian’s face and said in disdain, “How are you so useless?”

The moment Wei Jinzhi said this, He Qinmian became aggrieved again, her lips pouting as if she wanted to cry.

Wei Jinzhi quickly closed her mouth and stopped provoking her.

Coaxing was impossible. He Qinmian’s weepy appearance made Wei Jinzhi have no patience. She only softened her voice [Read on BaiLianTales]and comforted her with a couple of words, telling her to go to bed.

After drinking and making a fuss, He Qinmian was also tired. Not long after lying down, she fell asleep.

Wei Jinzhi, however, lost all sleepiness.

First, she sat to the side and watched He Qinmian for a while. Then she teased Sweet Potato, who had been woken up by the noise. In the end, she truly wanted to go outside for some air.

But being alone made her somewhat afraid, so Wei Jinzhi brought Sweet Potato out with her.

The moonlight was very bright. Wei Jinzhi stroked Sweet Potato’s fur with one hand while propping her chin with the other, lifting her head to look up.

After looking for a long time, her hand began to itch. From time to time, she tapped her fingers against Sweet Potato’s back.

“Can’t sleep?”

She had been looking with interest on her own, and the sudden voice startled Wei Jinzhi. Belatedly, she realized the person who had come was Pei Suyuan.

She took her hand away from Sweet Potato’s back, turned around, and looked at Pei Suyuan.

Unlike usual, she was not smiling. Her expression was calm and natural.

Pei Suyuan also showed a rare relaxation. She walked to Wei Jinzhi’s side and lifted her head to look at the moon.

It was rare to come to the outskirts, and the moonlight was so beautiful. Naturally, Pei Suyuan was unwilling to miss it. But she had not expected Wei Jinzhi to also come out this late.

“It’s beautiful, right?” After Pei Suyuan asked, she did not wait for Wei Jinzhi to answer. Instead, she sat down on the grass.

Wei Jinzhi frowned and subconsciously wanted to say that the ground was cold. Pei Suyuan seemed to know what she wanted to ask and spoke very naturally. “It’s fine. Looking at the moon this way has a certain feeling.”

After she finished speaking, the two of them uncontrollably looked at each other. The sense of familiarity that rose between them made both their hearts tremble.

Just now, Wei Jinzhi’s continuous finger tapping had already made Pei Suyuan feel familiar. Now, an even stranger feeling surfaced.

But that feeling seemed to be slipping away, making her subconsciously draw closer to Wei Jinzhi, wanting to see her more clearly.

Yet when she drew closer and closer, Wei Jinzhi suddenly leaned back. When she returned to herself, tears were brimming in her eyes.

Pei Suyuan instantly became flustered and at a loss, retreating back to where she had been just now.

Wei Jinzhi did not know what was wrong with herself either. Tears kept swirling uncontrollably in her eyes. She felt that Pei Suyuan’s gaze just now seemed to be looking at someone else, but also seemed to be looking at her. She thought it over and [stolen content]over again, yet could not figure out where this feeling came from.

By the time she had completely calmed down, Pei Suyuan already had her back to her, hugging her knees as she looked at the moon.

Thinking of He Qinmian and Yan Xin just now, Wei Jinzhi suddenly wanted to know whether Pei Suyuan had someone she liked.

Since she thought it, she asked it. “Pei Suyuan, have you… ever liked anyone?”

This was the first time Wei Jinzhi had formally called her by her full name. Pei Suyuan’s whole body stiffened, but when she heard the question, her whole body relaxed again.

She thought carefully for a long time.

So long that even Pei Suyuan did not know why she had to think for so long.

Only then did she shake her head and answer, “I don’t know. Before, I thought I did. But now, I feel like something was missing.”

When she truly said it aloud, Pei Suyuan realized what had been missing…

was a heart-throbbing feeling.

In her longing for Sister Moon, it seemed there had never been that kind of feeling.

She had also had chaotic dreams before. The person in those dreams had an unclear face, and her alpha pheromone instincts urged her to approach. But did that count as heart-throbbing?

It did not. It was more like an alpha’s impulse.

“Ah… I see.”

“I might not have ever truly liked anyone either. What I had was only… a heartbeat, I suppose.”

Since she had asked Pei Suyuan this question, Wei Jinzhi also felt that it would only be fair for her to answer too.

But after she finished speaking, Pei Suyuan looked at her with a lost expression and asked, “Then what counts as liking someone?”

The reason Pei Suyuan felt hers was not liking someone was precisely because that heart-throbbing feeling was missing.

Yet Wei Jinzhi felt that even having one’s heart stirred did not count as liking.

So what exactly was liking someone?

This question was too profound. So profound that Wei Read on BaiLianTalesJinzhi did not know how to explain it. She thought for a while and could only use herself as an example.

“To me, having my heart moved is something that happens in an instant. Or… for a period of time?”

“But truly liking someone, or love, should last longer. You would think more for the other person’s sake, and you would look forward to the future more.”

Of course, this was only her imagination. Because she was uncertain about her own future, she did not dare lightly entrust her future to anyone, nor could she bear someone else’s future.

For two temporarily marked alpha and omega to discuss liking, love, and even the future was actually a little strange.

Pei Suyuan even could not help applying Wei Jinzhi’s words to herself.

But she also felt that it was not right.

She lowered her head and quietly looked at Wei Jinzhi.

Wei Jinzhi did not seem to intend to speak again. She lifted her head and looked at the moon.

In truth, she knew Pei Suyuan was looking at her, but she had no more words to say, nor did she want to ask Pei Suyuan any more questions.

She only wanted to quietly look at the moon.

The view in the wilderness was excellent. The more Wei Jinzhi looked, the more immersed she became. Later, she even forgot Pei Suyuan beside her.

Sweet Potato by her feet was warm. Wei Jinzhi’s hand began tapping its back again. After a while, she placed it on her own knee instead, tapping every now and then.

Pei Suyuan’s gaze was drawn to her fingers, and that inexplicable sense of familiarity surged up again.

She must have seen the same action somewhere before.

But no matter what, she could not remember.